Dragon Raja: History Simulator

Page 82

Chapter 146 Marry Yin Lihua

Xinye.

The drizzle fell softly, pattering on the bluestone slabs in front of the courtyard, creating shimmering silver light.

Yin Lihua leaned against the vermilion pillars of the corridor, watching the old plum tree in the courtyard gradually blur into an ink-wash shadow in the rain.

"Miss," the maid Qinghe gently draped a plain silk cloak over her shoulders with one hand, and held an oil-paper umbrella over their heads with the other, the sound of rain falling echoing in their hearts.

"It's getting colder, let's go back and rest!"

Yin Lihua shook her head, rejecting the maid's suggestion. She recalled:

"I remember the rain last year lasted for quite a while, I wonder what it will be like this year?"

Yin Lihua stretched out her umbrella and caught the raindrops falling from the eaves, feeling a chill.

Qinghe quickly took out a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped Yin Lihua clean, her tone filled with concern.

"Why are you thinking about these things, young lady? What do these matters have to do with you?"

Yin Lihua smiled slightly and recalled, "Qinghe, have you heard? Not long ago, Liu Yan officially raised an army to restore the Han Dynasty."

This happened ten days ago, and someone from the Yin family has already sent this message back.

"So what? Liu Yan started his rebellion. How could he possibly do anything to our Yin family?"

Qinghe didn't care at all. The Yin family was a behemoth in Xinye, and the local government had to consult with them on all matters.

Liu Yan may have a great reputation in Nanyang, but that reputation doesn't seem so formidable in the face of real strength.

Yin Lihua sighed, "Liu Yan may not be worth mentioning, but two Green Forest Army groups from the south are heading north to Nanyang. They are not as easy to deal with as Liu Yan."

Qinghe remained unconcerned. The bandits were not yet a significant force to be reckoned with; all the powerful clans and noble families in the land considered them a bunch of bandits who would never amount to anything.

Qinghe smiled and looked at the composed Miss Yin, saying, "I think you're not worried about Liu Yan at all, but rather about his younger brother Liu Xiu!"

Upon hearing this, even Yin Lihua couldn't help but blush slightly.

She officially met Liu Xiu two months ago. Speaking of which, her Yin family does have some connection with Liu Xiu's brother-in-law, Deng Chen.

For the past two months, Liu Xiu has been traveling between Xinye and Wancheng, buying up large quantities of grain and armor. Anyone with a discerning eye knows why he is doing this.

Just as all the powerful clans of Nanyang knew that Liu Yan had long wanted to rebel.

Upon their first meeting, Liu Xiu gained the favor of Yin Lu, her father, which enabled him to purchase a large quantity of grain in Xinye.

When Yin Lihua was alone with her father, he pointed to Liu Xiu with emotion and said, "I originally thought that the Liu family only had Liu Bosheng, but I never expected that this Liu Xiu is the truly deserving great talent."

Later, taking advantage of an opportunity, Liu Xiu asked his brother-in-law Deng Chen to propose to Yin Lu, wanting to marry Yin Lihua, the eldest daughter of the Yin family.

Although Yin Lu appreciated Liu Xiu, he was also very clear about what the two brothers were planning to do.

That's why he was very hesitant about it.

So he decided to discuss it with his daughter.

Among the entire Yin family, only his daughter Yin Lihua possessed the highest lineage and the broadest knowledge, and Yin Lu trusted this daughter implicitly.

After hearing her father's inquiry, Yin Lihua thought it over and decided to meet Liu Xiu, whom her father highly respected.

After meeting him, Yin Lihua said to her father, "If you want to achieve great things, then marry your daughter to Liu Xiu! Even if you suffer some grievances, you can endure it."

"A great undertaking?" Yin Lu murmured to himself, looking at his daughter. "What kind of great undertaking can be called a great undertaking?"

Yin Lihua spoke with a firm and powerful voice, “Like Empress Lü and Marquis Liu’s great achievements.”

Yin Lu hesitated for a long time, pacing back and forth in the room, unable to make up his mind.

After waiting for a long time, until the window was blown open by the sound of the wind outside, Yin Lu said in a bitter voice and low tone, "Do you think Liu Xiu can achieve a great cause like Emperor Gaozu?"

Empress Lü was the wife of Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang), and Marquis Zhang Liang was Emperor Gaozu's most capable strategist. His daughter's statement undoubtedly foresaw Liu Xiu's future.

It is said that Yin Lu greatly admired Liu Xiu, this poor boy, but in Yin Lu's eyes, compared with his daughter, his little bit of admiration for Liu Xiu was nothing at all.

Yin Lihua looked at her father, her golden pupils filled with purity, not violence, because she had completely controlled and suppressed the dragon blood within her.

"Father, if you trust your daughter, then make this choice!"

Yin Lu shook his head. "What if my family doesn't have that kind of omen?"

He pointed out, "My family's glory and wealth are all gone; preserving our family business is the most important thing."

Yin Lihua smiled and said, "If that's what you think, Father, then leaving Nanyang and Xinye is the most important thing. It's too close to Liu Xiu here. A man like him won't watch someone else sleeping soundly next to him."

Yin Lu shook his head, understanding his daughter's thoughts. She was trying to persuade him to invest in Liu Xiu in a roundabout way!

He gritted his teeth and said, "Our Yin family are descendants of Guan Zhong, yet we have accomplished nothing in the past two hundred years, not even as good as the Deng family next door. This is all because we are too cautious!"

He paused, looking at his daughter, "Now, I am marrying you to Liu Xiu, hoping that we can achieve great things in the future, just like Lü Buwei and Lü Taigong."

He said, slowly and deliberately, "The Yin family should also become a renowned family throughout the land."

Yin Lihua bowed to her father, saying, "It is a blessing for the Yin family and for your daughter that you think this way."

Subsequently, Yin Lu arranged a marriage between his daughter and Liu Xiu.

Meanwhile, to avoid arousing the suspicion of the magistrate of Xinye County, the engagement was not made public, but this was no secret to Qinghe, Yin Lihua's most trusted maid.

Looking at the blush on Yin Lihua's face, she said with a grin, "I guessed right, didn't I, girl?"

Amidst their playful antics, the oil-paper umbrella Qinghe held in her hand swayed slightly, and raindrops fell to the ground.

Yin Lihua extended a slender finger and gently tapped Xiao Qinghe's forehead. "You think the most."

She sighed, “I remember that around this time last year, Liu Bosheng sent someone to contact my father. That day, my father saw off Liu’s envoy and told me that Liu Bosheng was only associating with some shady people, and that he would never achieve anything great.”

She tilted her head and recalled, "It rained heavily that day. When my father turned around, even though he was holding an umbrella, his clothes were completely soaked. His wooden clogs left deep marks on the blue bricks. These marks lasted for a whole month, and that rain lasted for a whole month."

Xiao Qinghe listened carefully and asked, "What does this have to do with anything?"

Yin Lihua shook her head. "This rain will not only affect the autumn harvest, but also, now that Liu Bosheng has raised an army, it will affect our transport of grain and fodder. That's what I'm most concerned about!"

Qinghe remained silent for a long time before saying, "Miss, if Liu Xiu cared for him as much as you do, he would probably be overjoyed with his good fortune."

Yin Lihua's face remained as kind as ever. "No, he will only hold my hand, take me to sit in Weiyang Palace, point to the surrounding mountains and rivers, and tell me that this is the country we conquered together."

Qinghe twisted the handkerchief in her hand. "Now the county magistrate sent by the new emperor is punishing us big families every day. Several young masters in the family are all claiming to be sick and unable to get out of bed. My master also refuses to see this magistrate. I am really worried that this magistrate will suddenly turn against us."

Yin Lihua forced a smile. "There's nothing we can do. Our Yin family can't just hand over our centuries-old legacy to this county magistrate!"

Suddenly, a sound like tearing silk pierced the rain curtain.

Yin Lihua suddenly withdrew her hand, tightly grasped Xiao Qinghe's hand holding the oil-paper umbrella, and abruptly pulled it away, water droplets splashing from the umbrella like shattered jade.

A dozen or so men in black scaled the courtyard wall, their blades slicing through the rain and rushing straight into the inner hall, while a hail of arrows rained down from outside the wall.

The leader, holding up the tiger tally, shouted: "By imperial decree of Emperor Wang Mang, the Yin family is plotting a rebellion; kill them without mercy!"

Yin Lihua, holding the oil-paper umbrella, took a step back with Xiao Qinghe, sidestepping the first volley of arrows. As an arrow grazed her shoulder, Yin Lihua noticed the colorless light reflected from its upper surface.

She immediately realized that the arrowheads were all coated with mercury and had even been blessed by alchemists.

These are all specifically designed to deal with hybrids.

In addition, she noticed that these people appeared suddenly outside the wall, and before they appeared, wisps of black mist faintly flashed in front of them.

Yin Lihua said softly, "Word of Power: Dark Illumination."

This is a word of power that reflects light, allowing one to achieve invisibility from the side.

The newcomers were a group of professional assassins, including some mixed-race individuals. Most importantly, the newly appointed magistrate was able to win over so many mixed-race people.

When she saw the black-clad assassins approaching, Yin Lihua didn't care much. She even immediately realized that these people were definitely not just there to attack her, a young lady from the inner quarters.

They were probably most devoted to the male members of the Yin family.

Qinghe panicked. She hadn't heard Yin Lihua's voice clearly and knew very little about the society of mixed-race people. She said tremblingly, "Where are the guards? How could they allow these people to break into the inner hall?"

In her haste, she dropped Ropa into the puddle in front of her, and was at a loss for what to do.

Call the guards?

But then we have to face these assassins head-on.

Take a step back?

But the Yin maiden she served was right behind her.

At this moment, Yin Lihua made up her mind for her maid. She slowly stepped forward and stood in front of Qinghe.

With a trembling voice, Qinghe pulled a gold hairpin from her hair. It was the sharpest weapon she could find, but it seemed quite out of place compared to the eight-sided Han swords in the hands of those assassins.

The assassins laughed loudly, seemingly mocking the resistance of the two women. Their longswords danced like a silver net, whistling as they charged forward.

Qinghe closed her eyes and said to Yin Lihua, "Miss, you should leave quickly. I'll buy you some time. The guards will be here soon."

Just as Xiao Qinghe took a step forward with a death wish, Yin Lihua suddenly smiled, casually snatched the gold hairpin that the maid relied on from her palm, and whispered:

"Qinghe, your hands are for serving me, not for getting stained with the blood of these people."

Qinghe felt her right palm go empty, and the oil-paper umbrella in her other hand was thrown out of the eaves. Raindrops fell from the eaves and landed on her head, making her completely soaked.

Xiao Qinghe instinctively took a step back, still not daring to open her eyes. She only felt a gust of wind beside her, and she didn't know what Miss Yin was going to do.

She hated her own cowardice and worried about the girl's safety. Just as she was gritting her teeth, she felt another raindrop fall gently on her forehead.

Only then did she manage to open her eyes.

The courtyard was filled with the corpses of assassins. Strangely, the raindrops on them did not turn them crimson; instead, they emitted steam.

The oil-paper umbrella above Yin's head was still tossed in the air, but it just so happened to block the rain from falling on her.

In just a moment, the oil-paper umbrella landed precisely on the ground. The girl gently grasped the umbrella with her left hand and slowly walked towards her. The assassin and the rain were all left behind, and it seemed as if only this figure remained in the world.

Even Xiao Qinghe was captivated by her daughter's heroic bearing.

At this moment, Yin Lihua gently ran the gold hairpin through Xiao Qinghe's hair and then inserted it back into her hair.

With a gentle smile, Miss Yin said, "Little Qinghe, it wasn't easy for you to collect such a gold hairpin. Next time, please don't throw it away so carelessly, okay?"

Xiao Qinghe could clearly see that her gold hairpin was faintly stained with a trace of scarlet blood, and there was also a damp mark on it. It seemed that the original scarlet blood had been completely wiped clean by the rain.

Qinghe didn't mind the bloody smell of the hairpin at all. She reached out a hand and gently stroked the hairpin behind her head, which had been polished by Miss Yin herself, feeling only joy in her heart.

She didn't ask where Miss Yin's skills came from, but instead quietly glanced at the black-clad assassins lying in the rain and whispered:

"Girl, all these people are dead!"