Chapter 1723

Good person? Where in this world is there any truly good person? Qiqi sneered silently in her heart; she saw Long Xi Yue amidst the crowd, as beautiful as fresh flowers, poised and graceful without losing noble elegance. Although most of the guests today held high positions and power in their own territories, no one could eclipse her radiance. Even she herself paled in comparison to Long Xi Yue's peerless charm.

Long Xi Yue's gaze met Qiqi's again, still gentle and tender. Qiqi thought to herself, perhaps Hu Xiaotian likes her docility; which man in the world wouldn't like a woman to be a bit gentler toward him?

Long Xi Yue parted the crowd and walked over to Qiqi, speaking softly: "The banquet is about to start; why don't we go together?"

Liang Yinghao

Long Xi Yue's delicate body trembled, her beautiful eyes looking at Qiqi with some surprise; in fact she had long known that Qiqi knew her identity, but she hadn't expected Qiqi to shout like that.

Qiqi smiled and said: "You are the one who loves me most in the palace; hearing of your misfortune, I felt sad for a while."

Weichi Chong

Qiqi said: "The person Hu Xiaotian has liked from beginning to end has always been you; your being together today can be considered a reward after hardship." Saying these words, she inevitably felt a bit sour in her heart.

Long Xi Yue spoke softly: "He has endured many hardships and grievances for me; I care nothing for status or position, being able to stay by his side for a lifetime is already my greatest wish."

Qiqi sighed; perhaps the greatest difference between her and Long Xi Yue is that one is willing to be a woman behind Hu Xiaotian, while the other is unwilling to live such a life. Qiqi said: "I originally wanted to make him suffer a lifetime!"

Princess

Your Highness

General Yongfu

Gold Jade Alliance

Long Xi Yue smiled and said: "I am a weak and simple person; if I hadn't met Xiao Tian, perhaps I would have accepted a fate manipulated by others, but now I will cherish myself all the more; I don't want him to be sad, I want to live well for him."

"May you be happy!" Qiqi turned to leave, but after a few steps she stopped again and whispered: "What about the bouquet you were supposed to give me?"

Long Xi Yue handed over the bouquet in her hand; this time Qiqi took it, smelled the fragrance, and then said: "Tell Hu Xiaotian, I'm leaving!"

Qiqi entered her own formation; Hong Beimo quietly approached and lowered his voice: "Report to the Princess, everything has been arranged; we only await your orders."

Qiqi turned around and saw Hu Xiaotian and Long Xi Yue in the distance, hand in hand, receiving everyone's blessings; she lowered her gaze to the bouquet in her hand, pondered for a long time, then made up her mind: "Cancel all actions!"

Xizhou

Dongliang Jun

The night was deep; the courtyard, which had been noisy all day, suddenly fell silent, leaving only Hu Xiaotian and Long Xi Yue in the whole courtyard. They sat side by side by the pool, Long Xi Yue leaning on Hu Xiaotian's shoulder, happiness overflowing her lovely face.

Cloud Yang

Prosperous Prefecture

Azure Heart Mountain

Black Water Stronghold

Hu Xiaotian said, "Don't be afraid, I've got everything under control."

Long Xi Yue's voice was like a mosquito's whisper: "I'm the one who's scared of you..."

Hu Xiaotian laughed loudly, scooped Long Xi Yue up in a horizontal hold, and softly said, "You're not allowed to say you're scared!"

"Then what should we say?"

"You're so clever, you must know?"

"The one I love is you!"

Hu Xiaotian still shook his head and said, "That's not the word!"

"What I want is you..."

A gust of night wind blew by, thin clouds veiled the crescent moon, the moonlight grew dimmer, hazier, more ambiguous…

Hu Xiaotian's grand wedding stirred the world, but even more striking than the wedding itself was the Gold and Jade Alliance; the several forces that formed it, taken individually, presently lack the strength to vie for supremacy over the realm, yet once they allied, even the mightiest of Dakang and Da Yong in the Central Plains dare not underestimate their power.

Although it is given importance, no one truly believes in such an alliance; history never lacks examples of alliances forming, yet they invariably end in dissolution and fragmentation, often beginning from within. Time is like a blade that will soon slash this so‑called alliance into pieces.

This May, besides Hu Xiaotian's wedding, many other things happened. First, the Black Hu mustered a large army and launched the fiercest attack on Da Yong since this spring. The Da Yong troops, under Weichi Chong's command, withstood the Black Hu iron cavalry's ferocious assault and ultimately held the northern frontier line unbroken, though both sides suffered heavy casualties. After Da Yong endured harsh early‑spring weather, May brought continuous rainstorms and hailstorms, triggering floods in many places; the summer flood control effort now faces a severe test.

Da Yong, which once vied for hegemony over the Central Plains, now seems to be following Dakang's old path, suffering one misfortune after another; meanwhile, Sichuan has become Da Yong's fellow sufferer. Not long after May passed, an earthquake struck Xizhou, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands, and millions of refugees began streaming toward Dakang, which was forced to draw a narrow, elongated buffer zone on its border to accommodate the influx.

After finishing his honeymoon, Hu Xiaotian returned to Dongliang Jun with Long Xi Yue. Because relentless rainstorms had raised the Yong River's water level, he was deeply concerned, mobilizing his troops and riverside residents to reinforce the dikes and dredge the channel in order to prevent a flood peak from breaching the embankment.

Dark clouds covered the sky; although it was noon, the light was dim as dusk, the rain poured down, and lightning flashed one after another. Hu Xiaotian wore a straw cloak and raincoat, and together with Yu Tianxing and Li Mingcheng he inspected the north bank of the Yong River. After surveying the most dangerous stretch, the three retreated to a nearby thatched pavilion to take shelter from the rain.

Hu Xiaotian took off his straw cloak and raincoat; his face showed relief, as the situation was far better than he had expected.

Yu Tianxing said, "My lord, the condition of the main dike is not bad."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "We cannot be overly optimistic; the Yong River must not suffer any mishap, for the safety of downstream soldiers and civilians depends on it—any problem would be unthinkable."

Yu Tianxing said, "The Yong River navy has been fully mobilized, deployed along the river, keeping watch day and night; any oversight discovered will be immediately patched, and General Yongfu has issued a military order to guarantee the Yong River's safe passage through the flood season."

Hu Xiaotian's gaze turned to Li Mingcheng, the governor of Dongliang Jun.

Li Mingcheng said, "The people are volunteering enthusiastically; no mobilization is needed—all able‑bodied laborers have already joined the anti‑drought and flood‑control efforts. Thanks to your lordship's emphasis, otherwise such heavy rain would surely have breached the dikes in the past."

Hu Xiaotian pondered, then said, "Tianxing, convey my order: add another 300,000 taels of silver to the existing flood‑control budget, and compensate farmers whose fields suffer water damage according to the severity of the loss; you will work out the details."

Yes!

Yu Tianxing said, "Because our precautions were timely and our response appropriate, our territory has not suffered severe damage; this year's weather is strange—rainfall increases the farther north you go, and many places in Da Yong have experienced floods, so they can truly be said to be having an unlucky year."

Li Mingcheng said, "Sichuan is no better: it is said that in the earthquake ten days ago, most houses in Xizhou have collapsed, even Yunyang Xingzhou felt violent shaking; according to reports from there, over 200,000 have died, and refugees keep streaming into Dakang, putting great pressure on its border defenses."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Sichuan originally belonged to Dakang; these past two years of favorable weather have surely stockpiled ample grain, so giving some to our own people is only right."

Yu Tianxing shook his head and said, "I doubt Dakang would be willing; otherwise they wouldn't have blockaded the refugees at the border, refusing them entry, and Yunyang likewise guards its passes strictly, admitting no refugees."

At that moment, Liang Yinghao and Xiong Tianba, who had been inspecting other places, arrived together; Xiong Tianba came in dripping wet, sneezing repeatedly, and complained, "Just a couple of days ago it was scorching hot, and now it's suddenly freezing—should I dig out my fur coat to wear?"

Everyone laughed, and Hu Xiaotian said, "Xiong kid, quickly dry yourself off and be careful not to catch a chill."

Liang Yinghao said, "Even if you tell him to wear a raincoat, he won't listen—he's soaked like a drowned chicken." He then walked over to report to Hu Xiaotian the condition of the dike stretch he was responsible for inspecting.

Hu Xiaotian listened and nodded.

Liang Yinghao said, "This time Wang Bochi has rendered great merit; he is very skilled in waterworks." Wang Bochi is a defector from Bixin Mountain; since his surrender to Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian entrusted him with the reconstruction of Bixin Mountain's Heishui Village. At the start of the year, when the dikes were being built, Wang Bochi volunteered to take charge of Yong River water conservancy; he indeed possesses expertise in hydraulic engineering, proposing a series of measures beneficial to drainage. It can be said that, given this year's abundant rainfall, being able to keep the Yong River dikes intact is largely due to Wang Bochi's efforts.

Yu Tianxing bowed and said, "My lord, your discerning eye for talent is admirable!" After experiencing the setback at Bixin Mountain, Yu Tianxing has also become much more mature.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Many hands make the fire rise; without your united cooperation assisting me, I alone could accomplish nothing." His gaze turned northward, recalling the Da Yong court now weathering wind and rain, uncertain whether it, beset by internal and external troubles, can successfully pass this trial.

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