The first chapter of the eighth episode of the Fengyue Continent series, the wedding ceremony episode, is titled "The Chaos in Qingzhou."

October in Esnia is typically cool and pleasant, perfect for citizens to enjoy outings. However, this year, Esnia surprised its citizens.

Just as dawn broke, while the earth remained shrouded in a hazy gray, a fierce wind suddenly howled across the sky, quickly gathering thick clouds. In moments, white snowflakes blanketed the entire imperial capital.

Esnia, the imperial capital, had been unexpectedly blanketed in a heavy snowfall on an October morning—a phenomenon that had only occurred twice in the city's history. The first time was when Parry's 100,000 valiant cavalry stormed the heart of Fast, only to be forced to retreat due to the heavy snow. The second time was during a large-scale civil war within the empire, when the armies of six states besieged Esnia. On the day of the offensive, the heavy snowfall led the besieging soldiers to believe it was divine wrath, causing a significant drop in morale and resulting in the rapid cessation of the civil war.

But these were all things of the past, almost legends. Now, such a situation has occurred again in Esnia. What does this mean for those familiar with history? Is it a good thing? Or a bad thing?

Their hearts are filled with confusion and unease.

The vast capital of Fast Empire was quickly draped in a blanket of snow, looking incredibly beautiful. The crowded houses, bustling streets, magnificent palaces, and the once vibrant brothels and restaurants all seemed to have lost much of their vitality due to the heavy snow; the earth was utterly silent.

That morning, Esnia, after a night of turmoil, seemed to be in hibernation, not a sound could be heard. But on the somber faces of the passersby hurrying through the streets of Esnia, a hint of unease could be seen lurking in their hearts.

It's no wonder that the citizens of Esnia felt this way. The unusual snowfall, coupled with the unexplained anomaly that had occurred not long ago not far from the capital, was enough to make them wonder: was this a divine instruction, perhaps a premonition of a great upheaval in the Fast Empire?

Meanwhile, some well-informed individuals quietly spread the inside story of the urgent report from the previous night: a large-scale rebellion had broken out in Qingzhou, and the situation was extremely serious!

This news undoubtedly deepened people's anxieties. The once-solid and powerful Fast Empire had actually developed such a crack. Sensitive people couldn't help but wonder if the Fast Empire, which had maintained its outward expansion for so many years, had reached a turning point

. In the Sanssouci Palace of Esnia, the faces of those in the magnificent council hall were as somber as the sky outside. The ministers, summoned by the emperor's urgent order, had been discussing matters for quite some time.

Outside, the snow was falling heavily; when the hall quieted down, the soft rustling of snowflakes hitting the ground could be heard. All the palace guards and eunuchs on duty stood silently, not daring to breathe, letting the strong wind howl and whistle, chilling them to the bone.

"How could Lord Antothene of Qingzhou allow a small banditry to escalate to this point? What is he doing?" Andre III's voice broke the silence of the council hall. Although not loud or particularly sharp, the underlying authority and anger sent a chill down the spines of all the high-ranking officials. In all their years on the throne, they had rarely seen Andre III speak in such a tone; it seemed His Majesty was about to lose his temper.

This was understandable; signs of a rebellion in Qingzhou had appeared three months prior. At that time, the Southern Army received reports that bandits in Qingzhou were secretly forming gangs and were threatening the state of Qingzhou. When this routine report reached the military headquarters, it immediately attracted attention.

The reason was simple: Qingzhou's jurisdiction encompassed most of the former Tianhe Kingdom's territory. After the Fast Empire annexed Tianhe Kingdom, it divided the newly acquired land into three parts for easier governance, each belonging to one of the three states. Two-thirds of the land in Qingzhou was allocated, including Tianhe City, the former capital of the Tianhe Kingdom. Therefore, any upheaval in Qingzhou could potentially destabilize the new territory.

While reporting this matter to His Majesty the Emperor, Yunaya immediately dispatched an envoy to Antoine, the lord of Qingzhou, requesting a detailed report.

Before Andre III's decree was issued, news arrived from Qingzhou. Antoine's report downplayed the incident, stating that it was merely a group of peddlers causing trouble and harassing the local people; he had already dispatched the local police force to arrest them and they would be apprehended soon.

Yunaya, without suspicion, reported this to Andre III. Since Antoine was a trusted minister, he naturally spoke favorably of him. Thus, the matter was dropped.

However, they never imagined that the events in Qingzhou were not as simple as they had thought.

Originally, Qingzhou was a barren land with a fierce and warlike populace. Therefore, when the beautiful and prosperous Tianhe Kingdom merged with Fast, the fertile land of Tianhe immediately attracted waves of Qingzhou people seeking their fortune. The arrival of these people drastically altered the population and land structure of Tianhe.

The people of Qingzhou arrived as conquerors, naturally leading to various conflicts with the original inhabitants of Tianhe, the most prominent being constant disputes over land ownership and possession, which in some places even escalated into brawls.

On the former Tianhe lands, fighting among the people increased and intensified. Furthermore, the Fast government, as the administrator, often adopted a biased approach rather than seeking impartial mediation. With rampant corruption and bureaucratic decay, more officials used the guise of impeachment to extort money.

This climate caused widespread resentment among the people of Qingzhou, leading some who longed for their homeland to secretly gather followers, forming a secret society called the "Brotherhood," awaiting the moment of catastrophe.

The Brotherhood's influence grew rapidly, reaching 100,000 members in just a few years. To protect their rights, they frequently united to fight against outsiders and government oppression, seeking greater space for survival and development.

All of this went unnoticed by the Qingzhou City Lord, Antoine, due to his negligence. However, as the Brotherhood's power expanded malignantly, its large membership led to a proliferation of gossip and, consequently, all sorts of people.

Three months ago, in the Xin'ao region of Qingzhou, two families quarreled over a water source. One family, having joined the Brotherhood, confident in their support, attacked the other, beating them badly and leaving them bruised, dizzy, and defeated.

This family smugly claimed control of the water source, but their opponents were no pushovers. After their defeat, the other family gathered reinforcements, who stormed their home on the third day, severely injuring them. Upon hearing the news and hearing the family's tearful account, the local fraternity leader immediately led a group of men to surround the house. The fraternity's motto was "When one is in trouble, all help each other," so naturally, they wanted to help their brother.

In a short time, these rather strong fraternity members destroyed everything they could in the house, forcing the family to apologize to their fraternity and compensate for all the losses.

The family, having suffered such a loss, was not about to let it go. After much deliberation and in a fit of rage, they finally reported the fraternity to the local officials, and its activities began to surface. After arresting some fraternity members, Lord Antoine of Qingzhou City realized the seriousness of the situation.

However, he had to suppress the rumors for now, secretly preparing an arrest list, hoping to eliminate the fraternity before it escalated further.

Because if this incident escalated, and an investigation was launched, Antoine might lose his position as city lord. He knew that his abuse of power and money, coupled with his neglect of governing Qingzhou, had allowed the rebellion in Tianhe to escalate so severely, and that these charges were enough to warrant an order from Andre III to dismiss and investigate him.

The commander of the Southern Legion, who had long coveted the position of Qingzhou city lord, received this intelligence from his spies and immediately reported it to the military headquarters. However, the envoy sent by Yunaia, having accepted a large bribe from Antoine, reported it as a minor matter.

But the development of events was beyond their control and prediction. After several branches were destroyed, the Brotherhood became alert; they could no longer wait.

The Tianhe City Garrison, acting on Antoine's orders, was dispatched to investigate. When Centurion Yolev captured Fabro, the leader of a Brotherhood branch, in Fico Town, he encountered fierce resistance. The well-prepared Brotherhood members, armed with weapons, engaged the garrison soldiers in battle.

After a fierce fight, the outnumbered garrison began to retreat. In the chaos, centurion Yolev was struck in the throat by a stray arrow and immediately fell from his horse and died. Seeing their commander dead, the remaining garrison soldiers scattered and fled.

Enraged, Antoine personally led two thousand soldiers the following morning to Fico in Tianhe, capturing all the Brotherhood members in one battle. They were all publicly beheaded in the marketplace that same day, and their homes were burned as a warning to those who harbored rebellious intentions.

Little did they know that their brutality would immediately ignite the anger of the people of Tianhe. Remembering the past, how every official in Faust had abused their power to oppress the people, forcibly buying and selling goods, burning houses, and extorting money, they felt it was better to raise the banner of rebellion than to continue living such a miserable existence. They decided to wipe out these corrupt officials and save the people. At this time, some veteran officials of Tianhe who still harbored feelings for their homeland further incited the rebellion. "Brotherhoods" throughout Tianhe responded enthusiastically, raising the banner of Tianhe. The news spread far and wide, and within a little over a month, their numbers had grown to tens of thousands.

The Faust troops stationed throughout Tianhe were caught off guard and had no time to react properly, retreating to several major cities to adopt a defensive posture. Antoine initially underestimated these bandits; even the regular army of Tianhe had been defeated by the Faust army in the past. What great trouble could a few lowly people possibly cause?

Unexpectedly, a month later, even Tianhe City fell to the rebels. Zhang Lie, the leader of the "Brotherhood," held a grand meeting in Tianhe City, declaring himself the commander-in-chief of the Tianhe New Army. Twenty-five years after the fall of the Tianhe Kingdom's Water Pattern Flag, it once again flew over Tianhe's land.

This victory greatly inspired the people of Tianhe, who flocked to join the Tianhe New Army, making Zhang Lie's army increasingly powerful. Their controlled territory expanded, and Fast's army was gradually confined to a few cities, their communication severed.

Only then did Antoinette realize the gravity of the situation. He defended Qingzhou City while simultaneously sending an urgent message to Esnia, determined to hold out for reinforcements.

While secretly cursing Antoinette, Yunaya was at a loss for words. Regardless, this man was one of his sources of income, providing him with substantial funds annually; abandoning him was a difficult decision.

Just as he hesitated, Gilemans spoke up. To everyone's surprise, he actually pleaded with Andre III to exonerate Totney.

"Your Majesty, Lord Antoine has made considerable efforts for the Empire's finances; Qingzhou's tax revenue has consistently exceeded its targets each year."

Andre III's face remained expressionless as he glanced at Yunaya, then turned to the other ministers, his expression gradually becoming serious. Yunaya looked at Gilemans with some confusion. What was wrong with this guy today? Had he taken the wrong medicine, actually speaking up for his subordinate?

The other ministers in the hall were also puzzled. Why had the Left Chancellor, who was known for kicking someone when they were down, changed his tune today? Did he intend to forgive and forget Yunaya in the face of the Empire's sudden rebellion?

Only Gilemans was secretly delighted. He remembered the precious gift Antoine had secretly given him, especially the unparalleled luminous pearl, which truly excited him. Gilmans clearly remembered that he had examined all the jewels in the palace, and none could surpass it. For the past two days, he had gotten up every night in the middle of the night, taken out the jewel box containing the pearl, and quietly opened it a crack. The pearl inside would then radiate a dazzling light, incredibly beautiful. Moreover, it seemed as if flowing crystals were moving back and forth inside the pearl, causing the light to alternate between dim and bright, as if dazzling light was shining out from within.

"If such rebellions break out a few more times, my gains will be even greater! I can do a good deed, win over people, and reap huge profits,"

Gilmans thought gleefully, seemingly oblivious to what Yunaia was saying. It wasn't until Andre III began asking about the candidates to be sent to Qingzhou that he snapped out of his reverie.

The ministers in the hall spoke one after another, proposing their most suitable candidates and commenting on their strengths and weaknesses. The atmosphere was very lively, but there was an exception: one person stood behind the ministers, looking listless and silent.

"Tianlong, what do you say!" King Andre III couldn't stand it any longer and silently pointed at this irresponsible man. Ye

Tianlong had been kept awake all night and was extremely annoyed. He had just settled down this morning when King Andre III summoned him to the council hall. Ye Tianlong felt extremely uncomfortable, and standing there listening to Yunaia and Gilemans's performance only made him more bored; it was natural for him to feel drowsy.

"Ah, this..." The man, awakened by the emperor, looked completely dazed and couldn't offer any constructive suggestions. Yunaia and Gilemans secretly despised him. How could the emperor let such a guy into the council hall? Was he a little confused? King Andre III also shook his head inwardly. Had his daughter really made a mistake? Had he made the wrong choice?

Although Ye Tianlong's current position was very important, he still couldn't participate in the royal council meetings. These meetings required the highest-ranking officials from each department to attend, so Ye Tianlong's attendance could be considered a sign of King Andre III's favor.

When the imperial council ended, Ye Tianlong was summoned back for a private audience by Andre III. To others, this seemed like an stroke of incredible luck, a sign of the emperor's favor.

"Tianlong, you mustn't let me and Feng'er down. You must work hard!" Ye Tianlong looked at Andre III, hesitating about how to address his father-in-law, the emperor, when Andre III spoke solemnly. Ye Tianlong naturally nodded obediently and assured the emperor.

Andre III, looking slightly weary, waved his hand, interrupting Ye Tianlong's pleasantries, and said softly, "I don't know why either. Since Feng'er has chosen you, I won't say anything more. But if you don't live up to expectations, it won't just be you who loses face; Feng'er and I will also be disgraced!"

Ye Tianlong adopted a respectful expression, nodding vigorously, but inwardly he thought, "So you're only doing this because of Feng Wu. You don't even have any faith in me!"

Before his thoughts could settle, Andre III's next words shocked him.

"Feng'er has decided to resign from all her positions and retire from the army!"

"What?" Ye Tianlong looked up abruptly, exclaiming in disbelief. Yu Fengwu was actually going to do this? What was she thinking?

King Andre III shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "I don't know why either. She actually wants to give up all her power and glory for your sake. This was an agreement she made with me as soon as she returned to Esnia. As soon as she married you, she would give up all her military positions. Alas!"

Ye Tianlong stood there, his heart pounding. Yu Fengwu's decision truly surprised him. After the Battle of Tianfeng, her prestige had reached unprecedented heights. To give up all her honor and status at the height of her power was simply unbelievable!

Upon returning home, Ye Tianlong immediately pulled Yu Fengwu aside to ask her why. Yu Fengwu's answer was only a simple sentence. "I want to live a relaxed life now, so you can support me!"

Facing his wife's smiling face, Ye Tianlong suddenly understood her profound intention. Yu Fengwu didn't want her status and reputation to affect him, because a wife whose status far surpassed his was often seen as formidable and respectable but not lovable in her husband's eyes.

“Actually, you don’t need to do this. I’m not that kind of person!”

Ye Tianlong’s mutterings did not escape Yu Fengwu’s ears. She smiled and said, “Tianlong, you’ll have to work harder to earn money in the future, because supporting us women is a very expensive thing.”

From Yu Fengwu’s joke, Ye Tianlong heard another meaning. He gently hugged his understanding and beautiful wife tightly and said affectionately in her ear, “Thank you! I will definitely work hard and never let you down! Believe me!”

“Silly boy, of course I will believe you! How could the husband I, Yu Fengwu, chose disappoint me?”

Yu Fengwu rested her head on Ye Tianlong’s shoulder and smiled as she spoke, her beautiful eyes sparkling like diamonds.

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The first chapter of the eighth episode of the Fengyue Continent series, the wedding ceremony episode, is titled "The Chaos in Qingzhou."

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