Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

In the spacious and bright hall, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief as if a huge weight had been lifted from their hearts upon hearing what had just been said. The atmosphere, which had been somewhat subdued, suddenly became slightly more lively. Niu Fu, a straightforward man, was the first to speak. "Yes, yes, if only my young lady could have the honor of becoming the young master's legal wife, I would be absolutely delighted! Look at this young master, so promising at such a young age. His future is undoubtedly limitless. Taking on more wives and concubines is no big deal; it's a common occurrence."

Everyone nodded in agreement at these words, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly lively. Ma Teng, seated at the head of the table, listened to the soldiers' discussions and couldn't help but ponder. He thought to himself that he hadn't heard of his son getting into any romantic trouble lately.

Speaking of Cai Wenji, Ma Teng couldn't help but recall that back in Xiliang, he'd overheard his wife casually reveal some of the things she'd been saying to Cai Wenji. Cai Wenji seemed to be solely focused on being with Chao'er forever, and she hadn't been overly demanding about status or anything like that. However, she was, after all, a widow of the Wei family. If the Ma family married her, it wouldn't be a good reputation. Furthermore, digging deeper, there was something fishy about this matter.

After weighing the pros and cons over and over again in his mind, Ma Teng seemed to have finally made up his mind. He slowly said to Mr. Ai Wenyou, "Mr. Wenyou, I will boldly make the decision for Chao'er this time. After this rebellious son returns to Xiliang, let's put everything else aside for now and let Chao'er and Dong Bai get married. This way, I, as a parent, will have put an end to a worry, and it will also be considered as fulfilling Mr. Dong's last wish."

Upon hearing this, Li Ru, who was standing by, suddenly perked up and said with a beaming face, "Ah, my lord, your tone is completely different from just now! Ah, my lord, that's the way it should be! Look, regardless of whether it's the Lu family's daughter or the Cai family's daughter, how can they truly compare to the young lady of the Dong family, who shares the same roots as us in Xiliang? What's more, my Dong family has always firmly supported the Ma family. It's truly wonderful that you think this way, my lord!"

Ma Teng could only manage a forced smile in response to Li Ru's words. After all, it wasn't that he wasn't willing to facilitate this marriage; it was simply that Ma Chao was rather stubborn. As a father, even though he held considerable influence in Xiliang, he couldn't simply refuse Ma Chao's favor. After all, Ma Chao's future was the future of the Ma family, and he had always placed all his hopes on him.

Li Ru saw that Ma Teng still had a look of reluctance on his face. This time, his smile became even brighter, and his words added fuel to the fire. He said, "My Lord, you don't have to worry so much. Look at the young master's current status. It's completely different now! With the young master's current status and position, let alone three wives and four concubines, even having more is perfectly normal."

Li Ru stared at Ma Teng intently, his eyes filled with an indescribable eagerness. He spoke word by word, enunciating each word with a resounding intensity: "My Lord, just think about this. If one day we truly conquer the world and spread our mighty reputation throughout the four seas, how esteemed would your status be at that time? Even if you were only a concubine, you would surely be the Imperial Consort. How could such a noble status bring disgrace to others?"

These words were like a bombshell, instantly exploding in Ma Teng's heart. The slightest hesitation that had lingered in Ma Teng's heart was now gone like frost after being exposed to the scorching sun, without a trace.

Ultimately, Ma Teng and Li Ru were simply not on the same level, whether in terms of strategy, intelligence, rhetoric, or other aspects. Ma Teng was completely led by Li Ru, and the most crucial reason for this was the extremely generous dowry hidden behind the Dong family, which was an irresistible attraction for Ma Teng. He was just a small warlord in a border area, and he struggled hard for territory and power every day.

But now, the grand blueprint Li Ru had painted for him was simply too tempting. In the future Li Ru envisioned for him, one day, the Ma family would not only be able to completely escape their current difficult situation, but might even rule the world. How could an ordinary person easily resist such a colossal temptation? Just to take the former followers of Lord Dong in Longxi alone, their power and resources were already astonishingly abundant, not to mention Li Ru's meticulously crafted grand plan. Ma Teng was completely convinced by Li Ru, his heart and eyes completely absorbed in the beautiful future that seemed within reach.

Li Ru saw the satisfied expression on Ma Teng's face and knew that the matter was already a done deal. So why did Li Ru spare no effort to encourage Ma Teng and even painstakingly plan so many things for him?

It turns out that during his lifetime, Master Dong had been troubled by the lack of a son to inherit his vast family business and continue his lofty ambitions. At that time, Master Dong had already intended to recruit Ma Chao as his son-in-law. He reasoned that if he could truly conquer the world, the child born from Ma Chao and Dong Bai's marriage would surely be the worthy heir to this vast legacy.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and Mr. Dong had now completely failed. But amidst this seemingly hopeless situation, the Ma family had risen rapidly like a dark horse, undoubtedly giving Li Ru new hope. Furthermore, the world was full of strange twists and turns. After all these twists and turns, the situation had still unfolded as he and Mr. Dong had agreed: Ma Chao was still going to marry Miss Dong Bai.

This way, no matter how the situation develops in the future, even if they do manage to conquer the world, the heir to that world will still be the bloodline of Lord Dong. In this predicament, Li Ru was able to cleverly navigate the same path he had previously discussed with Lord Dong. It must be said that Li Ru is truly shrewd and his dedication to his former master, Lord Dong, is truly admirable.

After everything was arranged, the generals took their orders and left, methodically carrying out Li Ru's carefully crafted plan. Ma Teng was still in a daze. Seeing this, Li Ru didn't bother him and headed straight for Dong Bai's residence.

After all, today's matter involved finalizing the marriage between Dong Bai and Ma Chao with Ma Teng, and Ma Teng had to give a clear explanation today. Meanwhile, Li Ru, considering Dong Bai's shyness and shyness as a young girl, did not allow her to participate in today's meeting with Ma Teng.

Dong Bai was terribly anxious in her mansion, for the safety of her lover, Ma Chao, was at stake. Li Ru had already calculated all of this. He knew that if Dong Bai had been there, given how much she cared for Ma Chao, she would not have allowed him to face the enemy in Chang'an without aid. After all, that would have put Ma Chao in great danger.

However, Li Ru knew that if Ma Chao didn't fully understand the true face of the imperial court, even if he painstakingly planned everything, Ma Teng's stubborn nature would remain unchanged. Only by making Ma Chao suffer a real loss and hit a wall would he truly change his original intentions from the bottom of his heart.

Dong Bai eagerly inquired about Li Ru's arrangements. With a teasing smile, Li Ru replied, "My dear, everything has been perfectly arranged for you. Your lover will surely be brought back to you unharmed. Furthermore, I have a great piece of good news waiting for you. It all depends on how you plan to thank me."

Dong Bai looked bewildered and confused, not knowing what was going on. He quickly said, "Oh, dear uncle, please stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly. I'm so anxious."

Li Ru said, "No matter how I arrange it, I will definitely make sure your lover returns safe and sound. And when he returns, it will be the day for you to marry him. I have already discussed it with your father-in-law. As soon as your lover returns, we will marry you immediately. Don't worry about the Lu family girl or the Cai family girl. Our Dong family girl must be the principal wife. What do you think, little ancestor? Now you should thank me, right?"

Dong Bai's face flushed immediately, and he stamped his feet and said, "Oh, uncle, how can you say that? It's so embarrassing, as if my Dong family is forcing you to get married."

Li Ru looked at Dong Bai's expression, and saw that she was pretending even though she had received the benefit. He could not help but tease her again, "Well, if you are not satisfied, I will go talk to your father-in-law and make everything clear. We will still rescue and protect General Ma Chao, but we will postpone your marriage."

Dong Bai's face was filled with anxiety when he heard this. He hurriedly pulled Li Ru and said, "Oh, my dear uncle, you are the best. Bai'er is so grateful for your kindness. I know that besides my grandfather, you are the one who loves Bai'er the most."

Li Ru smiled softly and said, "Alright, alright, everything has been arranged. You go meet your future father-in-law and let him stay in Longxi for a few days to test the waters and avoid him getting too worried. It's not easy for him to come all this way."

Dong Bai followed Li Ru's instructions and hurried to pay her respects to Ma Teng. After meeting Ma Teng, she was full of enthusiasm and earnestly persuaded him to stay in Longxi County.

Ma Teng, however, was already feeling uneasy. After all, the marriage was still far from settled, and he was also deeply concerned about Ma Chao's situation at court. He would be uneasy if Ma Chao didn't return unharmed. So, Ma Teng accepted Dong Bai's offer to stay and settled in Longxi County, waiting for the situation in Chang'an to develop further.