Chen Xiaobei hurried out to greet Xiao Jingyun upon hearing of his arrival.
Upon meeting, Chen Xiaobei attempted to bow, but Xiao Jingyun stopped him, clasping his arm. "Hey, brother, do we need to be so formal between us?"
This stunned the innkeeper. He had initially found it strange that a man had arrived with two women. But why were the women lodging together while the man was alone in his room? Today, the Crown Prince visited and addressed this man like a brother. So, this was Liu Rumei's son-in-law, Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei, assuming there was news of Liu Rumei, was excited. Before even ushering the Crown Prince into the room, he asked, "Your Highness, is there news of Rumei?"
Xiao Jingyun shook his head. After entering and sitting down, he got straight to the point. "Brother Xiaobei, I am truly sorry. We sent many people to search, but we haven't found any news of Rumei. Moreover, there's been activity from the Great Tu Kingdom; they are conducting widespread arrests, and many of our people have been captured."
"But rest assured, even if Rumei unfortunately falls into their hands, I have channels to get information quickly. I will do my utmost to rescue her then."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei fell silent. "Utmost effort" was a statement of intent, but the outcome was uncertain. Furthermore, given the Great Tu Kingdom's nature, if they had indeed captured Liu Rumei, they wouldn't release her easily unless there was something of equal value to exchange.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei's silence, Xiao Jingyun continued, "Brother, I have great news to tell you today."
Chen Xiaobei looked at Xiao Jingyun in surprise, thinking to himself, Without Liu Rumei, how can there be any good news? Outwardly, however, Chen Xiaobei remained composed. "May I ask what great news Your Highness is referring to?"
"Brother Xiaobei, some time ago, when the Great Tu Kingdom's army besieged our city, my father, the Emperor, issued an oral decree: whoever could resolve the threat of the Great Tu Kingdom's army would be betrothed to Jingfeng!"
Chen Xiaobei nodded. He vaguely recalled such a matter. "I do remember this. Why does Your Highness bring it up now?"
"Ah, Brother Xiaobei, have you forgotten? You made the greatest contribution in defeating the Great Tu Kingdom!"
Chen Xiaobei looked bewildered. "What contribution do I have?"
"I have heard it long ago. It was you who offered a strategy to His Majesty to lead troops to attack Qingguang City, thus relieving the dire situation in Wannian City. You also saved me with the Seven Fates plan. Are these not great contributions?"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei understood. The other matters were secondary. Saving Xiao Jingyun alone was considered an act of saving the sovereign in many historical texts he had read. This was an immense contribution.
Chen Xiaobei finally realized with a jolt that Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun intended to marry Princess Jingfeng to him. He cautiously probed, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"
"Exactly. What I mean is, since your contribution is the greatest, my father wishes to marry my younger sister to you. From now on, you will be the Grand Imperial Son-in-law of the Great Cang Kingdom."
Chen Xiaobei was rendered speechless by this declaration.
"Your Highness, this might not be appropriate. I am already married. To marry the princess again would be an act of deceiving the sovereign!"
"No, no. My father did not say that those already married could not marry the princess. Whoever has the greatest merit will marry the princess."
Chen Xiaobei's mind raced. He was still preoccupied with Liu Rumei's whereabouts. Marrying the princess was utterly impossible for him. His marriage to Liu Rumei had already been against his will. It had only been a few months since Huang Ying left, and in such a short time, he was to marry two more women – one the daughter of a marquis and the other a princess. How would the Lotus Sect Leader and Shen Ziyan view him? Even if Huang Ying knew in the afterlife, she likely wouldn't forgive him.
With these thoughts, Chen Xiaobei waved his hand again. "It's not suitable, it's not suitable, Your Highness. This really won't do. You know my situation. I have a principal wife in Hetou Village, Liu Rumei is missing, and there is also the deceased Huang Ying. Your Highness, if you ask me to marry the princess again, how will the world see me!"
Xiao Jingyun laughed heartily. "Brother Xiaobei, you worry too much. I will issue an order to have your merits proclaimed far and wide. At that time, people will envy you, and whoever dares to criticize will lose their life."
Hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, Chen Xiaobei knew this was another situation where he was being forced into something. If he refused, the matter might not be resolved today. After a moment's thought, he came up with an idea.
"Your Highness, marrying the princess is a major event for the Great Cang Kingdom and should not be done so hastily. Moreover, Rumei is still in the Northern Kingdom and has not returned. The assassins from the Great Tu Kingdom have not been caught in Wannian City. In such circumstances, it is truly inappropriate to discuss this matter."
"Alas, it's not important, not important. The Great Tu Kingdom's assassins have not appeared for several days. I suspect they have run off."
"Your Highness, one cannot be too careful. As the saying goes, haste makes waste."
"What, what..." Xiao Jingyun looked confused.
Chen Xiaobei instantly snapped back to reality. Yes, he was in a parallel world; they wouldn't understand the idiom "haste makes waste." Thinking this, he quickly changed his words. "Ah, Your Highness, what I mean is, one cannot be careless. If someone exploits an opportunity, it will be bad. For example, now, if everyone is busy with the princess's wedding preparations, and the Great Tu Kingdom's rogues take advantage of the situation, won't we suffer losses outweighing gains?"
After hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun also fell silent. On second thought, what Chen Xiaobei said made sense. Although he claimed the Great Tu Kingdom's assassins had retreated, who truly knew if they had?
With this thought, he sighed slightly. "These assassins are truly hateful. If I catch them, I will tear them to pieces."
Chen Xiaobei rejoiced inwardly. Shifting the focus was that simple. Now that Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun's attention was on catching the assassins, things would be easier.
"Your Highness, I do have a plan to capture the assassins and resolve the crisis in Wannian City."
Xiao Jingyun's eyes lit up. "Oh, tell me about it."
Seeing Xiao Jingyun taking the bait, Chen Xiaobei quickly continued, "Your Highness, the Great Tu Kingdom has been repelled, and we have achieved a great victory. However, the Emperor has not yet issued decrees to reward everyone, nor have there been any celebratory activities. I propose this: command someone to issue an imperial decree for a three-day grand celebration, with a banquet held in the Qin Zheng Hall of the imperial palace."
"At such a grand banquet, the assassins will naturally not miss the opportunity. You only need to arrange personnel secretly, and you can catch them all at once."
Xiao Jingyun nodded in approval. He had to admit that Chen Xiaobei's suggestion was excellent. Taking the initiative was much better than waiting at home for them to carry out assassinations. Of course, if the assassins did not act during this grand banquet, it would prove they had left.