Chapter 223 – Finding a Weaponsmith to Be My Father-in-Law - Part 1
Portrait after portrait of beautiful women was delivered to Li Yuan.
Rendered in traditional ink and brush, each woman was strikingly attractive.
He hardly bothered to study their faces—anyone chosen to be presented here was bound to be beautiful. Instead, he looked over the family names and the brief introductions of each candidate. His eyes widened slightly when he realized all of them were seventh rank.
Still, he didn’t give an immediate response and just set them aside, saying he would think it over.
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That night, Xue Ning’s condition had improved. She lay quietly in his arms, looking at the portraits. Gently stroking his cheek, she said, “Dearest, it’s best to find a woman with at least some martial cultivation. That way, she can keep up with you.”
Li Yuan, holding her from behind, had already refrained from any intimacy for the sake of her health. Though Xue Ning was capable and dignified, she was ultimately a normal woman, unable to withstand his physique even if he took care to be gentle.
When he heard her suggestion, Li Yuan said, “You’ll never guess. These families sent only seventh rank women.”
“Really?” She gasped softly, then mulled it over and added, “They’re seventh rank, and you’re sixth-rank. There’s not that big of a gap. Maybe they can have your child?”
“Probably,” he replied. “Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many seventh rank candidates. They’re all hoping for another little one like our Ping’an.”
At this, Xue Ning felt an upwelling of pride; she was truly happy that their son was so highly valued. Beaming, she continued, “Even if they can’t conceive, they’d still gain a strong son-in-law, plus our Ping’an as a future powerhouse, and another link to Deputy Gu. There’s no downside.”
Li Yuan nodded. “It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. If I marry one of them, we’ll have the security of a clan backing us. As for whether they’ll want me doing tasks for them, I’ll make it clear. If I have time, I’ll pitch in; if I don’t, I won’t. If that doesn’t work for them, then no deal. But I doubt it’ll be an issue. What they really want is to form ties, not force me to run errands.