No advice can stop a man determined to rush to his doom

When Xiaotao shouted these words, her voice was extremely loud.

It seemed as if she wanted the entire General's Manor to hear her.

Clearly, she intended to pass the message to Ren Tianye.

After speaking, she wore a cold and arrogant expression. She figured that once her young lady married the Great General and took charge of the household, her own status would rise accordingly. To her, these common soldiers were nothing more than her servants.

She looked down on them with utter disdain.

This display, however, caused the deputy general, Wang Ming, to freeze in his tracks.

His innate kindness could no longer take effect at this moment. He looked at Xiaotao with pity, his gaze even extending to the Second Miss Su Xiu behind Xiaotao's actions.

He shook his head.

Good words cannot persuade a damned ghost!

This maidservant Xiaotao was already courting death. He decided not to stop her, knowing it would be useless anyway.

He simply said flatly, Wait here. I will go and invite the Great General.

Go quickly, Xiaotao said. I am still waiting to take your Great General's written guarantee back to my young lady to complete my task.

I don't have time to waste with you all here.

Deputy General Wang Ming did not reply. He turned to enter the General's Manor when suddenly he heard the galloping of horses and the clattering of hooves. Glancing over, he saw several riders rushing toward them.

The leading rider, while still at a distance, hurriedly shouted, General Wang, please wait a moment!

Lanterns illuminated the outside of the General's Manor. Through the faint red light, the silhouette of the approaching person could be vaguely seen. Deputy General Wang Ming paused, took a look, and recognized the man as Su Hong of the Su family.

He was the second uncle of the three sisters: Su Jin, Su Xiu, and Su Li.

Because the three sisters' father had passed away from an illness two years ago, Su Hong had taken on all the affairs of the Su family. Although the Su family grandmother was still above him, he managed matters both big and small.

The marriage between Su Xiu and the Great General had reached its current stage largely due to his strong support.

Wang Ming had dealt with Su Hong several times and knew him to be shrewd and calm. Su Hong was always very polite to him. Considering the mutual respect, Wang Ming stopped.

In that brief pause, Su Hong arrived on horseback with a few servants.

He clearly had not practiced martial arts. His horsemanship was not only ordinary but quite rusty. Yet, even before the horse had come to a complete stop, he stumbled as he dismounted.

First, he politely bowed to Wang Ming. Then, he turned to look at Xiaotao, his eyes practically spewing fire.

I gave orders long ago that Xiu'er and the Great General's marriage was to be handled entirely by me and Jin'er. You were not allowed to make any private moves.

Did you take my words as the wind blowing past your ears?

Su Hong had long held authority, causing Xiaotao, who was arrogant just moments ago, to instantly tremble like a leaf. She explained, It... it was the young lady who sent me.

The young lady was worried that the Great General would not obey her orders and would disrespect her after the marriage, so she sent Xiaotao here to show the Great General who is boss.

To set rules for the Great General.

It was all the young lady who sent me...

Before she could finish speaking, Su Hong slapped her across the face.

With a crisp smack, rage boiled on his face, and murderous intent surfaced.

If it weren't in front of Deputy General Wang Ming, he really wanted to ask: How dare she!

The Great General marrying Su Xiu was not Su Xiu marrying down, but Su Xiu marrying up.

Marrying up and she still wants to set rules for him?

And starting to set rules even before the wedding?

Furthermore, currently, Yunji City entirely belonged to the Great General. To put it bluntly, they were the meat on the chopping block. The lives of the entire Su family, young and old, were in the Great General's hands, and she wanted to set rules for him?

As long as she could marry him, it would be a blessing if the Great General didn't set rules for Su Xiu.

How could this niece of his still be so foolish even now?!

And she brought along an equally foolish maid?

Pack up all the betrothal gifts sent by the Great General and return them safely to the Su Manor. If even a single item is damaged, I'll have your life!

With a red handprint on her face, Xiaotao was frightened to tears and quickly said, Yes, yes.

When you return, go to the butler. You are demoted to a low-tier maid. From now on, you are not allowed to serve the Second Miss.

Xiaotao's body swayed, and she was about to faint.

A low-tier maid?!

She was currently a first-tier maid in the Su Manor!

This demotion was like falling straight from the clouds into the dust. Who knew how many people who were previously dissatisfied with her would take the opportunity to torment her.

But she didn't dare say anything.

She could only wipe her tears, nod in agreement, and obediently do as Su Hong said.

Su Hong then forced himself to calm down. He turned and bowed to Deputy General Wang Ming again, his face full of an apologetic smile. General Wang, I've made a fool of myself. The people in my manor are ignorant and have caused trouble for you, General.

It's no matter!

General Wang... Su Hong leaned in closer, took a stack of silver banknotes from his sleeve, and tried to press them into Wang Ming's hands, saying, As for this trivial matter, please, General Wang, do not inform the Great General for now.

The Great General is busy with military affairs. Let's not disturb him with such trifles.

Wang Ming, however, did not accept the silver banknotes, nor did he answer.

Su Hong had dealt with Wang Ming several times and knew his character, so he did not force the bribe. He just kept smiling apologetically, Xiu'er is young, naive, and ignorant. As her second uncle, I will definitely teach her a good lesson when I return.

She certainly will not offend the Great General after the wedding.

I ask General Wang to please be magnanimous.

His posture was very humble, which made Wang Ming think for a moment before saying, If the Great General does not mind, I will not say much either.

But if the Great General asks, I must report everything exactly as it happened.

In that case, I am grateful to General Wang!

Su Hong knew that this was already quite good, so he immediately bowed deeply to Wang Ming.

After standing up, he said, These past few days, I have been traveling out of the city to prepare the dowry for Xiu'er. I have just rushed back and wish to present it to the Great General as soon as possible.

General Wang, if the Great General is not busy with military affairs right now, please announce my arrival.

Deputy General Wang Ming nodded.

He turned and entered the General's Manor, coming out shortly after. The Great General invites you in.

Thank you, General Wang.

Su Hong had all the servants stay outside the General's Manor. He took a deep breath and strode inside.

When he saw Ren Tianye, he still bowed respectfully and politely, not daring to put on the airs of an elder.

Second Uncle... Ren Tianye was also quite polite, saying, What brings you here so late at night?

By the way, there was some noise outside the door just now. Did it disturb you, Second Uncle?

Su Hong knew that this matter could not be hidden from Ren Tianye eventually. As long as Wang Ming did not exaggerate, he could still fight for a sliver of leeway. He hurriedly said, I am ashamed to say, it is my second niece who is a bit ignorant.

However, when I return, I will definitely teach her a good lesson so as not to cause the Great General any worry.

After explaining this, he quickly took out three booklets from his chest, handed them to the personal guards to pass to Ren Tianye, and said, Great General, this is Xiu'er's dowry. Please take a look...

Is there anything else that needs to be added?

Ren Tianye was not entirely clear about what had happened outside, but looking at Su Hong's demeanor, he feared it was not a small matter.

However, he did not immediately say whether he would pursue the matter or not. Instead, he first opened the betrothal gift list to see what was written on it.

The first one clearly stated.

Two million taels of silver, fifty thousand shi of grain, three thousand catties of medicinal herbs, eight hundred warhorses, thirty thousand catties of copper ore, and fifty thousand catties of iron ore.

Ren Tianye silently calculated in his head.

Based on his current number of soldiers, along with the monthly salary of 2.5 taels he gave each soldier, the silver was just about enough to cover three months of expenses.

Heh, this Su Hong certainly had it all figured out.

"Great General..." Su Hong's voice rang out. "The Su family's merchant firms are spread throughout the Northern Frontier, but we do not have a great deal of ready silver on hand. However, since the Great General is to marry my niece in a few days, I dared not delay."

"I left the city two days ago precisely to raise these supplies."

"Of the two million taels of silver, one million is provided by the banks in Yunji City, and the other million comes from the silver reserves in Heiyan City."

"The fifty thousand shi of grain were urgently dispatched from the granaries in Huaiqing City and will arrive tomorrow."

"The three thousand catties of medicinal herbs were gathered in Heiyan City. They are ready to hit the road and will definitely be delivered to Yunji City before the wedding."

"The warhorses were procured from the black market in Shanhe City. The copper and iron ores are being shipped directly from the mines outside Yunji City, and they should also arrive tomorrow."

Ren Tianye nodded.

The Su family's businesses spanned the Northern Frontier, and the military supplies he required could not possibly be sourced from Yunji City alone.

Looking at Su Hong's travel-worn and dusty appearance, it was clear that he had expended a considerable amount of effort over these past few days.

With this in mind, he opened the second list.

...