A Clash of Gods - Chapter 161
Chapter 161 Shaozong
Seeing that Dou Lianzhong was at a disadvantage, Jiang Suiyun sneered and stated casually, “You have a silver tongue. Are you covering up for them?”
“Shut up!” Yang Ning immediately looked at Jiang Suiyun and sneered. “You, Jiang Suiyun, how dare you not kneel down after seeing me? Do you want to rebel?”
“Me…” Jiang Suiyun was astonished. “Why should I kneel to you?”
Duan Canghai had kept calm silently all the time. Now he finally took two steps forward and stated, “You are a civilian. How dare you not kneel down after seeing Marquis of Honor?”
Jiang Suiyun was stunned. The manager of the Rising Sun Escort Agency Ding Yitu didn’t come over but just sat at the table drinking wine all the time. Hearing Duan Canghai’s words, his hand trembled slightly, and he turned to them, with his eyes becoming sharp.
Zhu Yuchen and the others were involved in the dispute. After knowing Dou Lianzhong’s identity, all of them were scared out of wits. When Yang Ning walked forward and rebuked Dou Lianzhong, they shuddered with fear and thought that this young man was too bold.
Suddenly they heard the words “Marquis of Honor” mentioned by Duan Canghai, so they turned to Yang Ning involuntarily and looked shocked.
All people in the world knew the Marquis of Honor, and the Marquises of Honor of the last two generations were pillars in the army of the Chu State and famous generals who repaid the country with supreme loyalty. How would they expect that this young man who looked ordinary was the Marquis of Honor?
Jiang Suiyun opened his mouth, while Duan Canghai shouted harshly, “Are you going to rebel?”
Although Jiang Suiyun’s family was the richest in the world, after all, he was merely a civilian. As Duan Canghai yelled at him, Jiang Suiyun frowned slightly but didn’t kneel. He just responded casually, “I am a civilian, yet I have been selected for my virtue, so I don’t need to kneel to you for now, Marquis.”
Yang Ning was stunned and didn’t know what it meant, but he couldn’t ask more at the moment. He looked at Dou Lianzhong and asked, “Master Dou, have you been selected for your virtue, too?”
Dou Lianzhong thought that he was done for.
In outsiders’ eyes, he was overbearing as a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue, and few people dared to disrespect him when he was in front of others, but as a matter of fact, he was just a son of the minister in the Ministry of Revenue. He had no official position, and he wasn’t selected for the virtue. A few days ago, Yang Ning was merely the heir of the Marquis of Honor, so it was fine, while he was the Marquis of Honor now, so they had totally different identities now.
Yang Ning obviously wanted him to kneel as a greeting, and according to the etiquette in the Chu State, Dou Lianzhong couldn’t refuse.
However, how would Dou Lianzhong be willing to kneel to Yang Ning under the watchful eyes of all people?
At this time, they heard loud laughter, and there was a gentle voice. “Qi Ning, we are all friends. You can joke, but don’t ruin our relationship.”
All people looked in the direction of the voice, to see that a person walked over slowly with his hands behind his back. It was the child who stood by the side of the boat.
Hearing this voice, Yang Ning knew that he was wrong.
Judging from this person’s back, he was as tall as a child who was twelve or thirteen years old, while his voice was loud and clear, yet not like a teenager’s.
He was not tall, while he was not as short as a dwarf. When he walked, he looked learned like a gentleman.
Hearing that man’s voice, Dou Lianzhong seemed to heave a sigh of relief. He turned around and cupped his hands. “Your Excellency.”
That man had walked to the table, and Ding Yitu who sat at the table got up respectfully. That man jumped up and squatted in the chair unexpectedly. He waved at them and smiled. “Qi Ning, come here and have a seat.” Then he added, “You may not know me. My name is Xiao Shaozong.”
Duan Canghai and Yuan Rong cupped their hands almost at the same time. “Your Excellency, nice to see you!” Duan Canghai turned to Yang Ning. “Marquis, this is the heir of Duke of Huainan.”
It surprised Yang Ning a lot this time.
When he was in the Temple of Great Light, he had heard Zhenbi mention something about the heir of Duke of Huainan. According to what Zhenbi said, the heir of Duke of Huainan was kind, but something weird had happened to him. It was said that he was pestered by ghosts, and he would get mad sometimes. When he was in that condition, he would be unable to recognize his parents.
However, the heir of Duke of Huainan looked cultured and gentle now.
Yang Ning hesitated for a moment and slowly walked over at last, cupping his hands. “Your Excellency!”
Although he was the Marquis of Honor, and his title of nobility was higher than Xiao Shaozong’s, the latter was a royal family member with the royal bloodline, which couldn’t be measured by the title.
Xiao Shaozong squatted on the seat with a strange posture and raised his hand. “Have a seat.”
Yang Ning pondered for a moment and then sat across from Xiao Shaozong.
Zhu Yuchen and the others came back to reality and still felt shocked. They hadn’t expected that the Marquis of Honor followed them all the time and the heir of Duke of Huainan was in this boat.
“I am in poor health.” Xiao Shaozong reached out his hand and grabbed some peanuts on the table. He said while peeling the peanuts, “My father seldom allows me to go out, and I don’t like to go out, so I often stay in the mansion and seldom leave home.” He turned to Dou Lianzhong and smiled. “Lianzhong told me to come to have a walk around today out of kindness, and it happened that Suiyun came from the East Sea. I have been to the East Sea with my father when I was young and got to know Suiyun then. He has come this time, so I meet my old friend.”
Yang Ning just smiled. He suddenly found that Xiao Shaozong spoke unhurriedly and controlled his speed well, while his tone was gentle, pleasant to hear. When he spoke, he showed a faint smile which was like spring breeze.
“The fight for a woman is common on the Qinhuai River.” Xiao Shaozong smiled. “Lianzhong told Zhu Yuchen and the others to come because of the fight for a woman. Everybody is arrogant and afraid that others will steal the show from him. I don’t have an interest in meddling in something like this.”
Yang Ning expressed with a smile, “Your Excellency, you are right. It’s fine to fight for a woman, but if somebody bullies others depending on the identity, it is too much. Everybody joins the election of the beauty queen on the Qinhuai River with their own wealth. If they send some people to threaten the winner to get back at him, it’s unnecessary to hold the election of the beauty queen. Just let the one who has more people and a higher position decide who wins.”
“Aha…” Xiao Shaozong laughed heartily. “The members in the family of the Marquis of Honor are really upright and frank. It’s your Qi family’s tradition.” He turned to Dou Lianzhong and asked, “Lianzhong, have you heard that?”
Dou Lianzhong was in awe of Xiao Shaozong and cupped his hands. “Yes, I have.”
“Marquis of Honor is right. There are rules for everything. You don’t compete on fighting capacity or knowledge but on wealth and generosity.” Xiao Shaozong smiled. “Let’s end it now. Don’t feel unhappy because of what has happened today.” He raised his hand. “Pour wine for Zhu Yuchen and the others.”
Soon, some maids came up and gave each of them a cup of wine, including Yuan Rong and Duan Canghai.
Xiao Shaozong picked up the wine pot and told somebody to bring a new cup. Then he poured a cup of wine for Yang Ning and refilled his own cup. Later, he raised the cup in his hand and said to Zhu Yuchen and the others, “You came to the Qinhuai River in order to seek pleasure. Lianzhong did something wrong. Although I didn’t tell him to do it, I didn’t stop him, so it’s my fault. Come on. Let’s drink this cup of wine and forget the unhappiness.”
Zhu Yuchen and the others were not stupid. Xiao Shaozong proposed a toast to them, which was something that they didn’t dare to dream about, and it could be seen that Xiao Shaozong was broad-minded, but all of them knew that he must have done it for Yang Ning’s sake. Otherwise, how would the heir of Duke of Huainan toast some young men from wealthy families?
They admired Xiao Shaozong for his magnanimity and also felt grateful to Yang Ning’s protection, so all of them raised their cups and drank the wine at a gulp.
Seeing that Xiao Shaozong gulped the wine, Yang Ning emptied his cup at one draught.
Dou Lianzhong looked reluctant, yet he didn’t dare to say more since Xiao Shaozong had said that.
Yang Ning put down the wine cup and turned to Ding Yitu next to him, to see that the latter stood with his hands behind his back and stared at him. Then he smiled and asked, “Manager Ding, why are you looking at me?”
“I am checking your face, Marquis.” Ding Yitu returned a smile.
“Oh?” Yang Ning laughed. “What do I look like?”
Ding Yitu chuckled. “In fact, it’s nothing. Marquis, you know what? I was once a soldier and served under General Qi, working for the imperial court on the battlefield. I am always grateful to General. Although he has passed away, I keep his voice and smiling face in mind all the time.”
“Do you want to see if I take after my father?”
Ding Yitu sighed. “Marquis, I don’t dare to reply directly.”
“Oh?” Yang Ning smiled faintly. “Is there something that you don’t dare to say, Manager Ding?”
Ding Yitu replied, “Marquis, you are joking. I am just a worker in an escort agency. I run errands and need to be cautious, so there are many things that I don’t dare to say.”
Xiao Shaozong laughed. “Ding Yitu, don’t keep us in suspense. Just say it if you want. Even if you say something wrong, will Marquis of Honor lower himself to bother about you?”
Ding Yitu finally stated, “Marquis, please forgive me after I say it directly. In fact, I can’t see anything on your face that is like General.”
Yang Ning was nervous but still looked calm, asking with a smile, “What do you mean?”
Ding Yitu replied, “You must be like General’s wife more.”
“Manager Ding, since you say so, do you want to say that you know well about my family?” Yang Ning asked casually. “In fact, I want to ask you about something.”
Ding Yitu answered, “You are welcome. Please tell me what I can do for you, Marquis.”
Yang Ning stared at Ding Yitu’s eyes and asked, “There is a head constable in Huize County whose name is Xiao Yishui. It’s said that he is on good terms with you. Is it true?”
When he asked, he didn’t even blink his eyes. He saw that surprise flashed in Ding Yitu’s eyes and disappeared soon, but it didn’t escape from Yang Ning’s eyes.
Yang Ning affirmed that the Rising Sun Escort Agency was one of the chief criminals of the human trafficking in Huize.
