Protect Our Chief

Therefore, the Wang Family has been preparing for a long time.

In Xinping Town and Xin’an Town, they have constructed large, high-capacity restaurants and numerous apartment-style inns.

Even if a coachman or a steward arrives, they will be arranged to stay in the inns with good food and beverages. Distinguished guests of different statuses naturally receive different standards of hospitality.

The highest status guests are naturally the Wang Family’s relatives, royal relatives, as well as the relatives from Wu Xue Ning’s maternal family, the Daqian Chen Family, those from Yiluo’s maternal family, the Gongye Family, and other core relatives of the Wang Family. All these people are arranged to stay in the expanded Wang Family’s Main Residence.

As for the newly built inns and residences, they will certainly not be wasted.

Wang Shouzhe intentionally wants to transform the areas around Xinping Town and Xin’an Town into bustling commercial hubs. Those few large inns might not suffice in the future.

The gift-giving process continued for a long time, only ceasing roughly a month before Wang Anye’s wedding.

This is the custom among noble families. The more significant the event, the earlier the gifts are prepared and delivered to show respect and courtesy.

This is also because the Daqian territory is vast, and sometimes the gift delivery convoys require several months or even close to a year to transport the gifts. If not prepared and sent out early, delays on the road might cause one to miss the opportunity for gift delivery.

If the gifts are delivered just a few days before the wedding, or even on the day itself without special reason, it would instead provoke the host’s displeasure. Delivering gifts like this might backfire and be counterproductive.

Of course, during joyous occasions like a wedding, there are elders who might carry precious items and present them on the wedding day for celebration, which is a separate matter from formal gifts.

Just a few days before Wang Anye’s wedding.

Wang Shouzhe’s courtyard has been bustling with people.

In fact, this courtyard has not been quiet for quite some time now.

With Wang Anye’s wedding date approaching, friends and family have gathered at the Wang Family’s residence, so it cannot be tranquil here.

Spring is bright, and the breeze is gentle.

In Wang Shouzhe’s courtyard, the green plants are soothing to the eyes, flowers are blossoming in clusters, and a bold group of tiger-headed spirit bees have built a nest beneath the eaves, primarily collecting nectar from the rare flowers in the Shouzhe Courtyard, supplementing from other gardens in the Wang Family’s Main Residence if necessary.

Amused and helpless, Wang Shouzhe recalled the past event when he purchased a Tiger-headed Bee Hive, which Luojing identified as a Purple Crystal Spirit Bee hive, and thus let them be.

Once familiarized, this group of tiger-headed spirit bees turned obedient and never attacked humans or animals. Day by day, they diligently collected spirit flower pollen and brewed Tier One Spiritual Honey.

"Four twos, Wang blast." Dressed as a common old man, Emperor Longchang boastfully threw out four twos and looked around proudly, "Anyone else?"

Generally speaking, a "Wang blast" refers to the two jokers. But Emperor Longchang regarded the jokers as the highest, so how could it be called a "Wang blast"? Hence, he renamed four twos as "Wang blast" and the jokers as "Emperor blast".

The two playing cards with the Emperor were Prince Deshun and Prince Yoong’an.

Among them, Prince Yoong’an, though a prince of the Dexin Lineage, supported Prince Kang in the Struggle of the Imperial Sons. But ever since Long Wuji "submitted" to Wang Shouzhe, he gradually withdrew from the competition, intentionally or unintentionally.

This result likely came after a private conversation between Long Wuji and his father, regardless of their significant conflicts or seemingly irreconcilable differences; ultimately, they are still father and son.

Moreover, Prince Yoong’an has only Long Wuji as his son, meaning he’s highly valued deep down.

Until the very end, when Prince Kang consistently suffered defeats, he did not intervene to help. He even secluded himself for a period, claiming to have been inspired by the Heavenly Dao and closed himself off to meditation for some time, clearly choosing not to support either side.

Yiluo was supported by Prince Deshun, while on Xue Ning’s side was Prince Rong’s Mansion, and they could only call upon Prince Yoong’an to maintain their presence and ensure Xue Ning’s momentum wasn’t weakened.

"The Ancestor is mighty, wisdom and courage are undiminished from the past." Prince Yoong’an and Prince Deshun both flattered the Emperor.

Wang Shouzhe’s lips twitched, finding this flattery boring. He instead turned to drink tea and chat with Long Wuji, "Brother Wuji, I’ve reviewed the sea charts you drew over the past decades, but they don’t seem related to the Phecda Continent."

"I didn’t expect there would be so many islands and sub-continents overseas." Long Wuji said helplessly, "On one of the sub-continents, the human race are primitive tribes, and their civilizations are even more backward than the Barbarian Gu Race. According to our judgment on the location of the Phecda Continent, it would take decades to establish a maritime route between them."

Long Wuji and the Wang Family have jointly explored overseas primarily to establish maritime routes between the Phecda Continent and Daqian, but have yet to succeed.

"It’s already quite impressive." Wang Shouzhe said, "Let’s prioritize safety, even if it takes another hundred years, it’s fine."

While they were talking.

A steward reported from outside: "Patriarch, a lady from the Immortal Dynasty has come to visit, saying she was entrusted by Miss Lici to bring wedding gifts for the Seventh Young Master."

Immortal Dynasty? Lici?

Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly, Lici has been elusive for a long time. Although she occasionally writes back to report her situation, when Wang Shouzhe sends letters, she seems to have no fixed abode.

Tens years ago, he entrusted Yao Air Transport to deliver a letter to Lici, asking her to come back if she had the chance. An Ye she hasn’t even seen, and yet he’s already getting married. Once again, something must have delayed her return.

"Host the young lady well; I will meet her shortly." Wang Shouzhe said.

"Yes, Patriarch." The steward withdrew.

As Wang Shouzhe prepared to set out, Long Wuji glanced at the three "old fellows" playing cards and felt somewhat uneasy and uncomfortable, preferring not to stay long. "Shouzhe, I’ve never seen a lady from the Immortal Dynasty, I’ll come along to gain some insights."

"Alright." Wang Shouzhe pondered slightly, "But you mustn’t disturb the guest."

"Shouzhe, your words are harsh, I, Long Wuji, am always a gentleman."

"But I heard from Shihao that you often shout on the ship about going to the Phecda Continent to find those blonde, blue-eyed ladies."

"Ahem~ that’s called boosting morale, giving the brothers a vision, otherwise, where do they find the courage to persevere?"

Talking while walking out the door. Before leaving, Wang Shouzhe called into the inner house, "Ruolan, I’m stepping out for a while. Host those esteemed guests well and make sure they aren’t hungry."

"My husband, I understand." The reply echoed from the distant kitchen, Liua Ruolan said, "Rest assured, I’m already boiling something. Will you have some before you leave? If not, I’ll give it to the old man."

"Well, leave it all to the old man."

Then, the two princes and an emperor all turned pale with anger and cast fierce looks at Wang Shouzhe, especially Emperor Longchang who turned green, realizing he’d have to enjoy Wang Shouzhe’s portion of the snacks today.

Wang Shouzhe, on the other hand, left satisfied.

Who asked Emperor Longchang to come to his courtyard to play cards for no reason? Even bringing along card partners... how disturbing it is, not knowing how it disrupts peace?

After a short while.

In the front courtyard’s guest lounge.

A lady with celestial grace stood gracefully, admiring various masterpieces of art in the lounge. The most conspicuous position featured the emperor’s personal masterpiece, "Liuxian Residence’s Sunrise Painting," specifically stamped with a large seal, fearing people wouldn’t know it was the Emperor’s work, and had to be hung in the most visible place.

"Cough, cough, greetings to the fairy, I am Wang Shouzhe, many thanks to the fairy for delivering items on behalf of Lici." Wang Shouzhe coughed lightly from afar, Long Wuji also put on an air of propriety.

The lady slowly turned around, "Emperor Longchang’s paintings are consistently full of craftsmanship, making it tough to hang them up."

"Cough, cough, young lady mind your words," Wang Shouzhe felt a bit embarrassed, "After all, he is our dynasty’s emperor."

The lady offered no opinion, and after assessing Wang Shouzhe from head to toe, she remarked with mild surprise, "Lici praised you for being handsome, I didn’t believe it, but you turned out to be more handsome and extraordinary than expected."

...