The master smiled and told them to stand up, then said to Fu Lun behind him, "Fu Lun, prepare a congratulatory gift for me."
Fu Lun smiled and nodded, "Yes, sir." An Ke looked at the newlyweds in front of him and waved his hand, "Xingxing, please give me a congratulatory gift as well."
Xingxing paused for a moment, then quickly took out her purse and deftly pulled out a gold ingot. She then slowly stepped forward and handed it to Master Hu. What could she do? Her princess was so generous and always so charitable. Therefore, she always carried a large amount of money with her.
Looking at the gold ingot in his hand, Master Hu kowtowed to An Ke again. He then smiled at his niece, "Haha, today our distinguished guest is blessed with your family's good fortune."
Following the old man's words, An Ke continued, "Yes, it's truly a match made in heaven, a perfect couple."
E Min, who was standing nearby, continued, "Since Master Hu has already found such a good son-in-law, he should hurry up and prepare for the wedding of the two newlyweds. The distinguished guest needs to rest and will not attend the wedding."
"Yes, yes, yes." How could Master Hu refuse? This was an extremely important person!
The master, quite satisfied, led the loving couple back to the inn with everyone in high spirits.
Anke and Qing'er said halfway through that they wanted to explore Yue Lao Town properly, so they didn't go back with them. The master looked over and ordered the guards to follow. Ertai, standing to the side, darkened his eyes.
Anke couldn't persuade her uncle not to make such a big fuss, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out. Fortunately, the guards were perceptive and only followed from a distance, not getting too close.
"Qing'er, this is pretty. This begonia jade hairpin suits you very well." An Ke played with a jade hairpin in her hand and compared it with Qing'er's hair accessories, finding that this jade hairpin matched Qing'er's clothes today very well.
“An’an, this hairpin suits you very well too,” Qing’er said loudly, holding a crystal-clear peony jade hairpin in her hand. The quality looked quite good.
Seeing that the two young ladies were dressed in finery, the owner of the jewelry stall knew they could afford it and began to enthusiastically promote his wares. "You two ladies have excellent taste! These two hairpins are both new designs. No one in this Yue Lao Town has ever bought them before. You two are as beautiful as flowers, and these hairpins are also fine pieces. Flowers should be paired with beauties."
No wonder Uncle likes to hear nice things; Anke feels really good about it. (Anke: Yes, he praises me like that!)
"Then help us wrap up both of these hairpins." In a good mood, An Ke waved her hand and took them all.
Upon seeing this, the guards immediately stepped forward, took the hairpin from the shopkeeper, and followed behind the two young ladies.
"You didn't even try to negotiate the price. Just pay whatever the shopkeeper says." Qing'er looked at An Ke's extravagant spending and thought that it was fortunate that Prince Rui's businesses were spread throughout the north, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to afford to support An An.
“Didn’t you see?” An Ke sighed. “The jade hairpins on her stall, apart from a few new styles, were mostly old designs. Clearly, business isn’t good. I also saw a child peeking out from the alley behind her. Just now, when you looked down, the owner waved to the child. So they know each other. In that case, these two hairpins aren’t worth much anyway, so let’s just consider it a donation to help the poor.”
"Oh, really? I didn't see any of it." Qing'er's tone carried a hint of regret.
“I saw it, so this is a good opportunity to help them out. If you want to wear this hairpin, you can wear it on your journey. Don’t wear it when you return to the palace, or you can keep it to give as a reward,” An Ke said with a smile.
Qing'er smiled genuinely and nodded in agreement. This kind of hairpin could indeed only be worn outside the palace; wearing it inside the palace might be against the rules.
The two then wandered along this road for a long time, passing a lively gathering place called Huiyouzhai. They exchanged a glance and went inside without warning.
Inside were various rare books, as well as chess manuals, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. When Anke had nothing to do, she liked to lie on the soft couch by the window, enjoying the breeze and reading.
Seeing so many rare books now, Qing'er was like a mouse that had fallen into a granary, and began to look through them. She gazed at the sets of chess scores, finding them incredibly profound. She immediately won one.
An Ke also chose two books, and then looked at writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones. She had just gotten a black inkstone from her uncle a while ago, so she decided to buy him another one today.
I never expected that this small Huiyouzhai would have Duan inkstones. The shape and carving of the inkstones are excellent. There's a "longevity" character on the lid, pine flower patterns on the inkstone core, and a poem on the back. It looks like a style my uncle would like.
An Ke bought them all and then returned to the inn satisfied. Passing by the master's room, she paused, handed him the Duan inkstone, and the master held it in his hands, admiring it closely. "Not bad, it's a fine inkstone. I didn't expect An'an to think of her uncle while she was out playing. I'm very pleased!"
"Yes, this inkstone is indeed quite fine. I never expected that this small town of Yue Lao would be such a hidden gem." Master Ji took the inkstone from the master's hand and examined it carefully for a moment before saying this.
“There are always people better than you, and there’s always something beyond your understanding. Don’t underestimate this Matchmaker Town just because it’s not very big. It has a lot of good stuff. I even found a couple of rare books. It’s quite a haul.” An Ke proudly raised her head, crossed her arms, and looked exceptionally spoiled and arrogant.
"It seems these things are destined for An'an," the old man replied with a smile.
"Of course." An Ke didn't mince words; these things were indeed destined for her. If she weren't, why would she have entered that Huiyouzhai?
After chatting with the master for a while, she headed towards her room. Her room was at the back, requiring her to pass a small pavilion.
But to her surprise, the pavilion was packed with people. An felt a bit of a headache just looking at Xiao Yanzi and the others, and didn't want to greet them. Just as she was about to leave, she heard some chatter.
"Today has truly been an eye-opener. I never imagined there would be such a way to choose a husband through archery. That bearded Gao Liang is dressed as a hunter. He passed the imperial examination but didn't become an official. If he were a hermit, why would he come here to choose a wife? It's really strange, but he's definitely someone special." Fu Erkang sat at the table, surrounded by people on three sides.
Yongqi was also in high spirits, while Benjamin listened attentively, occasionally offering a comment or two. Ertai, on the other hand, sat expressionless with his eyes closed, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against a pillar with his head resting against it.
If he were to have a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, this scene would perfectly embody the image of a spoiled young master from a traditional Chinese novel—rich, handsome, and with plenty of free time.
Benjamin, holding his sketchbook, chimed in with his own comment, "Your master kept telling us to stay out of the way and not reveal our true identities. He wanted us all to keep a low profile, but he's the most impatient of all. He even has to meddle in matters of the God of Love."
Yongqi laughed after hearing this, "This is one of Father's habits. Father loves to see lovers finally get married. But it's fortunate that Father revealed this, otherwise this couple probably wouldn't have been able to get married so soon."
Fu Erkang added, "In my opinion, Gao Liang and Miss Hu are a match made in heaven, and Miss Hu has clearly fallen in love at first sight."
“I’ve heard from the locals that this matchmaking temple is really effective, and I think it’s somewhat credible,” Yongqi chimed in. “That little swallow really scared me to death today. She loves to join in the fun and even tried to drag me onto the stage.” Yongqi looked troubled.
Completely unaware that Xiao Yanzi was already standing behind him, Benjamin tried to warn him, but Yongqi seemed oblivious. Even after Benjamin stood up and looked at him with a horrified expression, Yongqi still didn't react.
Little Swallow flipped over and stepped over, saying, "Oh, you! What do you mean by 'just joining in the fun'? I was creating an opportunity for you, don't you understand? And can you guarantee you can hit that love lock?"
Ziwei smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "Alright, Little Swallow, the marriage contest this afternoon was really exciting."
Benjamin laughed and changed the subject, "In your China, the person in charge of marriage is called Yue Lao, right? Today's matchmaking event reminds me of Cupid, the god of love in our Roman mythology."
Yongqi asked with interest, "Cupid, the god of love?" Ertai opened his eyes upon hearing this. He was also very interested in these customs and traditions.
“Let me draw it for you. This is Cupid, a boy with a bow and arrow and a pair of small wings behind him. He’s the little angel who governs love.” Benjamin then smiled and added, “Don’t underestimate Cupid. His golden arrows bring lovers together, while his silver arrows cause them to dislike each other. That’s Cupid’s golden arrow magic.”
"Whether it's the Old Man of the Moon or Cupid, they both have the good intention of helping people find happiness," Ziwei said with a faint smile.
Fu Erkang then turned affectionately towards Ziwei and praised, "Well said! I hope that the Old Man of the Moon and Cupid can make lovers a couple in the end." The affection in Fu Erkang's eyes was almost overflowing.
Everyone seemed used to it, while Ertai silently turned his face away. He had originally planned to go back to his room to rest, but Yongqi had pulled him here. Ertai looked distressed, but when he looked up, he saw Anke and Qing'er walking slowly along the path. His mood instantly brightened. Seeing the princess was truly a delightful thing.
"Being in charge of marriage is quite a busy job. I believe that with Cupid's help, the Old Man of the Moon can achieve twice the result with half the effort," Yongqi said, looking at the red ribbon on the tree.
"Does hanging red ribbons on these trees really work?" Benjamin asked curiously.
Ziwei: "Maybe so, it's also a kind of spiritual sustenance for people."
"Of course it is! Don't the people say that this matchmaking temple is very effective? With so many red ribbons hanging on this tree, it must be even more effective," Little Swallow said confidently.
Ertai glanced meaningfully at the red ribbon on the tree. Was it effective? Better safe than sorry. He'd hang one up later and see.
Then, their tone shifted abruptly, focusing on the old man. "Whether it's the Old Man of the Moon or Cupid, why do they give men so many women? Is the Old Man of the Moon confused, or is Cupid confused too? Giving them one woman isn't enough, they have to give them a second, a third," Little Swallow said, utterly bewildered.
“Men would definitely disagree with that,” Ziwei blurted out.
“I agree,” Fu Erkang said, gazing affectionately at Ziwei.
Yongqi, contrary to his usual behavior, did not express his opinion, while Ertai silently said "I'm willing" in his heart.
Benjamin said, "Where we live, it's monogamous, and I'm willing to do that."
"Really? Are you young masters telling the truth? Especially Yongqi, who might end up like the master, with so many women he can't even count them all."
Even though Yongqi didn't say anything, hearing these words made him feel a rare lump in his throat, as if something was stuck there. "How could this be? How could I have done that?"
Anke and Qing'er were both startled when they heard them talking about the master. They both saw disbelief in each other's eyes.
Anke was furious. They were her uncle's favorite son and beloved adopted daughter, and they were gossiping about him behind his back like this? What did they mean by "doesn't he resemble the master"? How could they say such things so casually? Regardless of how the master would react, Anke was so angry she wanted to curse. To speak of her father like that in front of outsiders was utterly disheartening.
“Of course you are different from your uncle. Your uncle is the emperor, and you are his subjects. How can subjects talk about the emperor like this in private?” An Ke held back for a long time, but couldn’t help it. She walked directly to the front of their pavilion and said, “Your uncle is the emperor of a country. Sitting on the throne, it is natural that small countries on the borders would send princesses to be his concubines. Moreover, these concubines’ marriages are all for political purposes.”
After saying that, seeing their flustered expressions, Anke added sarcastically, "Even if you want to be like the master, you don't have that kind of luck."
At this moment, Xiao Yanzi seemed to have a rebellious streak and directly confronted An Ke. "There are already too many women in the palace. Many of the concubines are even around the same age as me and Ziwei, and I feel sorry for them. If it were as Benjamin said, there would be far fewer pitiful women. Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"Pity them? You may pity them, but they might not even appreciate it. There are concubines in the palace who rose from palace maids; they are people who climbed the social ladder, used to a life of hardship, and naturally don't want to go back to their former lives." An Ke smiled coldly. "As for those concubines sent here for political marriages, indeed, they had no choice. But they came here for the sake of their countries' peaceful and stable development. What's there to pity? Those in positions of power must fulfill their responsibilities; whatever position one holds, one should bear the corresponding duties."
Then, looking at Xiao Yanzi, he said, "You should be glad that your uncle is a very sentimental person. If it weren't for your mother's sake, would you have been directly recognized and made a princess? Judging from how quickly you've caused trouble, if it weren't for your mother's sake, your head would already be on your neck. You wouldn't be able to say these words today."
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