Just as the wedding banquet was about to end, the emperor spoke again.
"Have the Xie family arrived?"
Soon, several people came before the emperor and knelt down.
"The head of the family is unwell and unable to attend the princess's wedding banquet. Please forgive him, Your Majesty."
"I will not blame your master. I am relieved that the Xie family did not get involved or cause me any trouble this time."
Go back and inform your patriarch to come to the capital in three days; I intend to bestow honors upon him.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty." The group kowtowed in gratitude and then hurriedly left.
Those present knew that the emperor's invitation to the Xie family to receive their reward was definitely not a good thing; they were lucky to have survived.
Without the Peng family's support, the Xie family was nothing.
The next day, the Crown Prince led 5,000 troops to the territory of the Peng family to carry out a purge.
Li Ru requested to go, even though it was during his wedding, nothing was more important than state affairs.
The emperor was very impressed and immediately agreed.
The Crown Prince and Li Ru led 5,000 troops to the territory of the Peng family to wipe out their remaining forces.
A few days later, the Peng family's influence was completely eliminated, and more than thirty key figures were arrested and brought back to the capital to be dealt with personally by the emperor.
The emperor dealt very harshly with the Peng family, but he was lenient with the Xie family.
The imperial court nationalized all of the Xie family's properties, but did not exterminate them.
The destruction of the two major powers in the Golden Kingdom finally allowed the royal family to hold their heads high.
On this day, the emperor held a grand banquet, inviting Zhao Xian, Li Xue, and other important members of the royal family to attend.
At the banquet, the emperor was filled with emotion. In just a few days, the Kingdom of Jindian had undergone tremendous changes, all thanks to the envoys from the Celestial Empire.
It seems that everything is the will of Heaven. The emperor told Zhao Xian that after returning to his country, he should report to the emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty that the Kingdom of Jindian is a friendly neighbor of the Great Northern Dynasty and will never betray it.
Zhao Xian was overjoyed. He had come to Jindian Kingdom with Princess Li Xue to search for Li Ru, but unexpectedly, he not only found Li Ru, but also helped Li Ru marry the princess of Jindian Kingdom.
Even more excitingly, with his participation, the Kingdom of Golden Dian eliminated its internal troubles and became a normal country.
The greatest gain from this trip was that the Kingdom of Jindian became an ally of the Great Northern Dynasty.
Zhao Xian calculated the days; he and Li Xue had been in Jindian for over a month, and they had taken care of everything they needed to do, so it was time to go back.
The fact that Li Ru and Li Xue were returning meant that Li Ru would also have to take Princess Ru Xue back to the Great Northern Dynasty. This made the Emperor and Empress very reluctant, but their daughter was ultimately leaving them to go to the Celestial Empire. They should be happy.
Zhao Xian set his return date for three days later, and the emperor immediately arranged for people to begin preparations. The first thing to consider was to send a generous gift to the emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty.
The situation in the Kingdom of Jindian has now been stabilized. The royal family possesses a large number of rare treasures, which are no longer of much use. It would be better to select some to give to the emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty.
With this in mind, the emperor began to organize his treasures, selecting some valuable gifts that filled five large boxes.
Of course, the emperor did not forget Zhao Xian and Li Xue, and gave them many rare treasures. Even Sun Heng was rewarded with a large amount of gold and silver, which made Sun Heng rich overnight.
The day of departure finally arrived. The civil and military officials and members of the royal family of the Kingdom of Jindian lined up to see them off, and they only returned to the city after the group had left the capital.
For the Empress, she was both excited and saddened. Her daughter had married a prince from a powerful celestial country and found a good home.
But what she finds hard to accept is that her daughter has married far away, and she may never see her again in this lifetime.
Three days later, the group arrived in Sun Heng's hometown. Sun Heng was returning home in glory, and the emperor rewarded him with a large box of gold and silver treasures, which made people envious.
Sun Heng was very generous. He distributed most of the wealth bestowed upon him by the emperor to his fellow villagers, keeping only a small portion for himself.
Zhao Xian appreciated this greatly. Since he had plenty of money, he also took out some silver and gave it to Sun Heng.
They stayed overnight in the village and prepared to set off the next day, crossing the valley back to the Great Northern Dynasty.
The whole village came out to see them off, and Sun Heng was especially reluctant to part. Seeing Zhao Xian and the others about to leave, Sun Heng even shed tears.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian couldn't help but laugh. He pulled Sun Heng aside and said:
“Sun Heng, you are a man, this is not good. When you went to the palace this time, the emperor was very impressed with you. He hopes that you can enter the court as an official. In the Kingdom of Jindian, there is no official who is a descendant of the Great Northern Dynasty.”
This matter is up to you. You are still young and not yet of age to serve as an official. From now on, you should gain more experience, improve yourself, and enhance your abilities.
Even if you later enter the imperial court, the emperor cannot protect you forever. Everything depends on yourself. Be honest and upright, work for the benefit of the people, and do things that are good for the country.
Sun Heng listened attentively, nodding repeatedly, and began to plan his life.
Next, the group began to traverse the valley. Although they had crossed safely last time, they still dared not let their guard down and made thorough preparations for crossing the valley again.
It wasn't as hot as it had been last time; after all, more than a month had passed, and the valley was noticeably cooler.
Zhao Xian knew that as the temperature dropped, the probability of miasma appearing in the valley would decrease significantly. Even so, he still asked everyone to remain highly vigilant.
Two days later, they crossed the valley, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Ru turned around, looking at the valley entrance, his mind filled with thoughts. Ten years ago, his warhorse was startled and wandered into this valley, experiencing a near-death experience, and now it had finally returned.
It took him a full ten years to go back and forth. Looking back now, he still has to thank the people who picked up the corpses back then. If they hadn't taken him away from the valley, he would have been a pile of bones long ago.
Even if I later became mentally disabled and went through so much suffering, what does it matter? As long as I'm alive, that's better than anything else.
At this moment, Princess Ruxue walked over, looked at Li Ru with deep affection, and said:
"My lord, is this the place from which you entered the valley and arrived at the Kingdom of Golden Rice?"
Li Ru nodded and said:
"Yes, ten years ago, Heaven arranged for me to do something: to meet the princess and marry her back to the Great Northern Dynasty. I never thought I would be so stupid that it would take me ten years to accomplish this task."
If it weren't for the help of Lord Shaoqing and my sister, it might have taken another ten years. By then, we would truly be too old.
The princess smiled and said, "There's nothing I can do. This is the arrangement of Heaven. Even if it takes twenty years, let alone ten, I will wait."
Zhao Xian overheard their whispered conversation and couldn't help but sigh, realizing that the ancients were indeed unwavering in their devotion to love.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
