The woman in red is betrothed to him!

Li Yishan waved to the guards, signaling them to open the gate.

He also gestured for Ying Changqing to proceed.

"Prince Ying Changqing, please."

"The prince and the two princesses have been waiting in the palace for a long time."

Ying Changqing frowned upon hearing this.

He watched the door slowly open and vaguely saw that there were many people in the hall, not as simple as Li Yishan had said.

"Things aren't that simple, are they?"

"All the important figures of Northern Liang are now in the palace."

As soon as Ying Changqing finished speaking, Xu Fengnian immediately showed a curious expression and stood on tiptoe to look into the hall.

His gaze swept over the people in the hall, and he immediately froze.

He realized he had been too naive and had been fooled by Xu Xiao.

This meeting with Ying Changqing wasn't just to introduce my eldest sister and brother-in-law; my father needed to make a decision today.

Xu Fengnian was very dissatisfied.

"Yesterday, Shang Yan was still hesitating about the future of Bei Liang, so the purpose of this meeting was to let my brother-in-law and eldest sister understand each other better."

"I never expected we'd have to make a decision today!"

"What kind of father would hide anything from his son like this!"

Li Yishan then smiled at Ying Changqing and said, "You can't hide it from me, young master."

"Because this matter is too important."

"This concerns the fate of Northern Liang for the next few decades, and Your Highness must give it serious consideration."

Ying Changqing nodded. He understood Xu Xiao's concerns because he didn't know what kind of person Xu Xiao was.

Therefore, Ying Changqing dared not entrust it to anyone easily and said no more.

He led Nangong Pushe and Bai Hehuai directly toward the main hall with his hands behind his back, without hesitation.

Looking at Ying Changqing, Li Yishan suddenly felt that Ying Changqing had taken the initiative and become the leader here.

This scene made Li Yishan even more satisfied with Ying Changqing's performance.

"This prince of the Great Qin Empire has a calm and composed demeanor, showing no fear whatsoever; he is indeed extraordinary."

Just as Li Yishan was about to follow Ying Changqing into the hall, Xu Yanbing and Chu Lushan stepped forward, looking puzzled.

Neither of them was dull-witted.

Judging from the scene before them, they immediately understood that something big was about to happen today.

They even vaguely guessed that this matter must be related to the connection between Northern Liang, Liyang, and the Qin Empire.

This greatly worried them, and they hurriedly asked Li Yishan!

"Given today's commotion, it seems the purpose isn't just for the young lady to meet this Prince Ying Changqing. Could it be that the prince intends to...?"

Li Yishan knew perfectly well that they were talking about his prince's betrayal of Liyang.

Li Yishan smiled expressionlessly.

"The matter was only settled today. You went to pick up Prince Ying Changqing, so you didn't know about it."

"I will explain in detail after we enter the hall. Don't ask questions now, just come in with me."

After saying that, Li Yishan quickened his pace, no longer looking at the serious-looking Chu Lushan and Xu Yanbing, and followed Ying Changqing directly into the main hall.

Ying Changqing's guess was confirmed as soon as he entered the main hall.

Xu Xiao and his two sons and daughter were all present, as were almost all the important figures of Beiliang.

Ministers Chen Zhibao, Yuan Zuozong, and Qi Dangguo all came.

When Ying Changqing entered the main hall, Xu Xiao, who was sitting on the throne, immediately stood up to greet him.

Logically speaking, Xu Xiao shouldn't have had to personally escort Ying Changqing, since Ying Changqing is Xu Zhihu's fiancé.

Ying Changqing's identity is not only that of an individual, but also represents the Qin Empire. Xu Xiao must face this powerful force squarely.

Ying Changqing had done a favor for the Xu family, and his appearance exposed Li Yang's deception.

Xu Xiao was deceived for many years and felt deeply angry about it.

"Xu Xiao, the King of Beiliang, thanks Prince Ying Changqing for his great kindness to Beiliang."

Xu Xiao walked up to Ying Changqing, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and solemnly thanked him.

"Your Highness, there's no need to be so polite. Let's just take what we need."

Ying Changqing did not take credit for himself and stepped aside to avoid some of the formalities.

He needed Xu Xiao's Northern Liang army to contain Li Yang, and Xu Xiao was his father-in-law and elder.

Xu Xiao was very satisfied with Ying Changqing's attitude, and he immediately had a better impression of Ying Changqing.

Ying Changqing came from a distinguished family and was a prince of the Qin Empire.

Her appearance is flawless.

Xu Xiao dotes on his son, but in the entire Northern Liang, including his own son Xu Fengnian, no one can compare to Ying Changqing in appearance.

Their strength is beyond doubt.

Ying Changqing was only eighteen years old when he was able to kill Zhao Huangchao, the half-step Celestial Realm Elder of Liyang, who had lived for over a hundred years, with just one person and one sword.

Such strength should not be underestimated.

Xu Xiao's only concern now is whether Ying Changqing has any strategies, and whether he has any ambition to overthrow his elder brother Ying Zheng's rule and seize control of the Qin Dynasty.

These two factors determined Xu Xiao's choice.

Regardless, Xu Xiao will marry his daughter to Ying Changqing, both as a way of repaying a debt of gratitude and as a form of political alliance.

Xu Xiao could only shake his head helplessly at his daughter's thoughts; she was born into the Northern Liang Royal Palace and had no say in her own life.

However, if Ying Changqing lacked strategy and ambition, Xu Xiao would not have become overly close to him.

After all, the ruler of the Qin Dynasty was Ying Zheng.

In the future, will they, Li Yang, be loyal to King Ying Zheng of Qin, or to Prince Ying Changqing?

Choosing the wrong side can lead to utter failure.

Therefore, ascertaining Ying Changqing's identity is the primary task of today's banquet.

Xu Zhihu and Xu Weixiong were sitting behind the second table to Xu Xiao's right, also observing Ying Changqing.

This was the first time they had met Ying Changqing.

I had only heard of his deeds before, but I didn't know what he looked like.

They were very satisfied with the handsome young man in front of them.

Xu Zhihu had originally decided to marry Ying Changqing regardless of his appearance, but now she breathed a sigh of relief.

People all hope their husbands are heroes.

"Is this my brother-in-law?"

Xu Zhihu thought to himself, "There's no one more handsome than him in Liyang."

She felt she had passed the first hurdle.

Xu Weixiong looked at Ying Changqing with surprise mixed with envy.

Xu Weixiong knew that her marriage was decided by her family, and she had no choice in the matter.

Who her future husband will be, or even whether he will sacrifice his life for Beiliang, are all uncertain.

Seeing her sister marry so well, she was naturally envious.

Xu Zhihu calmly said, "Even if he were of average appearance, I would still marry him without the first hurdle. This is for the sake of Beiliang."

Xu Weixiong held his sister's hand, shook his head, and said, "Sister is right, but I still hope that sister will marry better."

"He barely passed the appearance test. Now we need to see if he's really capable or just all show and no substance. I'll test him carefully on behalf of my sister."

Xu Zhihu quickly waved his hand: "Don't be willful. Father's word is final. Don't offend Prince Ying Changqing."

Xu Weixiong gently patted his sister's hand to comfort her.

"Don't worry, your sister will handle it and things won't get ugly."

"Father wants to see Prince Ying Changqing in person, otherwise he wouldn't have summoned all the high-ranking officials of Beiliang."

Xu Zhihu hesitated.

She wanted to know what kind of person her future husband was.

Because that person wants to spend their whole life with her.

"but……"

Xu Zhihu didn't want to test him; she trusted her future husband and wanted to try to persuade him again.

Xu Weixiong grabbed her hand and shook his head.

At this moment, in the center of the main hall.

"Sir, you've had a long day. Please sit down, don't stand."

Xu Xiao warmly pulled Ying Changqing to sit in the first seat to his right.

After Ying Changqing sat down, he looked to his right.

There were two women there.

One of them was wearing red clothes and looking straight ahead, not at Ying Changqing.

Another person, dressed in blue, with bright eyes, looked at Ying Changqing with curiosity.

When Ying Changqing first met the two princesses of Beiliang, he stared at them and carefully examined their appearances.

This woman is his future wife.

The first thing Ying Changqing noticed was the red dress she was wearing.