I Won't Let the General Know

Seeming to reach a point of deep emotion, Su Li murmured as if sleepwalking.

"Before, Li'er was only a concubine's daughter and had no way to take Second Sister's place. Now that Li'er can marry in Second Sister's stead, Li'er is very happy."

Su Jin understood everything completely.

She only felt her mind explode, going completely blank.

Her face was filled with disbelief.

This third sister of hers had been well-behaved since childhood. Although she wasn't particularly favored in the Su Manor, she was still the Third Miss. She was raised in luxury, attended to by servants, so how... how could she go to such lengths for a man?

Listening to the meaning behind her words, she had probably only interacted with that Ye Fan once or twice, yet she was this infatuated?

How could this be?

She herself had been somewhat of a scoundrel in the past, but when choosing a husband, she had still picked the best option. From her many suitors, she had chosen Zhang Wei, who had a strong background and was easy to control. How...

When it came to her second and third sisters, the family traditions had completely changed?

Inside the room, Su Jin was still in shock.

Outside, Su Hong, who had been listening, was completely dumbfounded.

He felt this was a bit messy.

It was far too messy!

He could only carefully sort it out in his head.

The Great General wanted to marry Su Xiu, Su Xiu was in love with Ye Fan, Ye Fan was pursuing Su Xiu, and Su Li seemed to have fallen in love with Ye Fan at first sight. So, Su Li wanted to marry the Great General, take good care of him, and serve him day and night?

The more he thought about it, the more chaotic it became!

Su Hong felt a headache coming on.

This was more confusing than balancing the ledgers.

It was so chaotic it made him want to go mad.

He kicked the door open, glared directly at Su Li, and shouted angrily, "Su Li, explain this to me clearly. What exactly is going on?"

"S-Second Uncle..."

"Don't call me Second Uncle, I don't have a niece like you," Su Hong said angrily. "What on earth are you thinking? Why can't I understand a word you're saying?"

"I... I..."

Su Li hurriedly stood up. Glancing at Su Jin from the corner of her eye and seeing her expression, she immediately knew that her girlish secrets could no longer be hidden. She nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, looking as pitiful as a stray kitten.

"Explain it to me clearly!"

Su Hong roared, repeating his question, "Have you always had that bastard Ye Fan in your heart?"

"Second Uncle, Big Brother Ye Fan is not a bastard."

"So that means yes? Good, very good."

"Let me ask you."

Su Hong glared intensely at Su Li. "From the very beginning, when the Great General wanted to marry your second sister, you actually weren't very willing, right?"

"Only you couldn't stop it?"

Su Li remained silent, and Su Hong continued, "Because you think your second sister Su Xiu and that bastard Ye Fan are in some bullshit true love?"

"You want to sacrifice yourself for your second sister?"

"No, you want to sacrifice yourself for that bastard Ye Fan?"

Su Li remained silent, and Su Hong grew even angrier. "So, you willingly agreed to marry the Great General. This way, not only is your second sister saved, but she can also be with that Ye Fan."

"From beginning to end, all you've thought about is making that bastard Ye Fan happy?"

Asking these questions, Su Hong finally figured it out.

But he would rather he hadn't.

For so many years, he had practically managed all the affairs of the Su Manor, big and small, causing the Su family's business and status to continuously rise, and maintaining their unshakeable prestige in the Northern Frontier. He was already mentally and physically exhausted.

Because of this, he had developed the ability to clearly sort through complex interpersonal relationships and strike accurately.

Yet, with such ability, he was almost spun dizzy today. When he finally figured it out, he realized that all his hopes and expectations were nothing but drawing water with a bamboo basket.

All his heart's blood was like a joke.

The figures of the two sisters, Su Jin and Su Li, gradually blurred and distorted before his eyes. When Su Hong waved his sleeve, he belatedly realized that tears had blurred his vision. He immediately wiped them dry, not wanting to show his vulnerable side in front of others.

The anger in his heart had long since grown numb and hollow, finally culminating in a roar that sounded like a mix of crying and laughing.

"I ask myself, I haven't treated you and Su Xiu poorly. Do you two really have the heart to let my Su Manor be destroyed in a single day?"

"To have all nine generations of our clan annihilated?"

Su Li fell to her knees with a thud and hurriedly said, "Second Uncle, it won't happen, it won't. The Su Manor will be fine, and Second Sister will be fine too."

"After I marry the Great General, I will strictly abide by the duties of a concubine. I will keep my head down, serve him humbly, and certainly not dare to show the slightest temper. I won't do anything to make the Great General unhappy."

"Second Uncle, please rest assured."

"I will definitely make the Great General satisfied with me. I absolutely won't let him think I'm no good and then replace... think I'm no good and thus affect the Su Manor."

These words were as sincere as always, deafeningly clear, and obviously came from the bottom of her heart, but there was no longer the slightest atmosphere of joy in the hall.

That was until Su Jin, who had been standing blankly to the side, finally spoke.

"Then what if one day, that Ye Fan asks you for help? Asks you to help him behind the Great General's back? Will you..."

"...help him, or not help him?"

Su Li froze. It was clear she had never considered this scenario, but she quickly came up with a solution and said, "Eldest Sister, Second Uncle, please don't worry."

"I definitely won't let the Great General find out."

"As long as I marry the Great General..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Su Hong's roar rang out. "You can just forget about it!"

"Still want to marry?"

"If you marry him, our entire Su clan will be sent to meet our ancestors!"

"The entire clan!"

Su Hong turned and left, his steps stumbling yet hurried. Su Jin, terrified that something would happen, quickly chased after him.

"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, don't rush, don't rush. Fortunately, we discovered this before mentioning it to the Great General. There's still room to salvage the situation."

Su Jin's words made Su Hong's heart pause slightly. His impatient mood subsided a bit, but he still said worriedly, "But our Su Manor has, after all, committed such a huge offense."

"Your worthless second sister humiliated the Great General so deeply. Where is there any way out for our Su Manor?"

Su Jin quickly said, "Second Uncle, the Great General's mind is hard to fathom, and I dare not speculate too much. However, I can see that the Great General is a man who values practical benefits and has a bottom line."

"Otherwise, based on what Second Sister did, our Su Manor would have long been massacred by the seven thousand soldiers of Cloud Ridge City. The fact that he's still sparing our Su Manor means the Great General probably has deeper intentions."

Su Hong was very clear about this point.

Sparing the Su Manor was nothing more than for money and provisions.

This was not a problem. Their Su Manor would definitely fully support him. Now that there was no marriage alliance with the Great General, the clan members might not be willing to exert their full effort, but it didn't matter. He would definitely do his best to persuade them. Even if the effect wasn't that great, he would definitely let the Great General know that he, Su Hong, was worth more than his weight in gold!

But the problem now was...

How to eliminate the anger in the Great General's heart? How to make the Great General recognize their Su Manor again?

He could only discuss it with Su Xiu, but neither of them had any particularly good ideas. Just as they were talking, they suddenly heard a chaotic commotion outside the manor.

"What's going on?"

"Have the soldiers of Cloud Ridge City been mobilized?"

"They couldn't be coming to wipe out our clan, could they?"

Su Hong's face turned deathly pale.

Su Jin was also somewhat worried, but she still gathered her courage to go out and ask. When she returned, her already extremely worried face was filled with terror.

"Second Uncle, this is bad. Someone rescued Second Sister from under the city gate tower."

"What?" Su Hong was terrified. "Someone?"

"Will the Great General think it was someone from our Su Manor?"

"It's over, it's all over!"

"The Great General will definitely think it has something to do with us. Now, the Su Manor is truly finished!"

...