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

Upon hearing this, everyone was completely speechless.

They had already heard that Shi Qing was famously protective of his own, but they never expected that he would actually obstruct the people from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice in order to protect them.

"On behalf of Fu Ling, I apologize to you," Xiang Lian said, bowing.

Regardless of Shi Qing's true purpose, when he uttered the words "protecting his own," he was exonerated from the crime of disobeying the imperial edict.

Xiang Lian must apologize in order to successfully arrest Lin Ping.

"You're too kind, sir. You must keep your dog under control in the future. If there's a next time, it won't be as simple as just kicking it."

Shi Qing said coldly, and left the scene with Jiang Lengyu.

If the argument continues, Shi Qing will have a hard time explaining himself. He just hopes that the little bit of time he has gained will be useful.

“Commander…” Jiang Lengyu looked at the other party in confusion, not knowing how to express her feelings at this moment.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is loyal only to the emperor. It's already a miracle that he didn't personally arrest Lin Ping; he shouldn't have interfered.

As for the reason of "protecting one's own," it seems somewhat far-fetched.

After all, Jiang Lengyu was only a centurion, not enough to attract Shi Qing's attention.

"Does the princess distrust me that much?" Shi Qing chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I just hope that kid is lucky, otherwise my Wu Kingdom will lose a talented person."

Shi Qing shook his head as he spoke. He wanted to help Lin Ping, but he couldn't because of his status.

Moreover, he also wanted to test Lin Ping's abilities.

If he can't even handle this matter, he's not worth his attention.

At the same time, Xia Linglong had already entered Mingyue Tower and was calling out Lin Ping's name loudly.

"Why is it you?" Lin Xiaomei looked at Xia Linglong with hostility, her hand already on the hilt of her sword.

She only knew that Xia Linglong was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not that she was a princess.

The two had several unpleasant encounters while in Jiangcheng Prefecture, and could be considered enemies meeting again.

If Lin Xiaomei hadn't known that she had a good relationship with Lin Ping, she probably would have already taken action.

Xia Linglong sensed Lin Xiaomei's hostility and didn't want to explain too much to her, so she asked urgently, "Where is Young Master Lin?"

"There isn't a single good person among you Imperial Guards. I won't let you find your brother."

Lin Xiaomei drew her sword, clearly mistaking Xia Linglong for a villain.

"The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are on their way to arrest Young Master Lin. Make him come out to see me!" Xia Linglong said anxiously.

She knew the speed of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review; if it weren't for the Embroidered Uniform Guard's obstruction, they would probably have already entered Mingyue Tower, with no extra time to waste.

"I think you're the one who wants to arrest my brother. You'll have to get past me first."

Lin Xiaomei snorted coldly, already regarding Xia Linglong as a bad person.

The two had fought before, and Lin Xiaomei had won. With her recent improvements, she was absolutely confident of defeating Xia Linglong.

Seeing that she had already made her move, Xia Linglong could only frown and draw her sword.

Lin Xiaomei's downward chop, seemingly soft and weak, actually possessed immense force.

Unable to dodge in time, Xia Linglong could only parry with her sword.

The swords clashed, producing a crisp sound. Xia Linglong staggered back three steps and spat out a mouthful of blood mist.

"Are you injured?" Lin Xiaomei stopped for the moment; she didn't want to take advantage of someone in distress.

Xia Linglong was still recovering from a serious illness and could not exert even half of her strength. How could she possibly withstand this sword strike, which was like a tiger descending the mountain?

“Again!” Xia Linglong said stubbornly.

Since Lin Xiaomei is Lin Ping's younger sister, she must also be very stubborn. Unless she is defeated, she will never see Lin Ping again.

"Hmph, you asked for this." Lin Xiaomei's eyes turned cold as she drew her sword to meet Xia Linglong's attack.

Whether it's swordsmanship, speed, or strength, Xia Linglong is somewhat weaker, and she's completely fighting for her life.

Although she didn't suffer fatal injuries, each head-on collision caused her considerable damage.

His blood and qi surged, and he almost spat out another mouthful of blood.

"Get out of the way! The Dali Temple is arresting people. All bystanders, get out of the way!"

A commotion outside the door immediately threw Mingyue Tower into chaos.

Even ordinary people had seen the official robes of the Dali Temple officials, and they were all terrified, so much so that they had no appetite.

The once packed hall was instantly empty.

The diners didn't even bother to swallow their food; escaping was their top priority.

"Listen up, you people inside! Hand over Lin Ping immediately, or you will be killed without mercy!" Xiang Lian personally announced.

Xia Linglong's heart tightened, and she secretly cried out that something terrible was about to happen.

Even when arresting the most heinous criminals, there's no need to kill unrelated people indiscriminately.

In other words, Xiang Lian will not only not let Lin Ping go, but he will not let anyone in the entire Mingyue Tower go either.

Anyone who showed any intention of resisting would be shot dead in the street.

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of archers surrounded Mingyue Tower, waiting for his command.

Xia Linglong looked into the backyard but did not find Lin Ping.

He wasn't one to back down from trouble. It was understandable that he avoided seeing Xia Linglong, but he wouldn't cower like a coward in this situation.

At that moment, Lin Fugui rushed over and saw Lin Xiaomei fighting with Xia Linglong.

"You brat, stop right now!" Lin Fugui could tell that Xia Linglong was no ordinary person, so he hurriedly shouted.

"Junior Xia Linglong greets Uncle Lin. May I ask if Young Master Lin is at home?" Xia Linglong guessed Lin Fugui's identity and asked eagerly and respectfully.

Although Lin Fugui did not know Xia Linglong's identity and saw her fighting with Lin Xiaomei, he still felt that she looked familiar.

The key is that she is beautiful and cares about Lin Ping, which makes her very qualified to be his daughter-in-law.

"My son is not in Mingyue Tower. I don't know what's going on outside," Lin Fugui replied truthfully.

Hearing this, Xia Linglong breathed a sigh of relief and then explained, "The king has ordered the arrest of Young Master Lin. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are working together. You'd better surrender, or your life will be in danger."

"Is the young lady here to save my son?" Lin Fugui was not concerned about the current situation, but rather about Xia Linglong's attitude towards Lin Ping.

Lin Ping's open defiance of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review demonstrates the depth of their friendship, thus increasing the chances of him being included in his daughter-in-law's faction.

Xia Linglong nodded, which was considered an answer to Lin Fugui's question.

"The Dali Temple is ruthless and vicious. If you do not surrender, you may be killed."

"Hmph, with me here, who dares to lay a finger on Father?"

Lin Xiaomei held her long sword horizontally, completely disregarding the people from the Dali Temple.

Bang!

The gate was kicked open by several soldiers, revealing a scene of flashing swords and clashing blades.

"Charge in and kill everyone except Lin Ping!" Xiang Lian said coldly.

The soldiers all wore sinister expressions; this was a golden opportunity to earn merit, not to mention the thrill of killing.

Just as they were about to raise their swords, they were kicked out by a tall figure.

“Xiang Lian, you are quite bold. Father only wanted to arrest Lin Ping, he never said anything about indiscriminately killing innocent people.”

Xia Linglong said angrily, determined to protect Lin Fugui and Lin Xiaomei's safety.

The familiar voice startled Xiang Lian, who quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Highness!"

your Highness?

Those soldiers who were furious because Xia Linglong had kicked them away also knelt on the ground, no longer daring to show the slightest disrespect.

"Your Highness, I have come here on His Majesty's orders to arrest Lin Ping. Mingyue Tower is harboring the suspect and resisting arrest with weapons. He should be executed without exception."

He knelt on the ground and spoke with neither arrogance nor servility.

This is the emperor's decree; even if Xia Linglong tries to stop it, it won't work.

Shi Qing is a living example. We might waste some of his time, but we must not let it affect the overall situation.

"Do you think I'm blind? Do you think I don't know whether Mingyue Tower will resist or not?" Xia Linglong said coldly.

She had been inside Mingyue Tower the whole time, so she naturally knew more about the situation than Xiang Lian.

Since she said there was no resistance inside, then there really was no resistance.

"Your humble servant dares not," Xiang Lian said, kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear.

Ultimately, she didn't dare offend the princess.

The reason the king ordered Lin Ping's arrest was because he loved his daughter. If he spoke disrespectfully to the princess, he would suffer the same fate.

"You all stay outside and keep watch. I'll go arrest the criminal myself." Xia Linglong waved her sleeve and immediately closed the door.

Xiang Lian didn't dare to say much, but ordered his men to surround Mingyue Tower completely, so he wasn't worried that Lin Ping would take the opportunity to escape.

"Uncle Lin, you heard what I just said..." Xia Linglong said softly, feeling guilty about her incompetence.

"Of course I heard it." Lin Fugui actually showed a look of joy:

"I never expected the girl to be a princess. This... is a perfect match for my son."

puff……

Xia Linglong almost spat out a mouthful of blood. She vaguely understood why Lin Ping had developed such a shameless personality.

It's entirely genetic!

With a formidable enemy at hand, Lin Fugui's concern for Lin Ping's marriage is rather audacious.

"Brother said he would protect Father's safety." Lin Xiaomei raised her sword again. Even though she knew Xia Linglong meant well, she could not surrender obediently.

"They really are cut from the same mold..." Xia Linglong was speechless.

"Then I have no choice but to offend you."

Raising her scimitar once more, Xia Linglong took the initiative to attack.

The reason she closed the door tightly was that she was afraid others would see Lin Xiaomei attack her and thus kill her.

Lin Xiaomei, who has zero emotional intelligence, doesn't care about any of that; anyone who attacks her is an enemy.

"You brat, go easy on her! She's your future sister-in-law!" Lin Fugui was so anxious as he watched Xia Linglong suffer defeat after defeat.

"Oh..." Lin Xiaomei nodded, and her attack speed indeed slowed down considerably.

Xia Linglong was speechless again, thinking to herself:

Could it be that the princess's status is truly less prestigious than your sister-in-law's?

Is there something wrong with this family's thought process?

It's true, in Lin Xiaomei's eyes, nothing is bigger than her sister-in-law.

Even though Lin Xiaomei deliberately suppressed her strength, she still managed to defeat Xia Linglong repeatedly, causing her to cough up blood and develop a shallow wound on her shoulder.

At the same time, Lin Ping, holding a flintlock pistol, was rushing to Mingyue Tower, seemingly to test its power with Lin Xiaomei.

When he saw what was happening in front of him, his head went blank and he almost exploded.

Instead of rushing over immediately, he asked a passerby what was going on.

"Outrageous! You dare to harm my family! I'll shoot you dead!" Lin Ping gritted his teeth, his gun already pointed at Xiang Lian's head, just in time to test the power of his flintlock pistol.