Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 233 Fiancé

After Zhang San saw the reply, he was stunned for a moment, full of doubts. He couldn't help but turn around and ask the counselor beside him: "Does the princess know that we are in the city?" "Boss, we entered the city very secretly. The princess is devoted to military and political affairs. She has never taken the bandits in the Eighteen Mountains of Huainan seriously. She should not pay attention to our whereabouts." The counselor frowned and advised solemnly: "In my opinion, this is most likely a Hongmen Banquet. There is no need for us to take risks. There is really no need to go to the appointment!"

Zhang San raised his eyebrows when he heard this. A trace of determination flashed in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "We invited the princess to come out of the city for a meeting, but she dared to come with only 500 people. She knew that we had 10,000 bandits and the meeting place was in an open plain. She is a woman, but she has such courage. If I back down, how can I survive in the martial arts world in the future? If this gets out, all the bandits in the 18 mountains of Huainan will lose face."

Zhang San knew in his heart that Su Qingwan was born in the Huainan Palace, and everyone in the palace valued loyalty and had a bottom line. Even if this was really the Hongmen Banquet, he was determined to give it a try.

After all, he had a meeting with the princess before, and he felt that the princess was not someone who would betray her and kill the envoy. Moreover, if the princess really killed him at the Hongmen Banquet, it would definitely cause unrest in the Eighteen Mountains, and the Huainan Palace did not want to see such a situation.

Thinking of this, Zhang San made up his mind and decided to take only his advisers with him to the appointment.

Su Qingwan heard that Zhang San was coming, and to show respect, she went out to greet him in person. Zhang San and his adviser came on horseback, their movements were neat, and after getting off the horse, they saluted respectfully, which was much more polite than the first time they met. Su Qingwan smiled and welcomed the two into the palace. In the outer courtyard of the palace, the elite soldiers from the southwest were neatly lined up, and the guards were in an orderly manner.

Although General Xiao Ning was not wearing armor, he was wearing a neat and capable short shirt with narrow sleeves. He was holding a long sword tightly in his hand, and he exuded the pressure of a general who had been on the battlefield for a long time and killed the enemy. Zhang San had also fought on the battlefield and was very familiar with this kind of momentum. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but be secretly surprised.

He understood that if Southwest had only sent some mediocre people to deal with Su Qingwan, he might still have room to maneuver; but now that such a powerful character had been sent, it showed that Southwest attached great importance to the princess.

The banquet was set up in the lotus pavilion, with koi swimming leisurely in the pond. Chen Feng and General Xiao Ning stood on both sides, one on the left and one on the right.

Su Qingwan warmly invited Zhang San and the counselor to sit down and personally poured wine for them. The counselor was thoughtful and when he saw Su Qingwan was about to pour wine, he quickly reached out and wanted to take the wine pot, and said politely: "Princess, how can you do it yourself? Let me do it."

Su Qingwan stepped back gently and declined with a smile: "When entertaining guests in the palace, it is unreasonable to let the guests take action. This is the peach blossom wine carefully brewed by the maids in the palace. Although it is not as mellow and strong as the barley wine in Huainan, it tastes sweet and refreshing, and has a unique flavor. You two may wish to taste it."

As she spoke, Su Qingwan took the lead in picking up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. She looked calm and calm, with nothing unusual in her expression. Zhang San had never suspected that she would poison him, so seeing this, he also generously picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

After three cups of wine, everyone exchanged pleasantries.

Su Qingwan put down her wine glass, looked serious, and asked, "Master Zhang took the initiative to ask for a talk, but has a conclusion been reached?"

Zhang San sat up straighter after hearing this, and said sincerely, "My princess must have heard the rumors in the city. We once committed a serious crime in Huainan, and the people hate us to the core. They don't welcome us to surrender at all. Even if we surrender, it will be difficult for us to integrate into the community and there will be constant disputes. In the smallest case, it may just be a verbal dispute that causes local chaos; in the largest case, it may turn into a large-scale fight, and the government will have to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to maintain stability. I didn't want to surrender at the beginning because I was considering the people in the mountains. My princess, do you think we can find a way that we can accept and compromise with each other?"

Su Qingwan took a sip of peach wine, her eyes wandering, her smile growing. She knew that once a person showed weakness, he would be at the mercy of others, and Zhang San must have understood this truth. Now that Zhang San had taken the initiative to give in, if she took the opportunity to press on, she would appear petty.

Su Qingwan did not take advantage of the situation, but asked softly: "What are you thinking?"

Zhang San hesitated for a moment, as if he was having a hard time speaking. He gritted his teeth and said, "The Eighteen Mountains of Huainan can surrender, but we bandits are really unsure. We are afraid that we will not be able to integrate into the life of the city after surrendering, and will be chased and beaten by the people. So, at least... you have to give us a real guarantee, so that we can have the confidence and stay in the city with peace of mind."

Su Qingwan raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "What kind of confidence do you have? You might as well tell me directly."

Zhang San looked unnatural, and secretly glanced at Su Qingwan. At this time, the afternoon sun was shining brightly, shining on Su Qingwan, outlining her graceful figure, making her even more beautiful.

Just as Zhang San was hesitating, the counselor on the side bravely said: "The princess has not married yet, and our leader is still alone, and the backyard is very quiet. If the princess really wants to completely subdue the bandits, it is better to marry our leader and the two families will become a good match!"

When these words came out, General Xiao Ning's face was full of disdain, and he snorted: "Oh, it's not even dark yet, and you're already dreaming?"

Lu Zhu also echoed, with a tone full of sarcasm: "You wish!"

General Xiao Ning and Lu Zhu spoke almost at the same time, and Zhang San's face was immediately filled with embarrassment.

He proposed this idea purely for the benefit of the bandits, and wanted to find a shortcut. He didn't want to start a war with the government, nor did he want the bandits to live in fear after surrendering. In his opinion, marrying into the Huainan Palace was indeed the best option at the moment. As long as the marriage was made, even if the people wanted to cause trouble in the future, they would have to consider the consequences. What's more, Su Qingwan was so beautiful, Zhang San admired strong people, and he was actually a little moved in his heart.

After being laughed at by everyone, Zhang San pretended to be calm, looked at Su Qingwan and asked, "What do you think, Lord?"

Who could have imagined that the Princess of Huainan would marry a bandit?
Zhang San calmed down and continued, "I was born into the Zhang family, a prominent family in Huainan. Back then, the Huainan family was tragically wiped out. My father was beheaded because he swore to be loyal to the prince and refused to submit to the court. My mother, brother and sister also failed to escape the disaster, only I was lucky enough to escape. In fact, our ancestors of the Zhang family all served the prince loyally and were not born bandits. When I was young, I also studied the books of Confucius and Mencius and studied the way of gentlemen. I was determined to take the imperial examination and seek a future. Who could have expected that things in the world are unpredictable, and I ended up becoming a bandit and carrying this stigma. If it weren't for that incident, in Huainan, the princess and I would be considered a good match."

Su Qingwan's expression changed, and she asked, "Who is Zhang Xiaozhi to you?"

Zhang San quickly responded respectfully: "It is my father."