Jian Qinwan was petrified on the spot.
Her heartless father, Jian Nanfeng, had left her, her mother, and Qin Sheng ten years ago to wander the world.
But no matter where Jian Nanfeng was, as long as he received news of Jian Qinwan, Mu Xueqin, and Qin Sheng, he would always respond.
He was a father who doted on me to the point of risking his life!
And now he was ready to sell me off?
My father wanted this flower thief to take responsibility for me? Did he also know about what happened between me and the flower thief…
Did my master tell him!
Other parents were reluctant to marry off their precious daughters, but I, on the other hand, was "abandoned by everyone"…
Jian Qinwan felt a mix of shame and anger, with a faint, unwilling hint of joy.
Unlike Jian Qinwan's inner turmoil, Liang Xiao's eyelids twitched. He turned to look at the people from Tianshan, meeting Jian Qinwan's wronged gaze.
Her eyes seemed to say: Don't look at me! I don't know anything! I'm also desperate!
"Senior Sister Li, can we discuss this later when we get back?" Liang Xiao pouted.
He wanted to maintain his "righteous appearance," but Li Hongshu seemed on the verge of revealing a secret.
"Alright, this letter from my master just arrived. Please open it personally later, Marquis Anguo," Li Hongshu said, taking a white envelope from her satchel.
Jian Qinwan's pupils contracted, and she stared intently at the envelope, her heart in a frenzy!
He even wrote a letter!
What else did this beast of a father want to say?
Liang Xiao readily agreed, then gave a brief speech to the public. Yang Xi also publicly thanked Liang Xiao for buying the houses.
At this moment, the faces of the people were filled with joyful smiles: "Thank you, Marquis Anguo! May Marquis Anguo and the Marchioness Anguo live a long life and have many children soon!"
Hearing the cheers of the crowd, Jian Qinwan almost fainted.
It was like bringing up a sore spot!
Even Liang Xiao blushed, nodded with a smile, and asked Liang Si to handle the handover of the fiefdom.
Yue Qingtian, as the clan leader, led his tribesmen to follow Liang Si to choose houses and settle down.
Finally, with no one else around, Jian Qinwan urgently said, "Senior Sister, give me the letter!"
Seeing Jian Qinwan about to snatch it, Li Hongshu was startled and quickly handed the letter to Liang Xiao: "Master said that you and Marquis Anguo should read it together…"
Read it together?
Jian Qinwan narrowed her eyes and leaned closer, her heart pounding with every movement of Liang Xiao as he opened the envelope.
As he quickly read the contents of the letter, a drop of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Jian Qinwan's face turned red, and she felt uneasy, tears welling up in her eyes: "This is too much…"
The contents of the letter were too explosive!
Her senior brothers and sisters had told Jian Sheng about Mu Xueqin's intentions. Jian Sheng had already received news from Qin Sheng and, after careful consideration, decided to betroth his precious daughter to Liang Xiao. His demands for Jian Qinwan were not high: no need to be the principal wife, just give him grandchildren!
It didn't matter whether Jian Qinwan was a wife or a concubine, as long as she wasn't out of favor, otherwise Jian Sheng would travel to the ends of the earth to take Liang Xiao's life. If all went smoothly, the first boy Jian Qinwan bore for Liang Xiao would take his father's surname. Jian Sheng hoped that the second boy could take his mother's surname and be sent to Tianshan to be raised by his maternal grandmother, Mu Xueqin!
To show his sincerity as a future father-in-law, Jian Nanfeng promised that as long as Liang Xiao married Jian Qinwan, he would give him two priceless swords, one named "Cangsheng" and the other "Fuyou"!
A single letter, with just a few words, painted a "grand blueprint" for at least two children, making Jian Qinwan want to disappear into the earth.
"Marquis Anguo, Master said that as long as you marry our junior sister, he will give you two treasured swords. We all know about this," Li Hongshu reminded him.
Jian Qinwan gasped for breath.
Liang Xiao regained his righteous demeanor and said with a serious expression, "What kind of person does Saint Jian think I am? Am I such a greedy person!"
Seeing the Tianshan disciples staring at him, Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and pouted, "Actually, I might be. Are two swords really enough…"
Everyone:…
Jian Qinwan cast a resentful glance at Liang Xiao, not daring to speak.
Li Hongshu finally smiled with relief: "We believe Marquis Anguo's words are as good as gold! We won't tease Junior Sister anymore, after all, Qin Xian also has pride. Marquis Anguo just needs to know that Junior Sister often cries and asks us to protect you."
Jian Qinwan:???
Have these normally stoic senior sisters gone mad? Whose evil influence have they fallen under?
Upon returning to the Marquis's mansion, before Liang Xiao could even return to his courtyard, Lü Changhe and Nan Jiyun arrived for a visit.
"Marquis Anguo!" Lü Changhe was so excited he couldn't speak coherently, "His Majesty has already told me and my father about those crops!"
Liang Xiao smiled and nodded.
The reason the fields in Yanzhou were "poor" wasn't due to lack of fertility, but because they were too easily ravaged by war and neglected. With a little tidying up, these fields would be perfect for growing sweet potatoes, which were also hardy.
Perhaps they could even grow potatoes and corn!
This meant that the fields Lü Yi had commissioned Liang Xiao to purchase would eventually see their prices multiply severalfold. Even if they were used for cultivation, as long as the harvest was successful, they would yield their first significant profit!
"But that's not the only thing that made my father happy!" Lü Changhe said, patting Nan Jiyun's sturdy shoulder with excitement. "I never imagined you could discover a general like my elder brother for the country. My father was so excited he couldn't sleep for two days!"
"Second brother is too kind; in fact, I still have room for improvement," Nan Jiyun said earnestly.
Chen Shaoling and the others nearby couldn't help but roll their eyes, refusing to believe Nan Jiyun's polite words.
Liang Xiao looked at Nan Jiyun and Lü Changhe with confusion: "Elder brother? Second brother?"
"Yes, we are now sworn brothers! Thank you, Marquis Anguo, for giving me such a good elder brother!" Lü Changhe laughed heartily.
"How long has General Nan been in Yanzhou, and you've already hooked up?" Liang Xiao exclaimed in surprise.
Nan Jiyun was a man of both brawn and brains. With Lü Changhe around, Liang Xiao would have to be even more careful in the future, lest they conspire to expose his identity as the Heavenly General!
Lü Changhe chuckled: "What are you talking about, Marquis Anguo! What do you mean 'hooked up'? We share the same interests and appreciate each other!"
Jian Qinwan, who had been silent, glanced at Liang Xiao and huffed, "Actually, this fellow is just jealous!"
Everyone nearly fell over.
Liang Xiao's body was covered in goosebumps as he stammered, "Female Rakshasa, can you and Qingxue please stop sullying my reputation!"
Seeing Liang Xiao's embarrassed expression, Jian Qinwan's beautiful eyes glinted with amusement: Finally, I've gotten my revenge!
"Marchioness Anguo, you jest. We're not interested in that sort of thing," Nan Jiyun said with a hearty laugh.
Hearing "Marchioness Anguo," Jian Qinwan, who had been somewhat smug moments ago, immediately blushed and dared not speak.
Chen Shaoling couldn't hold back and laughed, "Changhe, Jiyun, I feel like we've known each other for a long time. If you don't mind, can I join your sworn brotherhood?"
Everyone looked at Chen Shaoling in confusion, wondering why the usually carefree man was suddenly so eager.
Nan Jiyun was overjoyed and readily agreed.
Lü Changhe looked dejected: "You're older than me. If you become the elder brother, won't I go from second brother to third brother? Fine, misfortune is a blessing…"
Under the witness of everyone, Liang Xiao provided the three of them with large bowls of "Yi Zui Bai Nian" (a potent wine).
"We may not be born on the same day, month, and year, but we vow to die on the same day, month, and year!"
The three finally swore a blood oath, drank the blood wine, and the thirty-year-old Chen Shaoling became the elder brother, the twenty-eight-year-old Nan Jiyun became the second brother, and Lü Changhe, who had just turned twenty-seven, was honored as the third brother.
Before leaving, Lü Changhe repeatedly urged Liang Xiao to remember to ask his father, Lü Yi, for ten thousand soldiers and generals.
After the two left, Liang Xiao looked at Chen Shaoling doubtfully: "Brother Shaoling, I never expected you to get along so well with the two generals."
Chen Shaoling paused, walked over, held Liang Xiao's hands, and said earnestly, "Marquis Anguo, I'm doing all this for you…"
Everyone:…
Jian Qinwan, Li Hongshu:???