My husband, please respect yourself. The princess is here to grab the bride.

Zhenxi Palace.

back yard.

Dongfang Changying sat in the pavilion beside the lotus pond and respectfully poured a cup of tea for his father and mother.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her lips parted slightly:

"Dad, Mom, I've made up my mind."

"Shaoqiu...even though he doesn't have any ideals and I don't think he'll be of much help to the palace in the future, I really like him."

"As long as my daughter is here, it doesn't matter whether he knows martial arts or how to fight."

"Sibaozi is very close to him, and he treats Sibaozi like a brother. When he goes to Kyoto next year, I will definitely meet him. I think I will like him too... He knows a lot more than just poetry and writing, and he's quite interesting."

"As for his persistent wish to ask the Emperor to revoke the imperial edict... let him try. If he succeeds, he can shed his status as a son-in-law, which will be beneficial for his future."

"Besides, I have two older brothers and a younger brother. I don't need him to marry into the Dongfang family to continue the incense."

"He is the only descendant of the Bai family, and my daughter thinks that the incense of the Bai family is more important."

The princess picked up the teacup, opened the lid, raised her eyes, and asked:

"If he loses his status as a son-in-law, he will no longer have anything to do with you. He's already famous. Elder Si and Elder Fang said that it would be hard to stop him at next year's Zhuxi Literary Conference..."

The princess glanced at the King of Zhenxi and said earnestly:

"My daughter, once a man becomes famous and has a group of admirers, especially women, he tends to become arrogant!"

The King of Zhenxi sat upright without looking around.

The princess took a sip of tea and said:

“There is no cat in the world that doesn’t like fish!”

"I heard from Elder Fang at Lanting that Her Royal Highness the Ninth Princess also thinks highly of Shaoqiu."

"Her Highness the Ninth Princess is far inferior to the eldest princess. She doesn't care about state affairs, and with her current abilities, she can't influence them. So, what she values ​​about Shaoqiu is not Shaoqiu's abilities or value, but Shaoqiu himself!"

"She actually agreed to help take care of Shaoqiu when he went to Kyoto... She even wanted to ask Her Royal Highness the Princess to speak to the Emperor about revoking the imperial edict."

"No matter how I think about it, I feel like she has bad intentions."

"My daughter, be more careful!"

"Since he has no ideals, why not just stay in the Princess's Mansion and be a son-in-law? We won't treat him as a son-in-law either. Isn't that better?"

"Let him go to Kyoto. If he is released suddenly, can you accept such an outcome?"

Dongfang Changying pondered for a moment:

"He said he didn't want to live inside such a high wall and only see the sky outside the four corners of the wall."

"Let him go. Didn't Dad say a true man should have ambitions?"

"If he changes his mind after going to Kyoto and becomes famous...it will also be beneficial to the palace."

"As for the ending, if he really wants to fly, even if he is tied up in the Princess's Mansion, his heart will fly outside."

"My daughter believes that true gold needs to be tested by fire, and true love needs to be tested. I'm not afraid that he will really change his heart."

"only……"

Dongfang Changying's expression turned serious:

"It's not easy to go to Kyoto!"

"I don't have much hope for the Ninth Princess. I'd feel more assured of his safety if I could do it myself."

The King of Zhenxi was startled and looked at Dongfang Changying: "What are you going to do?"

Dongfang Changying smiled and said:

"Sibaozi kisses him, and then lets Sibaozi stay beside him."

"Also... I'll be heading to Huangyangji soon. The Changying Army will split up and head to Kyoto!"

The King of Zhenxi was shocked when he heard this:

"what?"

"Are you planning to mobilize the Changying Army to enter the capital?"

"This is absolutely not okay!"

"The Emperor is already suspicious of me, and the Ye Qionglou faction is even more eager to find something to hold against the Prince's Mansion. Aren't you putting the Prince's Mansion in a passive and dangerous situation?"

Dongfang Changying raised his slender neck:

"The Changying Army is not the Xingguo Army!"

"Besides, you're the only ones who know about the Changying Army's entry into Kyoto. Doesn't that still leave us more than a year? I've already said we should break up into smaller groups. Three thousand people will enter Kyoto in a year... This won't attract anyone's attention!"

"I've made up my mind. I can't just watch him die in Kyoto!"

"I don't want to be a widow like this!"

"He must come back alive!"

"Whoever wants to kill him...I will kill him!"

Dongfang Changying did not look lazy at all at this moment.

Her gaze was firm and her words were powerful.

The prince and princess were silent for a moment. After a moment, the princess asked:

"Then...how much will it cost?"

Dongfang Changying shook her head and said, "My daughter knows that the palace is short of money, so this time, my daughter doesn't need any money from her parents."

The princess sighed slightly, stood up, took out a bulging envelope from the cabinet beside her, and handed it to Dongfang Changying:

"This is the three thousand taels of silver that Shaoqiu won for winning the imperial examination... Take it. But I have to remind you: if you really like it, you must think carefully about it!"

"You are well aware of the situation in Kyoto. If something serious happens in Kyoto, the palace will not be able to save you."

"When you get to Kyoto, listen to your eldest brother and don't act rashly!"

Dongfang Changying took the envelope and put it into his sleeve pocket without hesitation.

"Don't worry, my daughter knows how to act according to circumstances and will definitely not bring any trouble to the palace."

"I'm leaving now. I'll come back to see you in a few days."

Dongfang Changying returned to her princess's mansion.

She put on a suit of silver armor, a bright red cloak, and took her red tasseled spear from the weapon rack!

She and Shisanniang rode out of the Princess's Mansion and headed towards Huangyangji.

Spring is in full swing in the little house.

Mr. Si and Mr. Fang were still sitting in the pavilion drinking tea and chatting with Bai Shaoqiu.

It is no longer about "A Dream of Red Mansions" and poems and essays, but about the current situation of the country.

This is something Bai Shaoqiu doesn't know and urgently needs to know.

He listened very carefully.

After two hours, he had a preliminary understanding of Xingguo in his mind.

It is indeed different from any dynasty in previous history.

There are similarities in the geography, such as the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, Jiangnan, Shuzhou, etc.

The capital Chang'an is located in the north of Xingguo!

But five hundred miles to the north was not a nomadic people like the Tuque, but... the Northern Liang Kingdom!

Xingguo had been established for three hundred years and governed four circuits, thirteen states, and seventy-two counties and prefectures, with a population of over twenty-three million.

It borders Northern Liang, Western Qi, Southern Chen, and Eastern Jin, and its geographical location has both advantages and disadvantages.

"When it comes to geographical environment, Xingguo is uniquely blessed among the five countries."

Mr. Fang stroked his long beard and said:

"Xingguo has Jiangnan, a land of fish and rice, hence the saying that if Jiangnan is well-fed, the rest of the world will be well-fed."

"But at the same time, Xingguo was effectively surrounded by the other four kingdoms, who coveted Xingguo's wealth. Consequently, countless wars broke out over the past three hundred years."

"Xingguo was originally founded on military power. Xingguo people are not afraid of war. You could even say they are a bit warlike."

"Therefore, many famous generals have emerged in these three hundred years. They... are also the backbone of the country."

"But now..."

Mr. Fang shook his head and sighed: "Let's not talk about this anymore. It makes me angry."

"Brother, I'm actually conflicted."

"On the one hand, I hope you can go to Kyoto next year and win the first prize in the Xiangshan Literary Festival again!"

"But on the other hand...it's rainy and windy in Kyoto, and I don't have the ability to hold an umbrella for you."

"Scholars are truly useless!"

"I'm going back to Beijing tomorrow. Let's see if I can find someone who can hold an umbrella for you!"