Chapter 306 You Are Free
After meeting Xiao Zhuo, Emperor Ming of Qi returned to the capital the next day.
After seeing off Emperor Qi Ming, Shen Yuexi and Su Mo worked hard for a week and finally finished gluing the hot air balloon on the eve of Chinese Valentine's Day.
While Su Mo was resting, Shen Yuexi secretly asked Daxiong to build a new hot air balloon to replace the original one.
Su Mo hopes to fly into the sky on a hot air balloon she made with her own hands. She admires this kind of perseverance and determination, but if the hot air balloon has an accident and falls in the air, it will be no joke. It is the insurance policy that Big Bear made.
With her previous experience of hot air ballooning, Shen Yuexi made some manual improvements this time. The burner of the alcohol stove can be adjusted in size, so that the height of the hot air balloon can be controlled at any time.
The next step is to heat it up to see if there is any leakage.
When the people in the palace heard that the hot air balloon was ready, they all came to see it.
Shen Yuexi asked more than ten maids to carefully carry the hot air balloon to the open square in the palace, unfold it, and then light the alcohol stove.
Heated by the flames, the hot air balloon slowly expanded until it became larger than a house, pulling the huge basket into the air and pulling the ropes on the ground straight. Among the people watching, some screamed excitedly, some exclaimed in amazement, and Su Mo jumped and danced with joy, hugging her.
"That's great, sister-in-law, we really made a hot air balloon."
Xiao Zhuo looked at the hot air balloon and said, "Yuexi, this hot air balloon seems to be bigger than the last one."
"We made a bigger one specially, so it can seat four people," Shen Yuexi said to Xiao Zhuo with a smile, then turned to everyone and said, "Tomorrow night, we can take a hot air balloon to the sky to watch it."
Everyone looked up at the night sky with fascination.
"Sister, can we fly to the Magpie Bridge and see the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?" Chen Lan asked.
Mei Dai also looked at the huge hot air balloon and echoed, "Yeah, I want to know that too."
Shen Yuexi smiled and said, "Sisters, this hot air balloon can only fly to a certain height. It definitely can't fly as high as the Magpie Bridge."
Although she knew that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl did not exist, she did not want to ruin everyone's beautiful imagination, so she made an excuse that the balloon could not fly that high.
"Even though we can't see the Weaver Girl, we'll be very happy if we can fly to the sky to take a look," said Mei Dai.
"Everyone, come here," Shen Yuexi grabbed the edge of the hanging basket and climbed in. She poked her head out and said to everyone, "I'll teach you how to adjust the flame. It's very simple, it's just..."
As they were speaking, a maid ran into the square and said, "Princess An, the Secret Guard Commander Qiang Lin and Miss Li have returned."
"Qiang Lin is back?"
Shen Yuexi jumped out of the hanging basket, greeted everyone, and ran to the front hall happily.
Li Wan had fled with Qiang Lin, and Madam Li was furious. Now that she and Qiang Lin were back, wouldn't Madam Li fly into a rage? She had to rush to the scene before things got out of hand.
Just as he ran to the corridor outside the front hall, he heard Mrs. Li's laughter in the front hall.
"...My son-in-law is handsome and can protect my Wan'er... He's from an outsider... What's wrong with being from an outsider? Wan'er and him are a perfect match... From now on, I'll rely entirely on my son-in-law."
"The old lady is right. She has a good eye." Xia Lan's voice sounded at the right time.
Shen Yuexi was completely confused.
Previously, because Li Wan ran off with Qiang Lin, Madam Li was furious. Why did her attitude suddenly take a 180-degree turn?
She turned through the side door and saw Xia Lan and a group of maids surrounding Madam Li, chattering incessantly. Madam Li, beaming, raised her hand, admiring the dark green jade bracelet on her wrist. Li Wan and Qiang Lin sat in their seats, sipping tea. Dozens of carriages were parked at the foot of the front hall steps, and Western Rong soldiers were coming and going, unloading gifts from the carriages.
Seeing Shen Yuexi coming, Qiang Lin quickly stood up, walked in front of her and bowed, saying, "Master, I'm back."
Shen Yuexi looked him up and down and said with a smile, "Qiang Lin, you got a promotion?"
No wonder Madam Li couldn't stop praising him; it turned out Qiang Lin's attire had changed. Shen Yuexi had only seen this attire on King Doma.
Did Qiang Lin become the king of Western Rong?
Upon closer inquiry, she discovered that this was indeed the case. The King of Qianglin, seeing the harmonious relationship between his tribe and Dayan, had originally intended to refrain from war. However, King Duoma refused, forcing him to send troops to assist. Negotiations failed, leading to civil war, and the King of Qianglin was severely injured. Later, upon seeing Qianglin's return, the King, due to his ability to serve as a link between Dayan and the Western Rong, promoted him to his successor, appointing him as the leader of the tribe.
Now Qianglin has become the ruler of the tribe. The entire tribe, with a population of about 30,000, is migrating towards Shengjing.
After Qiang Lin finished recounting what had happened, he said to Shen Yuexi, "Master, I made this decision without your consent. I hope you will accept our tribe."
Shen Yuexi pretended to have a stern face and said, "You've done a lot of things without my consent."
The Xirong settlement north of Shengjing, numbering approximately 10,000 people, has established a harmonious relationship with the people of Dayan. The two sides trade cattle, sheep, furs, and other Xirong specialties, while Shengjing in turn sells various goods from Dayan to the Xirong. This community is expected to grow, and in the future, a Xirong town will exist north of Shengjing. She is very pleased to see this peaceful coexistence between the two sides.
She pulled Li Wan over and said to Qiang Lin, "When did you trick my cousin away? Tell me now."
She was also a little curious. When did these two people make eye contact?
Qiang Lin lowered her head, not daring to answer. Li Wan shyly pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "To be honest, cousin, it was when we went to look for General Jia..."
"Ah, so early?" Shen Yuexi thought carefully about what happened at that time.
It had to be said that feelings truly blossomed in an instant. She couldn't quite pinpoint the exact moment. But judging by the happy expressions on Qiang Lin and Li Wan's faces, their relationship was truly strong.
"...I'll go find my mother-in-law right now and arrange the wedding as soon as possible." Madam Li instructed Xia Lan happily.
While everyone was busy, Shen Yuexi gathered Qiang Lin and a group of secret guards.
"Qiang Lin, you will be the king of the Xirong tribe in the future, and you will also marry my cousin. You are no longer suitable to be my bodyguard," Shen Yuexi said. "Can the oath between us be dissolved?"
Qianglin has become the king of Xirong. If he continues to serve her as a slave, he will not be able to manage the entire tribe.
Qiang Lin was deeply moved by Shen Yuexi's words and said to her, "Master, I am deeply touched that you are so considerate of me. If I want to break this oath, I need you to give me a lock of hair and clearly tell me to break this oath."
He had become the king of the Xirong tribe, so it was indeed unsuitable for him to continue serving Shen Yuexi as a subordinate. However, as long as Shen Yuexi didn't mention it, he couldn't take the initiative to ask for it. Now that Shen Yuexi took the initiative to bring it up, he was pleasantly surprised.
When she heard that she had to cut her hair, Shen Yuexi felt a little distressed.
The Xirong people cut their hair when they swore an oath, and she was reluctant. But knowing she had to do it, she stopped hesitating and asked Qiang Lin for a small knife. After searching for a long time, she made a cross and carefully cut off two poorly maintained hairs...
Holding her hair, Shen Yuexi said to Qiang Lin, "From today on, you and your secret guards are no longer bound by the oath. You are free."
Qiang Lin knelt on the ground, took her hair and knife, and said to Shen Yuexi:
"Princess An, we all see the kindness you have shown our tribe. If there is a war in the future, my tribe will fully support you and will never retreat, no matter your command."
His tribe had broken with King Doma, and survival in the Western Rong region was difficult. Now that they had arrived in Shengjing, the entire tribe was able to survive. He felt even more grateful to Shen Yuexi.
Shen Yuexi smiled and said, "Okay, this matter is resolved. Let everyone rest, and you and Li Wan will come to see the hot air balloon together."
"What is a hot air balloon?" Qiang Lin touched the back of his head.
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