An unprecedentedly grand wedding had drawn to a close, but the waves it stirred up were far from subsiding.

Earlier, the more people had deliberately played it down and ignored it,

now, the more people were staring at it like they’d gone mad.

...

West Garden,

inside a pavilion half-hidden by an artificial rock mountain,

the Princess sat on a stone bench,

holding a handful of feed, scattering it to the fish swimming in the pond outside the pavilion.

West Garden was built by Qian people; exquisitely ingenious, with green waves rippling amid the rockery, fish darting through them, making a charming scene.

One could say that, when it comes to enjoying life, Qian people are absolutely at the forefront of the East—no, of the entire age.

"Brother, you’re late."

The Princess spoke.

Behind her, Li Liangshen’s figure appeared, along with that simple, ancient greatsword that never left his side.

Li Liangshen was just like his sword, and for a time there were street busybodies who felt that of the so‑called Four Great Swordsmen, Li Liangshen was actually less qualified to be among them than the Swordsmith.

Because the Sword Saint of Jin land and Qian State’s Baili Sword—their swords were graceful, fitting the common image of a swordsman in people’s minds: sleeves fluttering, Sword Energy like a rainbow, like an exiled immortal descending with sword in hand to subdue demons.

As for the Swordsmith, leaving aside how much real skill he had and whether he was just a blown‑up fraud, the swords he forged were first‑rate exquisite. That Longyuan in the Sword Saint’s hand was the lifelong pursuit of countless swordsmen.

But Li Liangshen,

his sword was simply too lacking in aesthetics; many felt he shouldn’t be wearing a sword at all—if he swapped it for a saber, it would make no difference.

"With the Sixth Prince’s marriage today, there were quite a few things that required extra attention."

Li Liangshen had originally been the commander‑in‑chief of the Earl of North Border’s army; now he was The main general of the East Gate camp outside Yanjing. Outside the capital there weren’t actually four camps at the four directions, only two major camps, east and west. The West Camp was a later‑added branch of the imperial guards; its combat strength and elite level were naturally no match for the East Camp, which took the North Border Army as its backbone.

"It was a very lively wedding."

The Princess sighed. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Li Liangshen nodded.

"Far, far livelier than mine was."

At this, the corners of Li Liangshen’s mouth curled into a faint smile.

Daughters are prone to melancholy, and when it comes to their own lifelong event, they can’t help but compare.

They both married princes, didn’t they? She even married the Crown Prince.

The daughter of the He Family was merely a butcher’s daughter, but she? She was a Princess.

Last time, the Princess’s wedding to the Crown Prince had been cut short, but because it symbolized an alliance between the royal house and the Earl of North Border’s household, it had still been conducted with the utmost pomp. Even so, compared with today, there was simply no comparison.

Money rain filling the sky, the courtesan offering congratulations—one could say that half the people in Yanjing had witnessed this wedding.

The Princess turned her face slightly, looked at Li Liangshen, and said:

"With such a grand display, it’s no wonder even the camp outside the capital got stirred."

Seventh Uncle came over carrying tea, setting one cup on the small table and handing another to Li Liangshen.

The Princess tossed the remaining feed in her hand into the pond and lightly patted her palms,

"Chengjue really made it big this time."

Li Liangshen nodded and said, "It makes one feel as if the Min Family has come back to life."

Li Liangshen had lived through the Min Family’s most glorious days. Back then, in Beifeng Prefecture, in the deserts, even farther off in the distant West, there were caravans bearing the Min Family’s banner running back and forth.

"Did the Min Family ever truly die?" the Princess countered.

Li Liangshen said nothing, and the Princess went on: "Back then His Majesty ordered Lord Jingnan to lead troops to trample the Min Family flat, but the court never moved against the Min Family’s businesses outside. Brother, do you find that normal?

Our emperor’s appetite is certainly large—he doesn’t want to smash the pot, he just wants to swap in one of his own people to sit by the pot and keep eating the meat inside.

Look at today’s display—leaving everything else aside, Ning Desheng of Ning’an Escort Agency is someone even my father would give three points of respect to when he saw him, yet for Chengjue’s wedding today he quietly came all the way from Beifeng Prefecture to the capital just to call him Young Master, just to deliver that bridal sedan?"

The Princess rose to her feet. "This shows that long ago, Chengjue had already taken over the Min Family legacy. In the eyes of those head stewards, Chengjue is their Young Master, the only bloodline heir of the Min Family. To pledge themselves to him is only natural, and besides, Chengjue really does have the means to convince people.

But I refuse to believe that His Majesty, who’s been suppressing Chengjue all these years, could truly know nothing about this."

Li Liangshen shook his head.

The Princess continued:

"In my view, this is plainly a tacit understanding between father and son.

As expected of the surname Ji,

one kills his wife and exterminates his father‑in‑law, the other conveniently takes over the matriarchal clan’s legacy. In the end, everything the Min Family had is changed into their surname Ji."

Li Liangshen said, "Money really is a fine thing."

If you say you don’t love money, that only means you already have plenty of it.

But one fact never changes: in this world, the vast majority of people are always short of money. "Wealth" is a label that forever belongs only to the few.

Money may not be able to sway you, but if everyone around you can be swayed, whether you sway or not no longer matters.

Li Liangshen added, "Moreover, His Majesty has always wanted to march south again to attack Qian State. The only reason he sent envoys to mend ties with Qian State now is that after years of continuous war, the state treasury and the people’s strength are both on the verge of exhaustion, so he had no choice but to stop."