Chapter 319: Your Background Is Not Simple

"The envoy's Minister Chen has sent word that in one month, the Third Princess of Wu will pause in Qinghe."

"Minister Jia and Minister Yan are in charge of the reception arrangements."

"Minister Li and Minister Cao are responsible for city security."

Nie Siming gathered the four chief officials of Qinghe and assigned duties.

"Yes." *4

Li Rui and the others received their orders.

Aside from Li Rui, the other three had long learned of the marriage alliance through their own channels, so they were not surprised—in fact, preparations had already begun two months ago.

If the chief official of Qinghe didn't know about such a major matter, he was already on the verge of demotion.

It wasn't that he lacked ability, but that his patrons hadn't even informed him of such a crucial matter—clearly he'd been cast aside; promotion would be miraculous.

The marriage alliance had been decided back when the two nations opened trade, but progress had stalled; now it had become Qinghe's top priority.

It wasn't because of the alliance itself, but because of the Third Princess's identity.

If she were a princess of a minor state, or even a concubine-born daughter, Qinghe wouldn't treat it with such gravity.

But this Third Princess is the younger sister of the Wu monarch—this changes everything.

Her status is so exalted that few in Wu can rival her.

If the Emperor of Yu marries the Wu monarch's sister, then by kinship, the Emperor of Yu becomes the Wu monarch's uncle-in-law, placing him one generation higher, thus giving Yu a ritual advantage over Wu.

Thus, Yu naturally places great importance on this.

Wu has been powerful for millennia, dominating the south of Yu, always on equal footing.

Now, to gain the upper hand is a feat of merit, worthy of being recorded in history.

Nie Siming finished his instructions.

"Go. By the way, Minister Li, stay behind."

Hearing this,

Cao Wei and the other three all looked at him with envy.

'What magic does this Minister Li possess that he's so favored by his superiors?'

Especially Cao Wei felt it most acutely.

Li Rui truly is adept at navigating all sides—every superior he's served, from Jiang Lin to Yuan Dingting to Nie Siming, has favored him.

Yet none of them resented him.

People only envy when they believe they can reach the same level; when the gap is too wide, they feel only admiration.

Li Rui was the latter.

Though all four now held the same rank—fifth rank—the invisible gap was enormous; their potential was entirely different.

As for background, Li Rui has Jiang Lin and Marquis Yuan, and he's close to both.

Though they too had patrons, their connections paled in comparison.

Second, his martial prospects.

Li Rui has already demonstrated strength far beyond Cao Wei; he may one day achieve Primordial State.

A fourth-rank military officer, even a third-rank civil official, is entirely possible.

What does that mean?

The Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries—properly ranked third-rank officials with direct access to His Majesty—are merely third rank.

That's no small thing.

Thus, facing such a potential dragon, they felt no jealousy whatsoever.

Watching the three leave, Li Rui turned to Nie Siming: "General Nie has more orders?"

Nie Siming smiled slightly:

"I didn't expect you to be so well hidden—you even know the Grand Witch."

Li Rui froze.

Nie Siming's smile widened: "The envoy sent word that after the Third Princess arrives in Qinghe, she wishes to meet you personally—it was the Grand Witch's own directive during his audience with the envoy."

Me?

Li Rui blinked.

He knew his own situation best—he'd never met the Grand Witch; all his connections stemmed from Xia Xiaotang, and ended there.

Marriage, especially royal alliances, is a matter of cosmic fate; one cannot choose one's own spouse. In Yu, the Emperor arranges marriages; in Wu, the Grand Witch decides.

But his expression quickly returned to normal.

What's done is done.

No need to overthink.

He was an official of Yu; the people of Wu couldn't touch him, and someone of the Grand Witch's stature wouldn't bother with a lowly fifth-rank official.

Just as he was about to speak,

Nie Siming waved his hand: "No need to explain. Extraordinary matters require extraordinary people. Your connection to the Grand Witch is your ability—I truly envy you."

He truly did.

Who was the Grand Witch?

He was the former third-ranked power in the realm, his status equal to Yu's State Preceptor.

Even greater in prestige than Marquis Yuan.

Nie Siming was a soldier; he recognized only one truth: whoever gets things done is powerful.

No matter the means.

He'd even shared wine with the Northern Barbarian War God. To him, Li Rui knowing the Grand Witch was skill—not treason.

Moreover, if Li Rui has ties to the Grand Witch, the marriage alliance can proceed more smoothly.

A great blessing!

Nie Siming: "When the Third Princess arrives, you and I will greet her together."

"Yes."

Li Rui agreed, knowing any protest now would be useless.

A minor incident.

The marriage alliance brought little change to Li Rui's daily life.

He still trained as usual, still read books.

The only difference was that Li Rui had left the city—rarely.

It was a trivial matter.

Yet it cost several gamblers in the Anning Guard dearly; Li Rui's reputation as a soldier who never left his post had long been known, and bets had already been placed on when he'd step out—some even wagered he'd never leave in ten years.

And now they'd lost.

One day,

Li Rui returned to the city with Tan Hu.

Tan Hu rode beside Li Rui; among other soldiers, this would've drawn reprimand, but Tan Hu was a longtime companion of Li Rui's, so no one cared—the Benthu Camp had long grown used to it; in their eyes, Li Rui was still their patrol commander. "Brother, when's our next outing?"

Tan Hu asked. Li Rui paused, then gave him a wry smile: "Huizi, come on—how much did you bet?"

At this, Tan Hu's head spun. He stammered for a long while:

"Brother, you know about this?"

Li Rui chuckled: "Brothers keep accounts clear. I bet too—I can't let you win at my expense."

"??!!"

Tan Hu's eyes widened.

He'd assumed Li Rui knew nothing of the betting—yet Li Rui not only knew, he'd placed his own bets.

No wonder Li Rui had timed his departure so perfectly.

His eyes lit up:

"No wonder you're my brother!"

"Brother, what did you bet on? Tell me quick—I can't afford to lose everything!"

He'd already decided: this time, he'd go all-in and win back every penny.

One by one, each word, each line, each detail—read carefully!

Li Rui: "Huizi, I'll tell you—but first, you give me one-tenth."

Tan Hu readily agreed:

"Done!"

Li Rui thought he was truly a master of profit.

He never dismissed small gains.

It was an easy matter.

And with his rank, even if someone suspected deception, who'd dare confront him?

When the time came, he could claim it was enforcing military discipline and seize it all—no possible loss. So when he learned of the betting, he specifically ordered his soldiers to place wagers.

As they spoke,

they returned to the Guard Commander's residence.

As soon as they entered, they saw Wang Zhao.

"Master, you're back."

Wang Zhao said, and both he and Yang Yong found Li Rui's decision to leave the city quite novel.

Li Rui nodded.

He hadn't left the city before because he feared the True Dragon Qi would be detected by demonic beasts; now that he had mastered the Nine Hidden Heavenly Secrets, there was no longer any such concern.

This time, he was leaving the city to inspect the river channels.

Nie Siming had specifically instructed him that even though Cao Wei, the county office, and the Weiheshimao Office were handling things together, he couldn't afford to be indifferent—he still had to follow the proper procedures and put on the necessary show.

Nie Siming was watching.

Li Rui knew people like Nie Siming all too well: even if they could drink and chat together, if he failed at the real work, he'd still face the consequences.

Wang Zhao pointed to the main hall:

"Master, Brother Liang has returned."

Hearing it was Liang He, Li Rui perked up and quickly made his way to the main hall, where he saw Liang He.

Liang He had been coming to the Military Office rather frequently lately.

"Master!"

Liang He had been organizing the items placed in the main hall; upon seeing Li Rui enter, his face lit up with delight.

"Little He, what brought you to see your master?"

Li Rui smiled warmly at his eldest disciple.

Liang He chuckled: "I was asked to deliver something."

Li Rui's interest deepened.

Liang He didn't delay: "It's Brother Liu—he asked me to bring you something."

Saying this,

he picked up the yellow rosewood box sitting on the table.

"Brother Liu had someone deliver this—the Heavenly Spirit Purple Marrow has been secured."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

Liu Tong had obtained the Heavenly Spirit Purple Marrow so quickly—it truly surprised him.

Though the Heavenly Spirit Purple Marrow was nowhere near as famed as in ancient times, it was genuinely rare; for Liu Tong to acquire it proved he had a strong connection with the noblewoman of the Tianyuan Trading Association—otherwise, it would have been impossible.

Even Li Rui himself couldn't have gotten it so easily.

Liang He continued: "Brother Liu said he thanks you for your guidance—he has finally grasped the Dao."

Li Rui nodded with satisfaction.

Good. The boy is teachable.

With a fine physique, one ought to make good use of it—there's no shame in living off one's wife; once, a Grand Secretary of Yu State began as a son-in-law—no shame at all.

"Tell Little Liu that the cost of the Heavenly Spirit Purple Marrow will be charged to the Heaven and Earth Alliance's account, and send a few capable members from the Alliance to Yunzhou."

Liang He's eyes lit up.

Li Rui's words meant he approved of Liu Tong opening a branch in Yunzhou.

Of course, Li Rui's approval wasn't solely due to Liu Tong's good performance—it was also because of a small matter: he hadn't delivered the item directly to the Military Office, but first gave it to Liang He, who then passed it on.

It seemed trivial, yet the difference was significant.

The Heavenly Spirit Purple Marrow was a major achievement; by giving it to Liang He, Liu Tong was effectively allowing Liang He to share the credit.

It revealed a different kind of character.

Liu Tong was clever, but lacked the wisdom to delegate and trust others; his current conduct finally put Li Rui at ease.

Li Rui smiled as he opened the small wooden box.

The moment he opened it,

an exotic fragrance filled the air.

Before him lay a piece of jade, thumb-sized, translucent like a purple crystal.

Exactly as described in the Shengling Book.

Li Rui was overjoyed.

With this treasure, he was one step closer to obtaining a top-grade spiritual root.

(End of Chapter)