Chapter 862: Great Snow Mountain, Hidden Stake

"Oh, thirty-six? You're twenty-two—fourteen years older?"

Long Long Eying's expression turned awkward.

"Is that not allowed?" Liang Qu asked.

"Of course it's allowed—great fortune! You're a good eater, uh… picky!" Lan Lan Jicai flipped through the birth charts, thumbs up, spouting rapid-fire words like a seasoned reciter, "Not just those of us who study fate—even common folk know: six-year major clash, three-year minor clash, lucky matches come in fours or sevens."

"Fourteen years older? Two sevens apart—luck doubled! A woman one year older brings golden flight; two years older, golden growth. You're seven more years beyond that—seven golden growths! You'll live in a golden house, strike it rich! Wonderful, wonderful!"

High-ranking officials from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau personally arranged his birth chart, their words never ceasing.

Long Long Eying understood a little and listened intently.

Nine-branched beast lamps held up flickering candles, burning fiercely.

But this was his first time entering the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

No error version? This is the original novel posted first on 69 Book Reading Bar!

The name "Imperial Astronomical Bureau" was often heard, familiar to all—a large, mystical department that never did "practical" work, usually low-profile, just setting calendars and blowing smoke, yet whenever major events occurred—sacrifices to heaven and earth, military campaigns—it was absolutely indispensable.

Different cultivation realms allow for wives of different "levels," and since martial cultivators live longer, marrying late and having children later has its advantages.

"I've learned."

"In short, handle this quietly, report it quietly. If your method fails, backfires, or makes things worse, remember to clean up our mess."

"No problem—age order doesn't matter; my mother hasn't objected, let alone an imperial decree."

Divine abilities vary wildly; if Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi also had a 【Water Travel a Thousand Li】, it would indeed be troublesome.

"Done!"

"I said it was a small matter—calculating a birth chart is child's play, and since you're here anyway, I didn't need to send someone on a errand." Lan Lan Jicai rose. "There's something His Majesty previously instructed me to give you."

The most amazing.

Liang Qu and Long Long Eying bowed respectfully.

Opened a whole new world.

"Could Master Lan please calculate an auspicious date for our official registration?"

Liang Qu unfolded it—the first was a massive map, overall and detailed, the terrain not unfamiliar. "Blue Lake?"

"I'll go downstairs first." Long Long Eying voluntarily withdrew.

Removing an " Anzhuang " is not simply smashing things randomly.

What massive furnace was needed to forge this single-piece copper ring? How many experts in divination and astronomy were required to etch the characters upon it? How much manpower and material was consumed?

"By the way, boy, let me remind you: removing the ' Anzhuang ' on Great Snow Mountain may benefit Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi, since they share the same origin. You're gifted and strong, no doubt—but don't think your promotion makes you invincible."

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau had no ceiling! Outside, there was clearly a roof, and it was broad daylight—yet looking upward from within, one saw only a clear, open night sky!

Common folk "cohabit for daily life"; nobles "form alliances of strength."

Standing at the center of the copper ring, waiting quietly.

And beneath their feet.

"Thank you, Master Lan."

Some copper rings spun fast, others slow, seemingly random yet harmonizing with the rhythm of heaven and earth; each ring bore intricate, deep carvings, spaced evenly, filled with liquid like mercury—like blood, or lubricant.

The Four Directions Celestial Instrument…

Within the visible field lay a colossal, unimaginable engineering feat.

"Enough." Lan Lan Jicai beamed, no more words, handed them his annotated birth chart: "Your year, day, and four pillars align perfectly; your Minggong and three-element palace positions match—no clashes at all. This is fate's true match—among ten couples, only one or two achieve this. After calculating this, I won't bring a gift to your wedding feast. By the way, shall I calculate an auspicious wedding date for you?"

"Wait for me."

Liang Qu's eyes flashed.

Floor, pillars, framework, overhead beams, arches—all gleamed golden, exquisitely complex. Just the floor alone, spanning dozens of zhang, must weigh impossibly, yet it stood firm, unshaken.

In the Jianghuai marshes lived old toads; if there was any disturbance, you just asked them—so he'd never bothered with divination, at most using buried turtle shells from ponds.

Liang Qu had planned to take things one step at a time.

White lotus blossoms.

"The year is root, the month is sprout, the day is flower, the hour is fruit. Liang Qu, your year pillar…" Lan Lan Jicai swayed his head, chattered on for a long while; seeing Liang Qu nodding silently, he suddenly realized, "You don't understand, do you?"

Liang Qu and Long Long Eying walked across the water.

"Yes, it's about Great Snow Mountain again." Lan Lan Jicai patted the register. "For over a year, Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi has dismantled many ' Anzhuang.' Based on his scope and movements, we've attempted to deduce other ' Anzhuang ' and devised several removal methods—uncertain if they'll work. Go test them for us."

"Got it!"

Outside, it looked like an ordinary wooden tower—inside, the floor was pure copper!

Liang Qu scratched his head and laughed.

Marriages based on emotion were rare. Due to the objective existence of transactional marriages, weddings were bound by state law, family rules, and social constraints—easy to enter, hard to exit—to prevent secondary "transactions" for profit. The cost was so high that one naturally chose the best possible match for both bride and groom.

Such a vast, decades-long grand plan—if any single part collapsed, the entire scheme failed. Only by dismantling more could pollution weaken; the more you set up, the stronger the pollution became.

"Master Lan…"

In this world, martial cultivators—especially those with background and talent—married late, unlike common folk who wed at sixteen or seventeen, unless they knew their talent was limited.

By the pond of accumulated water.

More importantly, prevent Great Snow Mountain from discovering and continuing to destroy them.

"His Majesty had me prepare it—I'm not stupid."

Thirty-three nested concentric copper rings rotated slowly.

Minor sabotage.

Liang Qu leaned back in his chair, surveying the surroundings.

Lan Lan Jicai returned, placing three registers on the table.

Otherwise, if you marry during the Horse year, by the Tiger year your wife will be sixty or seventy—withered, faded. If her family once held office, they may have retired; their influence diminished, powerless to secure a future for their children.

Most of Liang Qu's senior brothers remained single, like Xu Xu Yue—over thirty already.

Liang Qu looked up: a streak of light flashed across the sky; copper rings turned above, and the blue-robed official on the platform scribbled notes.

Most marriages were, overwhelmingly, alliance-based.

"I heard your master hosted a banquet at Tianbo Tower in early September, right?"

He possessed special methods like Heaven's Gate and Earth's Axis—technically, he should be able to detect some traces of " Anzhuang " built on calamity energy.

The Pingyang Prefecture River Office frequently received "orders" from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau; several purges of Ghost Mother Sect offshoots were carried out under its "guidance."

But the old toads weren't omnipotent.

The logic was simple.

For example, calculating birth charts—he only half-understood it, perhaps even less than Long Long Eying.

Liang Qu thought for a moment.

Lan Lan Jicai shoved the remaining two registers into Liang Qu's hands and waved him off with a flick of his sleeve.

Long Long Eying flipped the two birth charts back and forth, barely hiding her joy, then her worry surfaced: "When we register, do we need to consider seniority? Your senior brothers and sisters…"

"Minor matter." Lan Lan Jicai didn't pick up his brush, instead pinching his fingers to calculate: "The upcoming dates… September 16th, then the 27th—both excellent days!"

Starlight poured in like a tidal wave—clear, bright night.

Marriage types mostly fall into three: alliance, emotion, transaction.

Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi, thanks to his unique abilities, can not only swiftly locate and dismantle " Anzhuang," but also use their shared origin to plant "decoys," misleading Great Snow Mountain—that's the key.

"... Alright."

"I have no close relatives in the capital; I planned to invite Master Lan anyway—just haven't made or sent the invitations yet."

Liang Qu was different—he achieved Zhen Xiang at twenty-two, and their feelings were mutual, their clans compatible.

Long Long Eying was also Zhen Xiang.

The usual "waiting for the best offer" didn't apply to them at all.

"Wait until the September 8th feast!"

(End of Chapter)