Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Can Chapter 93 be of great use?

After several rounds of drinks, the Second Prince raised his wine cup and toasted the Duke of Wei.

"Duke of Wei, I toast you." He stood up, his smile respectful. "You have fought for the Great Yong for many years, and your contributions are immense. With a veteran like you in charge, the Great Yong can remain secure. In the future, we will have to rely on you for the affairs of the Great Yong."

His words were well-chosen, and he adopted a humble attitude.

Duke Wei raised his wine cup and smiled, "Second Prince, you flatter me. I am old and useless. The injuries I suffered before flare up every winter, and I can only recuperate in Jiangning Prefecture. How can I be relied upon for anything?"

He took a sip of wine, his tone calm, but the meaning was clear—I don't get involved in court affairs, so don't bother me.

The second prince's smile remained unchanged, but a barely perceptible hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

"The Duke of Wei is still vigorous in his old age, how can he so easily speak of retiring?" He changed the subject, his tone becoming concerned, "I've heard that things haven't been peaceful in the north lately, with the cavalry of the Great Han Kingdom frequently appearing near Tiebei Pass. Brother Xu Zhe, you must be under considerable pressure at the border?"

The Duke of Wei remained calm, as if he were merely having a casual conversation: "Thank you for your concern, Second Prince. The trouble in the Great Han Kingdom is minor and nothing serious; my son can handle it."

"That's good." The Second Prince sighed, as if relieved, yet also as if there was something else on his mind. "However, I've also heard something else: recently, quite a few merchants traveling to and from Shuofeng City have gone missing outside the pass."

The Duke of Wei frowned slightly: "I haven't paid attention to these matters for a long time, so I'm not very clear about them."

Jiang Xun was eating his food in the back row when he almost burst out laughing.

Not sure?

The entire border is right under your nose, Duke of Wei. How could you not know that?

They're pretending to be ignorant when they know the truth.

The Second Prince's expression remained unchanged, as if he truly believed him: "The Duke of Wei is busy, so it's normal that he doesn't know about these trivial matters. However, trade and commerce are related to the national economy and people's livelihood, so they must be protected. If Brother Xu Zhe is unable to spare the time, I am willing to help by sending some people to Shuofeng City to take a look."

Duke Wei picked up his wine cup and took a slow sip: "It's good that the Second Prince is willing to help. As long as the court agrees, I will make sure Xu Zhe fully cooperates."

The second prince's smile froze slightly.

Did the imperial court agree?

How could the court agree to a prince interfering in border affairs?

He went through all that trouble, spouting all sorts of nice words, just to get the Duke of Wei to turn a blind eye and give him a legitimate reason to interfere in the border affairs.

Unexpectedly, this old fox was impervious to reason, and a single, casual remark shut him up.

The second prince could only smile, the smile hanging at the corners of his mouth like a mask pasted on.

Just then, the plain-looking man behind the Second Prince stood up.

He cupped his hands in greeting to the Duke of Wei, his voice neither too loud nor too soft: "Duke of Wei, I have a question to ask you."

Duke Wei glanced at him: "Please speak, Deputy Commander Ling."

Jiang Xun was taken aback.

Deputy Commander Ling?

That person was indeed Ling Xuan, the deputy commander of the Golden Feather Guard.

"I have received word that military repeating crossbows from the Great Yong have recently appeared in the northern border." Ling Xuan's gaze was as calm as a still pond. "I wonder if the Duke of Wei is aware of this?"

The courtyard was quiet.

That stillness was different from the one just now.

The stillness just now was respectful; the stillness now is tense.

Crossbows are vital national weapons, and their smuggling out of the country is strictly prohibited. If this is true, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Duke Wei frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Ling Xuan's face for a moment before he slowly spoke: "This is the first time I've heard of what Deputy Commander Ling has mentioned. The appearance of our army's crossbows in the northern border is indeed no small matter. I will have Xu Zhe investigate this carefully."

Ling Xuan nodded, cupped her hands in greeting, and sat back down with an unchanged expression, as if she had just asked a very ordinary question.

Jiang Xun, sitting in the back row, witnessed this scene clearly.

The Second Prince came to the Duke of Wei's mansion this time, first using the pretext of a merchant caravan being attacked to try and smuggle people to the border, and now he's using Ling Xuan's words to bring up the matter of crossbows to smear the Duke of Wei. What exactly is he trying to do?

The courtyard was quiet for a moment, then everyone raised their glasses again, clinking glasses and toasting each other as if nothing had happened.

After a while, Dugu Yu put down his wine cup and suddenly spoke.

"Duke of Wei, I've heard you have a daughter of marriageable age?"

He smiled and spoke casually, as if he were having a friendly chat.

The courtyard fell silent again, and everyone listened intently.

Everyone knew what Dugu Yu meant by those words.

The Second Prince's visit to Jiangning Prefecture was ostensibly for inspection purposes, but his true intention was to propose marriage to the youngest daughter of the Duke of Wei.

Dugu Yu and the Duke of Wei had a long-standing relationship; they had fought together in battles in their youth and were quite close. He was the most suitable person to propose this marriage.

The Duke of Wei remained expressionless and nodded: "Not bad, my daughter Xu Shan is twenty years old this year."

Dugu Yu smiled amiably: "Twenty, in the prime of life. The Second Prince has not yet chosen a principal wife, so in my opinion, this is a good match."

This was said bluntly, without any attempt to conceal anything.

Duke Wei picked up his wine cup, took a slow sip, and said, "I appreciate Brother Dugu's kindness. However, my daughter is wild and I'm afraid she is not a good match for the Second Prince."

Dugu Yu persisted, "Duke of Wei is too modest. Xu Shan is a daughter of a military family, a woman of great talent and courage, and is a perfect match for the Second Prince. A military family marrying into the royal family, one a scholar and the other a warrior, complements each other perfectly."

The Duke of Wei paused for a moment, tapped his fingers lightly twice on his wine cup, and then said, "I have taken note of Brother Dugu's suggestion. However, I still need to discuss this matter with my daughter when I get back."

Dugu Yu laughed, a laugh tinged with disdain: "It's an arranged marriage, decided by parents and matchmakers. As long as the Duke of Wei makes the decision, the marriage is settled. Why consult my daughter?"

Duke Wei also laughed, but with a hint of helplessness in his smile: "Brother Dugu, you may not know this, but our Xu family doesn't follow this kind of thing. Back home, I had to listen to my eldest daughter, Xu Rong."

Now that my eldest daughter is married, I have to listen to my youngest daughter. The other day I wanted to eat a roast chicken, and when she found out, she gave me the cold shoulder for three whole days.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Everyone in Jiangning Prefecture knows that the Duke of Wei loves roast chicken.

He had an old injury, and the doctor advised him not to eat any foods that might trigger it.

When his eldest daughter, Xu Rong, was alive, she took care of him. After Xu Rong got married, his younger daughter, Xu Shan, took over.

It's a joke that the dignified Duke of Wei can't even afford a roast chicken.

Seeing this, Dugu Yu knew that pressing further would make him look bad, so he smiled and nodded: "Then please ask Duke Wei to go back and discuss it with your daughter."

The Duke of Wei nodded slightly, which was considered his agreement.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Dugu Hong suddenly stood up.

"Duke of Wei, I have a question for you." His tone was somewhat impolite. "I heard that the Duke of Wei's mansion recently set up a competition, supposedly to select talent for the army. Is this true?"

"Shut up!" Dugu Yu's face darkened, and he turned to apologize to the Duke of Wei, his tone urgent, "My son was ignorant and spoke rudely. Please forgive him, Duke of Wei."

"It's alright. It's a good thing that young people have vigor." Duke Wei waved his hand, his smile unchanged, then turned to Dugu Hong, "That's right, it's true."

Dugu Hong's lips curled into a smile: "Then, if this junior may be so bold as to ask, are those chosen from the arena truly capable of great use?"