Xia Qing considered his greatest strength in his earlier life to be his ability to understand human nature. Therefore, from the moment he used every means to marry Xiao Zhixuan, he knew that the Xiao family would not treat him kindly. However, it wasn’t until the return banquet three days after the wedding that he truly felt the bloodthirsty hostility.
From the moment he took his seat, Xiao Du glared at him with cold eyes, as if he wanted to devour him alive. Xiao Qing, on the other hand, faced implicit sarcasm from all sides, with Xiao Qing’s words carrying hidden barbs, insinuating that he was an old ox eating tender grass. Even Xiao Yunjing didn’t spare him a single friendly glance, occasionally sighing deeply, as if Xiao Zhixuan had suffered great injustice. Xia Qing, usually sharp-tongued, had only ever shown disdain and mockery towards others. But facing his father-in-law and elder brother-in-law this time, he didn’t dare to retort, biting his tongue and swallowing the cold words, continuing to wear a smiling face. Who let him indulge in life for so long, and yet fall for this little flower of the Xiao family?
But the three of them didn’t let him off at all. Xia Qing found this meal increasingly difficult to endure. He had to resort to seeking help from Xiao Zhixuan with pleading eyes. However, to his surprise, Xiao Zhixuan sat upright, maintaining the demeanor of a young lady of the Marquis’ Mansion. In her heart, she couldn’t help but feel secretly delighted, thinking to herself: serves him right, who asked him to dare to bully me?
Thinking of his past misdeeds, Xiao Zhixuan couldn’t help but blush. She knew she was far behind him in matters between men and women. Before getting married, she had done her homework specifically to avoid being at a disadvantage in front of him. But on their wedding night, when he lifted her veil and stared at her with those sinister eyes, she couldn’t help but feel nervous, her face pale with fear.
He seemed to sense her unease, so he didn’t rush to get close to her. Instead, he whispered in her ear, “How about this, let’s play a game. If you win, I promise not to touch you. How does that sound?”
Xiao Zhixuan was surprised by his unexpected kindness, thinking that she wouldn’t lose out anyway. So she immediately agreed. Little did she know how many dirty tricks he had up his sleeve. Blaming herself for not learning such games from those erotic pictures, she ended up not only losing but losing miserably. Even now, thinking of how she had begged under him, Xiao Zhixuan felt both embarrassed and angry, quickly picking up some food to cover the heat on her face.
At this moment, Xia Qing’s smile was almost impossible to maintain. However, he saw Xiao Zhixuan blushing, chewing on a piece of meat with her head down. His heart stirred, so he discreetly leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “You’ve helped me just now. I’ll let you win once we get back.”
Xiao Zhixuan’s face flushed even more, glaring at him, then calmly continued to chew her food, determined not to speak up. Xia Qing gritted his teeth and added, “Tonight, I’ll let you have your way. You can do whatever you want.”
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes sparkled with temptation. Finally, she picked up her cup and said, “Father, elder brother, second brother, Uncle Xia…uh…Uncle Xia Qing has been good to me. Can you give me some face and stop making things difficult for him?”
The three of them exchanged skeptical glances, then finally fell silent. Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief, secretly reaching under the table to grab Xiao Zhixuan’s hand. He winked at her ambiguously, but Xiao Zhixuan just gave him a stern look, indicating he shouldn’t be too presumptuous. Yuexi sat beside Xiao Zhixuan, observing all the interactions between the two. She smiled as she scooped up some soup, thinking to herself, “These two aren’t as incompatible as one might imagine.”
At this moment, Xiao Du gently put down his chopsticks and said, “Brother-in-law, do you still remember what you said in the palace? You said you’d have to experience the power of the Xiao family’s army sooner or later. Why wait? Let’s have a little sparring session now.”
Xia Qing almost reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead, inwardly cursing, “It’s going to be a physical fight, not just words.” But he maintained a composed expression and said, “I’ll follow His Highness’s arrangement.”
There used to be a martial arts field in the Marquis’ Mansion, where Xiao Du used to train frequently when he was young. Since it hadn’t been used in a long time, Xiao Du chose that location. Others understood his intentions and tacitly allowed the two of them to go alone. Yuexi pulled Xiao Zhixuan to her room to chat privately. Xiao Zhixuan took a few steps but couldn’t help feeling worried, so she turned around and called out, “Big brother, don’t hurt him.” Yuexi couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, covering her mouth. “Just married a few days ago, and she’s already so concerned.”
Xiao Zhixuan felt a bit embarrassed, grumbling with her neck stiff, “With him like that, how could he be Big Brother’s opponent? It’s better not to hurt him, lest he accuses our Xiao family of bullying him.”
However, Xia Qing only heard the first half of her sentence, about not hurting him, and couldn’t help but cover his mouth with his fist, his lips curling into a wide smile. Xiao Du swept a cold glance at him and said, “After the match, you can laugh as much as you want.”
At this moment, Xia Qing was in high spirits and paid no attention to the edge in Xiao Du’s words. The two of them walked to the martial arts field together, each selecting a weapon, one wielding a spear and the other a halberd. After just a few rounds, Xia Qing was already barely able to defend himself, while Xiao Du, not daring to be careless, twisted his waist and thrust his arm, attacking with several spear strikes in succession. Suddenly, his expression changed, freezing his movements, with the tip of the spear just inches from Xia Qing’s neck. Xia Qing smiled faintly, released his grip on the long halberd, letting it fall to the ground, and said, “Lord Hou indeed has excellent martial skills. Xia admires you.”
Xiao Du tossed his spear aside and sat down, humming disdainfully, “You didn’t go all out, it’s boring.”
Xia Qing brushed his hand and sat next to him with a hearty laugh. “Lord Hou is Xiao Zhixuan’s elder brother, my elder brother-in-law. How could I hurt you?”
Xiao Du raised an eyebrow. Although there was Xia Qing’s typical arrogance in his words, there was also some warmth that didn’t belong to Xia Qing. He couldn’t help but think to himself, “Could Xiao Zhixuan be right? This person might have some genuine feelings for her.”
This thought made him ponder for a while before saying, “You married the daughter of the Xiao family. I’m afraid both His Majesty and the Xia family are quite shaken.”
Xia Qing showed a disdainful expression. “Xia Mingyuan, that old fox, came to congratulate me with a few insincere words. He probably can’t figure out what I’m up to for now, so he won’t act rashly. But my so-called father was furious. He blamed me for acting without consulting him. But with my current status, he’s quite wary of me and dare not punish me.” He paused and continued, “But His Majesty is beginning to be very dissatisfied. I understand. He’s afraid that if I join forces with you, the capital will be in jeopardy. But I told him not to worry. Xiao Zhixuan is the person you care most about. With this person in my hands, we’ll have more leverage in the future.”
Xiao Du couldn’t help but sneer. “His Majesty believes that someone like you will be loyal to him?”
Xia Qing’s expression suddenly became serious. “What if it’s true?” Then he reverted to his playful expression and said, “His Majesty can give me fame, wealth, and power, turning me from a lowly concubine-born son into a respected commander of the Xia family. Why wouldn’t I be loyal to him?”
Xiao Du withdrew his gaze with deep meaning. “So even when he wanted to use you against the Xia family, and almost took your life, you didn’t care.”
“Because I understand His Majesty,” Xia Qing said. “He wants to establish a unified dynasty, achieve his vision of good governance, be an active monarch, and sometimes you have to be ruthless. Besides, would I be the kind of person to sit idly by and wait for death?” He glanced at Xiao Du and added, “Actually, I’ve always felt a bit regretful. Lord Hou and His Majesty have had a friendship for many years and share common goals, so why has it come to this?
As far as I know, His Majesty has long wanted to deal with the Xia family. In recent years, Xia Xiang has become more and more arbitrary and domineering, with the Xia family running rampant, relying on the protection of the Dowager Xia and not taking His Majesty seriously. Over the years, they’ve been corrupt, greedy, and abusive, causing widespread public outrage, and the loyal officials have repeatedly risked their lives to remonstrate, but they couldn’t shake them in the slightest.”
Xiao Du sneered. “Perhaps this is exactly the result His Majesty deliberately wanted to create.” Allowing the powerful families to rule, causing everyone to be resentful of the Xia family’s misgovernment while leaving behind a reputation for humility and diligence. Mingcheng, you’ve come to understand the art of kingship more and more.
Xia Qing smiled faintly without commenting, then said, “Anyway, His Majesty has laid the groundwork for these years, and it’s almost time to start collecting. The Xia family, with its deep-rooted problems, needs to be uprooted. I think His Majesty is just waiting for an opportunity. Once he starts, he must eradicate all future troubles.”
Xiao Du stood up and said, “You don’t need to tell me these things. If he’s fighting the Xia family harder, it’s better. He still has scruples about me now because he wants to use my Xiao family’s army to balance the Xia family’s power. If it weren’t for the Xia family, the only thorn in his side would be me.”
Xia Qing’s gaze became profound. “Exactly, I just want to remind Lord Hou that the downfall of the Xia family may be imminent. Lord Hou should make plans early and find a way out.”