Chapter 1852: Chapter 594: Lady Cai, Luo Cheng’s Ideal (2)

Because of this reason, the news that Lord Xia Hong was going to take a second wife created such an uproar when it spread throughout Xia City.

The men, especially those with mistresses, were understandably excited, feeling like spring had finally arrived for them; while the women, each exclaimed their dismay and outright called the lady confused, and some with a fiery temper even spoke badly of the lord, saying all men were the same, none of them were good.

Of course, despite the uproar and rumors, when it comes to major issues, at least among the core leadership of Great Xia, they have a clear understanding.

The matters between men and women are just idle talks over tea; Cai Qiu’s request to form a marriage alliance with Great Xia has deep underlying reasons that they all could perceive.

Firstly, Cai Qiu seeks reassurance, adding a layer of security to the truce, lest Great Xia turns its back; secondly, it’s to lay a solid foundation for formal future engagements between the two; thirdly, given the current situation with the Four Vassals, Cai Qiu’s conflicts with Chen Cang have yet to cease. Regardless of the outcome, Cai Qiu’s vitality is destined to be severely damaged, and its future status within the river will surely be less than the other three vassals. Hence, it must find an ally, and south of Moao River, with some distance and temporarily not as powerful, Great Xia is undoubtedly the most suitable presence.

Therefore, regardless of how the battle of the sexes intensifies, the Xia people ultimately supported the marriage alliance unconditionally, and it appeared that the lord was in retreat. At the beginning of March, Lady Li Xuanling came forward and signed the agreement with Cai Qiu.

Due to the intensifying warfare, Cai Qiu sent only Little Landgrave Cai Qiuhu, and rumors say the entire process was extremely rushed. Three days after the agreement was signed, Cai Qiu sent the marriage alliance candidate to Guangning City.

Given Great Xia’s current climate, the object of this marriage alliance with the lord naturally couldn’t be a simple character, but the specific identity and name were something even Xiang Yan couldn’t find out, only knowing she was a noble daughter from Landgrave Cai Qiu’s lineage, bearing the title of Commandery Princess Tianyin, known as Lady Cai by Lady Ming Yue.

Though Great Xia agreed to the marriage alliance with Cai Qiu, and even this Lady Cai was personally brought back by Lady Li Xuanling, the wedding was conducted extremely hastily, even carelessly, without any trace of grandeur.

Some say Lady Li deliberately did so to suppress Lady Cai; others say the lord was in retreat and had no mood for it; yet others say the Commandery Princess Tianyin disliked pomp and made the request herself. Reasons were thus varied, and no one really knew what was going on.

After marrying into the Xia House, Lady Cai hardly ever appeared and remained to herself deeply within the Xia Palace, yet now she was proactively summoning guests into the palace.

Su Xing’er!

Xiang Yan looked curiously at the young girl behind Ming Yue and found her appearing less than twenty years old, yet her prowess was astonishingly above his own, causing him to feel a tinge of frustration.

"Miss Su, is it you?"

Setting Xiang Yan’s thoughts aside for a moment, Luo Cheng, upon seeing Su Xing’er, felt a bit awkward and greeted her with a slightly embarrassed bow.

Luo Cheng’s embarrassment had its reasons!

Earlier this year in Guangning City, the lord had asked him to escort Su Xing’er and her three siblings back to Xia City and specifically instructed him to introduce them to Great Xia’s territory along the way and help settle Su Xing’er in Xia City.

Initially, he felt indifferent about it, only later realizing the lord intended to match him with Su Xing’er. However, on the way back to the city, there was hardly any chemistry between the two, and coupled with the subsequent events in March, where under his uncle Zhao Hu’s instigation, he quickly married Zhao Yuandao, their matter naturally fell through.

His father Luo Ming was carrying out missions in the foreign fief, leaving at home only his father’s second wife and two half-brothers, and thanks to the Beining Mountain Martial Arts Competition seven years ago in Great Xia, Luo Cheng inadvertently established a decent relationship with his uncle Zhao Hu.

Zhao Hu had long had Luo Cheng in mind, persistently wanted to match his daughter Zhao Yuandao with him, and seemed a bit dismissive of Su Xing’er’s background, considering her to be from a foreign fief and not a suitable match. Learning the lord was behind the matchmaking, he summoned his resolve and directly got his daughter Zhao Yuandao married hastily.

It was clear he intended to bind them together before the lord could utter a single word, so Luo Cheng wouldn’t be forced to marry Su Xing’er.

Luo Cheng was actually well aware that Su Xing’er had no interest in him, and his uncle’s interference was unnecessary; the key was that the act was too sloppily executed—the rushed marriage was evident to anyone with keen eyes.

Su Xing’er had mocked him quite extensively at the time.

After more than two months apart, seeing Su Xing’er again, Luo Cheng naturally felt a bit awkward.

Su Xing’er, however, was rather open, and upon seeing Luo Cheng, she relaxed significantly from her initial unease about entering Xia Palace, and laughed, "What a coincidence, Brother Luo."

The Xia Palace gates were guarded by Dragon Forbidden Captain, rotating ten camps daily, coincidentally she encountered Luo Cheng’s third camp on duty today, quite coincidental indeed.

Feeling somewhat apprehensive, Luo Cheng nodded, bowed slightly, and quickly checked both ladies before signaling for them to proceed inside.

"Lord Luo, I shall take my leave now!"

Seeing the two ladies enter, Xiang Yan finally spoke up to take his leave.

"Very well, Brother Xiang, take care!"

Luo Cheng nodded, watched Xiang Yan depart, then slightly shook his head.

Xiang Yan, being such an official merchant, will likely never have much dealing with him in the future; however, his elder brother Xiang Liang, having orchestrated the anti-Cai Qiu uprising event in Evergreen Valley earlier this year, showed immense courage, intellect, and skill far beyond ordinary people. Though his talent was somewhat lacking, holding only a Superior Battle Body, his diligent cultivation and current prowess were indeed worth befriending.

"Being a close attendant to Xia Palace only seems glorious on the surface. The lord and lady do not require our protection; even if we accompany them on outings, it’s out of consideration for the regalia of the journey. The opportunities lie mainly with the two young masters, and crucially, they are not yet grown, with no opportunity to travel outside, rendering the pursuit of merits fruitless.

Moreover, those who dare to trouble the two young masters cannot be ordinary individuals. When such opportunities arise, being able to seize them is also a challenge, as mishandling can result in situations like last year’s Milk Tiger Forest incident, where instead of achieving merit, one bears heavy responsibility..."

Luo Cheng sighed gently, as because of the Milk Tiger Forest incident, the Minister had ordered them to make amends, thus, despite the Dragon Forbidden Captain’s commendable performance in the northern battlefield, in the end, merits and demerits were equalized, and the military commendations accumulated were minuscule.

Early in the year, when it came time to reward merits, among the thousand Dragon Forbidden Captains, only Commander Tie Xinchuan, Vice Commander Yuan Bai, and First Camp Commander Zhou Yalong were ennobled; the remaining, including himself, among the eight commanders, as well as other ordinary Dragon Forbidden Captains, not a single one was ennobled, and very few had accumulated over 200 military merits.

"The lady is unlikely to keep the two young masters confined in Xia Palace forever; things should improve after they reach adulthood, so likely there will be further expansion within the Dragon Forbidden Captain in the coming years. Opportunities will likely arise when they are responsible for the young masters’ outings, and my chance lies there!"

Gazing at the towering palace walls, Luo Cheng’s expression carried a hint of melancholy; this glory viewed by outsiders was not truly what he desired.

Not that seeking to expand Great Xia’s territories was his goal, as such opportunities were not constant, but trekking through snowy grounds to slay demons and monsters, venturing into dense forestry to battle Cold Beasts, freely galloping across the vast realm of Great Xia, and seeing exactly how large places outside Great Xia might be...

These were indeed his true pursuits!

"After opening the clan, my father did not establish a separate worship but instead merged paths with Director Luo Yuan, acknowledging him as the primary ancestor, while setting up his own branch, later remarrying and fathering Luo Yun and Luo Ping, seemingly intending for the Luo family to continue flourishing within Great Xia. Observing the growth in the contribution value figures at the Camp Supply Department, in foreign fief evidently he fights fiercely, yet crucially he’s registering all contribution values under my name, clearly placing hopes in me..."

Luo Cheng sighed softly; his father’s expectations and his own pursuits had already formed an irreconcilable conflict.

"Truly, with Luo An around, there’s no need for me. Perhaps it’s best to wait for my father’s return and then discuss in-depth..."

Luo An currently serves as Dragon Forbidden Captain’s Third Camp Commander, not only being younger, but also possessing a Basic Strength of 54, above him. Though they both belong to Great Xia’s new generation’s top talent tier, undeniably, compared to Luo An, he still falls short.

The current bearer of the Luo family’s flag, Hunting Department Director Luo Yuan, is, after all, Luo An’s father. In terms of the next generation’s pillar, whether from identity or qualification, Luo An is far more appropriate.

"I wonder if my father will be willing to listen, ah..."

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