Mockery was not the point.
The point was that even if you ate the meat, if Princess Shan Yu did not choose you, you would still be nothing.
Fang Zhengzhi had been waiting for this.
In fact, everyone understood this logic, but saying it out loud and not saying it out loud had completely different meanings.
"Do you think that the princess will not choose me?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled as he looked around.
"Anything is possible before the princess makes her choice!"
"Don't think that you can become the Prince Consort just because you ate the meat!"
"Exactly!"
When the candidates heard Fang Zhengzhi's words, they all replied instinctively.
"Is that so?" Fang Zhengzhi smirked. However, this time, he did not look at the candidates. Instead, he looked at Princess Shan Yu.
"This shameless guy is so confident that I will definitely fall for him?" Princess Shan Yu looked at Fang Zhengzhi and her stubborn temper rose. She was just about to reply when she saw Fang Zhengzhi's expression.
However, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
She recalled what Shan Ling had said to her before the banquet began.
"Sister, you are not young anymore. You have to shoulder some of the responsibilities of the Southern Region. Even though Fang Zhengzhi might be crippled now, he is still the main contributor in the battle of the Southern Region. Furthermore, I heard that you gave him the ten most important gold mines in the Southern Region in front of everyone. If Fang Zhengzhi really returns to the Great Xia, isn't that equivalent to giving the Southern Region gold mines to the Great Xia?"
"But brother, that fella and Chi Guyan..."
"As long as you agree, I will take care of everything else. I know that you have been wronged, but we cannot let him take the 10 gold mines away!"
"Then..."
"Feelings can be nurtured slowly. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi is proficient in the Law of Dao. If he can stay in the Southern Region for a long time, it will be beneficial to our research on the Great Xia."
"Brother, do you really think that Fang Zhengzhi... will stay in the Southern Region for me?"
"Didn't you interact with Fang Zhengzhi for a period of time in the army? Do you know if he has any hobbies? "
"He... likes to eat..."
"Eat?"
"Yes, and he especially likes to eat meat …"
"Hahaha, that's easy. Even Father has to praise Little Sister's craftsmanship. I will discuss it with Father. When the time comes, everything will depend on Little Sister."
…
Princess Shan Yu thought back to Shan Ling's words. She bit her lip and blushed as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
His lips parted slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Fang Zhengzhi was slightly taken aback by Princess Shan Yu's reaction. Based on Princess Shan Yu's personality, she wouldn't be able to take it lying down.
Although, he had always been very confident.
But …
It was impossible for him to be confident that Princess Shan Yu would fall in love with him.
As such, he felt that this was the idea of the King of the Southern Region. In order to not disappoint the King of the Southern Region, Princess Shan Yu reluctantly accepted this suggestion.
But that was just receiving love.
In his previous world, it was very common for older, leftover women to be forced into marriage.
Then, normally speaking, he only needed to give Princess Shan Yu a way out. For example, like now, he could go around ridiculing and provoking the crowd.
Princess Shan Yu considered the feelings of the other scholars of the Great Xia and temporarily "rejected" it.
It was a perfect ending.
Princess Shan Yu didn't have to rush to get married, and he could also enjoy the roasted lamb. This was the best of both worlds. Why wouldn't he do it?
But why …
Did she resist?
Did she really want to marry him?
Fang Zhengzhi had some doubts in his heart. He had indeed interacted with Princess Shan Yu, but to say that it was enough to make Princess Shan Yu so anxious to "marry" him, that didn't seem very likely.
There had to be some other reason behind this.
But what was it?
Fang Zhengzhi wasn't sure, but he didn't think too much about it. Regardless of what the reason was, there was one thing that the King of the Southern Region couldn't tolerate.
"Actually, it is reasonable for all of you to doubt that the Princess wouldn't choose me. After all, my current physical condition is indeed … indeed … aish …" Fang Zhengzhi's tone changed from sarcasm to bitterness. Towards the end, his expression was one of melancholy.
This caused all of the infuriated scholars to be a little confused.
To them, Fang Zhengzhi had always been shameless. They weren't surprised that he would say something sarcastic when he was pleased.
But, what did this sudden expression mean?
Wasn't this a little too sudden?
Could it be …
Did he really admit his mistake?
No!
Based on his personality, he was not the type to admit his mistakes. As such, there was only one possibility. There was something wrong with his body.
None of the scholars had seen what happened to Fang Zhengzhi in The Vast World with their own eyes. As such, they had only heard about it.
However, even so, it did not affect the curiosity in their hearts.
In fact, it wasn't just the candidates who were curious. The settlement chiefs, generals, even the King and Crown Prince of the Southern Region were curious as well.
Devouring the Fruit of Dao!
Not to mention doing it, it was impossible for anyone to even think about it. After all, it was equivalent to digging one's own grave.
No one would use a knife to slit their own throat.
But Fang Zhengzhi did it.
Most importantly, Fang Zhengzhi was still sitting there, eating meat and drinking wine as if nothing had happened.
Even though …
Everyone guessed that Fang Zhengzhi had become a cripple.
However, that was just a guess. The scene of Fang Zhengzhi catching the Blazing Qilin Spear single-handedly after coming out of The Vast World was still fresh in the minds of the Southern Region Chiefs.
This made their guesses even more likely.
Was Fang Zhengzhi crippled?
This was what all of the candidates, the settlement chiefs, the generals, the King, the Crown Prince, Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu wanted to know.
The King's Palace fell silent at this moment.
Everyone wanted to know how Fang Zhengzhi was doing.
Fang Zhengzhi looked around. Of course, he knew what these people were thinking. His lips curled into a smile. Everything was under control.
Human nature was a strange thing.
Sometimes, a small change or method of doing things could make people feel completely different.
If Fang Zhengzhi had pretended to be sad from the start and loudly announced his current situation, not many people would have believed him.
After all …
This was equivalent to a person's trump card.
No one would reveal their trump card so easily.
This was the main reason why the candidates did not ask Fang Zhengzhi in private. They were not sure if Fang Zhengzhi would tell them the truth.
As such, there was not much point in asking.
But now …
Fang Zhengzhi had been mocking them for a while. After being countered by all of the candidates, he suddenly felt sad.
The meaning behind it was completely different.
This was like a person who had painted a painting. Perhaps the painting was not very good, but the person who painted would never feel that it was bad. Instead, he would have an obsessive confidence in himself.
Fang Zhengzhi mocked them.
Then, they began to retaliate.
Then, because Fang Zhengzhi was hit where it hurt, the soft spot in his heart was triggered. Then, he began to voice out his grievances.
All of this made sense.
It did not matter if others believed him or not.
As for those scholars who spoke up, they believed him. And their belief naturally led to the belief of the other scholars. This was a chain effect.
Fang Zhengzhi had wanted to do this when Shan Ling made things difficult for him.
However, Shan Ling did not make things difficult for him.
As such, Fang Zhengzhi could only make things difficult for the candidates. Even though the effect was not as good, the result was the same.
In fact, anyone who was observant would have noticed that this was a little stiff. However, when Fang Zhengzhi revealed the state of his body, some of the details were overlooked.
This was why Fang Zhengzhi dared to do this.
"Speaking of the state of my body, sigh … these few days, I've been feeling empty, as if many things have disappeared …" Fang Zhengzhi didn't let the people around him wait for too long, and went straight to the point.
"Empty?"
"Things have disappeared?"
"Is he crippled?"
All of the candidates caught on to the "main point" in Fang Zhengzhi's words. After looking at each other, they knew what was going on.
Fang Zhengzhi's expression was still sad.
However, he was very satisfied with this outcome. Genius? Whoever wanted to do it could do it!
Before the battle of the Southern Region, he might have liked this nickname. However, after the battle, he changed his mind.
Bai Xing's sword had been aimed at him.
Canyang's Heavenly Restraints had been placed on him as well.
All of this pointed to one thing...
It was not easy to be a genius!
Furthermore, after the battle of the Southern Region, he had offended the entire demon race. If he continued to act all high and mighty, who knew if there would be a second Sage?
What would he do then?
Now that he had made a contribution, he should enjoy it. He could get a piece of land, raise a bunch of lackeys, and be a hedonistic rich generation. How wonderful would that be!
Of course, there was also the importance of freedom.
No matter what kind of life he led, freedom was the most important thing.
Fang Zhengzhi had successfully attracted everyone's attention. He then threw out a sentence that would cause people's imaginations to run wild, causing them to guess.
Just as everyone was guessing...
He subconsciously glanced at the King of the Southern Region.
Are you going to marry off your daughter when you are crippled?
In the end...
It was obvious.
The King of the Southern Region looked a little disappointed, but he wasn't too surprised. He still had a faint smile on his face.
"You really tolerated it? But... there is one thing that you can't tolerate? " Fang Zhengzhi was not too surprised. He knew that the King of the Southern Region had considered this before making this decision.
As he listened to the guesses of the candidates...
Fang Zhengzhi's expression became more and more sorrowful.
All of the candidates were confused when they saw this. Was there anything worse than being crippled?
Just as they were thinking about it...
Fang Zhengzhi spoke again.
"Other than the emptiness in my heart, I often dream. I have had a few weird dreams over the past few days. I feel like my body is floating, and I think I see a bridge... there are words on the bridge..."
"What word?" One of the candidates couldn't help but ask.
"I can't see things clearly in the dream. I think it said 'Helpless', and there was a red flame burning under the bridge!" Fang Zhengzhi recalled in a daze.
"It's the Helpless Bridge!"
"Oh my god, is there really hell?"
"This... this is..."
All of the candidates were stunned when they heard this. They looked at Fang Zhengzhi with a strange look in their eyes.
Fang Zhengzhi naturally did not pay attention to the expressions of these scholars.
His gaze never left the King of the Southern Region. In fact, the King of the Southern Region's expression had changed. He had gone from a smile to an ugly one.
"You can't take it anymore, right?" Fang Zhengzhi laughed in his heart. Then, he continued, "I don't know if it's true or not. I couldn't see it clearly in my dream. I only vaguely remember a granny standing in front of the bridge. She kept waving at me, saying that time is running out, time is running out, come quickly, come quickly …"
"Fang Zhengzhi, are you serious?!" The King of the Southern Region's voice rang out. He stared at Fang Zhengzhi, almost as if he was trying to see through him.
"How can a dream be taken seriously?" Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. He did not expect the King of the Southern Region to respond in such a manner. Then, he bowed to the King.
"Mm... Official Fang is right. Dreams can't be taken seriously." The King of the Southern Region looked at Fang Zhengzhi and regained his composure. He thought about how he had lost his composure and addressed Fang Zhengzhi as Official Fang.
Fang Zhengzhi did not say anything else.
He knew that there was nothing more to say. Ghosts and gods existed in every world. Some people believed in them, some didn't.
But...
In a place like the Southern Region that worshipped gods, it was almost impossible to say that there were no people who believed in ghosts and deities.
The King of the Southern Region believed him.
Even though he only half believed him, that was enough.
"I am feeling a little tired. Shan Yu, come and help me!" The King of the Southern Region spoke after a moment of silence.
"Yes!" Princess Shan Yu nodded her head.
Then...
Things went as planned. The King of the Southern Region suddenly felt 'tired'. Princess Shan Yu helped the King of the Southern Region down the stairs and the betrothal contest came to a halt.
As for the lamb on the grill...
It was left behind.
"Chomp!" Fang Zhengzhi licked his lips and took a bite of the lamb leg in his hand. The feeling of it melting in his mouth intoxicated him.
It tasted good!
Fang Zhengzhi enjoyed the taste of food. He picked up a flask of wine and took a big gulp. Good wine, good meat. Life was so enjoyable.
He was satisfied with this result.
He was satisfied.
When the surrounding candidates saw this, they were all filled with jealousy. They also wanted to try it, but they had all been rejected by Princess Shan Yu.
How could they try it again?
Fang Zhengzhi ignored the envious gazes of the other candidates. He continued to enjoy the roasted lamb. He finished the lamb leg in his hand very quickly. With a flick of his hand, another lamb leg appeared in his hand.
His mouth was oily and fragrant.
It tasted good!
However, why do I feel a little dizzy? I don't have any strength left in my body.
So dark...
Why was the sky spinning?
As Fang Zhengzhi ate, he felt like his body was floating. Could it be that all the lies he had told were coming true? That didn't seem possible!
No!
This meat...
Fang Zhengzhi suddenly recalled the scene of Princess Shan Yu barbecuing the meat. No one went up to check the herbs that were mixed together.
The Southern Region banquet...
However, the roasted lamb that Princess Shan Yu made in front of everyone didn't have any poison testing process. Furthermore, none of the scholars were lucky enough to try it.
"Damn it, I fell for it?!" Fang Zhengzhi's vision darkened as he collapsed to the ground.
"Someone! Official Fang is drunk, help him down to rest! "Shan Ling's voice rang out as Fang Zhengzhi collapsed to the ground.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
