*
However, Nanqing truly did not know...
Although Jun Beichen's words and gaze were so gentle they were almost dripping with tenderness, Nan Qing didn't think much about why he was picking her up at dawn, or where they were going to go again, since it wasn't the first time she'd seen him look at her like that.
Still a bit dazed, Nan Qing didn't realize anything was wrong. She nodded hastily, said "bye-bye" to him, and turned to go into the mansion.
It was already late afternoon, but the mansion was still brightly lit. Everyone in the general's mansion was rushing around doing something, and when they saw her, they called out "Miss" in a very strange tone.
Nan Qing looked at the strange people in the mansion with a puzzled expression. Just then, she saw her father and mother standing under the corridor and quickly walked over to them.
"Father, Mother~"
"Is there some happy occasion in the mansion? I see red silk hanging everywhere."
Mrs. Shi looked at her daughter, who had suddenly turned nineteen, with a touch of melancholy.
Tomorrow, her Qing'er will be married to another man...
Although she was very satisfied with her son-in-law, her daughter was still leaving her after all...
Seeing her mother's eyes slowly redden, Nanqing quickly took out a handkerchief from her bosom and asked softly:
"Mother, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
General Shi, who was standing nearby, quickly put his arm around his wife and whispered in her ear:
"Alright, Qing'er doesn't know yet. Go and explain tomorrow's plans to her in detail. I'll go and check how everything is going."
Madam Shi dabbed at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, nodded to Shi Yuanhuai who was speaking to her in a low voice, and then took Nanqing's hand as they walked towards her courtyard.
Nan Qing was still somewhat confused the whole way, until she sat down in the room and Madam Shi's first words shocked her!
"What!!!!"
Nan Qing stared at her mother in shock and fear, her expression quite complex. She asked in a daze:
"Mother, you mean...tomorrow is my wedding day?? My wedding day??"
"I'm getting married???? To whom?"
She was so shocked by her mother's sudden announcement that she would be getting married the next day that her brain went blank, so she even asked who she would be marrying.
But when she asked that question, it was Mrs. Shi's turn to look at her in shock.
Even Madam Shi's excitement about her daughter's impending marriage vanished instantly. She swallowed hard and stammered:
"Qing, Qing'er... who do you want to marry...?"
"Um... although we've already accepted Prince Xian's betrothal gifts... if you don't want to marry, we can always call off the engagement. It's alright, it's alright..."
Madam Shi frowned slightly, her face showing some hesitation, but she had already begun to consider the possibility of breaking off the marriage with Prince Xian.
“Indeed, I also think we should look around more. It’s alright, Prince Xian, if you don’t want to marry, then we won’t. You can look at other people. By the way, let me tell you, the son of Grand Tutor Xie, who came with us, is extremely good!”
"I think his name was... yes, yes, Xie Shaozhi, Qingqing, let me tell you..."
Nan Qing looked at her mother, who was starting to list all the good qualities of the Xie family's young master, with an embarrassed expression.
No... she just didn't realize it for a moment. Anyone would be surprised to find out they're getting married tomorrow, right?
And that Jun Beichen, no wonder he just told her he would pick her up at 5 a.m. tomorrow. He's really bad, he kept it a secret so well!
It seems that everyone in the General's Mansion, except for her, knows she's getting married tomorrow!
Nan Qing quickly spoke up to stop Madam Shi, who had already started talking about the young master of the Xie family and other young masters in the Northern Territory.
"Mother, Mother, cough, I just didn't realize it. By the way, when did you do this? How come I had no idea..."
Having been successfully pulled back to her senses by Nan Qing, Madam Shi smiled gently, raised her hand to stroke her daughter's hair, and said affectionately:
"Not long after we arrived in Lingnan, Prince Xian proposed marriage to me and your father. He said he wanted to give you a surprise. Your father and I thought that you had always been in love with him. We had also asked you if you were willing to marry Prince Xian. You said yes, so we did as he wished. The betrothal, the engagement, the name selection, the auspicious date selection, the gift presentation, and the wedding date were all done secretly by sending you away."
At this point, Madam Shi suddenly became serious and said:
"My dear Qing'er, your mother wants to ask you one more time: are you truly willing to marry Prince Xian?"
"Your father and I actually do not want you to marry into the royal family, but your father has spoken with Prince Xian and knows that he is sincere. But the most important thing is to look at our Qing'er."
"Your mother doesn't want you to marry into some prestigious family. My Qing'er must marry someone she loves, and living a happy and peaceful life is the best thing..."
Although Prince Xian was the son of her old friend, Qing'er was the daughter she had carried for ten months and watched grow up as if she were a precious treasure.
Even if they get married tomorrow, or even if they've already gone through the wedding ceremony or she's already a wife, if her daughter Qing'er says she doesn't want to, she will definitely take her daughter away!
As for the rest... she and Yuanhuai will take care of that!
Although the Shi family is declining, she will still support her daughter and allow her to live as freely and unrestrained as before.
However, when her mother asked Nan Qing if she was willing to marry Jun Beichen, she simply smiled, took her mother's arm, and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, Mother, I'm willing!"
"Jun Beichen is a good person, so you and Father don't need to worry about him treating me badly."
Sigh, you're not good to her? Then just dump her, it's no big deal~
There are countless chosen ones, if this one doesn't work out, we'll find another!
Nan Qing coughed lightly as these words flashed through her mind. She felt as if she had caught her mother's...
Seeing that Nan Qing showed no sign of reluctance, Madam Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In this world, it's not easy being a woman. Sometimes she even thought that if she had given birth to a son, she wouldn't have to worry about whether her daughter would be happy or not after marrying someone else...
The world has placed heavy shackles on women: they must obey their fathers before marriage, their husbands after marriage, and their sons after their husbands' deaths. Women in this world have no sense of self throughout their lives.
She herself lived a relatively carefree life, with a loving husband, an obedient daughter, and fulfilled her childhood dream of forming an all-female army.
Therefore, she also hopes that her daughter can break free from worldly conventions and do whatever she wants.
Marry the man you want to marry, and do the things you want to do.
If one day you are unhappy, you can break free from your constraints and not have to bow to worldly gossip.
After calming herself down, Madam Shi whispered to Nanqing for a while until Mingxia and Zhao Mama came in carrying the heavy and gorgeous new clothes, which interrupted Madam Shi's words that made Nanqing blush and her heart race.
The moment the wedding dress that Jun Beichen had meticulously prepared was unfurled, all the candlelight in the room dimmed.
Nine layers of gold thread patterns are woven on the bright red cloud-patterned silk satin. The bottom layer is the outline of the continuous snow-capped mountains in the north, and the middle layer is a magnificent scene of hundreds of birds paying homage to the phoenix, woven using the kesi (silk tapestry) technique.
From different angles, you can see the three colors of snow, sea blue and gold flowing alternately.
The wedding dress was adorned with ninety-nine lustrous pearls at the lapel, interspersed with various gemstones, making it both luxurious and elegant, adding a lot to the overall look of the wedding gown.
Although this wasn't the first time Nanqing had worn such an ancient-style wedding dress, she truly loved this nine-layered brocade gown.
This excited her, who hadn't really been looking forward to her wedding tomorrow because she had to get married in every small world, and she hurriedly asked Mingxia to help her try it on.
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