The Hidden Pi family—weren't they the Xiao family's backer? How had they become Wei Zhao's subordinates? If that were so, then Wang Xinyan's marriage arrangement ought to be settled smoothly enough now, shouldn't it? At that thought, Xiao Qinlin actually breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes... Back then, it was Old Master Pi of the Hidden Pi family himself who came to my rescue, only at the time, to keep it secret, I didn't tell you or Father..." Wang Xinyan could no longer keep it hidden now; she had to put some chips on the table for her own happiness.

"So that's how it was... I see now!" Xiao Qinlin said with a sigh. "All right, I'll call your eldest uncle right away and tell him about all this!"

"Thank you, Mother..." Hearing her mother say this, Wang Xinyan knew there was hope, and she brightened at once.

Yet Xiao Qinlin's expectations seemed to go somewhat awry. When she told Xiao Ji and Xiao Benming about these matters, after their brief shock, Xiao Ben gave no clear answer at all—he merely said he would have to discuss it with his elder brother before deciding.

This took Xiao Qinlin somewhat by surprise, but she said nothing and simply waited quietly for her eldest and second brothers' reply.

After hanging up, Xiao Ben's brows knotted into the character for "river," while Xiao Ji, being of a hot temper, demanded in puzzlement, "Eldest Brother, if Wei Zhao is the head of the Hidden Pi family, then he's the backer of our backer—there's no harm in cultivating good relations with him! Why won't you agree to break off the engagement?"

"Break off the engagement? Have the Xiao family become Wei Zhao's running dogs? Xiao Ji, I think you've lost your mind! Have you forgotten that Wei Zhao is the Xiao family's number one enemy? I think you've gone stupid!" Before Xiao Ben could speak, Gou Huli shrieked. She was utterly unwilling to let the Xiao family soften toward Wei Zhao—had she not lost enough face at his hands already?

It must be said, this woman was deeply vindictive—especially a woman like Gou Huli. Once she hated someone, she carried it to an appalling extreme.

"Smack!" Hearing Gou Huli's shriek, Xiao Ji dealt her a resounding slap across the face. "Wretched shrew, what are you screeching about? The Xiao family's great affairs—since when is it your place to decide them?"

"You... you hit me? Xiao Ji, I was only thinking of the Xiao family's good, and you actually hit me?" Gou Huli clutched her swollen cheek and wailed with immense grievance.

"***. Say another word and I'll slap you again!" Xiao Ji snarled.

"Eldest Brother, calm yourself!" Xiao Ben waved a hand to stop Xiao Ji's violence, then spoke. "Sister-in-law is not entirely wrong, so don't get excited. She's right—if the Xiao family yields to Wei Zhao, there will be no benefit in it for us..."

"Oh?" Xiao Ji blinked. "If we marry Xinyan to Wei Zhao, won't the Xiao family then have Wei Zhao behind us? Even the Hidden Pi family has Wei Zhao behind them. That shows Wei Zhao has great potential—it would be good for the Xiao family's development..."

"Eldest Brother, you're thinking too simply," Xiao Ben said. "Your reasoning isn't wrong, but have you considered how great the enmity between the Xiao family and Wei Zhao is? From the very beginning, the Xiao family has set itself against Wei Zhao, kicking him again and again while he was down—we've reached a point beyond any reconciliation!"

"That..." Xiao Ji hesitated. "Then if we marry Wang Xinyan to Wei Zhao, wouldn't that make us relatives of Wei Zhao?"

"Relatives?" Xiao Ben gave a cold laugh. "You may treat Wei Zhao as a relative, but will he treat you as one? We've also heard some news and rumors from the Hidden You family about what happened with the Hidden Tang family. Did Wei Zhao give Tang Yun's father any face? Any to her grandfather? Those were her own father and grandfather—and what are we? An uncle is already one degree removed!"

"That..." Xiao Ji thought it over. His younger brother had a point, yet he still clung to a sliver of hope. "But in the past, weren't Wu Chengtian and the Hidden Pi family also at odds with Wei Zhao? And haven't they now won his trust?"

"Whether the Hidden Pi family has truly thrown in with Wei Zhao, I still can't say for certain. But whether it's the Hidden Pi family or Wu Chengtian—did they ever have direct conflicts with Wei Zhao, ever come to bitter blows? Did they ever cause serious consequences?" Xiao Ben waved his hand. "None of them did! Wu Chengtian and the Pi family never had any great conflict with Wei Zhao—at most they were on bad terms for a while. But never the drawn-blades hostility that exists between us and them! Take Zhao Qibing of the Hidden Zhao family, or Xie Yufeng of the secular Yu family—these men made enemies of Wei Zhao. Do you think there's still any chance of reconciliation? The secular Yu family was wiped out by Wei Zhao, and Zhao Qibing of the Hidden Zhao family had his legs broken several times and nearly lost his life. Do you think that if this less-than-promising relative of ours, Wang Xinyan, went over to Wei Zhao's side, he would keep the rest of us alive?"

"That..." Xiao Ji did not have much of a mind, and after Xiao Ben's analysis, he found it really did seem possible! After all, the enmity between the Xiao family and Wei Zhao was immense! When Wei Zhao was injured, the Xiao family had repeatedly leapt out to kick him while he was down. Would Wei Zhao let them off so easily?

"Then... can't we just plead with the Hidden Pi family..." Xiao Ji said after a moment's hesitation.

"Plead?" Xiao Ben shook his head. "Do you think the Hidden Pi family, now that they've thrown in with Wei Zhao, would still give us the time of day? Never mind the lofty Hidden Pi family—even Wu Chengtian stopped paying us any attention after he sided with Wei Zhao. And you're counting on the Hidden Pi family? We were nothing but a money-making tool to the Hidden Pi family. Now that the Hidden Pi family has gone over to Wei Zhao, and Wu Chengtian is Wei Zhao's henchman, wouldn't the Hidden Pi family and Wu Chengtian rather do business with Wei Zhao? Would they still consider us?"

"That's true..." Xiao Ji nodded in deep agreement. "Even if we gave Wang Xinyan to Wei Zhao, it wouldn't win us any favor with him at all. Wei Zhao would still ignore us as before, and the Xiao family's position would remain precarious... But if we force Wang Xinyan to marry Kang Zhaolong, wouldn't that be setting ourselves against Wei Zhao? Couldn't Wei Zhao wipe us out in his fury?"

"If he wanted to wipe us out, he'd have done it long ago. The reason he hasn't is likely that he still remembers we are the maternal family of Wang Xinyan's own uncles, so there's no need for us to fear anything," Xiao Ben said. "When the Hidden Tang family broke with Wei Zhao and Tang Yun back then, we never saw Wei Zhao raise his hand to destroy his own kin."

Xiao Ben was right—Wei Zhao had indeed not moved against the Hidden Pi family at the time. But it was not that he did not wish to; it was that he was no match for them! RQ

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