Chapter 429: The Queen Of The Taixu Kingdom
At the Dugu Clan, several people sat around a round table, with some light snacks and liquor laid out upon it.
They were Dugu Jiuyou, the old patriarch of the Dugu Clan; the Old Patriarch Huo; Huo Mianmian; and Dugu Cangxu.
Unlike Dugu Cangxu, who kept his face down, a middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman sitting beside him were intently listening to the conversation between Dugu Jiuyou and the Old Patriarch Huo.
The middle-aged man and the middle-aged woman were none other than Dugu Cangxu’s parents, Dugu Jinghao and Meng Zixuan. They repeatedly glanced at their son and Huo Mianmian, but she paid no attention to their son, causing them to sigh again and again.
Although Huo Mianmian had been missing for several years, Dugu Jinghao and Meng Zixuan remained fond of her and hoped that she would become their daughter-in-law in the future. However, her reaction dashed their hopes; she didn’t spare a glance at their son. Their son didn’t dare look at her either, mainly because of his guilty conscience.
*Tap... Tap...*
Dugu Jiuyou and the Old Patriarch Huo hurriedly stood up from their seats to greet Situ Chengyan and Dugu Xinyue.
After the pleasantries, Dugu Xinyue sat beside Huo Mianmian and took her hand. "I’m glad you’re finally back, Mianmian."
"Thank you, Grandma Dugu." Huo Mianmian sincerely said. "I can be here with all of you today because of Tang Xiao. If he hadn’t saved me, I would still be living like a doll in the Shangguan Clan."
Dugu Xinyue stroked her head. "I’ve heard everything from Lingxi; she was the one who told Tang Xiao about you. However, she didn’t expect that he would look for your whereabouts, and he managed to save you from the Shangguan in a short time."
"Tang Xiao already informed me about the matter, and I am truly grateful to Young Miss Situ. If she hadn’t told him about me, he wouldn’t have come to save me." Huo Mianmian said with a genuine smile.
Dugu Jinghao and Meng Zixuan attentively listened to the conversation between Dugu Xinyue and Huo Mianmian, which made them even more curious about Tang Xiao and his relationship with Situ Lingxi.
Dugu Jiuyou looked at Situ Chengyan and asked. "Old Situ, there are no outsiders here, and no one can eavesdrop on our conversation, so can you tell me the relationship between Tang Xiao and Situ Lingxi?"
"Sigh." Situ Chengyan sighed. "We’re all old friends, so I won’t keep secrets from you. However, our conversation today must not leave this room, or it will cause trouble for Little Xiao."
"Oh? Little Xiao?"
Dugu Jiuyou and the Old Patriarch Huo’s ears perked up after Situ Chengyan said that. Not only the two old men, but also Dugu Jinghao and Meng Zixuan were curious about it.
"You seem to have a good opinion of that young man, huh?"
Situ Chengyan acknowledged it with a nod. "Little Xiao just left my Situ Clan, and he left a good impression on me. He’s only in his early twenties, but his cultivation has already reached the Lower King Level. Compared to Sun Weitian, he was much kinder and much more honest, so I’m not surprised to hear that my granddaughter fell for him."
"I didn’t expect your granddaughter to fall in love with Little Xiao, Old Situ." Old Patriarch Huo said with a nod. "At first, I was still skeptical when my granddaughter told me about his relationship with your granddaughter, but it turned out to be true, and she had already introduced him to your family."
Situ Chengyan spread his hands. "Honestly, I was shocked when I learned about their relationship, but I could see that they both genuinely liked each other, so I chose to accept their relationship. However, their relationship is not yet official, and we are still waiting for him to come to our clan again to make it official."
"What about Sun Weitian, Old Situ? Your granddaughter’s status is still his fiancée, right?" Dugu Jiuyou asked.
"You two have heard of Sun Weitian, right?" The two old men nodded to Situ Chengyan. "Since that bastard fell into that female spider beast’s hands, I’m sure he’ll die soon. For now, the Sun Clan still doesn’t know about this news, but they should already know about my granddaughter’s return. Thus, they’ll know everything soon, especially when he dies."
Dugu Jiuyou nodded. "If Sun Yanzhi and Ning Zhiya find out about the relationship between Tang Xiao and your granddaughter, they will definitely be furious, and they will blame him for Sun Weitian’s death."
"That’s right." Situ Chengyan sighed. "I’m not afraid of those two or Sun Yuheng, but I’m worried that they will cause Little Xiao a lot of trouble, and they will send people from the Sun Clan to kill him."
"Have you sent your subordinates to protect Little Xiao, Old Situ?" Old Patriarch Huo asked.
"Not yet." Situ Chengyan shook his head. "Little Xiao still has a few missions to complete, and the locations are quite far away. I’ll wait for him to return to his sect first, and then I’ll send some of my subordinates to protect him. By the way, let’s stop talking about their matter, and we should focus on the matter between Huo Mianmian and Shangguan Qingyue."
"That little bitch from the Shangguan Clan’s actions are truly outrageous, and Shangguan Qingyin is no different from her because she supports her niece’s vile actions." Dugu Jiuyou slammed the table with a dark face. "Not only did she kidnap Little Mianmian, but she also used the Forgetful Soul Elixir on her over the past years."
Dugu Cangxu’s heart tightened, and he wanted to say something to his grandfather. However, Dugu Jinghao and Meng Zixuan gave him a deadly look, which made him lose his nerves. They never liked Shangguan Qingyue before Huo Mianmian’s disappearance, and they disliked her even more after she kidnapped their future daughter-in-law.
Dugu Jiuyou glanced at his grandson, and his gaze turned sharp. "No matter what the risk, I must settle accounts with the Shangguan Clan, and I will raze that clan to the ground."
"Your Dugu Clan is stronger than the Shangguan Clan, so I believe it won’t be difficult for you to destroy their clan. However, they are the Song Clan’s in-laws, and they have the support of the Xuanyuan Clan, so this matter won’t be easy." Dugu Jiuyou himself had heard about the news, and he knew that this matter wouldn’t be easy with the Xuanyuan Clan’s involvement. "I heard that Emperor Xuanyuan sent his niece to become Song Tianzun’s wife, so—"
"Are you serious about that, Old Situ?" Old Patriarch Huo asked in disbelief.
Situ Chengyan nodded at him. "Not many people know about this matter, but the news is absolutely true, Old Huo. I heard that Song Tianzun will marry Huangfu Meizhen in less than three weeks, and he will marry Xuanyuan Yueyao six months after that."
"I see." Old Patriarch Huo’s expression paled, and he looked at Huo Mianmian guiltily.
Huo Mianmian rubbed her grandfather’s hand. "You don’t need to feel guilty towards me, Grandpa."
"Did you know about this matter, Father?"
Dugu Jiuyou nodded to his son. "Emperor Xuanyuan sent me a voice transmission about ten days ago, and he invited me to attend their wedding in six months."
"Then?"
"I don’t know yet." Dugu Jiuyou turned to Situ Chengyan. "What do you think if I meet Emperor Xuanyuan to discuss this matter? Shangguan Qingyue is indeed a member of the Shangguan Clan, but I don’t believe that he will protect her after he hears the truth."
Situ Chengyan considered his old friend’s idea first. "I think you can do that, Old Dugu. If Emperor Xuanyuan gives you the green light to take action against Shangguan Qingyue, you can act against her without worry."
"That’s settled then." Dugu Jiuyou looked at his son. "I will contact Emperor Xuanyuan after this, and we will leave for the Xuanyuan Empire Capital early tomorrow morning."
Dugu Jinghao nodded to his father. "I’ll prepare some things after this, Father."
"Mianmian." Huo Mianmian looked at Meng Zixuan. "Don’t you want to reconsider your decision?"
Dugu Jiuyou and Dugu Jinghao also looked at Huo Mianmian; they hoped she would reconsider her decision, but her next words dashed their hopes. "Aunt Meng, please forgive me, but my decision is final. In the past, I loved Brother Cangxu, but it has long changed. Furthermore, his feelings for me have long since disappeared, and he only loves Shangguan Qingyue now, so we don’t need to force the situation."
"I understand." Although Meng Zixuan was disappointed, she didn’t blame Huo Mianmian for her decision. If she had to blame someone, she could only blame her son for falling for Shangguan Qingyue’s trick.
From the beginning, Dugu Cangxu didn’t dare to look at Huo Mianmian at all, and his mind was filled with Shangguan Qingyue, especially after his grandfather planned something against her.
"Cangxu! If you dare reveal our conversation to Shangguan Qingyue, I will cripple your cultivation and banish you from this clan." Dugu Jiuyou’s threat made Dugu Cangxu stiffen; he lifted his head and looked at his grandfather, but he didn’t dare argue. "Don’t think I’m talking nonsense."
"I understand, Grandfather." Dugu Cangxu replied weakly.
Dugu Jinghao and Meng Zixuan did not try to defend their sons, especially the former. After all, Old Patriarch Huo once saved his life, and he wanted to repay him by marrying Dugu Cangxu and Huo Mianmian, but everything changed because of Shangguan Qingyue.
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Meanwhile, Murong Xianyin and Situ Lingxi walked leisurely into the Taixu Royal Palace, and a maid led them to one of the palace gardens.
Upon arriving at the garden, the maid immediately left the two women, and Murong Xianyin pulled her daughter towards a middle-aged woman dressed in royal robes who had just finished playing the guzheng.
"Sister-in-law."
"Aunt Lingshan"
The middle-aged woman was none other than the Queen of the Taixu Kingdom, Situ Lingshan. "What brings you two here today?"