Chapter 118: Plum Blossoms 28: Our Marriage Certificate

"I shouldn't have left you here." The old lady lowered her voice, her hands shaking.

Jiang Tingyuan knelt down immediately, pursed his lips, but his eyes showed clear stubbornness.

"Do you know what you are doing? He treats you so sincerely, and you want to play tricks on him like this?"

Jiang Tingyuan could not help but defend himself: "If I had any intention of playing a trick on you, I would have died immediately and never be reborn."

The old lady was so shocked by his words that she took a step back. With a complicated look in her eyes, she stroked her forehead and looked at the obvious palm print on his face.

"Then you...what are you thinking?" She paused for a long time before speaking.

"I regard him as the bright moon, but I cannot suppress my longing for him. I want to hold the bright moon in my arms." His voice was low, but every word was heavy, and there was a sense of relief when he said it.

It was as if he was about to be crushed by these words and could no longer bear it.

The old lady was silent for a long time, and when she spoke again she had calmed down.

"But he doesn't know yet that Yan Ze treats you like a brother and a family member."

Jiang Tingyuan lowered his head dejectedly. He had been holding on, but he burst into tears just because of these light words. His tears fell on the bluestone and spread out.

"Child, you are still young. Don't think about anything other than feelings, and don't think about the consequences of this matter. Impulsive persistence is sometimes not always a good thing."

"Yan Ze grew up under my watch." The old lady looked down at the tear marks on his face, took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.

"He was only five years old at that time. He was tortured in the Song Mansion in Kyoto. When I saw him, he was too hungry to speak, and his clothes were all rags. Others were able to learn at the age of four, but he couldn't even speak complete sentences at the age of five."

"It was me, the old lady, who took him away from there, and watched him transform little by little into the person you like. I saw how much hardship he went through. He studied without slacking off for a single day. In the summer, he got prickly heat so hot that his back bled from scratching. In the winter, he was so cold that his face turned purple..."

The old lady looked at Jiang Tingyuan, her voice was gentle, and she just spoke calmly. But Jiang Tingyuan's heart shrank, and he was sad for the suffering Song Yanze had to endure when he was away.

"Because he said he wanted to become the top scholar and enter the government. He knew what it felt like to be hungry and didn't want to let others go hungry."

The old lady couldn't help but sigh with pride, "Ordinary people would want to take the imperial examination, make their father in the Song Mansion in Kyoto regret his indifference, and make everyone who has bullied him pay the price."

"And you, child." The old lady touched his head and saw his eyes full of tears. A stubborn man like him would cry silently.

"You've also been through a lot, so you should understand how difficult it is. If you drag him down, all his hard work will really go to waste."

"I...I won't. I will treat him well, I will give him everything I have, and I can protect him." Jiang Tingyuan only then realized his predicament.

Everything he has now is thanks to the Song family.

"If he marries a girl from an aristocratic family, he will have the support of the nobles. If he has a wife, no one in the world will say a word about him. If he gets involved with you, it will be like playing with a book boy, which is despised by the world. When he enters the court one day, he will not be of any help, and he will have to deal with the Song Mansion in Kyoto not liking him."

"You said you love him, so let him go. It will help him and yourself."

Jiang Tingyuan's mind was in a mess. He listened in silence, and finally just looked up at the old lady in a daze.

"I want to, but I can't do it, even if I die."

The old lady was silent for a moment. She did not doubt the child's paranoia. "Then go."

"Yanzhou's Governor Jiang is a branch of your Zhuguohou. I have a relationship with them. You go to Yanzhou and become a prince. I don't care what happens to you there."

Jiang Tingyuan bowed: "I can't leave him, I can't live without him."

"Then I will respectfully inform all the elders to include you in the family tree. From now on, you will be his legitimate brother."

The old lady did not force him to leave, but gave him a difficult choice.

"If you go to Yanzhou, ten years later, if you still have the same original intention and he has never had anyone in his heart, I will not care what happens to you two."

"If you stay and change your name in the family tree, I will arrange a separate courtyard for you. From now on, you will be a young master of the Song Mansion, just like Yan Ze."

Given Song Yanze's temper, if he were to enter the family tree and change his name to become his elder brother, then there would be no chance for them in this life.

But ten years... is too long.

It was so long that it was scary. Even if two people who loved each other had been apart for ten years, they would doubt whether their original intentions were still the same when they met again. But he didn't even have that hope. He was wishful thinking and it was all his own fault.

"I'll give you time to make your choice."

*

"You have to give him some time. He probably won't be able to bring himself to come to you, sir."

Today, Lianxin came to tie his hair. Song Yanze was a little angry, but he was also worried about him. He would never be like this on weekdays. When he got up, Tingyan had already practiced a set of boxing and came in.

Then she made fun of his messy hair that was left after sleeping, and then patiently combed it neatly and tied it into a beautiful bun.

As soon as he woke up today, he looked everywhere, but he didn't see Tingyan at all.

Song Yanze did not go to school today, so the old lady sent someone to tell him to go to Qingshan Temple in the suburbs to burn incense.

It rains a lot in the south of the Yangtze River during this season. The sky was gloomy with drizzle and the air pressure was low. Song Yanze was absent-minded along the way and couldn't help sighing.

The carriage was only halfway there when Song Yanze got off, holding an oil-paper umbrella with a picture of red plum blossoms on it, and walked up the stairs step by step. There were lush vegetation on both sides, and the plum trees in the woods were in full bloom.

The steps were slippery with moss, so he kept his head down and walked carefully until he reached the mountainside, where he saw Miss Yu sitting in the pavilion, looking at her, with the orange kitten in her arms.

Song Yanze frowned slightly and suddenly realized his grandmother's intention. Normally, she would never let him burn incense for her.

It was obvious that Miss Yu had been waiting for a long time, and the maids and servants who followed her were not surprised at all, and even poured tea in advance.

"Mr. Song, come and have a cup of tea."

Song Yanze glanced at Lianxin and found that he looked guilty, and he was completely certain.

"Sir, Miss Yu is also very nice, you can go and talk to her..."

Song Yanze turned around and left, sitting opposite the pavilion, far away from her. The people around him moved back a few steps, but were still within his sight.

"Miss Yu, do you have something to say to me?"

Li Lanyu looked at him disappointedly. In fact, she had already understood it in her heart, but she just didn't give up.

"The Qiu family wants me to marry you, and your grandmother approves of it. What do you think, Mr. Song?"

Song Yanze did not hesitate, but his voice was not as cold and hard.

"I am not worthy of you, young lady."

"Is there no possibility at all? You should know that this will be of great benefit to your future prospects."

Song Yanze smiled, turned his head and looked at the plum tree on the side, and said softly: "No wonder the young lady mentioned the Qiu family when we met that day. She also arranged for the Qiu family to set up a game that I had to go to."

"Miss Yu is smart, she should know that I have no intention, why are you forcing it?"

Li Lanyu liked his handsome looks, the fact that he had achieved fame at a young age and was a top-ranking official. She also liked the fact that he kept himself clean and had never had a concubine.

She wanted to fight for a possibility for herself, and she bet that Song Yanze would have a bright future.

"I don't understand why there is no intention."

"No reason." Song Yanze finished his tea and said softly, "It's unintentional."

"I have finished my tea. I am leaving now."

Song Yanze bowed and turned to leave with his umbrella in hand, but Li Lanyu quickly stopped him.

"You have a sweetheart now?"

"No. So I can't agree to it."

After Song Yanze finished speaking, he didn't want to say anything more. He walked around her with an umbrella and continued walking up step by step.

On the other side, Jiang Tingyuan sat with the old lady, watching them from afar as they talked and drank tea. Song Yanze left again with an umbrella.

"This girl is the cousin of the Qiu family. She is talented and intelligent. Although the Li family is in decline, they have two officials in Beijing. I don't need to tell you more about the Qiu family."

"He is determined to do practical things for the people, but he doesn't know that to get into a position where he can do practical things, he needs not only talent, but also connections and family background. He wants to be naive, so our family has to consider him."

Jiang Tingyuan stared at them in a trance, his eyes darkened, his face and lips pale as paper. After a long while, he suddenly chuckled and shook his head.

"He won't agree to that."

Jiang Tingyuan stared at his back and looked at the red plum blossoms under the umbrella.

"He will definitely not agree."

The old lady shook her head in disapproval: "He doesn't have a sweetheart, Miss Yu, who is about the same age and smart, why do you think he won't agree?"

"Old lady, if I win the bet, don't force him to get married in the next ten years. If he brings it up on his own initiative, I will have no objection."

The old lady looked into his bright dark eyes. She didn't expect that he would make such a choice, nor did she expect that he would dare to make such a choice.

"good."

There is a giant golden Buddha in the main hall of Qingshan Temple. Song Yanze burned incense and knelt down, first praying for his grandmother's health, and then his mind was filled with the worried Tingyan.

"Please have mercy on me, Buddha, and bless Tingyan to have all her wishes come true, and to have a smooth and happy life."

Song Yanze bowed earnestly and turned around to see a young monk with fox eyes smiling at him.

He was stunned for a moment, then walked over as if possessed by a ghost.

"Donor, I see that you have the appearance of a blessed and intelligent person, but your brows are furrowed, as if you are troubled?"

Song Yanze inexplicably felt that he looked familiar, and the words also sounded familiar. Subconsciously, he thought that he should ask him for money.

"It's not that I have something to worry about, but the person I care about seems to have something to worry about. I don't know how to help him."

"Let nature take its course, and blessings and wisdom will come naturally. Do you want to draw a fortune stick? I can answer your question."

The novice monk with fox eyes looked like he had no Buddha nature at all, but looked smart and cunning. Song Yanze trusted him inexplicably, stretched out his hand to shake the stick holder, and a stick fell out.

"What a bad fortune..." Song Yanze couldn't help but sigh.

The novice monk smiled, put his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name.

"I will give you ten taels of silver to help you turn misfortune into fortune, turn disaster into blessing, and finally bring lovers together."

Song Yanze couldn't bear it anymore, and even began to doubt whether the fortune sticks were all bad. But he still took out ten taels of silver and gave it to him, looking at him doubtfully.

"Just help the people I care about to turn misfortune into good fortune, turn disaster into blessing, and finally marry lovers."

The novice monk said to him casually as if jokingly, "It's all the same." Then he grabbed his hand and made his palm face up.

He slapped Song Yanze's hand suddenly.

[The administrator has switched the world flow rate, and the program has been managed. Please be aware of this. 】

Song Yanze suddenly came to his senses and patted his head subconsciously, until Jiang Tingyuan came over and came to his senses. There was no little monk in front of him, only a stick box that had never been moved.

"Let's go back." Jiang Tingyuan looked visibly haggard, and Song Yanze was shocked. Then, in order to ease the atmosphere, he pulled him to shake the lottery box.

"Everyone says Qingshan Temple is very spiritual. You've been in a bad mood lately. Why don't you ask about good and bad luck?"

Jiang Tingyuan smiled and took the lottery ticket box.

No matter whether it is good or bad, the best fortune or the worst fortune, he has already made the decision and will not change it.

Bang!

"It's a very good fortune!" Song Yanze couldn't help but pick it up and put it in front of him, his eyes widened and he couldn't help but smile.

"I'll come too." Song Yanze also shook the sign tube, and with the rustling sound, the inexplicable gap between them disappeared again.

Bang!

“A very good fortune!”

Song Yanze almost suspected that all the fortunes were good, so he pulled Jiang Tingyuan to kneel before the Buddha and thank him.

As the day progressed to noon, the dark clouds gradually dispersed and the sunlight shone brightly. Song Yanze pulled him to lie by the window to look at the plum tree not far away.

"With the Buddha's blessing, we will have smooth sailing in the future. Does this make you feel better?"

Jiang Tingyuan looked at his face and chuckled, "Much better."

His voice was hoarse, and the strong reluctance and growing emotions were suppressed in his body. It was torture, but also sweet.

"Your grandmother... wants to change my name and add me to the family tree, so that I can be your elder brother in the future. What do you think?"

Jiang Tingyuan clutched his robe tightly and swallowed several times before asking.

"That's great. From now on, you will be the young master of the Song Mansion. No one will dare to look down on you. If you want to take the martial arts exam in the future, you will also have..."

What he knew long ago was that he just wouldn't give up.

Jiang Tingyuan stopped talking and just looked at him, as if he had never looked at him carefully before.

In the evening, Song Yanze was called away by the old lady.

Jiang Tingyuan stood outside the door and listened to the old lady talking to Song Yanze one thing at a time, from the benefits of marriage, to the unpredictable officialdom, to the Song family's dislike for him in Kyoto.

"Grandma, I understand."

"But I don't want to."

Jiang Tingyuan let out a long sigh, closed his eyes and slowly opened them again.

He tied the red hair rope tightly around his wrist. He exchanged his life-saving dagger for the red rope and left here alone as he came here.

From Huizhou to Yanzhou, all the way to the northwest. He was strong and skilled in martial arts. When he had money, he slept in an inn. When he had no money, he slept in the woods and in a cemetery.

He never thought that he had to rely on the title of a duke or young master to get ahead. When he arrived in Yanzhou, he started as an ordinary soldier.

Yanzhou was not peaceful at that time. There were either bandits or invading enemies. They were killing people day and night, burying corpses, and looting spoils...

Living here can drain a person's energy, and his heart gradually becomes numb and cold, but the red rope always irons him. Sometimes when he is safe, he will take out the red rope, sit in the moonlight and smell it, thinking about the plum blossoms in Huizhou.

He tried not to think about the worst possible outcome.

"Jiang Tingyuan?"

When he almost forgot his own name, Governor Jiang found him with a letter, making no secret of his admiration and satisfaction.

At this time, he had already become a military marquis, in charge of a battalion of soldiers.

It was only a year and a half at this time.

*

The moonlight was cold, Song Yanze lay in front of his chest, hearing his heartbeat, and his warm breath ruffling his hair. It was not until his hands scraped away the wet stains that Song Yanze realized that he had cried.

"I... am I too slow... hug..."

The apology that was blurted out was strangled between his lips. Jiang Tingyuan had been smiling the whole time. There was only happiness in his eyes and brows, without a trace of undesirable torture.

Song Yanze hugged him tightly, opened his lips, and indulged himself in the late spring night.

"It's not too late. It's never too late."

Song Yanze knew what the red tassel on his goose feather was. He snuggled in his arms to look at the goose feather placed aside. The red tassel was swaying, and he was swaying too.

The bed was indeed small and a little crowded, but the more so, the more they had to stay close to each other. Song Yanze's clothes were piled up at his waist, his chest and neck were glistening with sweat, and his long legs were entangled, forming a beautiful arc.

Song Yanze turned his head to look at his flushed face and ears. Jiang Tingyuan kept looking at him with his eyes lowered. They always bumped into the edge of the bed, making a squeaking sound, but Song Yanze was fine.

Jiang Tingyuan thought proudly that he had already reaped all the benefits, so what did it matter if he suffered a little?

Song Yanze almost sprained his waist due to his indulgence and soft-heartedness. His lower abdomen felt so uncomfortable that he didn't want to lift a finger. He just waited for Jiang Tingyuan to get some water to help him clean up.

Although he was always unruly and had new ideas while cleaning, Song Yanze really didn't want to move.

"Help me up."

Song Yanze watched him squatting in front of him packing his clothes, touched his cheek, and suddenly remembered something important.

Jiang Tingyuan hugged his waist, put his arms around him from behind to steady him, and touched his lower abdomen with his palm.

"What to do?"

Song Yanze took the prepared gold foil red paper, moistened it with ink, took a deep breath, and picked up the pen to write. However, he leaned on Jiang Tingyuan nervously and took a few deep breaths before he was ready to pick up the pen and answered softly.

"Write our marriage certificate."

"On this happy day, the red string is tied together, a perfect match. In the future, we will be together forever, with the fragrance of osmanthus and orchid. This is the proof."