I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 553 Xie Jingxian: Proposing Marriage

Li Sheng laughed even harder and couldn't resist leaning over to kiss him on the chin.

Xie Jing cupped her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her back.

Fifteen days later, the carriage finally slowly entered the territory of the Wuli tribe.

Contrary to the outside world's imagination of a remote and desolate place, the villages of the Wuli people are surrounded by mountains and rivers, with distant green peaks stretching as far as the eye can see.

The houses are neatly arranged, with green tiles and white walls scattered in a pleasing manner. Smoke rises from the woods, and a few white birds skim across the water, creating a scene resembling a painting.

Several clansmen were already waiting at the village entrance, and when they saw a carved horse-drawn carriage approaching, they all went forward to greet it.

"The lady is back!"

Li Sheng lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out first. The Wuli people immediately bowed to her.

She then noticed the young man who came down behind her. He was tall and had an exceptionally noble appearance. The Wuli tribe had never seen such a handsome man before.

Someone whispered, "Miss, who is this...?"

"This is Lord Xie from the capital. We owe a great deal to him in mobilizing troops and providing support for the Wuli tribe this time."

The clansmen bowed to Xie Jingzhi with heartfelt thanks, saying, "Lord Xie, we are deeply grateful. If you don't mind, please stay with us for a few more days and get some rest."

Xie Jing smiled and nodded, returning the greeting with a cupped hand, "Thank you for your hospitality, I apologize for the inconvenience."

"By the way, where is Father? How is he?" Li Sheng asked immediately.

The leader of the clansmen's expression darkened upon hearing this. "The clan chief's condition worsened a few days ago, and he is now unable to get out of bed and move around much."

Li Sheng's expression changed, and without bothering with pleasantries, he immediately rushed forward.

Xie Jing followed silently behind her.

The wooden house was dimly lit, with herbs burning in the corners, filling the air with smoke.

On the couch, the Li chieftain's face was thin, pale, and weak.

Upon seeing Li Sheng enter, his eyes instantly lit up, and his voice, though dry, still carried a smile: "Sheng girl, you're back."

Li Sheng walked quickly to the bedside and knelt down in front of the bed with red eyes.

“I’m back, Father.”

Chief Li reached out and touched her head with trembling hands. "It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back. You've done a great service this time and are the pride of the entire Wuli."

Xie Jing also took two steps closer and glanced at the imperial physician following behind him.

The imperial physician immediately stepped forward with his medicine box to examine the pulse of the Li chieftain, but was stopped by several shamans and elders who were guarding the area.

"We Wuli people never trust doctors from other ethnic groups!"

"The shaman said that there is a herbal remedy for this disease in our tribe. How would outsiders understand our constitution?"

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Li Sheng stood up and blocked the imperial physician's path, her tone becoming firm.

"This is a physician from the Imperial Medical Academy serving the Emperor. He has seen more illnesses than you have seen herbs! Father's illness cannot be delayed. I don't care whether you believe it or not, today! He must treat my father!"

Several clansmen looked hesitant and were about to persuade him again when Chief Li weakly said, "Never mind, let him try."

With permission, the imperial physician immediately stepped forward and carefully examined the patient's pulse.

Five days later, Chief Li's complexion had improved significantly, and his originally pale face had regained some color.

He sat back on the couch, wrapped in a thin blanket, watching the gentle mountain breeze outside the window.

That evening, he deliberately dismissed everyone in the room, leaving only Xie Jing to keep him company.

After a moment of silence, Chief Li turned to Xie Jing and said, "This time, we are all grateful for Lord Xie's righteous assistance. The entire Wuli people will remember this."

Xie Jing sat up and bowed slightly to him, saying, "It was nothing, Chief Li, you don't need to worry about it."

"You first protected my clan, and now you have saved my life. This is a great favor."

"If Lord Xie has any requests, please just ask. The Wuli tribe will not hesitate to grant whatever it can."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jing looked up at him and said, "I want to marry Li Sheng."

The room fell silent instantly.

Chief Li's expression changed, and his weathered eyes suddenly frosted over.

"Lord Xie, do you know that our Wuli tribe has a rule that we never intermarry with other tribes?"

Xie Jing did not shy away from the question, "I know."

"But the clan leader should also understand why the Wuli tribe was suppressed by Nacang. It's not because of courage or fighting spirit, but because of their willingness to change."

"The reason why Nacang was able to gradually erode the various tribes was not simply because of its soldiers, but because they learned the Han people's writing system, battle formations, skills, and even began to introduce firearms."

"Those new-style muskets were obtained from the Han region in exchange for them. They can kill someone from thirty paces away. No matter how skilled the Wuli archers are, they won't even have a chance to get close. The reason we can still sit here and talk is because the Great Jin is willing to send troops. If we continue to stay closed off like this, we may not be able to ask for help next time."

Chief Li's face gradually darkened.

“I’ve thought about what you’re saying before, but ancestral precepts are hard to disobey, and the clansmen are conservative. It’s not something you can change just because you want to.”

Xie Jing's voice was cold and clear, "Then let's take it one step at a time. Chieftain, you have a lot of prestige in the Wuli tribe. This matter may not be impossible to accomplish."

The Li chief sighed, his face still showing hesitation, but he no longer refused.

Xie Jing added in a deep voice, "If the Wuli tribe is willing to trust me, I am willing to set up a school here and invite famous teachers from the court to teach Chinese characters, laws, military strategy, and medical principles, so that the Wuli children can also learn to read and write, enter the court as officials, not only for war and soldiers, but also to hold the pen and seal, and fight for the right to speak for the Wuli."

“As long as the Wuli people are willing, I can fight for your right to citizenship and establish a decree in the court so that the Wuli people can enjoy the same citizenship as ordinary citizens and no longer be called a barbarian tribe.”

Chief Li pursed his lips, his eyes filled with both shock and complex emotions.

He dedicated his life to protecting the Wuli people, and his greatest fear was that his descendants would follow the same path.

Now that Na Cang has risen to power, he doesn't know what to do.

But Xie Jing's words went straight to the heart of the matter.

After a long silence, Chief Li slammed his hand on the low table and said in a deep voice, "Alright, I agree to this marriage."

"But if you do anything bad to Li Sheng, even though my Wu Li tribe is weak, we will never tolerate you!"

Xie Jing cupped his hands, his expression solemn, "I, Xie Jing, dare to swear to heaven and earth that I will be devoted to Li Sheng for the rest of my life, protect Wu Li, and never betray my promise."

The Li chieftain closed his eyes briefly and replied in a low voice, "Okay."

Outside the door, Li Sheng quietly raised her head, her eyes slightly red and her heart burning.

Wangfu.

Qin Jiuwei sat by the window, looking down at the letter in front of her, unable to hide her smile.

"I knew they would end up together," Qin Jiu said with a smile and a shake of his head, "but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

Xie Yanli sat next to her, listened to her words, and chuckled softly.

"You're going to be very busy from now on."

Outside the door, a servant hurried over and bowed to report, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Young Master Jing and Miss Li have returned."

Before long, the curtain was lifted slightly, and two figures, one tall and one short, walked in.

Xie Jing held Li Sheng's hand.

Upon reaching the front of the hall, the two bowed in unison, their voices clear and bright.

"I have met my father and mother, and I pay my respects to them."

"Greetings to Your Highness and Your Highness. I pay my respects to Your Highness and Your Highness."

Qin Jiuwei looked at the two of them with a smile in her eyes. She turned to look at Xie Yanli, and the couple exchanged a tacit look for a moment.

Xie Yanli chuckled softly, "Get up."