Xie Ji said, "Princess Yongning is the younger sister of His Highness Fengning, and naturally she is also the younger sister of our Marshal."
These words were undoubtedly a reminder of Si Caifeng's importance. She was the link between the Northern Region and Marshal Xie, and also the most important bargaining chip in the Northern Region's commercial capital.
The gift personally given by Bei Luo further enhanced Si Caifeng's social standing.
Today, Yelü Lili's attitude towards Si Caifeng will influence the establishment of diplomatic relations between the North and the South. Therefore, Si Caifeng is the best host today.
Yelü Lili immediately dismounted and, accompanied by several maids dressed in nomadic attire, walked to the shore. He placed his right hand on his left chest in a gesture of respect from the Northern Regions and addressed the ships, saying, "Princess Yongning, I have come to fetch you!"
"I also want to thank Marshal Xie for protecting my wife on her long journey to marry far away."
The moment Xie Lanzhi stepped ashore, she bowed to Yelü Lili.
Afterwards, Xie's maidservant helped the bride out of the cabin.
According to the customs of the Central Plains, once a bride wears a veil, her husband must remove it; otherwise, it cannot be easily lifted.
Si Caifeng stood quietly on the riverbank, her red dress fluttering in the river breeze, making her shiver. She looked so frail and pitiful.
Xie Lanzhi noticed her current state first, and she glanced at her without making a sound, drawing Yelü Lili's gaze to Si Caifeng.
"Brother Yelü."
"Marshal Xie, I am truly sorry that I was unable to attend your wedding in person. How about we have a proper drink together today for my wedding?" Yelü Lili had never regarded Xie Lanzhi as someone who needed to maintain strict separation between men and women.
Yelü Lili had personally witnessed her inability to drink heavily.
Xie Lanzhi agreed, "We won't leave until we're drunk tonight."
After exchanging pleasantries, Yelü Lili stepped forward, took Si Caifeng's slender arm, and easily pulled her into his embrace. He then held the woman in one arm, walked to the front of the horse, and leaped onto it. In an instant, a man and a woman were embracing each other on the saddle, the woman in a red robe and the man in a white robe, galloping on horseback. They were indeed a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
The wedding customs in the northern regions differ from those in the central plains. Men wear white robes as wedding attire, while in the central plains they wear red robes.
"Giddy up!" Yelü Lili first left from the main road in the middle.
Both the northern nobles and Xie Ji who were receiving guests on the shore were very satisfied with Yelü Lili's attitude at this time.
After Xie Ji and the others left, he dared to step forward and bow to Xie Lanzhi: "Marshal, it's been several months since I last saw you. How have you been?"
Xie Lanzhi noticed that his skin was dark, indicating that he had sunburned quite a bit.
She patted his shoulder and said, "I'm doing well. How are you doing in the Red River?"
Xie Ji reported truthfully: "At first, we were not used to it. Some soldiers, like me, also suffered from acclimatization problems, but we got used to it after a while."
"And there are other matters the Marshal instructed me to handle, which I have been keeping in prison!"
Xie Lanzhi did not forget her instructions to Xie Ji to go to the capital as soon as possible to lay a good foundation for friendship between the two countries. The first thing to do was to arrange a marriage. As long as Xie Ji entered the capital, Beiluo would have no choice but to pay attention to the Crown Prince's marriage. At that time, Si Caifeng's status as the Crown Princess of the Northern Region would be officially announced to the world.
She arranged for Xie Ji to go first, hoping to make Bei Luo obediently admit it and voluntarily put aside his originally arranged fiancée.
With Xie Lanzhi backing her up, Si Caifeng is the only one who can become the Crown Princess.
Li Li's attitude is the same now.
We expect to have news about the official candidate for the Crown Princess of the Northern Region tomorrow.
“We must not hold a grudge against Li Lisheng. If he loves his former fiancée, we cannot force them to be together.” Xie Lanzhi looked at the Hu people coming and going on the main road by the riverbank, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips: “If we have a private falling out with our allies, the North-South alliance will be a joke.”
Upon hearing this, the nearby northern nobles stepped forward to explain the North-South alliance and how sincere the Northern Luo Khan was, even preparing lavish gifts to welcome the future crown princess. Therefore, the matter of the crown princess was considered settled, with no further changes expected.
Si Caifeng will always be Yelü Lili's legal wife. Even if he becomes the Khan of the tribe in the future, his queen can only be Si Caifeng.
Xie Lanzhi smiled politely and complimented the nobles who were hosting her: "Gentlemen, it seems we will all be drinking until we drop tonight, as the Crown Prince is celebrating his birthday."
The northern tribesmen said one after another, "Marshal, our mare's milk wine is famous for its deliciousness. We've heard that you also enjoy drinking. You can have a taste."
"The mutton is also top-notch, especially the roasted mutton."
"The beef balls from the Northern Region are even better."
In the Central Plains, most cattle are used for plowing and are not allowed to be slaughtered. However, the situation is different in the Northern Regions. Ordinary Hu people cannot eat beef, but nobles can, and they consume a considerable amount of beef every year.
Xie Lanzhi, being a foodie, was eager to try it.
Xie Ji said, "Marshal, let's go back to the State Guest House!"
The State Guest House was specially used to entertain distinguished guests from the northern regions.
The group arrived at the State Guest House. The architecture of the northern region was monotonous, mostly made of piled stones, with dark colors and few wooden buildings. The carvings were in the shape of tigers and eagles, very rough and extremely wild.
Xie Lanzhi lived in the Guobin Mansion, which had six floors, and she lived on the third floor.
Exhausted from the long journey, she chose a cashmere-covered bed to lie down on. She had just closed her eyes when the room was quiet, the only sound being her own breathing. At first, she wanted to continue sleeping, until she faintly heard a breath that wasn't her own. Although it was only for a brief three breaths, she noticed something was wrong. It was near her right ear.
Xie Lanzhi opened her eyes, quickly opened the window by the door, and slipped into the corridor. There she saw a figure wearing Xie Jun's ordinary armor, lurking suspiciously at the door.
She kicked the other person in the buttocks, and the person was caught off guard and fell to the ground.
Oh no, the marshal has found out! Xie Bing immediately sprang to his feet, then knelt down, clasped his hands in greeting, and was about to introduce himself.
Suddenly, his body was easily lifted up, passed over the handrail, and sent to the area where he jumped.
Xie Bing immediately cried out, "Marshal, spare my life!!"
Even though the voice was a little hoarse, it was still clear that it was a woman's voice. Xie Lanzhi neither let go of her nor pulled her back to safety.
She didn't recognize this person at all. But his accent suggested he was from the Xie family.
Xie Ji, who arrived later, thought that the marshal had been assassinated by some fool. He rushed to the third floor and saw the marshal easily lifting Rang like a chick and throwing him down from the building. It seemed that he had been subdued.
"Damn it! Which blind fool attacked the marshal?!"
Just as Xie Ji opened his mouth, the chick in Xie Lanzhi's hand excitedly shouted, "Fifth Uncle, it's me, it's Ying'er!!"
"Nonsense, who are you trying to get close to, who are you calling uncle!" Xie Ji felt something was off about the rough young man's voice; it sounded like a girl's, and she was calling him fifth uncle.
He doesn't recall having any close nieces!
The chick, with its legs tucked together, dangled in mid-air and cried out, "Thank you, thank you, big pot lid!"
"Who the hell are you?! How dare you call me that?!" Xie Ji was furious. He wouldn't acknowledge being called "Uncle" politely, but when the soldier called him "Big Pot Lid," Xie Ji's temper flared up.
He hated Xie Guang more than anything in his life, and he hated even more the shameful name Xie Guang gave him: Xie the Big Pot Lid.
Xie Ji was furious, but even so, he walked up to Xie Lanzhi, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Marshal, she must be the little brat of the General's family."
Xie Guang's eldest daughter?
Xie Lanzhi's hand paused and loosened its grip. The chick in her hand immediately adjusted its position, still thinking about how to minimize the damage if it fell.
She thought to herself, "How interesting. Does this child think he's a cat with nine lives to jump off a building?"
Xie Lanzhi sized up the seventeen-year-old girl, who was about 1.68 meters tall. She was as beautiful as Wang Shi, but had a heroic air and a resolute face, looking exactly like Xie Guang.
She clearly has her mother's face, but she feels like she looks like Xie Guang.
The father and daughter look exactly alike.
Finally, Xie Lanzhi tossed the man back into the corridor. She clapped her hands, looked at the soldier sitting on the ground, stunned for a moment, then turned over and knelt down: "Greetings, Marshal! Junior, junior general Xie Ying greets the Marshal!"
Xie Lanzhi clapped her hands, but didn't respond. Instead, she went into the room, locked the door with a bang, and practically ignored her.
Xie Ji was also refused entry. He was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xie Ying at his feet. His face darkened. Damn it, this child is a notorious troublemaker in the Xie family. Her ability to stir up trouble is even better than her father's.
How did Xie Guang's son sneak off to the Red River? Could it be that he came with the Marshal's troops? He remembered that among the young men selected by the Marshal within the Xie clan, only Xie Shangguang was mentioned.
Now that Xie Shangguang is living on the first floor with the soldiers because of his rank, he wouldn't dare to come up and disturb the marshal!
This brat dares to disturb the marshal's rest!
Now that the marshal clearly didn't want to get involved, the trouble fell into his hands. Xie Ji had no choice but to fulfill his duty as a "plastic uncle," and he asked with a stern face, "Does your father know?"
Xie Ying stood up straight, glaring at Xie Ji, and said, "No! But it's too late now. Please, Fifth Uncle, take me in!"
"No way! This general will arrange for you to be sent back right now!" Xie Jicai didn't want to leave any trouble for himself.
As a result, Xie Ying immediately pulled out a pack of diapers and a few old hairpins that Xie Ji was familiar with from her bosom.
"Auntie Wu discovered a few days ago that you were keeping a concubine outside the marriage, and that concubine is already six months pregnant. Uncle Wu hasn't forgotten, has he?"
Xie Ji's eyelids twitched. He wondered how his wife, the tigress, had found out. And was this little brat threatening him?
He led the man to the second floor and asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Xie Ying truthfully replied, "Actually, it was my fifth aunt who asked me to come. She said she could keep a concubine, but you can't bring back a woman from the Northern Region, so I volunteered to remind my fifth uncle."
Xie Ji paused for a moment.
He volunteered, claiming the lady knew about the affair. It seemed genuine, but his volunteering was clearly a pretext for using his position for personal gain. The lady wouldn't be so foolish as to bear the accusation of inciting the general's daughter to risk her life to come to the Northern Region.
But this little brat is using this as a pretext. Who can guarantee that if something goes wrong, he won't pin the blame on his wife and implicate him? This would be an utterly pointless disaster.
Xie Ji, suppressing his impatience, pointed to a room in the corner of the second floor and said to her, "You're not allowed to go anywhere for the next few months! Understand?"
"Yes, sir! I obey your command!" Xie Ying obediently went to the room in the corner, opened the door, and went inside.
Xie Ji then put the diaper and hairpin in his pocket, remembering that his wife was waiting for him to return and unleash her fury. He then clutched his aching head and went back to his residence.
That evening, Xie Lanzhi changed into a white cloud-patterned robe. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail, with her hair loose around her waist. She wore black arm guards and a white sash at her waist as she walked out of the room.
Xie Ying was already waiting at the entrance of the building. As she turned the corner, she saw the little girl staring at her expectantly, showing no sense of hierarchy. If it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't dare to look her in the eye.
Xie Ying, on the contrary, not only stared directly at her, but also looked at her with a curious expression.
Xie Lanzhi ignored her and walked past her down the second floor. Just then, hurried footsteps came from the stairwell on the first floor. Xie Shangguang, still tying his hair tie, shouted, "Oh no, oh no, I slept in and didn't tell the Marshal that we're going to a wedding tonight!"
Xie Shangguang, who was a bodyguard, got up even later than her.
Seeing the young man, Xie Lanzhi thought of the girl upstairs, and she suddenly felt a headache coming on: "Both of them seem to be troublesome."
"Marshal, I'm sorry, I overslept!" Xie Shangguang's hair tie was still crooked at the back of his head.
Xie Lanzhi helplessly reminded him, "Take good care of your hair, and also remind Xie Ying upstairs that she's coming to the banquet with you, but remember not to cause any trouble!"
"Okay." Xie Shangguang nodded, then took off his hair tie and retied it. After he finished tying it, it took him a moment to realize...
A gasp suddenly rang out in the hallway: "What? That utterly detestable guy is here too!"
Xie Ying heard everything. With a big smile, she ran to Xie Lanzhi's right side to act as a bodyguard, while Xie Shangguang stared at her with wide eyes on his left, looking like he wanted to say something but didn't dare to.
They followed Xie Lanzhi downstairs, where Xie Ji and the northern barbarians came to greet her.
"Marshal, there are carriages right outside the door."
"We will enter the Yu Palace immediately."
Yu Palace was the Eastern Palace of the Crown Prince, second only to Luochuan in Beiluo in status.