Tangli Fried Snow

Duan Jingyu was at the city lord's mansion in Xuzhou County, discussing marriage with the city lord, Xu Daoan.

He promised to marry one of his daughters.

Duan Jingyu certainly wouldn't come alone to discuss marriage. Since ancient times, marriage has always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. Today, only his uncle accompanied him to the city lord's mansion to discuss marriage matters.

His uncle is Meng Jiuzhou, a lieutenant general of the Southern Army. He comes from a prominent family and has a distinguished military record. He is over forty years old, a big and burly man with a stern face. He has been fighting on horseback for many years, and his every move exudes the tough demeanor of a soldier.

The uncle and nephew sat in the main seat to the right of the city lord, and the other sat next to the uncle. Most of the people sitting opposite them were the city lord's son and advisors.

Xu Dao'an was over sixty years old, with gray hair, looking very old and frail, yet his health was remarkably good. He had many wives and concubines, including eleven concubines, and thirty or forty children.

His eldest son is about the same age as Meng Jiuzhou, and his youngest daughter is only sixteen this year. Of course, she is not the child of his first wife, but was born to his most beautiful and favored concubine. She is also considered a legitimate daughter, and it would be perfect for him to marry Duan Jingyu.

In a magnificent hall, filled with guests, exquisite dishes and fine wines were continuously served to the tables by pretty maids. Xu Dao'an sat in the main seat, watching the song and dance performance and drinking wine. His face was already flushed, and he seemed to be in a very good mood. The two young and beautiful girls beside him were gifts from Meng Jiuzhou. He reached out and grabbed the breast of the prettiest girl. The girl endured the pain without making a sound, and just lowered her head to continue serving him.

His dozen or so sons, of varying ages, were all there, eyeing the two men from the Duan family with hostility. The place looked festive and joyous, but the drinking session was anything but pleasant; in fact, it was tense and fraught with tension.

Meng Jiuzhou first raised his glass to toast the city lord: "City lord, it's been more than ten years since we last met. It feels so good to see you again today. You are still as vigorous as ever, and your charm is as undiminished as ever."

Xu Daoan laughed and said, "Jiuzhou, the last time I saw you was with your father, Meng Hetang, in Jingzhou Prefecture. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. You've gotten so old! Hahahaha." He then started laughing to himself.

Meng Jiuzhou laughed and said, "Yes, I was only in my twenties back then, and now I'm forty."

Xu Daoan said, "If you had agreed to marry my eldest daughter back then, our two families would have been in-laws long ago, and you would have had to call me father-in-law. Now, it's all the same age. Your father is of noble status, and I haven't seen him in many years. Why doesn't he come to my family to propose marriage in person?"

After saying that, he smacked his lips in dissatisfaction.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became even more strained.

Meng Jiuzhou said, "Father is personally leading troops at Jialing Pass and it's inconvenient for him to come over. Once we bring Yuanshan back, our family will have a reunion dinner together."

Duan Jingyu also raised his wine glass and said to Xu Daoan, "Father, let me first drink a toast to you on behalf of my father and grandfather. With your strong support, we will surely have our reunion dinner soon. Someone, bring the gift I brought to Father."

Two guards presented Xu Daoan with a large luminous pearl that emitted a faint, cold light. He held the pearl in his hands and examined it carefully, his smile growing even brighter.

Xu Daoan was quite pleased with Duan Jingyu calling him "Father" a few times, and proudly drank a cup with his prospective son-in-law.

One of Xu Dao'an's sons chimed in, "Father, you should really think twice about this marriage..."

Xu Daoan shouted angrily, "Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak here? If I hadn't planted you in your mother's belly, she would still be a singer selling her smiles. You wouldn't be living the high life here now. When did it become your son's place to tell his father what to do?"

The atmosphere in the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Xu Daoan's eldest son was a steady man. He quickly stood up and smoothed things over, saying, "Eighth Brother is drunk and talking nonsense. Someone, take him back to rest early."

Several of the older sons pleaded for the eighth son's life, and even spoke ill of Duan Jingyu on the spot.

“Father! This son is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and not someone to be trifled with.”

"Father! The city gates must not be opened!"

"Father! You must not be deceived by their sweet words."

Xu Daoan shouted, "Shut up, all of you!"

The chattering sons immediately fell silent.

He said to his eldest son, "Eldest son, take them all out first. I need to talk to Jiuzhou and my son-in-law Duan alone."

His eldest son hesitated to speak, but finally, under his father's angry glare, he and his brothers got up and left. They kept glancing at Duan Jingyu, their gazes varied, and none of them had a good expression.

These people left reluctantly, leaving only three people talking in the hall.

Once everyone had left, Meng Jiuzhou immediately said to Xu Daoan, "Lord City Lord, I wonder if the city gates can be opened tomorrow?"

Xu Daoan said, "The city gates can be opened, but not for nothing." He took a sip of his wine and asked slowly, "What benefit would I get?"

The implication is that you can't expect to get something for nothing without offering something in return.

Meng Jiuzhou said, "If you climb up to the city wall, you will see that Jing Yu has led 30,000 troops to surround Xuzhou City. Your city gates will either open by themselves or be opened by us. You can judge which is more appropriate, Lord Xu."

Xu Daoan sneered: "Hmph, once Jin Yan's army arrives, those 30,000 men will just be a number. I don't even need to look to know that there aren't enough corpses and prisoners of war to be stored outside the city."

Duan Jingyu chuckled and said, "General Jin's precious son is in my hands; he won't act rashly."

Xu Daoan gave him an approving look and said, "If it weren't for the fact that you have some brains, how could I have eaten and drunk with you two, and even agreed to marry my youngest daughter to you? You've got Jin Yan's Achilles' heel. I've always looked down on people with the surname Jin, and I especially look down on that one in the palace. The rightful heir is still the Crown Prince... This time, I'll see how they still act so arrogantly."

"Let's get married as soon as possible. After the wedding, the city gates will open for you."

The nephew and uncle exchanged a glance, then raised their wine cups and drank a cup of wine with the city lord.

. . . . .

Jin Cheng has been moved to a secret location these past few days, but he is still locked in an iron cage. He is thin and has a full beard; even if his own father came to rescue him, he probably wouldn't recognize his beloved son.

Every morning and evening, someone would come in to bring him food and drinks, which was obviously better than his previous treatment. There were also several thousand elite soldiers stationed outside, fully armed.

He secretly observed the soldiers on rotation and calculated the general location of the place, how many people were outside. The more he thought about it, the more disheartened he became. He was afraid that even if he had wings, he wouldn't be able to escape.

His will did not gradually weaken due to his long imprisonment; on the contrary, he maintained his hope for freedom.

Duan wouldn't kill him; he was Duan's precious treasure, and he would never let himself die. The food had been noticeably better than before, and he was actively exercising to make sure his body wouldn't become weak from being imprisoned for so long.

Today he did thousands of exercises to strengthen his arms and waist until he was completely exhausted.