Miss Truth
Chapter 191 - 122 Chang’an Gui Jianchou

Chapter 191: Chapter 122 Chang’an Gui Jianchou

Chapter 122: The Despair of Chang’an

"I’ve settled in Chang’an for many years and have never taken you out to enjoy it. When I was talking privately with my elder brother, I mentioned it, and he seemed not to oppose the idea," Ran Pingyu said with a genial look in his eyes, smiling in a way that the flesh on his chin stacked up into two layers, resembling a Maitreya Buddha, "but I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until your marriage arrangement is settled. Yan, tell me, between Xiao Langjun and Sui Yuan, which one do you prefer?"

Ran Yan was impatient with these matters, but the urgency was at her doorstep, and she couldn’t avoid thinking about it—yet if she had to choose between these two men...

"I don’t know, which one do you think is better, Third Uncle?" Ran Yan asked.

Ran Pingyu thought for a moment, gestured for the maids and servants nearby to step back, and then said, "Third Uncle thinks very highly of Sui Yuan. Yan, you may not know, but the noble ladies in Chang’an are all eagerly awaiting Mr. Sui Yuan’s return!"

Ran Yan had also heard about this from Ran Yunsheng. She really couldn’t understand how Sang Chen, that fourth-dimensional non-human, could be so in demand, "Why?"

Ran Pingyu started gossiping with the zeal of a housewife in the streets, pulling up his sleeves and leaning in close to Ran Yan, without a trace of elegance, "Yan might not know, the Cui family has few sons over six generations, and there’s only Sui Yuan, a legitimate heir. Mr. Sui Yuan is widely read and of noble character. Although he has irritated His Majesty from time to time, His Majesty always values talents, and the court has not revoked the long-vacant title. More importantly, Sui Yuan has no parents and no concubines..."

Ran Pingyu went on nonstop praising Sang Chen’s virtues but didn’t mention a word about Xiao Song; Ran Yan found this strange, "What about Xiao Song?"

"Assistant Minister Xiao..." Ran Pingyu smacked his lips a few times, hesitated for a moment before saying, "Do you know what nickname Assistant Minister Xiao has in Chang’an?"

Ran Yan shook her head.

Ran Pingyu slapped his thigh, "No wonder you are hesitant, Assistant Minister Xiao is known in the alleys as ’The Despair of Chang’an’! Although the Ministry of Criminal Justice is headed by the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the actual management lies in the hands of the two Assistant Ministers. Assistant Minister Xiao acts decisively and shows no mercy, and wherever he appears, it’s mostly to confiscate property or execute a whole family; if not that, then it’s a case of death. In addition, because of his ’wife-killing’ reputation, the citizens of Chang’an say he carries a lethal aura, causing everyone to shy away."

The Despair of Chang’an? Ran Yan almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud, "I’ve seen him handle matters smoothly; how could he be so repulsive?"

"It’s not that he’s repulsive, but that people are afraid. He’s a good person and very capable, but once it involves the judiciary, he is unrelentingly merciless," Ran Pingyu said with a hint of pity, "His family is good too. The Duke of Song set up his own residence separate from the Lanling Xiao Clan, and now only Assistant Minister Xiao and his two brothers live in Chang’an... It’s said that the place is nearly devoid of people, in the vast compound, there are less than twenty people, including the servants."

By any measure, marrying Xiao Song doesn’t seem better than marrying Sang Chen.

Ran Yan truly wanted to heave a heavy sigh. Could she choose not to marry? Without any affection, getting married would just lead to mutual torment. Even though divorce might be an option, leaving aside whether it could actually happen, after a divorce, she would be considered ’second-hand goods,’ with her value clearly halved.

More importantly, Ran Yan did not want to hurt Sang Chen, such a simple-minded young man.

Seeing Ran Yan’s expression, Ran Pingyu guessed that she wasn’t too satisfied with either of these two marriage prospects and tried to persuade her kindly, "A suitor with Mr. Sui Yuan’s qualities is rare in a hundred years. Yan, don’t let yourself have regrets."

"Hmm," Ran Yan responded evenly, saying indifferently, "Third Uncle, discussing this with me probably isn’t very useful. In the end, isn’t it my father who decides whom I marry?"

"If you make up your mind, Third Uncle will certainly do his utmost to negotiate on your behalf." Ran Pingyu’s primary purpose for coming today was for this matter. He owed his success to Lady Zheng, who had taken care of him in his early years. Through his connections with the Xingyang Zheng Clan, he managed to rise to his current position as the wealthiest man in Suzhou. Now with Lady Zheng gone, and Ran Yan being his niece, it was only natural for him to show more concern.

"Third Uncle, may I take some time to think it over?" Ran Yan felt a heavy suffocation in her heart. Ran Pingyu already had good intentions, and neither the Xiao nor the Cui families were within his control. If she were forced to marry, Ran Yan would choose Xiao Song. She didn’t have any special feelings for him, but as someone who had weathered the world, Xiao Song was more mature in mind and close in mental age; being both adults with no particular affections for each other, discussing conditions shouldn’t be a big issue.

Whereas Sang Chen clearly had feelings for her, and Ran Yan did not want to leave a deep, permanent mark on a blank slate, ruining a fine young man’s longing for a beautiful love.