She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

That day, the mother and daughter strolled around until very late before returning to the government office.

After spending a day strolling around the city with Shen Man, Lanxiang's state of mind underwent a tremendous change.

She once lived in that remote little village, with a limited perspective and a fear of the unknown about the outside world.

However, what she saw and heard in the city today gave her a completely different perspective.

The bustling streets, lively markets, and diverse crowds all filled her with a sense of wonder.

She began to realize how vast the world was and how narrow her past life had been.

This cognitive shock gradually dispelled her unease, replaced by curiosity and anticipation for the new environment, so she settled down in the government office with peace of mind.

The next day, Shen Man was busy in the government office when she suddenly heard a yamen runner come to report that an envoy from Qi Rong had come to visit.

Shen Man couldn't help but feel curious. Although Qi Rong and the border city had some exchanges, they didn't usually send envoys to each other frequently. She didn't understand why the Qi Rong envoy would suddenly come to visit at this time.

"Quickly invite them to the living room and treat them well. I'll be there shortly!" Shen Man instructed calmly.

Then, she got up, straightened her clothes, and walked quickly to the living room.

Along the way, various guesses kept flashing through her mind: what exactly was the purpose of this Qi Rong envoy's visit?

When Shen Man stepped into the living room, she saw an envoy dressed in exotic attire sitting upright.

The envoy's clothing was brightly colored and uniquely styled, and he also wore some ornaments with Qi Rong characteristics.

Upon seeing Shen Man enter, he immediately stood up and bowed, speaking in somewhat broken Mandarin: "Lord Ding, I am Alimu, the envoy of Qi Rong. I have come here on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince to deliver a wedding invitation to Lord Ding."

Shen Man smiled and invited him to sit down, her gaze gentle and friendly: "Oh, what is the good news?"

Alimu carefully took out the gold-embossed wedding invitation from his sleeve. The invitation, wrapped in dark red silk, was embroidered with the wolf head totem unique to the Qirong people. The wolf head was so lifelike that it seemed to leap out of the invitation.

"My Crown Prince Danzeng is about to marry the Third Princess of Nanzhao Kingdom, and I cordially invite Lord Ding to attend the banquet and witness the ceremony."

Shen Man lightly tapped the tea table with her fingertips, causing the tea in the celadon cup to ripple.

Her thoughts drifted away instantly. Tenzin was not only her friend, but also her most important business partner. They had known each other for a long time, and over the years, they had worked hand in hand and experienced many things together.

She was always aware of Tenzin's feelings for her and understood how much he had sacrificed for her.

She had worried that she might ruin his marriage.

Now that she heard he was getting married soon, Shen Man was genuinely happy for him.

Shen Man's fingertips gradually relaxed, and a sincere smile appeared on her lips: "So it's Prince Danzeng getting married! This is truly a joyous occasion! Please convey my congratulations to Crown Prince Danzeng. A marriage alliance with Nanzhao will surely allow Qirong and Nanzhao to work together to create peace."

She gestured to the maid to bring out the unique cloud and mist tea of ​​the border town. Amidst the fragrant aroma of the tea, Alimu's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

Shen Man pushed the teacup toward the other person, her eyes filled with curiosity: "I wonder what kind of woman this Third Princess of Nanzhao is, that she could win the favor of His Highness Danzeng?"

Qi Rong borders the border city. If this third princess is warlike by nature, then it is very likely that war will break out between the two countries again.

Shen Man needs to find out the situation clearly in order to formulate a foolproof countermeasure.

A smile flashed in Alimu's eyes: "The Third Princess is the most beloved daughter of the King of Nanzhao. Not only is she outstanding in appearance, but she is also gentle and charming. She and His Highness the Crown Prince are truly a match made in heaven."

Shen Man smiled and sincerely wished, "That's good. With such a wonderful partner, Prince Danzeng will surely be happy and fulfilled in the future."

"Doesn't Lord Ding plan to attend the ceremony in Qirong? His Highness said that the wedding banquet would only be truly complete if Lord Ding could attend in person."

Alimu stroked the wolf-head wedding invitation, his gaze carrying a hint of probing.

Shen Man picked up her teacup, the celadon glaze reflecting her frank expression: "Your Excellency may not know, but these past few days the border town has been preparing for the summer flood defense, and the river repair project has reached a critical juncture. As the lord of the city, I really cannot spare the time."

However, I will prepare a wedding gift for His Highness Danzeng and send it to Qirong at the wedding.

Shen Man was worried that her trip to Qirong would once again give Danzeng different ideas.

She knew all too well what Tenzin's feelings for her were like. If she went there herself, it would only rekindle his hope, which was not the outcome she wanted.

It's better not to meet than to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

Although Alimu was somewhat disappointed, he knew that Shen Man's words were true, and nodded, saying, "In that case, I will report to His Highness the Crown Prince truthfully when I return. His Highness will surely be very pleased with Lord Ding's congratulatory gift."

After seeing Alimu off, Shen Man began preparing a congratulatory gift. Knowing Danzeng's preferences well, she pondered for a moment and then came up with an idea.

She sent someone to find a precious piece of mutton fat jade and invited the city's top jade carving master to carve it into a pair of lifelike wolf-shaped jade pendants.

Wolves hold a special place in the Qirong culture, and this pair of jade pendants is both exquisite and in line with Qirong customs.

In addition, she also specially prepared a box of weapons unique to the border town.

These weapons were all meticulously crafted by her arsenal for two purposes: first, as a congratulatory gift to Danzeng to express her sentiments; and second, to demonstrate the military strength of the border city government and serve as a deterrent to those with ill intentions.

After everything was prepared, Shen Man selected a reliable subordinate in the government office, handed over the congratulatory gift to him, and repeatedly instructed him to deliver the gift to Qi Rong and personally hand it over to Dan Zeng.

In addition, she personally wrote a letter and had her subordinates deliver it to Tang Yu in the border town military camp, asking him to select a small team from the Meng family army to escort the congratulatory gifts.

The subordinate accepted the order and left. Shen Man watched his departing figure, silently praying that Danzeng's wedding would go smoothly and that he could spend a wonderful life with the third princess of Nanzhao.

Three days later, Meng Zhuo rushed back to the border town from the capital. When he passed through the border town government, he made a special trip to the government office to look for Shen Man.

Upon hearing that Meng Zhuo had arrived, Shen Man hurriedly went out to greet him.

Upon seeing Meng Zhuo, she immediately smiled and asked, "Uncle Meng, why are you back so soon? Did things go smoothly?"

"It went very smoothly. His Highness the Crown Prince not only overturned my father's case and restored his official position, but also posthumously conferred upon him the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, and rebuilt my family's mansion."

When I returned, construction on the new mansion had already begun. By the way, Man'er, is your mother here?