Dingbei Residence.

Once the news of Lu Yan’s marriage made its course through the upper circles of the entire Capital City, it was natural that it had also reached the Dingbei Residence.

Pei Fengtang had returned to the capital for a while now. On the surface, he looked like he had almost completely recovered. However, he had been poisoned for so many years after all, so his body was still weak and he had to stay home most of the time—drinking all kinds of supplements as well as carrying out basic exercises and meditation for recovery. This was so that no trace of the illness would remain.

So, when Li Qing came forward to report, “Lord Heir, it was said that the empress has bestowed Qi Qingyao marriage and her partner is Lu Yan.”

Pei Fengtang immediately opened his eyes. His expression was that of astonishment as he asked, “Has the empress gone mad?”

“This… servant does not know.” Li Qing responded very awkwardly, “It seems that all the residences are talking about it.”

Pei Fengtang was no longer in the mood to meditate—his mood volatile. He got up and sat down on the arhat couch. Filled with doubts, he asked, “Qi Qingyao has Si Jin behind her, and Si Jin is now above the level of a grand master. It’s impossible that the empress’ actions don’t carry a deeper meaning. Her bestowing Qi Qingyao marriage to Lu Yan is confusing.”

Li Qing scratched his head. “My Lord, do you still not understand?”

“What is it?” Pei Fengtang looked up.

Li Qing whispered, “Si Jin likes Lady Qi. If Qi Qingyao were to marry Lu Yan, Si Jin may not want to help Qi Qingyao anymore. It’s possible that he may end up giving his complete loyalty to the imperial court in the future.”

Pei Fengtang suddenly thought of something and somewhat speaking to himself, he muttered, “She is too deeply bonded with Si Jin, which certainly poses a serious threat to the imperial court and the empress. The empress is worried!”

That was why she had intended to immediately get rid of the troublesome woman, Qi Qingyao; she wanted to kill several birds with one stone.

However, seeing that Si Jin had not come to the capital, she decided to go ahead and take advantage of the situation to carry out her plans.

Was the little empress truly not afraid of Si Jin suddenly appearing?

Or was she testing to see if Si Jin would even appear?

If Si Jin appeared, would she retract the order?

If he did not appear, would that mean that the young grand master was not a servant exclusive to Qi Qingyao?

This… might not be as simple as answering one question—there were multiple!

Now to see if Si Jin would appear or remain in the shadows!

…

State Preceptor’s Residence.

Zhu Shen received some news after the morning court had concluded. He waited for a long time before reporting it to Li Ruoxuan.

“Your Excellency, it seems that the empress did not announce your grand mastership to the public.”

Li Ruoxuan looked as if he was expecting this and responded calmly, “That’s because the diplomatic envoy from Eastern Ling will be arriving soon. I suppose she is planning to announce it then.”

Looking unsure, Zhu Shen carefully asked, “What difference would that make?”

Li Ruoxuan rubbed his chin with his fingers. Smiling faintly, he answered, “If it is announced in the presence of the diplomatic envoy, it will be more shocking—as well as break their spirit.”

Zhu Shen, “…”

Pang Juan’s death back then had already kept Eastern Ling on their toes. Fearing that the little empress of Northern Liang would be too impulsive and overconfident, they sent troops to cooperate with the two remaining grand masters as they marched eastward!

Furthermore, there was now a third grand master in Northern Liang that they did not yet know about…

Eastern Ling had nervously sent a diplomatic envoy to show their goodwill in advance.

…

Qi Qingyao had stayed in for two days, unaware that the situation outside had turned chaotic.

Half of Capital City had gone completely crazy about the fact that Lu Yan had been bestowed marriage by the empress.

Qi Qingyao’s name had also begun spreading down, starting from the upper-class circle.

The person that Lu Yan was to marry was Qi Qingyao! This matter had spread out at the speeds of a tornado.

Lu Yan was to be married to a little rural widow with three children. Once the news had been deliberately spread by certain ‘concerned individuals’, it turned to lightning—reaching almost every residence.