Asking for marriage
"Bang bang—" The knocking stopped abruptly.
She looked toward the door, which was being pushed open.
It was him.
A young man dressed in black pushed open the door and entered. His handsome face showed no joy, but rather a cold and aloof demeanor.
“Miss Pang, the seven days have passed,” he said coldly.
Pang Linqiu looked at the newcomer, composed herself, and said calmly with her eyes half-closed, "General, you are truly punctual."
Peng Xuan'an saw a slender young woman sitting in a chair, dignified and elegant, her face veiled, her black hair styled in a single bun, and her bangs evenly combed to both sides of her face. The cool-colored silk dress and the gold ornaments in her hair accentuated her aloof beauty, and her eyes carried a faint sense of coldness.
Peng Xuan'an looked at this person, a strange sense of complexity rising in his heart. Why did she resemble Zhi Qiu so much? He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss Pang, why are you wearing a veil?"
She didn't look into his eyes; her almond-shaped eyes seemed half-closed. "General, it is a custom in our clan that if the husband does not lift the wife's veil on the wedding day, she must wear a veil to conceal her face for the rest of her life."
"Oh," he said indifferently.
The door is closed.
The heavy footsteps grew closer and closer to her, and suddenly a pair of black boots came into view. She didn't look up at the person.
Peng Xuan'an took out the paper from his sleeve and spread it out on the table. "Please sign this, Miss Pang."
She glanced at the divorce papers on the table and said, "Okay." Then she picked up the calligraphy brush that had been prepared on the table, rolled up her sleeves, and held the brush with her slender fingers, making a few strokes.
Soon, Pang Zhichun's name appeared on the list.
Peng Xuan'an took out another one, "One for you and one for me, and we'll leave each other alone from now on."
"Okay." She signed another one, her heart already brimming with joy.
It's done! It's finally done!
He folded the paper neatly and put it into his clothes. "Miss Pang, you don't need to worry about any rumors circulating among the people. I have already sent someone to tell them. We don't like each other, and I have never touched you. Now quite a few people in the capital already know this."
"Then I'll trouble you, General." She suddenly stood up and took a few steps forward: "Then please come with me back to the manor to welcome your beloved."
"Fine," he said coldly.
Outside the mansion, a carriage was waiting at the gate.
Both of them boarded the carriage and sat quietly inside. From time to time, they could hear the sounds of people outside.
"Hey, do you know? The Major General has divorced the fourth young lady of the Pang family."
"What happened? The two are a perfect match, why did they divorce?"
"I heard that our Major General has someone he loves, but he has no choice but to marry her because of the matchmaker's arrangement."
"Ah, what a pity... Hey, which girl has that major general taken a fancy to?"
"I don't know either, but this is actually a good thing, it saves me from a bad relationship."
"Hey, I heard that Miss Pang has won the Crown Prince's heart..."
Inside the carriage, Peng Xuan'an listened to the sounds outside, his eyes secretly glancing at the person beside him. He saw Pang Linqiu sitting as still as a rock, her eyes closed, not uttering a word.
"Did Miss Pang hear that?" he asked casually, leaning against the car wall.
"Mm," she replied casually.
She could feel Peng Xuan'an's gaze on her, and she still felt a little flustered. "General, you can rest assured about what I promised you. I will handle Zhi Qiu's matter, and then you can take her away."
"Um."
Silence fell over the carriage again. Pang Linqiu was sweating profusely; she really didn't want to be with this devil. Just sitting quietly in the same carriage made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Before long, they arrived at the Pang residence.
The head of the Pang family had already heard about this matter, and looked at the two of them with a heavy expression.
"What does the Major General mean by this?" The Major General asked Peng Xuan'an, who was sitting on his left, with a dark expression on his face. Pang Linqiu was sitting opposite him on his right.
He glanced at the divorce papers in his hand with displeasure. "Does the Major General have some grievance against my daughter? You've only been married for seven days and you want a divorce already?"
Peng Xuan'an was completely unfazed by the Pang family head's imposing gaze and interrogative words. "Senior Pang, I have no complaints about her, nor any ill will towards her. It's just that I already have someone in my heart..."
The fact that his father-in-law had become a senior made the Pang family head very unhappy.
"Absurd!" the Pang family head exclaimed.
Peng Xuan'an narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly displeased with his attitude, but there was nothing he could do about it since he was a senior.
“Xuan’an, are you really going to disregard the reputation of the Peng and Pang families? This marriage was arranged by me at the request of the Emperor, and it was bestowed upon you for your own good.”
It's a classic case of "I'm doing this for your own good," but without considering your feelings.
"Alright, Father. Why bother? If the General doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. There's no need to force it so much." She spoke up to ease the tension.
The head of the Pang family looked at her, his tone gentle yet indignant: "Linqiu, aren't you aggrieved? You've come back alone from visiting relatives, don't you know what people outside are saying?" He was indignant on behalf of his daughter.
She leaned back leisurely in her chair, her elbows resting on the crossbar, her hand supporting her cheek: "I know all that, and my daughter doesn't like him either."
The head of the Pang family sighed, helpless against her. He stared at her face and asked, "Why are you wearing a veil all of a sudden?"
She crossed her arms and said haughtily, "I like it."
"..." Peng Xuan'an recalled her words: "There is a custom in the clan that if the husband does not lift the wife's veil on the day of the wedding, she must wear a veil to cover her face for the rest of her life."
Since it was decided by the family, why didn't he, as the head of the family, know about it?
The Pang family head frowned slightly after hearing this. "What's wrong with you today? Have you caught a cold? Why does your voice sound different than usual?"
“?” Peng Xuan’an looked at her.
Pang Linqiu noticed his questioning gaze, so she pretended to cough a few times, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Father, I haven't been feeling well lately, that's why."
After hearing her words, the head of the Pang family said, "Your health is already weak, you should rest more."
He turned to look at Peng Xuan'an, then remembered his daughter's words, his eyes narrowed slightly and he said seriously, "Xuan'an, are you really not going to regret the divorce? Aren't you afraid of ruining the relationship between the Peng family and the Pang family?"
Peng Xuan'an's eyes were firm. "I have no regrets. I will not let this matter ruin the relationship between our two families."
The Pang family head had no choice but to compromise, waving his hand helplessly and saying, "Fine, since my daughter doesn't like you either, I, as an elder, won't force you." He sighed softly, one hand on his forehead, and rubbed his temples in distress with the other.
Peng Xuan'an beamed with joy, stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Senior Pang."
Pang Linqiu watched the play with an air of indifference.
"Senior Pang, I have come today with another request."
"?" The Pang family head raised an eyebrow, sensing an ominous premonition. "What is it?"
He said earnestly and sincerely, "I, Peng, wish to marry a woman from the Pang family."
"Oh?" The head of the Pang family looked at him suspiciously, then glanced at his own daughter.
So this wasn't just someone coming for a divorce; they were truly an uninvited guest. The Pang family head was in a dilemma.
Peng Xuan'an turned his gaze to the leisurely Pang Linqiu, "I wish to marry Pang Si's personal maid, Zhi Qiu."
"???" The Pang family head was completely dumbfounded, staring at him in astonishment. "What did you say?!"
He remained steadfast in his statement: "I, Peng, wish to marry Miss Zhi Qiu, and I hope Senior Pang will grant my request."
Pang Linqiu wanted to laugh at this performance, but she held it in.
"Miss Pang promised Mr. Peng that as long as Mr. Peng divorced her, she would allow Miss Zhi Qiu to marry me."
Pang Linqiu was startled and stared at him with wide eyes, never expecting Peng Xuan'an to push her out like this. Knowing her father's temperament, she guessed she was going to be punished half to death.
"Oh?" The head of the Pang family frowned, looking at Pang Linqiu with a meaningful gaze.
I was wondering why Xuan'an had this idea of divorce; it turns out it was this girl who was behind it.
Pang Linqiu abruptly stood up, obediently standing straight with her head down and her hands trembling. She weakly called out, "Father..."
"Linqiu, what's going on?" he asked, his brows furrowed slightly.
"I...this..." She trembled, stammering, "My daughter also...wanted to let them be together..."
The head of the Pang family looked incredulous. "Heh, I think you forced them."
Peng Xuan'an was completely ignored; he was still standing there with his hands clasped in front of him!
The head of the Pang family calmed down and scolded her, "Take off your veil. You're at home now. What kind of behavior is this, hiding your face like this?"
She reluctantly said "Oh!" and then took off her veil, looking utterly defeated.
Peng Xuan'an glanced at her face a few more times. Pang Linqiu's face was fair and clean, with almond-shaped eyes and peach-like cheeks, making her very beautiful.
"Xuan'an, don't worry. The Pang family will definitely fulfill the promise this girl made to you." He then looked at her and said irritably, "Why aren't you calling her out yet?"
"Oh." She turned and called a servant to fetch Zhi Qiu.
A moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the lobby.
Peng Xuan'an looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young girl dressed in a blue maid's uniform running into the hall with a happy expression. Her pale golden eyes were full of surprise and love. A servant was running closely behind her. She nervously put one hand on her chest and carefully stepped into the door.
His gaze remained fixed on the young man in black, and he bowed to the family head with a smile.
"Zhi Qiu greets the head of the family, the general, and the young lady."
When Peng Xuan'an saw Zhi Qiu in person, he didn't feel much joy, and even felt that this person was not real. He looked her up and down suspiciously and noticed that she had his jade pendant tied around her waist.
This made him abandon the idea, but he still felt strange.
The Pang family head sized up Zhi Qiu, while Pang Lin Qiu stood obediently beside him. After finishing his assessment, the Pang family head looked up at Pang Lin Qiu.
"This is your maid?"
"Mmm." She nodded innocently.
“Xuan’an, come up and take a look. Is this the person you want?” He placed his hands on the crossbeam, straightened his body, and looked at Peng Xuan’an.
Zhi Qiu and Peng Xuan'an stood quite close. Zhi Qiu lowered her head shyly, not daring to look directly at Peng Xuan'an beside her. Pang Linqiu, seeing this, was extremely anxious!
Look at him! Zhi Qiu, this was all my hard work and planning!
Peng Xuan'an shook his head, clasped his hands in a gesture of uncertainty, and said, "This person... doesn't seem to be the one I'm looking for."
Pang Linqiu crossed her arms and hurriedly said, "She's the only one in the manor named Zhi Qiu, General, are you sure it's not her?"
She added, "Why don't you take a good look before making a decision?"
Zhi Qiu raised her eyebrows and looked at Peng Xuan'an, hurriedly saying, "General, I am Zhi Qiu, you...don't you remember me?"
Peng Xuan'an looked down at her, her eyes filled with uncertainty and hesitation.
Zhi Qiu still had a faint scar on her right cheek. Seeing Peng Xuan'an's questioning gaze, she hurriedly took out a thumb ring from her clothes and presented it to him with both hands.
"General, have you forgotten what you said that day?" Her pale golden eyes stared straight at him, yearning for an answer.
Peng Xuan'an looked at the ring on her finger, still unsure if the person before him was real. The appearance was similar, the voice similar, but the personality was somewhat different. If it were her, would she act the same way? If it really was her, would he still feel this strange unease?
Tears welled up in Zhi Qiu's large, round eyes. She said sorrowfully, "General, I know my status is too lowly to be worthy of you..."
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