Chapter 433

After Tai'a left, Cai Yong put away the spirit stones and began to examine the remaining items.

He knew what the Marrow Cleansing Pill was, and as for this wine, since Liu Bian could take it out to bestow upon him, it surely wasn't an ordinary object.

The last item was a black writing brush; it looked no different from an ordinary brush.

However, as the Minister of Rites, one of the Six Ministers of the Han Empire, he knew the grade of this item.

The current Han Empire couldn't even find a single Yellow-grade item, let alone a Mystic-grade one.

Immediately, he picked up the brush and began the process of blood recognition; the moment his blood touched the brush, it vanished, and he felt a faint connection form between himself and the brush in his hand.

"A Mystic-grade lower-quality Green Pine Brush! It can write essays to increase their literary talent, and can also be used for close-quarters combat—how powerful!"

After receiving the information about the Mystic-grade lower-quality Green Pine Brush, Cai Yong said in disbelief, then revealed a look of great joy.

"Father, what is it that makes you so happy?"

At this moment, Cai Yan, who had arrived in the main hall, happened to see the happy Cai Yong and asked with a smile.

Hearing her voice, Cai Yong looked toward the entrance and saw Cai Yan walking in with her maid, Xiao Die.

"Hahaha, my good daughter, you've come!"

Upon seeing Cai Yan, Cai Yong's old face immediately blossomed into a smile.

"Father, when I arrived just now, I saw Commander Tai'a leaving. What was he doing in our manor?"

After arriving in front of Cai Yong, Cai Yan asked him.

"Haha, my good daughter, you don't know yet, but His Majesty intends to marry you on the same day as his grand wedding!"

"Just now, Commander Tai'a was acting on His Majesty's decree to deliver his rewards!"

Hearing Cai Yan's inquiry, Cai Yong said to her excitedly.

"What? Did His Majesty really say that?"

Cai Yong's words left Cai Yan shocked; she hadn't expected that Liu Bian would actually marry her as well.

Looking at the disbelieving Cai Yan, Cai Yong laughed and said to her:

"Hahaha, this was said by His Majesty himself today in front of me, the ministers of the Inner Cabinet, and the Six Ministers. How could it be false?"

"Moreover, His Majesty just had the Dark Guard Commander Tai'a deliver some rewards to me. If it were false, would His Majesty bestow so many good things upon me?"

Seeing her father speak so definitively, Cai Yan knew this must be true. For a moment, she felt as if she were dreaming; it felt so unreal!

"Your Majesty..."

Murmuring this, Cai Yan shed tears of emotion.

"Alright, this is a day of great joy, so be happy. I still have to prepare to receive guests, so you should return to your room first!"

"Xiao Die, escort your mistress back!"

Seeing Cai Yan in such a state, Cai Yong comforted her briefly and then spoke to the maid.

"Yes, Master!"

And so, Cai Yan, weeping with joy, was led away by the maid Xiao Die.

"Oh, Mistress, according to this, from now on you will become a noble and incomparable Imperial Consort! This is a grand and joyous event. Congratulations, Mistress, congratulations!"

On the way back to the manor, the maid Xiao Die, filled with joy, leaned close to the somewhat dazed Cai Yan and shouted excitedly.

Hearing Xiao Die's words, Cai Yan, who had been somewhat absent-minded, instantly came back to her senses.

She glared at Xiao Die with a coquettish pout and scolded her lightly:

"Oh, you silly girl, stop spouting nonsense!"

However, despite what she said, the slight upward curve of her lips and the smile in her eyes revealed her inner joy to the fullest.

Perhaps even she hadn't realized that at this moment, she was already immersed in this sudden happiness.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty days had passed since Liu Bian's grand wedding, and in three more days, it would be the day of the wedding.

At this time, the city of Luoyang was shrouded in immense joy, and the common people were also sincerely blessing Liu Bian.

Meanwhile, the various marquises who had received Liu Bian's imperial decree had already arrived in Luoyang.

"Hahaha, Inspector Liu, you have finally arrived. We have already been here for quite some time!"

In the post station arranged by the Ministry of Rites in Luoyang, the Inspector of Yuzhou, Kong Zhou, said with a smile to the newly arrived Inspector of Youzhou, Liu Yu.

Beside him were also the Inspector of Xuzhou, Tao Qian, the Inspector of Jizhou, Han Fu, and the Chancellor of Beihai, Kong Rong.

These inspectors had not brought the prefects of their various commanderies when they came; they were acting as representatives themselves.

As for the Inspector of Liangzhou, Tian Feng, and Ma Teng, who had already arrived in Luoyang, they both had places to stay in the city.

Tian Feng had a residence in Luoyang bestowed upon him by Liu Bian, while Ma Teng, because of Ma Chao, was also staying in the residence Liu Bian had bestowed upon Ma Chao.

Liu Yu scanned the group and, finding only these few, asked in confusion:

"Why are there only you few? What about the other colleagues? I, who am far away in Youzhou, have arrived; don't tell me they haven't come yet!"

Hearing Liu Yu's inquiry, the Inspector of Jizhou, Han Fu, curled his lips and sneered:

"Inspector Liu, can't you see? Those people have long since changed; now, they don't even hold His Majesty in their eyes!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu's expression also turned ugly. Of the thirteen provinces of the Han, excluding the three provinces controlled by Liu Bian and Qingzhou, which was controlled by the remnants of the Yellow Turbans,

of the remaining nine provinces, only these four had come, while the inspectors of the other five provinces were nowhere to be seen. The deep meaning contained within this needed no further words!

What pained Liu Yu the most was that among those absent, the Inspector of Yizhou, Liu Zhang, the Inspector of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, the Inspector of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, and the Inspector of Yangzhou, Liu Yao, were all members of the Han Imperial Clan.

Over these years, the Han Dynasty had weathered storms and was on the verge of collapse. If it hadn't been for Liu Bian's sudden and heaven-defying rise, the current Han Empire might have long since been destroyed by Dong Zhuo.

Now, having finally waited for Liu Bian, the restorer of the dynasty in whom such high hopes were placed, they had thought the Han mountains and rivers would have a chance to regain their strength and recreate the glory of the past.

Yet, unexpectedly, the vast majority of those who rose in rebellion in the end were actually from the Imperial Clan.

This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the dignity and authority of the Han house, and it made people feel even more chilled and helpless.

"Sigh, Inspector Liu, the situation is just as Inspector Han said; those five are highly unlikely to come!"

At this time, the Inspector of Xuzhou, Tao Qian, also couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Along the way, ever since they arrived in Sili and felt the changes there, to be honest, they didn't feel that the choice of those five was correct.

The current Sili was full of vitality everywhere. Although the lives of the common people living here hadn't improved significantly, their eyes were already filled with hope.

This was something they hadn't seen anywhere else. Moreover, after seeing the identity jade tokens Liu Bian had issued to the common people, Tao Qian and the others were also deeply shocked.