You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

"Scary? It's really strange that our little devil would find others scary."

Xie Yanzheng joked, showing no intention of letting Xie Wanru off the hook.

The brother and sister even had a match at the end. Xie Wanru was naturally no match for her older brother Xie Yanzheng, since she had hardly practiced martial arts in the past two years. Then they waited for their father to arrive.

Xie Yun, the General Xie, who almost never left Qingzhou.

Whether it was the death of his wife or Xie Wanru's marriage, Xie Yun never left Qingzhou, which he was stationed there.

"Father."

Xie Wanru met her father, Xie Yun, who looked many times older than his peers because he had been away from home for many years in a harsh and cold place.

Xie Wanru, who hadn't cried until now, finally couldn't hold back and hugged Xie Yun, bursting into tears. Wen Ling also wiped her eyes several times beside her.

The Xie family are all military generals, destined to spend little time with their families, so she will probably be the same in the future. However, she thinks that if she only gives birth to sons, then they should all stay on the border and inherit the spirit of their ancestors.

If they are daughters, let them return to Xuancheng to guard the ancestral tablets, so that the deceased will not be without any support.

However, Xie Wanru's tears were not because of a simple reunion, but because the bitterness of separation and death welled up in her heart and was hard to suppress.

The family was finally able to reunite, and Xie Yun also cried. Xie Wanru was his only daughter, and the precious child that his beloved wife had risked her life to have. Naturally, he felt heartbroken for her.

Xie Yun was already suspicious because his daughter's reminders always hit the mark, so what Xie Wanru said later deepened his doubts.

After the family finished crying, Xie Wanru brought up serious matters. Xie Yun, hearing her say that the war was the Third Prince's scheme, felt that his daughter knew too much, and his suspicions rose without a doubt.

“Wanwan, I know you resent the Third Prince for not obtaining the imperial decree to grant you marriage, and it’s normal for you to hold a grudge against him. But you can’t put such a big label on him.”

Colluding with the enemy is treason, and treason is a capital offense that can implicate nine generations of one's family. Even a prince would be investigated and his property confiscated.

Xie Yanzheng and Wen Ling were also somewhat worried, and their eyes showed concern for Xie Wanru.

“Father, my affair with the Third Prince is a thing of the past. I only know about this because I reached an agreement with Shen Cong’an.”

Xie Wanru explained patiently.

"By chance, I learned that Shen Cong'an was harmed by Shen Nian'an. I couldn't bear to see him continue living that life of immobility and darkness, so I sought out Doctor Huo to save his life. He is a staff member of His Highness the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is virtuous and should be the rightful heir."

Crown Prince Xiao Long is benevolent, virtuous, and diligent; he is indeed the best choice for a future monarch.

Seeing that they were still puzzled, Xie Wanru continued.

“Before the New Year, Shen Cong'an had the Third Prince’s men try to frame the Crown Prince. If it weren’t for Shen Cong'an and the Crown Prince’s quick reaction and their intervention, many more people would have died in this snow disaster.”

In short, Xie Wanru pushed all the blame onto Shen Cong'an, believing that with Shen Cong'an's intelligence, he would naturally know how to respond if asked.

Xie Yanzheng seemed to understand. "I've heard about this. If it weren't for my third brother personally escorting it, there might have been a mistake on the way. We almost ran out of food several times, and the people in the vicinity suffered even more. If it weren't for the timely arrival of the imperial court's disaster relief supplies, many people would have indeed died."

This winter has been too long, and the snow has not yet melted. Fortunately, the imperial court has provided timely supplies and dispatched many people to be in charge of disaster relief, so the situation has gradually been brought under control.

Seeing that her elder brother had taken it to heart, Xie Wanru was relieved and continued, "So this time, Shen Cong'an was careful and sent people to investigate. It was indeed related to the Third Prince. We just don't know what method they used to make the Northern Barbarians so obedient."

For so many years, the Northern Barbarians and the Great Zhou Dynasty have only had occasional minor skirmishes, which were nothing more than matters concerning the border territories. It has been a long time since they have engaged in such a large-scale conflict.

To persuade the other side to abandon the peace that has lasted for so many years, you need to offer them some benefits.

Wen Ling asked doubtfully, "The Third Prince is just a prince, what can he promise?"

A prince without real power, despite his noble status, may not offer much in terms of practical benefits. The northern barbarians are not stupid and should not believe a few words without evidence.

Xie Yun pondered in his heart that Xiao Yan was indeed just a prince without real power. In order to prevent the princes from fighting for the throne, apart from the crown prince, the other princes only learned some ordinary affairs and had no real power.

The emperor believed that this would let the other princes know that only the crown prince had the right to inherit the throne.

“Father, what Wanwan said may be true. The Third Prince is related to the Lou family by marriage, and the head of the Lou family is the Grand Tutor. He has countless students, and his son Lou Li is an ambitious man.”

Xie Yanzheng said.

When Lou Li was mentioned, Xie Wanru and Xie Yun both suddenly remembered this person.

Although the brothers spent most of their time on the border, they often returned to Xuancheng to be with their mother when they were young. Even Lou Li's wife, Shen Mengning, had a romantic entanglement with the second brother, Xie Yanlin.

Young people often experience this kind of situation: loving someone but not being able to have them.

This Shen family is not the same as the other Shen family. They have no connection with the Yong'an Marquis's mansion. They are a minor official family with some influence, but they are not very prominent in Xuancheng.

Xie Wanru nodded, "There's a saying in Xuancheng that the four major families are the Lou family, the Lin family, the Wu family, and our Xie family. They all say that our Xie family is the head of the four major families."

As soon as she said this, Xie Yanzheng and the others were shocked. When did their Xie family become the head of the four major families? How come he didn't know?

Xie Yun didn't care much about the matter itself; what he cared about was whether Xie Wanru's statement was reasonable.

"It is highly likely that Lou Li harbors resentment towards us, which is why he joined forces with the Third Prince in an attempt to become the head of the four great families that everyone talks about. If the Lou family is involved, then this matter is possible. The Lou family has many disciples. Even if they cannot make promises to the Northern Barbarians with their power, they can still get them to speak to the Emperor and seek benefits for the Northern Barbarians. As for what exactly they are seeking, only they themselves probably know."

After Xie Yun finished speaking, he began to ponder whether the Northern Barbarians were bluffing or actually going to have a real fight.

There are many boundaries between countries. The northern barbarians are located in a desolate area with low temperatures all year round. They have few crops, but many cattle and sheep. The Great Zhou Dynasty has recently reduced its trade with them.

The recent battle in Guhuang City almost escalated into a major war because merchants caused trouble there. It was only because Xie Wanru warned them in time that they dealt with the people in advance, thus averting a conflict.

Xie Yanzheng thought it made sense after hearing it, but he was somewhat indignant.

“Father, I think it’s not important what they’re plotting. What’s important is that we can’t sit idly by and wait to die. We must fight the northern barbarians and also eliminate our internal enemies.”

The implication is that they are fighting the enemy, but the Third Prince will also be dealt with.