Chapter 94 Demanding People at the Door
Xie Yunyu shrugged noncommittally and said, "My second brother is weak, and this Ninth Sister is skilled, so she can protect my second brother."
Wu Yumin chimed in, "That makes sense. Erlang is weak, while Weiyang is strong. Their future children will be healthier."
Madam Zheng stubbornly shook her head: "No, how could a family of military officers do such a crude thing as 'grabbing a son-in-law from the list of successful candidates'?"
It's clear that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion wasn't exactly a respectable family.
Xie Yunyu laughed and said, "The Duke of Zhenguo is a man who has fought on the battlefield and has never been particular about such things. Did you only just realize that, Mother?"
Zheng was speechless and angrily said:
Instead of wasting your time arguing with me, you'd be better off going to take a look.
"You two are very close friends, go and talk to her, don't let her hurt your second brother."
Seeing that her mother was angry, Xie Yunyu stopped talking and pulled Wu Yumin aside, saying:
"Okay, okay, we'll go right away."
Wu Yumin comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. Weiyang isn't reckless; she won't hurt Erlang."
Zheng had a headache, so she waved her hand, telling the two of them to leave quickly.
The two boarded the carriage and headed towards the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
On the Zhenguo Duke's side, Xue Zhan went to great lengths to make this marriage happen.
Xue Weiyang rode her horse and took Xie Yunman back to the mansion first.
Xue Zhan and his men followed slowly behind, riding their horses and banging gongs as they went, shouting loudly into the street:
"The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is today selecting a son-in-law, Xie Yunman, the top-ranked scholar in the first class of the imperial examination. We cordially invite you all to attend the ceremony."
This government is distributing celebratory money; first come, first served.
With such a shout, the news spread like wildfire.
Those who were interested flocked to the entrance of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Xiao Ling was discussing the announcement of the results of the imperial examination with the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace when Qingfeng rushed in to report.
Xiao Ling's expression suddenly turned strange upon hearing this.
Seeing his expression, the crown prince quickly asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Xiao Ling couldn't help but laugh and said, "The Ninth Lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is here today to find a husband."
The crown prince, intrigued, pressed on, "Who were they captured?"
"First place in the first division, Xie Yunman."
The Crown Prince asked incredulously, "The second son of Grand Tutor Xie?"
Xiao Ling nodded with a smile on his face.
The crown prince's expression suddenly changed drastically: "This is bad, we must go there immediately."
Xiao Ling suppressed her smile and looked at him.
As the Crown Prince walked out, he said, "Two days ago, my elder brother asked Father Emperor to marry the Ninth Lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion as a concubine."
If he receives news of what happened today, he'll probably cause a scene.
You know his temperament; I'm afraid he'll hurt the second son of the Xie family.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling quickly followed.
The two men galloped away on their horses and arrived at the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion at the same time as Grand Tutor Xie and Xie Yuanshan.
The mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, with bright red "double happiness" characters hanging high, and a red wedding carpet stretched for about a hundred meters from the entrance.
At this moment, a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the mansion, and the steward was scattering lucky money at the gate.
People from the capital crowded the entrance, bending down to pick up the money while saying auspicious words.
The servants and attendants at the entrance of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion were all beaming with joy, their smiles wide and uncontrollable.
Xiao Ling and the Crown Prince were blocked on the east side, while Grand Tutor Xie and Xie Yuanshan were blocked on the west side.
The two sides, mounted on horseback, gazed at each other across the crowd below.
Grand Tutor Xie and Xie Yuanshan bowed towards the Crown Prince.
The prince held one hand in mid-air, seemingly floating.
That was considered a polite greeting.
Inside the mansion.
Xie Yunman was changed into her wedding attire and led to the entrance of the hall. The Duke of Zhenguo and his wife had also changed into their wedding attire and were sitting at the head of the hall.
Xie Yunman saw Xue Weiyang in a red dress, her hair combed high, looking dashing and heroic as she walked towards him from afar.
Xie Yunman's anxious heart suddenly skipped a beat.
After Xue Weiyang approached, she forcefully stuffed one end of the red ribbon into his hand, while she held the other end herself.
She smiled and said, "Let's go, my lord."
Perhaps it was Xue Weiyang's bright smile, or perhaps the sunlight was too dazzling, that made Xie Yunman a little dazed.
Xue Weiyang walked in front, with two servants behind Xie Yunman pushing him to keep up.
...
Seeing that the crowd was blocking his way, the prince signaled to his men to clear a path.
A eunuch's shrill voice rang out: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
The onlookers, who were busy picking up money, paused for a moment upon hearing this and quickly made way for him.
The Crown Prince dismounted and personally went to fetch Grand Tutor Xie. The four of them then entered the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion together.
Old Master Xie walked at the front with an imposing air, with Xie Yuanshan following closely behind.
The two were extremely anxious and no longer cared about the Crown Prince and Xiao Ling.
The crown prince didn't pay any attention and just followed along.
After the four of them went around the screen wall and entered the courtyard of the main hall, they heard a loud shout from the central hall:
"Husband and wife bow to each other."
Those inside the hall had obviously also seen the four people who had barged in.
The two servants were very perceptive and quickly pressed Xie Yunman and Xue Weiyang to bow to each other.
Then the master of ceremonies quickly shouted, "The ceremony is complete. Escort them to the bridal chamber."
As soon as he finished speaking, Grand Tutor Xie entered the hall.
Without saying a word, he grabbed the teacup from the maid at the door and threw it at the Duke of Zhenguo, who was sitting in the hall.
"Xue Wanjun, you old bastard, how dare you snatch my grandson to the wedding ceremony? Who gave you the guts?"
The Duke of Zhenguo was a veteran of countless battles, so a small teacup was naturally no problem for him, but at this moment he sat motionless.
He was hit squarely on the forehead by a teacup.
Tea dripped down his face, landing on his maroon wedding dress, making him look quite disheveled.
Xie Yunman was first startled by his grandfather, and then glanced at the Duke of Zhenguo.
He thought to himself: Who said this Duke Zhenguo is all bravado and no strategy? He certainly has quite a few tricks up his sleeve...
After the Duke of Zhenguo was hit, he did not show the slightest displeasure on his face.
Instead, he wiped the water off his face, stood up, grinned, showing his teeth, and bowed to Grand Tutor Xie.
"Greetings, Grand Tutor Xie."
Then, turning to Xie Yuanshan in a cheeky manner, he said, "Greetings, in-laws."
Xie Yuanshan, his face flushed with anger, flicked his sleeve and said:
"Who's your in-law? Stop trying to pull this stunt."
The Duke of Zhenguo was not discouraged. Looking at the Crown Prince and Xiao Ling standing outside the door, he continued to bow.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Prince of Shou'an."
The Crown Prince was stunned by Old Master Xie's skill just now and only then did he react.
He waved his hand at the Duke of Zhenguo and said, "No need for formalities."
He then walked into the hall, saying as he went, "All irrelevant personnel, please leave."
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zhenguo waved his hand, and soon all the servants and maids left.
The Crown Prince stepped forward and took Xie Taifu's hand, offering words of comfort.
"Grand Tutor, things have come to this point, please don't get angry, it's not good for your health if you get angry."
Grandpa Xie was still angry, his goatee twitching, panting heavily, clearly quite upset.
The Duke of Zhenguo awkwardly touched his nose and asked Xiao Ling in a friendly greeting:
"May I ask what brings the Prince here today?"
Xiao Ling said without changing his expression, "The Crown Prince brought me here."
The Duke of Zhenguo then turned to the Crown Prince and asked, "Your Highness, what brings you here today?"
"Um... I met the Grand Tutor at the entrance and followed him in."
The Duke of Zhenguo then looked at Grand Tutor Xie and said, "My daughter was rash today. I apologize to you for what happened today."
Grand Tutor, you know me well; I'm a rough man, and my manners are lacking.
The main reason is that my little daughter saved your second son on the night of the Lantern Festival, and has been in love with him ever since.
That's why I did what I did today; please forgive me, Grand Tutor.
Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Xie's expression softened slightly: "Was it really your daughter who saved my grandson on the Lantern Festival?"
"It couldn't be more real."
The Duke of Zhenguo nodded, answering with a sincere expression.
“Your second son is right here. If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself.”
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