TNIBFT -Chapter 287 Arranging the Grand Wedding

He moved his lips, wanting to say something.

But he didn’t know where to begin. In Zhu Heyu’s eyes, he had always been a stubborn, rebellious troublemaker. Whenever something important came up, Zhu Heyu never trusted him—his own son—to take risks.

But Ye Tian…

Ye Tian had actually agreed to let him guard the cannons?

Zhu Zhongyi understood very clearly what those cannons meant to Ye Tian and to Sifang City.

“I…” Zhu Zhongyi’s voice was low as he was about to speak.

Ye Tian withdrew the hand he had placed on Zhu Zhongyi’s shoulder and turned to leave.

Watching Ye Tian’s back, Zhu Zhongyi’s emotions were complicated. The fist he had clenched tightly out of tension slowly loosened.

On the earthen slope, the snow had been packed firm by passersby, and the icy ground was slippery.

Qin Fengyi was waiting for Ye Tian at the downhill path.

When she saw him approaching, she took the lead and started walking down. Her proud face remained expressionless, though the corner of her eye occasionally glanced back, as if waiting for someone.

Ye Tian followed in her footsteps, the two descending the mountain one after the other.

Today, Qin Fengyi walked slowly. Looking at her tall, slender back, Ye Tian’s lips curved into a smile.

“You wouldn’t happen to be waiting for me, would you?”

“Afraid I might fall and make a fool of myself?”

Ye Tian chuckled.

In the freezing air, each breath turned into mist. A faint white vapor puffed from his lips as he narrowed his eyes, teasingly observing Qin Fengyi.

Qin Fengyi raised an eyebrow. “You are the lord of a city. Who would dare laugh at you?”

Her expression was serious, carrying an imposing presence.

Ye Tian knew she was concerned about him, and warmth stirred in his heart. Looking toward the distant, snow-covered mountains, he said, “Once we subdue Lin Xianzhong, let’s get married.”

Qin Fengyi’s eyes widened.

Ye Tian didn’t give her a chance to refuse and immediately added, “If you’re willing!”

“The three children and I—we all need you.”

As he spoke—

Qin Fengyi froze in place, her expression stunned. A blush spread across her cheeks, like a layer of rouge.

“You’re not unwilling, are you?” Ye Tian asked.

“No, no, it’s not that… I… I was just thinking… would it be unfair to you to hold the wedding in Sifang City?” Qin Fengyi’s gaze shifted away awkwardly.

Between her and Ye Tian, there were already three children.

Even if she had never met the current Ye Tian, those children still needed an identity, and a father.

Moreover, she did have feelings for him.

She didn’t know when those feelings had begun—unclear, indescribable—but at this moment, she longed to live together with Ye Tian and the children.

“Pfft…” Ye Tian laughed softly.

The sound made Qin Fengyi frown as she looked up at him curiously.

Seeing a few snowflakes caught in the loose strands of hair on her forehead, Ye Tian raised his hand and gently brushed them away.

Thump, thump, thump!

Thump!

Qin Fengyi’s heart raced.

“If you’re afraid of wronging me,” Ye Tian said, “then from now on, I’ll take charge of the household finances.”

Without hesitation, Qin Fengyi nodded.

Ye Tian was stunned.

“Then from now on, everything in the household will be up to me—you’ll have to listen to me too!”

Qin Fengyi nodded again!

Ye Tian’s eyes widened. Were men in ancient times really held in such high status?

Before transmigrating, he hadn’t even qualified to be a simp. On his first date, the girl had specifically asked for an iPhone 15—he couldn’t afford it, and she immediately blocked him. With that level of ability, he hadn’t even qualified to be a simp.

Seeing Ye Tian frown slightly, as if somewhat dissatisfied,

Qin Fengyi said, “You don’t need to worry. As long as I’m here, whether you are the fated villain or not, no one in this world would dare touch you!”

“City Lord!”

“City Lord!”

Before Ye Tian could react, Tao Lichun’s voice came from behind.

The old man was beaming with joy, rushing excitedly toward Ye Tian. When he noticed Qin Fengyi beside him, his gaze flickered slightly.

Qin Fengyi said, “You two discuss important matters.”

“I’ll go check on Xiao Jiang and the others.”

Ye Tian nodded. Before Qin Fengyi had gone far, Tao Lichun stepped forward, speaking excitedly, “I just inspected the cannons. The crater they create in an instant would take several grown men a whole day of digging with shovels to achieve!”

“Their power is incredible. Catapults, siege engines—none of them are worth mentioning in comparison.”

The old man chattered on endlessly, his eyes shining.

“We currently have four cannons in the city. When the time comes, we’ll line them up in a row—guaranteed to blast Lin Xianzhong into a complete rout. If we coordinate with traps outside the city, we’ll have at least a fifty percent chance of winning this battle.”

Seeing Qin Fengyi mount her black horse, Ye Tian withdrew his gaze.

He nodded slightly. “Now we just wait for Lin Xianzhong.”

Tao Lichun followed closely behind Ye Tian, step by step. “And these cannons must be strictly guarded. There are too many spies in the city. This is a matter of great importance—we must be cautious.”

He studied Ye Tian’s expression before speaking in a low voice, “I think Zhu Zhongyi is too young. Why not replace him with Duan Qingshan to guard them?”

“That child has a cold gaze—doesn’t seem like someone who can be easily controlled.”

Ye Tian nodded slightly. “Let me think about it.”

“The injury on Zhu Zhongyi’s face—he got it while saving me. He doesn’t even fear death; he has faith in his heart. He’s young, so it’s normal for him to have a strong personality.”

Tao Lichun said no more.

With the introduction of the cannons, the morale of Sifang City’s soldiers soared.

Even those who had never seen such weapons had heard the townspeople talk about them—once deployed, they would shake the heavens and earth, making the ground tremble, something no human force could withstand.

Tao Lichun immediately ordered the city gates shut, restricting all entry and exit to prevent any leaks of information that might give Lin Xianzhong time to prepare.

…

Meanwhile, on the snowfield.

Over the past two days, the weather had improved, with clear skies allowing the army to pick up speed.

Within the vast marching force, Lin Xianzhong rode a tall horse in full armor at the center of the formation. Narrowing his eyes, he looked ahead—faintly, a city could already be seen in the distance.

Lin Xianzhong raised his hand.

A deputy general beside him immediately rode forward, shouting, “By order of the commander—halt in place!”

“The entire army, rest!”

“Rest on the spot!”

At once, there was a flurry of movement, along with the low murmur of soldiers’ voices.

Lin Xianzhong dismounted. “How far are we from Sifang City?”

The deputy general replied, “Less than thirty li!”

Lin Xianzhong nodded. “We march straight to Sifang City. No more resting after that—we’ll end this battle quickly.”

“Yes!”

In Lin Xianzhong’s intelligence and memory, Sifang City was just a remote frontier town. Let alone an army of sixty thousand—even six thousand would be enough to take it easily.

He sat down on the ground with the soldiers, and the deputy immediately handed him a waterskin.

Noticing a woman in tattered clothes among the troops, Lin Xianzhong frowned.

Over the past two days, this woman had behaved obediently, showing no abnormalities. Weak and seemingly powerless, she likely posed no threat. Yet, recalling that she was from the same hometown—and bore a striking resemblance to his late wife—Lin Xianzhong thought for a moment before saying,

“Bring that woman here. I have something to ask her.”

“Yes!”

In no time, Jiang Yunxi was brought forward, kneeling respectfully before Lin Xianzhong. Dressed in thin, worn clothing, she knelt pitifully on the snow.

Looking at the top of her head, Lin Xianzhong said, “It’s been over a decade… I wonder if the peaches of Jiangyang City are still as sweet?”