C22 He Came to Propose Marriage!

Bang!

Another deafening thud echoed as Chu Yan's foot connected with Steward Lin's chest, the sound reminiscent of a hammer pounding a cowhide drum. Blood spurted from Steward Lin's mouth as his body flew like a cannonball, crashing with a resounding bang against the vermilion doors.

The tightly closed doors shuddered violently, swinging open before the astonished onlookers.

The Lin family members, who had been standing ready behind Steward Lin, eager to restrain Chu Yan, involuntarily swallowed hard, their courage retreating as they stepped back.

Zhao Ji and Feng Ru exchanged a glance, reading the same thought in each other's eyes: This kid has lost his mind!

While the crowd was still reeling, Chu Yan strode confidently toward the now-open doors of the Lin residence. Having come this far, there was no turning back.

Ascending the stone steps, he stood at the threshold of the gaping doors, contemplating the interior and exterior. Steward Lin, bloodied and broken, lay on the ground like a lifeless dog, convulsing.

The thunderous crash of the doors had drawn the attention of the Lin family within, leaving many speechless and staring, their eyes filled with disbelief as they beheld Chu Yan standing at the entrance.

Crossing the threshold into the Lin family estate, Chu Yan inhaled deeply and proclaimed with resonant authority, "I, Chu Yan of the Central Plains, have come today to seek the hand of the Lin family's eldest daughter, Lin Miaoran, in marriage!"

His declaration, bold and echoing, reverberated through the mansion, leaving everyone, both outside and inside, utterly dumbfounded.

No one had anticipated that Chu Yan would make his intentions known in such a dramatic fashion. A prince by birth and seasoned by the trials of war, Chu Yan exuded a presence as profound as the sea, unparalleled by any ordinary man.

Standing just inside the doorway, he swept the room with his gaze. To his surprise, not a single person dared to meet his eyes.

Involuntarily, everyone lowered their heads, feeling as if a heavy stone weighed down on their chests, constricting their breath.

For a brief moment, the Lin Family Mansion was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

From deep within the mansion, a commotion stirred. Shortly after, a group of people came rushing in.

Chu Yan looked up to see a man in his thirties or forties leading the way, striding with the commanding presence of a dragon or tiger.

The others walked beside him, heads bowed in deference, save for a few.

Chu Yan could tell from their demeanor that this man was none other than the current head of the Lin Family, Lin Chongtian.

Upon the patriarch's arrival, Zhao Ji and Feng Ru turned ashen, quickly stepping forward to kneel on one knee.

Chu Yan, however, remained still, watching the crowd before him with a detached gaze, oblivious to their puzzled or angry stares.

"Zhao Ji! Give me an explanation! Are you trying to defy the heavens?" Before Lin Chongtian could speak, a man with a goatee, bearing a resemblance to him, leapt up and aggressively confronted Zhao Ji.

Chu Yan glanced at the man and recalled Zhao Ji's earlier introduction. This goateed man was Lin Chongtian's brother, the Deputy Chief of the Lin Family, Lin Chongzhi.

With the Deputy Chief speaking out and all eyes on him, Zhao Ji didn't dare conceal anything. He recounted bringing them back to Chu Yan, their return to report, and being barred from entry.

Yet Zhao Ji was well aware, as he had previously stated, that they were all in the same boat with Chu Yan—if one were to falter, none could escape. Thus, in his account, he shifted the blame onto the steward, while framing Chu Yan's actions as the impulsive response of a young man.

Listening to Zhao Ji's account, Lin Chongzhi's eyes bulged with fury, his breaths deep and ragged, while Patriarch Lin Chongtian's eyes flickered with a contemplative look.

After he finished speaking, Zhao Ji bowed deeply and said, "Patriarch, I ask for your punishment."

"Punishment? I'll certainly punish you severely! Do you realize we have distinguished guests today? Do you have any idea how much shame this brings to our Lin Family?" Lin Chongzhi's face turned beet red as he scolded furiously, "Someone come here! What are you gawking at? Seize these two treacherous servants at once—"

Before Lin Chongzhi could finish his sentence, Lin Chongtian suddenly gestured for silence: "Hold on."

"Hmm?" Lin Chongzhi looked at his elder brother, puzzled. When he noticed Lin Chongtian's gaze fixed on Chu Yan, he was initially taken aback, then, as if a realization struck him, he pointed at Chu Yan and exclaimed, "Chu Yan, is it? The nerve you have! Do you admit your wrongdoing?"

"Your Lin Clan has broken its promise, arranging for a woman to marry twice. And now you're asking me if I recognize my guilt?" Chu Yan retorted, not sparing Lin Chongzhi a glance, his voice laced with a cold sneer.

Zhao Ji and Feng Ru were terrified, feeling as if their souls were about to leave their bodies.

Throughout their journey, Chu Yan had seemed to them a somewhat precocious youth, mostly giving off a mild-mannered vibe. But now, he was revealing a sharp edge!

Or, to put it more precisely, he wasn't just showing his mettle; he was actively courting death—and seemed intent on dragging them down with him!

Zhao Ji was so frightened that he was about to hastily disassociate himself from the situation.

We certainly didn't teach him to say that!

But before he could utter a word, and before Lin Chongzhi had a chance to explode in anger, Lin Family Patriarch Lin Chongtian had already turned to a man in a dark green robe, offering a wry smile: "Brother Ye, you see, it's not that I'm deliberately shirking responsibility, but you've really presented me with a thorny issue. He's come right to my doorstep. If word gets out that a woman was promised to marry twice, how could our Lin Family ever show its face in Evergreen Town again?"

Zhao Ji recognized the man in the dark green robe; he was Ye Hengkong, an elder from the Ye Family, another prominent clan in Evergreen Town.

Ye Hengkong's presence here didn't catch Zhao Ji off guard; after all, Steward Lin had previously brought it up. What did surprise Zhao Ji was Lin Chongtian's reaction.

His own front door had been busted open, and now, it was as if someone was pointing directly at his nose and hurling insults. Yet, Lin Chongtian didn't show any anger. Instead, he casually deflected the blame onto Ye Hengkong, who had come to seek a marriage alliance that day.

Moreover, Zhao Ji picked up on something crucial from Lin Chongtian's remarks: the Chief apparently did not favor the union between the Lin and Ye families!

A glimmer of hope flashed before Zhao Ji's eyes in that instant.

As he was reveling in this surge of elation, his gaze inadvertently met Chu Yan's. The young man's indifferent demeanor sent a chill through Zhao Ji. "Could it be that he deliberately smashed the door? That his loud declaration upon arrival was also intentional, all because he had anticipated the Chief's stance? But how could he have known?"