On March 29th, the weather was sunny with a gentle breeze, carrying the scent of spring.
The sunlight shone on the earth, giving everything a golden glow.
Today is the wedding day of King Liang and Du Ruoxi. As King Liang's principal wife, her wedding is naturally a grand and lively affair, celebrated throughout the country.
Du Ruoxi sat in her meticulously decorated boudoir, but her heart was far from at peace.
She put on that extremely gorgeous wedding dress, as red as fire and as beautiful as the sunset, which made her fair and jade-like skin look even more delicate and charming.
However, there was a hint of worry on her delicate face.
To this day, she still feels resentful about marrying the Prince of Liang.
If things had gone smoothly that day, the groom today would have been Prince An. Where exactly did things go wrong...?
But no matter how unwilling they were, everything was already set in stone.
Du Ruoxi closed her eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the turmoil in her heart.
"Miss, His Highness has come to fetch the bride in person!" The maid Xiao Cui's voice rang out from outside the door, breaking Du Ruoxi's reverie.
She slowly opened her eyes, a complex emotion flashing across them.
"I understand," Du Ruoxi replied softly, her voice tinged with a hint of helplessness.
She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lively scene outside, but her heart was filled with turbulent emotions.
The sounds of gongs and drums, laughter, and blessings rose and fell outside the door, creating a festive atmosphere.
However, to her, these voices sounded like mockery, piercing her heart with pain.
She once dreamed of spending her life with Prince An and sharing the joys and sorrows of the world.
However, fate played a cruel joke on her, forcing her to marry the Prince of Liang. Where exactly did things go wrong?
Du Ruoxi couldn't help but recall the moment she met Prince An.
At that time, he was handsome, dashing, and incredibly talented, and she fell in love with him at first sight.
"Miss, are you ready?" Xiao Cui's voice rang out again, interrupting Du Ruoxi's thoughts.
She took a deep breath, composed herself, and then slowly walked towards the door.
Outside the gate, King Liang, dressed in red, rode a tall horse and looked exceptionally handsome.
Meanwhile, the Prince An, whom everyone was thinking about, was among the groomsmen in the wedding procession.
His gaze wandered aimlessly, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.
On the other side, Li Xi followed closely behind the wedding procession.
She never expected that she would be in charge of managing the marriage of a prince so soon after becoming a general. She felt helpless and somewhat amused at the same time.
In this bustling and vibrant capital city, who would dare to deliberately cause trouble on such a joyous day as the prince's wedding?
But the thought of enjoying a sumptuous wedding feast helped her suppress her inner turmoil.
There was a huge crowd of people in front of us, shoulder to shoulder.
Everyone was in high spirits, their faces beaming with joy, and laughter echoed throughout the room.
After the bride got into the sedan chair, the maids beside her began to scatter lucky money into the crowd.
These lucky coins fell like petals scattered by a celestial maiden, causing people to cheer and rush forward to grab them.
Seeing this, Li Xi felt a pang of anxiety and immediately became more alert, worried that something might happen during the scramble for the lucky money.
Thus, they remained highly vigilant throughout, not daring to relax their guard in the slightest.
Once she arrived safely at the Liang Prince's residence, her mission was complete, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The banquet was filled with the aroma of wine and food.
The entire Liang Prince's Mansion was filled with a festive atmosphere.
Li Xi sat upright in a corner of the banquet, and colleagues would occasionally come over to chat with her, but her mind was not on the matter.
She thought she saw a familiar face; the person was chatting happily with someone else.
It's him? I didn't expect him to be here too.
A thought struck her, and she decided to find an opportunity to follow him and see if she could glean any useful information from him.
The wedding banquet featured a sumptuous and delicious feast with a wide variety of dishes.
There are braised lion's head meatballs, which represent joy and reunion; steamed whole fish, which symbolizes auspiciousness and good fortune; and lotus seed soup, which signifies sweetness and love.
As expected, banquets bring joy. After a few cups of Shaoxing wine, Li Xi felt much more relaxed.
After the banquet ended, she returned to the palace and reported to the emperor what she had seen and heard that day.
“Your Majesty, I saw a ‘familiar face’ at Your Highness’s residence.” She wanted to investigate further.
"Oh? What's so special about this person?" The emperor put down the memorial in his hand, slightly raised his eyelids, and a hint of curiosity and inquiry flashed in his eyes.
“This man is named Zhang Bo. He is a servant in His Highness Prince Liang’s residence. However, I discovered him during a secret transaction in the martial arts world last time. It seems that he is secretly colluding with other martial arts forces.” Li Xi bowed slightly, carefully choosing his words, trying to make the matter as objective as possible.
Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.
He was well aware of the delicate relationship between the martial arts world and the imperial court, and that any collusion between them could lead to unpredictable trouble.
After a moment of silence, the emperor spoke: "Minister Li, this matter is of great importance, and you must handle it with caution. If Zhang Bozhen is indeed involved with the Jianghu forces, you must investigate thoroughly."
Li Xi respectfully replied, "Your subject obeys. However... should we inform His Highness Prince Liang beforehand? After all, Uncle Zhang is one of his men."
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "No need. Informing Prince Liang now might alert him. You only need to investigate secretly and make a conclusion after you have solid evidence."
Li Xi nodded in agreement, thinking to herself: This mission is arduous, and I must proceed with caution to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
Upon returning to his residence, Li Xi immediately began arranging the investigation.
She sent her brothers from the Hidden Sect to closely monitor Zhang Bo's every move.
Nowadays, most of the helpers she has found for the Li family are brothers from the Hidden Sect and their families.
Therefore, she can mobilize manpower more freely in the manor without worrying about being noticed by outsiders.
Hongying and Wanyue gradually got used to this place, and they took care of their granddaughter's household chores.
"Xiao Xi, look at you. You've been running around outside every day since you became an official, and you've lost weight." Wan Yue looked at Li Xi with heartache, his face full of worry.
Li Xi gently held his hand and comforted him, "Grandpa, don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy. I've just been quite busy lately. Once I'm done with this, I'll spend some quality time with you and Grandma."
Upon hearing this, Wan Yue smiled slightly, but also with a hint of worry: "Xiao Xi, your maternal grandfather knows you are a child with your own opinions, but there are some things you still need to be careful about."
"Alright, old man, Xiaoxi is now a favorite of the Emperor, and there are some things she has to do." Hongying sighed, lamenting the child's unfortunate fate.
So whenever she had time, she would pass on all her knowledge to her granddaughter, giving her a wide range of skills.
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