My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

After the court session ended, Li Xiaochang did not rush to leave the palace.

He stood in the corridor outside the hall for a while, watching Wei Kuangbo's figure gradually walk away before he stepped forward to follow.

"Lord Wei," he called out from behind.

Wei Kuangbo stopped and turned around. Seeing that it was Li Xiaochang, he nodded slightly: "General Li."

Li Xiaochang quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled broadly: "My son was very grateful for your care the other day. I will definitely come to your residence to express my gratitude another day."

Wei Kuangbo smiled faintly: "General Li, you are too kind. Attendant Li is law-abiding and has done nothing wrong. I merely said a few words of fairness, which is hardly a favor."

"You are too modest, Master Wei," Li Xiaochang said. "Ju'er is young and may have shortcomings in handling affairs. I hope you will give him more guidance in the future."

The two walked side by side toward the palace gate, exchanging polite official pleasantries. Upon reaching the palace gate, they each got into their sedan chairs, bowed, and parted ways.

Li Zixiong was the last to leave the palace.

He walked slowly, his face was gloomy, and his hands clenched so tightly in his sleeves made a cracking sound.

A minor official of the sixth rank was specially summoned to the palace and publicly granted the authority to oversee the grain transport; officials of the fifth rank and below were executed first and reported later.

Even after twenty years of maneuvering in the court, Li Zixiong had never received such favor.

What angered him even more was the look Yang Guang gave him—not a warning, but a warning nonetheless.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and got into the sedan chair.

"Return to the residence."

Yang Xuangan's sedan chair moved slowly down the street.

Inside the sedan chair, Yang Xuangan closed his eyes and gently tapped the armrest with his fingers.

Li Ju.

He silently repeated the name in his heart.

He was a sixth-rank official, in charge of the grain transport, and was given the authority to act as he saw fit.

Yang Guang entrusted the entire Yongji Canal to him. Liyang is located on this canal.

He opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This person must be won over.

He knocked on the side of the sedan chair, and his attendant approached: "What are your orders, my lord?"

"After you return, have Yang Wei visit Li Ju's residence again, bringing generous gifts."

"Yes."

The sedan chair continued on its way and disappeared into the depths of the streets and alleys.

The Wei residence.

Wei Nizi ran in from outside, panting, holding a string of candied hawthorns in his hand, his eyes shining like two stars.

"Sister! Sister! Something terrible has happened!"

Wei Gui was reading by the window, not even looking up: "What is it now?"

"Li Huairun has gone to court! He was summoned in personally by the Emperor! All the officials are watching him!" Wei Nizi rushed to the table, so excited he almost dropped his candied hawthorn. "The Emperor said that the entire canal transport from Luoyang to Zhuojun is now under his control! He also said that any official below the fifth rank who disobeys him can be executed first and reported later!"

Wei Gui's fingers tightened slightly, leaving a crease on the page.

How did you know?

"It's all over the place!" Wei Nizi mumbled, taking a bite of his candied hawthorn. "The teahouses and taverns are buzzing with the news. They're saying that the Emperor himself promoted a sixth-rank official. This has never happened before."

Wei Gui lowered his head and continued reading.

But her gaze remained fixed on the same line of text for a long time.

"Sister, are you happy?" Wei Nizi came over.

Wei Gui did not answer.

Wei Nizi noticed a smile on her lips.

"If you're happy, just be happy. Why hide it?" Wei Ni muttered, took another bite of the candied hawthorn, and skipped away.

Wei Gui put down his book, took out the jade piece engraved with "Chang Le · Huai Run" from his sleeve, and held it in his palm.

He was a sixth-rank official and in charge of the grain transport.

He took another step closer.

Three days later, Li Xiaochang came to the door alone.

He traveled with only two attendants, keeping a low profile and keeping a minimal entourage.

Wei Kuangbo received him in the main hall. After tea, Li Xiaochang spoke first.

"Lord Wei, thanks to your righteous words in the court the other day, my son was spared. I have come today to express my gratitude." He bowed deeply, his hands clasped in front of him, and spoke sincerely.

Wei Kuangbo sat upright in the main seat, his expression calm. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "General Li, you flatter me. It is only right that I tolerated you, Li Yezhe. I was merely going with the flow."

"Lord Wei is too modest." Li Xiaochang put down his teacup and sighed. "Ju'er is born out of wedlock, and I have neglected to discipline him. As his father, I feel guilty. I never expected that he would be favored by Lord Wei and receive such care. I am honored, but I feel even more ashamed."

Wei Kuangbo glanced at him, his gaze shifting slightly.

This is an attempt to offer a way out.

"Li, the Imperial Envoy, is young and promising, and his success is due to his own hard work, not my merit." Wei Kuangbo paused, his tone softening slightly, "His future—is limitless."

Li Xiaochang was secretly delighted, but he didn't show it on his face.

Wei Kuangbo's words were tantamount to saying: I think highly of your son; he is worthy of my family.

He immediately accepted the offer and said solemnly, "From now on, the sons of the Li family will be under my control and the Li family's support. If I have any requests, I hope that Lord Wei will not find me presumptuous and will offer me guidance."

That's very clear: I am his father, I'm the one who's involved, and I'm the one who acknowledges this marriage. You can rest assured and hand your niece over to me.

Wei Kuangbo smiled slightly, picked up his teacup, and said unhurriedly, "General Li, you are too kind. We are both officials in the same court, so it is only right that we look after each other."

Li Xiaochang felt relieved, knowing that the matter was half settled. He exchanged a few more polite words and then got up to take his leave.

Wei Kuangbo saw Li Xiaochang off at the door, watched his carriage drive away, and then turned back to the main hall.

The butler followed behind, whispering, "Young Master, what's going on with the Li family—"

"The Li family is quite sensible," Wei Kuangbo said calmly, without saying anything more, and walked towards the backyard.

backyard.

Wei Nizi pressed his ear against the window, listening intently to what was happening ahead.

She listened for a long time but heard nothing, and became so anxious that she kept tugging at Wei Gui's sleeve.

"Sister! Sister! Guess who's here?"

Wei Gui sat by the window, needle and thread in her hand, embroidering a magnolia branch. Without looking up, she asked, "Who is it?"

"Li Huairun's father!" Wei Nizi lowered his voice, his eyes shining like two stars, "He came by himself! He only brought two or three people! He talked to Ah Lang for a long time!"

Wei Gui paused for a moment.

"Sister, what did they say?" Wei Nizi leaned closer, grinning. "Were they talking about you and Li Huairun?"

Wei Gui did not answer, and lowered her head to continue embroidering.

But Wei Nizi noticed that the tips of her ears had turned red.

She leaned against the window, resting her chin on her hand, gazing at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, and muttered to herself, "When my older sister moves to Li Huairun's house, I want to go too. I haven't had enough of sitting on that stone bench at his house yet."

Wei Gui ignored her, her hands moving the needle and thread very slowly.

She embroidered two stitches, then stopped.

His gaze fell on the osmanthus tree outside the window, and he seemed lost in thought.

Li Xiaochang left the Wei residence and got into his carriage.

The carriage curtain fell, and he leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes.

This illegitimate son, whom he used to look down upon, has now become the bridge for him to establish a relationship with the Wei family.

Good luck tricks people.

He opened his eyes, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked out at the street scene of Luoyang.

The rumble of carriages and horses, the cacophony of voices.

He lowered the curtain and sighed softly.

"Return to the residence."

The carriage turned into the alley and headed towards the Li residence.

Yang Xuangan returned to his residence as dusk fell. He had just sat down in his study when his trusted aide took a secret letter from his sleeve and presented it to him with both hands.

"My lord, you're from Chang'an."

Yang Xuangan took the letter and opened it. The letter contained only a few lines, the handwriting vigorous and the strokes sharp as a knife—

"The fate of the grain transport depends on Li Ju. We should cultivate a close relationship with him, employ him closely, and use his father to control him. If he cannot be controlled, he must be eliminated first on the day we launch our rebellion. Keep this secret."

After reading it, Yang Xuangan remained silent for a moment. He brought the letter close to the candlelight, the flame licking the edge of the paper before it turned to ashes.

He smiled faintly and said to his confidant, "Master Pushan truly understands my heart and the world."