“Father-in-law... father-in-law?” William Thompson was stunned when he heard this. How did another future father-in-law suddenly appear? His family hadn’t mentioned this to him—how was he supposed to marry the princess now?

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go pay your respects!” Richard Thompson saw William Thompson in a daze and gave him a gentle push.

Only then did William Thompson snap out of it. Bracing himself, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Greetings... greetings, Uncle Hu!”

At this, James Howard smiled with satisfaction and said, “Not bad, not bad. I was worried your illness was too severe for you to get married, but now that you’re well, I think we should just hold the wedding in a few days!”

Hearing James Howard’s words, William Thompson didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He’d seen people give gifts or money, but this was the first time he’d seen someone give away their life.

Chapter 8: Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard

In the living room, Richard Thompson ordered a banquet to be set up to entertain James Howard. As the soon-to-be son-in-law, William Thompson of course had to sit in attendance. However, no matter how delicious the food on the table was, it couldn’t mask the stench of body odor and sweat coming from James Howard. According to James Howard, he had just returned from training outside the city. Earlier, when William Thompson was hugged by him, he had nearly fainted from the smell.

“Brother Li, your virtuous son-in-law’s health has greatly improved. I think we should just hold the wedding before the New Year!” James Howard stuffed a large piece of lamb into his mouth, swallowing it without even chewing. His big, bell-like eyes were sizing up William Thompson, full of the scrutinizing gaze of a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law.

William Thompson had completely lost his appetite from his father-in-law’s stench. As for the so-called marriage, he was even more opposed to it. After all, he was about to die himself—there was no need to drag someone else down with him. If he wanted to survive, he had to find a way to marry the princess, so there was no way he could marry James Howard’s daughter.

Thinking of all this, William Thompson couldn’t help but worry. How was he going to get out of this marriage?

“Brother Hu, of course the wedding must happen, but there’s only a month left before the New Year. Isn’t it a bit too rushed to hold the wedding before then? We simply don’t have time to prepare!” Richard Thompson said, looking troubled by the end.

At this moment, William Thompson couldn’t help but admire his cheap old man. Facing this stinky future father-in-law, he could still chat and laugh as if nothing was wrong, even eating and drinking without changing his expression. Just this level of composure made William Thompson feel inferior.

“A month may not be long, but it’s not short either. Besides, your virtuous son-in-law’s health isn’t great. Now is the perfect time to get married and bring some good luck. I even had someone do a reading—my daughter has the face of someone who brings prosperity to her husband. Marrying her will guarantee your son-in-law a life free of illness and a thriving household!” James Howard insisted, wiping his mouth.

William Thompson couldn’t help but curl his lip in secret. This James Howard sure could brag. Is your daughter some kind of elixir, able to make someone immune to all diseases? Why not just say your daughter is the Tang Monk and can grant immortality?

Seeing that James Howard was determined to have the wedding before the New Year, Richard Thompson looked hesitant. William Thompson and James Howard’s daughter had been engaged for a long time. If it weren’t for William Thompson’s illness, they might already be married, so it really wasn’t easy to delay this marriage any longer.

“Jie’er, what do you think about getting married before the New Year?” Richard Thompson suddenly turned to ask William Thompson.

Actually, even if Richard Thompson hadn’t asked, William Thompson was planning to speak up. After all, he couldn’t drag another person down with him. So he replied without hesitation, “Father, I think it would be best to postpone the wedding until next year!”

William Thompson actually wanted to directly propose breaking off the engagement, but seeing the attitudes of James Howard and his own father, if he dared to bring it up now, the furious James Howard might just slap him to death, and even Richard Thompson wouldn’t be able to stop him. So for now, he could only try to stall and think of another way later.

“Virtuous son-in-law, how can you say that? You don’t even want a beautiful maiden delivered right to your bed?” James Howard stared wide-eyed at him. But coming from a father, these words were really outrageous.

Although Richard Thompson knew James Howard was a rough character, he still felt a bit embarrassed hearing this. William Thompson was speechless, but he had already thought of a way to respond, so he patiently explained, “Uncle Hu, as you know, I fell ill at the beginning of the year and only started to recover at the end. You could say I’ve had nothing but bad luck all year!”

William Thompson paused for a moment before continuing, “That’s exactly why, a few days ago, I went outside the city to find a fortune-teller. He told me that I’m in conflict with Tai Sui this year, and even next year, my bad luck won’t easily dissipate. It won’t be until the second half of the year that I can truly escape this calamity!”

William Thompson was just making things up, but people in ancient times were superstitious, and he really had been unlucky all year, so saying he was in conflict with Tai Sui wasn’t too far-fetched.

“How can you trust the words of some wandering charlatan?” James Howard waved his hand dismissively. Because of his special position, he often dealt with fortune-tellers and wandering monks, so he didn’t put much stock in what they said.

“I didn’t used to believe in these things either, but after so many close calls this year, sometimes I feel like fate is playing tricks on me. So for some things, I’d rather believe than not!”

William Thompson paused again before continuing, “Besides, holding the wedding before the New Year really is too rushed. I think it would be better to wait until the second half of next year. By then, we’ll have enough time to prepare, my bad luck will have passed, and we can hold a grand wedding. After all, we can’t let others look down on our two families!”