Qingqing, I've finally found you.
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Qixi Festival.
On this day, most unmarried women in Shengjing City would go out and wait for the moon to rise before worshipping the Weaver Girl and praying for dexterity.
The moon is bright and the air is clear, but the streets of Shengjing City are not as quiet as usual today.
This year's Qixi Festival was much more lively than in previous years. Half a month ago, the Marquis of Zhenyuan captured four cities from the Turks and seriously injured their generals.
When the news reached Shengjing from the frontier, it was several days later. The emperor was overjoyed and ordered the curfew for the Qixi Festival to be lifted so that the people could have a good time. He also appointed the Marquis of Zhenyuan as the General of Zhenyuan.
Trade has been bustling in recent days, and security checks have become even stricter to prevent chaos within Shengjing City.
But none of this mattered to Xu Qingyao. She was being forced into marriage by a tall and imposing man, none other than the recently infamous General Xiao Zhouyan.
The first person she saw when she woke up was this man.
"Qingqing, I've finally found you."
That was the first thing that person said to her.
Xu Qingyao was confused. Who was this person? Was he filming a movie?
This costume looks quite handsome on him.
"Don't leave me..."
The man pulled Xu Qingyao into his arms tightly, as if he wanted to melt her into his body.
Xu Qingyao gasped. Wait, dude? What's going on...?
Let's talk this out. Can you please not do something like that? You bumped her and hurt her ribs; she might have internal injuries.
“I will ask the Emperor to grant us a marriage so that you may become my wife.”
What? An arranged marriage? The plot is moving so fast, getting married on their first meeting?
Xu Qingyao: "You..."
Can you let her go? She can't breathe.
"You don't want to?" The man's expression darkened. "Why?"
Xu Qingyao: ? ? ?
Did she say she was unwilling?
"Be a good girl, Qingqing. I'll take care of things with your father-in-law."
The man's noble voice uttered such cold words:
"I won't let anyone stop us from being together."
Xu Qingyao: ...
She felt a little cold.
Is the "solution" this person is referring to the kind of "solution" she understands?
"You're hurting me." Xu Qingyao tried to push him away. "You're too strong and holding me too tightly. I can't breathe."
Hearing the sweet voice in his arms, the coldness around the man vanished completely.
He hadn't considered the differences between men and women, and was a bit rash.
"Are you feeling better, Qingqing?" The man released his grip on the woman's arms.
"Is what you just said true? What will happen if someone tries to stop us from being together?" Xu Qingyao asked tentatively.
"Then kill him." The man showed no mercy.
"What if your future father-in-law doesn't approve of us being together?"
"Don't worry, Qingqing, they will agree."
rest assured……
rest assured……
Don't worry about it!
"You're not going to force them to agree, are you..." Xu Qingyao asked in her bright and innocent voice.
"How could that be? As parents, we shouldn't stop our children from being with the people they love." The man laughed, half-jokingly and half-threateningly, "Besides, my father-in-law is a man of great experience and has seen countless people. He'll agree to it, having achieved so much."
Father-in-law? Does your father-in-law agree to you calling him "father-in-law"?
"Then...if I..."
"Qingqing, even if you disagree, I will still beg the Emperor to grant us marriage. The Emperor's decree is hard to disobey."
The man interrupted Xu Qingyao before she could finish speaking.
Xu Qingyao: ...She really felt cold.
Where did this cold wind come from in the middle of summer?
What this means is: It would be best if you agreed, but if you don't, we'll find a way to get you to agree.
What a blatant case of forced marriage and abduction!
"So, Qingqing, you must be obedient." The man tidied Xu Qingyao's slightly disheveled hair.
*
The Duke of Wei's Mansion, Suxin Garden.
"well……"
Xu Qingyao leaned back on the chaise lounge, her face full of worry.
"Miss, this is the thirty-second time you've sighed." Yuejian pushed open the door and entered, placing the latest storybook aside. "Is the new medicine too bitter? Should I ask the doctor to prescribe another dose?"
The medicine I brewed this morning, Miss hasn't drunk it yet, and Yuejian is very worried that her young lady's condition will worsen.
Xu Qingyao shook her head: "Not this..."
Sigh, what a worry.
Maybe she really didn't check the almanac before going out that day. She was walking properly on the road, obeying traffic rules, waiting for the green light before crossing, and even using a crosswalk. How could she still get hit by a car...?
She felt like she'd been fed dog shit... She collapsed to the ground, wanting to curse the perpetrator's ancestors for eighteen generations, but before she could utter a sound, she lost consciousness.
Before she died, she saw the phone she was clutching tightly in her hand; the screen was still lit, displaying the novel she had stayed up all night reading. A passage on the page read:
"Xu Qingyao..."
...
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself here.
Then she met the man who was "forcing" her to marry him.
Judging from his tone, is this man deeply in love with the original owner of this body? Or is he scheming something?
Moreover, according to Yuejian, the Duke of Wei's mansion and the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion had never had any dealings before, so how did this General Zhenyuan know the original owner of this body?
Furthermore, the Duke of Wei's mansion is a neutral party and never participates in the princes' struggles. Xu Lian, as the Duke of Wei, is very successful in officialdom and can treat everyone fairly, no matter who is in charge.
However, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Even if they do not participate in the struggle for the throne, other factions will still try to drag the Duke of Wei's family into the mess.
Therefore, Xu Zhiyuan, the eldest son of the Duke of Wei's mansion, came in handy.
This eldest son won the top prize two years ago and now works in the Ministry of Personnel. There is no secret among the officials in the court that he does not know.
The father remained neutral in officialdom, while the son stirred up trouble. The father had just been impeached, and soon after, a few incidents from this official's residence, embellished by a storyteller, appeared in the teahouse that very day.
The Zhenyuan Marquis's family is different. The Zhenyuan Marquis's sister is the current imperial concubine, and her son, the fifth prince, is already of age. He is also one of the best in the six arts of a gentleman among all the princes. In addition, with the Zhenyuan Marquis's family as his backer, he is one of the popular candidates to inherit the throne.
The Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion naturally sided with Consort Xiao, which also meant they were on the side of the Fifth Prince.
It's not impossible for the Marquis of Zhenyuan's family to try and get the Duke of Wei's family on the Fifth Prince's side. But the most direct way would naturally be for the Fifth Prince to ask the Duke of Wei's eldest daughter to be his principal wife.
But the one currently seated on the throne is still in his prime, though he has shown some signs of fatigue in recent years. The king will not allow anyone to covet his chair. He will instruct his sons, and he will also be wary of them, even if they are his closest relatives.
Therefore, the monarch would not allow the royal family to get too close to officials, let alone allow princes to rely on powerful families to increase their power.
He would also not allow close ties between powerful families, as this would be seen by the monarch as merely an excuse to enrich the national treasury.
The Duke of Wei's mansion and the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion are evenly matched. If they were to become related by marriage, I'm afraid... the one on the dragon throne would not agree.
Xu Qingyao felt a little relieved.
"Tsukimi, does your young lady have any close male friends or anything like that?"
Yuejian gently waved her palm-leaf fan. "Miss, what is a 'male confidant'? I've only heard you mention 'female confidant,' did you learn that from a storybook?"
"Since ancient times, red and blue have been considered a perfect match. Just as there are female confidantes, there are male confidantes. A male confidante is..."
Male best friend? Crush
No, no, none of those are correct.
"Good moon, think about it. If those young masters all have a few female confidantes, then it's not unreasonable for these young ladies to have a few male confidantes as well."
Yuejian nodded, then shook her head: "That's true, but Miss, you never leave the house. Even when the master and young master urge you to go out, you don't want to. How would you meet any male confidants?"
"Not a single one?"
Xu Qingyao didn't believe it, Xu Qingyao questioned it.
Yuejian thought about it carefully: "Every time the eldest young master comes back, he brings all kinds of delicious food and fun things for the young lady, afraid that she will feel bored at home." The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it made sense. "The eldest young master is also a man, so can the eldest young master be considered a close male friend?"
"puff……"
Xu Qingyao spat out the tea she had just drunk.
"Of course not. Tsukimi..."
"Don't say this in front of anyone else. If your brother finds out... no matter how much he dotes on your young lady, you're bound to get a beating..."
...
More tomorrow.
The sky was cloudless, and the scorching sun baked the earth.
In the majestic hall.
Holding an imperial edict, Xiao Zhouyan knelt in the main hall and solemnly declared in a voice that could be heard throughout the hall: "Your Majesty, I request that you grant me permission to marry Xu Qingyao, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei."
The vast hall was completely silent. No one would have imagined that the Marquis of Zhenyuan and the Duke of Wei, who were at odds in the court, and the Xiao and Xu families who were usually irreconcilable enemies...
Xiao Zhouyan, the most promising member of the Xiao family, actually asked the Emperor to grant him a marriage?!
Xiao Zhouyan, known as the Jade-Faced Yama, actually requested the Emperor to grant him a marriage!
No way, they must have misheard.
The ministers were incredulous.
Besides, even if Xiao Zhouyan asked the Emperor to grant him a marriage, would the Emperor agree?
Didn't the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty find it most taboo for their subjects to marry each other?
"My dear minister, marriage is no child's play. Are you truly sincere in your desire to marry the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei?" A majestic voice came from above.
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you grant me this marriage. I sincerely wish to marry Xu Qingyao, the daughter of the Duke of Wei." Xiao Zhouyan raised the imperial edict in his hand slightly and lowered his head slightly as well.
The imperial edict in his hand was bestowed upon him by the emperor two years ago.
Two years ago, he led two thousand elite troops to conquer the Huihe tribe and successfully subjugate them. At that time, he had already inherited his father's title and become the Marquis of Zhenyuan. Therefore, when the emperor wanted to bestow additional titles upon him, he declined.
So the emperor issued an imperial edict saying that whatever he desired, whether it was a hundred acres of fertile land or jewels and beautiful women, he could have them sent to him.
Now, this imperial edict is in Xiao Zhouyan's hands.
"Very well, I grant your permission."
The Emperor seemed to be in a good mood and finally used the imperial edict.
In the eyes of the monarch, the more talented people the Great Zhou Dynasty had, the better, especially someone like Xiao Zhouyan, who was like a god in battle. If this person were on the enemy's side, the Great Zhou Dynasty would definitely not last more than three generations.
People always want something in this world, but this person neither pursues fame nor fortune, and is not interested in lust.
He also bestowed upon Xiao Zhouyan countless beauties and wealth, but the man refused, saying he was too busy with military affairs to care about romance.
He used the jewels and gold to appease the families of his soldiers and their widows; the fertile land was rented out to poor families willing to work.
He had heard the rumors that Xiao Zhouyan had homosexual tendencies and had even given this lovable man a gift, but it hadn't worked.
Xiao Zhouyan immediately sent the man to the military camp for several training sessions. It is said that after he returned, he was like a different person. His legs no longer trembled, his back no longer ached, and his face was no longer as pale as before...
Even their personality is very generous; they care about their relatives and friends, get along well with their neighbors, and are warm and hospitable...
Sigh... What I fear most is this kind of person who doesn't want anything in return.
He was so overjoyed that he immediately bestowed an imperial edict upon Xiao Zhouyan. Afterward, he spent every day thinking about when Xiao Zhouyan would be able to use that edict.
We've been waiting and waiting, and here it is!
So it turns out he was seeking to marry the daughter of the Duke of Wei, is that all?
Approved.
He wasn't afraid of the Fifth Prince's growing power. He wasn't dead yet. Xiao Zhouyan was asking to marry the daughter of the Duke of Wei. Naturally, his sons would be the most panicked. Let them panic.
However, the ministers were on edge!
What? How could this be!
His Majesty is showing favoritism! His Majesty is biased!!!
But the emperor wouldn't listen, and that pleased him.
"Do any of my beloved ministers have anything else to report?"
Ministers: ...
The emperor waved his hand at Su Chenghai beside him.
The eunuch Su was very perceptive; he raised his voice and shouted:
"Dismiss the court."
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