"I..."
Gongsun Baoyue opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.
From a minor registrar of a vassal state to a powerful official in charge of the life and death of people in three prefectures?
If it were her,
How would she maintain this hard-won trust and power?
She would probably be like her father!
Even if the marriage alliance was not her father's intention, he would not refuse if it could be made.
Seeing Gongsun Baoyue fall silent, Liu Qi's attack did not stop.
"Baoyue, you always thought that practicing martial arts could change your future."
"But have you ever thought about it?"
"Why were you able to practice martial arts without worry?"
"Where did the medicinal herbs to temper your body, your teachers, and the large amount of food you consumed daily come from?"
"It was all prepared for you by your father and me, this old man!"
"For what?"
"To give you a happy childhood, to let you do what you love to do."
"But these things were definitely not meant to bring disaster to your father and the Liu family!"
"Let alone anything else!"
"Think about your own little maid, is she much worse than you in appearance?"
"Why has she been serving you since she was little?"
"Does she not want to be a young lady? Does she not want to be served?"
"Isn't it because she doesn't have a good father?"
"And look at these laborers!"
"Don't they want to sit at home and enjoy themselves? Don't they want to have meat to eat every meal?"
"Then why don't they eat it?!"
"Because they are free!"
"No one forces them to marry others, because they have no choice at all."
"No one forces them to do things they don't want to do, because if they don't, they will starve to death!"
At this point, Liu Qi paused and sighed deeply.
"Baoyue, you should think about it yourself."
"When Governor Qin picks an auspicious day, I will inform you then."
"Don't think about leaving!"
"This is not a warning, but a piece of advice from your grandfather."
"Because you, who grew up being served, will starve to death if you leave your father and the Liu family..."
Watching Liu Qi's retreating back, Gongsun Baoyue, who was standing on the street, was completely stunned.
Liu Qi's words were still echoing in her ears.
They were so cruel, so true, yet so unacceptable.
Yes!
It was precisely because Liu Qi's words were too true that they were so unacceptable.
Although she didn't believe she would not survive if she left her father and the Liu family.
There were still some things she agreed with!
Just like,
The places some people desperately want to escape from are the places more people dream of entering.
Was she ungrateful for what she had?
...
No one outside could know Gongsun Baoyue's inner turmoil.
Take Qin Feng, for example!
At this moment, he had even thought of all the positions he would use on their wedding night.
No way!
If it were a novice who had never eaten meat, it would be understandable, as they wouldn't desire it if they had never experienced it.
But for an old man who hadn't tasted it for years, the craving for the taste of meat was even stronger.
"My Lord~!"
Seeing the increasingly indecent smile on Qin Feng's face, Li Xiuning, who had just been taken advantage of, was a little unhappy.
"They all say that when you have a new lover, you forget the old one. But now that the new one hasn't been obtained yet, someone has forgotten the old one?"
"How could that be!"
Coming back to his senses, Qin Feng smiled, stood up, and moved closer to Li Xiuning.
"I haven't even tasted my Xiuning, how can she be considered an old lover?"
"You..."
Hearing Qin Feng's lewd words, Li Xiuning blushed and couldn't help but glare at him.
"You should first think about how to arrange it!"
"Although taking a concubine is not as important as getting married, given the face of the Liu family, it can't be too casual."
"This..."
Qin Feng, who had intended to tease her further, couldn't help but show a troubled expression at this remark.
He really didn't know how to do this!
As a single person from two thousand years later, he had never even been married, let alone taken a concubine.
But the problem was,
He didn't even have anyone familiar with this among his subordinates so far.
"What about that~!"
Qin Feng scratched his head vigorously and tentatively looked at Li Xiuning.
"Xiuning, why don't you handle this matter?"
"Me?"
Li Xiuning's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked incredulously,
"My Lord, you, you want me to help you arrange the matter of taking a concubine?"
"That's right!
"But, but..."
"What's there to it!"
Seeing that Li Xiuning still wanted to refuse, Qin Feng, who couldn't find anyone else, directly decided.
"This matter is entrusted to you. If you don't understand anything, just ask Old Liu!"
"Alright, alright..."
Seeing Qin Feng's firm decision, a blush suddenly appeared on Li Xiuning's face.
Her heart was in turmoil!
Did her lord truly not know, or did he have some other intention?
Asking her to handle the matter of taking a concubine for a man?
Besides the matchmaker,
The only one with the qualification was probably the main wife of the household.
But she was clearly not the matchmaker!
Could it be...
Did her lord want to formally marry her and make her the main wife?
Although Li Xiuning knew that she couldn't escape it before she followed her lord,
She hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
And,
She had never expected that she would have the chance to become the main wife in her lord's household.
This position was not for just anyone.
In this era, where alliances were often formed through marriage,
The main wife of a faction leader was often a direct descendant of another faction.
From the fact that the Liu family, a local power in Youzhou, dared to only ask for the status of a concubine, one could tell.
Otherwise,
With Gongsun Baoyue's looks and her identity as the granddaughter of the Liu family,
She would at least be able to get the title of main wife, wouldn't she?
Even though she had myriad thoughts in her mind, Li Xiuning ultimately couldn't ask.
She was afraid!
What if it wasn't what she imagined, wouldn't she just be happy for nothing?
Rather than that,
It was better to pretend not to know and just do the task without hesitation.
Let's see how he handles it then!
Fortunately,
Qin Feng didn't dwell on this for too long. After seeing Li Xiuning agree, he changed the subject.
"Xiuning, have those Wuhuan captives been causing trouble recently?"
"No!"
Hearing Qin Feng's voice, Li Xiuning came back to her senses and explained with a smile.
"Since most of the nobles have been killed, those captives have become much more obedient."
"That's good!"
Qin Feng smiled and nodded, then asked about the matter he was most concerned about.
"How is the conscription work progressing?"
"I've assigned that task to Sister Yanqi."
Meeting Qin Feng's slightly puzzled gaze, Li Xiuning smiled and spread her hands.
"You sent her to me, and she couldn't help much, so I could only assign this matter to her alone."
"Then you haven't inquired about the situation?"
Thinking of Yang Yanqi's impetuous demeanor, Qin Feng couldn't help but feel a headache.
"I asked her to help you, but I didn't tell you to assign the conscription work to her."