The Li family invited the Gu family to stay for dinner before they left, but since they had already agreed to have dinner at Aunt Gu's house, they didn't stay.
After seeing the Gu family off, Li Muyan immediately asked A Dong to find people to start decorating his yard with lanterns. His family was rich and had many people, so it was not difficult for them to decorate his yard like a lantern festival in a day.
Li Shan went to offer advice to Li Muyan.
Li Muyan then called Zhu Mingsheng to help him with the arrangements.
As night fell, Li Shan was called away by Madam Xie and Madam Li, leaving only Li Muyan and Zhu Mingsheng. Zhu Mingsheng joked, "You're making things so troublesome!"
Li Muyan gave him a disdainful look: "You don't understand. Just honestly help me!"
While helping Li Muyan paint lanterns, Zhu Mingsheng said, "Muyan, I have a way to improve your relationship."
Li Muyan glared at Zhu Mingsheng: "Don't try to teach me the tricks your cronies use on girls. I don't need them."
Zhu Mingsheng shook his head with a smile: "Didn't you say that Gu Nian hasn't agreed to marry you yet? Does that make sense? You've been corresponding with her for so long, and she's read and accepted all those love poems you wrote. What does that mean? It means she has feelings for you. So if that's the case, why won't she agree to marry you?"
Li Muyan shook his head: "Niannian is trying to test me. A girl like me always wants to find someone who is truly sincere to her, so I'll just wait patiently!"
Zhu Mingsheng waved his hand: "Li Muyan, you truly love Gu Nian, don't you? You want to marry her with the highest standards of marriage, don't you? You don't care whether she's the daughter of a scholar, a provincial graduate, or a metropolitan graduate, right?"
Li Muyan nodded without hesitation: "Of course. Let's not talk about the past. My Li family is rich and we are not afraid of powerful people in Qingzhou. Now that I have recognized my maternal grandparents, it's not just in Qingzhou, but in the entire Great Zhou. There are not many people I can be afraid of! So, I am not like those common people who need to rely on my wife's family. So, even if Gu Nian is just a village girl, I am happy with her."
Zhu Mingsheng gave Li Muyan a thumbs up: "I admire you! I couldn't do that. Since that's the case, don't you hope that on your eighteenth birthday, you can ride a tall horse to marry Gu Nian? All those formalities, the betrothal gifts, your family prepares the betrothal gifts, her family prepares the dowry. The whole process of betrothal, asking the name, auspicious date selection, presenting gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony—it'll take at least half a year!"
"Didn't you say she was terrified by someone before? For a while, she didn't like to be around men? Can you guarantee that no better men will come along before she tests you? As far as I know, Xu Changfeng swore back then that Gu Nian was deeply in love with him. If Cheng Rui, the son of the former magistrate of Taoyuan County, had said he would marry Gu Nian instead of taking a concubine, you might not have met Gu Nian."
"So, Li Muyan, without an engagement, everything is subject to change. In my opinion, what you need to do now is to get her to agree to the engagement so that both of your parents can finalize it. This will be better for both of you."
Li Muyan wanted to refute Zhu Mingsheng, but he couldn't refute what Zhu Mingsheng said.
Xu Changfeng and Cheng Rui were both renowned scholars in Qingzhou and had previously participated in literary gatherings in the prefectural city, so Zhu Mingsheng knew them.
But what is he supposed to do?
He couldn't force Niannian!
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