Martial Arts: My achievements in Beiliang were so great that they threatened the lord's positio

The convoy set off again at dawn the following day.

Heading north, we went straight to Yanzhou City.

Inside the carriage

The girl leaned against the window and gazed out at the fertile plains, dotted with villages and towns, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, bringing the warmth and life of everyday life to her.

The drizzle was fine and the mist was hazy. The official road was wide and flat, and the carriage did not bump at all when it traveled on it.

A single pass, Qingyou Pass, separates the north and south like two different worlds.

The area south of the pass, Qingzhou, is desolate and sparsely populated, especially near Yanzhou; however, the area becomes increasingly prosperous as one travels north beyond the pass.

The official road was bustling with merchants and travelers.

The most obvious difference was that the people of Yanzhou were dressed smartly and looked radiant, even more so than those in the Central Plains.

Tens of thousands of iron cavalrymen snaked like a dragon, their ranks stretching endlessly.

The deafening sound of drums and music attracted crowds of people along the way to stop and watch. Officials from the prefectures and counties along the route had already been ordered to lead the crowds to maintain order and ensure smooth passage.

"Is this really the legendary, bitterly cold land of Yan?"

Inside the carriage

Cui'er rubbed her eyes and looked around, her face full of surprise and doubt: "Could it be that we've taken the wrong path?"

"We didn't go the wrong way."

The girl suppressed the turmoil in her heart, her clear eyes seeming to take in all the scenery along the way.

"I once happened to see a memorial in my father's study."

Princess Lingxi said softly, "It details the policies and decrees issued by the Marquis of Yan since he came to rule Yan."

"The first priority is to reduce corvée labor and taxes, encourage agriculture and sericulture, and those who excel in cultivating land and paying taxes each year will be rewarded by the government."

He streamlined the bureaucracy, established eight ministries and nine offices to rectify official conduct, and the Marquis of Yan personally inspected the three prefectures within the state every spring and autumn.

He relocated the various Hu and Qiang tribes to the western border, reformed their customs and education, established garrisons to guard them, and subjugated the Tuoba and Duoyan tribes without bloodshed.

"The peace and tranquility of Yan today is entirely due to the efforts of the Marquis of Yan."

A smile appeared on the girl's lips: "It's just that ordinary people are short-sighted and always see Marquis Yan as a simple general."

How many people in the world could stabilize the situation in Yan Commandery within a few years, defeat the 200,000-strong army of the Northern Barbarians with the resources and troops of a single commandery, and even seize the two commanderies of Xiapi and Shangdang from the Hu and Qiang?

If it weren't for the fact that the Yan region needed to be guarded by the Marquis of Yan, I'm afraid my father would have already summoned him to the capital and entrusted him with important responsibilities as a general or minister.

"Your Highness."

Cui'er hesitated.

"Speak your mind."

The girl frowned slightly.

The maidservant took a few steps closer and lowered her voice: "Does Your Highness believe the Marquis has ambition?"

"That's natural."

Princess Lingxi nodded: "Otherwise, no one would secretly call him the second King of Beiliang."

Cui'er looked worried: "Does this mean that the Marquis will neglect His Highness in the future?"

"Won't."

The girl's voice was filled with an undeniable certainty.

The carriages and horses traveled north along the official road at great speed, much faster than when they were in Qingzhou, and had already crossed half of Yan County in just three days.

What they saw and heard along the way completely overturned everyone's preconceived notions about the Yan region.

September 14

The day before the wedding

dusk

Princess Lingxi's entourage stretched into Yanzhou City, while the thousands of imperial guards accompanying her were housed in camps within the city.

Marquis Yan, Lin Xuan, personally came out to greet him.

According to etiquette, he was not allowed to enter the courtyard where Princess Lingxi lived before the wedding.

Unexpectedly, the princess had many maids and belongings, which could not be accommodated in one courtyard. Fortunately, the two adjacent courtyards were vacant, so they were allocated to the palace servants for use.

In the courtyard

The place was brightly lit and decorated with colorful lights. Palace servants were busy moving items – except for Lingxi Palace, almost everything from the princess’s former residence was brought here.

This sight was quite novel to the original servants of the Marquis's residence.

"Mu Qing'er greets the princess."

Mu Qing'er instructed several maids to assist her, while she herself went to the main hall to pay her respects to Princess Lingxi.

Cui'er and Yu'er, the two personal maids, stood solemnly behind the girl, their faces dignified.

"Sister Qing'er, there's no need for such formalities."

The young girl showed no signs of princess arrogance; instead, she stood up, took Mu Qing'er's hand, and invited her to sit down with her.

"When we were in the capital, I often heard the Marquis mention my sister."

Princess Lingxi smiled and said, "Sister, you have worked so hard to manage the Marquis's business all these years."

Mu Qing'er was surprised. She had thought that this princess would be difficult to get along with and might want to establish her authority as soon as she arrived.

The girl seemed to see through his thoughts and said softly, "Does my sister think I'm unapproachable?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Mu Qing'er shook her head.

"Sister Qing'er, these are Cui'er and Yu'er, my personal maids."

Princess Lingxi introduced them.

"Sister Qing'er, the Marquis's residence seems a bit too simple."

Cui'er muttered softly, "Not to mention compared to the Princess's Lingxi Palace, even the ordinary mansions of dukes and marquises in the capital are inferior."

"Although it is called a Marquis's residence..."

Mu Qing'er explained gently, "In fact, it is still the same prefectural residence as when you first came here, only the plaque has been changed."

Two years ago, the treasury was tight, and various places needed to make use of the funds, so we had to continue using the old system.

Things have improved slightly in recent years, but the young master has never liked extravagance. It wasn't until after his engagement to the princess earlier this year that he began planning the construction of his new residence, and the location has only just been selected.

"I see."

Cui'er looked ashamed.

Princess Lingxi gently shook her head: "There's no need to waste money on me; this courtyard isn't small either."

She stood up and looked around the hall: "At that time, opening up the side courtyard will be enough."

Besides, I don't need so many servants and maids. After the marriage, I can keep a hundred or so close confidants and send the rest back to the capital.

Sister Qing'er, please convey this to the Marquis: Lingxi's marriage to Yanzhou is neither for pleasure nor to display her princessly majesty.

The girl's voice was soft yet clear.

"I will certainly convey this to you, young master."

Mu Qing'er solemnly agreed.

"From now on, you need not refer to yourself as a slave."

Lingxi gently took her hand and said with a smile, "If you don't mind, let's become sisters."

You're a little older, so you'll be the older sister; I'm younger, so I'll be the younger sister.

"This won't do."

"The princess is of noble status."

Mu Qing'er waved her hand.

The girl looked dejected: "Does my sister think I'm not good enough for her?"

Mu Qing'er was speechless for a moment, and could only smile and agree to the princess sister's request.

Although Lingxi was a princess, she was not arrogant at all and treated people with gentleness and kindness.

After arranging everything in the princess's garden, Mu Qing'er left to report back to her young master.

"Princess, aren't we being too modest?"

After Mu Qing'er left, Cui'er muttered to herself.

"Sister Qing'er is the head maid of the manor and has been serving the Marquis for more than ten years."

Lingxi clearly knew a lot about the inside story, and explained softly, "If I make a scene and cause trouble as soon as I enter the door, making the whole Marquis's mansion uneasy, I'm afraid I won't even be able to step out of this small courtyard in the future."

She paused, then said, "Cui'er, Yu'er, do you really think I married into this family just to be a decoration? Or that I'm content to be a repressed, sorrowful woman confined to my room?"

"This servant wouldn't dare."

The two maids quickly shook their heads.

"In that case,"

The girl said calmly, "You must also rein in those arrogant habits you developed in the palace."

"Yes."

Although the words were spoken softly, the two maids felt a chill run down their spines.

They knew the princess's temperament well—she was gentle on ordinary days, but if anyone broke the rules, she would punish them without mercy.

"Go and choose one."

The girl then instructed, "Among those maids and nannies, there must be spies planted by Father Emperor."

Keep only the trustworthy and reliable ones; send the rest back.

"Yes, ma'am."

Yu'er and Cui'er responded in unison.

In another small courtyard

Lin Xuan was sipping his tea when, not far away, Jiang Ni, dressed in white, was practicing his swordplay with complete concentration.

Not long

Mu Qing'er is back.

"How is it?"

He asked.

"The Marquis has brought back a virtuous woman."

She replied with a smile, "From the moment you arrived, you recognized me as your elder sister, and you didn't mind the simplicity of the Marquis's residence. You even took the initiative to dismiss some of the servants."

"Young master, you are destined for good fortune."

Mu Qing'er said with a hint of teasing.

"How dare you make fun of your young master."

"How dare you!"

Lin Xuan's eyes widened.

Mu Qing'er playfully stuck out her tongue.

"The market index."

He beckoned and called out.

"Young master, what are your orders?"

The woman playing the zither in the pavilion stopped and looked up.

"Go to Lingxi Garden and stay by her side for a few days..."

The wedding day is the day after tomorrow. If anything goes wrong at this time, it will not look good for Marquis Yan.

"Hehe, protecting the future matriarch is my duty."

Da Pan'er smiled, stretched, and then carried the seven-stringed zither to Lingxi Garden.

Sure enough, when Dapan returned early the next morning, there was a jade hairpin in his hair, and he kept calling her "Lingxi Sister".

They seemed very familiar with each other.

"Now there shouldn't be any trouble in the backyard."

Lin Xuan thought to himself.

He was initially worried that marrying a princess would cause chaos in the household, and if that happened, he would probably have to resort to some means.

Princess Lingxi was extremely beautiful, a true beauty, but there were countless beautiful women in the world.

From the day of her wedding, her most important mission of marriage was accomplished.

If they don't know their place, they might find it hard to even step out of Lingxi Garden in the future.

"My lord, the King of Qingzhou has come to pay a visit."

As dusk settled, Lin Xuan was drinking tea in the courtyard when a guard came to report.

"Please come in."

He put down his teacup, thought for a moment, and nodded gently.

Qingzhou and Yanzhou are separated only by Qingyou Pass. The two states are adjacent and will inevitably have a lot of exchanges in the future.

Moreover, in recent years, Yanzhou has recruited many refugees from Qingzhou and purchased a lot of grain and military equipment.

Although the two had never met, they already had a tacit understanding.

Moreover, the Princess Consort of Qingzhou was quite famous, and Lin Xuan was also quite curious about her.

Soon, the guards led the King of Qingzhou into the courtyard.

Lin Xuan stood up, a smile on his face, and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Highness, please come this way."

The King of Qingzhou and the current emperor are indeed brothers. After losing the struggle for the throne, he was granted the title of king, and his power and influence are extraordinary.

If one did not possess true ability, it would be difficult to obtain the title of king, and one might have already lost one's life in the struggle for imperial power.

He was about forty years old, thin, with a beard on his chin, which made him look very sharp, and his eyes were particularly deep.

Beside him stood a woman of noble bearing, dressed in a brocade long dress. Her face was beautiful but she exuded aloofness, and the loose dress could not hide her voluptuous figure.

She met Lin Xuan's gaze briefly from a distance, then looked away.

Everyone knows that the King of Qingzhou dotes on this queen.

"You're too polite, Your Excellency."

The King of Qingzhou returned the greeting with a smile.

Please take a seat.

Lin Xuan gestured, and two maids brought over chairs.

"The Marquis's garden is quite elegant."

The King of Qingzhou looked around, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Ni, who was practicing swordsmanship. He paused for a moment, then turned away as usual.

"The land north of Yan is desolate, so we have to put some effort into its preparation."

He shook his head and said.

"You are too modest, my lord."

The King of Qingzhou sat down. "In the past, when you said that the land of Yan was cold and harsh, I thought it was true. But if you say that again now, it means that you are deliberately covering it up, my lord."

"My Qingzhou is separated from Yanzhou only by Tianxian Pass, and we can often hear the sounds of Yanbei cavalry conquering the land."

"Not to mention the past, the number of people who move from Qingzhou to seek refuge with the Marquis each year is countless."

"Even I, the king, yearn for it."

"I've long wanted to come and see it, but unfortunately I haven't had the chance yet."

"A place that is so cold and harsh,"

At this point, the King of Qingzhou shook his head, "It has long since lost its reputation."

"Your Highness's praise makes me uneasy."

However, Lin Xuan showed no sign of panic, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the Princess of Qingzhou.

The King of Qingzhou acted as if he hadn't seen him, continuing to talk to him without changing his expression.

"My lord, we should maintain frequent exchanges between Qing and Yan prefectures in the future."

The Qingzhou royal road allows for the exchange of goods and services, enabling livestock, furs, iron materials, and fine horses from Yan to be transported to Qingzhou.

"I will give the Marquis a fair price."

"And the grain, cloth, silk and other goods from Qingzhou can also be transported to Yan."

"That is exactly what I intend to do."

Lin Xuan nodded, "Qingyan is a neighbor, as close as lips and teeth, so they should definitely visit each other more often."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

King Qingzhou smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "I still have matters to attend to."

The princess of Qingzhou originally intended to accompany them, but the king of Qingzhou said, "Doesn't the princess often feel bored and tired?"

"It just so happens that there are quite a few women in the Marquis's mansion, who can keep you company and chat to relieve your boredom."

Later, you should also go and see the princess; the wedding is tomorrow, and nothing can go wrong.

Having said that,