Chapter 1670 — Have You Considered It? Though It Was Partly to Shore Up the Hidden You Family's Face, and the Envoys Had Come Only on Account of the Ice Palace, the Star of This Banquet Was, After All, Old Master Tang—and So Old Master Tang Was Thoroughly Pleased
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"Everything is ready... Ah, yes—yesterday Xiaoxin spoke to me about betrothing my daughter to You Panhu of the You family. What do you make of the matter...?" The night before, You Xiaoxin had spent the whole evening whispering pillow talk in his ear, urging that Tang Zhi be married to You Panhu!
To begin with, Tang Lingtou had never much wanted to acknowledge Tang Zhi as his daughter; and even if he did, he could never bring her back into the Tang household—chiefly out of regard for You Xiaoxin's feelings. But now that the Ice Palace could no longer be counted on, he needed the You family's backing if he was to hold the seat of Hidden Tang family head securely.
What he had not expected, however, was that You Xiaoxin herself should raise the matter, pressing him to take this daughter back into the Tang family and marry her to You Panhu, second young master of the Hidden You family! Beyond his astonishment, Tang Lingtou found himself quietly reckoning up the bargain, and the more he turned it over, the more profitable it looked.
A daughter come by for nothing—acknowledge her, and she was married straight into the Hidden You family as the second young master's bride. True, he was not the eldest son of the principal wife, but even so it was nothing to sneer at! A son of You Zhentian could never have taken a Tang Zhi of such murky, dubious origin into his house.
So Tang Lingtou, after only a moment's musing, agreed. Xiao Ming, he supposed, would raise no objection; to have her daughter restored to the ancestral line ought to delight her. And as for Tang Zhi—a common girl raised among ordinary folk, suddenly wed to the second young master of the Hidden You family—it was a pheasant turning into a phoenix. Fortune had truly smiled on her!
But Tang Lingtou's consent alone counted for nothing; Old Master Tang had to give his nod. Family head though he was, a matter of such weight as restoring a child to the ancestral line still required Old Master Tang's final word—he dared not presume to decide it on his own.
"Oh? Your daughter? You mean Xiao Ming's girl?" Old Master Tang blinked, then looked puzzled. "You have always been against acknowledging her, haven't you? For fear of what Xiaoxin might think. Why is it Xiaoxin herself who brings the matter up this time?"
"I hear You Panhu first met Tang Zhi back in Songshan City, and that he made his feelings known even then. So this time he means to use the birthday feast to have me betroth Tang Zhi to him. Xiaoxin dotes on her nephew, and that is why she came to me. For my part, I think the match does our house good—but I still wished to hear your wishes, Father!" said Tang Lingtou.
"Just as you say, it is a good thing! In this way we shall have found a decent home for Xiao Ming's girl as well. The second young master of the Hidden You family—they say his skill in alchemy is no small matter, that he has real ability. The child will not be badly off, married into that house!" Old Master Tang nodded and gave his consent.
These people had settled Tang Zhi's whole life between them as a matter of course. It never once occurred to them to ask whether she would agree, nor did anyone seek her opinion. To their minds, a pheasant turned phoenix ought to be too delighted for words; and judging by the sort of woman her mother was, the family's circumstances could only be ordinary. To marry into the Hidden You family—what greater good fortune could there be?
Wei Zhao brought Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Zhi to the banquet hall only when the birthday feast was about to begin. Wei Zhao had no fondness for the Hidden Tang family, and once inside he simply took the first seat he came across. Old Master Tang, Bing Tang, and the others had naturally not yet appeared—such distinguished guests, one supposed, would not show themselves until a few minutes before the banquet started.