Lu seemed a little worried, so he personally escorted Wei Jiaoniang and Gu Yanfei back to their respective residences.
"Girl, you're back!"
Juanbi, who was sent back home by Gu Yanfei to report the news, stood outside the corner gate and looked around for a long time. When she saw Gu Yanfei coming back, she guessed that she and Wei Jiaoniang had not been able to leave the city before the city gates closed.
Juanbi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and hurried over to greet her, smiling and saying, "Miss, Eunuch He from the palace is here."
"He's still in the outer courtyard hall, and the eldest lady is greeting him. Do you want me to go over and take a look?"
"Okay, let's go and take a look." Gu Yanfei casually handed the reins of the horse to a gatekeeper and went to the outer courtyard hall with Juanbi.
Juanbi walked with a lantern in her hand and said, "According to the palace maids accompanying her, it seems that Eunuch He came here for the Hundred Flowers Banquet in Tianhe Garden."
Juanbi was right. When Eunuch He saw Gu Yanfei, he personally handed over two red invitations with gold sprinkled on them. He bowed and said, "Second Miss Gu, we are following the order of the Emperor to invite you to a banquet at Tianhe Garden on National Day."
Eunuch He spoke politely.
As early as when Gu Yanfei first entered the palace, the emperor specially ordered him to entertain her. Eunuch He knew that this second Miss Gu might be the future consort of the eldest prince.
Some things that happened later also confirmed his guess.
Therefore, even though Gu Yunzhen euphemistically said that he didn't know when Gu Yanfei would be back tonight, he still patiently waited for two full cups of tea.
And sure enough, his hard work paid off and his wait was not in vain.
The smile on Eunuch He's face became even more intense, and he added, "The Emperor heard that there is another older girl in the young lady's house, so please invite the older girl to come along as well."
He looked at Gu Yunzhen with a smiling face and had a good impression of this Miss Gu. He thought to himself: This Miss Gu is very considerate in her dealings with others. As the eldest sister of the future Crown Prince's Consort, she now has a name in the heart of the Emperor. Her future prospects will not be too bad.
Gu Yunzhen was a little surprised, and quickly stood up from the chair at the top and bowed: "Your humble servant thanks you."
"Please, eunuch, express our gratitude to the Emperor on behalf of us sisters."
As he spoke, Gu Yunzhen signaled the housekeeper to quietly slip a red envelope into Eunuch He's pocket.
After completing the task, Eunuch He simply said goodbye, and Gu Yunzhen instructed the housekeeper to send him out.
Looking at Eunuch He and his group in the light ahead, Gu Yunzhen let out a long breath and sighed with relief: "Second sister, you are finally back!"
Although she seemed calm just now, she was actually so panicked that she almost lost her mind. She never expected that someone would suddenly appear in the palace, but she felt that she could not embarrass her second sister, so she held on.
Gu Yunzhen held Gu Yanfei's arm and walked towards the inner courtyard, holding back a lot of words to say, "Fortunately, I asked someone to make new clothes in advance, otherwise, it would be too late."
My second sister has been back for several months, and this is her first time attending such a grand occasion.
In comparison, the last love-making banquet in the palace was just a small banquet attended by thirty or forty people. On the National Day, there will be at least hundreds of people attending the Hundred Flowers Banquet in Tianhe Garden, and even those noble court officials and royal family members will go.
She had to think carefully about how to dress up her second sister. She must not lose face in front of the noble ladies in the capital! Gu Yunzhen made up her mind secretly and asked about Lu Qin again: "Second sister, Ah Qin..." How is she?
Gu Yanfei then recounted the general story, including the incident when they encountered a stranger near the west city gate.
"..." Gu Yunzhen's expression was a bit complicated, and he sighed slightly, "Why doesn't Madam Lu believe it? Even if you would rather believe it, you can check it out."
As long as the man is sincere about the marriage, we can wait even if the engagement is delayed for a few days.
"..." Gu Yanfei pursed her lips and said nothing.
Everyone has selfish desires, and Mrs. Lu must have one too.
The night wind brought a hint of coolness, blowing their hair and making their clothes flutter. The surroundings were unusually quiet.
After walking forward for a while in the night wind, Gu Yunzhen asked again, "Are you going to the Chang'an Marquis's Mansion tomorrow?"
"No." Gu Yanfei shook his head.
If Lu seems to have gotten things done, it doesn't matter whether I go or not.
If the road seems unresolved, we'll talk about it later.
Lu can't be unable to handle even such a small matter, right? Then you'd better stop being someone's brother!
The mansion seemed a little deserted at night. With fewer people around, fewer lanterns were lit, and the mansion was particularly dark.
In the gentle night breeze, the trees in the shadows swayed in the wind, and the shadows were hazy, making people feel as if there was something hidden in the darkness.
Gu Yunzhen subconsciously held onto Gu Yanfei's arm. Ever since she heard the baby crying in the small garden that night, she felt uneasy and began to be afraid to walk around at night.
“Wow…wow…”
The faint sound of a baby's shrill cry came with the night wind, mixed with the rustling sound of the leaves.
Gu Yunzhen's body seemed to be frozen, and he froze and stopped suddenly.
The wind ruffled her bangs and the hair on her temples, playfully scratching her cheeks.
"Second sister, you...you..." Gu Yunzhen swallowed and asked Gu Yanfei fearfully, "Did you hear what I just said..."
She listened again, but there was silence in the darkness and she heard nothing. It seemed that what she had just heard was just an illusion.
Gu Yunzhen couldn't help swallowing his saliva, which was especially clear in the quiet night.
"I'll go over and take a look." Gu Yanfei pointed in the direction of the small garden and smiled calmly.
"Wait!" Gu Yunzhen grabbed Gu Yanfei's hand and said anxiously, "I'll go with you."
She was afraid that Gu Yanfei would abandon her.
The lantern in the maid's hand was swaying back and forth in the night wind, and the candle in the lantern also swayed with the wind. The orange light was sometimes bright and sometimes dim, giving off a spooky and weird feeling.
Gu Yanfei held Gu Yunzhen's cold little hand, met her frightened eyes, and said with a smile: "Okay, let's go together!"
The two girls walked along a bluestone path towards the small garden. Gu Yunzhen lagged behind by a step. As she walked, she looked around nervously, her gentle little face looking a little pale.
"Meow!" A black cat suddenly jumped out from the bamboo forest, looked back at them fiercely, and breathed threateningly, with its fur standing on end from its back to its tail.
A pair of amber-yellow cat's eyes sparkled in the night.
"It's a wild cat!" The little maid holding the lantern breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.
After breathing out, the black cat jumped lightly onto the garden wall and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Gu Yunzhen stared blankly in the direction the cat left for a long time before he slowly blinked.
"It's a cat." She turned to Gu Yanfei and said with a smile, "That was the sound of a cat just now, right?"
The mother was right, it was indeed a cat. She was just overthinking and mistook the cat's meow for a baby's cry.
"..." Gu Yanfei moved the hand hidden in his sleeve without saying anything.
She took Gu Yunzhen's arm and continued walking forward.
The bamboo forest behind was dancing in the night wind, and the rustling sound came one after another, as if someone was whispering, and the night gradually deepened.
The sound of a clapperboard gong came from afar, marking the first watch of the night, which was extremely penetrating in the silent night.
This night was very long for many people.
The Lu family is like this, and so is the Hua family.
"Doctor Wang, how is my son?" Mrs. Hua asked a gray-haired old doctor with a worried look on her face.
Doctor Wang stroked his beard, shook his head and sighed deeply.
This low sigh echoed in Mrs. Hua's ears like thunder.
Mrs. Hua's eyes suddenly became moist. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, her voice a little hoarse, "Didn't you say that you can hold on for more than a month? How come it's so soon..."
Her eyes were red and she choked up.
"I don't know either." Doctor Wang frowned and said, "The eldest son's condition has been getting worse in the past few years. His condition was relatively stable recently..."
"Alas, I can only say that the eldest master has been sick for many years, and his body is already full of holes, like a tree trunk eaten away by termites... I'm afraid there is no way to save him."
"I have tried my best. He may not survive tonight..."
Mrs. Hua was shocked, took two steps back, and staggered to sit on a chair at the back, her face pale.
The nanny next to her looked at Madam Hua worriedly and patted her back comfortingly.
After a while, Doctor Hua regained his composure and said in a hoarse voice, "Doctor Wang, can you delay it for one more day... just one day?"
In just a few words, she looked several years older.
Doctor Wang actually didn't quite understand why he had to let Young Master Hua delay for another day, but thinking of Madam Hua's loving motherly heart, and after all, he had watched the child of the Hua family grow up, he was reluctant to let him go.
He stroked his goatee again and said in a deep voice, "Prepare a ginseng that is more than 200 years old, boil it into a thick soup, and feed it to him. He should be able to hold out for another day."
As they were talking, a middle-aged man in a green robe worn by an imperial tutor and a young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old in a royal blue robe came in one after another.
Doctor Wang thought it was just a matter of staying for one more day, so he agreed.
"Madam Cai, take Doctor Wang downstairs to rest." Madam Hua ordered, and told a maid to quickly get ginseng to make soup.
After Doctor Wang left, only three members of the Hua family were left in the room.
The surroundings were quiet for a moment. After making sure that the footsteps outside had gone far away, Mrs. Hua said to the father and son, "There's still time. Let's go to the Lu family to propose marriage tomorrow."
"Okay." Master Hua breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly, "That's great."
Mrs. Hua's eyes were filled with tears, and she wiped them with a handkerchief, "After we get married, Brother Xi won't be alone in the afterlife."
"Don't worry, the third lady of the Lu family and Xi'er's horoscopes are compatible, so she is destined to be his wife. With her blessings, Xi'er will be healthy and safe in his next life." Master Hua comforted his wife softly.
"Yes, mother." Hua Zhao, the second son of the Hua family, gently stroked his mother's back, with a hint of ruthlessness on his handsome face. "Tomorrow we have to go to the Lu family to propose marriage, so don't cry and hurt yourself."
Hua Zhao silently exchanged glances with Master Hua, and there was an unusually bright light flashing in the eyes of both father and son.
Once this secret marriage is completed, it will not only bring prosperity to Hua Xi, but also to his Hua family.
There must be no mistakes in this marriage! Madam Hua forced a smile and reminded him tiredly: "Zhao'er, when you go to propose tomorrow, be careful...there must not be any mistakes."
"When the marriage was arranged yesterday, the Lu family was a little unhappy. Fortunately, my aunt helped to mediate and negotiate, and the marriage was finally settled."
"Once the engagement is made tomorrow, everything will be fine." Mr. Hua stroked his beard and said, "Our family has not treated the Lu family unfairly."
"Yeah." Mrs. Hua nodded, her eyes becoming even redder.
Their family was very kind. Even if Lu Qin died, they would still marry her and make her their legal wife. She would be buried in the ancestral tomb and ancestral hall of the Lu family and be worshipped by their descendants. They did not treat Lu Qin unfairly.
Moreover, the Lu family also got something good. The vacancy of the captain of the Shenji Camp had cost them a lot of effort.
"Oh no! Oh no!"
Suddenly, an anxious female voice came from outside the door curtain. Then, the door curtain was lifted and a maid ran in hurriedly, reporting in a horrified manner, "Master, Madam, the young master...his fever has gotten worse. Not only are his limbs twitching, but his eyes are...bleeding!"
Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Hua could no longer sit still. They stood up suddenly, walked hurriedly through the door curtain and entered the inner room.
The lights in the Hua family were on all night, and they were not turned off until the roosters crowed at dawn.
The dim light gently enveloped the young man on the couch. The young man had a sallow face and was so thin that he was just skin and bones. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was breathing out more than he was breathing in.
The maid struggled to feed the unconscious Hua Xi a bowl of ginseng soup. The sickly young man was weak, his skin was dark, and he exuded a dying aura.
Anyone could see that he was only breathing his last breath.
Madam Hua held her eldest son's skinny hand and said softly, "Brother Xi, just hold on a little longer, it will be over soon. Mother won't let you be alone..."
"Everything is ready. Your aunt is here too. Your brother and I will go and propose on your behalf today."
Her voice was hoarse and weak, and tears welled up in her eyes, which had already been red and swollen, and her eyes were unusually bright.
Mrs. Hua tucked in the corner of the quilt for her eldest son, washed up, and when the auspicious time came, she set out from the Washington Palace with music and fanfare.
The sixty-four loads of heavy betrothal gifts attracted many curious eyes along the way, making the scene very lively.
It was not yet noon when the Hua family's convoy carrying the betrothal gifts arrived at the Chang'an Earl's Mansion in the capital.
This was a great event in the Bo's Mansion, so they opened the main gate to welcome the guests.
Big red lanterns were hung everywhere in the mansion, creating an atmosphere of joy.
Master Lu Er, Madam Lu Er and Lu Si were entertaining the Hua family in the main hall of the outer courtyard.
Madam Lu's face was not looking good, and the shadows under her eyes were even darker. She said to the Hua family apologetically, "Excuse me, Miss Qin is still sick and can't come out to entertain guests."
At night, her daughter's condition suddenly worsened. Her fever became more severe, her limbs twitched, and she even had blood coming out of her eyes, which scared Mrs. Lu Er very much.
In the middle of the night, she specially invited a doctor from Huichuntang to come to her home, but the doctor said that Lu Qin just had a cold and the other symptoms were probably caused by a high fever. He asked them to wipe Lu Qin's body with strong liquor to cool her down.
However, after tossing and turning all night, her daughter's fever did not subside at all. Mrs. Lu stayed awake all night and stayed by her daughter's bedside.
"It's okay." Madam Hua showed an understanding smile and said gently, "I heard that Sister Qin was ill, so I brought a 300-year-old ginseng with me this time."
She raised her hand and gestured, and the accompanying housekeeper brought over a red lacquered wooden box and presented it to Madam Lu Er.
Madam Hua comforted him, "Don't worry, dear. It's easy to catch a cold in this weather. Your daughter is young and in good health. She will be fine in three to five days."
Mrs. Lu felt very relieved after hearing the other party's words.
Especially this three hundred year old ginseng is hard to come by, and the Hua family is willing to give it away, which is really thoughtful.
Originally, because of what Gu Yanfei said before, Madam Lu couldn't help feeling uneasy, thinking that the timing of her daughter's illness was too coincidental. Now seeing Madam Hua like this, her suspicion and uneasiness naturally faded away.
The second son of the Hua family, Hua Zhao, said considerately: "If Madam Lu needs any medicinal herbs, just ask. Both families are not outsiders."
Madam Lu couldn't help but look at the young man in red sitting next to Madam Yu Hua.
The young man was wearing a festive bright red robe today. He had a handsome and gentle appearance, with a faint smile on the corner of his lips, and there was not a trace of dissatisfaction or unhappiness in his expression.
Madam Lu Er was the mother-in-law. The more she looked at her son-in-law, the more satisfied she was. She felt that her son-in-law was really good in every way. Her smile deepened by three points. "Yes, yes, yes, from now on, our two families will no longer be outsiders."
After the two sides exchanged a few more pleasantries, Madam Hua asked the housekeeper to present the marriage certificate and gift book.
Mrs. Lu took the thick stack of gift books in her hand and glanced through them. She became even more satisfied with the Hua family.
The generosity of the betrothal gift represents the man's regard for the woman. The Lu family is not the kind of family that covets the man's betrothal gift. The betrothal gift will be put into the woman's dowry and then returned to the Hua family.
Madam Lu accepted the gift letter and was about to open the marriage certificate when she heard Lu Si, who had been sitting next to her for a long time, suddenly stand up, startling everyone in the room.
Lu Si walked straight up to Hua Zhao and said, "Is this my future brother-in-law?"
He was standing and Hua Zhao was sitting.
Lu seemed to be looking down at Huazhao who was sitting in the armchair.
Mrs. Lu couldn't help but clench the big red wedding certificate in her hand. Her son's words clearly sounded like he was looking for trouble. If this wasn't his brother-in-law, who else could it be? ! Thinking of how her son came to question her yesterday because of Gu Yanfei's instigation, Mrs. Lu's eyes darkened a little.
"That's right." Hua Zhao smiled and nodded at Lu Si, then bowed and greeted him, "Uncle,"
"Really?" Lu Si raised his sword-like eyebrows, his tone was playful with a hint of sarcasm, and his sharp eyes were directed at Xiang Huazhao, as if to penetrate his hypocritical appearance.
"How could it be false?!" Hua Zhao frowned slightly and raised his voice slightly in displeasure. He panicked for a moment, but he still maintained composure on the outside and told himself: He looks exactly like his elder brother and no one else can tell the difference.
There was a sinister look in Huazhao's eyes: This Lu family is really hateful. They clearly agreed to the marriage, and now it's a done deal, but now they want to go back on their word. Are they trying to get more benefits? !
Madam Lu's eyelashes twitched, fearing that her son would say something he shouldn't, so she smiled and said to ease the atmosphere: "Si'er, have you forgotten? You also met Hua Xi in Baiyun Temple last time."
As she spoke, she winked at her son, telling him to stop messing around.
Later, he still had to rely on the Hua family to find him the job of a captain in the Shenjiying. Moreover, the Hua family was his future in-laws. His sister was going to marry into the Hua family soon. If he offended the Hua family, wouldn't it make things difficult for his sister in the future? ! Lu Si pouted, but didn't chase Hua Zhao anymore. He took out a purse from his sleeve and handed it to Hua Zhao: "Brother-in-law, this is for you. My sister made it herself."
This is a gourd-shaped purple purse with mandarin ducks playing with lotus embroidered on it.
Everyone present was stunned, especially Mrs. Lu, who was secretly glad that her son had finally figured it out and stopped fooling around with Gu Yanfei, Wei Jiaoniang and the others.
Lu Si smiled and moved the purse a little further towards Hua Zhao.
Hua Zhao stared at Lu Si for a moment, raised his hand to take the purse, and said with a smile: "Uncle, please thank Ah Qin for me."
He felt somewhat suspicious and uneasy, but when he saw Lu Si's friendly smile, he temporarily suppressed the myriad thoughts in his mind.
He played with the purse and unintentionally praised: "Ah Qin's embroidery is really exquisite."
"No, no." Seeing Huazhao accept the purse, Mrs. Lu felt relieved and said modestly, "Her needlework is just enough. If she can learn even half as much as her aunt, I will thank God."
My aunt Hua was amused and said some festive words with a smile.
Madam Hua and Mrs. Hua exchanged glances, and Mrs. Hua said to Mrs. Lu with a smile on her face: "Aunt, the auspicious time has come, so hurry up and sign the marriage certificate. I'm still waiting for the thank-you gift from Aunt."
Huashi livened up the atmosphere with just a few words.
Soon, a maid brought in a large table with two copies of the bright red marriage certificate spread out on the table. Now all that was left was for the woman's elders to sign their names, and the marriage certificate would officially take effect.
Master Lu Er walked to the table, read the marriage certificate carefully, then picked up the wolf-hair brush and dipped it in ink.
Suddenly, a human head appeared above the marriage certificate.
Lu Si leaned over and stared at the marriage certificate, and asked, "Brother-in-law, is your name Hua Xi?"
As the last word fell, Lu looked at Hua with a half-smile.
Two chapters combined into one ~ (End of this chapter)
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