My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 65 A hero's true character lies not in outward appearance.

Upon hearing this, the woman showed no surprise whatsoever, as if she had expected it all along.

Therefore, she did not panic, but calmly put away the strings and returned the jade pegs to their places.

After the ancient zither made of paulownia wood was put away on the table, she slowly stood up, bowed gracefully to Gao Yang, and then said in a clear and resonant voice, "This humble woman, Li Zuwan, greets Lord Taiyuan."

"Li Zuwan?"

Upon hearing this unfamiliar girl's name, Gao Yang's brows furrowed even more deeply.

He was already dissatisfied with Li Xizong's evasion the day before, and now that he saw that the person he was looking for and whose name was completely unfamiliar, his dissatisfaction intensified.

However, he recalled Gao Cheng's instructions to him while they were in the carriage.

He finally took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his shock and anger, and coldly asked Li Zuwan, "I have only heard that the Li family has two daughters, the elder named Zuyi and the younger named Zu'e, who were known as the 'Twin Lotuses of Hebei.' How can there be another Zuwan now? Did Li Xizong send you here to give me this excuse?"

Upon hearing this question, Li Zuwan remained calm and composed, replying, "Lord Taiyuan, you are wise. The two women you saw the other day were my eldest sister Zuyi and my third sister Zue."

"As for my daughter, she is the second daughter of the Li family, born out of wedlock. Her birth mother died early, and she was raised in a separate household since childhood. She only returned to the mansion last month. My father, considering her to be older, registered her under the name of his legal wife, Cui, as the second legitimate daughter. Therefore, she is unknown to outsiders."

"Born out of wedlock?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yang's dissatisfaction instantly transformed into a surge of anger, rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Although he had long anticipated that the Li family might not be sincere about the marriage, he never expected that Li Xizong would dare to use a concubine's daughter who had just returned to the family to appease him.

What a humiliation this is! Does it mean that Gao Yang is nothing, or that the entire Gao clan of Bohai is nothing?

He could no longer contain himself and demanded sharply, "The one I'm looking for is the beautiful woman I saw the other day. Who are you, a mere illegitimate child, daring to come here and look at her? Has Li Xizong gone too far in deceiving me, saying that the Gao family's sword is ineffective?"

Upon hearing this, the air inside the pavilion seemed to freeze.

If it were an ordinary woman, she would probably have been terrified and begging for mercy by now, but Li Zuwan remained upright and fearless.

She raised her head, meeting Gao Yang's almost murderous gaze, and slowly said, "Lord Taiyuan, please calm your fury. There are other reasons behind this matter, and I humbly request your permission to explain in detail."

Gao Yang stood with his arms crossed, veins bulging on his forehead, neither replying nor turning to leave.

He wanted to see what kind of flowery reason this woman could come up with to exonerate Li.

If the reason is not righteous enough, he will repay today's humiliation a hundredfold.

Seeing this, Li Zuwan took it as tacit consent and slowly recounted what had happened that day:

"The other day, my father returned home and summoned the elders of the clan to discuss the marriage alliance with the Gao family, intending to marry my younger sister, Zu'e, to the Duke of Taiyuan. Unexpectedly, my younger sister is of a fierce nature and would rather die than comply. She struck her head against a pillar in court, bleeding profusely from her forehead, saying, 'I would rather die than marry.' My eldest sister is three years older than the Duke of Taiyuan, and is also not a good match. Among all the daughters in the family, only my daughter is of marriageable age. If my daughter does not volunteer, the alliance between Li and Gao will surely be broken, and the future disaster of the Zheng family of Xingyang will serve as a warning to the Li family."

She spoke slowly but clearly, recounting the words, expressions, and attitudes of everyone in the hall that day in detail, without omitting a single detail.

After listening to the reason, Gao Yang's anger subsided slightly, and his expression became uncertain.

He could sense the predicament and scheming within the Li family from her calm narration, and he could also sense the awkward situation of this illegitimate daughter in the family.

However, this was not a reason for Li Xizong to use his illegitimate daughter as an excuse.

Therefore, his anger was still not appeased, and he couldn't help but glare coldly at Li Zuwan, saying, "So, you asked to marry in my place?"

Indeed.

Li Zuwan nodded frankly.

"Why?"

Gao Yang took a step closer, his tone sarcastic: "How dare you, a mere concubine's daughter, act on your own? Is it because you see the power of the Gao family and wish to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy for your own gain?"

This statement is extremely harsh; if it were anyone else, they would probably be filled with shame and indignation long ago.

Unexpectedly, Li Zuwan simply smiled and retorted, "What the Duke of Taiyuan said is half true and half false."

Gao Yang was taken aback: "What do you mean by 'half right, half wrong'?"

Li Zuwan said, "I am willing to marry the Duke of Taiyuan because I have a desire to climb the social ladder. As a concubine's daughter, I am as lowly as grass in the clan. In the future, I will only marry a son of a noble family or become a concubine of an old man. I will be at the mercy of others for the rest of my life, living like an ant."

"Although you are not handsome, you are the legitimate son of King Gao and a trusted advisor to the Crown Prince. Therefore, by marrying you, I, a humble woman, can escape this predetermined fate. This is my selfish reason, and I dare not lie about it."

Li Zuwan's words were frank and open, without any concealment.

Upon hearing this, Gao Yang's anger subsided somewhat. In his life, what he hated most was others being hypocritical and pretentious in front of him.

Although Li Zuwan came to curry favor, she was bold and straightforward, and had a genuine personality.

He then softened his tone and asked, "What is the reason for this?"

Hearing Gao Yang's tone soften, Li Zuwan's lips curled into a knowing smile as she continued, "The only reason I wish to marry you is because I have observed that you are no ordinary man."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, even Gao Yang, still angry, couldn't help but become somewhat interested and pressed on, "Tell me, where am I not an ordinary person?"

Li Zuwan smiled and slowly said, "A few days ago, you came to my Li residence. Although you slammed your fist on the table and cursed at every turn, showing none of the composure of a noble family scion, I, a woman peeking from behind the screen, saw that your anger stemmed from the fact that the elders of the Li clan shirked their responsibilities and sat idly by while chaos broke out in Hanoi without offering any assistance."

"Therefore, your anger was for the sake of the country, not for personal reasons. From this, we can see that you are a man of strong character and have the qualities of a hero."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yang was momentarily stunned.

This is because from childhood to adulthood, everyone despised and mocked him because of his appearance, but no one could see the sincerity in his heart through his ugly appearance.

He never imagined that his past lapse in behavior at the Li residence would be witnessed by a woman, who would then interpret it with such profound meaning.

He had to admit that he was moved at that moment!

"The qualities of a hero?"

After a long moment of stunned silence, he murmured to himself, then gave a self-deprecating laugh: "With my appearance, I am despised by all. How can I possibly possess heroic spirit?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as Gao Yang uttered these words, Li Zuwan's expression immediately turned solemn.

He countered, "Appearance is a gift from heaven, which cannot be changed by human effort. Moreover, the appearance of a hero lies in his heart, his demeanor, and his talents, not in his physical appearance."

"In the past, Yanzi of Qi was less than five feet tall, yet he could make the King of Chu bow down; Sun Shu'ao of Chu was ugly and old, yet he could assist King Zhuang in becoming a hegemon. Why does the Duke of Taiyuan belittle himself because of his appearance?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yang was completely stunned.

He stared intently at the woman before him, a strange and inexplicable emotion welling up inside him.

From childhood to adulthood, everyone has looked down on him and mocked him because of his face.

Although his elder brother Gao Cheng treated him well, he often made fun of his appearance; although Duan Shao, Huli Guang and others were on good terms with him, they would occasionally show some sympathy.

As for outsiders, needless to say, he still remembers the contempt in Sima Xiaonan's eyes that day.

But the woman in front of him was the first person to tell him that "appearance is not important," and the second person to say that he "has the qualities of a hero."

For a moment, Gao Yang fell completely silent.

After a long silence, he felt that his anger just now was somewhat ridiculous.

After all, his desire to marry the Li woman was undoubtedly due to his infatuation with her appearance.

Ultimately, however, it was all for the sake of marriage alliances and to solidify the relationship between the Gao family and the powerful families of Hebei.