As a young marshal, it's reasonable for me to have 300,000 private troops, right?

Qi Fan looked at Zhang Shoufang, then changed the subject, his tone filled with anticipation.

"By the way, sis, how many days are you staying this time? I'm getting married the day after tomorrow, you have to stay for my wedding, right?"

Upon hearing the word "wedding," Zhang Shoufang's smile vanished instantly, and a clear hint of disappointment flashed across her eyes.

"I also wanted to stay and be with you at your wedding, but unfortunately... I have to go back first thing tomorrow morning."

"Leaving tomorrow?" Qi Fan was stunned for a moment, and a sense of loss welled up in his heart.

Having been in this world for so long, and with people coming and going around him, only this older sister in front of him truly cares for and protects him from the bottom of her heart.

When he was a child, he was naughty and made his father, Zhang Zuolin, angry. Every time his father picked up a whip to beat him, Zhang Shoufang would rush out to block him. He would either argue with his father or beg for mercy, and he always managed to protect him.

In this strange and chaotic world, if there is anyone he can treat as family, besides his rough but genuinely loving father, there is only this older sister in front of him.

As for his cousin-in-law and Yu Fengzhi, whom he is about to marry, she is his wife, and ultimately, their relationship is different from that of siblings connected by blood.

Seeing Qi Fan's dejected expression, Zhang Shoufang reached out and patted his shoulder, gently comforting him.

"Don't be sad. I came back this time to take care of some official business in Fengtian on behalf of my father-in-law, and I stopped by to see your new daughter-in-law. I have official business to attend to and can't delay. I have to go back as soon as I'm done."

Qi Fan nodded, suppressing his disappointment, and gave earnest instructions.

"Then be careful on your way back. I'll come see you after I finish the wedding and take care of what I need to do."

Before we knew it, the wedding day arrived.

The entire mansion was decorated with a festive atmosphere, with red lanterns hanging from every eave and red silk wrapped around the beams and pillars. The air was filled with the smell of firecrackers and the sound of celebratory drums.

A stage was set up in front of the mansion gate, where famous actors performed a lively opera; a lion dance troupe leaped and tumbled to the beat of the drums, drawing cheers from the onlookers; and a procession of gongs and drums moved among them, creating a deafening sound.

Almost all the prominent figures in Fengtian City came, and guests arrived in an endless stream, bringing gifts and congratulations, almost wearing down the threshold of the Marshal's Mansion.

Qi Fan, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, peered out of his bedroom window at the bustling crowd outside and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. Even after two lifetimes, this was his first time holding a proper wedding, and facing so many guests, he couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

Just as he was clutching the hem of his clothes, trying to calm himself down, the door creaked open.

Qi Fan turned around and was instantly stunned. The person who came in was not the matchmaker, nor a maid from the mansion, but his cousin's sister-in-law dressed in a simple and elegant dress.

His heart skipped a beat, and he muttered to himself, "What's this woman doing here? Is she here to steal the bride?"

Seeing his panicked expression, his cousin's wife couldn't help but laugh, her tone slightly teasing.

"Why are you so surprised? I'm your cousin-in-law, after all. Isn't it normal for me to come to your wedding and offer my congratulations?"

Hearing this, Qi Fan finally felt relieved and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was really flustered just now. If his cousin-in-law really caused a scene at this critical moment and tried to steal the bride, he really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.

"On my wedding day, aren't you afraid you'll be jealous if you see me marrying someone else?"

Qi Fan stepped forward, disregarding the occasion, and pulled his cousin-in-law into his arms, the familiar fragrance wafting from her body.

His cousin's wife was startled by his bold move and froze instantly.

She never expected that Qi Fan would dare to hug her like that in his own bridal chamber on their wedding day. If outsiders saw this, the entire Marshal's Mansion would be in an uproar if the groom were to embrace another woman on the eve of his wedding, and the wedding would be completely disrupted!

She instinctively struggled twice, but Qi Fan's arms were tightly held, and she couldn't break free at all.

Feeling the familiar warmth and strength of the person in her arms, her cousin's heart softened. She stopped struggling and relaxed her body, leaning against his chest.

"I know that we can never have a wedding like this in our lives... but it can't hurt for me to come and see, right? Even if I'm not the one getting married, seeing you start a family will make me feel like it's like we've gotten married too."

Upon hearing this, Qi Fan felt a sudden pang of guilt.

He looked down at the docile figure in his arms, slowly loosened his grip, and said with a gentle yet apologetic look in his eyes, "I'm so sorry to have wronged you."

His cousin's wife straightened up, raised her hand to gently wipe the corner of her eye, and forced a smile to comfort him.

"I don't feel wronged. From the night I let you step into my house, I had already thought about what might happen and was mentally prepared."

Qi Fan pulled her into his arms again, his tone firm.

"I promise you, when the time is right, I will definitely give you a proper wedding so that you can stand by my side rightfully."

My cousin's wife leaned against his warm embrace, feeling the vibrations of his chest, and her tense heart finally calmed down.

"That's enough. Alright, don't be late for the auspicious time, you should go and pay your respects to your bride."

Qi Fan nodded, reluctantly letting go of her. He watched as she straightened her dress and quietly left through the side door before taking a deep breath, smoothing out the wrinkles in her wedding gown, and turning to walk towards the main hall.

Meanwhile, the scene inside the main hall of the Marshal's Mansion was quite different.

Zhang Zuolin, dressed in a brand-new formal suit, sat regally in the high seat of honor, receiving congratulations from the guests.

Just then, Kikuchi led a man dressed in Japanese military uniform into the hall. The man was none other than Colonel Hayashi Hisa, who was in charge of Japanese military affairs in Fengtian.

Colonel Lin Jiu, speaking in broken and obscure Chinese, walked straight up to Zhang Zuolin and nodded slightly.

"General Zhang, congratulations on your son's marriage. During the rebellion of Feng Delin and Tang Yulin, our Great Japanese Empire provided considerable assistance to the Fengtian Army. Now that the rebellion has been quelled, we hope that Your Excellency can grant us corresponding assistance. Our army plans to garrison Zhengjiatun. I wonder if Your Excellency could do us that favor?"

Zhang Zuolin sneered inwardly: "Good lad, he dares to come to my door asking for benefits after I just helped him with a small favor!" He was known for being extremely stingy; others might help him, but trying to squeeze money out of him was a pipe dream.

Zhang Zuolin didn't reply. He reached out and picked up a small brass lock from the table. He held a thin needle between his fingers and casually poked at the keyhole while playing with the lock body, completely ignoring Lin Jiu.

Seeing that Zhang Zuolin was completely ignoring him, Lin Jiu's expression turned slightly unpleasant, but he dared not lash out, so he could only bite the bullet and speak again.

"It may be disheartening to bring this up on your joyous occasion, but it concerns cooperation between our two countries, so please consider it carefully."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zuolin stopped what he was doing, looked up at him, and forced a smile onto his face.

"That's right! One key opens one lock, one thing at a time. Didn't we already agree on this? All the losses suffered by your Japanese army in this suppression of the rebellion will be borne by me, Zhang Zuolin; and the compensation for the Japanese soldiers who died in battle will be paid in full. All of this is negotiable!"

Lin Jiu sensed the refusal in his words and knew that there was no point in forcing it. She could only suppress her dissatisfaction, stand up, and extend her hand.

"In that case, let's proceed as we agreed beforehand. I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

Zhang Zuolin glanced at the outstretched hand, then looked at his own slightly greasy fingers, which were stained with rust.

"Look at my hands, they're all greasy from fiddling with the lock. Don't get them dirty, let's skip the handshake."

Lin Jiu's hand froze in mid-air, his face turning red and white in embarrassment. He could only awkwardly withdraw it.

He paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"Your Excellency, on behalf of the government of the Little Days Empire, I formally invite Young Master Zhang to study at our Army University after his wedding. Once he arrives in our country, we will grant him noble-level treatment and allow him to bring his companions."

"Oh? That's a good thing." Zhang Zuolin stroked his beard and replied indifferently.

"I've got this in mind. I'll definitely have a good talk with that brat about it later."

After saying that, he ignored Lin Jiu and the other man, laughed loudly, turned around and walked towards the back hall, leaving the two men standing there awkwardly.

Seeing this, Yang Yuting quickly got up and stepped forward, politely greeting the two Japanese men and seeing them out of the marshal's mansion.