Glory

Capital City, Eastern Palace.

Crown Prince Chu Hao frowned slightly, looking directly at Lu Guanyi: "Why? Haven't I analyzed this for you? Marrying the daughter of General Zhenbei's household is the best solution to resolve the situation."

Lu Guanyi smiled bitterly in his heart.

In the entire Great Jin dynasty, two military forces were the most powerful: one was the Shi Family Army controlled by Duke Wei's household, and the other was the Northwestern Army commanded by General Zhenbei.

Over the years, his father Lu Yongzhong had been gradually sidelining Shi Kun, the heir of Duke Wei's household, to break free from their control. As expected, within two years he would be able to eliminate Duke Wei's household from the game and bring the Shi Family Army to join the Crown Prince's side.

If he were to also become the son-in-law of General Zhenbei, then once the Crown Prince defeated the Empress Dowager and the Fourth Prince to ascend the throne, the death sentence for both him and his father would be sealed.

Every emperor plays the game of balance. The current Emperor's strategy of pitting Duke Wei against General Zhenbei followed this principle.

Chu Hao wanted to control both military forces through him - quite the clever scheme. But after being used, this chess piece would inevitably be discarded, something Chu Hao didn't consider.

Though the Crown Prince appeared to greatly appreciate him on the surface, in reality it was only because his identity held value to be exploited.

He said: "Since before I could understand things, my stepmother entered our household. I've never experienced what warmth and happiness feel like. I often thought that living was nothing but suffering, and death might not necessarily be worse."

"But as a subject and a son - Your Highness has treated me generously, and my father raised me to adulthood regardless of everything. It would be wrong to abandon my life without thinking of repaying them. I often thought that even if I were to marry and have children in the future, there would be no joy in it."

He smiled: "But after meeting Miss Ye, I finally understood that warmth and attachment could exist in this world. I want to live, to spend the rest of my life with her, watching sunrises and sunsets, observing clouds gathering and dispersing."

Chu Hao stared at him fixedly, then after a long while, suddenly laughed.

He patted Lu Guanyi's shoulder: "I don't just see you as a subordinate, but also as a friend. You don't know how worried I've been about you before. Now that I see you finally possessing the vitality of youth, I'm truly happy for you."

He let out a breath, as if releasing a heavy burden from his heart: "Alright, I'll arrange this marriage for you."

Lu Guanyi stepped forward and bowed deeply to Chu Hao: "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Very well, prepare the betrothal gifts. I'll speak with Duke Ying to ensure he isn't deceived by others and used as their pawn." Chu Hao waved his hand.

A smile appeared on Lu Guanyi's face: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Duke Ying had originally held military authority, but now in his old age with no worthy successor, he keenly felt the fickleness of the world. What he hated most was others not taking him seriously.

With the Crown Prince's assurance, Duke Ying's household would not only cease targeting Ye Jia, but would also develop resentment toward Min Fei's faction. Though Min Fei and the Third Princess were members of the imperial family whom Duke Ying wouldn't dare move against, punishing a small Meng family was well within his capabilities.

Meng Chengwei wasn't exactly clean - he had plenty of dirt under his feet. If he could find a way to deliver evidence to Duke Ying, not only would Meng Chengwei be finished, but the Meng family's position as Imperial merchants would certainly be lost.

The Meng family wanted to use Duke Ying's household to suppress Ye Jia. Now he would turn the tables and use Duke Ying's household to suppress the Meng family instead. Meng Chengwei would get exactly what he deserved.Since his grandparents passed away, Lu Guanyi had been living alone in the Lu family's villa. Unless it was during festivals or holidays when his father returned from the border, he would not go back to the main Lu residence.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, instead of returning to the villa, he went to the home of Third Master Lu.

Third Master Lu was the younger brother of Lu Guanyi's grandfather, Lu Min. As descendants of military officials, both Lu Min and his second brother, Lu Zhi, joined the army upon reaching adulthood. The third brother, Lu Bin, was born prematurely and had been frail since childhood, relying on medicine as if it were food, so he never entered the military.

As it turned out, the second brother, Lu Zhi, had long since died in battle, and the eldest, Lu Min, had also passed away from illness. Only the perpetually frail third brother, Lu Bin, remained alive.

The three Lu brothers had a close bond, and before Lu Min died, he entrusted his third brother to look after his grandson. For this reason, Lu Guanyi rarely returned to the Xuanwu Marquis Household but frequently visited Lu Bin's residence.

"What? You want to marry a merchant's daughter?" Lu Bin grew agitated upon hearing this. "Did your stepmother arrange this? Listen to me, Yi'er, you can't let her control you. Don't agree to this. I'll write to your father."

Lu Bin was hot-tempered and, without hearing the full story, began rolling up his sleeves to write the letter.

Lu Bin's wife, Lady Liu, quickly stopped him. "Let Yi'er explain first. Don't jump to conclusions."

Lu Guanyi also hurriedly interjected, "Uncle, it's not like that."

Only then did Lu Bin sit back down. "Then what is it? Explain it to me clearly."

"I went to Jiangnan, didn't I? Qi Ji and I found a tea merchant to collaborate with on tea production. I mentioned this to you before. Third Miss Ye is the daughter of that Ye family," Lu Guanyi said.

"Yi'er," Lu Bin said with a stern expression, "you are a nobleman's son, young and handsome. Aren't there plenty of women in the capital who are drawn to your status and looks, flaunting themselves in front of you? You mustn't let yourself be blinded. Given your family's situation, you can't afford to be reckless in matters of marriage."

"Yes, Yi'er, you should think twice about this marriage," Lady Liu added.

"I've already spoken to the Crown Prince, and His Highness approves of this match," Lu Guanyi said.

"What?" Lu Bin was dumbfounded. "Why is that?"

"We have our reasons," Lu Guanyi replied.

Lu Bin, with his poor health, had spent his entire life focused on preserving his well-being and staying out of worldly affairs. The political scheming and the ever-changing dynamics of the capital held no relevance to him.

Lu Guanyi knew that if he said he was fond of Ye Yaming, Lu Bin would never approve of the marriage. But by invoking the Crown Prince's name, even if Lu Bin was unwilling, he would reluctantly accept the match.

Lady Liu, however, thought more deeply. "Is it because marrying a merchant's daughter means your stepmother won't interfere?"

"Yes, exactly."

Lu Bin immediately grew indignant and cursed Shi Shi.

"I don't plan to let Shi Shi know about this marriage for now," Lu Guanyi said. "I'm about to leave for the border, and I'm worried Shi Shi might take the opportunity to cause trouble for the Ye family or stir up some mischief, preventing me from staying at the border with peace of mind."

Lu Bin grew anxious upon hearing this. "Right, right, she mustn't find out."

"So the reason I came today is to ask the two of you to handle the arrangements for this marriage on my behalf. The Crown Prince will write to Master Zhineng, and together they will act as matchmakers. I've prepared some betrothal gifts and would like to ask Second Uncle to deliver them to Jiangnan for me."

Second Uncle was Lu Bin's second son. His eldest son managed the family estate, while the second son had more leisure and could leave the capital for a period of time."Alright, no problem," Lu Bin said. "After all, your grandfather entrusted your marriage to me and your grandaunt before his passing, and your father agreed in your grandfather's presence. It's only natural for us to arrange your marriage—even Shi Shi can't say anything about it."

"Rest assured, only the three of us know about this matter. I'll remind your second uncle not to even mention it to your second aunt."

Lu Guanyi was overjoyed and stood up, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Granduncle and Grandaunt."

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, he would greet or nod to acquaintances he encountered.

But no matter who it was,

everyone's face bore no extra expression, as if they were indifferent to everything.

Regarding this,

Shen Changqing had long grown accustomed.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Division, an institution responsible for maintaining the stability of Great Qin. Its primary duty was to slay demons, monsters, and supernatural beings, though it also handled some secondary tasks.

It could be said

that every person in the Demon Suppression Division had much blood on their hands.

When one becomes accustomed to life and death, they grow indifferent to many things.

When Shen Changqing first arrived in this world, he found it somewhat unsettling, but over time, he grew used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who could remain in the Demon Suppression Division were either powerful experts or individuals with the potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

Within the Demon Suppression Division, there were two main roles: the Garrison Envoy and the Demon Subduing Envoy.

Anyone who entered the Demon Suppression Division started as the lowest-ranking Demon Subduing Envoy,

then gradually advanced, with the hope of eventually becoming a Garrison Envoy.

Shen Changqing's predecessor was a probationary Demon Subduing Envoy in the Demon Suppression Division—the lowest rank among the Demon Subduing Envoys.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor,

he was very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

It didn't take long for Shen Changqing to stop in front of a pavilion.

Unlike the other solemn and imposing areas of the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, exuding an unusual tranquility amidst the pervasive bloodshed of the division.

At that moment, the pavilion's door was wide open, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

Shen Changqing hesitated only briefly before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere abruptly changed.

The scent of ink mixed with a faint trace of blood assailed his senses, causing him to instinctively frown, though his expression quickly relaxed.

The scent of blood that clung to everyone in the Demon Suppression Division was almost impossible to wash away completely.