Chapter 1668 — Very Strange
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
When You Panhu heard that the other party had ties to the Ice Palace, he knew at once that his uncle would never stand up for him. Even with the Profound Elixir Sect, one of the ancient sects, watching over his family, they would never go to war with the Ice Palace over a trifle like this. That was simply unrealistic.
But You Panhu was not willing to swallow the loss. Thinking of Tang Zhi's fresh, dewy beauty and the formidable backing behind her, his eyes shifted and a scheme rose in his mind. "Aunt, that Tang Zhi and I are old acquaintances, after all. I like her. Do you suppose you could ask Uncle to decide the matter and betroth her to me? That way this whole business would turn from a feud into a bond, and our You family would lose no face at all. It would become kin joined to kin, and everything that happened before would be written off as a misunderstanding. What do you say?"
Once You Panhu learned of Tang Zhi's background, the notion of simply toying with her and being done with it was flung to the back of his mind. What he thought now was that if he could marry Tang Zhi and bring her home, he would be made. For one thing, Tang Zhi was the sister of the Ice Palace's palace master; for another, she was his uncle's daughter. Thus he would have the double backing of the hidden Tang family and the Ice Palace, and with such deep foundations behind him, his standing in the hidden You family would surely turn sharply upward.
As for whether Tang Zhi had a boyfriend, he gave it no thought at all. He figured that if she had one, she would certainly have brought him along; she would not be traveling about with her sister and her sister's husband. That was why he had raised the request without a moment's hesitation.
You Panhu's demand left both You Zhentian and You Xiaoxin stunned, and in that instant each of them began silently weighing the pros and cons of the matter.
To be sure, marrying Tang Lingtou's daughter to You Panhu would be a good thing. It would bind the hidden You family and the hidden Tang family more tightly together and strengthen the cooperation between them. But what made You Zhentian wary was Tang Zhi's other connection: she was Bingtang's sister.
That connection, he felt, threatened his son's position as young heir. If You Panhu really did marry Tang Zhi and had the Ice Palace at his back, then what if he set his sights on the seat of family head?
You Xiaoxin, for her part, thought much as You Zhentian did, except that she dwelt only on the advantages. Who became the young heir of the hidden You family was no great concern to her.
After brooding a long while, You Zhentian still decided to accept You Panhu's proposal. Even with the Ice Palace behind him, it would do You Panhu no good. The hidden You family was a hidden clan built on alchemy and medicine, and its principal patron above was the ancient Profound Elixir Sect, whose favored man was his own son, You Panlong. With the backing of the ancient Profound Elixir Sect, it was only natural that his son should become the next head of the hidden You family. You Panhu's standing might rise, but at most he would enter the council of elders.
"Little sister, I think Panhu's proposal is a good one," said You Zhentian, his mind made up. "The hidden You family and the hidden Tang family are in-laws already. Now, if Panhu marries Tang Zhi, it will be kin joined to kin, and a fine thing indeed."
"That is just what I was thinking," You Xiaoxin said with a nod, agreeing. "Tonight I will speak to Tang Lingtou about it and have him announce little Hu's betrothal at the old master's birthday banquet."
"Thank you, Uncle, Aunt, for arranging it!" You Panhu was overjoyed. This way he would win back some face as well. Once he had married Tang Zhi, everything that had happened before would be a misunderstanding.