Wanwan quickly returned to the main force transporting the grain, along with the pursuing assassins. The soldiers on the ship immediately realized what had happened and simply handed over all the grain to Wanwan.
"Your Highness, please take the grain and go first. We'll cover your retreat!"
Wanwan took on this heavy responsibility and hurriedly changed the river course again with the grain.
He moved quickly on his own, but once he reached the shore, it became even more difficult to shake off his pursuers. They chased him all the way to the vicinity of Xiao Qi's military camp, and they continued to pursue him relentlessly, with more and more people joining in.
On the other side, Xiao Qi was discussing the war with his subordinates in the camp when he suddenly heard a soldier report that only one woman had come to escort the military supplies, and that many assassins were chasing after her.
Xiao Qi's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition flashed through his mind. He hurriedly grabbed his bow and arrows and went outside. The other soldiers followed him out after hearing the words "military rations".
The plain stretched as far as the eye could see, with an unobstructed view. A girl dressed in black rode a white horse, galloping swiftly across the open field. Her black hair was blown about by the wind, like a piece of black silk. Behind her, less than three horses, a group of assassins were chasing after her.
As they drew closer, they drew their machetes, spurred their horses, and sped up to catch up.
Xiao Qi frowned, reached out and drew three arrows, straightened his back and lowered his shoulders, his dark eyes fierce like those of a hunting eagle, and aimed at the three closest assassins, drawing his bow to its full extent.
With a sharp whooshing sound, three arrows shot out simultaneously, and the three assassins who were about to swing their swords were hit by the arrows at the same time, rolling under the horses' bellies without even a cry.
The other assassins were stunned for a moment, and before they could react, they were hit by arrows one after another. In the blink of an eye, all the assassins around Wanwan were eliminated.
Seeing her horse approaching, Xiao Qi threw down his bow and arrows and rushed to meet it. He was so fast that his subordinates didn't even have time to stop him and could only follow behind him.
"Your Highness is in danger!" the subordinates shouted in unison.
Xiao Qi didn't answer, and sped up even more. When the horse got closer, Wanwan saw her fiancé coming and quickly pulled on the reins, leaping down and landing right in Xiao Qi's open arms.
The large cloak almost completely covered Wanwan's body. Wanwan hugged Xiao Qi's waist tightly, and Xiao Qi hugged her back. The two embraced each other in silence, neither of them saying a word.
The timing of the supplies delivered by Taiwan was perfect, as the enemy was also facing a shortage of military provisions. In the end, the battle had devolved into a contest of who could deliver their supplies first.
With the supplies secured, Xiao Qi's army immediately gained the upper hand and advanced with unstoppable momentum. The enemy suffered repeated defeats and quickly retreated, and Xiao Qi's army returned to the capital in great victory.
After the war ended, Xiao Qi returned in triumph, along with Wan Yuekui, who had joined Xiao Qi in the crucial battle against the enemy.
At the victory banquet, His Majesty granted Xiao Qi the title of Prince of Sui'an and appointed Wan Yuekui as Grand Marshal of the Army, commanding the three armies. Wan Yuechi was also appointed as a second-rank official for his great contributions in investigating the Marquis of Xining.
The Wan family suddenly gained two high-ranking officials overnight, and the prince was going to arrange a marriage between the Wan family and the Wan family. As a result, the Wan family's power was about to surpass that of the Marquis of Xining in the past. This aroused the dissatisfaction of many ministers, who began to subtly remind them at the victory banquet.
The emperor disagreed, and even indicated that if Wan Suizhou was willing, he would appoint him as the emperor's tutor.
Seeing that the emperor did not accept their opinions, the officials had no choice but to keep quiet.
Wan Suizhou felt a mix of emotions. He was already old and had no desire to continue in politics. He had not done anything in these two major events. To appoint him as the Imperial Tutor would probably make people criticize him.
After the banquet ended that night, he secretly approached the emperor to request permission to retire.
The young emperor had only recently secured his position and had no trustworthy and capable assistants by his side. Wan Suizhou was one of the few ministers with both strategic acumen and competence. If he were to leave, the young emperor would feel uncertain. The two of them kept putting each other off, neither willing to give in.
Finally, Wan Suizhou knelt down helplessly and said that nowadays, talented people emerge in every generation. Many qualified ministers are still in low positions due to the suppression by the Marquis of Xining. Promoting them would also be of great help to the emperor. He was too old and exhausted to help the emperor govern the country.
Seeing that Wan Suizhou, an elderly man in his seventies, was so earnest, the young emperor could not bear to persuade him to stay any longer and had no choice but to agree.
When Wan returned home that day, he did not mention the conversation to his family. Instead, he and Zhang Xiu began preparing for Wanwan's wedding.
The budding romance has finally blossomed into marriage. Xiao Qi was someone the Wan family had watched grow up, and they were very satisfied with him. Now that the Xiao family has been exonerated and Xiao Qi has inherited his father's title, he is even more impeccable.
Wan Suizhou, Wan Kongshan, Zhang Xiu, and Wan Yuechi were all very satisfied with the marriage. The four of them even used their savings of many years to purchase a batch of extremely expensive and rare dowry for Wanwan. Xiao Qi's betrothal gifts were also sent in.
A procession of pure white carriages, tied with red ribbons and pulled by guards, carried the betrothal gifts from morning until noon. The boxes containing the gifts were carved from the finest sandalwood, with exquisite openwork carvings and emitting the unique fragrance of sandalwood. The boxes alone were priceless.
The noble ladies in the capital were all extremely envious when they saw the grand procession of gifts arriving, and some of the bolder ones even ran alongside the procession for a while.
The boxes were piled up in the courtyard, and when they couldn't fit any more, they were piled up again. Everyone was happy except for Wan Yuekui.
Wan Yuekui, whom I hadn't seen for several years, was much taller and more robust than Wan Yuechi. Even his casual clothes showed off his muscular physique.
Due to years of fighting, his skin was tanned to a bronze color, but his face was still handsome, with three-dimensional features. He had lost his childishness, with distinct angles and firm lines. He was the kind of person who would attract a lot of attention wherever he went, but his personality was a bit rough.
He didn't have Wan Yuechi's good temper. In his eyes, it was as if his sister had been kidnapped by Xiao Qi after he had been away for a few years.
Therefore, he was seething with anger, and when Xiao Qi came to the door, he deliberately blocked the entrance with both hands to prevent him from entering.
“Kid,” Wan Yuekui stood on the steps, looking down at Xiao Qi with a slanted gaze. He clenched his fist and made a threatening cracking sound. “You can marry my sister, but I’m not comfortable entrusting her to you. Before you enter this door, let’s have a go at it.”
After saying that, he assumed an attacking stance.
"Big brother..." Wan Yuechi wanted to speak up to stop him, but Zhang Xiu gestured for him to shut up. With their mother above them, he could only obediently watch his older brother provoke his future brother-in-law.
Before Xiao Qi could agree to fight, Wan Yuekui shouted and punched him in the chest.
The fist came whistling through the air. Xiao Qi's eyes narrowed, and he dodged to the side, his wrist flicking to grab Wan Yuekui's fist. Seeing Xiao Qi's agility, Wan Yuekui quickly threw another punch.
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