The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"Impossible!"

On this point, Feng Qiao'er showed extraordinary certainty: "He absolutely had no intention of rebelling, my daughter is certain of that."

"Oh?" Feng Ang asked with interest, "Why are you so sure?"

Without hesitation, Feng Qiao'er said, "To be honest, Chen Langjun is quite lazy. He is not enthusiastic about power, fame, or profit. If he had a choice, the thing he would most like to do is be a schoolteacher."

"The only reason he stayed in the court was the saying, 'When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven.'"

"He wouldn't think of rebelling, much less of becoming...the emperor."

Feng Qiao'er gritted her teeth and finally uttered the last two words.

In her view, Chen Huai'an and the Feng family had one thing in common: neither of them had ever thought of rebelling.

Therefore, they initially felt that Chen Huai'an was the best marriage partner, and very likely the husband that the old woman had mentioned, the one destined for Feng Qiao'er by fate.

"What if this is just a disguise?" Feng Ang asked rhetorically.

Upon hearing this, Feng Qiao'er instinctively wanted to retort, but Feng Ang raised his hand to interrupt her again: "You don't need to rush to refute me. If you look at the facts, you'll find a very interesting point."

"He was not keen on power, yet he stood at the pinnacle of power in the Tang Dynasty. He was not keen on fame, yet his reputation among the people grew day by day. The people regarded him as their parent official, an official bestowed by Heaven, and perhaps even a new sage."

"You say he's not interested in profit, but his 'Beauty Pass' has been sold all over the country, even outside of the Tang Dynasty. It's no exaggeration to say he's making a fortune every day."

"Furthermore..." Feng Ang looked intently at his daughter, "Do you think you could figure out what someone like him is thinking?"

"Is it possible that everything he's showing now is just a facade?"

"Impossible!" Feng Qiao'er said firmly, "Is my insistence on this statement making you think I'm speaking up for him?"

"But I am very calm now, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that Mr. Chen absolutely does not have such thoughts!"

"Everything he has achieved now is simply because he did what he wanted. If he wants to change things, he must seize power!"

"The changes he brought saved the people from suffering, so the people naturally loved and respected him."

"If he truly loved profit, he wouldn't have introduced things like refined salt, ironware, tea, papermaking, and printing."

"Aren't these... worth far more money than a small place like Meiren Pass?"

After Feng Qiao'er finished speaking, she was still a little uneasy. She didn't want her parents to think of Chen Huai'an that way.

Even if, as Feng Ang himself said, Chen Huai'an did not hide his purpose from the beginning and gave them hints, it still cannot be considered a scheme.

The engagement between the two was essentially based on mutual benefit.

But now... Feng Qiao'er gently touched her chest, where a jade hairpin was stored.

"..."

Feng Qiao'er thought that Feng Ang would refute her, but to her surprise, Feng Ang and Wei Shi exchanged a glance and saw relief in each other's eyes.

"Good." Feng Ang once again showed a friendly expression, transforming from the overlord of Lingnan back into a father. "It's good that you can think of so much and calmly analyze the questions I posed."

"You must remember that Huai'an has a very high status, and this is not Lingnan. After you marry into this family, you will have to be careful about many things."

"You've grown up now. You need to think things through more carefully. Being the wife of a high-ranking official... isn't an easy job!"

Feng Qiao'er looked up in astonishment: "Father...you?"

"Me?" Feng Ang laughed. "What's wrong with me?"

"Although I don't know what he wants to do with the troops, I know for sure it's not a rebellion."

"Father, I just wanted to see if you've really grown up and if you can be a good wife to a high-ranking official."

Feng Qiao'er: "..."

She was speechless, and felt somewhat annoyed.

Wei noticed her slight displeasure and steered the conversation back on track: "The Eastern Turks are no longer a threat, but what about the Western Turks? The Xueyantuo, Goguryeo?"

"Perhaps Huai'an wants to borrow troops to deal with these foreign enemies?"

"No!" Feng Ang said with certainty, "If it were about dealing with foreign enemies, Huai'an wouldn't make such a suggestion, nor would he need to."

"Even without a marriage alliance, Your Majesty's word is enough for me to lead the army as the vanguard of the Tang Dynasty."

"He definitely wants to use it for something himself."

Lady Wei frowned slightly: "Since it's not a rebellion, nor is it to fight against foreign enemies, what else could we need troops for?"

Feng Ang also fell silent.

Because he didn't know either.

As long as it's not a rebellion or anything outrageous, Chen Huai'an wouldn't actually object to borrowing troops.

He still hasn't forgotten what his grandmother said, and he still doesn't understand what the so-called eternally burning sun means.

"Qiao'er, do you have any guesses?" Madam Wei asked.

Feng Qiao'er thought for a moment and shook her head: "I really don't know. He never told me. Everything I said was just my own guess."

"However... I have a feeling that he's not in a hurry to use it. Maybe it will be several years later, or even many years later."

Feng Ang nodded slightly: "I had the same feeling, otherwise he would have seemed more anxious."

"Haha, if we eliminate all the impossibilities, then the remaining answer, no matter how impossible, is the truth!" Feng Zhidai, who had been silent and treated as a nobody, suddenly blurted out this sentence.

Feng Ang turned his head in surprise: "What did you say?"

Feng Zhidai excitedly said, "Once, I was chatting with Huai'an, and he said something to me: 'If you eliminate all the impossibilities, then the remaining answer, no matter how impossible, is the truth.'"

"Since it's not a rebellion, nor is it intended to fight against foreign enemies, Huai'an isn't the kind of person who wants chaos in the world."

"So... is it possible that he wanted to use it to protect himself?"

"Just like our Feng family, we hold onto military power tightly, isn't it all for self-preservation?"

Feng Ang, Wei Shi, and Feng Qiao'er were all stunned, as if the fog ahead had suddenly been dispersed by sunlight, allowing them to see the answer clearly.

Self-preservation...

It's not impossible!

"Perhaps so." Madam Wei nodded, and said meaningfully, "There's a saying, 'Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.'"

The Feng father and daughter looked at each other, also thinking it was possible.

However... they always felt that things weren't that simple!

"..."