Mr. and Mrs. Liu were certainly willing; nothing could be better than seeing their daughter find happiness.
Besides, since the groom's elders all agreed, they had no reason to refuse, so they readily agreed.
Madam Yu also said, "That's great, that's great! Lei Zi can hold one event in Jingzhou and one in the capital, which will save relatives and friends on both sides from having to travel back and forth, which would be too busy and delay important matters. It's that convenient!"
The matter was settled happily, and everyone got busy choosing dates for the two couples and preparing the necessary items for the wedding.
Although the elders started making arrangements for these things from the time they got engaged, there was still a lot to prepare, since it was two couples celebrating together, which meant there was even more to prepare.
The Lu family has always treated everyone equally. They did not show favoritism to Lei Zi just because they were closer to him, nor did they prepare more for him. The gifts from the elders were all given equally. As for what Lei Zi and Lu Xiaoyang wanted to buy for their future brides, that was their own business.
Lu Xiaoyang is a capable person who has saved up a lot of money over the years. He tries his best to prepare expensive things for Liu Yuexiang. Lei Zi is the same. He also has shares in the family business and receives dividends every three months. He doesn't usually have much to spend. This time, he plans to take out all his savings and then hand over the rest to Lianhua for safekeeping.
The family began making preparations for the happy occasion. Lu Xiaoyang, led by Lu Baichuan, even went to the palace to meet the emperor and recounted everything that had happened to her in Xiteng.
The emperor was particularly interested in the seeds that had been brought back and asked him to elaborate on them. Finally, he asked, "Did the Emperor of Xiteng tell you personally about the theft of the Xiteng national treasure?"
Lu Xiaoyang nodded and said, "Yes, Princess Xiteng remembers the life-saving grace of my third aunt and took good care of us in Xiteng. The Xiteng royal family also treated us as envoys. When they learned that we were coming back, they specially met with me to tell me about this and asked me to pass on the message to the Emperor."
The emperor nodded. Lu Baichuan had already told him about this, and he was just confirming it again.
What do you think of Emperor Xiteng?
Lu Xiaoyang thought for a moment and then said, "I have only met him three times. Each time he was very kind to me and did not have the majesty of an emperor. But I always felt that he was not that kind of person."
The emperor became interested: "Oh? What makes you say that?"
“Princess Xitengkaya was forced to be sent here for a political marriage. She once said that her father treated her like a precious jewel and she never dared to imagine that he would be willing to send her here for a political marriage, but he still did. Moreover, he seemed to have become a different person at the time, cold and ruthless and unyielding. Therefore, I think that Emperor Xiteng is not as simple as we see him.”
"He told me about the theft of the national treasure, perhaps hoping that I would bring the trouble back and shift those people's focus from Xiteng to Beiyan. I'm even worried that he might tell me on the surface that the national treasure was stolen, but secretly tell people that he gave it to me."
"Your Majesty, hearing is believing, we still need to verify it."
Lu Xiaoyang spoke cautiously yet boldly, which pleased the emperor greatly. He had originally thought that Lei Zi and the others who were studying were all promising talents of the Lu family, but he hadn't expected that Lu Xiaoyang was also intelligent and capable, having considered things that the emperor hadn't thought of.
"Indeed, the children of your Lu family have not disappointed me! I will have someone investigate secretly. Also, I will have Xi Teng give an explanation for your kidnapping. You will not suffer in vain."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Lu Xiaoyang kowtowed to express his gratitude, and the emperor gave him some more rewards before letting him leave the palace.
Lu Xiaoyang left on his own because the emperor had kept Lu Baichuan behind to discuss important matters.
"I believe that we should hold Xi Teng accountable for the kidnapping and secretly send people to investigate further. I believe we will have definite news soon."
Their kidnapping was originally an accident, just a dispute between a few families, but if it escalates to the national level, then the matter becomes serious.
It remains to be seen whether they can make the most of it and gain some benefits from it.
Competition exists between nations. Even though things are relatively peaceful at present, no country wants the other to be stronger than itself.
In the eyes of the Emperor of Xiteng, Beiyan is now the biggest threat. He has to appease him on one hand, and guard against his schemes on the other. It's impossible for him to be brainless.
Of the four countries, Xiteng is relatively weaker, but even so, it has managed to hold on until now, which shows its strength.
The emperor thought Lu Baichuan's idea was very good, so he used it to launch an attack. If it could cause internal strife among them, that would be best. Even if it didn't cause strife, Bei Yan could still gain some benefits from it. For Bei Yan, it would all be a win.
"Then who do you think would be the most suitable person to do this?"
The emperor looked at him expectantly, and he said, "I think the most suitable person is Lord Kang. Lord Kang is eloquent and will surely have the upper hand in the debate. However, Lady Kang is six months pregnant and needs to be taken care of. I'm afraid it would be inconvenient for Lord Kang to travel far. Perhaps His Highness Prince Jing could make the trip instead, which might alleviate his depression."
The matter concerning Baal and his companions is not so simple. First, someone needs to be sent to Emperor Xiteng to explain the situation. Then, Beiyan will send someone to escort Baal and the others over to Emperor Xiteng to seek justice and take the opportunity to investigate the Xiteng national treasure.
The matter between Prince Jing and Miss Mei has remained unresolved, causing him great distress. He has appeared dejected in recent encounters, so it would be better to assign him some more productive tasks.
The Emperor nodded: "That makes sense. Minister Kang has just returned, and there are still many things in the court that I need to assign him to do. It would be better to send Prince Jing instead. He has been so listless for so long, it's time for him to contribute something."
Prince Jing often hangs out with Lu Baichuan and the others, and he's quite eloquent. In particular, Prince Jing is skilled in martial arts, so we can be much more at ease along the way. We'll probably be targeted by assassins from the Zangxi Teng people, so sending someone capable of protecting themselves will save us a lot of trouble.
With that settled, Lu Baichuan left the palace and went to the military camp.
He knew he had to intensify military training; he had a premonition that something bad was bound to happen in the future. The stronger the army, the less suffering the people would endure.
No sooner had Lu Baichuan left than Prince Jing was summoned to the palace. He was stunned to hear that the emperor was going to send him to Xiteng.
He revealed his still-healed leg, his face full of disbelief: "No, Your Majesty, I'm still crippled! I haven't even won over my wife yet, and you're sending me to Xiteng? It'll be at least a year and a half before I come back, right? Will I even have a chance when I get back?"
He gets a cold shoulder every time he tries to get close to people, and nobody remembers him when he goes on a long trip!
"Among all these people I know, who isn't married and has a career? I'm the only one who's still single! How can you really bear to let me go?"
He immediately started acting like a spoiled child, plopping down on the main hall and refusing to get up no matter what.
emperor:……
What happened to Prince Jing after all this time?
So he immediately shifted the blame, saying, "This was Bai Chuan's suggestion."
"What kind of advice could he possibly give? He's got a wife and two children! What good advice could he possibly have? Unless he can get me to marry Miss Mei, I'm not going no matter what!"
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