Volume 1: Phoenix Hidden in the Northern Territory Chapter 4: A Wave Rises and Then Subsides

  "Where is the bride?"

  The sedan chair crashed to the ground, shaking the Tang family's large courtyard as if it had been shaken. The bluestone floor cracked, but the sedan chair was calm and steady, and even the pearl curtain didn't shake at all.

  The speaker was a robust man, with an imposing physique, wearing the same bright red festive attire, which made his sharp and majestic face look rather strange. Especially since this person was now grinning, showing his teeth, with a smile in his eyes, looking completely like a mischievous and eccentric fellow.

  Tang Mi Yun was dissatisfied with his title, but didn't show it on her face. She replied calmly: "Still preparing."

  Just as he finished speaking, Mrs. Liu had already brought people to the big courtyard. At this time, she was holding Tang Nian's hand and walking over. For a moment, she was also startled by the scene in front of her, and laughed repeatedly: "Isn't the new bride here yet?"

  The man standing on the left side of the sedan chair had a pale face with no beard, his eyebrows and eyes were handsome, his slender body was straight like bamboo, and he had a scholarly air about him. His gaze seemed casual but was actually piercing, and with a slight glance, he took in Tang Nian's entire appearance. His voice was low and husky, as if he hadn't fully woken up yet. "The Snow Swallow Manor is marrying the third young lady of the Tang family, Tang Qiaoqi."

  Liu and Tang Miyan both had a slight change in expression, Liu even raised his sleeve to cover his mouth, hiding the unnatural moment, and chuckled: "Young Master is joking, isn't the one I'm holding hands with our Tang family's Third Miss?"

  Shu Xiuzhu said slowly, "Tangmen's third miss Tang Qiaochi is five feet tall. This girl is slightly shorter, although she has a wedding dress to cover her up, her figure is two points weaker than Tang Qiaochi. Tang Qiaochi has the power of yuan in her body and has made some progress in martial arts. Although this girl's footsteps are steady, they lack strength, not a martial artist." Seeing the two people in front of him turn pale at the same time, he continued his previous words, "If I'm not mistaken, this person should be Tangmen's second miss Tang Nianian."

  Neither Liu nor Tang had expected that this person would be so observant, and with just one glance, he would see through the situation they had set up, making the two of them feel embarrassed, as if they were like a pair of jesters.

  "Damn it! You dare to try to deceive Snow Swallow Manor!? Bring the real Tang Qiaochi over here at once!" Zhao Tie, the burly man, shouted repeatedly, his voice almost deafening, probably loud enough for the entire Tang clan to hear.

  Liu's face turned pale and white, Tang Miao's expression was solemn, after a long time, he opened his mouth: "Go and call out Qiao Zhi."

  "Old master! You can't!" Liu's face turned pale as he hastily cried out.

  "Go!" Tang Miyan flung her sleeve.

  Liu clenched her teeth in anger and secretly pinched Tang Nian's palm tightly. Useless thing, really can't accomplish anything but can cause trouble.

  Tang Nian's eyebrows furrowed slightly under her veil, not from pain, but from unwillingness to let Madam Liu treat her skin so roughly.

  Before long, Chunxue rushed back and anxiously shouted: "Something's wrong! Third Miss, Third Miss is gone!"

  "What?" Tang Miangyun coldly snorted.

  Chunxue was frightened pale, and knelt down with a thud, stuttering: "Reporting to Master, Third Miss is not in the house, probably left for quite some time."

  Tang Mianyun's face turned black, but Liu was secretly relieved and comforted by Tang Qiaozhi's foresight. Turning around, she pulled Tang Mianyun's hand and whispered softly: "Master, Qiao'er is probably gone for a long time, it's useless to look for her now, don't blame her, it's just that..."

  Tang Miao Yun pushed her away with one hand, "A doting mother spoils her child!"

  Liu had a bellyful of resentment, but didn't dare vent it on him, so she turned around and took it out on Tang Nian again, pinching her pale wrist, while smiling warmly at the four people in front of her: "You see, my Nian is also a good girl, no different from Zhi'er, and this face is even more rare in the world. I'm not sure if Master Xueyuan wouldn't like it even more?" As she spoke, she tore off Tang Nian's veil.

  Under the phoenix crown, a face without powder or rouge, lips red as cinnabar, bathed in sunlight, beautiful like shattered crystal and jade, dazzling to the eyes, dare not gaze directly, cannot be trifled with.

  The four sedan bearers' faces didn't change, but the astonishment in their eyes was unmistakable. Zhao Tie exclaimed, "Beautiful! Beautiful! I thought the rumors were false! This is truly breathtakingly beautiful... what a pity..." He shook his head, unclear about what he pitied.

  He spoke bluntly, but his eyes were devoid of even a hint of warmth.

  The man standing behind the bamboo, with a crown on his head and a black hair on his forehead, looked ordinary at first glance, but had an inexplicable aura of playfulness and disrespect. He held a folding fan and was gently shaking it, then paused for a moment, before curling up the corner of his mouth and scanning Liu's daughter with a smile, saying: "I've never seen anyone lift their daughter's veil like this before. If I hadn't been drinking, I would have thought we were in a brothel and the madam was soliciting customers."

  Liu's face was like a dye vat, changing again and again.

  Zhao Tieshen's descendant, however, was a youth who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. His face was pale and round, his lips were red and his teeth were white, making him quite likable. Yet, his face showed no expression, stiff and cold. At this moment, he spoke in a flat tone without any fluctuation: "Will you marry me?"

  The scene became even more quiet with this question.

  Zhao Tie glanced at Shu Xiuzhu beside him and said in a low voice, "I think this one is not bad either. The sedan chair has been brought over, how can we all not bring back a new bride for the master?"

  Shu Xiuzhu gave him a cold glance and said indifferently: "Do you think we chose the new daughter-in-law for the young master?"

  Zhao Ties mouth closed again, and he spread his hands to indicate that he had nothing more to say.

  Behind her, Song Junqing waved a jade-boned fan and said leisurely: "Oh my, the Tang family is really something, this is a broken engagement. Our Snow Swallow Mountain Villa was originally not worthy of consideration."

  Tang Miao's face was equally unsightly, this was a reasonable argument that couldn't be explained clearly, and this concession didn't even have a conceding method, yet he still lost his own dignity. Thinking of him as the master of a respectable family, how could he tolerate such a thing?

  Just as both sides had a tense atmosphere with swords drawn and bows stretched, a soft and gentle voice like morning dew broke the silence:

  "I'm married."

  Both sides fell their gaze on Tang Nian's bright red wedding dress, and Tang Nian's expression didn't change at all. She repeated in a light tone once again: "I do."

  Everyone heard it clearly, and Song Junqing was the first to laugh out loud. "Haha, you're getting married? Xiao Mei, you're quite bold, but just because you say you want to get married doesn't mean you can. Do you think Snow Swallow Manor's doors are that easy to enter?"

  Tang Nian silently looked at him, leaving Song Junqing perplexed. She then shifted her gaze to the slender bamboo in front of her, "Now, before you all, there is only one bride, and I am willing to marry. It's not as if you're forcing me, isn't it just right?"

  Whether she marries or not is not a concern for her, what concerns her is her life. If this marriage is unsuccessful, Liu will make things difficult for her, and with her current body, there's no hope of resisting even half-heartedly. However, if she follows these people, at least there's still a glimmer of hope for survival.

  Zhao Tie's face was filled with astonishment, and he exclaimed: "This girl, are you out of your mind?" In the past, when choosing a new daughter-in-law for the landlord, which one didn't cry and make a fuss, as if they were being rushed to their execution? Although the result was indeed almost the same. Who would have thought that today, there would actually be a woman willing to become the landlord's daughter-in-law of her own accord?

  Tang Nian's face was as usual, her eyes clear and bright. "It's getting late, let's get on the sedan chair. If you, Master Zhuang, are not satisfied with me, then during these days of my wedding, you can also search for Tang Qiaozi's whereabouts and bring her in afterwards. It's better than handing over an empty promise now."

  Zhao Tie wanted to say something else, but on the other side, Shu Xiuzhu suddenly reached out and lifted the curtain of the bridal sedan chair, saying to Tang Nianian: "Please get in the sedan."

  Tang Nian walked step by step into the wedding sedan, until the curtain fell and she caught a last glimpse of Liu's smiling face. Her left hand gently rubbed the pinch marks on her right hand that had almost bled, and she silently pursed her lips. Ah, she was very vengeful.

  Shu Xiuzhu saluted Tang Miao with a bow and said, "Today, Xueyingshan Manor welcomes the second daughter of the Tang family, Tang Nianian. From now on, Tang Nianian will have no more connection with the Tang family. Also, please remind the master of the Tang family to find the third daughter of the Tang family as soon as possible, in case of unexpected needs."

  In case of need.

  Upon hearing this, Tang Nian's lips curled up into a faint smile inside the sedan. This person not only helped her resolve the entanglement with the Tang family, but also spoke on her behalf, rendering Tang Qiaoqi utterly worthless.

  Without regard for Tang Mi Yun and Liu's facial expressions or emotions, Shu Xiuzhu shouted: "Lift the sedan!" The four men simultaneously lifted the four pillars of the flower sedan and took off.

  Hong Jin followed behind, always steady and upright under the flower sedan chair, making people look from afar, only to feel that the flower sedan chair was riding the wind, with a red carpet stretching across the sky, as if heaven itself was getting married.