Then, a woman dressed in red stepped out of the carriage. She had almond-shaped eyes, a pert nose, and rosy lips, with a wisp of bangs framing her forehead. With her eyes lowered, she exuded a gentle and graceful charm reminiscent of the Jiangnan region.
As expected of a great beauty, An Ke watched with great interest. Ertai noticed that An Ke's attention was fixed on Miss Hu. He glanced in that direction, then quickly looked back.
Is she beautiful? Perhaps, but in Ertai's eyes, since the princess has already entered his heart, then in this life, there will only be the princess in his heart. No matter how kind or beautiful other women may be, they have nothing to do with Ertai. Though there may be countless stars, he only dedicates his heart to the bright moon.
At this point, the public's emotions had reached a fever pitch. They were all discussing and cheering.
"I wonder who will be lucky enough to hit that love lock today. Miss Hu is so beautiful, I wonder whose son is worthy of her?"
"I heard that Master Hu has already prepared the wedding hall. He's just waiting for someone to shoot the love lock so he can take them over for the wedding ceremony."
Anke and her group weren't the only outsiders; another outsider had also squeezed in to watch the spectacle. "To entrust such a life-altering matter to a mere embroidered ball—isn't that childish?"
An older woman nearby immediately retorted, "This young man looks like he's from out of town."
"I happened to be passing by and heard that they were holding a shooting contest to find a husband. I found it interesting and came to see for myself." The young man bowed respectfully, his tone quite different from his previous arrogance.
"Our place is called Yue Lao Town. Do you see that ancient tree? That's the most famous and most effective Yue Lao Tree in our town. Look at the red ribbons hanging on it; you can tell how efficacious it is. Shooting a ball to choose a spouse is also a tradition here. Out of more than ten embroidered balls, only one has a love lock on it. If he hits it, doesn't that mean the two of them are destined for each other? Otherwise, why would everyone else miss, but he would hit it?" The old woman explained to the boy with a smile.
"Judging from your young age, you must be unmarried. Otherwise, you could also be here seeking a marriage partner." The matchmaker's nature kicked in again.
The startled boy quickly backed away, nearly tripping over the person behind him. "No, no, I'm already engaged at home."
"Then young master, why don't you stay here and take a look?" A woman next to him said, trying to help him out, and casually tugged at the sleeve of the older woman next to him.
This young master is clearly from a wealthy family; just look at his attire—brocade—and you can tell he's no ordinary person. Since he's not ordinary, then what he just said must have been the truth. He's just here to watch the show, and since his family already has an engagement, wouldn't it be unfair to his fiancée to marry here?
The boy gave the woman a grateful look, and she smiled and nodded back.
Anke's attention was focused on the table. At that moment, Ms. Hu began to introduce herself.
"My daughter's name is Hu Ruolan. She has some knowledge of poetry and literature, and a basic understanding of music. She is 22 years old this year." Hu Ruolan paused here. "By order of my father, I have entrusted this matter of marriage to the God of Marriage. My father will tell you the rules. Please feel free to offer your guidance." After speaking, Hu Ruolan looked at the crowd below the stage.
The phrase "beautiful eyes that sparkle" also applies to Hu Ruolan. An Ke smiled as she looked at Hu Ruolan, who was like a rare orchid in a secluded valley. Truly a beauty!
Another round of cheers and applause erupted from the audience.
Ziwei stared at Miss Hu in a daze and blurted out, "She's so beautiful, so poised and confident, publicly discussing finding a husband in front of the crowd without any stage fright. It's truly an eye-opener for me."
An Ke glanced at Ziwei. Although she sometimes felt that Ziwei was a bit scheming, what she was saying at the moment was quite pleasing to the ear.
An Ke had just turned her gaze away when she heard Fu Erkang's greasy remark, "Beautiful, somewhat knowledgeable in poetry and literature, and somewhat knowledgeable in music, but not as good as someone else." As Fu Erkang spoke, his head was tilted towards Ziwei.
Anke glanced at the old man, unsure if he had heard her, but she knew perfectly well. Good heavens, whispering to each other in public, as if afraid no one would notice they were dating?
Anke silently complained in her heart, when she heard Benjamin repeating Fu Erkang's formula, "He doesn't understand poetry or music, and he's not as good as someone else."
Anke: Ugh, Benjamin, what's wrong with you? You're copying Fu Erkang's greasy remarks.
At this moment, the organizer of this shooting contest, Master Hu, stepped forward and bowed to the audience. "Fellow villagers, neighbors, and friends, today my daughter Ruolan is here to choose a husband through shooting. Whoever hits the love lock inside the colored ball will be immediately welcomed into the family for a wedding ceremony. If the person who gets the love lock already has a wife or is of an incompatible age, they must shoot again. Please, those who already have wives or are of incompatible age, do not go up on stage. Alright, let's begin." Master Hu finished speaking in one breath, then sat back down, took a sip of tea, and moistened his dry throat.
"Okay, let's begin." Little Swallow was even more excited than the villagers, jumping up and down on the spot.
Then, a servant from the Hu family spun the colorful ball, and a decent-looking young man stood on the platform. His appearance wasn't particularly outstanding, but it was still presentable. He simply picked up the bow from the table, nocked an arrow, and shot it.
Just by looking at his posture, Anke knew he was going to miss with that arrow. Sure enough, the arrow grazed the ball.
"I knew it! The youngest son of the Huang family looks so frail and sickly, how could he possibly hit the target?"
"Who says otherwise? If he wasn't after Miss Hu's beauty, then he must have been after her immense wealth."
Listening to this gossip, An Ke nodded to herself. Indeed, it was a marriage proposal, a marriage proposal. What was that? Wasn't it just like finding a son-in-law to live with the family? Looking at Miss Hu's stunning beauty, her knowledge of poetry and music, and her wealthy background, if An Ke weren't a member of the royal family and were just an ordinary man, she would definitely go on stage and give it a try.
Several more people went up on stage afterward, but they either missed or failed to hit the love lock. In short, they all failed one after another.
As the sun slowly rose higher, the cicadas chirped louder in the trees, making everyone sweat profusely.
Even though Master Hu was sitting on the stage, he was extremely anxious, constantly wiping the sweat from his brow with the clothes in his hand. Watching one person after another fail to hit the love lock, he grew increasingly impatient. Was it possible that no one would be able to hit the love lock and propose to his Ruolan today?
Master Hu stood up abruptly and addressed the crowd below, "I wonder if there are any other experts who would like to come up on stage?"
The crowd below the stage pushed and shoved, shouting, "Go! Go! Hurry up and go!"
"Go ahead, you go!" "You go, you go first!"
Hearing this conversation, An Ke felt a surge of anger. What did they mean by "you go first"? What did they take Miss Hu for? Looking at the faces of the villagers around her, An Ke felt that none of them were worthy of such a beautiful Miss Hu.
The old man shook his head as he looked at the scene before him, waving his folding fan.
Little Swallow couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed Yongqi, saying, "Yes, yes, we have an expert here."
Yongqi was filled with panic and hurriedly pulled his sleeve back from Xiaoyanzi's hand. "Xiaoyanzi, what are you doing?" Yongqi was now only angry. Even if he didn't know her feelings for him, she couldn't just push him away like that, could she? Besides, she was a member of the royal family, and her life's most important matter was not something to be taken lightly.
Seeing that Yongqi's expression was also unpleasant, Xiaoyanzi continued to peek around, searching for her next target. "Ertai, Ertai."
Upon hearing Xiao Yanzi's voice, Ertai immediately turned towards Anke and covered his ears with his fingers. This vividly demonstrates the saying "out of sight, out of mind."
Benjamin, seeing Xiao Yanzi dawdling around, stood up for her and raised his hand, saying loudly, "Me too, I'll give it a try."
The local people around were talking amongst themselves, "What's this foreigner doing here? Is he here to find a wife too?"
Hu Ruolan shook her head at her father. An Ke understood Hu Ruolan's approach, but didn't agree with it. Yes, at that time, foreigners were just "foreign devils" to them. After all, people rarely had the opportunity to come into contact with foreigners, and they simply felt that they were not of their kind.
But when the rules were announced, there was no mention of foreigners being prohibited from taking the stage. Now, isn't this behavior a direct disregard for their original rules? Besides, how can they know it's inappropriate without any direct interaction? Although Benjamin's heart is still with Xiaoyanzi, Anke is only addressing the matter at hand.
Upon seeing this, Mr. Hu immediately stood up and walked to the front of the stage. He excitedly declared, "No, foreigners won't do. This daughter will only marry a Chinese man."
Benjamin turned around with a wry smile and said to Xiao Yanzi, "You see, it's not that I don't want to go on stage, it's just that they only want Chinese sons-in-law. So save your energy and don't even think about it." Although he wasn't chosen, Benjamin wasn't discouraged at all. He hadn't really expected to go on stage anyway; he just wanted to make Xiao Yanzi give up.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanzi immediately began to defend her group, hands on her hips, "Hey, why is that? They didn't say foreigners were no good at first. I'll help you get their support." Xiao Yanzi, like a fool, was about to rush forward, but luckily Benjamin pulled her back.
The original intention was to discourage Xiao Yanzi, but why is she becoming more and more courageous?
However, at that moment, a burly man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a long beard strode onto the stage, picked up a bow from the table, nocked an arrow, and shot it directly at the colorful ball. So fast that his movements were almost imperceptible, he shot the love lock inside the ball.
Anke glanced at the person on the stage; he was quite impressive. He seemed to be a trained hunter, carrying a bow and arrows on his back. Could he be a hunter for a living?
The people present cheered for this man, saying, "Good, good."
Even the master exclaimed, "This man has amazing skills!"
At this moment, however, Master Hu was filled with panic and repeatedly said, "No, no, no, my daughter will not marry Big Beard."
The person who was smiling just a second ago because they hit the love lock immediately had a tight smile on their face.
Little Swallow couldn't hold back any longer. She rolled up her sleeves and said, "Hey, it's one thing if foreigners don't want you, but why can't you even accept a bearded man? No wonder your young lady can't get married. He's already hit the love lock, why haven't you married your daughter to him yet? How can you be so untrustworthy?"
Upon hearing this, Master Hu repeatedly refused, "No, no, she absolutely cannot marry this bearded man. This fellow's beard is a mess; how can my daughter marry you?" With that, Master Hu turned his back on her. He only had one daughter; was she really going to marry such a vulgar man? Looking at that man's large beard, he was only worthy of his pampered Ruolan.
The bearded man laughed loudly, "Haha, I, Gao Liang, am famous for my beard, doesn't Master Hu know that? Zhang Fei also has a big beard! He was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry and was also enfeoffed as Marquis of Xixiang. Guan Yu is known as the 'Beautiful-Bearded Gentleman' and was even bestowed the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness by the current Emperor. The famous Song Dynasty scholar Su Shi had an even bigger beard. He was once teased by Su Xiaomei, who said, 'Where is your face? It's just a bunch of messy straw.' Master Hu, how can you ruin a marriage because of your beard? Wouldn't that make the God of Marriage laugh at you?"
An Ke became increasingly convinced that Gao Liang was a talented individual. His archery was swift, accurate, and powerful, and his speech was eloquent. He was a man of both literary and martial talents, and An Ke's eyes gleamed with interest as he thought about how Gao Liang could be nurtured.
Yongqi stood in the crowd and said loudly, "What a brilliant idea! What a brilliant idea! Mr. Hu, you also have the surname Hu, so why not make this marriage happen? It would be a wonderful story. So you two are destined to be together, so hurry up and get married. Don't let Miss Hu miss this important life event!"
Fu Ertai then stepped forward and added, "You've heard the story of Qiu Ran Gong, haven't you? He was also a bearded man, and he even helped Li Jing conquer the land. Even Hong Fu Nu could recognize a hero with her discerning eye. Could it be that we're destined to meet today? Why don't you, Master Hu, hurry up and arrange this marriage?"
However, Mr. Hu insisted on his opinion, otherwise he wouldn't be known as the most stubborn person in the play. "No, no, my Ruolan will not marry the bearded man. If you want to marry him, you can, but you'll have to shave off this beard first."
Gao Liang, a man of ambition, stroked his beard and said, "I, Gao Liang, can live without a wife, but not without a beard. Since I am rejected, I, Gao Liang, will leave." He then stepped forward and recited a poem to Hu Ruolan before turning to leave. But the master stopped him, asking if he held any official rank or title.
Upon hearing this, the master immediately stepped forward as a matchmaker, saying, "These two children are clearly destined for each other. Since they were able to hit the love lock, it means that the God of Marriage also approves of this marriage. Master Hu, hurry up and let the two children get married. Otherwise, you will be committing the crime of deceiving the emperor." Then he silently gave Fu Heng a wink.
Fu Heng stepped forward and whispered a few words to Master Hu. Upon hearing this, Master Hu's eyes immediately lit up. He pulled his daughter and Gao Liang over and knelt on the ground. "Daughter and son-in-law, this is truly a joyous occasion! You have met a benefactor!" Hu Ruolan and Gao Liang exchanged a glance, both completely bewildered.
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