Chapter 131

Outside Zhigao Hall, the setting sun casts a golden glow on the verandas, courtyards and willow trees.

Seeing that she didn't speak for a long time, Luo Shenyuan frowned slightly: "...You don't want to?"

"No..." Yi Ning was afraid that he would misunderstand, so she quickly shook her head.

Luo Shenyuan had already reached out and gently pressed her shoulder. This was different from his brother's actions; he was very restrained, yet there was a sense of strangeness about the opposite sex. He asked again, "Are you willing to marry someone like He Wenqing?"

"No." This time, Yi Ning shook her head even more. Since Luo Shenyuan had said so, what else could she say? She smiled and said, "Third brother, just do as you say - I am willing."

The warm yellow sunlight made her skin look like a fuzzy layer, and her eyes shone like amber.

Luo Shenyuan's expression relaxed when he heard her agree. "That's good... I'll keep my word. I won't force you if you don't want to." He looked at her and continued, "I have to discuss the marriage with your father right away. The situation is urgent, and I'm afraid I won't be able to wait until you reach the age of marriage."

Yining nodded, and he raised his hand and touched the top of her head. This time the feeling seemed different. Yining saw him enter Zhigao Hall, and her heartbeat gradually slowed down, and she finally relaxed.

He had been her brother just a few months earlier, but suddenly Luo Shenyuan was about to become her husband. They were going to share a bed, and she was going to take care of him... She actually felt that this man was a little strange.

Luo Shenyuan and Wei Ling discussed until it was completely dark, and when they had almost reached an agreement, Luo Shenyuan immediately took a sedan chair back to the Luo family's house to prepare. Wei Ling then called Yi Ning into the main hall and looked at his daughter for a long time before telling her, "Your third brother is truly a thoughtful person. Although the situation is urgent, the formalities of accepting the marriage proposal and the betrothal gifts must be followed. He has already spoken to Lord Xu Wei, and asked Lord Xu to be a witness. The betrothal gifts are also ready. In case you find the Luo family residence too far from home, he has bought a new house near Fuxue Hutong."

Yi Ning was sitting next to Wei Ling, eating a cake. She hadn't even had time for dinner yet! The cake was too dry, so she picked up a cup of tea and drank it all before swallowing it.

He had actually considered everything! He even invited a witness. Yi Ning was also surprised: "He invited Lord Xu?"

As the leader of the Qingliu faction, Xu Wei held a very high position in the imperial court and had many supporters. How could such a political giant be called in by the third brother to propose marriage?

"Master Xu has a very good temper. I think he truly loves your third brother as his student. Otherwise, he would never respond if someone called him." Wei Ling watched the girl wolfing down her food, a smile on his face, but a slight discomfort welled up in his heart. His child, whom he had only brought home and doted on for a few years, was about to become someone else's. She was so young, not even fourteen, and her body was still delicate and tender. But Luo Shenyuan was already twenty-two, a grown man.

"Your third brother also told me that although you're getting married, you're still young. He wants to treat you like brother and sister first. That's exactly what I meant. After all, you're already brother and sister, and I'm afraid you might not be used to it yet." Wei Ling added, "After you marry him, if he bullies you, come back and tell Daddy, understand?"

Yi Ning felt a warmth in her father's face as she watched him worry. She smiled and nodded. In her previous life, her grandmother had arranged her wedding. Her father was so busy fighting over his wives and concubines that he had no time to care about how she got married. He simply asked the servant to give her four hundred taels of silver as an additional box, and considered that he had fulfilled his responsibility.

Wei Ling still felt uneasy. What if someone in the Luo family bullied her? No matter how much he could control her, he couldn't interfere with other people's inner quarters. Fortunately, she married Luo Shenyuan. He would be even more worried about anyone else.

"You must bring guards as a dowry," Wei Ling warned again, "Chen Lian and his men will obey your orders from now on."

Her father asked her to marry with guards, this was no joke! Yi Ning said, "Are you really planning this? What's the point of me bringing Chen Lian as my dowry?"

Yi Ning felt that these people's actions were all unexpected. Which family would bring a dowry of guards when marrying a girl? She was going to get married, not to fight in the war.

Wei Ling didn't care, his face solemn: "I am the Duke of England marrying off my daughter, who dares to say anything wrong?"

Yining didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing this: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

That evening, Wei Ling took her to Old Madam Wei's house and told her, "Don't worry about Yining anymore. Luo Shenyuan is coming in the evening—he wants to marry Yining."

Mrs. Wei was so shocked when she heard this that she stopped drinking the ginseng soup and kept asking what was going on.

Wei Ling said, "I think Luo Shenyuan really wants to help Yi Ning. His willingness to help is fantastic! He's a young Minister of Works and has a promising future. He also has a deep friendship with Yi Ning and is her older brother, so he's willing to help her."

It took Mrs. Wei a long time to recover. She held the Buddhist beads and said, "We didn't think of him at first because he was Yining's brother. Now, he's the best choice!"

The two of them got together to talk.

Ting'er was practicing calligraphy at Old Lady Wei's place. The little girl was helping him change the paper. When she heard them talking, she looked up at Yining and said, "Sister, are you getting married?"

He had heard them discussing marriage in recent days, so he quietly asked Songju, the eldest maid, what marriage meant. Songju told him, "It means the young lady is going to become someone else's wife."

Wei Ting still didn't understand: "Then sister will still live with me?"

Song Ju smiled and shook her head: "The young lady will live with her uncle now. When your little nephew is born, I will bring him back to see you."

Ting'er was unhappy after hearing this.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!