Chapter 44 A Heart-Fluttering Arranged Marriage
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It turns out that the word "reporting" meant that he was required to report the whole story, the time and place of his trip.
Although Wen Zhixu was a true ancient person, one could tell from her slurred tone that she probably enjoyed listening to his detailed reports.
“If you ever stay at your mother’s house for a while, I will send Wenqi to the front of the house every evening to report my activities for the day to you.”
Lin Xihe's face inexplicably flushed, and she changed the subject, saying something Wen Zhixu couldn't understand: "How could capitalists emerge in feudal society? They exploited the working class like cattle..."
The more nervous she became, the more she mumbled incessantly. Wen Zhixu didn't interrupt her, but simply bent down to pick up the fan she had dropped.
Du Mu wrote a poem that says, "A light silk fan brushes away fireflies." At this moment, Wen Zhixu holds up a small fan for the girl beside him and brushes away the annoying flying insects.
Lin Xihe's tone lowered, and the conversation quietly circled back to the original topic: "What good things did you buy at the jade shop?"
A thousand years from now, they'll all be antiques that will be up for auction!
The girl showed great interest in the matter, her eyes glistening with tears: "Your financial strength is above mine—only temporarily, though. Who knows, I might become rich in the future. Hurry up and show it to me so I can feast my eyes."
Wen Zhixu hid the jade hairpin he had carved himself in his sleeve, not daring to meet those bright, clear eyes: "You like summer, and the eighth day of the sixth lunar month is an auspicious day, so how about our marriage..."
Lin Xihe stood frozen in place, her mind reeling from the other person's unusually gentle voice. What was he saying? Marriage...?
A bark from a dog abruptly brought my chaotic thoughts back on track.
The black tiger, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, wagged its tail and ran over as soon as it saw its master.
In its mouth, it was holding something that looked familiar.
Lin Xihe's pupils contracted sharply as she recognized it at a glance. It was the letter of annulment that Wen Zhixu had sent earlier, which she had hidden deep inside her makeup box.
She rubbed her throbbing temples, her mind completely blank.
Mo Hu, as if possessed, bypassed Wen Zhixu and ran to Lin Xihe's legs, rubbing against her embroidered shoes happily.
Lin Xihe then crouched down, patted the dog's head, and took the thing it brought her.
Before Wen Zhixu could react, the annulment letter was already in the girl's hands.
"I agree to annul the engagement!" Lin Xihe exclaimed as she handed over the annulment letter. "You wrote this, didn't you? Even though it's a feudal society, we should dare to break free from arranged marriages! Your thinking is quite progressive!"
"..."
The letter of annulment was drafted by Wen Zhixu himself: the handwriting on the embossed paper was his, the signature was his, and it was his servant who mistakenly delivered it to the Lin residence.
He sent his dogs to steal it, but they failed the first time.
Today happens to be Lin Xihe's birthday, and Tinghe Pavilion is unattended, so the dog successfully completed its mission.
But the silly dog turned around and ran back to his legs, nudging him affectionately with its neck, its eyes clearly saying, "Master, praise me!"
The author's preface is beyond reproach.
But the girl was heartless and carefree, and she even unfolded the letter in front of him, acting arrogantly and unrestrainedly.
Lin Xihe glanced through it quickly.
Today, these traditional Chinese characters, which she once found grotesque and aggressive, no longer evoke any resentment; upon closer inspection, they appear graceful and pleasing to the eye.
"Tsk tsk, you wrote such a fancy piece. Why didn't you just say so earlier? I would have definitely played along."
He frowned and stepped forward: "Cooperate with what?"
"I heard from Xie Lan that the Empress wants to marry her to you. Of course, she doesn't have feelings for you now, but who knows, she might in the future. If I become good friends with her, I can put in a good word for you..."
Before she could finish speaking, her throat felt blocked. It was an inexplicable sense of loss that made her heart skip a beat.
"And what about you?" Wen Zhixu pressed closer, forcing her against a pillar, leaving her no room to maneuver. Forget about etiquette and rules; at this moment, he only wanted to completely possess her. "How do you feel about me?"
Lin Xihe clenched her fists and pressed them against his chest. That familiar feeling surged back, just like that day on horseback, when she could hear her heart pounding out of control. She closed her eyes, and Wen Zhixu's face was clearly imprinted in her mind.
"Why did you stop talking?" He spoke with a cool, sandalwood scent that gently brushed against her eyelashes.
It felt like a little cat was causing trouble in her mind, preventing her from thinking calmly. So she simply closed her eyes and pretended to be dead.
In Wen Zhixu's eyes, this girl had a stubborn appearance that was unyielding and would rather break than bend.
He fell in love for the first time in his life; the other person used to be mentally challenged, and is now blind and mute.
How could the dignified Second Young Master Wen have ever suffered such humiliation? He was furious and determined to pry open this ancestor's mouth today!
He reached out his hands towards her face—
With a forceful pull of two fingers, I pried open her tightly closed eyelids.
Suddenly, two bright black eyes bulged out, looking bewildered and innocent.
"Little blind man, look at me and say that!" His jaw muscles bulged, he was about to explode with anger.
Lin Xihe, forced to become a goldfish with bulging eyes: "..."
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"Imperial decree has arrived!" A loud voice rang out from the front courtyard. "Lin Xihe, the eldest daughter of the Lin family, receive the decree at once!"
Upon hearing the imperial edict, Lin Xihe, a modern person, had never experienced anything like it. In a panic, she grabbed Wen Zhixu's sleeve: "Is it going to mean the extermination of nine generations of your family?"
Wen Zhixu stopped arguing with her.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here for you." He took her hand in his.
Lin Xihe followed behind him in a daze. The wind made his clothes flutter. She turned her eyes away and saw a rolling sea of clouds above the courtyard.
A steady warmth emanated from his palm, gently soothing the panic in her heart.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, Lin Xihe knelt down with a thud. Composing herself, she furtively glanced around furtively from the corner of her eye.
Lin Zhaoheng, Wen Hongyuan and others knelt in front, and the main hall was filled with a huge crowd of guests kneeling. The scene was very grand, and the ancient costume drama scene in Hengdian was vividly reproduced.
Her gaze involuntarily fell on Wen Zhixu. The man seemed to sense her gaze, met her eyes, and gestured with his chin as if to say: Kneel properly, or your entire family will be executed.
Lin Xihe subtly curled the corners of her mouth, turned her head to the side, and resisted looking at him.
The chief eunuch loudly proclaimed the imperial decree: "...I hereby bestow upon Lin Xihe, daughter of the Censor-in-Chief, the grandson of the current Prime Minister, Wen Zhixu, in marriage. An auspicious day shall be chosen for the ceremony..."
Wen Zhixu almost laughed out loud, and before the imperial decree had even finished, he couldn't help but look up at her again.
Seeing her kneeling upright, her back exuding a calm "it's none of my business" aura, Wen Zhixu couldn't help but frown: What did she mean? Was she dissatisfied with this marriage?
After receiving the imperial decree.
Lin Xihe stood up, feeling a soreness and numbness in her knees. Seeing the head eunuch with a kind smile, she was about to step forward to say a few words when Lin Zhaoheng intercepted her halfway, subtly blocking her from behind.
"Quickly serve tea to Eunuch Chen!"
Fearing that his daughter might say something inappropriate in such an important situation, he quickly signaled to the servants to take her away.
While the outside world was bustling, the study became a tranquil haven.
A tall figure appeared outside the window, and a voice came through the paper window: "Didn't you hear the decree announced by Eunuch Chen?"
Lin Xihe moved to the window and replied through the window, "I heard you clearly."
It's just about getting them to get married, right? There's nothing wrong with her hearing.
"Why are you speaking to Eunuch Chen? Is there a part of the imperial edict that you don't understand?" He spoke slowly, seemingly both sincere and probing. "I can explain it to you word by word."
Lin Xihe: "I just wanted to chat with my father-in-law for a bit. The eunuchs in TV dramas are all actors, but this one is real!"
Preface: "...?"
With a creak, the window frame revealed the girl's head, her face flushed like the glow of the sunset.
"What are you trying to say?" Wen Zhixu truly couldn't fathom the girl's thoughts. The joy of the arranged marriage had barely subsided when a sense of unease crept into his heart. He had gotten what he wanted, but what about her?
Would she be willing?
Lin Xihe stretched out a hand to him, palm up: "Where's my birthday present?"
The thought of that heavy, broken sword Xie Qi gave her gave her a headache.
Seeing that Wen Zhixu was standing there like a wooden stake, she moved her face away and gave him a few glances up and down: "You didn't come unprepared, did you? You stingy guy..."
He's already so stingy with his wife before they're even married!
Wen Zhixu took out the jade hairpin he had kept hidden in his sleeve for a long time and handed it over: "Here you go."
The girl's upper body was almost sticking out of the window when she took the hairpin with satisfaction. The jade hairpin felt smooth and slippery to the touch, its luster dazzling; it was clearly a priceless treasure.
Lin Xihe smiled softly, a hint of surprise in her eyes: "You made this?"
Wen Zhixu stubbornly insisted, "I bought it."
Seeing that he wouldn't admit it, Lin Xihe grabbed his hand through the window: "Do you really think I'm an idiot?"
As the sun set, one could see that her once slender and beautiful fingers were now covered with carving knife marks.
"...So, do you like it?"
"I love it!" Two stars secretly shone in her eyes.
All these days of hard work have been worthwhile. Wen Zhixu felt relieved and, wanting to hear more praise, couldn't help but say, "I studied under Li Qixing, a famous craftsman from Shengjing. Master Li said..."
Lin Xihe showered him with compliments: "Wow! From a prestigious lineage!"
Wen Zhixu paused, scrutinizing her radiant face, a hint of doubt crossing his mind: Was she just making things up?
He said solemnly, "What I have carved is your..." name.
She nodded repeatedly, her tone confident: "You carved a perfectly round egg! It's especially adorable!"
"!!!" All expression vanished from his face, turning him into a stone sculpture.
He clearly carved a lotus bud about to bloom! As Mr. Li once said, "The form may not be there, but the spirit is already there; the beauty lies in the charm!" In other words, it is already rare for a novice like him to achieve this quality after many days of hard work.
Lin Xihe shifted her gaze from the jade hairpin to his face, feeling uneasy: Had she said something wrong?
She glanced at the outline of the hairpin and guessed a few styles randomly. Seeing Wen Zhixu's face growing darker and darker, she quickly came out of the study, sidled up to him, and, right in front of him, stuck the hairpin into her hair.
She turned her head to show him the hairpin: "Look! No matter what you carved, I'm wearing it!"
"Hmph." His expression softened slightly, and he let out a faint nasal sound. You little brat, you know what's good for you.
Lin Xihe stopped shaking her head, grinned at him, and said, "Guess one last time, is it a steamed bun? I love the steamed buns made by your chef the most."
"..."
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