Outside the main camp, people's voices were in an uproar, and the 30,000-strong red ocean of cavalrymen finally returned smoothly.
Xu Haifeng brought Fang Yingying along and welcomed them together. As soon as she saw the two large vehicles, Fang Yingying asked him with her eyes.
Looking at her pair of beautiful big eyes that seemed to speak, Xu Haifeng smiled and pointed to the second car.
Fang Yingying instantly jumped off the horse and arrived at the second carriage with swift steps. With a flip of her body, she easily slipped inside. At first, there were a few soft cries, followed by excited cheers filled with surprise.
"Little brother, you're really something! You've already plucked two of the Four Golden Flowers of the Imperial City." Fang Xiang Ming sincerely admired.
"Two? Brother, you're wrong this time." Xǔ Hǎifēng said with feigned disdain.
"What?"
Xu Haifeng pointed at the first large vehicle and asked: "Big brother, do you know who is in this car?"
"Isn't it just Lin Wanxian, Lin young lady?"
Xu Haifeng smiled and stretched out his index finger to beckon him, and Fang Xing's heart skipped a beat as he leaned over. Then he heard Xu Haifeng say in a low, self-satisfied tone: "In addition to Yuanyuan, Yajun is also inside."
Fang Ming suddenly lifted his head, looking at him incredulously, and after a long time, he said: "All the good fortune in the world has been enjoyed by you, what kind of dog luck are you relying on?"
"Big brother is wrong again." Xǔ Hǎifēng said with a happy smile: "Little brother is walking the peach blossom luck, not some dog shit luck."
He thought to himself, you'd be surprised if I let you know that all four Golden Flowers have been taken in by me, who knows what kind of thoughts you'll have then.
Inside the carriage, Fang Yingying held Liu Ting's hand, and the three of them chattered incessantly with Tang Rou'er.
The car curtain was suddenly lifted, and Xu Haifeng walked in without avoiding suspicion, saying in a low voice: "We're almost there, Ting'er don't make a sound, lest we stir up unnecessary trouble."
Liu Ting nodded obediently and murmured in agreement.
Xu Haifeng grasped her soft and fragrant small hand, saying: "I'm sorry to trouble you, after I go to the capital for a trip, when I return to Lin'an, I'll ask my parents to take charge and welcome you into our family."
Liu Tingjiao lowered her head in shyness, but couldn't hide the joy on her face.
Xu Haifeng released her jade-like hands, turned around and pulled Tang and Fang along, saying: "Third Uncle has urged us twice already, let's go see the old man."
Fang Ying struggled slightly, but couldn't break free. It was the first time she had been held by Xu Haifeng in front of all those women, and her heart skipped a beat with nervousness. Her big eyes darted back and forth, not daring to meet his gaze.
Xu Haifeng pulled their little hands and swaggered into Fang Lingchen's study with a self-satisfied expression.
All along the way, I don't know how many people stared straight at me.
"Third Uncle, we're here." Xu Haifeng didn't knock on the door either, directly using his leg to push open the slightly ajar large gate and stepped inside.
Fang Lingchen raised his head and saw the intimate movements between the three of them at a glance, and he couldn't help but be stunned.
In the study, apart from Fang Lingchen, there were several other generals. Su Chunwei was also among them. They exchanged a glance, and their eyes all revealed a knowing smile.
"Third Uncle..."
Xu Haifeng pulled his hand, and Tang and Fang's two daughters understood what he meant, calling out sweetly.
"You're a formidable young man, Nephew! If I had half your talent when I was younger, that would have been great." Fang Lingchen rarely joked around.
"Third Uncle, what nonsense are you talking about?" Fang Yingying pouted and scolded, she was the only one among the younger generation of the Fang family who dared to speak to Fang Lianchen, the most conservative and strict of the three elders, in such a manner.
Xu Haifeng furrowed his brow and added emphasis to his tone: "Ying'er, how can you be so rude to Third Uncle? Apologize at once."
Fang Ying's small mouth pouted, just about to refuse, but felt the fingertips of Xu Haifeng brushing against her palm, making her feel both numb and itchy, suddenly her heart was in a mess. This scoundrel, dared to be naughty in front of so many people.
Her pretty face turned slightly red, and she was afraid that he would use some other trick, so she had to say dejectedly: "Third Uncle, Ying'er apologizes to you."
Since she arrived at the Northern Camp, she had never had such an expression. Not only was Fang Lingchen greatly surprised, but even the surrounding generals were stunned, almost daring not to believe their eyes and ears.
Fang Yingying saw so many people in the hall with such strange expressions, she felt her face burning and couldn't stay any longer. She broke free from Xu Haifeng's grasp and ran away without a trace.
Tang Rou'er covered her mouth and smiled lightly: "Ying'er has finally met her match."
Fang Xiang also sighed and said: "It's really a case of one thing suppressing another."
Fang Lingchen suddenly waved his hand and said, "I'll make an exception today. Everyone with business can discuss it tonight. I have something to talk about with Haifeng's nephew, let Xiang Ming stay behind."
Many generals stood up and bowed to leave, when Su Chunwei left, he secretly gave Xu Haifeng a thumbs up, then made a gesture of surrender, indicating his admiration for the five-body cast.
Fang Lingchen waited for everyone to leave, looked at Xu Haifeng, and asked with a serious face: "Xu Haifeng, have you made up your mind?"
Xu Haifeng deliberately pulled the two girls to show off in the city today, just to publicly announce his relationship with the two girls. Such practical actions are more effective than saying a hundred times with their mouths.
At this time, Ling Chen asked him, and he said calmly: "Yes, my nephew has made up his mind. When I return to the capital, I will propose to my adoptive father and Tang Gongzi, and welcome Rou'er and Ying'er into our family."
This time even Tang Rou'er blushed and lowered her head, her cheeks slightly red, her eyes fluttering, such a charming sight that the three men in the room were all momentarily stunned.
"Hmm..." Fang Lingchen nodded and said: "Miss Tang, I have some things I'd like to discuss with Haitian alone, what do you think..."
Tang Rou'er looked at the elder, known for his strictness, in surprise. She really couldn't think of anything that she shouldn't know, but she still said softly: "Then I'll go find Ying'er."
Xu Haifeng felt a faint sense of unease in his heart and asked, "Third Uncle, why did you want to send Rong'er away?"
Fang Lingchen sighed and said: "Have you ever seen King Wu of the palace in the capital?"
Wu Wang Liu Zhengqi was the fifth son of Emperor Xian of Han. As soon as Fang Lingchen mentioned his name, Xu Haifeng understood what he meant.
The Fifth Prince has not married since he met Tang Rou'er, and it is all because he wants to wait for the day when the beauty will favor him.
If he knew that Xu Haifeng had won the beauty's heart, he would not give up.
Xu Haifeng recalled the scene when he met him during the imperial examination, and this person didn't seem like a broad-minded person at all. He regarded Tang Rourou as a forbidden fruit, but he himself was taking her by force, afraid that it would indeed be a troublesome matter.
If it were the old Xu Haifeng before he went to Xiongnu, perhaps he would have retreated. But how could he be afraid of difficulties and dangers now? For the woman in his heart, let alone Liu Zhengqi being the emperor, even if he ascended to the throne, he couldn't retreat half a step.
Xu Haifeng smiled and said, "Thank you, Third Uncle, for reminding me, but I have my own measure. As the saying goes, 'good fortune is not a disaster, and a disaster cannot be avoided.' Asking me to give up Rong'er is absolutely impossible. Moreover, even if I were to let go now, with Wu Dianxia's temperament, he would probably already be harboring resentment in his heart, just waiting for the opportunity to settle accounts after autumn."
Fang Lingchen's expression changed slightly, and he said: "Whether it is good fortune or bad luck, if it is bad luck, it can't be avoided. Alas... It's rare for you to see through things so clearly, even more so than this old man. You're indeed the first among the younger generation to have grasped the spiritual world."
Xu Haifeng smiled slightly, and this sentence was still something he had learned from Jiang Kongming.
"Third Uncle, little brother's heart is quite big, he not only wants to marry Little Sister and Tang Rou'er at the same time, but also has a first-rate musician from the imperial palace." Fang Ming said on the side, adding fuel to the fire.
"What?" Fang Lingchen exclaimed, looking at Xu Haifeng's eyes with increasing strangeness, and finally sighed: "I didn't expect that I still underestimated you."
Xu Haifeng smiled but didn't speak, as if this were a matter of course, and it wasn't worth making a big fuss about.
"In terms of talent, moral character, courage and magnanimity, the Fifth Prince is actually superior to the Crown Prince." Fang Lingchen sighed: "As early as three years ago, Your Majesty wanted to establish the position of Crown Prince. At that time, the voice for the Fifth Prince was the highest, and all civil and military officials in the court also looked up to him very much."
"Why hasn't the Eastern Palace Crown Prince been established yet?" Xǔ Hǎi Fēng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked: "Could it be related to Róu'ér?"
Fang Lingchen nodded and said, "At that time, the Fifth Prince was in high spirits and had ambitions as high as the sky. However, during a chance encounter, he saw Tang Rou'er who was only 15 years old at that time. From then on, the Fifth Prince made up his mind to marry no one but her."
"What does this have to do with establishing a crown prince?" Xǔ Hǎifēng asked in confusion.
"Taizu Emperor had repeatedly emphasized in his lifetime that the empress dowager cannot be a woman from a prestigious family. The Tang family is one of the four great families of the current dynasty, with a history of several hundred years and a position at the top, do you think it's a prestigious family?" Fang Lingchen explained.
"Emperor Taizu was wise and brilliant in his first year of reign, why would he establish such a strange rule?" Xuhai Feng became even more puzzled.
"Fang Lingchen smiled wryly and said, 'This is the balance of the emperor's art. Now that our four families have their own strengths and are mutually restrained, the Han dynasty can be as stable as a mountain. If one family becomes too powerful, it will inevitably lead to endless disputes, and the Liu family's throne will also be in danger.'"
Xu Haifeng seemed to have an epiphany, and suddenly laughed: "Third Uncle, if the Fifth Master is indeed a heroic figure, then he will definitely let go. Judging from the current situation, it's exactly the best time for me to propose to Tang Daren."
"What's going on again?" Fang Lingchen asked strangely this time.
"The Huns have already formed an alliance with Caesar and will soon invade the Great Han Empire. Although the Great Han seems to be at peace, in reality, it is fraught with danger. In this situation, if the Fifth Prince still has a shred of rationality, even if he is unwilling in his heart, he would not simultaneously offend both the Fang and Tang families. Moreover, my nephew's Black Flag Army is also a powerful force, how could he abandon them?"
Fang Ling and his uncle exchanged a glance, both feeling that there was great truth in these words.
Finally, Fang Lingchen sighed and said: "In short, be careful how you deal with him, my good nephew."
Xu Haifeng nodded in thanks, but he wasn't doubting Fang Lianchen and the others. It was just that the matter of the Cheng family's betrayal was too mysterious. Without solid evidence, apart from Fang Liantian, the master of the Fang household, he didn't dare to mention it to anyone else.
Just then, Jiang Kongming rushed in with a wine bottle in his hand. However, the contents of the bottle were not fine wine, but a dark, semi-solid liquid that emitted a pungent smell.
"General Fang, where did this thing come from?" Jiang Gongming asked hastily, without regard for etiquette.
Fang Ming knew Jiang Kongming's identity and didn't want to offend him, so he smiled and said: "This thing was unexpectedly dug up from the eastern land last month, but I don't know what it is."
Jiang Kongming's eyes lit up and he burst out laughing: "This is truly heaven helping me."
The three of them exchanged a glance, and without saying a word, they all thought to themselves: this guy has gone crazy again.