Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"How dare you! You dare to send something ominous at my son's engagement banquet!" The prefect, who had remained silent all along, could no longer sit still. He slammed his hand on the desk, which produced a crisp sound.

It's no wonder the prefect is petty; even the city lord would probably be furious.

An engagement banquet is a joyous occasion for both families, but the appearance of a coffin immediately turns it into a funeral.

Of course, the prefect was not only angry, but also wanted to take the opportunity to punish Lin Ping. He was even secretly pleased, not expecting Lin Ping to reveal his weakness on his own.

However... did things really go as smoothly as the prefect had hoped?

The answer is, of course, no. Lin Ping never does anything he's not sure about.

"I'm innocent! I didn't mean to curse the Captain and the Prefect!" Lin Ping explained repeatedly, and took the opportunity to clarify that the coffin was prepared for Zhang Hongyuan and the Prefect.

The prefect suddenly felt like he had fallen into a trap. He hadn't said anything since Lin Ping took out the coffin, but Lin Ping had taken it personally and even thought the coffin was too small.

"Injustice? I don't think you're innocent at all!" the prefect continued sternly. In his fury, dozens of yamen runners outside the door were about to rush in to arrest Lin Ping.

Lin Ping was naturally not afraid of these dozens of small fry. If they dared to make a move, Jiang Yunying could openly kill the prefect, which would save her a lot of trouble.

The prefect dared not act rashly and wanted to give Lin Ping a chance to explain. It would not be too late to take action once the charge was proven.

"Dr. Huang, it looks like I'll have to trouble you again!" Lin Ping said, cupping his hands in greeting, knowing that no one would listen to his explanation.

To be honest, Huang Liang disliked Lin Ping from the bottom of his heart, but he couldn't let the truth get mixed up, so he could only reluctantly explain, "A coffin symbolizes promotion and wealth, so it does indeed have a blessing connotation!"

"A coffin and official wealth—doesn't that mean getting promoted and making a fortune?" Hearing Huang Liang's explanation, everyone suddenly understood, and some even secretly made up their minds, "I'll buy myself a coffin someday and hang it under my door!"

Huang Liang was a scholar of the Five Classics, with extremely high prestige. Even the prefect dared not refute him. Moreover, the implication was obvious and he could not refute it.

"Captain, please accept this! This is top-quality golden nanmu wood, which will not rot even after a hundred years. I hope you will be able to use it soon!" Lin Ping said sarcastically, forcibly stuffing the coffin into Zhang Hongyuan's hands.

It won't rot even after a hundred years?

Want to use it soon?

This sounds a bit awkward; it doesn't sound like it means getting promoted or making a fortune.

However, since Huang Liang had already spoken, Zhang Hongyuan had no reason not to accept.

Receiving a coffin at his engagement banquet, Zhang Hongyuan has become a celebrity unlike any other before or since. He's destined to be remembered for eternity!

Before long, this matter will become the talk of the town, with everyone discussing with envy, "The Captain has a coffin that has not decayed for a hundred years, and he can use it right away."

Although the coffin symbolizes blessings, the prefect felt something was off, so he quickly changed the subject, casually introducing the man to the city lord's men, "This is Lord Wu Chengbi, the commander of the Mountain City Guard!"

Upon hearing this, all eyes turned to the other person, and they all knelt down and kowtowed in unison, afraid that they would miss the chance to flatter him.

Lin Ping glanced at the other party secretly and was genuinely startled by his imposing and majestic appearance.

"This is the second son of the governor, Wu Dongxi!" The prefect introduced him, pointing to a handsome young man with almost fawning manner.

This man was dressed in military attire, with a gleaming green sword tucked into his arms. He exuded an arrogance and glanced at Jiang Yunying with disdain, saying, "So you're that woman surnamed Jiang?"

Clearly, this person's main purpose was to save face for his elder brother, since being rejected by a woman for marriage is an extremely disgraceful thing.

Jiang Yunying felt guilty about this matter and even thought about apologizing to the other party.

"So you're Gou Dongxi, Gou Nanbei's younger brother?" Lin Ping interrupted Jiang Yunying, responding neither humbly nor arrogantly, determined not to let his wife suffer any grievances.

Wu Dongxi was immediately enraged, and coupled with his competitive nature, he drew his cyan sword and aimed it at Lin Ping's chest, shouting, "If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one!"

"A one-on-one fight? Tsk tsk..." Lin Ping shook his head and said, "Sorry, you're not qualified! You'll have to get past my wife first!"

Before Lin Ping could speak, Jiang Yunying had already arrived in front of Wu Dongxi. Her movements were astonishingly fast. By the time Wu Dongxi reacted, the Azure Light Sword had fallen to the ground, and Jiang Yunying had already returned to Lin Ping's side, as if she had never made a move.

Such skill immediately terrified everyone, forcing those with ulterior motives to reassess the strength of the City Lord's Mansion.

"Come back!" the commander of the mountain city guard shouted, knowing full well the vast difference in strength between Wu Dongxi and Jiang Yunying.

"You just wait! You'll see!"

Wu Dongxi gritted his teeth, wishing he could skip all the steps and directly crush the City Lord's Mansion.

Your martial arts skills, Jiang Yunying, are indeed impressive, but you cannot be above the laws of the Wu Kingdom. When you're in jail, let's see how arrogant you can still be.

After this brief interlude, the prefect pointed to another handsome young man and introduced him, "This is Lian Ping, the eldest son of the Mountain City Lord's Mansion!"

The other person also carried a long sword, but was dressed in a scholar's robe, exuding a kingly demeanor from head to toe. He smiled at everyone with gentle elegance, even revealing a few big white teeth!

"A smile that hides a dagger, a deep and unpredictable person, such a cunning mind!" This was Lin Ping's assessment of Lian Ping.

It was obvious that the other party was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also had considerable literary talent, and was extremely reserved, which was in stark contrast to Lin Ping's flamboyance.

Jiang Yunyu involuntarily shrank back; as a fellow heir, he had already realized the gap between them.

Moreover, the city lord of the mountain city has three sons, each more accomplished than the last. No wonder he was able to seize the initiative and gain the upper hand during this period of vigorous implementation of the new policies.

Lin Ping dared not act rashly against such a cunning person, and secretly observed him. He had not yet figured out the motives of the Mountain City Lord's Mansion, and he could not make enemies indiscriminately.

at the same time

Tens of thousands of torches suddenly appeared at the intersection of the southern border of Jiangcheng Prefecture and Shancheng Prefecture, instantly illuminating the entire sky. Under the firelight, the cold faces and the sinister swords exuded terror and murderous intent.

"Second brother, do you think eldest brother can really make the city lord rebel?" A young man in silver armor and helmet rode a tall horse and held a sharp spear in his hand.

The other man also rode a tall, fine horse, but he was dressed in a long scholar's robe and held a feather fan, presenting a refined and gentle appearance. In response to the boy's question, this man smiled coldly, "There is no task in this world that my elder brother cannot complete. You and I can simply sit back and reap the benefits. We must not rush ahead of the guards."

The boy nodded excitedly, gripping his spear even tighter, and glanced at the five thousand guards beside him with ill intent.

These two were the second and third sons of the Shancheng City Lord's Mansion. This time, they led 5,000 private soldiers to advance into the border of Jiangcheng Prefecture. In addition, the Shancheng Guard Commandery also mobilized all its forces, and the two sides completely blocked the road south of Jiangcheng Prefecture from the left and right.

At the same time, the northern border of Jiangcheng Prefecture, where it meets Xuzhou Prefecture, was also besieged by a large army. Thus, the entire Jiangcheng Prefecture was completely surrounded.

At this moment, the city lord was extremely anxious and wished he could go to the prefect's mansion to see what was going on. He regretted only sending a few juniors to deal with the crisis. He paced back and forth in the hall with small steps.

Jiang Xiuwen walked faster than the city lord, even circling the entire room. Despite being a few years older, he had a weaker mental fortitude.

"Brother, husband, can you please calm down and trust Ping'er!" the city lord's wife pleaded, patiently sitting on the chaise longue. Of the three, she was the most composed and calm.

"I can't wait any longer! I'll take my men and wipe out the government office right now!" Jiang Xiuwen shouted, unable to contain himself any longer.

He was the commander of the guards, in charge of five thousand soldiers. Destroying a mere government office would be no problem for him.

"Calm down, calm down." The city lord hurriedly stopped him. Attacking the government office was a serious crime of treason. Even if Lin Ping and his group gained the upper hand at the banquet, it would be useless. Therefore, Jiang Xiuwen's actions were too reckless.

"Father, Second Uncle, something terrible has happened!" At that moment, a burly young man rushed in anxiously.

"Lie'er? Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to stay at the garrison?" Jiang Xiuwen asked, puzzled.

This man was Jiang Xiuwen's son, named Jiang Yunlie, who was two years older than Jiang Yunying. He had passed the martial arts examination at a young age and now held a nominal position in the garrison.

However, he was respected for his strict self-discipline and upright character, and with his connection to Jiang Xiuwen, he enjoyed high prestige in the military.

This time, Jiang Xiuwen guessed that the City Lord's Mansion was in trouble, so he specially assigned Jiang Yunlie to integrate the army so that he could deal with any unforeseen needs. According to Jiang Yunlie's personality, he should not leave without a reason.

"Several captains in the army started fighting, and the brothers below joined in one after another. The scene was chaotic and Lie'er couldn't control it!" Jiang Yunlie knelt on the ground and blamed himself.

Although he was skilled in martial arts, those captains were not to be underestimated either. Moreover, the scene had escalated into a brawl involving hundreds of people, which he could not possibly control on his own.

"What? They must have a death wish to cause trouble for me at this critical juncture!" Jiang Xiuwen was furious and stormed out of the hall, naturally heading to the military camp to check on the situation.

"Nephew will go first, Uncle, please be careful!" Jiang Yunlie followed Jiang Xiuwen out.

Seeing the father and son leave in such a hurry, the city lord shook his head helplessly, "There must be something fishy about this!"

The city lord's idea was not unfounded. Although Jiang Xiuwen was the commander of the guards, the captains under his command were appointed by the imperial court, thus creating a check and balance.

The imperial court could not mobilize the guards to attack the city lord's mansion, and Jiang Xiuwen had no way to mobilize the guards to help the city lord's mansion.

Therefore, it was expected that the captains would cause trouble at this critical juncture, leaving the city lord's mansion isolated and helpless.

"Report..." At this moment, a scout outside the city lord's mansion rushed into the courtyard without even dismounting, startling the gatekeepers.

"Reporting to the city lord, enemies are pressing in from the south!" the scout said, tumbling off his horse and panting.

"This is outrageous! Who goes there?" the city lord asked angrily.

In recent decades, although the status of the city lord's mansion has been suppressed time and time again, no one has dared to openly use force. The enemy is truly audacious.

"The entire Shancheng Guard Command has been mobilized, along with five thousand private troops from the Shancheng City Lord's Mansion!" The scout explained the situation concisely, not daring to delay military matters in the slightest.

A single Guard Commandery has a full five thousand men, plus the five thousand private soldiers of the Mountain City Lord's Mansion, making a total of ten thousand. Even if all the private soldiers of the City Lord's Mansion were to be mobilized, they might not be able to gain the upper hand.

"Report... The Xuzhou Garrison Commander's army is pressing in..." Another scout rushed in.

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!" The city lord gritted his teeth in anger and hurriedly said, "Madam, bring me my battle robe. My husband wants to meet them personally!"

It must be said that the city lord has guts. How could he be reduced to being slaughtered by others? As long as he has these 10,000 private soldiers, he is not afraid even if the sky falls!

The city lord's wife did not fetch the city lord's battle robe, but instead asked seriously, "Has the enemy launched an attack?"

Both scouts shook their heads simultaneously, saying, "The enemy is merely stationed on the border; they haven't launched an attack yet!"

“My lord, if I’m not mistaken, the enemy is waiting for news from the banquet. Perhaps we should give Ping’er and the others some more time,” the city lord’s wife said calmly, her composure far surpassing that of the city lord.

The city lord gradually calmed down. If he led his troops into battle, the enemy would have a reason to attack. Even if he could repel the enemy, he would have to pay a heavy price.

As the city lord's wife said, the reason the enemy has been hesitant to attack is because they have no reason to do so. Therefore, the outcome on Lin Ping's side is the key.

"Pang Xingji, quickly go and deliver the message to Ping'er!" The city lord's wife gave orders with composure and skill, fully demonstrating the charm of a heroine.

Therefore, Jiang Yunying's talent was not only inherited from the city lord's genes, but also contributed by the city lord's wife.

After receiving the order, Pang Xingji stormed towards the prefect's residence, his mind filled with thoughts of annihilating the enemy.

However, just as the city lord had calmed down, another uninvited guest arrived at the door.

"Manager Qian Duoduo of Jinmanlou requests an audience!" The doorman called out loudly, his name clearly audible throughout the entire city lord's mansion.

"Damn it!" The city lord slammed his hand on the newly replaced eight-immortal table, shattering it, and roared, "Is Jin Manlou going to add fuel to the fire too?"

Regardless, Jin Manlou is a creditor of the City Lord's Mansion, so there's no reason for him to disappear.

This time, Qian Duoduo puffed out his chest, looked arrogant, and began to speak before even finishing his formalities: "Lord City Lord, it's time to pay back the silver you owe."