In the imperial palace at the capital of Jian Kingdom, Jian Dezhu—the current Emperor—received a letter from the envoys within a few days and furrowed his brow.
The people from Long Yu Island were thinking of climbing high, trying to form connections with the Jian royal bloodline?
Though displeased, he had to admit that Jian Kingdom desperately needed to obtain Duanshen ore to produce weapons. It could very well determine the fate of the kingdom in the war that would soon break out.
After thinking it over and going through the list of wangs or princes of marriageable age who didn’t yet have wives or concubines, he found only one person who met the conditions—Jian Hantian, who held the position of Qin Wang[1]. This half-brother had spent the past eight years fighting against the people of Wei Kingdom.
Jian Dezhu had already promised this younger brother that he wouldn’t interfere with his choice of partner—even an imperial marriage decree couldn’t be used on him. But in these desperate times, he could only try summoning him to discuss it first.
Jian Hantian came to see his imperial brother that very same day, not expecting it would be about him having to marry the Island Lord’s daughter in exchange for Long Yu Island agreeing to sell Duanshen ore to Jian Kingdom.
Jian Dezhu looked at his younger half-brother, who was more than ten years his junior, with resignation. If not for the fact that his remaining sons—the oldest of whom was still unmarried—was only six years old, he certainly wouldn’t be imposing on Jian Hantian to marry a foreign woman like this.
“This subject is willing to marry her. Your Majesty may reply to the envoys.”
The answer that came with his half-brother’s indifferent expression caught the Emperor of Jian Kingdom completely off guard. He’d thought he’d have to spend a lot more time coaxing and persuading.
“Are you certain?”
“Right now, Duanshen ore is most important to us. If we don’t obtain it, I fear in the next war we’ll be at a great disadvantage against Wei Kingdom.” For Jian Hantian, who had been fighting against Wei Kingdom for many years, there was no way he would accept defeat without doing anything. It’s just marrying a woman—hardly a hardship.
“But they’ve set many conditions.”
“This subject has no problem with them.” It was just being forbidden from taking in more women into his manor. When had his manor ever had any women anyway?
Jian Dezhu felt relieved to have found a solution to this matter, and his demeanor relaxed considerably.
“Thank you so much, A Tian. Thank you for sacrificing yourself for our Jian Kingdom.”
***
Jian Hantian left the imperial palace quietly, just as he’d come. His expression remained emotionless as always. Nothing indicated that he was a man who’d just been forced to marry a commoner woman from a foreign land. He himself didn’t care much about this matter. His mind was focused only on the Duanshen ore that needed to be quickly obtained to produce weapons.
Although Jian Kingdom and Wei Kingdom currently had a temporary ceasefire agreement, wasn’t the movement regarding Wei Kingdom’s new weapons a dangerous sign?
Another matter he was having people monitor closely was that Wei Kingdom had a new military strategist who could transform the traditional army into a formidable force with new weapons made from newly discovered ore.
No one knew this person’s background. By the time anyone knew of him, he already had an important role in the Wei Kingdom army. That person’s name was Lang Jie. Even the people he’d sent to investigate could only get vague information. Lang Jie wasn’t from Wei Kingdom—he might be from some tribe outside Wei Kingdom.
“Did His Majesty summon Your Highness about the Duanshen ore?” Le Qi, who was waiting for his master outside, asked immediately.
Jian Hantian only nodded briefly.
“The ore purchase negotiations went smoothly then, Your Highness?” He himself had great expectations for this matter as well. After fighting side by side with Qin Wang for the past eight years, having to endure watching Wei Kingdom gain advantages because of weapons made from special ore while Jian Kingdom didn’t have equally strong weapons to counter them—naturally he couldn’t accept it.
“They’re expected to go smoothly.”
“Those people on Long Yu Island must be squeezing quite a bit from us.” Because Duanshen ore was incredibly strong, worthy of its name as divine ore, and the island people guarded it fiercely. Only small amounts slipped out in the form of small utensils and tools.
“Quite a bit. I even had to offer myself in exchange.”
That sentence passed through Le Qi’s ears once before he even registered it, so he nodded in agreement. Only after he’d interpreted the meaning did he exclaim.
“Huh?! What did Your Highness just say?!”
“My manor is getting a Wangfei. Go tell the butler to prepare the residence.”
Le Qi still stood with legs apart, arms stiff, mouth agape. By the time he came to his senses, his master had already leaped onto his horse and galloped away.
“Wangye is getting married to a Wangfei!” He blinked rapidly. “Should I be congratulating Wangye or not?”
***
Before long, news of Qin Wang’s wedding spread far and wide, shocking everyone. After all, everyone in the capital had thought that once he retired, he would surely go straight to become a monk.
Who was he marrying? Which family’s daughter could possibly breach the thick, tall, and incredibly sturdy walls of Qin Wang’s manor? Even the daughters of ministers from every ministry couldn’t get through. So which heavenly realm did this woman descend from?
Because of this, amid the atmosphere of the auspicious ceremony to be held next month, there were quite a few displeased people—especially those from major clans who wanted connections with Qin Wang, who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops.
***
While the capital of Jian Kingdom began decorating with auspicious red cloth, the people on Long Yu Island began to waver.
“Do we really have to send Ying’er to those people? I say it’s not too late to change our minds now. Even if they’re displeased, they don’t have the ability to invade and make trouble for us anyway. What’s this about losing face? Why would I care? Like your younger sister said, those humans will all get old and die in no time. Before long, they’ll probably forget about it anyway. Right, Wife?”
This sudden surge of protectiveness over his daughter made Lu Fen roll her eyes for the hundredth time this week, so she paid it no mind and turned to supervise the servants who were packing the luggage that would accompany their daughter, along with the dowry that couldn’t allow her to lose face before the mainland people.
Jian Kingdom had sent the bride price swiftly as soon as the agreement was made, as if unwilling to let Long Yu Island change its mind. And now this old man, the Island Lord, was stubbornly thinking of going back on his word?
His ears deserved a good twist!
***
Yang Xiuying, who had to marry and go to the distant mainland, was currently sitting beside her twin sister’s large bed, with her sister’s fiancé Yi Tao sitting vigil not far away.
She looked at her twin sister who still slept and refused to wake with gloomy feelings. When she turned to look at Yi Tao, who’d been her companion since she could remember, she sighed.
‘This Yi Tao may look a bit like a puppy, but he loves you so much. Why did you leave him to find that bastard? Hmph… don’t worry. I’ll skin them all for you myself!’ Yang Xiuying could only communicate with her twin sister in her thoughts.
Not long after, it was time to bid farewell to her family members, who seemed excessively reluctant to part with her—especially Father, who pouted until his beard drooped pitifully. She comforted him a bit.
“Father, don’t be so sad. I’ll be back in no time. Don’t forget—those people won’t live long. They age and die before you know it. Think of this as me just traveling for a few years.”
What his daughter said wasn’t wrong, but why did it sound like the real reason Ying’er decided to marry this time was so she could travel for several more years?
“When you’re there…” Lu Fen, taking her turn to bid farewell to her daughter, was about to say ‘behave yourself and don’t go around causing chaos everywhere’ but held back, choosing different words instead. “Take good care of yourself. If things get too difficult to handle, come back here. Don’t be afraid of anything at all. Understand?”
Yang Xiuying nodded vigorously twice, looking at her strict mother with large, round, innocent eyes.
Lu Fen looked at her second daughter with longing once more before steeling herself to let her board the red bridal palanquin that Jian Kingdom had prepared according to custom without missing anything.
The bridal procession, including the luggage and the bride’s dowry, was loaded onto a large ship heading directly to Ling Nan City. After landing, the bridal procession would continue by carriage, and the bride would board the palanquin again when entering the capital city gates.
In just ten days, the bridal procession from Long Yu Island arrived at the gates of Jian Kingdom’s capital.
There, the groom in auspicious red robes atop a large black horse was already waiting. His manner was bold, dignified, and brimming with power. His appearance ranked among the most handsome in the capital. Only his expression was cold, the atmosphere around him full of pressure, and the murderous aura that often emanated from him kept most people at a cautious distance.
The women could only secretly watch and secretly hope from a distance.
[1] Qin Wang (親王) – A high-ranking princely title, second only to the Crown Prince. Typically granted to the Emperor’s sons or brothers.
Author’s Note:
The Wang thinks he is receiving a wife. He has no idea he is actually importing a natural disaster.
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