Protect Our Patriarch

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...

Since the time of Emperor Ziwei Xuandu, the royal family of the Great Qian has proliferated to an uncountable number of descendants.

With the shifts in power, the once direct lineage may gradually become a branch, while a fallen branch might occasionally produce a remarkable talent, allowing that line to rise again.

As the largest family in the Great Qian, the Wu's Clan, like other long-established families, has a vast population base. However, the majority of them are not particularly successful, mostly relying on the royal family's name to occupy more resources or help manage some royal industries.

Nevertheless, the royal family remains the royal family, with a solid foundation and formidable strength. Currently, there are as many as eleven living princes, and the number of commandery princes is even larger.

Among them, the line of Prince Dexin is currently the most powerful branch of the royal family, with two princes at the Divine Realm and eighteen commandery princes.

Moreover, this lineage is on a strong upward trajectory, with potential far beyond its current state.

Commandery Prince Kang, one of the Quasi-Imperial Heirs, is one of the outstanding figures of the younger generation in this line.

The Little Commandery Princess Xue'ning, who is currently favored by His Majesty, also comes from the line of Prince Dexin. Her grandfather is the cousin of Prince Yong'an, "Commandery Prince Rong." Although Commandery Prince Rong is not as talented as Prince Yong'an, he still holds the position of a commandery prince.

The small branch of Commandery Prince Rong is not very prosperous, and most of them are mediocre, with no one able to reach the Purple Mansion Realm to inherit his legacy. As a result, Commandery Prince Rong is now 650 years old, and many of his sons and grandsons have already passed away.

However, Commandery Prince Rong, though old, is still vigorous. At the age of 500, he couldn't resist remarrying and fathered a young son, Wu Yingcai, whose talent was quite good, having awakened a rather thin White Dragon bloodline.

With the old man's love for his young wife and son, Commandery Prince Rong managed to obtain bloodline enhancement elixirs and other resources to cultivate Wu Yingcai into a prodigy. He even arranged for him to marry the direct daughter of the Great Qian Chen's Clan.

They are just waiting for Wu Yingcai to reach the Purple Mansion Realm, then go to the outer region battlefield to earn some merits, report to His Majesty, and establish a commandery prince's household for him. By then, this branch would also have two commandery princes, significantly elevating their status and influence among the direct lineage.

The reason Wu Yingcai is mentioned is because he and the direct daughter of the Chen's Clan had an extraordinary daughter—Wu Xue'ning!

Her innate talent was exceptional, also possessing the White Dragon bloodline, but much stronger than her father's. When her bloodline talent was assessed at the age of seven or eight, it alarmed Prince Dexin of this line and was reported to His Majesty. She was then included in the royal family's key cultivation list, receiving top-tier treatment.

Besides the royal family's attention to Wu Xue'ning, the third-grade Great Qian Chen's Clan also valued this direct granddaughter, often providing secret support. Although it couldn't match the resources for a Divine Realm seed, it exceeded the usual subsidy for a Purple Mansion seed.

As a result, Commandery Prince Rong, Wu Yingcai, and Xue'ning's mother, Chen's Clan, became highly sought after due to Wu Xue'ning.

On this day.

At the Commandery Prince Rong's household.

Early in the morning, the servants of the Commandery Prince Rong's household were busy cleaning, decorating with lanterns and streamers, and laying red carpets.

This wasn't for a wedding but because three distinguished guests were about to arrive at the Commandery Prince Rong's household.

The vigorous Commandery Prince Rong, along with his "young wife" Meng's Clan, who was over two hundred years old, and the couple Wu Yingcai and Chen's Clan, jointly welcomed the guests.

The three guests were Commandery Prince Kang's wife Zhao Yijing, the Divine Realm seed Zhao Zhikun from An Guogong's Mansion, and the young great prodigy of An Guogong's Mansion—Zhao Yuanqing.

Zhao Yijing's status needs no explanation. Her position is not something an ordinary commandery prince's wife can compare to, with a significant chance of ascending to the empress's position in the future.

Zhao Zhikun from An Guogong's Mansion is also an extraordinary figure, a future Divine Ancestor-level figure. Moreover, his performance on the outer region battlefield has been outstanding, earning numerous battle merits, and even His Majesty often praises his achievements, frequently bestowing rewards. 𐍂åℕọꞖÊŜ

These are not the most important aspects. He is currently being groomed as the successor by the contemporary chief assistant Zhao Hongbo, destined to be a pillar of the Great Qian, a top power figure.

The Great Qian's system is one where the royal family and the aristocratic families jointly govern the country. The larger and stronger the family, the more "shares" it holds in this collective, gaining more political influence and power.

Currently, with only one second-grade family in the Great Qian, the chief assistant position falling to the Zhao's Clan is well-deserved, a recognition of their contributions to the Great Qian over the years.

Even if Commandery Prince An were fortunate enough to ascend to the emperor's position in the future, it would be difficult to shake the Zhao's Clan's chief assistant position in the short term. It would require gradually weakening them, as Emperor Longchang did with the Daqian Wang's Clan, and supporting other families to replace them.

This is the confidence of a second-grade family.

The other young great prodigy, Zhao Yuanqing, is only fifty years old, having just stepped into the Celestial Realm. According to Shangjing City's saying, he is still a young and impetuous child!

At this moment, Zhao Yuanqing is wearing a blue and white Basalt combat attire made from the famous tribute fabric—White Cloud Spirit Brocade.

This fabric is woven from spirit cotton produced by an eighth-grade exotic spirit plant, the Spirit Brocade Tree. The spirit brocade is soft yet extremely tough, not only comfortable to wear but also providing considerable defense. However, it is extremely expensive, with an average price of 800,000 Top Gold per set, more expensive than a mid-grade magical treasure!

The eighth-grade Spirit Brocade Tree must grow on a small top-grade wood spirit vein and requires constant nutrient supply, producing a batch of spirit cotton every ten years.

Even with improved weaving techniques, only a dozen bolts of White Cloud Spirit Brocade can be woven, making one to two hundred sets of clothing, most of which are supplied to the royal family or exported to the Immortal Dynasty.

After all, there are very few cultivators in the Great Qian who can afford clothing made from White Cloud Spirit Brocade.

It's not a matter of whether they can afford it, but whether they are willing to spend on it. After all, clothes are consumables, unlike magical treasures that can be passed down for generations.

The Jin's Clan of Guilong City, a fifth-grade family in Shangjing City, lives a very comfortable life because they grow this eighth-grade Spirit Brocade Tree in their suburban manor, with an average annual gross income of no less than tens of millions of Top Gold, making many families "envious, jealous, and hateful."

The fact that Zhao Yuanqing can wear White Cloud Spirit Brocade clothing shows how favored he is within the Zhao's Clan. He carries the Zhao's Clan's ambition to achieve five or even six Divine Realms.

Compared to the status and position of the Zhao's Clan, the people of the Commandery Prince Rong's household, though royal, are ultimately not the main branch of the direct lineage, and their foundation is much weaker. This is evident from their hospitality arrangements and the importance they attach to this visit.

Commandery Prince Rong is already six to seven hundred years old, and as a Purple Mansion Realm Basalt cultivator, he is in his twilight years.

At this moment, he is already white-haired, but his spirit is excellent, his face glowing with health, enthusiastically entertaining the Zhao's Clan members: "Brother Zhikun, I heard you made great achievements on the outer region battlefield again this time. With such merits, after gaining experience and building enough reputation and connections in the cabinet, it will be even more natural for you to succeed Senior Hongbo's position in the future. Congratulations, congratulations~"

"Your Highness flatters me," Zhao Zhikun replied with a calm smile. "Fighting on the battlefield is our duty. I have also heard of Commandery Prince Rong's past glory on the outer region battlefield, only regretting that I was not born in time to witness it firsthand."

After exchanging compliments.

Commandery Prince Kang's wife Zhao Yijing smiled gently at Commandery Prince Rong's wife and said, "Ninth Grandmother, I heard that Little Commandery Princess Xue'ning is staying in the palace again? The Ancestor really dotes on her."

Commandery Prince Rong's wife, Meng's Clan, hails from the fourth-grade Meng's Clan, whose strongest member, Ancestor Meng Yuanbai, is a third-grade official, serving as the director of the Three Talents Office, currently in a very influential position.

Meng Yuanbai and Meng's Clan, one serving as a third-grade official in the government, and the other as a commandery prince's wife in the royal family, support each other, forming a relatively stable and strong power structure.

Meng's Clan valued this point back then, which is why they were willing to marry their young prodigy daughter to the old Commandery Prince Rong.

However, this power and status are still far inferior to that of Commandery Prince Kang's wife.

Even though Meng's Clan is of a higher seniority and slightly older than Zhao Yijing, she still smiled warmly, showing a hint of flattery: "The Inner Guard came to deliver a message, saying that the Ancestor ordered Xue'ning to stay in the palace to entertain some young guests."

In the entire Commandery Prince Rong's household, the most outstanding is, of course, Little Commandery Princess Xue'ning. Although she is young, her seniority is not low, being of the same generation as Commandery Prince Kang, Wu Chengsi.

Commandery Prince Rong is of the same generation as Prince Yong'an and Commandery Prince Kang's grandfather, Commandery Prince Tai, showing that their blood relationship is relatively close.

After more casual conversation and pleasantries.

Commandery Prince Kang's wife finally revealed her purpose: "Ninth Grandfather, Ninth Grandmother. I am here on behalf of Yuanqing to propose a marriage. Yuanqing is from the direct line of the Zhao's Clan, with extraordinary talent, and is likely to inherit the An Guogong's title in the future."

Proposing a marriage.

In fact, with the Zhao's Clan sending Commandery Prince Kang's wife, Zhao Zhikun, a Purple Mansion Realm great prodigy, and Zhao Yuanqing, a direct descendant of the Zhao's Clan, in such a grand manner, Commandery Prince Rong and his wife, as well as Wu Yingcai and his wife, had already anticipated this.

Considering the current young aristocratic children in the entire Great Qian, there are almost none who can match Wu Xue'ning, and Zhao Yuanqing is indeed barely a suitable match.

The reason for saying "barely" is because Xue'ning is a great prodigy and also a direct noblewoman of the royal family, making her status even more prestigious than an ordinary great prodigy.

Generally speaking, following the principle of marrying a weaker woman to a stronger man, Xue'ning could completely marry into the imperial family of another empire, or into a first-grade family, or even into a super-grade family of the Immortal Dynasty, which wouldn't be surprising.

"Your Highness Commandery Prince Rong," Zhao Yuanqing helped to say, "Our Zhao's Clan and the line of Prince Dexin have many intermarriages, and our relationship is already close. If Little Commandery Princess can unite with Yuanqing, it would be a strong alliance. Although our Zhao's Clan is not a first-grade family, we are close to home. By then, Little Commandery Princess Xue'ning would be like not having married at all, able to return to her maiden home whenever she wishes."

Commandery Prince Rong and his wife also considered this matter. If Xue'ning were to marry into another country or the Immortal Dynasty, although it would better match her talent and status, it would ultimately be too far from home. The Zhao's Clan, in reality, is not bad either. When Commandery Prince Kang ascends the throne, they would also be a top family with power over the court, and their interests would be more closely aligned.

However, Wu Xue'ning is ultimately not an ordinary child. The interests involved in her marriage are too numerous, and it's not something they can decide directly.

Although Commandery Prince Rong and his wife were somewhat tempted after hearing this, they dared not make a decision lightly, repeatedly saying, "This matter must be reported to Ancestor Dexin to hear his opinion."

"Rest assured, Your Highness Commandery Prince Rong. Our family's Ancestor has already exchanged opinions with Prince Dexin, and he is very supportive of this," Zhao Yuanqing said.

"Since even the Ancestor has no objections, I am, of course, happy to see it happen," Commandery Prince Rong finally agreed.

"Good, good, good. In that case, our Zhao's Clan will prepare and formally propose marriage on another day," Zhao Yuanqing said.

In this situation, Wu Yingcai and his wife, the biological parents of Wu Xue'ning, almost had no say.

Wu Yingcai had long known that he would probably not have a say in Xue'ning's marriage, and he had no objections to Zhao Yuanqing, so he remained calm. However, Chen's Clan's expression was vaguely displeased.

But now, in front of Commandery Prince Kang's wife and Zhao Zhikun, she managed to control her expression and did not show it too obviously.

After the gathering dispersed, Wu Yingcai and his wife returned to their garden.

Chen's Clan could no longer hold back and immediately erupted: "Wu Yingcai, that old man is going to sell Xue'ning, and you didn't even say a word?"

Wu Yingcai looked slightly bewildered: "Wife, do you disagree with this marriage? I think Yuanqing is a good kid, with good talent, potential, and character."

"Good my foot!" Chen's Clan said angrily, "Although Xue'ning is of your royal bloodline, she also has our Chen's Clan's blood. Our Ancestor treats her like a treasure, making sure she gets a share of everything. And now, you're marrying her off to the Zhao's Clan. Where does that leave our Chen's Clan?"

You must know, the Chen's Clan now has two Divine Realms, and their power and status in the court are second only to the Zhao's Clan, with a secret plan to achieve three Divine Realms and become a second-grade family.

Although the two families have not had any major conflicts on the surface, they have secretly clashed in various fields countless times, with a hint of rivalry.

"Wife... but Ancestor Dexin also agreed," Wu Yingcai said, his face somewhat unnatural after being scolded, "I'm sure the Ancestor has his own thoughts."

"Of course, he has thoughts!" Chen's Clan, so angry that she couldn't control her words, said, "That old man wants nothing more than for Commandery Prince Kang to successfully ascend the throne. So, he's willing to sell Xue'ning as a bargaining chip to the Zhao's Clan, so they can fully support Commandery Prince Kang without any reservations. And in the process, he can also tie our Chen's Clan to the ship, forcing us to take sides. Why wouldn't he be happy?"

The Zhao's Clan is not simple; it is the only second-grade family in the Great Qian. Apart from the Lingxu Emperor's inheritance, the Zhao's Clan's comprehensive strength is almost equivalent to thirty or forty percent of the royal family's.

Once the Zhao's Clan chooses to support Commandery Prince Kang without reservation, opposing Commandery Prince An, those with voting rights in the royal family will inevitably have more concerns, and even His Majesty will have to carefully consider.

"Isn't it good for Commandery Prince Kang to ascend the throne?" Wu Yingcai said, "Our bloodline is much closer to his than to Commandery Prince An. He's my cousin..."

"Whether he ascends the throne or not is one thing, but why should we sacrifice our Chen's Clan's direct granddaughter to please the Zhao's Clan?" Chen's Clan said discontentedly, "Wu Yingcai, you should immediately go to Ancestor Dexin and say you temporarily disagree with this marriage and need to consider it!"

"What?" Wu Yingcai's face turned pale with fright, "You, you, you want me to go against Ancestor Dexin?"

"I knew you wouldn't dare," Chen's Clan said with a very displeased expression, "But Ancestor Dexin is indeed going too far in this matter, completely disregarding our Chen's Clan. The Zhao's Clan is indeed powerful, but are we Chen's Clan so easy to bully? We Chen's Clan also have two Divine Ancestors!"

"Although Xue'ning is of royal blood, she is also our Chen's Clan's direct granddaughter with high hopes. Did he consult our Ancestor before making a decision?"

"Someone, prepare the carriage. I need to return to my maiden home immediately, to find my brother, to find the Ancestor."

After a fit of anger, Chen's Clan immediately returned to her maiden home.

Wu Yingcai, somewhat afraid of his wife, quickly followed. His wife, Chen's Clan, is not simple; her brother, Chen Jinglong, is a contemporary Divine Realm seed of the Great Qian Chen's Clan, certainly not a simple character.

It can be imagined that when the people of the third-grade Chen's Clan learn of this matter, there will inevitably be chaos.

This matter will not be discussed for now.

...

At the same time.

Changning An River Guandu.

The Changning An River Guandu has long been contracted to the Wang's Clan, responsible for its repair, maintenance, and operation. Apart from thirty percent of the income as a contracting fee, the rest is the Wang's Clan's responsibility.

However, under the Wang's Clan's management, the An River Guandu has become increasingly busy, with the port expanding, gradually becoming the largest port on the lower An River. Many goods flowing in and out of Longzuo Commandery by water are gradually gathering at the An River Guandu.

The bustling commerce has also attracted more itinerant merchants to seek fortune. Most of them are rogue cultivators or Basalt families below the ninth grade, or from branch families, etc.

They travel alone, in groups of three or five, or in larger teams, using a few carts to transport goods, earning sometimes meager, sometimes substantial profits.

Don't underestimate the itinerant merchant industry; in terms of transport scale and capital, they are far inferior to formal trading companies.

But precisely because they are constantly struggling at the grassroots level, facing the most basic foundations of society, constantly interacting with a wide variety of people, they always have some secret information channels and often have a very keen sense.

Some skilled itinerant merchants, purely in terms of intuition, are no worse than some formal trading company managers.

In the entire Longzuo Commandery, Changning Garrison is undoubtedly the place with the most opportunities to make money, and the wealthiest areas in Changning Garrison are, of course, Ping'an Town, Xin'an Town, and other places.

The Wang's Clan's bulk goods procurement comes from the Qian's Trading Company, which is excellent in land logistics. The procurement of small, expensive goods is handled by the Shouda Trading Company.

But even so, countless itinerant merchants have sniffed out business opportunities.

The Wang's Clan's appetite for various seeds, metals, high-quality wood, rare minerals, oils, and other high-quality raw materials is almost insatiable.

Although the Qian's Trading Company and Shouda Trading Company have covered most of the demand, they ultimately cannot clean the bottom of the pot. Itinerant merchants excel at penetrating deep into the market, uncovering fragmented transactions at the grassroots level.

They scour the grassroots of society for the resources the Wang's Clan needs, then transport them to Ping'an Town for high-profit returns. With this "connection," they then purchase some of the Wang's Clan's specialty products and continue to explore their fragmented market. Many itinerant merchants have made a fortune, growing their businesses larger and larger.

The Wang's Clan also intentionally or unintentionally supports some excellent itinerant merchants to fill the resource gap caused by the growing demand for raw materials. Thousands of itinerant merchants, like diligent ants, scour for resources and transport them bit by bit to the Wang's Clan.

Each shipment may not be large, but the total resource volume adds up to be enormous.

Among the coming and going itinerant merchants, there is an old and a young itinerant merchant. Although they are new itinerant merchants, they are well aware of the Wang's Clan's needs.

They have a dilapidated cart carrying rough iron ingots, high-quality fabrics, musk, refined carbon, and other goods in high demand in the Wang's Clan's territory.

With the right goods, they declared their cargo, verified their identities, and quickly passed through the checkpoint set by the Wang's Clan, obtaining temporary passes for Ping'an Town and Xin'an Town.

Afterward, they, like other itinerant merchants, took a ferry to Ping'an Town.

The dilapidated cart slowly drove on the wide and smooth roads of Ping'an Town. Once out of the sharp-eyed gaze of the Wang's Clan guards, who seemed to be scrutinizing criminals, the old and young itinerant merchants finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They drove the cart while looking around, seemingly admiring the unique scenery of Ping'an Town.

The younger itinerant merchant couldn't help but ask, "Master, I've heard that the Wang's Clan now dominates Longzuo Commandery, and today I see it's true. Even the passes are unique. Is it dangerous for us to come for a secret investigation like this?"

"I've heard that there have been cases of tax officials who went for secret investigations dying mysteriously in the local area."

"Rest assured, there are tens of thousands of itinerant merchants coming and going in Ping'an Town every day. Not to mention that they can't possibly check everyone's background, and our disguised identities are real and reliable, with high safety."

"Besides, the means of tax evasion by aristocratic families are nothing new. I've been a tax official for so many years, and I'm well aware of these things, guaranteed to catch them once we investigate. It won't be long before we can retire successfully."

Hearing this, the young man immediately perked up, eagerly asking his teacher about the means of tax evasion by aristocratic families.

The old tax official, unable to resist, had to explain to him.

"First is 'hiding land in acres.'" The tax official, disguised as an old itinerant merchant, explained, "This method is simple. During land measurement, if you relax your hand by a few feet, you can register one acre and one fen of land as one acre, 'hiding' the fen of land. In this way, for a thousand acres, ten thousand acres, the hidden land becomes considerable, and this is 'hiding land in acres.' Since this hidden land is not included in the measured land, it naturally doesn't require tax payment."

In the early stages of land development, local aristocratic families have high prestige, and local governments often turn a blind eye, making it not difficult to achieve this.

"For this situation, there is a very simple solution: re-measure the land. This time, I brought the latest 'portable land ruler' from the Engineering Office, capable of precise land measurement. Once we measure secretly, we'll know if the Wang's Clan is playing tricks with 'hiding land in acres.' Once we report it, a thorough investigation by the Three Talents Office will force the Wang's Clan to reveal all hidden land."

"Second is the 'delayed farming method.'" The old tax official, clearly experienced, explained these matters with clarity and detail, "This method is also simple: falsify the timing during land development."

"For example, a piece of land might actually be ready for farming in five years, but the family doesn't report it, delaying for twenty years before registering it for land records. With a fifty-year tax exemption period after registration, it effectively gains an extra twenty years of tax-free time."

The Wang's Clan has been developing land for decades, making this method very easy to implement.

"This situation is relatively more challenging to investigate, requiring detailed field surveys and land maturity assessments. However, if they have done it, there will be flaws, and with thorough investigation, evidence can always be found."

"Third is the most difficult to investigate: the spiritual farmland tax. This is also the main area of tax evasion by aristocratic families." The old tax official, mentioning the spiritual farmland tax, seemed somewhat troubled, "The spiritual farmland developed by families often contains many secrets, either hidden in extremely secret places or protected by formations and restrictions, and they absolutely do not allow outsiders in, making it extremely difficult to investigate. However, if we must investigate, there are ways. After all, whenever spiritual materials or medicines are planted, there will be traces. For example, the Purple Leaf Tuber Fleeceflower Root requires monthly irrigation with spiritual springs containing Yi Wood spiritual energy. Other spiritual medicines and materials also have various planting requirements, often needing to be transported into the spiritual farmland from outside. We can deduce the types of spiritual plants being cultivated based on this information."

"I see. That is indeed a good method." The young tax official nodded in agreement, "The purpose of families planting spiritual plants is nothing more than twofold: either for personal use, to refine into elixirs, or for sale to exchange for needed resources. By closely monitoring their sales channels, we should also be able to gain some insights. Cross-referencing the two should allow us to control the margin of error within a relatively small range."

"Yes, you are teachable." The old tax official stroked his beard, nodding in satisfaction, clearly pleased with his apprentice's ability to infer and deduce, "However, this method does have some margin of error, and unless necessary, it should be avoided. Our mission is a secret investigation, starting with land measurement and then covert investigation, prioritizing our safety, and being cautious to avoid alerting the target."

"Once evidence is found, report it immediately."

"As for the subsequent thorough investigation, that will be the concern of the officials above. Never be greedy for merit and act rashly."

In their line of work, the biggest taboo is being greedy for merit and acting rashly. Many tax officials who went for secret investigations have fallen because of this.

The old tax official, worried that the young man might lose his composure and consequently his life, repeatedly reminded him.

As they spoke, another cart approached from the opposite direction.

The master and apprentice immediately pretended to be ordinary itinerant merchants, calmly concealing their identities.

Soon, the master and apprentice successfully "blended into" Ping'an Town, beginning their covert investigation to find evidence of tax evasion by the Wang's Clan. Unfortunately, they underestimated the Wang's Clan's defensive measures and their emphasis on intelligence work.

If not for the Wang's Clan's intentional leniency, they would have been intercepted and captured at the Changning Guandu.

...

At the same time.

At the "Wangxian Pavilion" by the Imperial Garden in the palace.

This pavilion is entirely built from spiritual wood, towering several tens of meters high, offering a commanding view of most of the Imperial Garden.

The Wangxian Pavilion has many rooms and is attended by eunuchs and palace maids, making it a pleasant place for children to stay.

Most importantly, the "Wangxian Pavilion" is one of the few places within the palace with the most abundant spiritual energy, greatly beneficial to the children's growth.

At the top of the Wangxian Pavilion.

Here, with its carved beams and painted rafters, open on all sides, it offers the best view in the entire Wangxian Pavilion. It's an excellent place for drinking and feasting, composing poetry and painting, or even hosting a barbecue party.

This is not just talk; they are indeed barbecuing.

The chefs from the Imperial Kitchen have been called over, cooking various exotic delicacies on site.

Emperor Longchang is playing chess, and his opponent is Wang Anye, or rather, Wang Anye's master, Ji Wuchen.

```Among those present, aside from Wu Zhixing and Wu Xue'ning who were still somewhat interested in watching the battle, Wang Lilong and Wang Yingxuan, along with five little wolf cubs, were all staring eagerly at the roast meat, almost drooling.

"Checkmate!" Emperor Longchang placed a piece down, capturing Wang Anye's large dragon, and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Anye, even with Senior Ji's help, you still can't win. Who are you planning to send next? Is it Boundless Young Lady, or Seventh Sister? Or perhaps, do you have another sister hidden away? Wahaha~"

"Hey, hey, you're an emperor, aren't you ashamed to bully a child?" Seventh Sister of the Legion couldn't stand it and retorted, "Winning against a twelve-year-old, is it really worth laughing so arrogantly?"

"I'm an emperor who's almost old enough to die, why can't I be arrogant?" Emperor Longchang laughed proudly, "Anye, let me teach you a lesson. In chess, while there's an element of luck, ultimately it's about accumulation and foundation. In your future life, never let smooth sailing make you complacent."

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty." Wang Anye stood up and bowed solemnly.

"A teachable child, much better than your great-grandfather," Emperor Longchang said as if he had met Wang Shouzhe.

During this time, although Emperor Longchang was quite annoyed by these few and the little wolf cubs, these little rascals, though mischievous, were indeed very endearing.

So he decided to host this barbecue gathering. Keeping them all close by should work, right?

Sure enough, under the temptation of delicious food and his personal supervision as the emperor, everyone behaved themselves.

Apart from being a bit mischievous, these children and wolf cubs weren't bad at all. The triple compensation from the Yao Clan had already been received, and the genuine "Divine Dynasty's Twilight" was also in hand. Except for losing half a Dao artifact... better not to think about it too much, it was disheartening.

At this moment.

An inner guard came to report that Chen Jinglong of the Great Qian Chen's Clan requested an audience with the emperor.

Chen Jinglong was the prodigy of the Chen Clan's current generation. At just three hundred years old, he was already at the sixth level of the Purple Mansion Realm, undoubtedly a future pillar of the Great Qian. Even now, Chen Jinglong was considered a talent, with outstanding achievements in both civil and military affairs, having made significant contributions to the Great Qian.

Such a distinguished person was someone even the emperor valued.

"Let him in," Emperor Longchang said with a smile to Wu Xue'ning, "Xue'ning, what kind of nose does your uncle have? He must have smelled the aroma of the barbecue I prepared."

Wu Xue'ning rolled her eyes and pouted, muttering, "It must be mother worrying that I'll be naughty in the palace, so she specifically asked uncle to come and tighten the reins."

She feared many people, and Chen Jinglong was one of them.

In no time, a mature man who appeared to be "in his thirties" was led up to the Wangxian Pavilion by the inner attendants.

"Jinglong greets Your Majesty," Chen Jinglong cupped his hands in salute.

"No need for formalities, Jinglong. You came just in time. Accompany me for a game, and if you win, I'll treat you to some meat," Emperor Longchang beckoned kindly, as he valued and had been nurturing this younger generation, naturally showing great affection.

"Your Majesty, Jinglong is currently upset, making it difficult to focus on chess," Chen Jinglong's face was grim, as if suppressing overwhelming anger, he bowed apologetically.

"Oh?" Emperor Longchang looked him up and down, "Jinglong, you seem to have come with ill intentions this time, is this... a complaint? You, a mid-to-late Purple Mansion Realm prodigy, a pillar of the nation, who dares to bully you?"

"Your Majesty," Chen Jinglong bowed deeply, his face dark, "The Zhao Clan and Prince Dexin are discussing marrying my niece Xue'ning to Zhao Yuanqing of the Zhao Clan."

"Indeed, our Chen Clan has no right to dictate Xue'ning's marriage. But at least they should consult us or Xue'ning beforehand, right? Even if we are disregarded by Prince Dexin, shouldn't he at least ask for your opinion, Your Majesty? You care so much for Xue'ning; her marriage should have your approval."

"What?" Wu Xue'ning, who was about to greet her uncle, was stunned.

What nonsense?

In the time it took for this little princess to come out for a barbecue, she had already been promised in marriage??

Her pretty face turned a bit pale, and at this moment, she subconsciously glanced at Wang Anye. Although she didn't know why she looked at Wang Anye, she instinctively did.

"Hehe~"

The gentle smile on Emperor Longchang's face gradually froze.

......

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