In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

Chapter 234 Imperial Marriage

As night deepened, the moon quietly hid behind layers of clouds in the inky sky, leaving one wondering when the clouds would part and the moon would finally shine.

"A single punch can ward off a hundred more."

This is a saying that suddenly circulated among the people of Qing during the war between the two countries.

Without a battle, the loser will never be able to distinguish between the great and small kings. The purpose of this war is to establish the vassal states and solidify the central position of the world.

However, the Qing Kingdom had no intention of annexing other countries, because the Northern Qi had long passed the crisis of the second generation and was destined not to be short-lived.

In other words, if a dynasty can survive the crisis of the second generation, it means that it has emerged from the predicament of premature death, and its national fortune will last for at least a hundred years and at most three hundred years.

It's all just the tide of history.

Tao Jingyang's current plan is to make Northern Qi a defeated state, first by obtaining economic and trade rights, and then by gradually imposing sanctions in various ways, ultimately achieving the effect of winning without bloodshed.

"However, why can't the three major workshops produce the new firearms designs they've drawn?" She sat on the swing reading the battle report, pinching the bridge of her nose wearily.

"Perhaps the time is not yet right." Li Chengze sat on the ground, gently resting his head on Tao Jingyang's lap. He held a small wolf-hair brush in his hand and wrote the meeting summary for half an hour later. He spoke softly as he wrote, his voice low and gentle.

Tao Jingyang paused, holding the battle report, and instead of speaking, closed his eyes for a short rest.

Right now, the person in the entire capital who values ​​fate the most is Li Chengqian. On the day of Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er's wedding, he made a scene and left to become a monk. It's unclear whether he has truly discovered the secrets of heaven or has quietly gone mad.

"I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me up when the ministers come." Her voice was heavy with weariness.

Although they were in Kyoto, not on the battlefield, the two had not slept for three days.

The candles in the room had burned down to the bottom, crackling and hissing. Hearing the sound, Li Chengze got up on his own, rubbed his sore and swollen eyes, and used the old flame to light a new candle.

As soon as the candle was fixed in the candle holder, the flame shot up high and lit up half the room.

Tao Jingyang frowned and opened her eyes, her gaze drawn to the flash. She and Li Chengze exchanged glances, a sense of unease rising within them.

As the saying goes, when things happen abnormally, there must be an external cause.

Just then, a loud bell suddenly rang out from the north of the palace. The bell tower rang precisely at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) every day to announce to the people of the city: dawn is approaching, the morning bell is announcing the start of the work day.

A burnt-out candle, a rising flame, the tolling of the dawn bell...

These strange phenomena intertwined, and Li Chengze still stood by the candle, deep in thought. The firelight illuminated his profile, outlining a dim, yellowish silhouette.

"Something's not right," Li Chengze muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Could it be that we won?" His tone was somewhat uncertain, but his eyes revealed a hint of anticipation.

"We will definitely win." Tao Jingyang suddenly stood up and hurriedly walked out of the hall.

She looked up at the rising sun, letting its golden rays fall on her face.

Her gaze then turned north, and she replied, "As you said."

"It's time to prepare a celebratory drink." A glint of light flashed in Tao Jingyang's eyes.

----------

In the northern frontier, at dawn.

At dawn, the battlefield was shrouded in smoke, the light of victory mingled with the embers of war, and beneath the gray sky, a sudden burst of hoarse cheers erupted.

"Victory! Victory! Great victory!" A man carrying a three-edged, armor-piercing arrow exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with wild joy.

He threw down his weapon, leaped off his horse, and stomped into the muddy ground mixed with blood and dirt, cheering loudly.

He struggled to remove his heavy armor, grabbed the flag tightly held by the flag bearer beside him, and waved it, making a whooshing sound in the air.

It created a powerful whooshing sound, drawing cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Someone started singing a local folk song, their hoarse voice carrying rough chants, startling even a hawk out to see what was going on.

Two generals stood on horseback atop the hill.

Li Chengru held a long spear, the tip of which still bore traces of undried blood.

Beside him, Ye Ling'er stood, her armor stained with blood, looking heroic and valiant.

The wind was strong in the mountain gorge. Li Chengru turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs, "General Ye, Daqing has won!"

"I know!" Ye Ling'er, dressed in bright red, stood out against the gray battlefield.

She grinned and lifted her helmet, her dark hair already soaked with sweat, sticking stickily to her face, but she paid no heed, and just shouted loudly with the soldiers:

"ah------!"

The shouts echoed through the valley, lingering for a long time.

...........

Ye Ling'er picked up a bowl of fruit wine, tilted her head back, and gulped it down in a bold manner. Although she had been in the military camp for two whole years, her alcohol tolerance remained as poor as ever.

She was quite drunk, her cheeks flushed, and she began to speak.

"At that time, I had a broken left arm and an injured right arm. In a completely unconscious state, I drifted downstream along the Wudu River."

Lin Wan'er sat to the side, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at Ling'er. Although Ling'er was sitting perfectly fine in front of her, she still anxiously asked, "And then? And then?"

"Wan'er, hiccup~" Ling'er hiccuped, becoming somewhat more sober. After a pause, she changed the subject, "No, I don't quite remember. I just remember that stabbing someone with a spear and stabbing a scarecrow are completely different feelings..."

Zhu Youran, who was standing to the side, was also listening. She hadn't had time to change out of her official robes before the banquet, and she had just returned from an official business trip, looking travel-worn.

She did her job well, fearless and intimidating. To put it bluntly, even royalty would be thoroughly investigated.

In the past two years, he has been traveling extensively on business, handling numerous cases of corruption and inaction by local officials, earning him the reputation of:

"The reincarnation of Yama, the King of Hell".

Six months ago, a bounty was placed on his head by the black market, but a month ago, the entire black market was shut down, and the protectors behind him were also detained in Dali Temple to await trial.

Zhu Youran has become increasingly quiet these days, now sitting quietly to the side, sipping her wine and smiling without saying a word.

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Li Chengru was also drunk and confused by the group of men.

Li Chengze carefully observed everyone at the table, recalling his words to the Northern Qi envoy that morning. After a moment's thought, he picked up his wine cup and went to his elder brother's side.

"Brother, you're not young anymore. Do you have a girl you like? If so, please tell me, and I'll arrange a marriage for you."

Li Chengru, who was originally quite drunk, sobered up a bit upon hearing this, and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, still slightly tipsy.

"I have been away on campaigns for many years, and after returning to the capital, I have been busy with military training, so I haven't had time to handle this matter. Naturally... I also don't have a woman I like."

For Li Chengru, the women from the frontier were passionate and unrestrained, but lacked refinement; while the women from the capital were knowledgeable and reasonable, but after getting to know them... he always felt something was missing.

As a prince, his principal wife should be a noblewoman, not a commoner.

Although he was a member of the royal family, he used to have military power, but now he was just a prince who was retired at home.

Moreover, her maternal family was of low status, making her an undesirable choice for wealthy families.

Gao wouldn't marry him, and of course, Li Chengru himself didn't like him either.

Since there was no rush, the position of the principal wife remained vacant.

Seeing his elder brother say this, Li Chengze understood the situation and went straight to the point.

“Brother, you have made great contributions to the Qing Kingdom. As your younger brother, I cannot just take without giving back.”

He knew this would definitely work, and he even smiled as he spoke, "Since you are not married, then I will simply assign you a wife."

Li Chengru was taken aback upon hearing this. "Huh? Your Majesty... Your Majesty intends to bestow a marriage upon me?"

Li Chengze beckoned to someone standing to the side, took a small scroll, and said, "That's right~"

He unfurled the scroll with a "whoosh," revealing a painting of a beautiful young woman.

A gold ring adorned her forehead, beautiful and lively.