Lady Baijia Is My Sister-in-Law?

"Cease fire! All of you, stop!"

A loud shout startled the officers and soldiers who were "fighting a bloody battle".

Zhang Qingyan practically ran from the River God Temple, snatching the command flag from the messenger's hand, as if he wanted to shove it into his mouth:

"Sound the retreat! Sound the retreat now!"

Clang--Clang--

The gong began to strike rapidly.

The Pacification Investigation Guards behind them looked bewildered, exchanging glances with the same question in their eyes:

Is my lord possessed by an evil spirit?

Zhang Qingyan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

How could he not panic?

What did he just do?

He led three thousand men and surrounded the temple that was suspected to belong to the gang leader, almost demolishing, smashing, and burning it down.

If this fire really goes off, how will Zhang Qingyan ever face his elder brother again?

Zhang Qingyan lowered his voice and said to his personal guards:

"Send someone to town and invite the person in charge. Be polite; anyone who dares to intimidate me, I'll skin them alive."

The guards received their orders and left.

When the townspeople heard that the government was going to ask those who "could make the decisions" to leave, they immediately erupted in uproar.

"Your Majesty cannot go!"

"This is a trick by the government! They'll lure you out, tie you up, and then slaughter our entire town!"

"Let's fight them to the death!"

Lady Baijia stood at the inner gate, her red robes as red as blood, a scepter in her hand.

She listened Jingjing, and only spoke slowly after everyone had shouted until their voices were hoarse:

"Unstoppable."

Two words silenced all the voices in the town.

She looked up at the dark, raging battlefield outside the town, her voice calm:

"Several thousand imperial troops are surrounding us outside. How long can our small town, with only hoes and machetes, hold out? If they wanted to kill us, they would have done so long ago."

The fact that they're still willing to invite me means there's still room for discussion. If I don't go, I'll truly be pushing the whole town to its doom.

Everyone was speechless. Some men's eyes reddened, while others knelt down with a thud.

Lady Baijia said no more.

She raised her hand, slowly straightened the hem of her wedding dress, gripped the scepter tightly, and walked out of Baijia Town alone.

The town gate creaked open.

A woman in red walked out alone.

She walked neither fast nor slow.

Her bright red wedding dress fluttered in the cold wind, like a fire suddenly igniting in the snow.

Behind her were the tightly closed town gates.

Before her stood the imperial army, with three thousand swords drawn and bows strung.

But she just kept walking, step by step, without changing her expression, not even her eyelids twitching.

Zhang Qingyan squinted his eyes.

He recognized her; she was the woman who had led the people in shouting at the town entrance earlier.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

"These women from Great Liang are truly... formidable."

The more he thought about it, the more regretful he became.

The one sitting on top is the Empress.

Wang Yanan, the Commander directly under the Pacification Investigation Office, was also a woman.

The man before us now stands alone, facing an army of thousands, without even flinching.

He asked himself honestly, if he were in that position, he might not dare to do so.

"Women are just as capable as men!"

Zhang Qingyan sighed, then waved his hand.

"Put away your knives, you bastards! Who are you trying to scare?!"

He sent people to bring the Lady Baijia into the River God Temple.

The temple was small, filled with the smoke of incense, and in the center was the portrait of the River God in the green robe.

For the Zhang Qingyan became unusually polite.

He had someone bring him a clean chair and a bowl of hot tea.

The Pacification Investigation Guard tea were still completely bewildered, clearly not yet ready to switch from "encirclement and suppression" to "welcoming guests."

"Please sit down, young lady."

Seeing his appearance, Lady Baijia, who had been on edge the whole way, felt a little relieved.

This high-ranking official doesn't seem to be trying to frame her.

"Sir, please speak freely."

Zhang Qingyan didn't beat around the bush:

"I'd like to ask, what exactly does this River God look like? How did he come to be here? How did he leave? Please tell me in detail."

The mention of the River God brought a gleam to the eyes of Lady Baijia.

So she recounted in detail what had happened in Baijia Town two years ago.

However, they didn't notice that Zhang Qingyan's expression was gradually changing.

The more Zhang Qingyan listened, the more tense he became.

In the end,

He jumped up, spun around twice, then plopped heavily back into his chair, speechless for a long time.

Goodness!

The town he besieged with his troops really was his elder brother's.

The temple he wanted to demolish was actually dedicated to his elder brother.

"It's truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple; family members don't even recognize each other."

Zhang Qingyan muttered to himself, then slapped his thigh, stood up, and bowed to the Lady Baijia, apologizing:

"A misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"

Lady Baijia was taken aback by the bow and quickly returned it:

"Sir, what is this...?"

Zhang Qingyan straightened up, a smile spreading across his face, his former official air completely gone.

"To be honest, the River God you're worshipping is my elder brother."

He cleared his throat and added, his tone tinged with a hint of smugness:

"Have you heard of the Azure Profound Immortal Venerable? That's my elder brother."

The temple fell silent for a moment.

Lady Baijia stared at him blankly, a look of bewilderment in her eyes.

Let's put it this way...

Zhang Qingyan waved his hand.

"The one worshipped in Baijia Town is my eldest brother, while the one worshipped there is the Azure Profound Immortal Venerable, the one supreme in the imperial court. This neither disobeys the imperial edict nor constitutes worshipping evil gods Outer Dao."

He waved his hand dismissively. "This temple doesn't need to be demolished."

Once the matter was discussed openly, the atmosphere eased.

Zhang Qingyan picked up his teacup and took a sip, when he suddenly noticed the striking red wedding dress worn by the Lady Baijia.

This woman had been wearing this outfit ever since she entered the town.

The bright red color was so festive it was almost unbelievable, completely clashing with the scene of swords clashing before them.

He asked curiously:

"Young lady, I've always wanted to ask, why do you always wear your wedding dress? What's the custom in town?"

Lady Baijia, holding the teacup, answered calmly and casually:

"Because I got married."

"I am the River God's bride."

"..."

Zhang Qingyan's hand, which was holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

He blinked, wondering if there was something wrong with his ears.

"You said... whose bride are you?"

The River God's

Lady Baijia pointed to the portrait of a man in a blue robe on the wall, her eyes filled with infatuation and longing.

"I've been married to Him for over two years."

With a clang, the teacup hit the edge of the table.

Zhang Qingyan's mouth was agape, and her jaw almost dropped to the ground.

His mind went blank for a moment, and countless thoughts surged into his head like a turbulent sea.

Big brother's... bride?

That's... his sister-in-law?!

He stiffly turned his head and looked at the portrait of his elder brother, who appeared aloof and otherworldly.

Then he looked at his "sister-in-law" in front of him, who was dressed in red and looked very serious.

A surge of boundless admiration welled up within me.

The eldest brother truly lives up to his name.

He hasn't even held the hand of the person he loves yet.

My older brother has been married for over two years already.

Real men!!