Chapter 65 The Wedding Night
Lu Qilang entered carrying a basin of water. The first thing he saw was Lu Jinlan pressing a man against the wall in an intimate pose, the two so close, looking very affectionate. Clang! The basin fell to the ground.
The piercing sound snapped the two out of their shock. The man quickly pushed Lu Jinlan away and angrily straightened his clothes.
Lu Qilang: "What are you doing... Am I disturbing you? Perhaps I should go out first, and you can continue?"
The man said urgently, "Don't talk nonsense, it's not what you think. I was just changing clothes here when she suddenly came in and assaulted me."
"Hey? Don't talk nonsense, okay?" Lu Jinlan spread his hands innocently. "I mistook you for Qilangcai... Qilang, please explain this to me."
Lu Qilang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It seems there was a misunderstanding. This is Young Master Xiao from Qu Kingdom. He accidentally soiled his clothes at the banquet, so I brought him here to change."
Lu Jinlan secretly sized up Young Master Xiao. So he was from Qu Kingdom. No wonder his features were so deep and he had a rather exotic look.
He looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, and his height was similar to Qi Lang's; otherwise, she wouldn't have mistaken him. However, after briefly recalling the feel of his hand just now, she realized that Young Master Xiao was actually thinner, and his belt was tied very tightly, outlining a narrow waist.
Young Master Xiao met Lu Jinlan's scrutinizing gaze and glared at her.
Lu Qilang said, "Young Master Xiao, please don't take offense. Didn't you just say you admired my master's talent? She had just drunk some wine and misunderstood..."
Young Master Xiao said angrily, "I don't admire her anymore! I don't see any misunderstanding. Even if she mistook me for you, what kind of heroine is she to touch and harass a male servant? And what's wrong with saying 'it's me'? You, Lu Jinlan, can't just assume that all the men in the world are in love with you, can you?"
Lu Jinlan sneered: "Heh, your male servant lives in such a big courtyard?"
Qi Lang quickly explained, "Actually, I am Lord Lu's servant, and she is my wife. Because of today's wedding banquet, it is inconvenient for me to go out, so I wore a male servant's uniform. This is my room; otherwise, how could I dare to bring you here?"
Young Master Xiao said with some doubt, "You and your servant are of one mind, who knows if what you're saying is true or false."
Lu Jinlan glared at him. "Think what you want."
She turned to leave, but Young Master Xiao wouldn't let it go, following behind her and saying, "Don't think you can just let this go like this, you have to apologize to me."
Lu Jinlan strode forward. She hated unreasonable men and replied dismissively without turning her head, "Sorry, okay?"
"Hey, what kind of attitude is that?"
Qi Lang advised from the side, "Young Master Xiao, it's really a misunderstanding, please stop making a fuss."
"What's wrong with me making a scene? She took advantage of me, and I'm not allowed to say anything?"
As the three were talking, they arrived at the courtyard gate and bumped into Qing Shi, Song Lincheng's dowry servant, who was carrying a charcoal brazier.
Lu Jinlan asked in surprise, "What are you doing here? Who's keeping your young master company in his room? It's so late, has he had lunch yet?"
Qing Shi glanced at her hurriedly and said respectfully, "My lord, my young master is not in his room. He is still kneeling in the Guanyin Hall. It's a bit cold over there, so I came to get him a charcoal brazier."
Lu Jinlan was taken aback. "Who made him kneel?"
Qing Shi said, "Today's entire ceremony was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Rites."
Lu Jinlan frowned and turned to head towards the Guanyin Hall.
Qi Lang, fearing she would get angry, disregarded Young Master Xiao and quickly chased after her to tell her, "This is the normal procedure for a wedding. Whenever the husband enters the house, after the ceremony, he must kneel before the ancestral tablets of the wife's family. I've heard that this is to temper the husband's temperament and make him more docile in the future; it's a rule that has existed since ancient times. The people from the Ministry of Rites are just following the rules, so don't get angry with them."
Lu Jinlan blurted out, "What kind of bullshit rules are these!"
Young Master Xiao forgot about arguing with her and quickly followed behind the three of them. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Guanyin Hall in the backyard.
At this moment, Song Lincheng was kneeling motionless on a rattan winnowing basket, his head veiled. Two officials from the Ministry of Rites, responsible for guiding the etiquette, sat to the side, drinking tea and supervising.
In addition, there were dozens of male relatives present. Some were married, and some were unmarried. Every now and then, someone would come up with various motives, saying a few words that were either comforting or sarcastic.
"Rin-chan, hang in there a little longer, Aoshi is going to get the charcoal brazier."
"Oh dear, you can't even endure this little bit of hardship? Every married man goes through this. Do you think being someone's husband is so easy? You're lucky now, you get to kneel on winnowing baskets. Back then, we had to kneel on broken stones, which hurt much more than this."
"That's right, just bear with it. It's the same no matter who you marry, you'll have to go through this with whoever you're with."
Before the words were finished, someone behind him said loudly, "Who said that? If you're Lu Jinlan's man, you won't have to go through this."
The voice was not loud, but it was very firm and powerful, reaching everyone's ears.
Everyone turned around and saw that Lu Jinlan had arrived!
This place was full of men, and when she, a woman, suddenly barged in, the crowd instantly parted like a tide, making way for her.
Lu Jinlan strode forward. The two officials in charge were sixth-rank officials, and knowing that their ranks were lower than hers, they hurriedly came forward to greet her, "Lord Lu, what brings you here?"
Lu Jinlan glanced at the two of them. "I heard that my husband is still kneeling here, so I came to check on him. You two have worked hard, please go to the front to eat."
As she spoke, she walked past the two of them and grabbed Rin Cheng's arm, "Get up, we won't kneel anymore."
The two officials in charge hurriedly advised, "Lord Lu, this is not in accordance with the rules. According to etiquette, one should kneel for three hours, but your husband has only been kneeling for less than an hour."
Lu Jinlan's eyes widened: "Three hours? Won't my knees be ruined from kneeling? This rule is off."
The official in charge hurriedly said, "Lord Lu, please don't make things difficult for us. The Emperor has ordered you to marry according to the proper rites, and you cannot disobey the imperial decree."
Song Lincheng tugged at her clothes and whispered, "I can handle it, I'm fine. Never mind, don't worry about me."
Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth, "You two are determined to argue with me, aren't you? Then let's have a word about it."
"According to the rules, we should kneel before the ancestral tablets of my Lu family. But our ancestral tablets are all in Yunzhou. This is the Guanyin Hall where my father occasionally comes to chant sutras, not the ancestral hall. What do you mean by 'according to the rules'? The Emperor wants us to marry according to the rules. All the formalities are just a formality. Why are you so stubborn?"
"You've probably heard a bit about my temper; I'm used to doing whatever I want. If you're not happy, you can report me to the Emperor later. But His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and probably won't have time to reprimand me for such a trivial matter. That's all I have to say. You two should go and eat at the banquet. I'll come and toast you later. If you don't eat, you'll be forcing me to lose my temper."
Even the two officials in charge, no matter how dim-witted, could understand Lu Jinlan's implication. Refusing a polite offer would likely lead to consequences. Why provoke her in the first place?
The two exchanged a glance and immediately took their leave.
Lu Jinlan helped Song Lincheng up. "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing, my foot just went numb."
He staggered, and two tears fell from under his veil, landing on the back of Lu Jinlan's hand.
Lu Jinlan's heart softened. "Does it hurt a lot?"
Lin Cheng quickly shook his head and smiled, "No, I was moved to tears."
Lu Jinlan squeezed his hand. "Go back and eat something, get some rest. I'll head back as soon as I'm done. Qing Shi, take your young master back to his room."
Qilang said, "I'll go get some medicinal oil."
Lu Jinlan nodded slightly, then looked at the male guests gathered around. "Gentlemen, there's nothing more to see here. The steward has arranged a place for you to eat and drink tea. Please make yourselves at home."
Seeing her unfriendly expression, everyone excused themselves and scattered like birds and beasts.
Only that young master Xiao remained, still standing there, staring blankly at her.
Lu Jinlan glanced at him. "Why aren't you leaving yet? I've already apologized to you, what more do you want?"
Young Master Xiao looked embarrassed. "I think... what happened just now might have been a misunderstanding, but... but you still have to take responsibility for me."
Lu Jinlan doubted her ears. "What?"
Young Master Xiao pursed his lips. "How can I ever get married if you do that to an unmarried young master like me?"
Lu Jinlan: "No, stop trying to frame me, okay? What did I do to you? I just hugged you. If you don't tell anyone, and I don't tell anyone, and Qilang doesn't tell anyone either, no one will know."
Young Master Xiao: "That won't do either, I can't live with myself."
Lu Jinlan sighed helplessly, "Fine, I guess I'm just unlucky today."
She pulled out a stack of silver notes from her bosom. "Here, consider this my compensation. These silver notes are enough for you to hold a wedding."
Young Master Xiao refused, saying, "I don't need money, and I don't want your silver."
Lu Jinlan was truly at a loss. "Then what do you want?"
Young Master Xiao pondered for a moment, then hesitated and said, "I think... if you could marry me, this matter would be over."
Lu Jinlan fell silent instantly, and for a moment even began to question the meaning of life.
She scrutinized the young master Xiao's expression; he didn't seem to be joking. Judging from his words and actions, he didn't seem like a madman, yet he spoke as if he were mentally ill.
Lu Jinlan was silent for a moment, then licked her lips. "Is my reputation in your Qu Kingdom not so good?"
"How could that be? You have a very good reputation in Qu Kingdom, otherwise I wouldn't have come here by name and specially asked someone to bring me to your wedding banquet. All the young men in Qu Kingdom admire you, including me."
Lu Jinlan sneered, "Didn't you just say that you no longer admire me?"
Young Master Xiao blushed. "Times have changed. Besides, what happened earlier was a misunderstanding. Now I admire you."
Lu Jinlan rolled her eyes at him. "Stop jumping back and forth here. It's no use admiring me. Do you think I accept anyone? Am I not picky? If I married every man who admired me, I wouldn't have enough rooms. Besides, didn't you see that I already have enough men around me? Today is my wedding day, and you saw Qilang. I also have another man in Yunzhou who is pregnant."
Young Master Xiao thought for a moment, "There are only three, not many. Adding me won't be much trouble."
"Are you ever going to stop? Don't the men of your Qu Kingdom have any self-respect? I'm not marrying you, do you hear me?" Lu Jinlan lost her patience and shouted, "Xi Mo!"
Xi Mo came over upon hearing the sound, "Young Master."
Lu Jinlan instructed, "Take this sick young master to the front yard, ask who brought him here, and take him away immediately."
Young Master Xiao retorted, "Don't you like men who take the initiative?"
Lu Jinlan ignored him, waved her hand to let Xi Mo pull him away, went back to Qi Lang's place to catch up on her sleep, and when she woke up, she went to the front to socialize with several people.
The banquet finally ended as darkness fell.
Lu Jinlan returned to her and Lin Cheng's new room, lifted the veil, and couldn't help but feel a jolt in her heart.
It's strange, even though we see each other every day, the red dresses, red curtains, red candles, and red veils give it a unique and fresh feel.
Lu Jinlan touched his face, her fingertips tracing the corners of his reddened eyes. "You cried again later? You didn't cry for a long time, did you?"
Lin Cheng smiled and shook his head. Qing Shi said, "Young Master just heard that my General and my husband were crying over there, and he shed a few tears as well."
Rin: "Shut up! Who asked you?"
Lu Jinlan hurriedly asked, "Why are you crying, mother-in-law and father-in-law?"
Qing Shi glanced at Lin Cheng, and Lu Jinlan said, "I asked you a question, so speak."
Qing Shi smiled and said, "My lord, the general and my husband were worried and sent someone to ask how the young master was doing. When they heard about what happened at Guanyin Hall, they were deeply moved and the couple hugged each other and wept. They praised you for being so caring and said that our young master has good taste and is very lucky to have married the best woman in the world."
Lu Jinlan smiled, and Song Lincheng proudly straightened his clothes and said to Qing Shi, "Alright, stop talking. This is none of your business. Go and rest."
Only the newlyweds remained in the room. Song Lincheng embraced her and said gently, "I know you better than you think. Even without what happened today, I'm certain my wife is the best woman in the world, a peerless heroine. It's just a pity that today happened..."
Lu Jinlan: "So what happened today?"
Song Lincheng sighed, "After what happened today, I don't know how many people are envious that I married you. Your reputation, Lu Jinlan, will soar, and in the future, there will probably be countless handsome men crying and begging to marry you."
Lu Jinlan smiled and did not refute, after all, there was someone crying and begging to marry her today.
She changed the subject at the right moment, saying, "A moment of bliss on our wedding night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Let's not talk about others on our wedding night."
Song Lincheng's lips curled into a smile, and he asked knowingly, "So, what should we talk about?"
"What do you think?" Lu Jinlan reached towards his lower abdomen, raising her dark eyebrows slightly. "Let's talk about how to take away your chastity mark."
Before getting married, no matter how intimate the two were, they never went all the way to the final step.
At this moment, the red candles are lit high, their flames flickering, and the floor heater emits warmth; finally, their love is fulfilled. Springtime has come and gone, filling the room with enchanting beauty.
*
After the wedding, Song Jingxiao took her husband, Yang Shi, back to Lingzhou.
Before leaving, Song Jingxiao reminded Lu Jinlan to be careful of the Ling family, as they were the ones who ambushed her outside the city last time. The conflict between the Song and Ling families was practically out in the open, and as the heir of the Song family, Lu Jinlan had to be extremely cautious.
Lu Jinlan wasn't actually worried. Her martial arts skills were improving daily, and Jiang Lan led a team to guard her day and night. Lin Cheng and Qi Lang were both skilled in martial arts, making a covert assassination impossible. As for the public eye, she was still a student, and the Ling family couldn't do anything to her.
Furthermore, Lu Jinlan thought that if she were Ling Zhijing, she wouldn't focus her energy on dealing with the Song family army. Wasn't the greatest danger facing the Ling family the Emperor's determination to bring them down?
After the New Year, Lu Jinzhao also returned to Yunzhou with Yan Shi and others.
With no elders around, Lu Jinlan could once again let loose and enjoy a carefree life surrounded by beautiful women.
At this time, several major events occurred in the capital.
Grand Commandant Ling Zhicong suddenly fell seriously ill, remained bedridden, and passed away in less than half a month. Lu Jinlan had a vague feeling that the Emperor had already secretly taken action against the Ling family.
Immediately afterward, unrest broke out on the border between Hua Kingdom and Jiang Kingdom. The Ling family army guarding the border was no match for the Jiang Kingdom's army and suffered repeated defeats. The emperor was furious and had no choice but to negotiate peace, sending the second prince, Zhao Jun'er, to Jiang Kingdom for a marriage alliance.
Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin were chatting idly in Zhongyong Garden when they talked about this matter, and they were quite moved.
Yan Wuxin: "When Zhao Jun'er's carriage ran over and killed a refugee child in the street, the emperor killed the rioting refugees. At the time, I thought she cared a lot about this son. But as soon as something happened on the border of Jiang Kingdom, she immediately sent Zhao Jun'er away. I heard that the emperor of Jiang Kingdom is over fifty years old and has plenty of men in his harem. Zhao Jun'er won't have a good time there."
Lu Jinlan sighed, "The most ruthless are those in the imperial family. She is the emperor, how could she care about a son?"
Yan Wuxin asked, "Then what does she care about? Her daughter?"
Lu Jinlan shook her head. "I'm afraid not. The only thing she cares about most is the power in her hands."
Yan Wuxin suddenly looked at her and blurted out, "Sometimes you really don't talk like a seventeen-year-old."
Lu Jinlan smiled. "Then what do I look like?"
"Like my mother."
Yan Wuxin rarely talked about her family, so it was rare for her to bring up her mother. Just as Lu Jinlan was about to ask more questions, Xi Mo suddenly ran over to report, "Young Master, there is a young master outside the door who insists on seeing you."
Yan Wuxin laughed and said, "Your young master is a famous figure in the capital. People clamor to see her every day. If they're not invited, just send them away."
Xi Mo said, "What Young Madam Yan said makes sense, but this young master is quite handsome. I was thinking... perhaps the young master wants to see him, or perhaps there is some connection between them, so I came to say hello."
Lu Jinlan snorted, "You're getting better and better at talking as a housekeeper. Listen to her, all those sarcastic insinuations. It's as if I've been with every man with a bit of good looks. And if someone comes to me, it's because of some connection."
Yan Wuxin smiled and said, "It's hard to say. Even if you've never been involved, you'd probably be interested if you heard that she's good-looking."
Lu Jinlan stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "That does make sense. She is indeed quite good-looking?"
Xi Mo smiled and said, "Indeed, it is an unforgettable appearance."
Lu Jinlan pondered for a moment, "Is it that Young Master Xiao from the Kingdom of Qu?"
Xi Mo hurriedly replied, "That's right."
Yan Wuxin teased from the side, "See, Ximo guessed right. It seems there is indeed some connection, otherwise you would have thought of him just because he is good-looking. You have quite an impression of him."
Lu Jinlan sighed, "He's a troublesome guy. You wait here, I'll go deal with him."
When Young Master Xiao saw Lu Jinlan come out, his eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward, "Lord Lu, Happy New Year!"
Lu Jinlan nodded slightly. "Young Master Xiao, Happy New Year. Is there something you need to see me about? I have matters to attend to at my residence, so let's keep it brief."
Young Master Xiao's eyes darkened. "Alright, then I'll make it short. I'm going back to Qu Kingdom. I don't know when we'll meet again. By the way, you don't know my name yet. I want to tell you that my name is Xiao Heng. I know you like jade. I recently acquired a piece of green jade inkstone, and I brought it to give to you."
Xiao Heng handed over an exquisite gift box. Lu Jinlan glanced at it and said, "Xiao Heng, I know what you mean. But feelings between people can't be forced."
Xiao Heng nodded and forced a smile. "But I didn't force you. I just wanted to give you something you like, not something you don't like. Is that not allowed?"
Seeing his rather heartbroken appearance, Lu Jinlan's heart softened. "Alright, I'll accept the gift. I'll give you a gift in return next time we meet."
"Okay!" Xiao Heng readily agreed. "I hope we can meet again soon."
He leaped onto his horse and quickly rode away.
*
Not long after, Xiang Ruzhen returned from Mianzhou, bringing the latest news from the north: "Recently, the border between us and Qu State has also been unstable, and we are afraid that war is about to break out."
Lu Jinlan said, "Most of the areas bordering Qu Kingdom are garrisoned by the Song family army. With my mother-in-law here, there is no need to worry."
Xiang Ruzhen sighed, "I hope so, but unfortunately we're still studying. If a war really breaks out, they'll only send third-year students to the front lines. We want to protect our land and people, but it won't be our turn yet."
Yan Wuxin: "War is too dangerous. It's best if we don't get a chance to fight. Ruzhen and I aren't even married yet, and we don't even know if Jinlan's child is a boy or a girl. Shouldn't we at least have a daughter before going to the battlefield?"
Lu Jinlan suddenly smiled and coughed lightly: "Lin Cheng and Qi Lang are both pregnant, so one of my three children should be a daughter, right?"
Yan Wuxin sat up abruptly. "Well done, Lu Jinlan. Looks like you haven't been idle this holiday. Oh dear, I'd better hurry up, otherwise my child will be born late and your kids will be chasing after him. Ruzhen, don't you think so?"
Xiang Ruzhen said calmly, "I don't care. I want to establish my career first, then start a family. I don't want to think about marriage and having children before I've achieved something."
Lu Jinlan advised, "No, don't be so stubborn. You can't be too dogmatic. If you meet a man you like, you should go for it right away. If you're too late, someone else might snatch him away. Sometimes the order doesn't matter; fate does."
Half a month after these words were spoken, the three of them returned to school. One late night, a commotion erupted in the academy. Lu Jinlan was half asleep when he learned the next day that the states of Qu and Jiang had simultaneously invaded his border, resulting in a setback at the front and the loss of many officers.
The Emperor issued over a dozen imperial edicts overnight, one of which ordered all second- and third-year students of the Royal Academy to be sent to the front lines to support the war effort. The edicts were issued hastily; the senior students hastily packed their belongings and were taken away that very night, without even a chance to go home.
The campus, which had three hundred students, was suddenly reduced to one hundred. The college cleaned up the empty rooms and rented them out at high prices to students who wanted single rooms.
Lu Jinlan thought that when the end of the semester came, they would have to change the altered grades back, and there would be many discussions, so they would definitely need a relatively private space.
So, Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin each took a room. Of the 1068 people, except for Xiang Ruzhen, Sun Lewen, and Wu Qiongmeng, everyone else went out to stay in single rooms.
Lu Jinlan had just finished cleaning the room when someone knocked on the door.
Upon opening the door, Xiang Ruzhen was blocking the entrance, her expression slightly strange.
Lu Jinlan hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiang Ruzhen suddenly said, "I think you're right now. You can't be too dogmatic. Sometimes the order doesn't matter."
Lu Jinlan nodded blankly and replied, "Um, and then?"
Xiang Ruzhen: "Actually, it's okay to break some rules occasionally."
Lu Jinlan frowned. "Did I say that?"
Xiang Ruzhen: "It doesn't matter. Anyway, do me a favor."
As she spoke, Xiang Ruzhen pushed a man into her room, saying, "Help me hide him."
Lu Jinlan: "Who...who is this?"
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