Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Double Happiness Comes Knocking_1
Ouyang Rui brought up the matter of propriety.
In the grand households, there was an unwritten rule that regardless of who proposed to whom, a betrothal gift was brought, and the Family Head went to speak with the other Family Head.
Although Ouyang Rui was Ouyang Bingbing’s biological father, he couldn’t make the final decision on her marriage.
Only when the Family Head of the Ouyang Family, the old master Ouyang Yi, said it was so, would it count.
"Uncle Rui, I certainly understand the proprieties of proposing marriage. However, you are after all Bingbing’s biological father. Whether she can marry me or not, that’s up to you! As for your family’s old master, that’s just a formality. As long as Uncle Rui you agree, at your family’s old master’s eightieth birthday, I will bring the birthday congratulations and the betrothal gifts to propose to the Ouyang Family. Let’s have double happiness coming through the door!"
Ji Jinpeng’s words struck a chord in Ouyang Rui’s heart.
Because, for Ouyang Yi’s eightieth birthday, the family actually notified him, ordering him not to attend the event.
They said that he, this son, had been expelled from the family, no longer a person of the Ouyang Family.
Therefore, he had no right to attend the old master’s birthday.
Not being able to attend the old master’s eightieth birthday was not just a loss of face for Ouyang Rui.
It symbolized that he had been utterly expelled from the Ouyang Family.
That is to say, when the old master eventually passed away, he wouldn’t receive a single hair from the division of the inheritance.
Ouyang Rui had been pondering this matter for a while now.
He absolutely had to attend the old master’s eightieth birthday.
But he had to do so with proper justification, without letting Ouyang Biao drive him away.
Ouyang Biao was his second brother, serving as the Vice Commander at the Northern Border, a warrior who was unreasonable. He was also the one among the several brothers who was most dissatisfied with him.
What was most important was that Ouyang Biao had illustrious military achievements, and his future was boundless.
If he could secure more military merits in the next few years and climb a few more ranks.
Then the position of the Family Head of the Ouyang Family might very well fall into his hands.
The old master Ouyang Yi had emerged from the battlefield.
What Ouyang Rui feared most was Ouyang Biao; every time he saw him, he was like a mouse seeing a cat.
Ji Jinpeng’s sister, Ji Qing, was the Commander of the Northern Border, known as the Female Yama, the goddess of war, directly above Ouyang Biao.
If Ji Jinpeng proposed marriage to the Ouyang Family for his own daughter on the day of the birthday feast,
Even if Ouyang Biao was extremely dissatisfied, he wouldn’t dare to drive him out of the family!
He wouldn’t dare not to give face to Ji Qing!
With such an analysis, Ouyang Rui started to recalculate in his mind.
He had to make good use of Ji Jinpeng as a chess piece.
Although the Ji Family’s overall strength was not as good as the Ouyang Family’s at the moment,
But the Ji Family had produced such a demoness as Ji Qing.
Ouyang Biao was so impressive, always the Ouyang Family’s greatest hope.
Yet after mixing at the Northern Border for decades, he was still inferior to Ji Qing, who had only been there for several years, and had to obediently serve under that woman.
If Ji Qing maintained her current momentum, in a few years, she might well become the Grand Commander in charge of the entire Dragon Country’s military force.
When that day actually comes, won’t the Ji Family become the preeminent family?
If Ouyang Bingbing could marry into the premier family, I, as her father, would definitely bask in reflected glory and walk with my head held high in the Ouyang Family!
Ouyang Rui had always been clever, but he never used his intelligence for anything upright.
In his youth, he lived off his father; now that he’s old and his father has discarded him, he’s started scheming to live off his daughter.
"Is this mere bottle of wine and bit of marinated food really your idea of a proper gift?"
Ouyang Rui began to find fault.
"Uncle Rui, since I’ve come to ask for your daughter’s hand, how could I not prepare a generous gift for you?"
Ji Jinpeng took out two small boxes.
"Uncle Rui, these contain Rejuvenation Pills, which I bought from Lingfang Pavilion at a high price. Doctor Ge said he saw you last time and noticed you were in poor health, whether it’s your liver or kidneys, both are problematic. You only need one Rejuvenation Pill; taken orally, it will immediately make you spring back to life, and all ailments will vanish."
"Doctor Ge? Are you talking about Ge Buqun? That Ge Buqun does have some skills, and his medical expertise is indeed extraordinary. But you say that one tiny Rejuvenation Pill can cure all my ailments, and I absolutely don’t believe it."
"Uncle Rui, I’m not quite sure about the effects of the Rejuvenation Pill myself. Doctor Ge has a reputation, and he charged me fifty million for this one pill. If it doesn’t work, I must confront him to settle the account."
"Fifty million? For one tiny pill? Is he robbing me?"
"Doctor Ge said that although this Rejuvenation Pill is not an elixir, it’s much like one. The ingredients used are all extremely valuable. Despite its small size, the cost alone was forty million. Plus his effort, selling it to me for fifty million is like giving his services for free. Uncle Rui, why don’t you eat it now? See if the Rejuvenation Pill truly works like an elixir, or if Ge Buqun is deceiving me. If he dares to cheat me, I will immediately set his Lingfang Pavilion ablaze."
Ji Jinpeng’s words were, of course, not something Ouyang Rui could believe.
A tiny pill for fifty million?
What a bunch of bull!
However, the Rejuvenation Pill did have an odd, medicinal fragrance.
In any case, it was very soothing to smell it.
The medicines from Lingfang Pavilion were indeed costly.
This Rejuvenation Pill might indeed be worth three to five million.
As for its effects, one would truly need to consume it to know.
Ouyang Rui, of course, did not stand on ceremony with Ji Jinpeng, and with a tilt of his neck, he took the Rejuvenation Pill in one gulp.
As soon as the pill entered his stomach, he immediately felt a cool breeze move through his body.
The occasional aches in his liver and kidneys seemed to vanish completely.
Suddenly he felt invigorated.
The efficacy of the Rejuvenation Pill was indeed instantaneous!
It seemed that the moniker ’Divine Doctor’ attributed to Ge Buqun was not just empty talk.
Seeing the immediate effect after swallowing the Rejuvenation Pill, Ouyang Rui’s complexion became ruddy and he appeared more energized.
Ji Jinpeng eagerly seized the moment to ask, "Uncle Rui, how do you feel?"
Ouyang Rui was a smart man; he couldn’t possibly admit that the effect was good.
After frowning slightly, he spoke indifferently, "As for this Rejuvenation Pill, it sounds impressive, but its effects after ingestion aren’t as pronounced as they’re touted to be."
"Are you saying the Rejuvenation Pill has no effect? Then I’ll go smash Lingfang Pavilion right away! That old swindler Ge Buqun said that one course of the Rejuvenation Pill takes nine pills. After taking the first one, you’re to take the second one three days later. Because the Rejuvenation Pill is so expensive, I didn’t dare to buy all nine at once, so I bought one to try it out on you first, Uncle Rui.
If it’s effective, I’ll go buy the remaining eight. A good-for-nothing Rejuvenation Pill daring to scam me out of fifty million? I have to smash Lingfang Pavilion and burn that shop to ashes! From here on out, I will never buy medicine from Ge Buqun again."
