5 5. Agree to the marriage!

The Fu family didn't reside in a spacious and bright villa like many of the nouveau riche in Yong City. Instead, they occupied the vast estate of the Fu family's old residence in the heart of the city. In the deepest corner of the backyard, within a courtyard, the windows of a dark room were tightly shut. Even though the evening sun shone directly on the windows, the study room remained devoid of any trace of light.

A shadow sat silently in the corner of the study, head slightly lowered as if already asleep.

The study's door was gently pushed open from the outside, allowing a beam of light to enter before it was quickly closed again.

"Young… Young Master." Standing at the doorway was a tall and handsome young man, his posture upright. He spoke respectfully towards the shadow in the corner.

There was no response for a while, and the young man got worried and contemplated approaching to check. However, he eventually heard a cold voice echoing, "What's the matter?"

Relieved, the young man whispered, "Warlord… the Warlord just gave Fourth Young Master thirty lashes in the front yard."

"…" Still, silence. The young man felt as though the atmospheric pressure in the room was almost suffocating. Nevertheless, he couldn't omit the matter at hand. Thinking of what he had been tasked with, a tinge of displeasure appeared on his face. "First Young Master, Warlord, and Madam…"

"What do they want me to do?"

The young man's heart skipped a beat. "The Leng family refuses to break off the engagement. The Warlord hopes… that First Young Master can marry the Third Young Lady from the Leng family."

Once again, a prolonged silence ensued. Just as the young man thought there would be no further response, he heard a cold chuckle, "The granddaughter of the emperor's teacher… they're afraid no one else would be willing to marry me, so it's a convenient compromise?"

This time, the person standing at the doorway fell silent.

Based on his understanding of the Warlord, it was likely not without this intention. Otherwise, even if the Warlord's family didn't want to offend the emperor's teacher, they must have some other ways to appease the Leng family.

If the First Young Master merely wanted to get married, there would be many families willing to send their daughters over. However, if he truly sought a wife of high standing, it might not be so easy. The Third Young Lady Leng had been favored by the Old Madam when she was alive. Despite the Leng family's fall, their foundation remained, and the Fu family was not lacking in power and wealth. With a good background, the Third Young Lady Leng was also a student at An Lan University, and she was a renowned beauty in Yong City. Becoming the daughter-in-law of the Fu family wouldn't be an issue.

"First Young Master, the Warlord…" The young man hesitated, unsure of what to say. The incident six months ago had been too cruel to the Young Master, more devastating than falling from the sky into dust. Now, his fiancée was pregnant with his younger brother's child… The young man wondered if the Fourth Young Master and Miss Zheng were truly just a simple romantic attraction. One had only recently returned from the capital and another had been in Yong City; how could they have developed such love between them?

"The Warlord said that Young Master should think about the Old Madam. The Old Madam and Old Master's greatest wish was to see the Young Master start a family… What the Fourth Young Master did was not right, but it wasn't Miss Leng's fault. Warlord has personally seen her, Miss Leng is… fine, and she can become the Fu family's First Young Madam."

"I'm afraid that I, Fu Fengcheng, can't be the son-in-law of the Leng family now." Fu Fengcheng's voice was cold in the darkness. "Marrying a good girl to a cripple, what are they thinking? Are we trying to make amends, or are we trying to deceive her again?"

The young man sighed. "The Leng family refuses to break off the engagement, and Miss Leng has already agreed. As long as First Young Master agrees, this matters… can be settled. First Young Master, the Leng family's Old Master… might not agree to cancel the engagement with the Fu family."

"Let Fu Yucheng marry her!" Fu Fengcheng said in a cold tone. "Tell the old man that if the Fu family wants to salvage its reputation, then let brother properly marry Miss Leng. As for that person from the Zheng family… let him handle it however he wants."

"The Fourth Young Master is using his own life as a bargaining chip." The young man sighed bitterly. If Fourth Young Master had agreed, what else would there be to discuss? Was the Fu family lacking in-laws?

"Then let him die." Fu Fengcheng's voice turned indifferent. His tone was so cold it did not sound like he was talking about his brother. After a while, he suddenly sneered, "I forgot. Now that he's precious, the old man can't do anything to him."

The young man thought, "Isn't that so? If it were in the past when the Young Master hadn't had the incident, would the Fourth Young Master dare to challenge the Warlord like this? Second, Third, and Fifth Young Masters are all sons of concubines, and the Second and Third Young Masters have long been rendered useless. The Fifth Young Master is young and has a stubborn personality, and the Madam wouldn't allow a concubine's son to rise in status. Now, there's only the Fourth Young Master left."

"First Young Master, Third Young Lady Leng has already agreed. If you… refuse again, it might not be, well, advisable…"

Fu Fengcheng fell silent for a moment, then sneered. "Given the situation, why would the old man ask you to inquire with me?"

"Does this mean First Young Master has agreed?"

Fu Fengcheng didn't respond any further. The figure seated in the wheelchair lowered its head again, as though drifting off to sleep. The young man standing at the doorway breathed a sigh of relief, didn't dare to say anything more, gently opened the study door, carefully exited, and closed the door behind him.

In the dark study room, a pair of icy eyes suddenly opened.

Those eyes were sharp and piercing, like a gleaming blade amidst the endless darkness, capable of cutting through the abyss in an instant.

After a while, scornful, low laughter echoed through the dark study.

In the 26th year of An Xia's Cheng Ping, a significant event happened in Yong City, the capital of the six southern provinces.

Zheng Ying, the eldest daughter of the Zheng family and the future daughter-in-law of Warlord Fu, was found to be pregnant before marriage. What made the situation even more astonishing was that the child's father was none other than Fu Yucheng, the Fourth Young Master of the Fu family. Despite the Fu family's efforts to suppress the news and the reluctance of the local newspapers to report on it, the information swiftly spread across Yong City and even farther regions, as if it had grown wings. While the Fu family might have influence within the Six Southern Provinces, their reach wasn't absolute beyond that territory in the vast land of An Xia.

Presumably, in a few days, this news about the Fu family would spread all over the country.

Not to mention that, in reality, the Fu family might not be able to fully control the newspapers and magazines of the Six Southern Provinces. After all, it was not like the early years, and even a Warlord couldn't cover up everything.

While these smaller publications dared not cross certain boundaries, veiled innuendos were certainly permissible. Not to mention that literati excelled in employing classical allusions; they wouldn't run out of things to write about.

Two days later, news spread from the Fu family: the Fourth Young Master of the Fu family was to marry Miss Zheng, while the intended Fourth Young Madam Fu would marry the First Young Master.

As soon as this news spread out, the entire Yong City exploded.

Commoners gossiped, while scholars speculated about the scandalous affairs between the Fourth Young Master and Miss Zheng. Simultaneously, they sympathized with the innocent Third Young Lady Leng who had been dragged into the mess. As for the respected scholars and moral figures, their criticisms were unanimously aimed at the Fu family. They questioned how a family could produce such a son and called for his punishment, asserting that the Fu family was shameless for allowing the marriage of this adulterous couple. But more importantly, they forced the Leng family's daughter to marry their crippled eldest son?

What? You said it wasn't forced?

Was it because the Leng family's daughter has a problem with her head for wanting to marry a cripple, or has the eldest son of the Fu family gone crazy to marry a woman that his younger brother rejected? But no matter how you put it, it's the Fu family's fault. General Fu's lack of discipline and ineffective parenting has led to this kind of situation, wasn't it?

In short, they were scolding!

In an instant, Yong City was flooded with all sorts of erotic novels about the future sister-in-law and the younger brother-in-law. The idle literati, who had nothing better to do, took the Fu family to task, and General Fu was so infuriated at home that he lost half his hair. Unable to bear the frustration, he even thrashed the Fourth Young Master again.

Interestingly, the situation was somewhat different when the eldest son married the intended Fourth Young Madam. Considering the good reputation he held in the past, his current tragic state, and the innocence of Third Young Lady Leng, the main criticism was directed at the Fu family's lack of decorum and their disregard for proper conduct. The two individuals directly involved in this matter were relatively spared from the turmoil.

So, it can be said that Old Master Leng, who toyed with the pen his whole life, still had some tricks up his sleeve. Despite being fully aware of the situation, the Fu family, feeling in the wrong, had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it. Otherwise, if the First Young Master Fu and the Leng family were to quarrel again, it's possible that people in the capital, even those who were not fond of the Fu family, would join in. The matter would become even more difficult to resolve."