Heart Stirred

In the fifty-sixth year of the Sheng Tong era, Zhao Siqi had been gone for three years, and the Zhang children's mourning period had ended.

An engagement ceremony was held at once for the twenty-one-year-old Yan Hua and nine-year-old Lü Yinghuai. Lü Yinghuai was practically the Zhang Family's child bride, having grown up in the Zhang household since childhood.

Moreover, her talent and aptitude were excellent, and she was exceptionally clever despite her young age. If she had been left outside—or remained in the Lü Family's Qingyang Town—she probably would have died young long ago.

The other families might not have had such broad hearts. They would take Zhang Wushuang as a reference point: if the Lü Family were allowed to possess such a genius, they would soon be able to dominate the Four Greens region. The declining He Family was the most afflicted by this disease of envy.

That was only because no one from the Ji Family or Lü Family remained in Qingyang Town, Qinglian Town, or Qingyun Town. Moreover, taxation and administration had long since been handed over to people dispatched by the Zhang Family, making these effectively directly governed territories.

Lu Qianchen and Ji Qianye had also brought their trusted troops to follow the Zhang Family, fighting alongside them. Over the years, they had accumulated considerable battle achievements and earned the Zhang Family's trust. Their strength and influence had developed rapidly.

If they returned now, they could easily crush the He Family, even without counting their newly established marriage ties with the Zhang Family.

He Xi had not returned for a long time either. However, she had secretly kept an eye on the He Family's movements.

In any case, none of the new generation had amounted to much. Even if He Xi wanted to help them,