The Demon Lords-Chapter 757 - 166 Lord Pingye_6

"Imperial Brother, the He family are butchers in Nan'an County Town."

"Butchers?"

The Crown Prince's expression was quite something. His own fiancée was the daughter of the Earl of North Border; his elder brother was to marry the daughter of a barbarian king. And now his younger brother was going to wed a butcher's daughter? For a moment, the Crown Prince was at a loss for words and could only look to his Imperial Father.

The Yan Emperor did not rush to answer, his face merely grave.

Ji Chengjue continued, "Imperial Father, before Your son left Nan'an County to return to the capital, my future father-in-law, old Mr. He, told me that the He family might not have much else, but they are never short of cured and smoked meats during the holidays. He said that as long as his old He family has a bite of meat to eat, they would never let Your bowl lack for a speck of grease!"

The Yan Emperor was silent.

These were indeed the words old Mr. He had thumped his chest and declared, and when he said them, he was truly brimming with confidence! Of course, at that time, he had no idea who his son-in-law truly was, but he knew one thing for sure: pork was undoubtedly the best thing in this world! Of course, the implication of quoting those words now was: Dare to touch the He family again! I'll make sure your bowl doesn't see a speck of grease, believe it or not! This was his subtle way of expressing his attitude: You want me to do things for you? Fine. You've cut me down in the past? Fine. But this time, don't even think that after cutting me down again, I'll continue to grin and bear it, praising you for how well you've done it! Ji Chengjue was truly provoked. Provoked by that Zheng Fan. He could no longer continue to hide his capabilities and bide his time, nor did he want to.

Because he realized very clearly that if he didn't do something, if he didn't reassert the prestige of his title as a prince… To put it crudely, friendship is like a 'string of coins'; as the status gap between two people widens, what would he, the Sixth Prince, even amount to in Zheng Fan's eyes? If he were hungry, Zheng Fan might send him cornmeal. But if he were dying someday, Zheng Fan would most likely stand aside and watch. Based on his understanding of Zheng Fan, he believed Zheng Fan was absolutely capable of such a thing. That fellow was a ruthless character who built his military achievements on the corpses of his enemies; how could he possess unrealistic, womanly compassion? Moreover, as Zheng Fan gradually rose, he gathered more and more subordinates. Many matters were no longer entirely under his control. Even if Zheng Fan wanted to help him, still remembering their past friendship, his subordinates might remain indifferent, looking down on this fallen prince. We both have pride, and neither of us is old. Why should I, Ji Chengjue, be doing worse than him?

The Yan Emperor spoke, "Three years?"

This was a deal the Yan Emperor was willing to make.

Ji Chengjue immediately replied, "Results in one year, initial success in two, and full establishment in three!"

"You said this yourself."

"Imperial Father, one does not jest before the sovereign."

Ji Chengjue had made a military pledge.

The Yan Emperor nodded slightly. He was quite satisfied with this deal; he would see results in a year. Compared to being ready to attack their enemies in three years, he could concede on everything else. It was just this son before him…

The Yan Emperor waved his hand dismissively and said, "You may leave."

"Your son has another matter to report."

After speaking, Ji Chengjue pulled a red paper from his bosom and held it up for presentation.

The Crown Prince rose, took the red paper, and saw it was a dowry list. On it, the words "two pork hind legs" were deliberately written in large script.

The Crown Prince presented this gift list to the Yan Emperor.

The Yan Emperor took it and glanced over it. As he looked at the list, he could almost picture that old butcher, his pride soaring to the heavens as he wrote it. No, he probably didn't write it himself. The handwriting was too neat; it must have been done by a scholar, who was specially instructed to write the words 'two pork hind legs' a size larger. Is he… trying to show off his old He family's… wealth… to Us?

"HEH HEH HEH." The Yan Emperor rubbed his forehead, chuckling.

The Crown Prince was utterly astonished. Watching his father and younger brother today, he truly felt like an outsider, as if he couldn't fit in at all. This feeling made him very uncomfortable, yet he had no way to vent it, much less show it.

A hint of softness appeared in the Yan Emperor's gaze. He recalled when he had taken Consort Min. The Min Family's old master had sent a grandiose gift list to the palace. It went on and on, a display of wealth that could rival a nation, as if deliberately trying to intimidate him. The Min Family was not a centuries-old prestigious clan, but they were undoubtedly the wealthiest merchants in all of Yan! On that day, holding that gift list, his heart felt no excitement or joy, only rage. In comparison, this gift list was much more pleasant to look at. Moreover, the variations in the ink's shade suggested that items had been specially added later. This butcher father from Nan'an County Town was constantly thinking of adding more to the dowry, giving as much as he possibly could, doing his utmost.

The Yan Emperor waved his hand, gesturing for the Crown Prince to move aside a little.

The Crown Prince, feeling somewhat hurt, stepped away, allowing the Yan Emperor to once again see Ji Chengjue, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"Cheng Jue."

"Your son is here."

"You… do you not regret this?"

Ji Chengjue kowtowed, pressing his palms flat against the floor, and declared with utmost sincerity, "May all direct descendants of my Ji Family hereafter marry commoners. May the imperial family and the common people share weal and woe, forever united."

The Yan Emperor showed no other reaction, not even telling Ji Chengjue to rise. Instead, he looked at the Crown Prince.

"Imperial Father?"

"Follow this gift list, double the amount, and send the betrothal gifts."

As the elder brother, and with Ji Wujiang not yet returned, it was naturally the Crown Prince's responsibility to handle this; it was proper etiquette.

"Yes, Imperial Father."

As the Crown Prince turned to leave, the Yan Emperor spoke again, "Wait."

"Yes, Imperial Father."

"The pork hind legs—send eight of them."

The Crown Prince was speechless.

I, the Emperor, will outdo you in the very "pork" you take such pride in!

"Yes, Imperial Father." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The Crown Prince sat back down. He found it all rather absurd: his Imperial Father, who was always so serious and rarely smiled, was actually going to get into a tiff with a butcher from a county town, competing in… financial strength.

The Yan Emperor still had not allowed Ji Chengjue to rise. Instead, he ordered, "Draft an edict."

"Yes."

The Crown Prince unfurled a scroll for the imperial edict and prepared to write. Once the imperial edict was written, it still needed to be countersigned by Zhao Jiulang—meaning it also had to be approved by the court officials—and finally be affixed with the imperial seal by Wei Zhonghe to truly take effect. Of course, when the Emperor was strong, all of this was merely a formality.

"Let former General of Shengle, Zheng Fan, be appointed Regional Commander of the Snow Sea Garrison."

The Crown Prince began to write. Actually, he wasn't surprised by this at all. Ever since seeing Lord Jingnan's memorandum, he knew this appointment was bound to be approved.

But the next sentence made the Crown Prince's hand tremble slightly:

"Bestow upon Zheng Fan, Regional Commander of the Snow Sea Garrison, the title of Lord Pingye."