Selecting an auspicious day, Yan Sikong went to present the betrothal gift.

He personally led the court officials, brought a decent betrothal gift to the palace, and delivered it to the outside of the Meridian Gate.

On the day after the proposal of marriage, according to old customs, Emperor Zhaowu should have brought the Empress, Concubine Xian and other relatives and several important ministers to hold a banquet in Zhonghe Hall to entertain Yan Sikong's relatives. However, Yan Sikong had no relatives and even his only teacher had passed away. Therefore, Emperor Zhaowu changed the banquet into a family dinner and entertained Yan Sikong alone.

This was the first time Yan Sikong met Feng Jianping's sister and his mother-in-law, Concubine Xian. Concubine Xian was born in a noble family, not only was she beautiful, but she was also talented. No wonder she was loved by Emperor Zhaowu in the past. However, the Feng family was charged with treason, and Emperor Zhaowu did not kill her because he thought of her years of service and the fact that she had given birth to a princess. Her future was destined to be difficult.

Concubine Xian looked extremely pale, and even the finest rouge could not hide her paleness and fatigue. She was also very cold towards Yan Sikong. As her only daughter was about to get married, she seemed distracted. Yan Sikong saw it and sighed silently in his heart.

Emperor Zhaowu praised Yan Sikong generously during the banquet, but like Xie Zhongren, his words were full of thorns. Yu Ji also echoed the praises and criticized Yan Sikong, clearly still concerned about the fact that he was Yan Zilian's student.

Yan Sikong was such a shrewd person that he wanted to please people, so he even made friends with the notoriously unsophisticated Shen Hexuan. To appease an emperor who was greedy for pleasure was as easy as taking candy from a sack. So a family dinner somewhat dispelled Emperor Zhaowu's suspicion of this prince consort, and he became increasingly satisfied with him.

When leaving the palace, Yan Sikong and Zhu Lanting passed each other. They looked at each other meaningfully. Zhu Lanting's sharp eyes were full of inquiry, but in the end he said nothing. Yan Sikong nodded slightly and strode away.

Since the conversation at Xie Zhongren's birthday banquet that day, Zhu Lanting has not taken any action. This is better than anything else. Yan Sikong has no time to care about what Zhu Lanting wants to do at this moment. As long as Feng Ye can be rescued, nothing else matters.

——

In the blink of an eye, it was the eve of the wedding.

The day before the surrender, the eunuchs delivered Princess Wanyang's dowry to the Yan Mansion in a grand manner. Yan Sikong led the entire mansion to kneel and greet them. The mansion had already been decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and was spotless, just waiting to marry the princess the next day.

After Yan Sikong received her wedding dowry, she also had to check the guest list and the banquet, and verify the return gifts after the landing the next day. She was busy until nightfall, and only then was she able to get away from the crowd and return to her own bedroom.

She Jun had been sneaking in for a long time. When he saw him, he joked, "You are too busy, my Lord."

Yan Sikong sat down in the chair and pressed his swollen brows: "Are you ready?"

"Well, everything will go according to plan tomorrow."

Yan Sikong said in a deep voice: "If there is any accident, kill them without mercy."

She Jun sensed something: "You seem to be worried about something."

Yan Sikong mocked, "Tomorrow is my wedding day, and we are going to rob the most heavily guarded prison in the world. What do you think I should be worried about?"

"No, your tone just now was a little off." She Jun looked at him without blinking, "Is there something wrong?"

"She Jun, when did you know me so well?" Yan Sikong smiled bitterly.

"We have known each other for nearly twenty years. I have seen countless faces of yours. I understand you, so what's so strange about that?" She Jun paused and continued, "I am probably the person who knows you best in the world."

Yan Sikong sighed and told She Jun about Zhu Lanting.

She Jun's face was solemn: "I have heard of this man's name. Although he is an official, he has a generous personality and likes to make friends with people from all walks of life. He is also very skilled in martial arts. I didn't expect that he would discover me..."

"This guy is very good at Qinggong. He followed me at least two or three times, but I didn't notice him even once. I was really careless."

"But he also said that the man in black that night was not him?"

Yan Sikong nodded: "I asked tentatively. Since he has already revealed his cards to me, there is really no need to hide this matter. It seems that he really doesn't know. Who is that mysterious man in black..."

"I have sent people to investigate for many days, but found nothing. I have absolutely no clue. If he was Xie Zhongren's man, you would have been dead by now. But if he was not Xie Zhongren's man, who could it be?"

Yan Sikong waved his hands and said, "Forget it. We have no time to care about him now. Zhu Lanting did not make trouble, but planned to wait and see. Now that the eunuch party has seized power, the Zhu family, as relatives by marriage, are increasingly excluded. He is also very depressed. In addition, he was implicated in the case of Concubine Hui and was demoted. He is very resentful of Xie Zhongren. As long as we do not affect the safety of the royal family, he should not take any action for the time being."

"I'm not too worried about him, but I have to be more careful. I'm afraid we'll run into the guards tomorrow. Besides, after the incident, Zhu Lanting will definitely guess that it was us who did it."

"That's what I guessed." Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes, "Now, I can't care so much."

She Jun was silent for a while, then threw the teacup in his hand over to Yan Sikong, who caught it.

She Zhun was about to speak, but Yan Sikong stopped him: "Don't persuade me anymore, I won't leave, and I will do everything according to the plan tomorrow."

"I can go and kill Xie Zhongren." She Zhun whispered, "I have an irreconcilable feud with that bastard. You don't have to bear it all alone."

"I am not alone." Yan Sikong forced a smile, "There is also you, and the thousands of innocent people who were persecuted by him, but there must be someone to disintegrate his power and clip his wings. Otherwise, even if you can get past the guards and take his life, if Xie Zhongren dies, there will be another traitor to take his place."

"Do you overestimate yourself?" She Jun said coldly, "Even the chief minister of the inner cabinet and the generals with great achievements have been defeated by him. If you stay to fight him, it will be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"I neither look down upon nor underestimate others. I just walk the path I want to walk." Yan Sikong stood up, looked at the bright moon outside the window, and said calmly, "What if I try to stop a chariot with my arms? I have nothing to lose."

"Even if I never see Feng Ye again?"

Yan Sikong felt a pang of pain in his heart, and his body trembled slightly. He murmured, "Even if... I can never see Feng Ye again."