She's getting married.
Seeing Xichun standing on the bridge carrying a lantern, her pale yellow cloak making her look like a fairy descended to earth, Miao Wendao felt a moment of nervousness. He stepped forward, looked into her clear eyes, took a deep breath, and then spoke his heart.
“Xichun, everything I told you last time was true. I… I really like you. If you will marry me, I promise that you will be the only woman in my life. I will treat you well for the rest of my life.”
Miao Wendao spoke with unwavering conviction; the more time he spent with Xichun, the more certain he became of his feelings. He loved Xichun not because of her beauty, but because of who she was. Being with her made him feel completely at ease, and the whole world seemed gentle and lovely.
After listening to Miao Wendao's words, Xichun admitted that she was deeply moved. Having lived with Brother Miao for so long, she knew he was never one to lie. Even after she rejected him last time, he wasn't angry or upset, and continued to care for her. She hadn't fallen in love with him, but she was trying to see him as a potential marriage partner. A man like Brother Miao was truly a rare find.
She gazed up at the full moon for a long time. Tonight was a full moon, and it also coincided with the Lantern Festival—truly an auspicious day. It was time for her to pursue a new life.
Xi Chun turned to look at Miao Wendao, who was waiting for her answer, and nodded gently. "Brother Miao, although I haven't fallen in love with you yet, I believe that you are so wonderful that I will definitely fall in love with you in the future. If you don't mind this, I am willing to marry you."
Miao Wendao was overwhelmed by the sudden good news. Xichun had really agreed to marry him; he simply couldn't believe it. Miao Wendao pinched the back of his hand hard, the pain reminding him that it was all real.
Miao Wendao couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He wanted to reach out and hug her, but felt it would be too abrupt. After thinking for a while, he stepped forward and took Xichun's hand. "That's great! Xichun, that's great!"
Aunt Feng received the news early the next morning. She smiled from ear to ear, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened.
"That's wonderful! I've always hoped that you and Suqing could become a couple. Now, my dream has come true!"
After the fifteenth day of the month, Miao Wendao officially took office as the magistrate of Lantai County. He immediately sent Miao Sheng to Fuping County to inquire about the news of Li Gao and his son.
A few days later, Miao Sheng returned and reported: "Young Master, Magistrate Li was dismissed from his post two years ago for corruption and abuse of power, but I heard that his family is still very influential in the area. They own several cloth shops and grain stores in Fuping County. I also went to Persimmon Lane, which Miss Xichun mentioned, and everything was fine. I met Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaopeng, whom Miss Xichun mentioned, and they are both doing well."
Hearing Miao Wei's words, Xi Chun was very excited. She was relieved to know that Aunt Li and Xiao Peng were alright. However, she hadn't expected that Li Gao and his son were still in Fuping County, and she hesitated for a moment about whether to return to her hometown to see them.
"How can that damned villain still be alive? Xichun, I advise you not to go back for now. Wait until March 16th when you and Suqing get married, then we'll go back together." Aunt Feng knew why Xichun had left Fuping County in the first place, and she was afraid that Xichun's return would cause trouble again. After all, Suqing was a government official, and if she returned as a relative of an official after marriage, the other party would not dare to cause any more trouble.
"Brother Miao, what do you think?" Xichun asked Miao Wen.
Miao Wendao took her hand. "Mother is right. After we get married, I'll take you back to our hometown together. I'm really worried about you going back alone. Can you wait a few more days?"
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Inside the Wei family mansion in the capital, A-Gui was packing clothes for Wei Qiao. In a few days, Wei Qiao would be leaving the capital again to search for medicinal herbs for the emperor. Ever since Consort Shu entered the palace, the emperor had favored her greatly, rarely summoning other concubines for her sake. Before the new year, he even quarreled with the empress over Consort Shu, resulting in the empress being banished to the cold palace. On the morning of the sixteenth day of the first lunar month this year, he even proposed making Consort Shu empress, but after being rejected by the court officials, he stormed off and missed the morning court for three consecutive days.
The emperor's absurdity shocked the entire court and the public. Meanwhile, Prince Yan Zhongyou of Jin had been traveling to Youzhou last winter to provide relief to flood victims, even spending New Year's Eve with the people of Youzhou, earning high praise from court officials.
That night, the Prince of Jin arrived at the Wei residence.
"Ren'er, you've had a hard time traveling south this time. Yan Zhongxing has already lost the hearts of the people, and his uprising should begin this year."
"Uncle, rest assured, I will definitely persuade the two prefects and two generals of Daizhou and Zhongzhou to use the grain and Tiger Legion troops stationed in the two prefectures for our purposes."
On the twenty-first day of the first month, Wei Qiao went south. In order to deceive the emperor, he and A Gui split up into two groups. A Gui went west to find the elixir, while he went straight to Daizhou and Zhongzhou.
The so-called search for the elixir was merely a pretext. A-Gui led several Dragon Feather Guards upstream along the Ji River, enjoying a leisurely journey. Midway through, one of the guards suffered from seasickness, vomiting and diarrhea, so they had to switch to a carriage. They ate and drank their way through, and by mid-February, they had arrived in Lantai County. They had heard that there was a brocade weaving workshop in Lantai County that was skilled at making kesi (silk tapestry), and that brides in Shuzhou Prefecture considered it an honor to be able to use a kesi fan made by that workshop to cover their faces on their wedding day.
Qin Yin had received a large bonus before the new year for his efficient work, and had already used it to buy a two-courtyard house in the northern part of the city through a middleman, intending to marry Fu Qing in May. Hearing about the kesi fan, he also wanted to buy one for Fu Qing, so he took A Gui to the brocade weaving shop. The brocade weaving shop didn't have any kesi fans in stock; even if they paid extra, they would have to wait ten days to get them.
Hearing that the brocade workshop also had embroidered shoes and other items made of kesi (silk tapestry), they followed the shop assistant up to the second floor to take a look, having nothing else to do. As they were about to come downstairs, A-Gui heard a familiar voice.
"Shopkeeper, how much is this bright red silk cloth and the two pieces of cloth I chose earlier, all together?" Xichun asked, taking out her purse to pay. Her wedding date with Miao Wendao was set for March 16th, and Aunt Feng was helping to sew the wedding quilt at home, so only Xichun went out to buy things today.
“Miss, Master Miao has already made arrangements. Everything you bought will be on his tab. You don’t need to pay extra. I’ll have someone deliver this fabric to your residence shortly.” As he spoke, the shopkeeper took out two bolts of brocade satin with auspicious and gourd patterns from behind the counter, and said with a smile, “These two bolts were specially instructed by our owner to be given to Master Miao as a wedding gift for you and Master Miao. Please don’t refuse, Miss. Master Miao has been very accommodating to our shop, buying all the fabrics for the wedding from our brocade shop. My shopkeeper is very grateful.”
"Thank you very much, boss." Xi Chun knew this was their way of maintaining relationships with clients, and besides, the other party said it was a gift for Brother Miao, so she had no right to refuse. Thinking that she still needed to go home to make the wedding dress, Xi Chun said goodbye and left in a hurry.
After Xichun left, Agui came down from the second floor. He approached the shopkeeper and asked, "Shopkeeper, I heard you say that the girl is going to marry Lord Miao. May I ask which Lord Miao it is?"
"Naturally, it is Magistrate Miao Wendao of this county. The girl just now is Magistrate Miao's betrothed. Why does the guest inquire about this?"
Ah Gui's identity when he travels is that of a tea merchant. He laughed and said, "I was just thinking that if I could get in touch with Lord Miao, I could sell some tea."
"Then you're mistaken. I heard from our master that Master Miao's family are famous tea merchants."
"Oh, that's really unfortunate."
Upon learning that Xichun was living with Miao Wendao in the backyard of the county government, Agui and Qin Yin went to investigate and confirmed that it was indeed Xichun. Agui then immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Wei Qiao by his servant Li Shi on horseback.
Wei Qiao was in Zhongzhou Prefecture at the moment, and it was seven days later when he received the letter. After reading what A Gui wrote in the letter, he felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. You, Jiang Xichun! You've only been gone a few months and you've already fallen for someone else. And you're already planning to marry Miao Wendao so soon.
Zhao Yu came in to bring tea and snacks and saw the letter Wei Qiao had placed on the desk. He was shocked by what he saw. He hadn't expected that Miss Xichun would be getting married only a few months after leaving the master. Moreover, the wedding date was several months earlier than the master's and Miss Ming's.
"Master, Miss Xichun is getting married, you..."
"What does this have to do with me!" Wei Qiao coldly interrupted him, picked up the letter from the desk and placed it on the candle. In an instant, the flames engulfed the white paper, leaving only ashes.
The affairs in Zhongzhou and Daizhou are progressing smoothly. The two prefects and the generals of the Tiger Warriors in the two prefectures have reached a consensus with Wei Qiao that they will be the first to respond as soon as the Prince of Jin starts his rebellion.
As early March arrived, Daizhou City was filled with the sounds of birdsong and the bright sunshine of spring. Zhao Yu, following Wei Qiao, felt a dark cloud hanging over the place. His master was frequently sullen and silent, refusing to speak no matter what he was asked. Each time he received a letter from A Gui, his face darkened like that of Bao Zheng, the notorious judge. He wrote to Fu Qing in the capital for advice, but his sister only said it was because of Xi Chun, and even sent him two sets of his master's undergarments in her reply, asking him to give them to Wei Qiao.
"Master, this is what my sister asked me to give you." Although Zhao Yu felt somewhat confused, he still followed Fu Qing's instructions and delivered the undergarment to Wei Qiao's bedroom.
Wei Qiao glanced at the undergarments on the tray and immediately recognized them as the two garments Xi Chun had made for him. After she left, he had told Fu Qing to take them away and burn them, but he hadn't expected Fu Qing to keep them without telling him. Now that she was about to marry someone else, what was so special about the clothes she had made herself?
"Take it away!" He turned his head away and coldly ordered Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu hadn't dared to anger Wei Qiao lately, so upon hearing his words, he turned and walked outside with the tray. It seemed even his sister hadn't quite grasped the master's thoughts. He thought to himself, how could his sister, a woman, understand the master's mind better than a grown man like him?
"return!"
Zhao Yu had just stepped out of the door when he heard Wei Qiao's shout from behind, so he had no choice but to turn back. "Master, is there anything else?"
Wei Qiao frowned, and after a while pointed to the tray in Zhao Yu's hand and said, "Keep this."
"Yes, sir." Zhao Yu placed the tray on the tea table and returned to his room, unable to help but admire his sister's wisdom, given that she was a few years older than him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com