Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 499 Qiu Yuan's plan and the eve of the marriage proposal
Prajna acted quickly and took action soon. One day, after Qiu Ze entered Hongxiuzhao, a look of fear appeared on his face when he came out.

He hurried back to his house and went straight to his eldest brother's room.

"Brother, why are you running here in such a hurry? Don't you know who is in my room?" Qiu Yuan said with some dissatisfaction.

"I know I was wrong, big brother. I know I was wrong, big brother. I have no choice. I don't want to disturb you at this time, but I really, really have to come." Qiu Ze said hurriedly.
"Okay, since this is an important matter, let's not talk about it here. Let's go to the study." Qiu Yuan said
After saying that, Qiu Yuan walked out of the room directly, and Qiu Ze naturally followed closely behind him. After the two of them left, a look of surprise appeared on Gong Yu's face.

She knew that Qiu Ze came here suddenly out of nowhere, and something big must have happened. It seemed that she would have to think of a solution later.

At this time, the two brothers had already sat down in the study. Qiu Yuan asked directly, "Tell me, what happened that made you so anxious?"

"Brother, this is what happened. I went to Hongxiuzhao today, and Miss Prajna suddenly found me and asked me to convey His Royal Highness Prince Yu's appreciation for you." Qiu Ze said hurriedly
"Oh? Prince Yu? Not bad, not bad. After dragging it out for so long, Prince Yu finally lost his patience. Okay, I get it. Next time you go, tell Miss Prajna that I know it."

"You don't have to say anything else. Also, don't let anyone else know about this. Forget it. I'm afraid it's unlikely that I can expect you to keep it a secret."

"Well, the princess is going to hold a martial arts competition to recruit a husband soon, so you should not go out before then." Qiu Yuan said
"Ah? Big brother, you don't have to be like this, right? I know the importance of this, I won't say anything careless. The princess's martial arts competition to find a husband will take at least a month, you are too much?" Qiu Ze complained.
"Huh? You still have the nerve to complain to me? Did I ask you to bring this message to me? Didn't you say this yourself? I'm saying this for your own good."

"Our family is facing a life-and-death situation right now. The merit of following the dragon is not easy to come by. If you are not careful, you will be confiscated and your family will be exterminated."

"Now, neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Yu has taken any further action, so our family cannot let any unnecessary rumors leak out."

"Before they make their offer, the more patient we are, the more we will get in the future. I won't preach you the truth because I know you don't want to hear it."

"Well, if you can hold on, starting from next month, I will ask the accountant to give you an extra 100 taels of silver every month. Is that okay?" Qiu Yuan said directly.
"Ah, haha, big brother, look at you. I am also a member of our family. How could I not know the importance of things? You look down on me too much." Qiu Ze said
"Okay, I was wrong, so let's do this, forget about the hundred taels." Qiu Yuan said directly
"Hey, no, no, no, no, brother, can't I just admit that I was wrong? Don't bother with me, I was just talking nonsense, I was bragging." Qiu Ze became anxious when he heard this.

"Okay, okay, I'll give it to you. When have I ever broken my promise? Get out of here quickly. I still have to tell my dad about this." Qiu Yuan said directly.
After hearing this, Qiu Ze naturally hurried out with a smile on his face. At this time, Qiu Ze was very happy. This was one hundred taels, and there would be an extra one hundred taels every month. How would he spend it?

At this moment, Qiu Yuan didn't care about what his second brother was thinking. He had already left the room and was heading towards his father's study.

"Yuan'er? Why are you here? Is there something wrong?" Wen Yuanbo asked

"Father, there's news from Prince Yu. He didn't say anything specific, but only passed it on to me through my second brother. I guess the details will have to wait until after the princess's martial arts competition to find a husband." Qiu Yuan said
"Hmm? Prince Yu has some news? It seems that the news about you guarding Xuanwu Gate has completely made Prince Yu sit up and take notice. Yuan'er, although this is good news, are you really prepared?" Wen Yuanbo said

"Father, I have some preparations. As for whether they are enough, it depends on how things develop. For example, right now, the princess is holding a martial arts competition to find a husband.

"The result will have a huge impact on us and the entire court. If the princess' husband turns out to be someone who belongs to the crown prince or Prince Yu, then the situation will change drastically."

"Although our family may not get much benefit if we move in at that time, we are not those peasants who dream of becoming successful."

"As long as our family survives the transition safely, there's no need to take risks." Qiu Yuan said directly
"Well, okay, since you have already made a plan, Yuan'er, then I am relieved. But Yuan'er, have you ever considered marrying the princess?" Wen Yuanbo suddenly asked

"Ah? Father, what are you talking about? Marrying a princess? How is this possible?" Qiu Yuan shook his head.
"Why not? Your strength is known to me. Although you are not well-known, you are no worse than some of the masters on the Langya List."

"If you can really marry the princess, then our family will be truly invincible. No matter who comes to power in the end, we won't have to worry." Wen Yuanbo said

"Father, let's not talk about whether I can be their opponent. Even if I am their opponent, the princess may not think highly of me, right?"

"Others may not know this, but how could you, father, not know this? The reason why the princess has remained unmarried for so many years is because she can't forget Lin Shu, right?" Qiu Yuan said directly
"Yuan'er, of course I know this, but it is precisely because I know this that I let you marry the princess, because not only do you know this, His Majesty also knows it very well."

"Why do you think this time has such a big fuss? Isn't it because His Majesty has made up his mind? I think His Majesty is determined to marry the princess off this time." Wen Yuanbo said

"Father, this matter is not as simple as you think. It may not be what His Majesty wants in the end, so don't worry about it. But don't worry, I will participate in this competition."

"As for whether it will succeed in the end, we can only leave it to fate." Qiu Yuan said directly
After hearing this, Wen Yuanbo was silent for a while. How could he not know this? He just mentioned it casually, and he might not take it seriously in his heart.

It just happened to happen at this time, so this idea came up. Although Qiu Yuan said that the chances were slim, he was actually very proactive in his heart.

After all, if he missed this opportunity, he would have no chance at all when the two of them met. After coming out of his father's study, he went straight back to his room. Seeing this, Gong Yu naturally came out to greet him and diligently helped him take off his outer robe.

"My beauty, what do you think if I marry the princess?" Qiu Yuan said with a smile

"Ah? Princess? Sir, are you talking about Princess Nihuang? I heard that the princess is on the Langya Master List. I'm afraid of this. But I believe you can do it." Gong Yu said
Haha, you, what are you hiding? Actually, I just said that. Whether it can be successful in the end is just a matter of fact.

"As for me, I'd better concentrate on dealing with Prince Yu. Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. It's almost time. Let's take a rest." Qiu Yuan said indifferently.

After hearing this, Gong Yu naturally hurriedly helped Qiu Yuan lie down, but in her heart she was thinking about what Qiu Yuan had just said. After a while, she stopped thinking about it because she had no chance to think about it.

Time quickly came to the next day. After serving Qiu Yuan and leaving, Gong Yu began to carefully prepare the news, and soon the news was spread.

When Mei Changsu saw the news, he frowned slightly. This Qiu Yuan was becoming more and more difficult to understand. No, it seemed that he had to understand him better.

He then met Li Gang that evening, and not long afterward, the news that Tianquan Villa had escorted witnesses in the case of Duke Qing to Beijing reached Prince Yu's desk.

"This damn Xie Yu is outrageous! On the surface, he lets his son Xie Bi work for me, but in fact he is helping the prince! This is outrageous!" Prince Yu was furious
"Your Highness, these noble families have always been like this. It's not too late for us to know now. We just need to take precautions early. There's no need to be so angry."

"The key right now is the princess's martial arts competition to find a husband. It doesn't matter if our people fail, but we must not let the prince's people succeed. As long as we fail, it doesn't matter."

"By the way, Your Highness, Qiu Yuan replied saying that he has received Your Highness's kindness, but for other matters, I'm afraid we will have to wait until we actually meet to discuss them." Prajna said
"Well, you are right. As long as the prince's people are not successful, then it doesn't matter. Prajna, what do you think about me going to see Qiu Yuan in person at this moment?" Prince Yu said directly
"Hmm? Your Highness, at this time, your actions cannot be hidden from the Crown Prince, let alone His Majesty. This is inevitable at that time. Isn't this too risky?" Prajna said
"This prince knows that this is very risky, but there is no other way. The prince has plenty of military power, so he can take his time, but this prince cannot."

"It was not easy to win over the Duke of Qing before, so we had some foundation. But now it seems that the Duke of Qing is about to be lost."

"If we can't recruit some useful people in the army as soon as possible, I'm afraid it will be troublesome. No matter how well we do things in the court, we can't prevent scholars from encountering soldiers." Prince Yu said
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense, but I think you don't have to rush at this moment. You can just wait and see who the princess's husband is and then make your next plan." Prajna said
"Well, well, let's talk about it later. Don't forget to tell Qiu Ze to go back and tell Qiu Yuan that I am still sincere." Prince Yu said directly
All parties were very quiet in the following period. Even the arrival of witnesses in the case of Duke Qing in Beijing did not cause much commotion. All this was naturally due to the martial arts competition to win the bride.

As the news of the martial arts competition for a bride spread, various forces and envoys from several other countries came one after another. If too much noise was made at this time, it would be detrimental to the reputation of the court, so it naturally had to be suppressed first.

As the time for the martial arts competition to win the princess' hand in marriage draws closer, young talents from all sides are gearing up to show their talents in the arena in order to win the princess's favor.

On the day when the event officially started, Qiu Yuan found Meng Zhi and told him that he wanted to participate in the marriage proposal.

"Hmm? What did you say? You want to participate in the martial arts competition to win a bride? Are you sure?" Meng Zhi asked directly
"Yes, Commander. You are right. I do want to participate in the martial arts competition to find a husband. As you know, I am not married yet. My parents wanted to arrange some matchmaking for me."

"Because I had no intention of getting married at that time, and His Majesty happened to announce that he would hold a martial arts competition to find a husband for the princess, so I declined it and told my father that I wanted to participate in the competition."

"This has temporarily appeased my parents, but now the martial arts competition has begun, and I have to participate, so I came here to ask for leave, right?" Qiu Yuan said a little embarrassedly.

"Hahaha, what's the big deal? This beautiful lady is a perfect match for a gentleman. Not to mention you, even me, if I were a few decades younger, I would participate."

"So you can rest assured, but I think you'd better tell His Majesty. After all, our identities are special, what do you think?" Meng Zhi said directly
"Thank you very much for your advice, Commander-in-Chief. I will go and see your Majesty right away." Qiu Yuan hurriedly saluted and said
Looking at Qiu Yuan's departing back, Meng Zhi's face became calm, completely devoid of the joy he had just had. Qiu Yuan naturally didn't know this.

"What did you say? You want to participate in Nihuang's martial arts competition to win her hand in marriage? Are you sure?" Emperor Liang asked
"Your Majesty, as for the certainty, I dare not say it is 100% certain, but it is somewhat certain." Qiu Yuan said
"Oh? I didn't know that you are so confident? You know, Nihuang is on the Langya Master List, and you are so sure of that?"

"It seems that I really underestimated you before. Since you want to go, then go, my dear. I am looking forward to your performance. Please don't let me down." Emperor Liang said directly.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will do my best to live up to Your Majesty's expectations." Qiu Yuan said
"Okay, then I'll wait and see. You go down and prepare." Emperor Liang nodded.
After hearing this, Qiu Yuan naturally bowed quickly and then left the imperial study.

Emperor Liang looked at his departing back and asked curiously, "Do you think he is sure of it? Don't make a fool of yourself when the time comes. He is the deputy commander of the imperial guards that I have chosen."

"Your Majesty, I think Commander Qiu is not the type to brag. Since he dares to say so, he must be confident." Gao Zhan said softly.
"Oh, I hope so. Otherwise, I can only bear the pain!" Emperor Liang said in a deep voice.
At this time, Qiu Yuan had no idea what Emperor Liang was thinking. Even if he knew, he would not care. After all, this was his original plan.

In the next few days, Qiu Yuan did not go to work, but practiced diligently at home, preparing for the martial arts competition. Not only him, but others did the same.

(End of this chapter)