The Immortal Empress, Unrivaled Through Eternity

The small courtyard behind Wanbaolou in the inner city of Qingzhou.

Jiang Yu, dressed in a dark blue robe, sat on the ground, gripped the mouth of a wine jar, and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

At his feet, empty wine jars lay scattered about, their rich, fragrant aroma wafting in the wind.

Lin Ya, standing to the side, shook his head and sighed as he looked at Jiang Yu, "Jiang Yu, young master of the Jiang family, how could a woman torment you like this?"

He couldn't understand it at all.

In the past, Jiang Yu was sunny, cheerful, confident, and gentle, and even the eldest daughters of the Zhou and Qin families never gave her a second glance.

But now, he couldn't understand what kind of woman had such charm that she could bewitch Jiang Yu so completely.

I can't even imagine it.

"You don't understand!"

Jiang Yu raised his hand and threw away the wine jar. With a "bang," the rich wine splashed everywhere, but he ignored it.

He pointed at Lin Ya and shook his finger repeatedly: "You have no idea how good she is."

"Gentle and quiet, with a little bit of a temper."

"She is beautiful, has a graceful figure, and possesses an elegant demeanor."

"All the women in the entire Qingzhou City combined are not as good as a single hair on her head."

Hearing these words, Lin Ya's lips twitched, his face speechless.

How can there be a perfect person in this world?

Let alone a perfect woman?

Women are always pretentious, say one thing but mean another, and are extremely fond of strong people.

They are unattainable in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the presence of those who are powerful, no matter how arrogant they are, they are still desecrated in the end.

In this era, although there are some powerful women, in the end they are no different from ordinary women, and they all submit to the strong.

"Didn't you say you'd just offer a marriage proposal directly?"

"She's destined to be your wife, why are you doing this?"

Lin Ya was puzzled.

They didn't believe that anyone in the entire Qingzhou would dare to rebel against the Jiang family.

Once engaged, the Li family girl is destined to be Jiang Yu's wife.

Once married, no matter how beautiful she is, she still belongs to Jiang Yu. He can just discipline her properly behind closed doors.

"Lin Ya, you're the young master of Wanbaolou in Qingzhou City, yet you understand nothing about love!"

Jiang Yu's body went limp, and he lay down on the ground, gazing at the azure sky: "Such a beautiful woman, if I can't win her heart, I will never be happy in my life."

"I love her, and I want her to love me too!"

"Only when two people hold hands and are inseparable can the scenery and fireworks of this world have meaning and become more beautiful."

Lin Ya shook his head, but a hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

Does such a perfect woman, as Jiang Yu described, really exist in this world?

Even a fairy couldn't do that, right?

"So, why doesn't he like you?"

Lin Ya couldn't help but ask curiously, "You, Jiang Yu, are handsome, from an extraordinary family, and extremely talented. Countless women in the entire Qingzhou are captivated by you."

"Why doesn't that Li family girl you mentioned like you?"

"I think she's just putting on airs and saying one thing but meaning another. If she didn't want to, why would she agree to your proposal?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu sat up abruptly and said with utmost seriousness, "She is not one of those women you're talking about."

"She's not that kind of worldly woman."

"She's really, really good!"

Jiang Yu recalled the seven days of contact in the valley.

They treated his injuries and cooked for him.

Such a fairy-like person, without the slightest affectation, handled everything in an orderly manner.

Gentle and open-minded, sincere and earnest.

Like a rare and precious flower, it blooms quietly, unlike any other.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yu felt a pang of regret: "It's because I proposed to her without her consent, it's because I wasn't sincere enough, that she reacted this way."

"So, what are you planning to do?" Lin Ya became even more curious.

The Li family woman must have extraordinary methods to win Jiang Yu's heart so much.

He never believed that such a perfect woman existed; it was just a tactic.

"I'm getting engaged in two days; I'm determined to marry her!"

"If I don't marry her, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!"

Jiang Yu murmured softly, "After we get married, I will spend my whole life making it up to her."

"Tsk!" Lin Ya shook his head, feeling that Jiang Yu was truly beyond saving.

I reckon he'll be completely controlled by that Li family woman for the rest of his life.

"What a clever tactic! Women with such skill are truly rare in this world!"

Lin Ya did not speak ill of Jiang Yu in front of her, but he disagreed in his heart.

Women are nothing but playthings for men.

As long as you are strong enough and have a certain status, what kind of woman can't you have?

Just like the current emperor, whose harem beauties are all stunningly beautiful, they are all just canaries in the emperor's cage.

A single sentence could drive those so-called stunning women crazy, causing them to fight over him.

How many men in the world have three wives and four concubines?

The Jiang family was somewhat of an exception, with strict rules.

Seeing Jiang Yu's appearance, he was well aware of the drawbacks of such a family.

Once the younger generation is controlled by a woman, the entire family will be thrown into turmoil and decline.

In a normal family, which heir isn't strictly taught that as long as the family is powerful and has enough strength, women are at your beck and call and can be dismissed at will?

Beauty is merely an embellishment of power and strength.

Even in the eyes of those families with longer histories, women are merely commodities, tools used to seize profits.

Hasn't this world always been like this for countless years?

"You've ruined this wine!"

Seeing Jiang Yu sullenly open another jar of wine and gulp it down, Lin Ya's face flashed with regret: "Three thousand taels a jar, don't even think about going back on your word!"

"In Wanbaolou, money is the only truth."

After saying that, Lin Ya said no more and walked straight out of the courtyard, his gaze unconsciously turning towards the direction where the Li family was located.

"I was influenced too? I'm actually curious?"

"Alright, I'll go check it out in two days!"

Lin Ya shook his head and chuckled. Although Wanbaolou was extremely powerful, it remained neutral and never participated in any disputes; it only cared about making money.

Rumor has it that behind him is an unparalleled grandmaster of the same realm as the Emperor of the Great Yu.

Throughout the entire Great Yu Dynasty, few dared to provoke them.

Two days later, on the 26th day of the eighth month of the 387th year of the Great Yu calendar.

Suitable for: marriage, construction, moving into a new house; unsuitable for: long journeys, burial.

Early in the morning, the entire city of Qingzhou became lively.

Jiang Yu, dressed in a red robe with a red flower tied to his chest, rode a red horse out of the main gate of the Jiang family.

Behind him were 120 boxes carried by two people each.

Each box was piled high with gold and silver jewelry, silk brocade, and various fruits and leathers that symbolized good fortune and many children.

The red ribbons tied together to form red flowers, strung in a row, resemble a large red dragon.

They marched in a grand procession down the long street.

On both sides of the long dragon, drummers with red ribbons tied around their heads and dressed in red shirts were enthusiastically beating drums and gongs.

The deafening noise was deafening as the parade circled back and forth on the six main streets of Qingzhou City.

Wherever he went, countless people gathered to watch, and countless children ran and made noise, their innocent laughter blending with the clamor of gongs and drums.

The corridors of various restaurants and houses were also filled with people, watching the long, impressive queue.

Almost the instant the clamor of gongs and drums resounded throughout Qingzhou City, all the people of Qingzhou City knew that today was the day the Jiang family and the Li family would finalize their engagement.

Countless people followed the grand procession, listening to the clamor of gongs and drums, witnessing the joyous occasion.

The Li family, Ziyun Pavilion.

Li Yunqing looked down at all the servants and attendants of the Li family, who were happily and busily hanging red lanterns and pasting red silk and green paper, while remaining silent.

The clamor of gongs and drums had already passed by my door eight times.

They offered sacrifices to Heaven above and appealed to Earth below, creating a commotion throughout the city, with countless relatives and friends as witnesses.

It was grand in scale and full of etiquette.

When the ninth visit arrives, it is time for the ceremony of entering the sect and making a commitment.

People and relatives who hear the gongs and drums can come to the door to witness the exchange of birth charts and marriage certificates in public, with everyone's blessings, and the engagement is finalized.

There was also a banquet to mark the occasion, where all the people, relatives and friends who came to the door were invited.

Today is destined to be very busy, with many people to meet.

Li Yunqing wore a long red dress, her long hair was styled in an updo, and gold, silver and jade hairpins swayed and sparkled, radiating a dazzling and precious aura.

With Xiaolan's help, he stood in front of the window.

This is the first time I've ever seen such a scene in both my lifetimes combined; a normal person would be overjoyed.

But at this moment, her mind was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"Major families place great importance on etiquette; why are you in such a hurry to propose marriage?"

"Are we going to get married sooner rather than later?"

Thinking of this, Li Yunqing became tense and uneasy, and even gritted her teeth.

"No! We absolutely cannot get married ahead of schedule!"

"Absolutely not!"