The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 122 I am not qualified

"Are you threatening me?" Censor Yan's brows sank, his eyes like the early winter in the capital, gradually gathering chill. He asked himself, if it weren't for his daughter making such a fuss, if it weren't for the fact that she was the daughter favored by her adoptive father, why would he throw his face at the feet of a poor man from a merchant family?

"I have more than one daughter, and the Yan family has more than one daughter waiting to be married. If we really fight to the death, what will happen if I send her off with a three-foot white silk?"

Just relying on a businessman who was full of money and had no support at all, he wanted to control him? Hadn't his half-life of ups and downs in the officialdom been in vain?

Cheng She understood Yan Yushi's threat. Cheng Mian exposed the evidence, and Yan Yushi cleaned up the house, which was enough to save everything. But they forced Yan Yushi to kill his daughter with his own hands, and this hatred would never end. This is why Cheng Mian was obviously a victim and could obviously turn the situation around, but he did not take any action.

"Your Excellency the Censor, you can also give it a try. Can you control my Cheng family at will?" Cheng She's black eyes were sharp, and he did not give in to the powerful Censor Yan.

An old man and a young man looked at each other, each with their own sharpness.

"Very good!" Censor Yan stood up suddenly, gritted his teeth and squeezed out three words, then left in a huff.

Cheng Mian, who rushed over, happened to run into Censor Yan head-on. Cheng Mian ignored Censor Yan with a cold face and strode towards Cheng She. Censor Yan's face became even gloomier.

"You rejected him?" Cheng Mian walked up the stairs.

"No one can threaten me with my closest relatives." Cheng She would not allow anyone to touch his weak spot.

"Are you going to ask for an audience with Prince Yu next?" Cheng Mian didn't care about Censor Yan. He had never been afraid. Facing his brother, who had chosen silence because of his guess, he continued, "How can you convince His Highness Prince Yu to give up such a valuable pawn like me? Will you replace me with yourself?"

"This is my business..."

"This is my business!" Cheng Mian interrupted in a high voice. His brother's gaze, deep and unfathomable, looked at him calmly. Cheng Mian turned his eyes away, moved his feet, and turned his back to his brother. "Second brother, I will agree to marry the daughter of the Yan family."

But not now. Since they are determined to make him theirs, then let them do as they wish!
"Cheng Mian!" Cheng She, who had been speaking calmly, lowered his voice. "Do you know what you are saying?"

"I know!"

"what do you know?"

"I know what I'm saying and doing!"

"Okay, wake up and tell me how you are going to explain to Miss San!"

Cheng Mian, who was so imposing, suddenly stiffened. His five fingers clenched under his wide sleeves. His mouth suddenly felt dry, and an invisible force locked his throat. He opened his mouth several times, and then closed his eyes as if all his strength had been drained. "I just need to tell her that I want to marry another woman from a wealthy family, and she will understand..."

"Cheng Mian, you are making a self-righteous sacrifice. What right do you have to make the decision for her?"

Cheng Mian didn't want to argue with Cheng She anymore, so he hurried down the stairs.

"Cheng Mian, why don't you ask her what she wants? Why did you give up on her so easily?" Cheng She didn't chase after her. He raised his voice and questioned, "Who said I have to trade myself for you? You failed the exam this year. Do you think she won't wait for you for another three years?"

Cheng Mian turned a deaf ear and left quickly.

"You're running away, Cheng Mian. Don't you trust her at all? I don't mean to look down on her. If she were in trouble today, would you abandon her?"

"Enough!" Cheng Mian stopped and shouted angrily, his eyes bloodshot and watery, his eyes filled with pain and hatred, "It's different!"

"What's the difference?" Cheng Mian turned his eyes slowly, tears welling up in them. "The difference is, to me, she's precious and I can't live without her. If she were in trouble, I would blame myself for not protecting her. I wouldn't abandon her. But to her... I was just... the best choice at the time..."

He had always known Shang Mingshu didn't have much romantic affection for him, and he didn't blame her. He simply wanted to work hard to gradually become the person she valued most. Being a woman in this world wasn't easy, and not giving her heart easily was her way of protecting herself. Fortunately, she had no one else in her heart, so he had plenty of time.

He had thought he had plenty of time...

"You can still be her best choice..."

"Hahahaha..." Cheng Mian suddenly laughed out loud, and as he laughed, he couldn't hold back the tears that fell. "Why should I embarrass her? I go and tell her that I had physical intimacy with another woman, that I was plotted against by someone else, and that she is still the only one in my heart? Will she be willing to give me another chance? How should she answer?"

Cheng She was frightened by Cheng Mian's somewhat crazy look.

"How do you want her to answer? Because she's reasonable, should she just say she doesn't mind? Should she accept me again? If she does mind... should I give up? And then comfortably tell myself it wasn't my fault? I've fought for myself, and am I using her honest answer to dispel the base guilt in my heart? Or even putting myself in a vulnerable position of being betrayed and abandoned, to numb myself? To forgive myself?"

"three……"

"Second brother!" Cheng Mian interrupted Cheng She. "I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that if she knew the whole story, she wouldn't abandon me! But why should I let her sacrifice herself to this extent for me? Let her forgive me for having an affair with another woman because of my negligence! I clearly know that she wants to choose a noble husband, but I want her to give up better options and stay with a husband who is destined to be mediocre just for the little bit of true love I once gave her?"

These days, he has thought about everything. He knows that his brother has a way, and he also has a way to get out of the predicament. Then what?

Give her all the decision-making power? Constrain her with her character? Make her compromise her morality?
Forcing her to endure everything?
Why does he have the confidence to use these to force her to bow her head?
He is not qualified.

After Cheng Mian finished speaking, he wiped his face vigorously with a wry smile, turned around and walked away with stiff steps.

Cheng She took two steps and then stopped.

He suddenly realized that as Cheng Mian's brother, he only stood on Cheng Mian's side and considered his own interests. Knowing that Cheng Mian was deeply in love with Shang Mingshu and that Cheng Mian had paid a lot for Shang Mingshu, he had never thought from Shang Mingshu's perspective.

At this moment, he realized that his brother's love for Shang Mingshu was deeper than he had imagined.

From the beginning to the end, it was Cheng Mian who stood on Shang Mingshu's side and thought for her.

Cheng She stood there for a long time, unable to recover, until a servant came to ask for instructions: "Second Master, the invitation and the gift are ready. Please review them."

"No need." Cheng She raised his hand and waved weakly.

This was a visiting card and gift for a meeting with Prince Yu. He had truly wanted to resolve all of Cheng Mian's concerns, but now he realized that Cheng Mian had no concerns at all. He simply didn't want to compromise the person he loved in the slightest...

Some readers don't understand why Cheng Mian gave up without even fighting for her. This chapter explains it. The fundamental reason is that Cheng Mian didn't feel love from Mingshu. He was too upright and gentlemanly and loved Shang Mingshu too much, so he knew that he had no right to morally blackmail Shang Mingshu.

Some readers might think that Cheng Mian's misfortune was caused by Shang Mingshu, but that's not the case. It was something that happened, and Shi Houqiong took advantage of it. Even without Shang Mingshu, without Shi Houqiong to deal with Shang, Cheng Mian would still have been able to escape this misfortune, though it would have unfolded later, perhaps in a different form. Or perhaps it's because he's so attractive that he would have handled it the same way after the incident: he would have married this woman and fought back in his own way.

This isn't a purely suave novel; it leans towards ancient reality. Cheng Mian and the Cheng family refused to bow to power, even if it meant giving up wealth and status. Of the two princes, Prince Yu was destined to ascend the throne, while the other was a wimp. A suave novel would naturally resist to the bitter end, supporting the wimp to ascend the throne and wield immense power...

This is the reality of ancient times. Even if Cheng Mian had such ideas and abilities, he would not do such a thing. The people are not sacrifices to prove love. The world needs a qualified monarch. As for why a qualified monarch would use the decent and force the decent to this point, this is what a qualified monarch should do...

Prince Yu was destined to ascend to the throne, but Cheng Mian was ungrateful today. No matter how talented he was, he was destined to live a mediocre life. History was full of talented people who were unsuccessful. Cheng Mian knew exactly what kind of husband Shang Mingshu needed...

This is the plot I set when I started writing.