Pick up a princess to be your wife

Xiao Yunfei frowned when he saw He Xianzhi.

He dismounted and returned the greeting to He Xianzhi with a cupped-hand salute.

"Greetings, Miss He."

Xiao Yunfei knew that Li Mu and He Xianzhi had a close relationship.

But just as he saw Li Mu get off the carriage, he never expected that He Xianzhi was also inside the carriage.

What kind of relationship do these two have that they're sharing a carriage?

Xiao Yunfei had previously suspected that Li Mu might be a force cultivated by He Xianzhi.

However, if Li Mu were He Xianzhi's subordinate, he would not be qualified to ride in the same carriage as He Xianzhi.

Only if the two people are of equal status or have a close relationship can they ride in the same carriage.

Xiao Yunfei held an official position, and his father was a second-rank general in the imperial court, making them members of the imperial family.

Although He Xianzhi came from a prestigious family, his father did not hold an official position.

Compared to Xiao Yunfei, He Xianzhi was merely a very wealthy commoner.

But that's not the case. When Xiao Yunfei's father met He Xianzhi's father, he could only stand aside.

The He family members, especially the direct descendants, held a very special status in the Great Yan Dynasty.

Simply put, in terms of family background, Xiao Yunfei is no match for He Xianzhi.

Xiao Yunfei was not a brainless and vulgar person like Zhou Wanfu; he would never disregard his status.

In the entire Luyang County, it's hard to find someone with a more prestigious status than He Xianzhi.

In the entire Lingnan region, there are practically no people whose background can compare to He Xianzhi's.

She has a great father; her father is truly amazing.

In popular parlance, He Chou has a title: the Uncrowned King.

“These supplies are for Yao County, and I asked them to escort them. They didn’t let the general inspect them; they were just doing their duty. Please don’t take offense.” He Xianzhi bowed.

"So these are supplies from the Treasure Pavilion. It seems I misunderstood." Xiao Yunfei returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"If the young general wishes to investigate, then proceed with the investigation. However, please do so as quickly as possible to avoid delaying my schedule," He Xianzhi said.

Now Xiao Yunfei dared not question him anymore.

Even the arrogant mastermind behind the scenes had to give He Chou face. His father didn't even have the right to speak to He Chou, so how dare he investigate Jubaoge without permission?

"Miss He, please make yourself at home."

Xiao Yunfei raised his hand and waved, and the soldiers sheathed their swords and retreated to the side.

"Thank you for letting us pass, young general."

"I wish Miss He a safe journey."

He Xianzhi and Li Mu returned to the carriage and continued their journey.

After leaving Luyang County and traveling several dozen miles, one arrives at a devastated land.

Lingnan Road has not yet suffered the ravages of war, but it has suffered countless times from the devastation caused by displaced people.

The villages encountered along the way had all become gathering places for refugees.

Along the way, refugees followed, but dared not get too close.

Seventy armed guards were enough to intimidate the refugees.

"Miss He, does Xiao Yunfei seem quite afraid of you?" Li Mu asked.

“It’s not that they’re afraid of me, but they’re afraid of my father,” He Xianzhi replied.

"Isn't Xiao Yunfei's father a second-rank general?" Li Mu asked.

“My father still has some influence over his father,” He Xianzhi said.

"Does your father also have tens of thousands of soldiers?" Li Mu asked.

A second-rank general can command 50,000 troops. Why should he worry about having face in front of General Xiao? At least their strength should be equal.

“The He family was a prominent merchant family that commanded tens of thousands of soldiers. Their entire clan was exterminated long ago,” He Xianzhi said.

"Oh."

The world is probably more complicated than Li Mu imagined.

He had only heard from Li Ertie how powerful He Chou was, but he didn't know exactly how powerful he was.

The journey went relatively smoothly.

We walked until late at night on the first day and rested for the night in a county town along the way.

The next day, they sped up their journey and arrived at Yaoguan Town late at night.

The administrative center of Lingnan Circuit was located in Yao County. Yaoguan Town was situated north of Yao County and was a major military town built around Yaoguan.

To enter Yaoguan Town from the official road, you have to go up a long hill.

From afar, you can see countless torches burning on that majestic city wall.

When Li Mu saw that scene, he was indeed shocked.

The sheer height of that city wall far exceeded Li Mu's imagination.

Yaoguan Town is triangular in shape, with two intersecting mountain ranges surrounding it, along with this tall and long city wall.

One side of the city wall faces the direction of Lingnan Road. This long uphill road is obviously man-made and extends all the way to the foot of the city wall of Yaoguan Town.

After walking up this long hill and arriving at the city wall, He Xianzhi showed his waist token, and the soldiers guarding the city let the horse-drawn carriage into Yaoguan Town.

Upon entering the city gate, Li Mu was astonished by the sheer size of the town.

This important military town was more than three times the size of Luyang County. While the population of Luyang County was concentrated in the city center, Yaoguan Town was densely packed with buildings as soon as you entered the city gate.

This town is estimated to be able to accommodate ten times the population of Luyang County, enough to support 700,000 to 800,000 people.

However, after thinking about it again, Li Mu no longer found it strange.

Yaoguan Town was the largest military stronghold in Lingnan Road, so its size could not be too small.

As the carriage caravan moved further in, rows of neatly arranged armored soldiers could be seen patrolling everywhere.

Sometimes, when they encountered officers, they would stop and question the group about their identities.

However, they were all very polite to He Xianzhi. As soon as they saw He Xianzhi appear, they immediately moved the group aside and let He Xianzhi go first.

After walking along the neat stone-paved road for about half an hour, the carriage caravan stopped at the entrance of a magnificent mansion.

Xiao Lan went up and knocked on the door. After talking with the doorman for a while, the doorman hurriedly ran out.

"Greetings, Miss He."

The doorman bowed first, then said politely, "The Princess has been having trouble sleeping lately. She just managed to fall asleep. Please make sure Miss He and the others are settled in first, and we can discuss things in detail tomorrow morning."

"Alright."

He Xianzhi and Xiao Lan were nowhere to be found, and Li Mu and the others were taken to the covered room at the back of the courtyard.

Inside a covered room, there are two rows of large communal beds, which can comfortably accommodate seventy or eighty people.

"What kind of place is this? It's so rude of them to make my eldest and second brothers squeeze into a shared dormitory!" Zhao Cuo said angrily.

“That’s right, we should arrange separate courtyards for our eldest and second eldest brothers,” Zhao Wuji agreed.

"We still need to arrange a few more maids to serve our elder brothers in bed," Hei Fu said seriously.

"Alright, alright, we're not exactly fussy people. We've been working hard for two days, let's get some sleep," Li Ertie said.

Without saying a word, Li Mu squeezed in with his brothers and fell asleep immediately.

Soon after, the sound of snoring filled the room.