Ning Chen collected himself and said to Feng Qizheng, his face stern, "If you like her, then do it properly. The three letters and six rites, the three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts—marry her and take her home.

General Yue's parents are gone, and she has no one left... but from now on, this prince is her family.

Feng Qizheng, get your betrothal gifts ready and come ask for her hand."

Then he looked at Yue Congyun. "Miss Yue, does this prince's way of handling it suit you?"

Yue Congyun shot Feng Qizheng a vicious glare. To save him she'd lost her virtue, which was bad enough, and now she had to marry him too. What a raw deal.

She bowed with her fist in her palm. "Whatever my lord prince decides!"

Ning Chen nodded. "Feng Qizheng, any objections?"

Feng Qizheng waved his hands frantically. "No objections, no objections..."

A smile spread across Ning Chen's face. "Good. Since there are no objections, it's settled.

Old Feng asks for her hand first, and then we pick a lucky day for the wedding."

The words were barely out of his mouth when a Ning'an Army soldier came running up and dropped to one knee. "Reporting to my lord prince: the Xiliang mission has arrived. They're waiting in the front hall."

Ning Chen nodded to show he'd heard.

Feng Qizheng's tiger eyes went wide. "The Xiliang mission? They dare come to Xiguan City? Do they think our Great Xuan has nobody left? Your father's going over there right now to twist off every one of their dog heads."

Yue Congyun was out for blood too.

She was from Xiguan City herself. Seeing the city in ruins, with the starved dead everywhere, she hated Xiliang to the bone.

Ning Chen said, "Tantai Qingyue is leading the mission this time. Let's go see what they want first."

A little later, Ning Chen and the others came to the front hall.

Tantai Qingyue was there with an old man past fifty. This was Xiliang's Grand Master of Horse, Cen Guyi, whose power was equal to Ning…