Golden Branch

"Yes. I've been back in Beijing for over a month now, and it's time for me to visit my relatives and friends."

However, Wang Heng seemed not to notice the worry on Wang Mian's face that was about to turn into reality.

Amian was always worried that she was courting death, and kept hesitating and hinting at things. How could Wang Heng, who was always perceptive, not see it?

But there are some things she cannot tell Amian.

Amian only occasionally joked that Lou Yu was a little pervert, but only Wang Heng knew that Lou Yu was more than just a little pervert, he was clearly a big devil.

This man is not only domineering, but also possesses a madness and darkness that Wang Heng cannot control.

When she was a child, Wang Heng needed to rely on Lou Yu and could not refuse, so she could only be obedient.

Now that Wang Heng has grown up, she wants to control her own destiny. Even if she has to get married, she wants to find someone with whom she can have absolute advantages.

Lou Yu is not someone she can control.

Xie Yanzhi was once removed from Wang Heng's list of candidates.

Firstly, there is his self-righteousness and the tyranny hidden beneath his gentleness.

Secondly, he is not strong enough to protect his wife and family.

Putting these two points aside, Xie Yanzhi still meets Wang Heng's requirements in terms of background, talent, appearance, etc.

The key is--

Time waits for no one, crisis is coming!

Wang Heng's intelligence is not much worse than Lou Yu's.

Wang Heng also thought of some of the things that Lou Yu thought of.

Xiao Wuji returned to the capital, the former prince became the Earl of Yongle, and the Dugu family was also held accountable... This turmoil will not end there.

What about the Northwest?

What about the Turks who were already ready to make moves against the Dayu Dynasty?

And there is a princess from the previous dynasty who can influence the Turkic Khan. Will she miss such a good opportunity to send troops?

Once the troops are mobilized, there are only two results:

Victory! Peace!

The former is fine and has nothing to do with Wang Heng.

But, peace talks?

In addition to signing a covenant, "gifts" will also be presented.

That Turkic Khaganaten was the princess sent by the previous dynasty as a marriage partner.

She is not a real princess, but the adopted daughter of the Queen Mother.

In fact, throughout history, among so many princesses who were married off to foreign countries, there were only a handful of them who were truly from wealthy families.

Most of them were women from royal families, or even palace maids.

After all, emperors are also human beings. They do value the country more, but they will not really send their own flesh and blood to the frontier to suffer.

After all, those foreign nations didn’t want a real princess. They just wanted the title of princess and the many dowries that came with her.

The Xin Dynasty of Dayu was established less than ten years ago.

There has been no marriage alliance with foreign countries, nor has the princess been sent away.

But this does not mean that there will not be one in the future.

Once peace is negotiated and a princess is selected to be sent across the border, there will be a good candidate ready in the capital.

Princess Wang Heng of Langya and Princess Anyang are not of saintly bloodline, but they have the title of princess, so they can be directly pushed forward for marriage!

What Wang Heng hated and feared the most was being sent here and there.

Even if she has the honor of being a princess and marries to a foreign country to become a queen, it is not allowed!

There are also those foreign countries, which are remote and wild, and are full of uncivilized savages.

How could a delicate person like Wang Heng tolerate such a vulgar and ugly man? How could she endure the suffering in such a bitter cold place?

"Once the imperial court discusses a marriage, it becomes a serious matter of state. No matter how favored my mother is, she cannot interfere."

Wang Heng has an almost cold and clear understanding of herself and her family.

She would not sacrifice for anyone other than herself, and she did not believe that her mother would risk everything for her.

She can only rely on herself!

"This matter is not unsolvable!"

"As long as we arrange the marriage early before the foreign envoys arrive in Beijing and the matter of marriage is still undecided, we should be able to avoid this disaster!"

"What a shame! I thought that with the status of a princess, I could do whatever I wanted."

Not getting married, just being a "monk" in name only, you can live happily alone.

The dream of not having to be bound by marriage, not having to worry about being kept as someone's property...will eventually be shattered.

Wang Heng sighed softly in her heart.

She had no choice but to put the suitable candidates back on the list, weighing them repeatedly and selecting them carefully.

Thank you for the banquet, it’s okay.

The past was crossed out mainly because Wang Heng’s status was not noble enough, so she could only succumb to secular life and etiquette.

Now, she is a princess, and she will have an absolute advantage after getting married.

Certain shortcomings, such as dominance, will no longer exist.

Of course, Wang Heng did not identify Xie Yanzhi, but only listed him as an alternative.

In addition to Xie Yanzhi, there is also Lu Jue, and even some young men from the polo match.

Be prepared.

Only by making more preparations and having multiple options can you be more calm and avoid falling into desperate situations.

...Wang Heng didn't dare to tell Wang Mian about these thoughts.

Amian didn't know her secret, so she had no way of understanding it.

She would only look at me with eyes that said, "Honey, are you crazy?" or "My dear, don't try to commit suicide."

Wang Heng: ...Wow, baby feels sad, but baby can’t say it!

"Visiting relatives and friends?"

After hearing Wang Heng's answer, Wang Mian raised his eyebrows slightly. Why was she so unconvinced?

"Ajiu, you've been back in Kyoto for almost two months, and you haven't visited the Xie family or other relatives and friends. Why did you suddenly—"

Wang Mian couldn't stand this excuse that was obviously a lie, so he just spoke his mind.

"After returning to Beijing, I was overwhelmed with things and couldn't take care of all this."

"Besides, my father and mother have been ill, and I am still young, and I need to protect the princess's dignity first, so it's not appropriate for me to interact too much with relatives and friends..."

Wang Heng casually made up a sophistry that she herself didn't even believe.

However, these words are not entirely lies.

She has already cut ties with the Wang family. She is not only a virgin of the Wang family, but also a princess.

Many of the Wang family's relatives had long since fallen on hard times and were no longer in the same circle as Wang Heng.

The occasions where Wang Heng appeared, such as elegant gatherings and banquets on weekdays, were all centers of power that her relatives and friends could not squeeze into.

Wang Heng could be respectful to the wise and humble, but she could not be too self-deprecating.

They are not in the same circle and their relationship has long been distant, so there is no need to force them together.

Not to mention anything else, even the warm-room banquet and coming-of-age ceremony held by Wang Heng's princess mansion, relatives like Xie Yanzhi, based on his rank, were not qualified to attend.

Wang Mian stared at Wang Heng blankly, saying nothing. But her eyes seemed to be saying, "Make it up! Keep making it up!"

Listen to yourself and see if what you say is ridiculous.

Wang Heng pretended not to understand, and with her extremely beautiful face, she smiled sweetly and softly: "Okay, Amian, don't think too much, and don't worry!"

"As for me, I'm just going to visit some relatives!"

Even if she wanted to put Xie Yanzhi back on the list of candidates, Wang Heng would not show it so obviously.

If you are too eager, you will easily fall into a disadvantage.

She chose a husband who was controllable and easy to manage, rather than bringing back a ancestor!

Furthermore, there is no need to explain things too thoroughly among smart people.

Wang Heng took the initiative to visit Xie Yanzhi, even though she was not visiting Xie Yanzhi himself, but was visiting relatives and elders. Xie Yanzhi could feel Wang Heng's "favor"!

Xie Yanzhi is smart enough, so he can make the wisest choice—

The Xie family has fallen, and the aristocratic families in the north will not allow the old clans in the south to seize their resources.

Xie Yanzhi had a history of offending the royal family, although the King of Han had been demoted to a commoner.

However, there will still be a certain impact.

Years ago, Xie Yanzhi came to Beijing. The Xie family spent all their money to barely find him a sixth-rank position as the Imperial College Assistant.

Being a sixth-rank official in the capital city is really too humble.

Xie Yanzhi is talented and capable. As long as he works hard, he should be able to get promoted within a few years.

But you still need to accumulate experience and rely on connections.

If one can marry a princess of high status, he can easily become a concubine of the emperor, a fifth-rank official.

The Imperial Concubine Commandant was not an ordinary fifth-rank official, but a close relative of the saint.

He can attend court meetings and receive direct assignments.

If the princess is more favored, the prince consort can also rise to become a powerful official overnight!

Even a fake princess like Wang Heng could save Xie Yanzhi twenty years and allow him to directly reach the peak of his official career.

Previously in Yizhou, Wang Heng rejected Xie Yanzhi, and even though Xie Yanzhi felt regretful, he had to give up.

But now, Wang Heng took the initiative to come and visit, which in itself was a signal—

Someone as smart as Xie Yanzhi naturally knows what to do.

……

"dream!"

In Hongwenguan, after listening to the secret guard's report, Lou Yu uttered two words from his thin, crimson lips.

He is such a smart man and he knows Wang Heng well enough.

Lou Yu could guess what this girl was thinking just by looking at her movements.

This is because she realized the crisis of "marriage for peace" and wanted to marry herself off in advance.

Since Lu Jue was not in the capital, she first considered Xie Yanzhi.

As for Lu Jue, the little girl should have taken some action!

Lou Yu had his signature smile on his handsome face, and his brows were relaxed.

Gentlemen, students, etc. passing by saw a gentle, refined, and polished gentleman.

They had no idea that at this moment, Lou Yu's heart was already filled with dark energy.

At most, the aura exuded by Lou Yu is not so approachable, but rather cold and distant.

The scholars and students of Hongwenguan can also understand this:

As a banished immortal, he is naturally high above everyone else, looking down upon all living beings.

A gentleman does not have to be approachable, he can also be cold and arrogant.

As long as he is not arrogant and conceited, Master Lou will still perfectly fit their fantasy of an ancient gentleman.

"Aheng is really getting more and more naughty!"

"Not only do we need to escape from the mansion, we also need to find other people..."

Xie Yanzhi, a powerless and impoverished man, actually caught Aheng's eye.

Lou Yu almost couldn't help but crush the elephant bone destruction divination.

"...If she's not obedient, then let her learn to be obedient!"

Lou Yu really couldn't bear to hurt Wang Heng, but he could still use various means to let her know that "the world is difficult" and "people's hearts are treacherous"!

……

Wang Heng went to the Xie family in person and, as a junior, paid a visit to Xie Yanzhi's grandfather, father, mother and other elders.

Xie Yanzhi understood everything immediately. Without Wang Heng saying anything, he realized that Wang Heng was going to give him another chance.

Xie Yanzhi was overjoyed.

Back when Wang Heng was still a lovely, round-faced girl, Xie Yanzhi had thought of marrying her.

Now, Wang Heng has transformed into a stunning beauty and has the honor of a princess, so Xie Yanzhi wants to get close to her even more.

After receiving Wang Heng's signal, Xie Yanzhi changed his previous "tactfulness" and began to actively go to the Wang family to pay his respects.

Yes, Xie Yanzhi did not go directly to the princess's mansion, but went to the prince's residence.

He is the great-nephew of Mrs. Xie and a relative of the Wang family.

Although Wang Heng was also his cousin, she was of noble status and had her own residence.

If Xie Yanzhi rashly went to the princess's residence, it would be easy for him to be criticized.

This would not only cause people to criticize Princess Langya, but would also make him a lucky guy who was laughed at by others.

Xie Yanzhi did want to take a shortcut, but he didn't want to completely lose his reputation.

Going to Wang's house seemed legitimate and reasonable.

As the younger generation, we should often pay our respects to our elders who are seriously ill. This is not a form of flattery, but a sign of loyalty and friendship.

As for Wang Heng, even though she became a princess, she was still a daughter of the Wang family and the granddaughter of Lady Xie.

Wang Heng's reputation for filial piety was earned thanks to Madam Xie and Wang Lin, mother and son.

Wang Heng is well aware of the principles of "performing a performance completely" and "being consistent".

Even if you have gained a good reputation, you will not give up halfway.

Living in the princess's mansion, she would return to the royal residence every few days to serve her grandmother and father.

Wang Heng only needs to reveal the time she returns to the Wang family so that she can "meet" someone by chance.

After meeting by chance, we can have a great chat.

After a pleasant conversation, they can invite each other for further contact.

Wang Mian covered her face: Ahhhh, Di Zhanggui is on the road to death, running all the way.

She no longer dared to think about how that little pervert would react.

He, he shouldn't kill Xie Yanzhi.

Wang Mian was so worried about his eldest daughter who was seeking death that he was even a little absent-minded when he was dating Xiao Wuji.

Xiao Wuji looked at his fiancée's face, which was almost wrinkled into a ball, and couldn't help but feel angry and amused.

His Amian is a person who values ​​friendship and loyalty. She cares more about her best friend Princess Langya than she does about him.

Xiao Wuji felt a little sour, but he could understand it.

Amian and Wang Jiu have known each other for nearly ten years. Amian's current wealth is all thanks to Wang Jiu.

To Amian, Wang Jiu is a non-blood relative and an important person who cannot be replaced by anyone.

Xiao Wuji truly loves Wang Mian, and naturally hopes that she can become a better and happier person.

It is Amian’s blessing to have a close friend who is worth her efforts.

Xiao Wuji will only be happy for Wang Mian, and will not cut off Wang Mian's wings because of possessiveness.

Xiao Wuji would even take the initiative to persuade and enlighten Wang Heng on her issue:

"Amian, don't worry! Hanzhang is no longer a naughty child, he is a gentle gentleman!"

He would not do anything that would be beneath his dignity.

Even if he wanted to cause trouble, Lou Yu would use an open conspiracy rather than a scheme that could not be made public.

Wang Mian: ...Really? Why don’t I believe it?

……

This day was the time for Wang Heng and Xie Yanzhi's "appointment".

Wang Heng came out of Pingkangfang and went straight to Wang's residence in Chongrenfang.

The East Market is next to Pingkangfang, so Wang Heng wanted to go to the East Market to buy some things first. After all, it would be bad to go empty-handed when visiting the elders.

Just as they entered the East Market Square Gate, Wang Heng saw two figures from the car window:

Xie Yanzhi, and a woman? !