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

I spent three thousand taels of silver at a blacksmith shop.

He got back another three thousand taels of silver from Chang Fugui downstairs of Qianwei Tower.

Bai Shaoqiu was in a very happy mood.

I gave Uncle Fu five thousand taels, and I still had one thousand taels in my pocket, and there were still fifty thousand taels left in the Jubao Money House!

Bai Shaoqiu was very satisfied with the start of the game.

This is probably what it means to gain both fame and fortune.

Bai Shaoqiu likes days like this. As for the possible dangers of the trip to Kyoto next year... well, this is a question that needs to be considered.

I have to go back to the palace in a few days.

The prince and princess would not watch him die in Kyoto.

By the way, I have to go to Changning Academy to visit Mr. Qin and get more information about the situation in Kyoto.

These days, Bai Shaoqiu has been brewing green plum wine and writing "A Dream of Red Mansions" at Chunman Cottage. He occasionally goes to the fields and chats with the farmers.

The days passed by leisurely.

He had forgotten the old man in black and the young man in gorgeous clothes.

Instead, I became more and more familiar with the farmers in the village near Chunman Cottage.

The farmers were also very fond of this young man. They gradually learned that this young man who didn't care much about his image was the champion of the Zhuxi Literary Society this year.

They are illiterate, but they know how powerful the leader is!

They have more respect for educated people, so they appear more humble in front of Bai Shaoqiu.

This made Bai Shaoqiu feel a little uncomfortable.

He still liked to sit on the edge of the field and chat casually with Uncle Zhao.

I also like Uncle Zhao’s big yellow dog lying beside me.

And that fool Zhao Xiaoshu, Uncle Zhao's son...

Zhao Xiaoshu's simplicity is somewhat different from that of his brother-in-law.

My brother-in-law is so stupid!

Zhao Xiaoshu is a heartless and stupid guy!

Are you saying he has no vision?

This guy actually served as a soldier in the western border army for five years. He had killed barbarians, seen blood, and made meritorious deeds!

You could say he was knowledgeable... He had been a soldier for five years without knowing what was going on, and he couldn't even remember who his sergeant was.

These two have one thing in common:

They all have brute force!

But Zhao Xiaoshu cannot be compared with his brother-in-law.

His brute force is pure brute force.

My brother-in-law's brute force is supported by his strong internal strength!

In other words... my brother-in-law can beat Zhao Xiaoshu a hundred times!

This made Zhao Xiaoshu very uncomfortable, but after being beaten by his brother-in-law countless times, he probably came to his senses.

So, Zhao Xiaoshu became his brother-in-law's follower.

Very good, Zhao Xiaoshu can drive a bike.

Unlike my brother-in-law, he would fail!

In a blink of an eye, six days passed, and the old scholar Si came to Chunman Cottage again and read the ninetieth and tenth chapters of "A Dream of Red Mansions".

Later on, Bai Shaoqiu wrote even slower because he had not memorized The Story of the Stone and could not remember some of the plots, which required him to figure them out carefully himself.

This job is not easy!

But Mr. Si didn't know that after reading the latest two chapters, he still applauded and praised them highly!

During their conversation, Bai Shaoqiu learned that Mr. Fang had also left Xiling City and returned to Kyoto three days ago.

"It's 1,200 miles to Kyoto, and the journey by car... takes about 20 days."

Si Lao took a sip of tea and said:

"After Old Fang returns to the capital, your name will quickly spread throughout Kyoto... Your poems, especially the 'Lanting Preface' you wrote, will shock the Kyoto literary world."

"This could be a good thing, but as we told you a few days ago, under the current circumstances, it could also become a bad thing."

"That day, when I returned to Zhuxi from here, Lao Fang and I stayed up all night talking by candlelight."

"The discussion was about whether or not he should publicize your performance at the Zhuxi Literary Conference after returning to Kyoto... In the end, they decided to publicize it widely, because even if Lao Fang didn't say anything, the news would definitely reach Kyoto!"

"Although Xiling City is a remote borderland, it is the fiefdom of the King of Zhenxi."

"The Emperor must have spies here...spies from the Xuanjing Division, monitoring the Prince of Zhenxi's movements."

Bai Shaoqiu was surprised and asked, "Xuan Jingsi?"

"Yes, it's an intelligence agency independent of the imperial court. They usually wear a small mirror around their waists. Of course, they only use it when they're on a mission."

Bai Shaoqiu suddenly thought of the old man in black whom he saw in front of the Bai Mansion a few days ago. He had a small golden mirror the size of a copper coin hanging around his waist.

"You won the first prize in the Zhuxi Literary Competition this time. The spies from the Xuanjing Division hiding in Xiling City will definitely send this news back to the Xuanjing Division as soon as possible."

"The current head of the Xuanjing Division is Shang Shu, the military marquis of Shangshu."

"This guy... I've had some dealings with him before when I was in Kyoto, but I'm not sure whether this old guy is loyal or treacherous."

"What I mean is, no one can guess what this old guy is thinking."

"The person who knows him best isn't the Emperor. Lao Fang said it's probably Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"But as Xuan Jing Si is the most mysterious sword in the hands of the emperor, Shang Shu will definitely tell the emperor about you."

"I believe that the Emperor will be interested in your tremendous transformation."

"This interest doesn't necessarily mean that the Emperor will like you because of your literary talent. It could also mean that he dislikes you because you are the son-in-law of the royal family appointed by the Emperor..."

"Do you understand what you mean, brother?"

Bai Shaoqiu naturally understood——

It was like he was just a pile of cow dung, and the emperor issued an imperial decree to smear the cow dung on the face of the King of Zhenxi.

But the emperor never expected that he would suddenly turn into a flower!

The flower was inserted into the head of the King of Zhenxi. Although it was a bit awkward, it did not disgust the King of Zhenxi. It even made the King of Zhenxi smile!

The emperor must be feeling uncomfortable.

But he would not order his own execution for the time being.

Because the emperor is also a human being, he is also curious.

"From the current perspective, we cannot tell whether the Emperor will issue an order to summon you to Kyoto at any time... I don't think so for the time being, because the Emperor is still struggling with the word 'useless'."

"Beiliang's ambition may not necessarily be Qiu Yeyuan!"

"The current Northern Liang Emperor Xiao Yan is not someone to be trifled with!"

"Eleven years ago, the Northern Liang army was severely defeated by the northern border troops led by Wei Buyi, and they almost lost Nanfeng City."

"Three years later, the eighteen-year-old Crown Prince Xiao Yan ascended the throne and became emperor. He ruled Northern Liang for eight years and brought it into perfect order."

"The empty treasury of Beiliang is now full again, and the combat effectiveness of the Beiliang army is far greater than it was eleven years ago!"

"Xiao Yan values ​​martial arts!"

"After he ascended the throne, he employed a large number of military generals who had been harmed by treacherous men and imprisoned."

"Among them, the most famous is the Northern Liang God of War, Nian Yuai!"

"This old fellow was once the leader of the five great generals of Northern Liang. He was good at fighting, loved fighting, and was always victorious!"

"So, when Mr. Fang said that Beiliang stationed 100,000 troops in Nanfeng City, he meant that Nian Yuai wanted to sacrifice Xingguo!"

Bai Shaoqiu was stunned: "He has a grudge against Xingguo?"

"Well... there was a rumor that Nian Yuai's imprisonment seemed to have something to do with the eldest princess."

Bai Shaoqiu immediately became interested, leaned over, and asked in a low voice, "Are you having an affair?"

Elder Si was also stunned when he heard this: "It's unlikely. Nian Yuai is fifty-two now, and the eldest princess is only thirty-eight... She is a full fourteen years older."

"Don't gossip about it, it could kill you!"

"What I'm saying is that the Emperor is worried about Nian Yuai going crazy, so he might ignore you for the time being."

"But Ye Qionglou is different!"

"Old Fang said you'd better live in the Princess's Mansion...because Ye Qionglou does things by any means necessary!"

"You've become an uncertain factor now. What if he sends someone to assassinate you..."

"You're powerless, wouldn't it be unfair for you to die?!"