Chapter 414: Your Green Hat is Crooked
News of this quickly reached Sang Hong and Sang Qian. They led a group of men over to welcome them.
Sang Qian was dressed in festive wedding finery, his face radiant and full of confidence.
Everyone around him had nothing but praise in their hearts for him. Sang Qian had been born handsome, and now that he was all dressed up, he looked even more suave and outstanding.
The guests from all over Brightmoon City whispered among themselves.
“Young master Sang looks quite happy today!”
“Of course he does! You’ll be excited too if you could marry a beauty like Miss Zheng and bring her into the bridal room.”
“But the arrival of the Chu clan is rather inauspicious… I wonder how they will deal with that.”
“Tsk, the age of the Chu clan is already over. Even the emperor himself favors the Sang clan. What can the Chu clan even do?”
…
The endless discussion washed over him, but Zu An was completely unaffected. With an amused expression, he watched the father and son duo arrive.
“So it was my dear niece Xie who came! We’ve cost you quite a lot this time, haven’t we? Haha. Your father already brought over a generous gift earlier on.” Sang Hong deliberately avoided looking at Zu An, and only greeted Xie Daoyun.
Xie Daoyun smiled and said, “Uncle is too polite. That was my father’s own kindness, while this is my own. I am good friends with Miss Zheng, so it is only proper that I bring a gift myself.”
Sang Hong said with a sigh, “Niece is both beautiful and considerate! I really wonder who will be so blessed as to marry you in the future!”
Xie Daoyun blushed, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
Zu An was clearly unhappy. “Lord Sang, aren’t you being too discriminating? Both of us arrived at the same time, but you’re only praising Miss Xie? What about me?”
Sang Hong felt his mood sour immediately.
Sang Qian, too, was at a loss for words.
Everyone around them looked in his direction. Do you really have no idea why those two only praised Miss Xie?
You have successfully trolled Sang Hong for 250 Rage points!
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 357 Rage points!
Sang Hong pretended to be surprised. “If it isn’t young master Zu! All of you are guests. Naturally, our Sang clan welcomes all those who come to offer their sincere congratulations to us.”
Sang Qian wasn’t as composed as his father. “What kind of gift is this?” he demanded angrily.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 666 Rage points!
He noticed that Zu An’s gift was a hat, and a green one at that.
The green hat bore no significance in this world, but he instinctively knew that this wasn’t a good gift.
Zu An smiled. He handed the hat over to him. “I liked the hat’s color, and thought that it suited Brother Sang’s style. Here, I’ll put it on for you.”
He moved to put it on his head right after he said this.
Sang Qian was afraid that there might have been something hidden inside. He took a step back in alarm. “Who gives hats as a wedding gift? Are you only here to cause trouble?!”
Zu An sighed. “I came here with a sincere gift! Because of some people, our clan has become so poor that I couldn’t bring over a gift as precious as Miss Xie’s pearls. However, my intentions are equal! Could it be that the powerful Sang clan only receives expensive gifts, and refuses all gifts that aren’t worth as much?”
Even though they knew that he was deliberately starting some drama, the guests around them still began to whisper among themselves. Indeed, it’s the thought behind the gift that counts, even if it’s not valuable.
Moreover, Brightmoon Duke was well known for the strength of his character, and many people in Brightmoon City had received his favor. To see that the Chu clan couldn’t even afford to bring a proper congratulatory gift was unfortunate, and they couldn’t help but feel sympathy.
Sang Qian was clearly angered by the whispers around him. “You bastard, you came here to cause trouble!” he yelled.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 777 Rage points!
“Qian’er!” Sang Hong shouted at him. “Everyone who comes today is a guest! Today is your day of celebration, so you must accept all gifts.”
“But…” Sang Qian felt like something was amiss, yet he couldn’t really put his finger on what it was.
Zu An smiled. “Lord Sang is most wise. Come, Brother Sang, let me put this on for you myself.”
After saying this, he put the hat straight onto Sang Qian’s head.
Sang Qian wanted to move out of the way, but his dad shot him a look, and he forced himself to stand rigidly in place.
Of course, if they had known the meaning behind the wearing of a green hat, they would never have agreed to it.
“Sigh, don’t move, Brother Sang! It’s getting all crooked.” Zu An adjusted his hat for him again, and only then did he nod his head in satisfaction. “Not bad, not bad. This hat really suits Brother Sang.”
He had a feeling that, many years later, the phrase “wearing a green hat” would circulate throughout this world, and it would all be because of his moment…
Sang Hong said in a low voice, “Young master Zu, are you satisfied now? If there is nothing else, then please head on home. Of course, if you wish to attend the ceremony and have a drink, we welcome you as well.”
Zu An put away his smile and said in a serious tone, “No way! Of course I’m not done yet. I came here today precisely because I have some debts to settle with Lord Sang.”
“You have some debts to settle with my father? Like hell you’re settling anything today!” Sang Hong roared angrily.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 358 Rage points!
He came from a distinguished background, so he always looked down on a nobody like Zu An. However, it was precisely this nobody who had ended up acquiring Brightmoon City’s number one beauty. She was a goddess that countless young masters couldn’t even imagine themselves with, and yet she had ended up in the hands of a toad like Zu An.
That was why he was always irritated the moment he saw Zu An.
Sang Hong sneered as well. “Brightmoon Duke might have the right to speak such words in front of me. What right do you have? You’re still far off.”
His tone was full of disdain. Many of the guests also roared with laughter when they heard this. In their eyes, Zu An was clearly overestimating his capabilities.
Leaving aside the Sang clan’s status for a moment, Sang Hong is still an eighth rank cultivator. How can a young brat like you even have the nerve to say something like that?
“Does this give me the right, then?” Zu An said with a snort. He issued the pre-arranged signal, and a group of Red Cloak Army soldiers barged in ruthlessly, surrounding all of them.
Sang Qian’s face grew dark. This was his wedding celebration, so he’d obviously left the majority of the River Patrol Army in their barracks, and had only brought a few higher-level officers with him. Only a few clan servants protected the courtyard of the estate right now. They were no match at all for these Red Cloak Army soldiers.
Sang Hong was actually quite shocked. He already knew that Zu An had brought the Red Cloak Army into the city to face Liu Yao’s Imperial Guard, but he hadn’t expected him to bring them here as well.
Of course, having been in politics for so long, he was already used to swapping appearances quickly. “What is young master Zu trying to do? Surely we can just talk things out?”
Zu An sighed in his heart. Without the Red Cloak Army, who would ever treat a fifth rank cultivator like him seriously?
Strength was still the most important thing in the end.
Since the other party was clearly concerned by the Red Cloak Army, there was no need for him to hold back. “You put on that high and mighty act just now, but now you’re happily willing to talk things out? Don’t you feel the least bit embarrassed?”
“You’d better not go too far!” Sang Qian roared in fury.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 888 Rage points!
Not even someone as shrewd as Sang Hong could endure such constant harassment from a child. “I just didn’t want a noisy dog to disturb the wedding. Don’t think for a moment that I am actually scared of you.”
You have successfully trolled Sang Hong for 996 Rage points!
He took a step forward, and a great wave of pressure surged outward, fueled by his eight ranks of cultivation. Many of the guests around him were alarmed by this sudden development. Unable to withstand the pressure, they backed away one by one.
Many members of the Red Cloak Army stepped forward to help block the pressure that Sang Hong was releasing.
Zu An stood perfectly still, as if nothing was wrong. He said with a smile, “General Liu looked down on our Chu clan’s Red Cloak Army, and insisted on fighting. Unfortunately, he lost, and lost badly. Does Lord Sang wish to try your luck as well?”
Sang Hong’s expression flickered several times. He reacted immediately, quickly retracting his aura. “Young master Zu must be joking. The Chu clan’s Red Cloak Army is famous throughout the lands. How could this humble one not know about that? However, as inhabitants of this world, we should all seek to be reasonable. A wedding is a major event. Barging in with an army on someone’s wedding day to bully them is hard to excuse no matter where it happens, am I correct?”
“Bully?” Zu An almost burst into laughter. Sang Hong was the last person he had expected to use this word against him.
“Ah Zu!” Xie Daoyun also tugged at his sleeves. She sent him an urgent transmission via ki. “You’ll cause a public outrage by doing this! The troops serving under Sang Hong will hear of this soon. If a huge battle breaks out, the Red Cloak Army won’t be able to fend off both the City Defense and Imperial Guard, no matter how strong it is!”
Of course, as a member of the Xie clan, she didn’t want to see the situation get out of hand. If it did, they would surely be dragged into it as well.
“Fine. Out of respect for Miss Xie, I’ll reason with you all.” Zu An’s words immediately made Xie Daoyun blush.