The deepest affection in Gu Long's world

Chapter 104 Marriage
Hu Tiehua even overturned his wine cup, spilling it all over him, but he didn't notice a thing. He was overjoyed inside, but on the surface he pretended not to believe it and shouted:
"Ridiculous! Ridiculous! How could the eldest princess have taken a liking to me? You must be mistaken."

Wu Qingtian smiled and said, "How could I possibly make a mistake about such an important matter?"

This made Hu Tiehua raise his eyebrows at Chu Liuxiang with considerable pride.

Legend has it that wild geese and butterflies have wings, and the fragrance of flowers fills the world.

Even though Hu Tiehua and Ji Bingyan are mentioned, they only appear as supporting characters to Chu Liuxiang; the true protagonist is always Chu Liuxiang.

Ji Bingyan, who is relatively introverted and low-key, might not care about these things, but how could Hu Tiehua, who is unrestrained and flamboyant, not have some thoughts of wanting to compete with his good friend?

However, his past experiences had made him somewhat accustomed to playing a supporting role to highlight Chu Liuxiang's brilliance and prowess.

However, Wu Qingtian's proposal on behalf of the King of Kucha has truly earned him a great deal of face.

Compared to the marriage proposal itself, what he really cared about was that he had won against Chu Liuxiang.

This is far more intoxicating than letting him drink a hundred jars of fine wine.

At this moment, he was already feeling a bit smug, but Ji Bingyan, who had remained extremely calm throughout, stepped forward and spoke to Wu Qingshan.

"Such an important matter cannot be decided hastily. Your Excellency should allow him time to consider it."

Wu Qingtian pondered for a moment:

"If that's the case, I'll come back in half an hour... You three don't know this, it's not that I'm in a hurry, but that eldest princess... haha..."

He chuckled as he retreated.

Chu Liuxiang, who had remained silent, could only watch helplessly as Hu Tiehua repeatedly raised his eyebrows in a show of defiance.

He originally wanted to say that since they were both daughters of the King of Kucha, the Pipa Princess appeared openly in front of everyone, while the eldest princess hid in the shadows and witnessed everything that happened inside the tent.

Her absence suggests there might be some underlying issues. It could be poor health, dislike of the atmosphere, or perhaps her appearance isn't as striking as the Pipa Princess's.

In short, there are many problems with this marriage.

Seeing how happy Xiao Hu was, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Chu Xiangshuai was undoubtedly very understanding of his partner's feelings. In fact, he himself was not so willing to show off. For example, in the main tent before, he could have been more high-profile than Hu Tiehua, but he gave all the applause and cheers to the other party.

Therefore, he knew very well that whatever he said now would only strengthen Xiao Hu's belief in the marriage alliance.

So all he could say was one sentence.

"Congratulations! After being a bachelor for so many years, I never thought you'd be waiting to become a prince consort."

Hu Tiehua laughed loudly upon seeing this, "You dead rooster, listen to this! It's rare for a woman to be interested in me and not him, and he's already getting jealous."

He laughed so hard he collapsed onto the short couch, unable to utter a word.

This time, even Chu Liuxiang was overpowered by him, how could he not be happy?

Chu Liuxiang touched his nose: "Me, jealous?"

Ji Bingyan spoke the truth: "When the three of us get together, you are always the most popular. This time, it's rare for Xiao Hu to win, so it's understandable that you feel a little tired of it. After all, Xiao Hu and I have been tired of each other like this for so many years."

Chu Liuxiang was speechless.

After a few laughs and jokes among the three, the topic shifted to the upcoming marriage.

Ji Bingyan then gave a conclusion that was very much in line with his tone: although the marriage may have been the wish of the eldest princess, the King of Kucha must have also played a role in promoting it.

Since Hu Tiehua had previously demonstrated his strength and exposed the identities of the three of them, and they had just deduced that the other party's situation was not very good, it was only reasonable for them to take this opportunity to win over outside help.

Hu Tiehua then relapsed into his old ways. As the saying goes, the more people liked him, the more he would avoid them, while those who didn't like him would insist on clinging to him. Of course, this time he came to a relatively responsible conclusion.

That means this drunkard can't possibly support a princess of a nation.

However, Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan immediately realized that the other party was not being sincere, and immediately stood up to politely refuse Wu Qingshan, while continuing to speak well of the eldest princess, which made Hu Tiehua's heart itch.

Just before the two were about to leave the tent, Hu Tiehua's words, "Wait a moment," clearly revealed his true intentions.

At this moment, Ji Bingyan suddenly analyzed with a serious expression.

"Xiao Hu, you need to understand our situation. We've been targeted by Shi Guanyin. With our lives in danger, we've also just confirmed that the King of Kucha is likely Shi Guanyin's enemy."

If you really don't mind marrying that princess, it could be a chance for us to turn the tide.

We need to build trust with the King of Kucha, and trust takes time to build. Now we can take this opportunity to shorten that time.

"You dead rooster! Your words are too mercenary!" Hu Tiehua snorted, but judging from his expression, he was indeed seriously considering his current situation.

Unlike the original storyline, Chu Liuxiang already knew that Li Qi was Shi Guanyin, and he was also clear that Nangong Ling and Wuhua were each other's sons. He had long ago determined that there was a deep-seated hatred between the two sides, and he had no illusions whatsoever.

This made them more cautious in dealing with the issue of Shi Guanyin, and they even regarded her as an enemy that they had to face.

"Xiao Hu, let me ask you one more question. If you truly don't want this marriage, we can think of other ways. This whole affair started because of me, and I..."

"Enough!" Hu Tiehua interrupted Chu Liuxiang directly. "We are friends, the best of brothers. It's too late for you to regret abandoning us now. Besides, for a rough man like me like Hu Tiehua, having the opportunity to marry a princess is an incredibly lucky thing!"

Ji Bingyan then quietly added:
“If Xiao Hu is unwilling, we will definitely have to leave here. With the vast desert outside and Shi Guanyin secretly watching us, how are we supposed to survive?”

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Liuxiang sighed deeply again.

He thought of Fang Yunhua again. He really hoped that Fang Yunhua would suddenly appear in front of him and tell him that this was another scheme he had set up. Even if the process was uncomfortable for him, the result wouldn't be too bad.

Aside from silently sulking for a while, looking at his two good brothers who had risked their love and lives for him, this was just a little bit of anger, nothing at all.

Subsequently, Ji Bingyan and Hu Tiehua finalized the marriage with Wu Qingshan. After the other party informed the King of Kucha, they received news that the other party was going to host a banquet for everyone.

It was already past midnight.

As Chu Liuxiang left the tent, his gaze unconsciously turned in one direction, but the stone camel and several camels that should have been there had disappeared.

Just as he was about to ask the patrolling guards, Hu Tiehua hurriedly pulled him to the camp.

(End of this chapter)