Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"Okay! Okay, okay!"

As his parents, seated on high, watched them bow to him, his eyes filled with satisfaction. He nodded repeatedly, unable to utter a single word.

He quickly reached out to help them up, then said with a smile tinged with tears in his eyes:

"Brother Xiao, now that you're married, you're a real man."

"This old man doesn't know much, so I won't say much. I just hope you two will live in harmony and grow old together!"

After saying that, he insisted on leaving the table and went to the backyard of the Marquis's mansion by himself.

At this moment, Lu Xiao ordered the maid to send Liu Xianya to the bridal chamber, and then raised his wine cup to toast Zhou Kang and other powerful officials of the court.

He was the first to approach the table where Zhou Kang and several high-ranking officials sat, and earnestly bowed in gratitude:

"Your Excellency, without your support, I would not have achieved what I have today. Even this grand wedding was made possible by your son's assistance, which saved me a lot of trouble."

"I will never forget your kind and caring heart."

"With this humble cup of wine, I offer a toast to the Prime Minister!"

Zhou Kang nodded with a smile, and after drinking the toast offered, he nodded and said:

"The Marquis of Champion is getting married today, so I won't say much more. I hope Your Excellency will continue to strive for excellence!"

"I will heed the Prime Minister's teachings!"

Lu Xiao and he exchanged a knowing smile, both understanding what required continued effort.

Next, he paid his respects to the ministers one by one, thanking them for sending their sons to help him, and then exchanged pleasantries for a while.

The rest were officials from the court who were not familiar with Lu Xiao but had come to the banquet on their own initiative because of his title of Marquis of Champion.

It took Lu Xiao several hours just to deal with these people. By the time he was a little dizzy and was helped back to the bridal chamber, the bright moon was already high in the sky.

Back in the bridal chamber, he saw Liu Xianya sitting gracefully on the bed with her hands folded in her lap, and his heart ached.

"We don't have that many rules in our home. You should do whatever makes you comfortable."

He felt sorry for Liu Xianya for having to compromise herself for these unseen rules.

The latter shook his head and smiled, his eyes filled with love:

"Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event; how can it be taken lightly?"

"My lord, you drank so much wine in the front hall but didn't eat much. You must be hungry, right?"

"I have ordered the maid to prepare some hot food for you, my husband."

"Madam, please come along too."

Knowing that Liu Xianya was probably too busy waiting for him to drink, Lu Xiao pulled her to sit down at the table and began to enjoy their wedding banquet.

After some reassurance, Lu Xiao felt better and immediately raised his glass, smiling as he invited Lu Xiao to join him.

"After drinking this cup of nuptial wine, we will truly be husband and wife."

"Xianya, I am deeply honored to have you in my life!"

"I am also delighted..."

A moment later, in the dim candlelight of the bridal chamber, red butterflies fluttered and the wooden bed swayed, creating a beautiful symphony with the snowflakes outside the window.

It was late at night, but neither of them felt sleepy.

Lu Xiao leaned against the headboard, holding Liu Xianya in his arms, a satisfied smile in his eyes:

"You've worked hard these past few days, Madam. In the future, I'll also need to trouble you to take charge of managing the household affairs."

"I originally planned to take my wife back with me after this trip, but after listening to the advice of Brother Long and Brother Luo, I can only ask that my wife stay in the capital."

He is now considered a rising star in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and one of the higher-ranking ones at that, so his every move is being watched.

Generals like him, who command troops in the field and have great autonomy, usually leave their families under the emperor's watchful eye, both to show their loyalty to the emperor and for the safety of their families.

Although the relationship between the couple and Emperor Dehong was unusual, a ruler is a ruler and a subject is a subject, and they could not be negligent because of this.

Upon hearing this, a hint of sadness flashed in Liu Xianya's eyes, but after a moment she smiled and shook her head, indicating that she had no problem.

"My lord, please rest assured, I am not entirely idle in the capital. Besides going to the palace to chat with the Empress, I can also drink tea with the noble ladies of the capital."

"But my husband is away fighting, so he must be exhausted."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao tenderly pulled the person into his arms and sighed.

"I think my wife has had a harder time."

"Let's not talk about that now. One day, you and I, husband and wife, will definitely be inseparable. For now, let's be patient."

"It's late, go to sleep."

……

The next morning, Lu Xiao and Liu Xianya got up early to receive congratulations from Liu Wubing. Afterwards, the couple went to the palace to pay their respects to Emperor Dehong.

To Liu Xianya, Emperor Dehong was like her own elder brother.

The wedding was made possible with the other party's full help, so they had no reason not to express their gratitude.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Emperor Dehong instructed Wang Fu to take Liu Xianya to the inner palace to see the Empress. He then asked Lu Xiao:

"What are your plans next, Minister Lu?"

"What I mean is, what are the arrangements at the White Wolf camp before you head south to lead the troops?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao's expression gradually became serious:

"Your Majesty, I have already made up my mind. After returning, I will seek an opportunity to launch a preemptive strike against the Northern Hu, give them a sound thrashing, and extinguish their thoughts of moving south. In this way, the northern border will be at peace."

"Is there anything I can do to address this matter?"

Emperor Dehong pondered for a moment, wanting to offer assistance.

He was initially taken aback by this idea, but upon closer reflection, he realized that the person sitting in front of him was Lu Xiao, who had repeatedly defeated the Northern Hu and achieved feats that no other Great Zhou envoy had ever accomplished.

If one can take the initiative to head north, that would be a good choice, and there is a very high chance of success.

Lu Xiao smiled and shook his head:

"Currently, the White Wolf Camp has 1,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry, which is comparable in size to the border defense camps along the northern border of our Great Zhou. In fact, it is already capable of guarding the country's gates."

"But Your Majesty also knows that my annihilation of the Heishachuo, Moda, and Qingwu tribes, followed by the Gule tribe, has already enraged the Hu people."

"Your Majesty, I am worried that after I lead the troops south, the Northern Hu will gather a large army and head straight for the White Wolf camp to avenge the Gule tribe."

He was deeply worried about this and certain that the King of Hu would make this choice:

"The Gule tribe is different from the Heishachuo tribe. It is a tribe that is highly valued by the Hu King. However, I directly beheaded their chieftain. This is an irreconcilable feud."

"Only by defeating the Hu people and even trampling their royal court will they dare not continue to bar their teeth at my Great Zhou."

"Therefore, this battle is inevitable!"

Emperor Dehong nodded in deep agreement, and after a moment of contemplation, said:

"Now that you are the General Who Conquers the North, you have greater autonomy in military matters, so I will not say any more."

"As long as we can frighten the Hu people, even if it only makes them dare not invade southward for three to five years, that will be enough. You can still act as you see fit during that time."

After speaking, he stood up and looked towards the palace gate:

"If anyone obstructs this matter, I... grant you the right to execute first and report later!"