It was evening.
Xia Siqi sat in her room, holding a book and lost in thought.
Lu Zhaofeng has been away on the expedition for quite some time now.
Why haven't they come back yet?
Could something have happened?
"Imperial edict has arrived!"
With a voice announcing the news.
The Imperial Censor and Lady Xia exchanged a glance.
Imperial edict!?
Why would an imperial edict suddenly arrive in the middle of the night?
Could something have happened?
The Imperial Censor thought it over carefully and realized that the court had been peaceful recently and nothing had happened.
What was the reason behind this imperial edict?
"Lord Xia, may I ask if Miss Xia is here?" The eunuch walked up to the Imperial Censor with a smile: "Quickly, send someone to invite Miss Xia out. This imperial decree is for her."
"Siqi's?" The Imperial Censor turned pale with fright.
"Lord Xia, please don't be nervous, this is a joyous occasion." The eunuch's smile deepened.
The Imperial Censor's expression finally softened a bit.
At this moment, Xia Siqi also rushed over from the backyard.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xia Siqi, daughter of the Imperial Censor, is skilled, generous, gentle and kind, and is hereby betrothed to Lu Zhaofeng, the second son of the Grand General. All the ceremonies shall be jointly handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Observatory. The wedding shall be held on an auspicious day. This is the decree."
The Imperial Censor and Lady Xia exchanged a glance.
"Why hasn't Lord Xia accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude? This marriage was bestowed upon him by General Lu through his military achievements, which shows how much he cares for Miss Xia."
The Imperial Censor then suddenly came to his senses.
He winked at Madam Xia with a nervous yet excited expression.
Madam Xia hurriedly took out a bag of silver from her bedroom and stuffed it into the hands of the eunuch who came to read the imperial edict.
"It's really kind of you, Father-in-law, to come all this way."
"No, no, this is all my duty," the eunuch waved his hands repeatedly.
"Please accept this, Your Excellency. When the wedding is held, Your Excellency will certainly come to drink a cup of wine at the celebration," the Imperial Censor said politely.
"It's getting late, I need to go back and report to the Emperor."
The Imperial Censor personally escorted the eunuch who was reading the imperial edict all the way to the gate of the mansion.
"Miss Xia is so lucky. Now that Consort Shu is as powerful as the Empress in the palace, and General Lu has made great military achievements, you can rest assured that she will marry into the family."
"Thank you for Your Majesty's boundless grace, and thank you for your kind words, Eunuch."
The Imperial Censor walked in from outside, looking worried.
"I really didn't expect that when you personally went to his residence to bring up this matter, General Lu was full of excuses. How come he actually went to ask the Emperor to grant the marriage himself?" Madam Lu said in surprise.
"I don't know, Mother." Xia Siqi stared at the words on the imperial edict, her cheeks flushed, looking at them again and again.
"Siqi," the Imperial Censor said with a worried expression, "tell your father the truth, did you and General Lu do anything out of line in private?"
Xia Siqi: ...
“Father.” Xia Siqi looked at Madam Lu angrily: “Mother, look at Father.”
Madam Lu punched the Imperial Censor in annoyance: "How can you talk about your daughter like that? Siqi is with me all the time. Besides, even if Siqi really had something going on with General Lu, didn't the Emperor still grant them a marriage?"
Xia Siqi: ...
She rolled her eyes, speechless.
“Before the General’s Mansion was so prosperous, we couldn’t even dream of being worthy of it. Now, the Noble Consort Shu’s status in the harem is unmatched, and Young Master Lu is the new top scholar. Our Siqi is so lucky.”
Madam Lu's tone was tinged with smugness.
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