The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

Zhuo Mei was a little nervous as she stepped into the Blade Hall for the first time.

But she knew this was her only chance.

The only chance he and his two daughters could have to survive.

Zhuo Mei took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Gong Shangjiao.

"Young Master Jiao, my real name is Zhuomei. I am a descendant of the Feng Palace behind the palace gate. The current leader of Wufeng is my twin sister, Dianzhu..."

As Zhuo Mei recounted her story, the long-forgotten history unfolded before everyone's eyes like a scroll painting.

Gong Yuanzheng was impatient to listen to these old stories, so he went outside the hall, bent one leg, sat on the veranda, and looked up at the scroll above his head.

The content on the scroll remained unchanged, and Xue Zhongzi and Gong Zishang were still engrossed in processing the documents in their hands.

When faced with difficult problems, the two would discuss them together.

Gong Yuanzheng felt a little regretful; he wanted to see more of himself and Yue'er.

He wanted to learn more about Yue'er's preferences so that they could get along better in the future.

But why won't the scroll be displayed?

A figure moved around him. Gong Yuanzheng looked up and saw Gong Huanyu standing not far away.

He crossed his arms and stared blankly at the painting in the air.

Gong Yuanzheng asked with some curiosity, "Aren't you curious about Wufeng's history?"

Gong Huanyu said indifferently, "I'm not interested in how Yu Gong persecuted Feng Gong."

Compared to those trivial matters, Gong Huanyu was more concerned about the fellow disciple who would rebuild the Lonely Mountain Sect in the future.

As Gong Huanyu pondered the names Shangguan Qian and Han Yaqi, his gaze deepened.

The Raven is responsible for training the Unsharp Assassins.

If I'm not mistaken, his fellow disciples should now be at Wufeng.

Since she was able to get acquainted with Gong Zishang and the others, it means that she has also come to the palace gate.

The quickest and easiest way for Wu Feng to enter the palace is to impersonate the bride.

Thinking of the marriage selection originally scheduled for four months later, a dark glint flashed in Gong Huanyu's eyes.

A series of plans gradually took shape in my mind.

In the painting, all the documents on the desk have finally been processed.

Gong Zishang couldn't help but stretch, and Xue Zhongzi also showed a relaxed smile.

Jin Mao stepped forward, organized all the documents, sent out those that needed to be sent immediately, and filed those that didn't need to be sent as soon as possible.

He had just cleared his desk when the steward came in carrying a large stack of documents.

Gong Zishang's lips twitched, and Xue Zhongzi also fell into an unusual silence.

"I said, that's going too far. We haven't had a break all morning."

The steward smiled kindly, "Zhi Ren, these are all business dealings of the palace. Before Young Master Jiao went to the capital, he had already dealt with some of them. The rest were simply too late, so we can only wait for you to handle them."

Gong Zishang silently gazed at the towering stack of documents on the desk, and couldn't help but ask:

"Does Shangjiao have to deal with so many things every time he goes out?"

"Holding the blade is only part of what Young Master Jiao is handling. The palace's medical and poison treatments, weapons, and hidden weapons are always highly sought after by people in the martial arts world."

"Whenever Young Master Jiao arrives at a new base, he has to handle a large number of orders."

"Who to do business with? How much to sell to which sects? These are all things that Young Master Jiao needs to consider."

"At the same time, Young Master Jiao also needs to purchase a large amount of supplies and transport them back to the palace gate."

As he spoke, the steward had some documents delivered.

"Zhi Ren, these are all business dealings handled by Young Master Jiao in previous years."

Gong Zishang casually flipped through some of the pages and couldn't help but sigh, "Shang Jiao, it hasn't been easy..."

The more I think about it, the more I realize that the palace gate owes Gong Shangjiao a great deal.

"Heavy snow, let's take care of all this today."

Yukishigeko didn't say anything, but picked up a book and started reading.

His thoughts were the same as Gong Zishang's; Gong Shangjiao was too busy with matters concerning the imperial court and the martial arts world.

These things should be shared by him and Gong Zishang.

Gong Zishang handled one matter after another. Having been in charge of the affairs of the Blade-Holding Hall for so long, she had a basic understanding of the strength of the various martial arts factions and the depth of their relationship with the palace.

If she was unsure about something, she could discuss it with Yukishigeko or ask the manager directly.

The manager would give her a thorough analysis and would also show her the past and present purchase records for Gong Zishang to review and compare.

Soon, only a few documents remained on the desk.

Gong Huanyu couldn't help but sigh, "Shangjiao is indeed not to be trifled with..."

Gong Yuanzheng's expression was somewhat unpleasant; this was only the business of one of the palace gate's outposts.

With so many outposts outside the palace gates, is my brother always this tired when he goes out?

Gong Yuanzheng suddenly felt a pang of self-reproach. Over the years, he hadn't taken good care of his brother or thought about helping him share these burdens.

My brother is already so busy outside, and now that he's back at the palace gates, we still have to worry about his affairs.

Gong Zishang in the painting seemed to have seen something horrifying; her pupils contracted, and she immediately looked at the steward.

"Show me the business dealings between the palace gates and Wuxiang Manor."

The steward dared not delay and immediately retrieved the corresponding documents, handing them to Gong Zishang with both hands.

Xue Zhongzi also noticed something was wrong and immediately looked at Gong Zishang, "What's wrong?"

Gong Zishang's expression was somewhat unpleasant. Instead of answering Xue Zhongzi's question, he instructed Jin Mao:

"Immediately invite my younger brother Yuanzheng and my younger sister Qingyue here!"

Gong Yuanzheng immediately perked up, and his back straightened involuntarily.

Qingyue, Lin Qingyue, so that's her name. What a beautiful name.

A hint of excitement flashed in Gong Yuanzheng's eyes. Lin Qingyue has a name and surname, so finding her will definitely be much easier!

Upon seeing this scene, Gong Huanyu's eyes flashed with a smile. She never expected that her seemingly carefree and arrogant younger brother, Yuanzheng, would be such a devoted lover.

Gong Huanyu suddenly wondered, if Gong Shangjiao fell in love, would he be like his younger brother Yuanzheng? Or would he become even more extreme?

Jin Mao dared not delay, and even used his lightness skill to arrive at the courtyard where Gong Yuanzheng and Lin Qingyue lived in the shortest possible time.

Upon hearing his message, Gong Yuanzheng and Lin Qingyue exchanged a glance.

After Gong Zishang became the wielder of the blade, he always remained calm and composed, no matter what happened.

Except for the time Qi Yan'an wrote the letter.

The fact that they're in such a rush today suggests that something serious must have happened.

Without saying much, the two followed Jin Mao away.

As they passed by the back garden, Xue Gongzi, Qingyu, and Daiyu were having a great time.

Xue Gongzi paused, just about to greet Gong Yuanzheng and Lin Qingyue.

He then noticed Jin Mao, and with a very smooth turn, he moved away from them.

The movements were so smooth that Jin Mao's lips twitched as he watched.

Seeing Jin Mao's current expression, the fear he had felt earlier from being controlled by the documents returned to him.

Recalling the days spent surrounded by documents, Xue Gongzi couldn't help but shudder.

Never mind! Right now, his only responsibility is taking care of the kids! The real issues are none of his business!

When Gong Yuanzheng saw Gong Zishang, he was still puzzled, but when Lin Qingyue saw the documents on the desk, she immediately guessed why Gong Zishang had called them here.

Gong Zishang's expression was somewhat solemn. "Brother Yuanzheng, Sister Qingyue, please take a look at this purchase list first."

The moment he saw the contents, Gong Yuanzheng raised his long eyebrows slightly.

He had come into contact with many of the weapons developed by the Shang Palace, and he was quite familiar with them.

Lin Qingyue frowned slightly. The imperial court had strict restrictions on the trade of weapons and armor.

This list shows that the quantity of purchases clearly exceeds the amount stipulated by the imperial court.

"Sister Zishang, is the relationship between Wuxiang Manor and the Palace Gate very good?"

Gong Zishang nodded, looked at Lin Qingyue, and nodded without hesitation.

"Wuxiang Manor has never had much of a relationship with the Palace Gate, but it purchases a lot of weapons from the Palace Gate every year."

As he spoke, he handed a book to Lin Qingyue.

She flipped through a few pages, fell into deep thought, and after a moment, she returned the list to Gong Zishang.

"Sister Zishang, the weapons sold at the palace gates are all made by the Shang Palace. Look at these weapons, how long can they last if they are used frequently?"

"If they are properly preserved and not used often, how long can these martial arts techniques be preserved?"

Gong Zishang was extremely confident, "If they are properly preserved, the weapons they bought five years ago will be no different from what they used back then."

Lin Qingyue recalled the quantities on the list and continued, "Sister Zishang, do you know anything about this sect? Where is its headquarters? How many people does it have?"

After a moment of recollection, Gong Zishang answered all of Lin Qingyue's questions clearly.

Lin Qingyue silently calculated in her mind that if all the weapons that Wuxiang Manor had purchased over the years were still available, plus those on the list, they would be enough to equip a small army.

More importantly, the weapons manufactured by the palace gates are not ordinary items; some are even more robust than those of the firearms battalion.

Lin Qingyue's expression immediately turned serious.

"Sister Zishang, my suggestion is that you tell your brother about this first. I'm afraid there's something wrong with this sect."

Upon hearing this, both Xue Zhongzi and Gong Yuanzheng's expressions changed.

Gong Zishang's expression was complicated; she had the same thought when she first saw the list.

Although the imperial court restricts the trade of weapons, if you have a good relationship with someone, you can sell more weapons privately without the court noticing.

However, Wuxiang Manor has made far too many purchases this year.

Every year, they purchase weapons from the palace gates. Because of their close relationship with the palace gates, they were once attacked by Wufeng.

If Gong Shangjiao hadn't intervened in time, Wuxiang Manor would probably have ceased to exist long ago.

Gong Zishang was sweating profusely; it was truly terrifying to think about.

For those with weaker strength, the weapons produced by the palace gates are not cheap, yet Wuxiang Manor purchases them every year.

Why would Wuxiang Manor purchase so many weapons when there is no conflict?

Gong Zishang already had a vague answer in her heart.

She said seriously, "I will immediately send a message to Shangjiao by carrier pigeon."

The outside world is indeed complicated; even a single business deal can involve so many twists and turns.

If Gong Zishang and his group agree to such a large deal this time, it might really leave behind huge hidden dangers.

Outside the painting, Gong Zishang looked at Gong Shangjiao, "Shangjiao, is Qingyue's guess true, or is it just alarmist talk?"

Gong Shangjiao nodded. "What she said is not entirely unreasonable."

But in his heart he was thinking that Wuxiang Manor really should be thoroughly investigated.