Chapter 4

"Old Cheng, today is a day of great joy. You’re not really going to ruin the Cheng family’s celebration, are you?"

Wei Zheng suddenly said in a sarcastic tone.

Cheng Yaojin’s expression froze, as if he had been cast in place, and he stood there in a daze.

Do I really have to give myself some face?

Thank goodness there’s someone who understands!

So you’re afraid of the Cheng family’s influence too, huh? That’s good, I can rest easy now!

Wang Zian felt reassured and was about to slip away, but then slowly and deliberately came back.

"Let’s just enjoy the show—why ruin someone’s big day, right?"

He said this with a cheerful tone and squeezed back in next to Li Shimin.

"Old brother, you’re a smart one. I’ll treat you to a meal later—"

"Hmph!"

Cheng Yaojin’s anger had not subsided. He glared and inserted himself between Li Shimin and Wang Zian, pushing Wang Zian to the side.

Hearing Wang Zian’s words, he couldn’t help but snort.

"We’ve had all kinds of delicacies. Your pig feed won’t do—"

Turtle!

Wang Zian cursed inwardly but put on a sincere and earnest smile.

"To be honest, my culinary skills are unparalleled. In the entire Tang Dynasty, if I say I’m second, no one would dare to claim first—"

As he spoke, Wang Zian looked at Cheng Yaojin with great anticipation, hoping this old man would give him a few more jabs. Even if he gained the reputation of being a culinary genius, it would be a bonus.

But to his surprise, Cheng Yaojin rolled his eyes and ignored him.

This makes things difficult for me.

Wang Zian felt he needed to have a good talk with this old man. How can I improve if you don’t criticize me?

Just then, he heard a burst of cheers from the crowd in front. Wang Zian, not bothering to deal with these three oddballs, quickly tiptoed to get a better view.

On the stage, two young women wearing veiled hats were already standing. Although the veils obscured their faces, their figures were clearly visible.

The first one was the Cheng family’s daughter, who looked terrified. Now he could see her clearly, and indeed, she was a burly, muscular woman. The other woman standing next to her had a curvaceous figure.

Tsk, tsk, if the Cheng family’s daughter were as good as this one, I’d be willing to eat this soft bread too. Wang Zian cursed inwardly, even more eager to see how things would unfold.

"Miss Cheng, here, here—"

"Spit—get lost! Miss Cheng, look at me, look at me—"

"Miss Cheng, I am a scholar of the Hanlin Academy… Ouch… who kicked my butt…"

"Spit—what’s so great about being a scholar? Miss Cheng, I’m a rough man—"

...

Below the stage, arms waved wildly, and the crowd was in an uproar.

Hey—no need to rush, you’ll all have your turn to cry.

"I wonder which unlucky soul will get lucky and not be scared to death by that plain woman on their wedding night—"

Insulting my precious daughter, this I cannot tolerate!

Cheng Yaojin’s anger flared, and he kicked Wang Zian out with a sudden thrust of his buttocks.

Caught off guard, Wang Zian stumbled and almost fell to the ground. He barely managed to steady himself and felt a chill run down his spine, as if a prehistoric beast was staring at him.

Looking up, he was suddenly terrified. Cheng Yaojin’s thrust had pushed him out of the corner, and he was now directly in the line of sight of the Cheng family’s daughter on the stage!

He could clearly see that the terrifying Miss Cheng was looking at him with a surprised expression.

Terrified, Wang Zian quickly got up and checked the distance between himself and the stage. Seeing that it was at least ten zhang away, he felt relieved.

Thank goodness, thank goodness, I’m still safe.

"Little sister, even if you want to find a decoration to shut people up, you should at least find someone who looks good, right? Look at that young scholar, how handsome—give me the embroidered ball, I’ll catch him for you—"

Before Wang Zian could finish his celebration, he saw Miss Cheng lean down and whisper to the woman next to her. The woman glanced over, hesitated for a moment, and then handed the embroidered ball to Miss Cheng.

Wang Zian watched as the burly Miss Cheng leaned back, swung her arm in a wide arc, and with a loud "Hey," the embroidered ball flew out!

It shot through the air like a meteor, the red silk trailing straight behind it.

Wang Zian saw a dark shadow growing larger and heading straight for his face.

Damn, he instinctively raised his hand to block it.

Bang!

A bright red, soft, silk-decorated embroidered ball landed in his hand.

Standing in the corner, the ball came from the sky.

Old man, you’ve tricked me!

Wang Zian was suddenly terrified!

"Congratulations, young man—"

Seeing this, Li Shimin and the others were stunned for a moment, then came to their senses. Cheng Yaojin’s expression was complex, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Such a young man, paired with the Cheng family’s daughter, could be considered a match made in heaven. Seeing that the matter was settled, Li Shimin and Wei Zheng approached with smiles, clasping their hands and offering congratulations.

Congratulations, you big dummy!

Without hesitation, Wang Zian shook his hand and stuffed the embroidered ball into the still-dazed Cheng Yaojin’s hand.

"Old brother, here’s a fortune for you—"

Before he could finish, he took off running!

You tricked me, I’ll trick you, from now on, we’ll never see each other again, and forget each other in the world!

Wang Zian’s move caught the three men off guard. In the time it took them to react, the crowd and the guards in front of the stage were already rushing over.

The three men looked at each other, completely bewildered.

"Your Majesty—this—"

"Quick, chase after him—"

Before Cheng Yaojin could react, Li Shimin pulled him up and ran. If someone found out the embroidered ball was in Cheng Yaojin’s hands, it would be a huge scandal!

If the daughter’s embroidered ball was caught by her father, it would be all over Chang’an by tomorrow!

At this moment, Cheng Yaojin snapped out of his daze and cursed in anger.

"I’ll beat this little brat to death!"

The three men covered their faces with their sleeves and chased after Wang Zian, ducking and weaving.

Cheng Yaojin cursed as he ran.

The embroidered ball felt like a hot iron in his hand. He didn’t dare hold it, but he couldn’t throw it away either, for fear that some stray dog or cat would pick it up and ruin his daughter’s chances.

Everyone was stunned!

You either catch the ball or don’t, but you can’t catch it and then run away. What kind of game are you playing?

The key is, how are we supposed to explain this to the host?

Damn!

"Brothers, chase after him, we must bring the groom back—no, invite him back!"

If he hadn’t said "invite" with such gritted teeth, everyone might have believed him.

Most of these people had been with Cheng Yaojin since the Wagon Fort, and they were particularly enthusiastic about the chase.

Hearing the shouts of his old comrades, Cheng Yaojin felt a deep sense of frustration.

You’ve never been this enthusiastic about robbing before!

PS: It feels so cold, like a single-player game. Is anyone reading this?