Chapter 98 Proposal

Luo Jince followed Pei Ji half a step behind him, his heart in turmoil.

Who in the government and the public didn't know the methods of Pei Yanwang? How could it be easy to do something that he personally came to ask for?

If they succeed, it may not be a great achievement, but if they fail, the first one to be pushed out to take the blame will probably be their Fuyuan General's Mansion!

Luo Jince felt his forehead throbbing and the cold sweat on his back was almost soaking through his inner clothes.

He secretly raised his eyes and looked at Pei Ji's profile, trying to find any trace of hypocrisy or calculation on that face.

No. Pei Ji just walked steadily, looking straight ahead, as if he was just here to pay his respects to the New Year.

This made Luo Jince even more flustered.

It’s over, it’s over. This great Buddha has condescended to show such an attitude today. What he wants is probably a hundred times more difficult than he imagined!

Luo Jince felt a bitter taste in his mouth, and his steps became heavier.

…

"Okay! Miss, take a look, is it pleasing to the eye?" Chunxi's voice carried a hint of relief at having completed a task, as she gently inserted the last small pearl flower into the side of her bun.

A face was reflected in the bronze mirror. Her hair was a common single-spinal bun, meticulously combed. The plain silver hairpin and a few pearl flowers added just the right touch of elegance.

Luo Zhaohan didn't have the energy to look closely. He took a quick glance and stood up abruptly: "Very good! Let's go!"

Before he could finish his words, he rushed towards the door like a gust of wind.

She looked so anxious, as if there were thousands of troops waiting for her outside the door, or that if she was a step slower, she would miss the most important thing in her life.

"Miss! Slow down! Watch your step!" Chunxi was frightened by her reckless attitude and hurriedly chased after her, still holding the comb in her hand which she had not had time to put down.

"Cloak! It's cold outside and I haven't put on my cloak yet!" She grabbed the silver-red brocade cloak with white fox fur trim that was hanging on the screen and trotted out the door.

Luo Zhaohan turned a deaf ear.

The cold air rushed towards her, making her shiver, but it could not cool the burning sensation in her heart at all.

She lifted her skirt and almost ran across the corridor connecting to the backyard.

Flower hall!

Pei Ji must be in the flower hall!

After passing a cluster of plum trees with all their leaves fallen, the moon-shaped gate connecting to the front yard is already in sight.

Just go through that door and turn around a small corridor...

Just then, a clear sound of talking and laughing drifted over intermittently along with the cold wind.

One of the voices was clear and lively, with the youthful vigor that only young people have. It was his younger brother Luo Jince.

And another voice...

Luo Zhaohan's footsteps seemed to be suddenly nailed to the spot by invisible nails.

It was low and steady, with a texture like the lowest string of a fine guqin being plucked, penetrating the air and reaching her ears clearly.

It's him!

It’s Pei Ji!

He really came!

Just behind the door in front!

Last night's chaotic dreams, fragments of past lives, countless images and emotions rushed into my mind, turning the world upside down.

She wanted to see him, wanted to see him immediately, madly, but when the voice really rang out, clearly audible through a wall and a door, shyness and nervousness suddenly seized her.

My feet felt like they were filled with heavy lead and I couldn't move even a step.

At this moment, even breathing became cautious, for fear of disturbing the air and the sound that was so close.

"Miss?" Chunxi, clutching her cloak, panted as she caught up. Seeing Luo Zhaohan standing stiffly in front of the moon-shaped cave entrance, her back straight, she couldn't help but become nervous as well. She lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong? But... Master Pei is right up ahead?"

Luo Zhaohan didn't turn around, nor did she answer. She simply took a deep breath. The chill pierced her lungs, causing a slight pain, but also strangely calming her pounding heart a little.

She finally plucked up the courage, raised her foot, and stepped through the moon-shaped door.

The world inside the door suddenly became clear.

Not far ahead was the corridor leading to the flower hall. At the end of the corridor, through the open partition door of the flower hall, two figures came into view clearly.

With his back to her was his younger brother, Luo Jince. Facing her, standing in the hall with his hands behind his back, his posture as slender as a pine tree, was Pei Ji.

As if sensing something, the moment Luo Zhaohan's gaze fell on him, the man in the hall also raised his eyes.

Their eyes met unexpectedly across a short distance.

In the main hall of General Fuyuan's Mansion, sandalwood was burning quietly in the auspicious beast incense burner, and the green smoke rose straight up.

In the main seat, General Fuyuan Luo Dinglian sat upright with his back straight and his face solemn.

He placed one hand on the armrest of the rosewood chair, his eyes fixed on the empty chair opposite, and seemed to penetrate the heavy door curtain and look into the distance.

He had already guessed the real purpose of Pei Ji's trip, but this certainty did not bring him relief. Instead, it was like a heavy stone pressing on his heart. Especially when he thought of his daughter keeping her mouth shut about the matter, a trace of sadness quietly spread.

General's wife Qin Wan, however, was completely unable to sit still.

She frowned, paced back and forth, and felt uneasy.

She paused again, looking at her silent husband, her voice filled with worry: "Ding Lian, this Pei Shaoqing never went out in the past few years, but he suddenly came today with such a big scene. There must be a big trouble in the court! He is in charge of the Dali Temple, what kind of place is that? It's a quagmire that you can't get rid of once you get involved! We are military generals, so we must not get involved in it!" She

He didn't think about his children's personal affairs at all, and was only worried about the future of his family.

Luo Dinglian looked up at his wife, moved his lips, but in the end he just said "hmm" in a deep voice and remained silent.

He couldn't explain why his daughter Zhaohan kept her feelings for Pei Ji a secret even from her mother after she rejected Prince Duan's matchmaking.

This tight-lipped attitude made him feel mixed emotions at the moment.

At this moment, Luo Dinglian's fingertips, which were stroking the armrest, paused almost imperceptibly.

He did not turn his head, but the sharp eyes under his thick eyebrows glanced subtly in the direction of the carved wooden door leading to the side room on the side of the main hall.

He understood something, but said nothing.

The side room is adjacent to the main hall, separated only by a thick floor-length flower cover and a few screens. It is usually used to store tea and snacks for guests or for temporary rest.

At this moment, a slender figure was quietly sticking to the closed carved window frame of the side room.

Luo Zhaohan held his breath and listened attentively to the vague conversation between his parents in the main hall.

She refused Chunxi's offer to follow her and went around to the back alone.

She carefully grasped the lower edge of the window frame with her fingers, lifted her wrist with force, and silently pushed the half-closed window open to a half-foot wide gap.

She moved lightly and nimbly. She supported herself on the windowsill with one hand, twisted her waist, and slid silently into the dim light of the side room like a nimble civet cat.

She touched the ground with her toes, landing silently. She quickly dodged and hid in the shadow cast by a row of tall antique display cases, not daring to breathe.

Heavy footsteps came from far away in the front hall, and the door curtain was lifted high.

Luo Jince led Pei Ji in. Pei Ji's cloud brocade, a color like the sky after rain, looked even more warm and elegant under the bright candlelight in the main hall.

"Father, Mother, Lord Pei is here." Luo Jince's voice was a little tense.

Qin Wan immediately stopped pacing, suppressed her anxiety, and forced a decent smile on her face.

Luo Dinglian also stood up and said in a deep voice, "Pei Shaoqing, please sit down."

After some greetings, they sat down and the maid served them fragrant tea.

As the aroma of tea wafted in the air, the hall fell into a subtle silence.

Pei Ji did not touch the cup of tea.

His deep gaze slowly swept across the faces of Luo Dinglian and Qin Wan. Finally, he stood up, walked into the hall, and solemnly performed a junior salute to the general and his wife at the top.

"General Luo, Madam. I've come to bother you today because of something I've considered over and over again. I dare not mention it lightly in my invitation, fearing it would be rude. Only by coming to your house in person and presenting my request can I demonstrate my sincerity."

He paused slightly, his eyes frank and firm: "The General's family has a clean and upright family tradition and a reputation that is well-known. The younger generation has always admired it. Miss Zhaohan of the Luo family..."

When the name came out clearly from his mouth, Luo Zhaohan, who was hiding in the shadow of the side room, instantly clenched his cold fingers, his nails digging deep into his palms. "She is beautiful and intelligent, with elegant manners. I have admired her for a long time."

The four words "I have admired you for a long time" are like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing huge waves in everyone's heart.

"Today, I have the audacity to come to your house and earnestly ask the General and Madam to allow me to marry Miss Zhaohan."

He bowed deeply once more, his posture extremely humble. "If you, General and Madam, grant my permission, I, Pei Ji, swear here that I will cherish Zhao Han as the most precious treasure in my heart and will never let him down. I wish to hold your hand and grow old with you."

Luo Zhaohan, who was eavesdropping, trembled all over when he heard this and almost fell down.

You could hear a pin drop in the main hall.

Luo Dinglian sat upright in the main seat, his hand on the armrest had already unconsciously clenched into a fist, and the veins on the back of his hand were slightly bulging.

Even though he had expected this, the complicated feeling still hit him hard when he heard Pei Ji propose to him so solemnly.

His expression was more solemn than before, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife, staring straight at Pei Ji.

Qin Wan's reaction was the most direct.

The blood color on her face faded away completely, leaving only a pale white.

The whole person felt as if struck by thunder from the sky, his soul flew away, and his mind was blank and buzzing.

She turned her head suddenly and instinctively looked at her husband Luo Dinglian. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a word.

Marry? Pei Ji? Zhao Han?

How is this possible?

The one who reacted most intensely was Luo Jince, who was standing behind Pei Ji.

When Pei Ji clearly uttered the five words "I want to marry Luo Zhaohan", Luo Jince felt a loud noise in his head, as if something exploded instantly.

All the previous confusions have answers at this moment!

It turns out that the "huge event" that this cold-faced Yama wanted was actually this?

He stared at Pei Ji's tall back, the figure who had said to him in a cold and inhuman tone under the locust tree in the back alley of the Imperial College, "Marriage is a serious matter, no joke, Mr. Luo, please be careful with your words," and the man in front of him who was making a deep and solemn promise, were torn between them in his mind again and again!

A wave of anger at being fooled instantly overwhelmed the boy's rationality. He forgot the occasion, his identity, and his father's usual harsh admonitions, and almost blurted out:

"Pei Ji! You...what nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Have you admired me for a long time? Are you asking me to marry you? You...you are kidding me! Under that old locust tree behind the Imperial College! Right under that tree! I asked you if you were interested in my sister! What did you say?! You said, 'Marriage is a serious matter, no joke'! You said, 'Young Master Luo, please be careful with your words'! I still remember that cold and aloof look clearly!

How long has it been? Huh?! Tell me how long has it been?! You come running into my house dressed like a peacock, saying things like 'I've long admired you' and 'Grow Old Together'? You...you..."

He was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat.

This earth-shattering question was like a drop of water thrown into a frying pan, instantly causing the solidified air to explode.

Qin Wan was so frightened by her son's roar that her whole body trembled. She finally regained a bit of consciousness from the extreme shock, but the confusion and bewilderment in her eyes became even deeper.

Imperial College? Under the locust tree? Rejection?

This...what is going on?

Luo Dinglian's brows were deeply furrowed, and he looked at his son with a stern warning in his eyes, but he did not scold him immediately.

His sharp eyes swept over Pei Ji again, as if waiting for his explanation. There was a stronger sense of inquiry in the depths of his eyes.

And Pei Ji, despite Luo Jince's furious roar, still stood straight as a pine tree.

He slowly turned around and faced the young man whose face was flushed with excitement. There was no anger of being exposed on his face, nor was there any embarrassment.

But when his eyes passed over Luo Jince's finger pointing at him, they sank slightly. With a kind of intimidating pressure without anger, Luo Jince subconsciously retracted his hand.

“Click.”

An extremely slight knocking sound suddenly came from behind the tightly closed carved wooden door of the side room.

Luo Dinglian suddenly clenched his fist on the armrest, and his eyes shot towards the small door of the side room like lightning.

He naturally knew what the sound meant.

Qin Wan was also startled by the noise. She looked in the direction of the sound blankly and looked at the tightly closed door of the side room, her eyes full of confusion.

Who's inside?

Even Luo Jince, who was so excited that he almost lost his mind, choked because of the sudden noise. His angry questioning stopped abruptly and he subconsciously looked towards the side room.

The only outsider in the hall was Pei Ji.

At the moment when the slight knock sounded in the side room, an extremely subtle fluctuation seemed to pass through the depths of his pupils, so fast that it was impossible to catch.

His eyes did not go directly to the side room door like others did, but instead swept across Luo Dinglian's instantly clenched fists on the main seat, and the pure surprise and suspicion on the face of the general's wife Qin Wan.

Deep in those eyes, there seemed to be a barely perceptible concern.

Then, he withdrew his gaze very naturally and looked at Yiluo Jince again, as if the strange noise just now had never happened.

Behind the side door, in the shadow of the antique display case, Luo Zhaohan clutched her hand tightly to her mouth, her face pale. The immense impact of Pei Ji's words had shaken her heart, and she involuntarily took a half step back, her lower back colliding with a prominent corner of the display case.

The sharp pain made her wake up instantly, but it also exposed her existence.

She leaned her back against the cold shelf, her heart beating so wildly that it almost jumped out of her throat. Even her breathing stopped, and only her ears were buzzing.