The hall was quiet. The evening breeze slipped through the windows, carrying the last warmth of the setting sun.
Father Li and Mother Li gazed intently at their son, holding their breath as they waited for his answer.
Li Xuancang wasn't a stubbornly old-fashioned man. He knew troubled times were approaching: feudal princes were carving up territory, the evil tide was spreading unchecked, the court was in turmoil, and undercurrents of infighting surged through the military camps.
He had risen from a humble background, with no family influence to rely on and no clan to support him. Every step of his journey had been won through bloody fighting and sheer courage.
Now, military commanders had formed cliques to check one another, making trouble for him at every turn. The situation in officialdom was complicated, and storms lay endlessly ahead.
As the pinnacle of civil officialdom in Peace Prefecture, the Pei Family controlled the prefecture's civil administration. Their connections ran deep and tangled, and their foundations were profound.
This was a political marriage, with each side taking what it needed.
More importantly, his parents had toiled for half their lives and lived in peace and stability. Now, they were filled with joy and earnest expectation.
He spent all year bathed in blood on the battlefield, with life and death impossible to predict. Giving the two elders peace of mind and something to comfort their hearts was also his duty as a son.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Xuancang made his decision.
He looked at his parents' nervous yet expectant faces and smiled faintly.
"Father, Mother, I accept this marriage."
The moment those words fell, all the unease, worry, and hesitation buried in Father Li and Mother Li's hearts vanished like smoke.
Joy filled the elders' eyes and brows, and the