Ink panel: Hunting the sun and surveying the sky from the bow.

"I see that the two of them have been secretly in love for a long time, but they have never broken the window paper. Today, I just brought Huangfu Rou here to give them a push."

Princess Yuzhen closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, thinking about something in her heart, muttering to herself: "Looking at their performance today, it should be almost certain. If this thing succeeds, it will be a good thing. I have to ask my brother to grant me a marriage."

Thinking of this, Princess Yuzhen felt her legs were a little weak. She told her servants, "Please return to the palace. I want to see my brother."

She is different from Ji Zikong. Compared with Ji Zikong's style of suppressing others with strength and being the only one who does things, she prefers to be "charitable and make friends" in order to win people's hearts.

"According to my brother's overbearing temper, he will not do anything without profit. This time he changed his mind and made him a marquis. I don't know what he wants to gain from him. I hope you can give me a favor and do me a small favor."

After about a cup of tea's time, the chariot entered the palace.

The sound of wheels rolling over bluestone slabs echoed in the empty palace road and stopped near the Soul-Cultivating Hall.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted slightly, and Princess Yuzhen's hairpins trembled lightly, as if she had stepped down from the carriage like a fairy, and she walked lightly towards the Yangling Palace.

When I stepped into the Soul Nurturing Hall, I saw Ji Zikong sitting upright on the dragon throne, meditating.

Next to him was another table, where the eunuch He Yong, who held the seal, was busy handling government affairs.

"My royal brother, how are you? Yuzhen has come to pay her respects." Princess Yuzhen's voice was as gentle as jade, with a hint of imperceptible respect, which made Ji Zikong's tense face soften a little unconsciously.

Ji Zikong looked at Princess Yuzhen and asked with a smile, "Speaking of which, Yuzhen, you haven't been here for a while. You suddenly came to visit me today. Do you have something to ask me?"

Princess Yuzhen's eyes curved into crescents, she smiled with her hands covering her mouth, "I knew I would lose the chance to hide it from my brother. Yuzhen came here today, not only to pay respects, but also to ask for a favor."

Ji Zikong raised his eyebrows slightly, seeming to be quite interested in what Princess Yuzhen wanted: "Oh? What could make my sister so serious?"

Princess Yuzhen smiled and said, "It's about the marriage of Shen Qing and Huangfu Rou. A few days ago, Shen Qing was made a marquis by my brother, and he was very popular for a while. Huangfu Rou and I are familiar with each other. I know what they are thinking, so I dare to ask my brother to grant them a marriage so that they can be together."

Ji Zikong frowned slightly when he heard this, obviously considering it seriously.

Huangfu Rou was born in the Huangfu family. Now, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Huangfu family is basically struggling to survive under his suppression. He is just using them for his own benefit.

As for Shen Qing, in his eyes, he was nothing more than a lackey and a sharp blade used to weaken groups such as martial artists.

The two of them are a perfect match for each other.

Now that Shen Qing has achieved success and fame, anyone with a discerning eye can see that he has a bright future ahead of him.

The only thing is that his family background is a little weak.

If he did not impose restrictions, it would be troublesome for him if other noble families wanted to win him over and form marriage alliances with him.

Now that chaos is about to come, he doesn't want to spend too much energy on the court.

What Princess Yuzhen proposed was exactly what he wanted.

After a moment, Ji Zikong slowly said, "Marriage is a big deal and should not be taken lightly. However, since my sister has made the request, I believe everything has been discussed. I will agree to it and let the queen take care of it when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Princess Yuzhen bowed and thanked him immediately: "Thank you so much for your help, my brother! I would like to thank you on their behalf first."

"Is there anything else, Imperial Sister?"

"No more. Long live your majesty. I will take my leave."

After the banquet arranged by Shen Qing ended, the guests left one after another with their own thoughts.

The rumor about Princess Yuzhen acting as matchmaker for Shen Qing spread quietly among the major families like a spring breeze.

In the Li family's study.

Li Yi, wearing a brocade robe and with a handsome face, stood in front of the desk and told Li Zhentian in detail what he had seen and heard today.

Li Zhentian sat on the armchair behind the desk, stroking his long beard with his hand, his eyes deep.

After listening to Li Yi's narration, he frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

After a while, he said, "Xiao Jiu, it seems that your stepping stone is getting higher and higher. It may be difficult for you to catch up with him. Fortunately, you took the initiative to be humble and let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, we would have created a powerful enemy for our Li family in vain."

Li Yi opened his mouth to defend himself, but the facts were in front of him and he swallowed the words back.

He bowed his head and said sincerely: "It's all because of my father's wisdom."

Li Zhentian glanced at Li Yi and asked seriously, "Do you remember the eight words I told you?"

Li Yi said solemnly: "Trembling with fear, as if walking on thin ice."

"By the way, just for this matter, you should remember these eight words firmly in your mind and never act recklessly in the future."

"I've learned my lesson." Li Yi said with a serious expression.

He was able to break through to the Soul Realm at the age of less than 20, but he asked himself honestly that it was impossible for him to do it.

At this moment, Li Yi completely let go of his prejudice against Shen Qing and calmly accepted the current situation.

Li Zhentian kept thinking and said to himself: "Shen Qing is young and promising, but his family background is relatively weak. If we can establish some relationship with him, it will be of great benefit to both him and our Li family. But..."

When Li Zhentian said this, he paused, as if he was weighing something.

Li Yi's heart was moved when he saw this. He knew that his father had heard what Princess Yuzhen had done and was planning to sacrifice his sisters of the same generation to win over Shen Qing.

"Let me ask you, do you know what kind of woman Lord Shen likes?"

Li Yi recalled carefully and vaguely discovered that when Shen Qing saw Princess Yuzhen and Huangfu Rou, his eyes would occasionally fall on their breasts and buttocks.

He answered without hesitation: "Big breasts, big buttocks, good at bearing children, beautiful woman."

Li Zhentian nodded to show his understanding. He instructed: "Find a clan girl who is closely related to Shen Qing and of similar age. Select her according to this standard and make her willing to marry Shen Qing as a concubine."

"My child, let's do it now."

A few days later, an imperial edict from the harem reached the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion.

Just as Princess Yuzhen said, the Queen officially granted the marriage and betrothed Huangfu Rou to him.

At the same time, in a remote branch of the Li family, a clan woman named Li Yuyao was also selected.

She was beautiful and gentle, and had been well-read since childhood with outstanding talent.

After being carefully dressed up, she was escorted to the Wu'an Marquis Mansion by a capable team.

Night falls and the moonlight is like a silver thread.

The back door of Wu'an Marquis Mansion looks particularly quiet in the night.

Li Yuyao was dressed in gorgeous clothes and wearing pearls and jade on her head. She was sitting in a carriage, surrounded by a group of guards dressed in black with stern faces.

Her eyes were full of anxiety and fear. Shen Qing stood at the door, his brows furrowed, his eyes full of surprise and confusion.

He had never expected that Li Yi, a young man from an aristocratic family with whom he had always had a grudge, would send his cousin to his house in such a grand manner in the middle of the night.

"Lord Shen, how are you?" Li Yi approached on a majestic warhorse and said, "I am sorry to come to visit you tonight, but I have something to ask of you."

Shen Qing had a general impression of this young man. He said calmly, "Mr. Li, why can't you just talk about it in the daytime? Why do you have to visit so late at night and make such a fuss?"

Li Yi chuckled, his eyes moving between Shen Qing and Li Yuyao, and said, "Lord Shen, I was young and ignorant before, and I offended you. I hope you won't blame me."

"My cousin is 29 years old, about the same age as you. She is beautiful and has admired Lord Shen for a long time. My father heard that Lord Shen was in need of a bedmate, and he knew what my cousin wanted, so he ordered me to send my cousin to you so that we can be together and become your concubine."

Shen Qing was a little surprised when he heard this.

Daughters of aristocratic families were very popular in the Great Zhou, and many people were proud to marry one.

It is hard to imagine that they were willing to give the women of their tribe to him as concubines.

The recent series of changes have really made him feel what it means to be "poor in a downtown and no one cares about you, but rich in the mountains and have distant relatives."

Once people become rich, those things that were previously out of reach now become readily available.

However, Shen Qing did not get carried away by this and was completely overwhelmed.

Shen Qing was wary of the Li family's behavior and did not agree immediately. He kept trying to figure out their intentions.

Before he could speak, Li Yi said, "Since the person has been sent, I will not bother you any more. Goodbye, drive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yi and the clan guards left one after another, leaving only two carriages and a little maid standing next to the carriages.

The scene became silent.

Li Yuyao, sitting in the carriage, was extremely nervous. She clutched her sleeves tightly and her face was pale.

"Miss, please come down quickly. The Marquis is going back to the mansion and will leave us behind."

"what!"

The sudden change made Li Yuyao scream. She immediately opened the door curtain and jumped out of the carriage in panic.

When she saw that Shen Qing didn't even look at her, her heart sank and she rushed over and knelt in front of Shen Qing.

Li Yuyao raised her head, tears flashing in her eyes, and looked at Shen Qing with a helpless and pleading look: "Lord Shen, please don't let Yaoer leave. Yaoer knows that this trip is abrupt, and it is also arranged by my family, and Yaoer has no choice."

"If you send me back, my parents will surely die. I hope Lord Shen will be kind enough to accept Yao'er. Yao'er will serve you like a slave."

"Yes, yes, yes. My parents and their family have sent a cart of dowry. I hope the Marquis will accept it."

Shen Qing glanced behind the carriage and saw that it was filled with boxes of various sizes.

The above properties are enough for a middle-class family to live on for a lifetime.

But for Shen Qing now, it is indeed not good enough.

Seeing that Shen Qing hadn't responded, Li Yuyao became more and more anxious.

She raised her head cautiously and looked at Shen Qing. Shen Qing was also looking down at her, and her heart couldn't help but hang in the air.

At this moment, her eyes were red and round tears were rolling in them, tumbling down, and she dared not utter a word.

Shen Qing asked, "What's the matter with you saying your parents are definitely going to die?"

"This time I came to serve the Marquis because of the clan's arrangement. My parents did not agree, so they were angry. I came here to save them." Li Yuyao cried, "If the Lord sent me back, they would definitely beat my parents to death. I hope the Marquis will be kind and accept me, even if it's just to make me a maid."

The maidservant beside her could no longer control herself and burst into tears: "Miss..."

Shen Qing frowned. He had heard a long time ago that the rules in big families were very strict, but he didn't expect that there would be fighting and killing behind the scenes.

"Get up!" Shen Qing said calmly, "I don't like people kneeling."

Li Yuyao was surprised and quickly stood up. She saw that the clothes on her chest were shaking violently, as if there were two little white rabbits jumping inside, which was very lively.

Shen Qing looked the girl up and down. She was fair and clean, and very pretty.

She has a graceful figure, and both her appearance and figure meet his aesthetic standards.

He asked, "What can you do?"

"My Lord, I know some music, chess, calligraphy and painting."

"Besides that, have you ever practiced martial arts?"

Li Yuyao said without confidence: "I have practiced... a little."

"What kind of cultivation?"

"I only practiced it to the level of stretching and strengthening the bones and didn't do it any further."

Shen Qing said, "Okay, in my place, music, chess, calligraphy and painting are of little use. If you want to stay here, find a way to practice martial arts. I won't keep useless people around me who have done me no favors."

"You guys go find Manager Tian and prepare a room for them." Shen Qing said casually.

Li Yuyao was slightly startled, then realized that Shen Qing wanted to take her in, and immediately said gratefully: "Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Shen Qing didn't say anything more and turned back to the house.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye. It is the end of the year and the cold wind is beginning to rise.

In a restaurant called "Zuixianju" in Kyoto, the aroma of steaming dishes and mellow wine mixed together, intoxicating.

Several foreign men dressed as traveling merchants sat in a corner by the window. Their eyes were not fixed on the food on the table, but they kept glancing out the window, staring at the soldiers patrolling the streets and the majestic imperial palace in the distance.

"The defense of this capital city seems tight, but in fact it is full of loopholes." One of the men whispered, "If our Holy Church attacks by force, we will definitely be able to break in."

"Oh? Why do you say that, Brother Zhang?" The other man raised his eyebrows slightly.

The man named Zhang took a sip of wine and commented sharply, "Look at the patrol routes of the military. Although they seem to be irregular, they are actually repeated every night. As long as we understand the pattern, we can easily avoid them."

"What about the Imperial Palace?" another middle-aged man asked. He was obviously more interested in the Imperial Palace. "It is under the feet of the emperor and is heavily guarded."

The man surnamed Li smiled slightly, with a sly look in his eyes: "Although the palace is difficult to attack, what does it have to do with us? This time, we let Commander Qu and the Taoist master to attack the palace. We can't get involved in a fight of that level."

"For now, we just need to organize the intelligence here and make sure it is foolproof, and leave the rest to them." (End of this chapter)