Chapter 60: Xiyuan's Night Talk (Part 2)

  "Don't worry." Zhao Xue finished her drink and smiled, continuing: "In this generation, my uncle's cultivation is the highest, entering the middle level of Wu Zun, becoming the current king. My Heishi County and Zhao Wang Bo Bo are from the same lineage as the founding saint, and we are the elders. However, our lineage has few people, Uncle has a daughter and a son, but the boy is not yet twelve years old, and he's been weak and sickly since childhood. Here, I only have one daughter."

  In three more years, my uncle will be sixty and retire. Another branch has two top-notch masters who have just entered the top level, although their cultivation is higher than that of my father. Before my uncle retires, my father has no hope of catching up with them. Therefore, our branch has lost all hope of competing for the throne.

  The territory of our Zhao state is roughly divided into three regions. The first is the vast directly affiliated territory near the capital, which belongs to the king's direct control region. The second is our Heishi County territory, which belongs to our clan. The rich southern region belongs to another clan's territory. If we lose the throne, the capital's directly affiliated territory will have to be handed over to another clan.

  Therefore, we must keep the ownership of our Heishi County territory at all costs. Otherwise, we will have no place to stand. According to the rules of our Zhao family, the title is inherited by males and not females, and passed down through sons-in-law but not outsiders. In other words, the title of our territory will be passed down to my husband. The other branch has seen this rare opportunity and has already begun to harbor evil intentions.

  "Zhao Ba, he's the one our elders forced us to accept as my father's adopted son. In reality, he's a collateral descendant from another branch of the family. He came here when he was seven years old and at first didn't know anything, but later understood his mission - to marry me and become the heir. And behind him, there's another branch secretly supporting him. The people who pursued me, the ones I liked, all became targets for assassination. I've become the person he has secretly decided on." Zhao Xue said fiercely.

  "Haha, that's easy, just send someone to kill Zhao Ba, and it'll be over." Guo Fei said with a smile.

  "We've thought of this approach too, but Zhao Ba is just a pawn after all. His identity is only that of a collateral descendant of another branch, and his life or death doesn't hold much significance. They're waiting for us to take out Zhao Ba so they can leave behind 'evidence' and use it as capital to make a move later on. Because according to the Council of Elders' rules, once two branches engage in a life-or-death internal struggle, the responsible party must unconditionally step down. Unless he dies from illness, there will always be clues and excuses left for the Council of Elders. Since our family is small and the Council's power isn't strong either, they don't dare to get involved in family internal affairs, so we can't take risks."

  "Heh heh. Princess, actually you have another way." Guo Fei said with a faint smile.

  "Oh dear, what's going on!" Zhao Xue exclaimed in surprise.

  "Marry Zhao Ba and then control him! The territory is still yours, isn't it?" Guo Fei said with a smile.

  "Your master has so many ideas." Zhao Xue scolded. Then, gritting her teeth, she said in a low voice: "Don't mention that I don't like Zhao Ba at all, even if I did, the deep hatred and resentment must be avenged. Since they killed Wang Xi, the feud was formed. Moreover, they did it thoroughly. When Zhao Ba was adopted by my father at the age of seven, my father discovered that he could not have children in this life, and his cultivation was stuck at the high level of Qi repair, with no hope of advancing further. His kidney was destroyed by a powerful expert, now he only has one kidney. It's just that he himself doesn't know it yet. So, he is the pawn between our two families' confrontation, waiting for an opportunity to see who can make better use of this chess piece."

  "Poor guy!" Guo Fei sighed, thinking of Zhao Xue's attitude towards him before, and it all made sense. It seemed that the other faction was trying to take advantage of this rare opportunity to slowly push Zhao Xue's faction to its death.

  "So I'm just a poor scapegoat. It seems you don't have excessive enthusiasm for me either, what's the point of putting me to death?" Guo Fei said with a smile.

  "Hehe. Guo Fei, I've taken a liking to you. You're the first person after 'Wang Xi' that I have a good impression of. My approach is to be cautious and seize opportunities. I told my father about you, and he wants to test you to see if you can take on great responsibilities. This time, we didn't lend a hand to help you, but since you arrived safely here, it means you've passed the first test."

  Zhao Xue's expression was like that of a proud princess, waiting for Guo Fei to express his gratitude and make an emotional confession. If it were someone from this world, they might really be overwhelmed by this sudden happiness. Taking a leap through the dragon gate, growing from a small soldier to the heir of a duke, this is a blessing that cannot be earned in eight lifetimes.

  However, Guo Fei is a person who has crossed over from another world, and his way of thinking does not belong to this world. He somewhat dislikes Zhao Xue's condescending expression, as if she is bestowing favors upon him, especially when she talks about her own marriage, like it's a transaction, without a hint of shyness or embarrassment.

  Guo Fei is the gentle woman in Li Qingzhao's words "and shyly walked, leaned against the door and looked back, but sniffed the green plum." Or it could be the girl who makes her heart skip a beat, anyway, it's not Zhao Xue.

  Moreover, Zhao Xue's attitude undoubtedly pushed Guo Fei into danger. She didn't consider Guo Fei's situation at all and can be said to have not considered his life or death either. Her affection was based on the fact that Guo Fei had utilitarian value, so her emotions were transactional.

  Imagine if one's lover or loved one didn't care about their own life and death, it would be unbearable. Anyway, Guo Fei wouldn't be that kind of person.

  "You don't want to!" Zhao Xue's voice was a bit cold, interrupting Guo Fei's contemplation.

  "This, this, this happiness came too suddenly, and I couldn't accept it for a while. Moreover, I'm not even twenty years old yet, and I haven't achieved anything, my cultivation is low, it's really...". Guo Fei was tongue-tied, unsure of what to say. This kind of woman who played politics, once she turned against you, would not recognize her own family members. He himself was on someone else's turf, and his goal was to learn from them. If he were to turn against them, it would be a waste of effort, and he might even have to continue running away, or perhaps be ambushed and killed here. So Guo Fei pretended to be extremely excited.

  Zhao Xue smiled slightly and interrupted Guo Fei's words, saying: "You do have self-awareness, my father didn't directly agree, but gave you an opportunity to see the test results. You came here smoothly, it's just the first hurdle, there are more below."

  "Besides!" Guo Fei was taken aback, and with a pitiful expression, he hastily said: "Your Excellency, you are all people of status, why bother with me, a lowly soldier? My life will be worn out by your harassment sooner or later."

  "Haha, I just like your rascal style! Don't worry, there's a benefit below. You want to enter the Martial Academy to learn about the Knights' knowledge, right? This is the next level of testing. Relying on your own strength, stand out in the 'Knight Selection' competition, become the recommended Knight of Blackstone County, and enter the capital's 'Knight Manor' for further study. When you achieve great things and become a great Knight, it will be time for you to inherit the title of Duke. All of this is arranged by me, don't disappoint me! As for the assassination from another branch, we'll do our best to protect you, plus you're a small slippery head, very lucky, I believe nothing will happen."

  "County Master, this is too unfair! You agreed to let me rescue you and now you're adding so many conditions. Isn't that unkind? Truly unkind! Are you going to go back on your promise of 200,000 gold coins?" Guo Fei said with a mocking smile.

  "Hehe. Do you still have to calculate so clearly for your future wife? Consider it a gift for our meeting! You won't be at a loss." Zhao Xue said with a smile.

  "Haha, okay then. But tonight, shouldn't the wife fulfill her duties and not leave? Stay with me for a night." Guo Fei stretched out his two palms as if to grab Zhao Xue.

  "Don't get any ideas, the Selection Tournament is in six days, so prepare well. After you come out of the 'Scholar's Manor' in the Imperial City and gain my father's approval, after we're married, then think about other things. This is a notice regarding the Selection Tournament and your own qualifications, remember it clearly." Zhao Xue placed a letter on the table and floated away.

  Watching Zhao Xue leave the gate, Guo Fei's face suddenly turned cold.

  (This book was first recommended, and seeing the collection rise up, I'm very excited. For a newcomer, it's really not easy. I will use 100% of my energy to write a good book, maybe there are flaws, maybe there are places that are not satisfactory, welcome everyone to give opinions, welcome criticism and correction, welcome brick throwing. At the same time, also want to give the author a process of improvement. Xiao Xi Ke doesn't have "golden fingers", completely relying on brain to constantly ponder and think, can't fake it. Hehe. So, solemnly asking for recommendation and collection! At the same time, thank book friend zhenghao for the reward. Excited!)