When He Yan returned home, it was already very late at night.

He Yunsheng told her about Bai Rongwei's visit to the mansion. When He Yan heard that they had even chosen an auspicious date, she couldn't help but be startled: "After the New Year?"

"Yes," He Yunsheng looked at her expression, "Do you also think it's too hasty?"

"Not really," He Yan replied, "It's just that the court has been busy lately, and the envoy from Wutuo just arrived in the capital today. The next two months will be very busy, so how can Xiao Jue and I have the time to prepare for our wedding?"

He Yunsheng frowned: "Don't you think it's too fast?"

"It's not that bad." He Yan said, "Your Majesty has granted me a marriage, so I will have to get married sooner or later. What does it matter?"

"It's your marriage after all," He Yunsheng said with a headache, "Can you at least show some appreciation?"

He Yan felt that this was unnecessary.

In her previous life, when she got married, she also returned to the capital and exchanged identities with He Rufei before getting married soon after. Time was tight, but the He family had already arranged everything, from dowry to wedding clothes, she didn't worry about it at all. I don't know if other women got married in the same way, but in my memory, getting married was just changing from one family to another.

He Sui scolded He Yunsheng, "Your sister knows what's going on. Why are you so worried?" He looked at He Yan and asked, "Yanyan, when Grandma Xiao came over today, she said that the betrothal gifts were ready. You are an official, so after you marry into the He family, you don't have to visit her every morning and evening. You can still live the same as before. As for your dowry, Dad has already saved some for you. Of course, our family can't compare to the Xiao family, but you don't have to be ashamed and upset about it. Our daughter will have her own salary after she gets married, every month, isn't it better than dowry?"

"However, there is one last thing," He Sui shook his head, "You have been in Liangzhou for so long, and your wedding dress has not been embroidered yet. It is too late to embroider it yourself after getting married... There are several outstanding embroiderers in Shuojing City. If you like any of them, Dad will ask her to sew your wedding dress for you. It should be in time."

"That shouldn't be cheap, right?" He Yan asked.

"My daughter is getting married, so of course she wants the best." He Sui said nonchalantly, "Dad has plenty of money."

"I'm not short of money either." He Yan said, "I have my own ideas about the wedding dress, so don't worry about it, Dad."

"But……"

"It's my own marriage, so of course I have the final say." He Yan stood up, "Dad, do you even want to choose the wedding dress for your daughter?"

"That's not what I meant." He Sui said hurriedly. When he saw He Yan's gaze, he gave up again and said, "Forget it. If you think it's good, then it's fine. However, when you choose an embroiderer, you must tell Dad so that Dad can invite one for you."

"Got it." He Yan looked outside and said, "It's getting late, Dad, you and Yunsheng should go to bed early too."

After she washed up, Qingmei came into the room and took away the hot water basin, saying, "If the auspicious date is set, the girl will get married after the New Year. Why do you look like you are not nervous at all?"

"Getting married is not like going to the battlefield," He Yan laughed, "What's there to be nervous about?"

"You are too careless, young lady," Qingmei muttered, "What about the wedding dress? Have you ever thought about what you will look like when you wear the wedding dress and marry Governor Xiao?"

He Yan was slightly startled.

When she married Xu Zhiheng in her previous life, the wedding dress prepared by the He family for her was actually quite gorgeous and exquisite. However, He Yan always felt a little uncomfortable when she looked at herself in the mirror wearing a bridal tiara and a red robe. The scars under the exquisite dress would always be seen by others, and what she had to accept was the unknown future of living as a woman in a strange mansion.

Even though I was looking forward to it, deep down in my heart, I was actually afraid.

now……

She was no longer afraid of getting married. Perhaps it was because Xiao Jue had promised her that even after marrying into the Xiao family, she would not have to sacrifice anything and could be her true self.

Seeing that He Yan didn't say anything, Qing Mei thought that He Yan was finally shy, so she smiled with relief and went out with the hot water basin. The sound of the door closing startled He Yan, and she came back to her senses and lay down on the bed. Suddenly she remembered something and took out the black jade with snake pattern from her underwear.

Under the lights at night, the black jade exuded a cool yet moist warmth. After giving her the jade Xiaojue, He Yan tied it around her waist for fear of it falling off, so she found a rope to string it together and hung it around her neck as a necklace.

A beautiful wedding dress would definitely cost a lot of money. He Sui and He Yunsheng were already stretched to the limit for her marriage, and they wondered if they would let her pay for the jade at the embroidery shop for Xiao Jue's sake.

However...if this matter gets out, not only will her own reputation be ruined, but Xiao Jue's reputation will also be tarnished.

Still no use.

He Yan put the jade pendant back in place and turned over.

Throughout the ages, getting married is indeed a money-spending matter.

…

On the mountain at night, in the empty long hall, two giant wooden tigers lay in front of the hall, as quiet as if they were asleep.

A grey pigeon fluttered its wings and landed in front of the table. Its black bean-like eyes blinked and it pecked at the red wild fruit on the porcelain plate on the table. A slender hand reached out and took off the copper tube tied to the pigeon's leg.

After a moment, the copper pipe fell to the ground with a "pop" sound. Someone yawned and asked in a daze, "What happened?"

The person who was speaking had a white, round face, and his eyes were squeezed into a slit by flesh, but he was not greasy or offensive, but rather funny and amiable. If He Yan were here, she would recognize that this person was Xiao Jue's master Lu Daichuan, who was good at sword casting and whom she had met last time.

"Hey," Lu Daichuan was stunned when he saw the gray pigeon stealing food, "There's a letter, who's it from?"

"Who else could it be? Your precious disciple." The woman holding the letter turned around, revealing a charming face.

This woman was probably in her 30s or 40s. She was not very pretty, but her eyes were charming and her lips were thin, which made her look restrained and cold. She blended these contradictions very well, and in the end, there was only an inexplicable fairy charm. With such a face, she was wearing a coarse linen shirt and her hair was tied up with a branch she picked at random. She looked like a legendary mountain ghost hiding in the mountains.

"Huai Jin is here to deliver a letter?" Lu Daichuan asked in surprise, "Why would he suddenly come to deliver a letter?"

The beautiful woman sneered, "Of course he is here to do something for us. Do you think he is here to show his concern and respect to us?"

"Of course I know he sent someone to do something." Lu Daichuan smiled and said, "What is it this time?"

"This guy is going to get married after the New Year, and his noble wife is still short of a wedding dress. Please ask me to embroider one for him." The beautiful woman said, furiously, "Is this an embroidery shop? He orders me around without mercy!"

"Oh, don't be angry." Lu Daichuan poured her a cup of tea. "After all, our Miss Ruxing was also the most famous embroiderer in the Wei Dynasty."

Ru Xing was not moved by his flattery. "You are so old now, why call me a girl? Not to mention the term embroidery girl. It was so many years ago. I am ashamed that you still remember it."

Lu Daichuan blinked his eyes, "Of course I remember. After you went up the mountain, so many people searched for your whereabouts. The legend of you is still alive in Shuojing City." Lu Daichuan said, "Your embroidery is so good that no one can find better ones in heaven or on earth. That's why Huai Jin came to you for help."

"I've never seen a disciple who can summon his master so easily." Ruxing glared at him. "You were the one who doted on him the most among us. The boy's current bad behavior is caused by your spoiled habits!"

Lu Daichuan was innocent. "The five of us are his masters together. How can you say that it was all my fault? Besides, Ruxing, do you really think that I spoiled him back then?"

Ruxing gave him a sidelong glance and said nothing.

Of course not. When Xiao Jue went up the mountain, he was very young. When he came down the mountain at the age of 14, he was still a teenager. But in the ten years in between, I am afraid that not a single day was easy. Xiao Zhongwu knew that he would shoulder the future of the Xiao family and embark on a lonely and difficult road in the future, so he asked the five of them to teach and train Xiao Jue in the most rigorous way.

Only by enduring what ordinary people cannot endure can you obtain what ordinary people cannot obtain. People in the world say that Xiao Zhongwu is very lucky. The eldest son is already so outstanding, and the second son is even better. If it weren't for his cold and hard temperament, he would have surpassed all the men in Wei. However, no one knows what kind of life Xiao Jue lived during those years in the mountains.

That was not a pleasure at all.

The masters are all human, not real gods, and they all have emotions. Sometimes they feel pity for the little kids, but they can't show it. Over time, Xiao Jue didn't feel too attached to the masters. After he came down the mountain, he didn't have much contact with them except for going up the mountain once a year.

Lu Daichuan understood very well. Who could be nice to someone who had been tortured, beaten and scolded since childhood and was thrown into a formation and locked up at any time?

Xiao Jue did not come back to retaliate, which was very good of him.

"It's all good," Lu Daichuan put his hands together, "I was worried that he had stayed in the mountains for too long and his personality had become lonely and hardened, and he might be a bachelor for the rest of his life. Now I am finally relieved. If this guy didn't get married because of our relationship, it would be a big sin. It's all good, Amitabha."

Ruxing rolled her eyes at him and said, "How's that girl?"

Lu Daichuan: "What's going on?"

"You've seen that girl, haven't you?" Ruxing asked impatiently. "The girl from the Shen family has been chasing after this guy for so many years, but he never showed any interest in her. But he fell in love with this girl and even asked me to embroider her wedding dress. I want to know what's so special about this girl," she stroked her hair, "Is she as beautiful as me?"

Lu Daichuan chuckled twice, "She is only 17 or 18 years old, in the prime of her life, and you have one foot in the ground, how can you compare?"

"Has it been a long time since you last felt beaten?" Ruxing smiled.

"I was joking," Lu Daichuan coughed lightly, "I think that girl is pretty good. You should trust Huai Jin's judgment."

"Men's vision is never true." Ruxing said with disdain.

"You have to trust the sword's vision." Lu Daichuan smiled slightly, "Huai Jin's Yin Qiu Jian, I like her very much."

"What?"

"That day she came to help Huai Jin get the repaired Yin Qiu Sword. When the sword was in her hand, I could feel that Yin Qiu Sword liked her. I have been in the mountains for many years and have seen more swords than people. Yin Qiu follows his master. Yin Qiu likes Miss Xiao He, so she must be good."

After a long silence, Ru Xing said, "Maybe the sword has been on the battlefield for too long and its mind is not clear anymore."

"It's no use saying that." Lu Daichuan said, "Do you know what you look like now? Like a wicked mother-in-law who is not happy with her bride coming home and is sarcastic and mean."

"Who are you talking about as the evil mother-in-law?" Ruxing looked at him with murderous eyes.

"I say, you should relax a little." Lu Daichuan said, "Huai Jin is a better judge of people than you and I. Since he likes Miss Xiao He, we, as elders, should support him. As for Huai Jin, although he treats us a little coldly on weekdays, you know why we have been safe and sound on the mountain for so many years without any mess. Why is that?"

Ruxing doesn't speak.

"Now that he can get married and start a family, it's worth it that General Xiao entrusted him to us." Lu Daichuan sighed.

The cool breeze in the hall reminded people of the night in the mountain. The young boy practiced sword with a cold face. As he practiced, he grew up in the blink of an eye.

Ruxing was silent for a moment, then stood up and walked out. Lu Daichuan called her, "Hey, where are you going?"

"Of course I went back!" Ru Xing gritted her teeth and said, "I helped your damn apprentice embroider the wedding dress. I really taught a debt collector. I finally managed to get out of this and send him down the mountain. Now that it's time for me to get married, he actually came back to cause trouble for me!"

"She is the best embroiderer in Wei," Lu Daichuan said with a smile from behind her, "the wedding dress she embroiders is definitely the best in the world."

"Of course," Ruxing said with a hint of smile in her voice, "I hope that girl is worthy of my craftsmanship."

…

He Yan didn't know that Xiao Jue had asked her master to embroider a wedding dress for her. Bai Rongwei sent someone to tell her that Xiao Jue was already preparing the wedding dress. He Sui and He Yunsheng were still a little uncomfortable, because it was impossible for a woman's wedding dress to be prepared by her husband's family. However, He Yan felt that Xiao Jue was very considerate. He knew that she was not good at this kind of thing, so he took care of it himself, which made her feel relieved.

The wedding date was finally set on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year.

The Xiao family's wedding invitations have been sent out, and everyone in Shuojing knows about it. The He family doesn't have that many relatives and friends. At most, there are a few friends that He Sui made on the school field when he was still a lieutenant. He Sui felt that there were not many people from her parents' side who came to watch the wedding, and she has been worried these days. He Yan didn't think it was a big deal. Getting married is not like going to fight, where the more people the better.

Besides, she didn't want to be watched like a monkey.

She put the matter of getting married aside for the time being because there were more important things at the moment.

The Uto envoy finally arrived in Beijing on this winter day.

On the first day in Beijing, Emperor Wenxuan accepted their compensation gifts and the wish for peace brought by the envoy of Wutuo.

When He Yan heard the news, she was not surprised, but she did not expect it to happen so quickly. Emperor Wenxuan was leaning towards peace, which was not a good thing for her and Xiao Jue.

He Yunsheng sat in front of He Yan and asked her, "In three days, His Majesty will hold a banquet at Tianxing Terrace. Those Wutuo people will definitely seize this opportunity to give you a good beating. Can you bear it?"

"You have to accept it even if you can't bear it," He Yan said with a bitter smile, "Your sister's official position is not so high that I can ignore the emperor's will."

The banquet at Tianxing Terrace was also held to promote the prestige of the Wei Kingdom and let those Wutuo people see clearly how rich and powerful the Wei Kingdom is. However, He Yan was a military commander, and he could not accept standing with the enemy army that massacred the people of the Wei Kingdom. He did not want to see those despicable Wutuo people showing off their power on the territory of the Wei Kingdom.

"Tell me," He Yunsheng hesitated for a moment, "Will the emperor agree to their opening of a trading post in Wei?"

Now that the news has spread to Manshuo Kyoto, it is no secret that He Yunsheng knows about it. He Yan occasionally talks to He Yunsheng about the current situation in the court. In her opinion, whether He Yunsheng is a scholar or a soldier in the future, he will most likely enter the government. It is beneficial to let him understand these things in advance.

He Yan shook his head: "I don't know."

She also asked Xiao Jue this question, and Xiao Jue only said that Emperor Wenxuan had not agreed for the time being, but it was still unknown what the situation would be in the future.

"Alas," He Yunsheng sighed deeply, "Those Wutuo people killed so many people of the Wei Dynasty. If we still welcome them in to do business, what will the dead people think? What will the soldiers who died at the hands of the Wutuo people think? It's really..." He wanted to say a few words, but the man was the emperor after all, so he couldn't comment. He had to swallow the words that were about to come out of his mouth, but there was some disappointment in his eyes.

He Yunsheng was not the only one who was disappointed.

He Yan knew very well that Emperor Wenxuan agreed to the Wutuo people's request for peace at this critical moment, which also slapped Xiao Jue in the face in another way. What about General Feng Yun? No matter how brave and invincible they were, and how victorious they were in the battle of Jiyang, as long as they could please the emperor, they could still walk into the land of Wei with open arms and even enjoy the conveniences and benefits that the merchants of Wei could not enjoy.

How ironic.

However...

Sometimes, being too smart will only end up hurting yourself. If everything goes well, Wutuo and Wei will "make peace", which will be good for He Rufei, Xu Jingfu, Xu Zhiheng, and even the ruler of Wutuo who is thousands of miles away... But it will not be good for the people of Wei, Xiao Jue, or He Yan himself.

Therefore, the blood of the soldiers who died previously cannot be shed in vain.

Emperor Wenxuan must be on guard against these cunning Utuo people and see their true colors.

Three days later at the Tianxing Terrace, He Yan lowered his eyes. By then, there would be a real excitement to watch.