Chapter 16 I'm afraid things might change if I stay up too long.
Lou Shu did not go to his post; he simply asked for leave from the Secretariat and hurriedly returned home. Upon arriving home, he immediately sent someone to summon Lou Zhongyan, who was still on duty.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw his wife rushing towards him: "Master! Someone from the palace just came with an imperial decree, saying that His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon Susu and Marquis Wu'an? What... what's going on? Why was a marriage bestowed?"
Lou Shu: "Wouldn't it be better to have a marriage arranged by imperial decree?"
"Of course not! Oh dear, I just don't understand why His Majesty would concern himself with this matter?" said Madam Lou.
Lou Xueying stood under the porch, looking at her father with a bewildered expression.
Lou Shu walked over, looked at Lou Xueying gently, and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
"Father!" Lou Xueying followed closely behind him, asking anxiously, "You said you would definitely find a way to get Marquis Wu'an to marry me, could it be that you want to ask His Majesty for a decree to grant us a marriage?"
When she first heard the imperial edict from the palace, she almost fainted again. But upon closer listening, she discovered that it was a marriage decree bestowed upon her and the Marquis of Wu'an, and she was stunned.
"Of course not." Lou Shu sat down on the wide rosewood chair, took a sip of tea and said, "How could I dare to disturb His Majesty for your marriage? It's just that after the court session today, I had a few words with Marquis Wu'an, and before we finished talking, His Majesty summoned me. Only after I went there did I learn that His Majesty intended to bestow a marriage upon me."
"His Majesty bestowed this marriage upon him?" Lou Xueying murmured, sitting to the side in a daze. "Why would His Majesty bestow this marriage upon him? Didn't he previously intend to marry a member of the royal family to Marquis Wu'an?"
"His Majesty naturally has his reasons. The bestowal of this marriage precisely demonstrates His Majesty's magnanimity." Lou Shu, having been immersed in officialdom for over twenty years, naturally had his own interpretation. However, there was no need to tell his naive daughter some things. "What's wrong? Judging from your expression, you're not happy about being bestowed a marriage? You've gotten what you wanted, isn't that good?"
Lou Xueying forced a smile: "No, I am not unhappy... I am just... afraid that Marquis Wu'an feels that he is being forced by His Majesty and still does not like this marriage."
"He may not like it, but he accepted it nonetheless. And after talking with him today, I discovered that he is not only clear about his likes and dislikes and dares to speak his mind, but he is also quite interesting in his actions." Lou Shu stroked his short stubble and smiled thoughtfully. "Do you know what he said to me after His Majesty bestowed the marriage and I left the Imperial Study with the Marquis of Wu'an?"
Lou Xueying: "What?"
"He asked me whether I was willing to marry him. If I was willing, he had nothing to say. If I was not willing and was only forced by rumors and my parents, I would not be happy after marrying into their family."
Lou Xueying was taken aback.
Madam Lou raised an eyebrow: "Did Marquis Wu'an really say that?"
Lou Shu: "How could it be fake?"
"Good, good." Madam Lou finally smiled. "It seems that although Marquis Wu'an still thinks our Lou family is scheming, he only thinks it's the fault of the two old folks and can't blame Susu. After all, Susu can't disobey her parents' orders."
Lou Shu: "That's why I said that Marquis Wu'an is an interesting person. He focuses on the matter at hand and doesn't like to get involved. Susu will not suffer any grievances after marrying into the family. As for us, let him think whatever he wants. Anyway, he can't do anything to us."
Madam Lou held Lou Xueying's hand, beaming from ear to ear: "Susu, you certainly know how to choose a husband for yourself! Now that His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon you, and Marquis Wu'an is willing to tolerate you, given time, he will surely discover your goodness and will only regret not marrying you sooner!"
Lou Xueying blushed slightly and pulled her hand away: "I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going back first."
Mrs. Lou: "You silly child, you were so brave when you jumped into the water yesterday, but you're all shy today!"
Lou Xueying didn't say a word, and quickly ran away, lifting her skirt.
Madam Lou watched her retreating figure, then turned to Lou Shu and smiled, "You really are serious when you should be, and serious when you shouldn't be!"
Lou Shu: "Fine, let her be. I rushed back today to discuss the wedding date and many other details with you. Since it's an imperial decree, we can't delay. All the procedures need to be finalized as soon as possible..."
Lou Xueying ran back to her own courtyard.
Cailing poured her a cup of tea and chuckled, "Is Miss satisfied now? His Majesty has decreed the marriage, so Marquis Wu'an has no choice but to marry her. Besides, Master said that Marquis Wu'an might think that Miss was forced yesterday and even feels sorry for her! That's wonderful. Once a man starts to feel sorry for a woman, he's not far from falling in love with her."
Lou Xueying: "...How come you change your mind faster than turning the pages of a book? You weren't like this yesterday."
Cai Ling: "That's all because of my ignorance. How could I have known that Miss's marriage would have His Majesty's support? How could I have known that Marquis Wu'an didn't dislike Miss, but was afraid that Miss would be coerced by Master and Madam? Now it seems that Miss has a good eye. This marriage was a really good deal!"
Lou Xueying: "Alright, alright, you can go now. Let me have some peace and quiet."
Cailing: "Miss was saying a few days ago that she wouldn't marry anyone but Marquis Wu'an, and now that she's really going to marry him, she's finally feeling shy?"
Lou Xueying glared at her: "Get down here!"
"Alright, alright, I won't bother you any longer, Miss. I suppose Master and Madam also have something to tell me." Cailing grinned, closed the door, and ran off happily.
Lou Xueying covered her forehead.
She was finally able to marry the Marquis of Wu'an, but she was not happy; instead, she felt even more uneasy—simply because it was a marriage bestowed by the emperor.
According to the rules of this dynasty, if the emperor bestows a marriage, it means that on the day of the wedding, the newlyweds must first go to the palace to pay their respects to the emperor and express their gratitude before they can officially return to their parents' home.
She wanted to go to the palace and see the emperor...
This was not part of her plan at all! The thought of this made Lou Xueying's headache worse.
-
Meanwhile, at the Li residence, Li's mother was beaming with joy upon learning of the imperial decree granting them marriage.
"Oh, I knew it! What's there to argue about? Look, even His Majesty has bestowed this marriage upon you. You were destined to marry this woman!" Mother Li said happily.
Li Pan snorted: "You can be happy for now. Once she's married, you'll know whether you can handle it."
Li's mother said, "Don't talk about this rich young lady like she's a shrew. No matter how spoiled she is, she lives in her own place and I live in mine. I don't expect her to serve me. What's wrong with that? You should mind your own business. I don't live in the same room as her. If she's going to complain, she'll complain about you first!"
Li Pan pursed his lips.
Li's mother asked Lü Gui, who was standing nearby, "What are the customs for getting married in the capital? What preparations do we need to make?"
Lu Gui said, "The six rites are all similar, except for some differences in the items and utensils. These are all negotiable. The most important thing is the wedding date. For families like ours, the Marquis and the Lou family, we certainly can't buy ready-made things for the wedding. They have to be made to order and must be completed before the wedding date."
"Yes, yes, the wedding date. His Majesty hasn't set a wedding date, so that means our two families are to discuss it amongst ourselves?" Mother Li decisively said, "Let's go, Lü Gui, prepare the carriage, we'll pay a visit to the Lou family right now!"
Li Pan exclaimed, glancing at her sideways: "When did Mother become so healthy? His Majesty is truly a divine physician. With just one imperial decree, Mother's legs no longer ache, her back no longer hurts, and she's even adapted to the new environment! She even dared to visit a scholarly family like the Lou family. It seems Mother studied diligently by lamplight all night and learned quite a few characters!"
"Go away, stop making fun of your old mother." Li's mother slapped him on the back of the neck. "Get up and come with me! I'm not good with words, so you'll have to say something nice later and stop spouting nonsense!"
Li Pan: "What's the rush?"
“His Majesty has decreed this marriage, how can we not be in a hurry? If you keep dawdling, His Majesty will think you’re disobeying the decree! Besides, we are the groom’s family. If we don’t come to the bride’s house, are we supposed to wait for her to come to us? Is that reasonable?” Mother Li glared at him, then remembered something and started pacing around the room. “Oh right, right, where are the new clothes we bought earlier? Cuicui, quickly help me change. I can’t lose face in front of my in-laws!”
Li Pan watched the maidservant following Li's mother back and forth, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Oh well, I have to go sooner or later, as long as Mom is happy.
He stood up and said to Lü Gui, "Let's go, get the car ready. She won't be able to sleep tonight if we don't see someone from the Lou family."
Lu Gui laughed and said, "The Marquis is getting married, and it's even an imperial decree. How could the old lady not be happy about such a glorious event for the family?"
However, by the time Li's mother finished getting ready, it was already lunchtime. Li Pan said, "Wouldn't going over at this time disturb people's mealtime?" So Li's mother gave up on the idea.
After finishing their meal, Li's mother wanted to leave again, but Li Pan said, "People need to rest after lunch. If you go over there, they'll have to get out of bed to greet you." Li's mother had no choice but to hold back again.
It wasn't until almost noon that Li Pan set off with his mother. After being suppressed for several hours, Li's mother finally seemed calmer and was no longer as agitated as before. However, as the carriage got closer and closer to the Lou residence, she became nervous again and couldn't help but grab her son's arm.
When they tried to grab it, they found nothing.
Looking up, I saw Li Pan leaning lazily against the carriage wall with his hands folded behind his head. He said, "What's the panic? Everyone has two eyes and one mouth. Others can study, but you can farm. Without the land you farm, they would have starved to death long ago."
Li's mother spat at him lightly: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Li Pan smiled.
The carriage stopped in front of the mansion. Li Pan got out first and then helped his mother out of the carriage.
The gatekeeper of the Lou residence looked Li Pan over carefully before cautiously approaching and asking, "May I ask if you are Marquis Wu'an?"
Li Pan nodded: "Indeed, please inform them that I have brought my mother to the mansion to discuss the marriage between Miss Lou and me with your master and mistress."
The gatekeeper quickly bowed and said, "Please wait a moment, my lord, I will go and inform him right away!"
This was Li Pan's first time visiting the Lou family mansion. He looked up at the red and gold plaque on the door again and again, and asked his mother in a low voice, "Mother, do you recognize what's written on this?"
Li's mother said, "Your mother isn't stupid; she could guess it was the name of the Lou family!"
Li Pan: "Not bad, not bad, you're not bad with words either."
Li's mother: "..."
Seeing that no one from the Lou family was there, Li's mother secretly rolled her eyes at her son. His interruption seemed to have dispelled her earlier anxiety.
The gatekeeper returned quickly and respectfully invited Li Pan, his mother, and Lü Gui, who was accompanying them, into the mansion.
After walking a few steps, they saw Lou Shu and his wife coming out from the inner courtyard to greet them.
Lou Shu cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Marquis."
Li Pan raised an eyebrow: "Oh, Lord Lou, it seems I was right. You really did slack off today and weren't on duty."
Lou Shu smiled and said, "His Majesty bestowed this marriage upon me, but I had something on my mind and couldn't sit still, so I had to ask for leave from the government office and come back to deal with family matters. This must be Madam Li?"
Li's mother straightened her back and said in a proper manner, "Lord Lou, you are too kind. I am just a country woman. I am very apprehensive to learn of His Majesty's bestowal of marriage today. If there is anything I have done inappropriately, I hope Lord Lou will forgive me."
"You're too modest, Madam," Madam Lou said with a smile. "How could you, Madam, be just some country bumpkin who raised a son like the Marquis? You're clearly a heroine!"
Li's mother blushed at her words.
Lou Shu: "Lord Marquis, Madam, please come in. Let's have a chat."
On the other side.
"Second Young Master, Miss!" Cailing rushed into the room and said to Lou Zhongyan and Lou Xueying, who were talking, "The Marquis has arrived with Old Madam Li and they are on their way to the master and mistress's courtyard!"
"Oh? He's here so quickly?" Lou Zhongyan said. "He's smart to know what's good for him."
He put down his teacup and said to Lou Xueying, "They must be here to discuss the details of the wedding ceremony. If you have any questions, I'll go and ask them for you."
Lou Xueying shook her head: "I have nothing to ask, let them decide."
Lou Zhongyan: "Didn't you long to marry Marquis Wu'an? Don't you have any thoughts on such an important marriage?"
Lou Xueying pursed her lips, about to say that she really didn't, but then paused and changed her words: "We'll choose an auspicious date for the wedding, as soon as possible, as long as it's feasible."
Lou Zhongyan: "..."
Lou Zhongyan was exasperated: "What did I just tell you? Don't always rush into men's arms! You need to be reserved and keep your distance. That way, men will feel that you are hard to come by and will cherish you. Anyway, His Majesty has already bestowed the marriage, so what does it matter if it's a month or two later? You chose such an early date, people will think you're desperate to get married!"
Lou Xueying lowered her head and whispered, "I'm afraid things might get complicated if I wait too long."
She was already eager to marry Li Pan, and now that she learned it was an imperial decree, she was even more anxious.
Who knows what the emperor was thinking, actually bestowing a marriage upon her and Li Pan! I'm afraid that during her wedding preparations, the emperor might finally lose his temper and investigate her identity, only to discover that he had actually given away "Su Jun" to someone else. Wouldn't he be so angry that he faint? I'm afraid the first thing he would do after waking up would be to make her a concubine, under the pretext that "she is not yet married and it does not violate the law," and then give Li Pan some compensation, and that would be the end of it.
Li Pan, on the other hand, never wanted to get married and had no feelings for her. The emperor had taken his fiancée away, and he had unexpectedly received a windfall. He might even be secretly relieved.
So all that effort she put in, isn't it all over?
"What did you say?" Lou Zhongyan didn't hear clearly.
"It's nothing. I'm just worried that if it drags on, there will be more rumors going around," Lou Xueying said. "Go ahead. I don't have any other requirements except that the wedding date should be set soon."
Lou Zhongyan pointed at her with his finger, gritted his teeth, and said, "You, you." Then he sighed heavily, shook his head, and left.
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