Chapter 35

Luo Shixin was stunned and found it hard to accept, but deep down, he felt a strange sense of joy, a complex feeling. Zheng Liwan was as beautiful as a celestial being and possessed extraordinary intelligence; marrying her would be a blessing he had earned in three lifetimes, and he had no complaints at all.

However, in his mind, he still had the modern way of thinking: get to know each other and then talk about marriage.

He had only known Zheng Liwan for a day and met her twice, but due to a misunderstanding by Cheng Yaojin, and the scheming of Cui's family and Zheng Liwan's father, Zheng Renji, their marriage was hastily arranged. This was too hasty and too easy.

Luo Shixin initially thought Cheng Yaojin was just joking!

"Old brother, are you kidding me!" Luo Shixin was both surprised and doubtful.

Cheng Yaojin said, "How can I be joking? Your sister-in-law is the most efficient. Just leave everything to her. She is experienced and will ensure that the Zheng family girl enters your Luo family with great pomp and circumstance."

Luo Shixin smiled bitterly, "What are you talking about!"

In fact, this was due to his lack of understanding of the situation. In ancient times, human labor was invaluable, and every dynasty encouraged early marriage and early childbearing, even enacting laws to penalize those who married late. Especially during times of war, this was even more so. Luo Shixin, at twenty, was already considered very late to marry.

Cheng Yaojin came from a prestigious family; his great-grandfather was the governor of Yanzhou in the Northern Qi dynasty, his grandfather was the governor of Jinzhou, and his father was the chief justice of Jizhou, holding the position of governor of Yingzhou, with a prominent status. As Luo Shixin said, he was a beast, and at the beginning of the great turmoil, he married Sun Shi, the third daughter of County Magistrate Lu, who was ten years old, and Cui's family was his second wife.

Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and Luo Shixin were like brothers. Luo Shixin's parents died in war when he was young, and he had no relatives left. Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin, as his elder brothers, had been very concerned about his marriage, but Luo Shixin had no interest and always held back.

Luo Shixin, because Zheng Liwan had given him advice, was curious about this beautiful and intelligent girl and mentioned it to Cheng Yaojin. Cheng Yaojin immediately misunderstood, thinking Luo Shixin had come to his senses, and happily approached Cui's family.

Cui's family had a high social status; her brother was one of the managers of the Cui family in Qinghe. Although Luo Shixin had no family background, he was a young hero, already a high-ranking general at a young age, with a bright future and the support of the Cui family. Zheng Renji had no complaints. The key was that he was eager to marry off Zheng Liwan to a good family to manage her and prevent her from causing trouble. Thus, the marriage was arranged.

As for Zheng Liwan's opinion, Zheng Renji did not consider it at all. The marriage was decided by the parents and the matchmaker, as it should be.

Cheng Yaojin, with wide eyes, said, "What's wrong, still not satisfied!"

Luo Shixin thought for a moment and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's not that I'm dissatisfied, but I'm worried about putting the girl in a difficult position."

Men are all the same; like Luo Shixin now, if he said he had deep feelings for Zheng Liwan, it would be nonsense. He had only met her twice and known her for a day. How could there be deep feelings? But Zheng Liwan was as beautiful as a celestial being and very intelligent. With such good conditions, he would naturally want to marry her first.

Although rationally, he felt Zheng Liwan was still a "minor" around fifteen years old, he thought about Cheng Yaojin and felt relieved. Cheng Yaojin was the real beast, and compared to him, he was much more noble.

Luo Shixin said nothing and let Cheng Yaojin do as he pleased.

After a hearty meal and drinks, it was close to curfew. Luo Shixin, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yaojin walked out of the Drunken Immortal Tower. They had a good tolerance for alcohol and often gathered, but they did not drink to the point of getting drunk. They drank to enjoy themselves, controlling the amount. They all remained relatively sober and said their goodbyes.

Each of them rode their horses back home.

Luo Shixin rode his horse slowly through the streets, enjoying the gentle summer breeze.

He arrived at Yongxing Fang and, to his surprise, noticed six additional guards at the entrance of the Guozhang's residence. He stopped his horse to look and saw that the large red wooden door of the Guozhang's residence was sealed with crossed seals. He thought, "What a quick and efficient move."

"General Luo!"

Luo Shixin heard someone calling him and turned to see Pei Qingyi standing not far away. The carriage and entourage of Princess Pingyang were slowly approaching. He shook his head; he shouldn't have drunk so much. His senses were clearly dulled, and he hadn't noticed Pei Qingyi's approach.

"Miss, hello!"

Pei Qingyi nodded and said, "The princess invites you."

Luo Shixin spurred his horse forward and was about to dismount to pay his respects.

Princess Pingyang lifted the curtain and slightly leaned out, revealing her mature and charming face, and said, "No need for formalities. We are on the same path, and it's a good opportunity to thank you."

"On the same path!" Luo Shixin's mind finally cleared. No wonder Princess Pingyang had appeared just in time twice. He remembered what Pei Qingyi had said when they first met and realized, "I should thank the princess. When you had this girl follow me, it was to protect me from Yin Ashu's retaliation, wasn't it?"

Princess Pingyang nodded and said, "Yin Ashu has been bullying people for a long time, but few dare to stand up to him. Even my second brother has been forced to endure in silence. If not for General's bravery and fearlessness, forcing Yin Ashu to make foolish moves, even if I had the intention to eliminate the villain, I would have been powerless. My father has already ordered the sealing of the Guozhang's residence, revoking Yin Ashu's title and expelling him from Chang'an, never to return. Are you satisfied with this punishment?"

Luo Shixin nodded and said, "Yin Ashu is the father of Consort Yin. For the Emperor to take such action is already quite difficult. With his title revoked and exiled from Chang'an, even if his nature doesn't change, he will have to consider his own position. However, I have one question: the ambush seemed to be called off by that girl?"

Princess Pingyang said, "That's correct. According to Feng De's plan, if he couldn't defeat you in three moves, he would abandon the plan and withdraw with a golden gong. However, Feng De was naive. His power and wealth were less than mine. How could he keep his plan secret? I had already learned of his entire plan beforehand and used the sound of firecrackers to make the ambush come out early, forcing Feng De to reveal himself. This plan did put you in danger, and I felt guilty, but upon reflection, it was unnecessary. My actions were just adding to the situation."

She spoke with a hint of meaning, clearly sensing Luo Shixin's deliberate actions in the plan, but because of her appearance, he had handed Yin Ashu over to her.

Luo Shixin did not hide his thoughts and said, "I, Luo Shixin, disdain associating with villains. But to protect myself from such villains, I had to use some extreme measures."

Princess Pingyang nodded approvingly, "To act courageously is the mark of a true man!" As she said this, her face turned slightly red, and she looked around, saying, "General, you have arrived home. I will go ahead."

Luo Shixin then realized he was already outside his residence, and Princess Pingyang's entourage had also stopped.

Princess Pingyang's residence was actually right next to his!!!

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