Chapter 372 Betrothal
Now that the Emperor has personally bestowed a marriage upon Jiang Mi and Huo Ran, these people have changed their attitude towards the Jiang family, and their smiles are even brighter than before.
"The Jiang family is truly blessed. Not only has the young master taken a liking to them, but the Emperor himself has also bestowed this marriage upon them. This is an extraordinary joyous occasion. May I ask to have a drink at the wedding?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Of course, since my father-in-law came in person to tell me this happy news, I will naturally have to drink some celebratory wine with him."
After chatting and laughing for a while, they saw the father-in-law off. When only the family members were left, their expressions were a mix of joy and worry. They were happy because they felt that Jiang Mi had found a good husband, but worried because Jiang Mi's future life would be too different from her previous one.
Seeing the worry on his mother's face, Jiang Zhi tried to lighten the mood by saying, "Mother, don't worry. My second brother and I will work hard to climb the ranks. Once we become high-ranking officials, no one will dare to bully Honey."
Jiang's mother chuckled, "You child, you're so good at making people happy. I don't expect you to become high-ranking officials. As long as you're happy and healthy, I'll be very content."
Then she looked at Jiang Mi and said, "You are the apple of my eye. I am happy for you that you have found such a respectable husband. But Huo Ran seems like a good man now, but I don't know what will happen in the next few decades. I wonder if he will change his mind. As long as he is sincere to you and protects you, I have no other wish."
Jiang Cheng sneered from the side, "What else do you want? This kid is good-looking and comes from a good family. What else could you want? All you want is his heart, right?"
Jiang Mi really wanted Huo Ran's heart. In the past, her requirements for her future husband were that he be handsome and rich. Now, Jiang Mi herself already has a lot of money, and Huo Ran already has both of those qualities. So now, her only requirement for her husband is sincerity.
"Look at what you're saying! Our daughter is excellent too. Didn't you dislike Huo Ran before? What? Now that you know his true identity, you've accepted him as your son-in-law?"
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes: "I didn't. It was his sincerity that moved me and Honey. Now that the Emperor has even issued an imperial decree to grant us the marriage, are you still going to disobey the decree? Let's think positively now. If that brat Huo Ran dares to treat Honey badly in the future, I'll be the first to kill him. And you two as older brothers, you both need to work hard to climb up the ranks. When our Jiang family's power grows, naturally no one will dare to bully Honey."
"You!" Jiang's mother was quite helpless, but the fact that the Jiang family had a powerful background did give Jiang Mi more confidence.
Jiang Mi never cared about these things; her confidence came from within herself, and she already had enough.
Just then, Huo Ran knocked on the door, requesting an audience. Jiang's mother glanced at Jiang Mi and said, "This man is in such a hurry. The marriage was just granted, and he's already rushing over. Getting married is just a matter of time, what's the rush?"
Despite saying that, he still invited Huo Ran in and didn't ask Jiang Mi to leave. After all, the two of them were already so familiar with each other and were about to get married, so there was no need for any formalities.
"Greetings to Aunt Jiang, Uncle Jiang, and my two elder brothers."
Jiang Zhi joked, "They're not even married yet, and they're already calling each other 'brother.' How warm-hearted they are!"
Huo Ran was somewhat embarrassed. He looked at everyone, then suddenly knelt down on one knee before Jiang Mi, and said with a very solemn expression, "Honey, although I know your feelings and the Emperor has issued a decree to grant us marriage, I still want to hear your own words of consent. Will you marry me?"
System: [Task Completed]
Is the mission complete just like that?
However, Jiang Mi wasn't very happy. She was completely stunned. Huo Ran had actually proposed to her in front of so many people, asking her to marry him. Although they had long recognized their feelings for each other, Jiang Mi still felt dizzy when faced with this situation.
Su Yindi urged her softly, "Hurry up and say yes! What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and respond to her!"
Liang Lan stopped Su Yindi: "Shh, don't speak, let them talk."
Jiang Mi slowly walked up to Huo Ran, helped him up, and looked up at the only man she had ever loved in both her past and present lives.
"I do."
Even though Huo Ran knew that Jiang Mi had feelings for him, he was still worried that she would say no. Only when Jiang Mi said "I do" did he feel completely relieved.
"You've agreed in front of so many people, you can't go back on your word."
Huo Ran's voice was hoarse, and his Adam's apple bobbed. If there weren't so many people here, he would have wanted to meld Jiang Mi into his body and never want to be separated from her again.
Soon, they will be getting married, and Jiang Mi will be completely his, and no one will be able to take her away from him anymore.
On the other side, Liu Zijun was still suicidal, smashing everything she could in the room.
"I won't marry him! I'd rather die than marry him! How could Father treat me like this? I hate him! I hate you all!"
Madam Liu felt extremely distressed and advised, "Your father is only doing this for your own good. Now you have no choice but to marry him. I promise you, I will give you a generous dowry, and your father will also promote the family of that Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. I will definitely not let you live such a shameful life."
Liu Zijun's hair and clothes were disheveled; she had completely abandoned her image as a young lady.
"What kind of face do you have? Do I even have a face? What's the use of all this? I want Huo Ran, I want to marry Huo Ran, I don't want to marry that ugly, fat pig!"
Madam Liu was filled with anger when she thought of Huo Ran's rejection of them: "What's so good about Huo Ran? His family situation is a mess, and he has a stepmother who is several years older than him. Even if Jiang Mi marries into the family, she won't have a good life. Do you think her life in the Marquis's mansion will be so easy?"
Liu Zijun was stunned. Her eyes widened as she looked at Madam Liu in disbelief: "Mother, what did you just say? Jiang Mi is going to marry Huo Ran?"
Madam Liu quickly covered her mouth. How could she have let it slip? She shouldn't be provoking Liu Zijun at this moment; she had completely forgotten about it.
Seeing that Madam Liu stopped speaking and her eyes began to dart away, Liu Zijun had some idea of what was going on, but she refused to believe it. She suddenly grabbed Wan'er and asked, "Tell me, what exactly happened? Is Jiang Mi really going to marry Brother Huo Ran?"
Wan'er shook her head, not daring to speak, but Liu Zijun was gripping her neck tightly, so she could only gasp for breath and say, "This servant heard that His Majesty personally issued an edict to bestow marriage upon Huo Ran and Jiang Mi, and they will be getting married soon."
Liu Zijun suddenly relaxed her strength, squatted down on the ground in disbelief, and shook her head, unwilling to believe it.
"Impossible, this is impossible. Only I can marry Brother Huo Ran. The Emperor promised to bestow a marriage upon me and Brother Huo Ran. What does this have to do with Jiang Mi? Jiang Mi is just Brother Huo Ran's concubine. I am the principal wife, right?"
Madam Liu burst into tears, and Liu Zijun grabbed Madam Liu's hand again, asking, "Is it true, Mother, that I am the one who is to marry Brother Huo Ran, right?"
Madam Liu wiped away her tears, sighed, and said, "Good child, I know you're suffering. Even if Jiang Mi marries Huo Ran, I won't let her have an easy time. Just bear with it for now and marry the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. So many people saw you two together back then, you have no choice but to marry him. Your father will protect you, don't worry."
Liu Zijun felt as if all her strength had been drained away; she no longer had the energy to make a scene.
"Brother Huo Ran, how could you be so heartless to me? Then don't blame me for disregarding our years of friendship. And Jiang Mi, I will never let either of you go."
Seeing that Liu Zijun was on the verge of a mental breakdown, Madam Liu couldn't bear to watch any longer and left the room.
"Let's go to the palace and find Consort Jing. If she, as her aunt, still sits idly by after something like this, then don't blame me for being impolite."
Huo Ran arrived at the Jiang family's residence less than two days later and presented betrothal gifts. The entire courtyard was filled with valuable items, and even the usually composed Jiang Xuan couldn't help but gape in astonishment.
Su Yindi was a little envious and glared at Jiang Zhi, saying, "Look at her. When you came to marry me, you had nothing. How come Jiang Mi is so lucky? I don't care, you have to make it up to me."
Jiang Zhi said helplessly, "I gave you everything back then, and I still do now. All my possessions are in your hands, and I've given you all the money I'm making. What else do you want from me? I have nothing left."
That's true. All of Jiang Zhi's assets are now in Su Yindi's hands, which she is quite satisfied with. However, the dowry displayed all over the courtyard is just too enviable.
"Then you'd better work hard to earn this much, and only when you've earned enough will you be able to rest."
Jiang Zhi couldn't help but smile wryly: "Being a man is so hard."
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law." Huo Ran has already started to address them differently. He has already given the betrothal gifts and arranged the engagement. His most important thing is to marry Jiang Mi as soon as possible.
"You're in such a hurry," Jiang Cheng muttered. He had originally planned to save Jiang Mi for the end of the year, but he didn't expect this kid to be so impatient and insist on marrying Jiang Mi as soon as possible. Jiang Cheng was still very reluctant to see his daughter, whom he had raised for so long, get married like this.
Huo Ran pretended not to hear. He was all smiles. She had never seen him laugh so happily before. Seeing him like this, Jiang's mother felt a little relieved. At least Huo Ran was genuinely sincere towards Jiang Mi at this moment, and this child was also a kind-hearted person. Even if the two of them lost their feelings for each other in the future, he probably wouldn't treat Jiang Mi too badly.
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