Chapter 36 Forced Marriage [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Swearing to die rather than comply.
Shen Ruoshi remained motionless for a long time, so Xu Luchuan glared at him, gritted his teeth, and whispered, "I'll take care of next year's case files..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Ruoshi's eyes lit up immediately: "It's alright, Brother Luchuan. We can eat anytime. Since it's inconvenient, I won't bother you any longer. I also have some matters to attend to at the Court of Justice, so I'll take my leave now."
"Don't bother seeing me off, don't bother seeing me off." Shen Ruoshi said as he walked down the steps and walked past Xu Qinguo. "Grand Master of Ceremonies, I'll take my leave."
Xu Qinguo glanced at Shen Ruoshi, but ignored him.
After Shen Ruoshi left, Huo Ting quickly made an excuse and turned to leave as well.
Thus, only Xu Luchuan and Xu Qinguo remained in the front hall.
Xu Qinguo walked into the front hall with his hands behind his back. As he passed Xu Luchuan, the tension between them remained palpable. Xu Luchuan watched as Xu Qinguo sat down directly in front of him and then, as if to say, "What exactly did you do in Yongzhou?"
Xu Luchuan hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, but after recalling what Shen Ruoshi had said, he seemed to have guessed what was going on and stopped, saying, "Father, what do you mean by that?"
"Do you know what people are saying about you and Liu Shiyu these days?"
As he spoke, Xu Qinguo raised his eyes and glared at Xu Luchuan.
It seems Xu Luchuan's guess was wrong; Xu Qinguo's anger towards him today was indeed due to those rumors.
Xu Luchuan couldn't help but sneer, even though he had long since given up all hope for the person before him. But when he heard this angry outburst, Xu Luchuan still felt disappointed.
After his initial disappointment, Xu Luchuan retorted, "Don't those people in the neighborhood spend their days making up these absurd stories? Father, are you so easily swayed by such nonsense?"
Xu Luchuan's words did not move Xu Qinguo in the slightest; instead, he rebuked him.
"Believing only one side? Xu Erlang, how dare you!"
"Do you know the saying 'there's no smoke without fire'? Do you know what kind of vixen Liu Shiyu is? By provoking her, do you want to bring shame upon the entire Xu family?"
"Witch? Shameful?" Xu Luchuan retorted, not to be outdone. He couldn't tolerate Liu Shiyu being slandered like this by Xu Qinguo. "Weren't those insulting remarks and defamatory rumors coming from the mouths of you bunch of scholars who spout so much etiquette and morality?"
Xu Luchuan's words were forceful and enraged Xu Qinguo.
"She has transcended the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues; she is a demoness."
"Xu Erlang, I don't care whether this is true or false. Listen to me carefully. As long as I am alive in the Xu family, I will never allow such a thing to happen."
Looking at Xu Qinguo, who was perpetually stubborn and opinionated, Xu Luchuan momentarily wanted to confront him, to boldly tell him that he was the one who wanted to spend his life with Liu Shiyu. But Xu Luchuan couldn't be so selfish...
He turned around.
"Father is still the same as before, only caring about the Xu family's reputation. Since that's the case, I don't need to waste my breath arguing. Just tell me what you want..."
Xu Luchuan indeed understood him. Xu Qinguo seemed to have planned this all along and said, "Liu Qinglan, the third daughter of the Grand Master of Works Liu Hang, is a noble lady from a prestigious family. She is dignified, virtuous, and talented. She is a perfect match for you. You are now of age but have not yet married. This will inevitably attract a lot of criticism."
"Therefore, your father has arranged a marriage with Master Liu, hoping that you can settle down as soon as possible. It would also help to curb your unruly nature."
"So Father went through all this trouble just to pave the way for this matter." Xu Luchuan stood with his back turned, his gaze fixed outside the hall. "But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Father's good intentions. I cannot accept this marriage proposal. Whom I choose to be with is my own business. I don't need to trouble Father with his concerns."
Xu Qinguo slammed his fist on the table in anger.
He was well aware that rumors circulating in the streets were always difficult to verify. But today, he intended to use this opportunity to finalize Xu Luchuan's marriage and eliminate any future troubles. However, Xu Luchuan remained unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, leaving him no choice but to stick to his guns.
"The treasonous son, the treasonous son..."
"Since ancient times, marriages have been decided by parents and matchmakers. No matter how many reasons you have, your marriage is still my decision. Since you are so stubborn, disobedient, and unfilial, then go kneel in the ancestral hall until you understand things, and then come back to see me!"
Xu Luchuan is unwilling to compromise, nor will he compromise.
He turned around, gave Xu Qinguo a hasty bow, and then turned and walked away towards the ancestral hall.
...
At noon, the father and son had a big argument, which caused quite a stir in the mansion.
In the evening, Xu Luwei went home from work as usual. He had just stepped into the mansion when he was blocked by Xu Jiaojiao, the eighth daughter of his third concubine. He looked down and saw the little girl standing in front of him, pouting and not saying a word.
Seeing this, Xu Luwei pulled her into his arms, pinched her chubby little face, and asked softly, "Little Ba, why are you unhappy? Who upset Little Ba again? Tell your big brother, and I'll go and teach him a lesson for you!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiaojiao answered loudly without any hesitation, "It's all because of Father... Waaah..."
Before Xu Jiaojiao could finish speaking, Xu Luwei immediately covered her mouth with his hand. He was afraid that Xu Qinguo would hear what she said, and Xiao Ba would inevitably be punished.
"Little Eight, tell your older brother what happened."
Xu Lu patiently guided her, and Xu Jiaojiao finally calmed down and whispered in his ear, "Father had a big fight with my second brother today about finding him a wife, and he's still kneeling in the ancestral hall as punishment. He must be disagreeing because the woman he wants to marry isn't pretty enough! Eldest brother, please find a way to help him, please help him!"
"Little Eight doesn't want his second brother to marry an ugly sister-in-law; Little Eight wants his second brother to marry a beautiful sister-in-law."
Despite being only seven years old, Xu Jiaojiao is exceptionally perceptive about beauty and ugliness.
On the day Xu Luchuan returned to the capital, everyone except Xu Luwei treated him coldly. However, Xu Jiaojiao spent the entire day peeking at her second brother from the doorstep of Jihanzhai. She eventually fell asleep, and Xu Luchuan personally carried her back to the inner courtyard.
So, from that day on, Xu Jiaojiao resolved to find a husband as handsome and considerate as her second brother.
"Ancestors, you are all my ancestors. None of you give me any peace of mind."
Xu Luwei rubbed his forehead after hearing Xu Jiaojiao's words. He hadn't expected that such a commotion would occur in the manor after he had only been gone for half a day. Just hearing about it was enough to give anyone a headache.
Seeing that Xu Luwei remained silent, Xu Jiaojiao grew anxious. She reached out and cupped his cheeks, pressing him for help, "Big brother, big brother! You have to think of something, you have to think of something! If you save your brother, I'll give all the jujube cakes that Mother gave me on New Year's Day to you!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Luwei smiled and gently put Xu Jiaojiao down on the ground.
Xu Luwei then patted Xu Jiaojiao's head and said, "Keep the jujube cake for yourself. Come on, let's go to the kitchen and see if there's anything we can take to your second brother. Don't let him go hungry. Only when he's full will we have the energy to think of a solution."
"good!"
The brother and sister then rummaged through the kitchen for some easy-to-grab pastries and headed to the ancestral hall.
As soon as they entered the ancestral hall, Xu Jiaojiao saw Xu Luchuan kneeling upright and immediately ran to his side. She took out the pastries she had secretly hidden in her bosom, held them out to him with both hands, and said obediently, "Brother Ci, are you hungry?"
"Xiao Ba brought you some pastries, would you like something to eat, Second Brother?"
Xu Luchuan remained kneeling, unmoved. He couldn't swallow this insult; even if he died kneeling there today, he would never compromise with Xu Qinguo.
Xu Jiaojiao was quite frightened by his display. After carefully placing the pastries aside, she turned around and hugged Xu Luchuan, bursting into tears: "Don't stay silent! Don't ignore Xiao Ba! Second Brother!"
Xu Luwei walked up slowly from behind, then casually grabbed Xu Jiaojiao by the collar and slid her off Xu Luchuan.
Xu Jiaojiao turned to look at Xu Luwei, pouting and complaining, "Big brother, what are you doing! Let me go!"
Xu Luwei put a finger to his lips, signaling Xu Jiaojiao to be quiet. Then he said in a low voice, "This is an important place, Xiao Ba. Why are you making such a racket? Do you think you didn't get enough punishment from your father last time for copying the family rules?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiaojiao was so frightened that she immediately covered her mouth with her hand.
Xu Luwei shook his head, released his hand from her collar, and said no more.
Turning to look at Xu Luchuan, who was kneeling upright, Xu Luwei sneered and said, "You've just recovered from a serious illness, yet you disregard your own safety to defy your father. You always say that I'm most like my father, but I think it's your stubborn and obstinate temper that's most like him."
"Alright, let me hear it from you, brother. Who is this young lady you've been swearing to never marry?"
[Author's Note]
Flu recovery rate is 50%, just a quick update from TT. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 20221207 15:25:06 and 20221210 22:25:54!
Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmines: 2 who passed by.
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Prayer (2 bottles); 52801349 (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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