Chapter 905 Wedding Preparations (First Update)
As evening fell and dusk descended.
In a dilapidated courtyard in an old alley in Qiushan Town, outside the capital city, elderly Li's mother sat on a small stool by the door, holding a cane in her hand.
She is blind and cannot see the people coming and going on the road.
However, she still sits here every day.
If we don't hear anything in one day, we'll wait two days; if we still don't hear anything in two days, we'll wait three days.
She both hoped for news and feared it would be bad.
She didn't know how long this battle would last, or whether her body could withstand it to the end.
"It's getting dark, Aunt Li, it's time to go inside."
Mr. Zheng from next door kindly reminded me.
Li's mother, leaning on her cane, stood up shakily, her frail body trembling.
She touched the stool with her hand and led it into the courtyard.
Just as I was about to step over the threshold, a familiar, choked voice came from behind me: "Mother!"
Li's mother's eyes welled up, and hot tears fell.
...
The Zhao Kingdom experienced a winter that was the worst in a decade, with many areas suffering from snow disasters. Fortunately, the imperial court responded promptly, allocating disaster relief funds from the national treasury while contacting surrounding areas to send supplies to the severely affected cities.
As the imperial envoy for disaster relief, Chief Minister Yuan brought several cabinet members with him, including Xiao Heng.
Because he was away providing disaster relief, he was unaware that his own father had sent an envoy to the Yan Kingdom to propose marriage, especially to the young master of the Duke's mansion.
Little did he know that his father had traveled thousands of miles to show off his child, all the way to the State of Yan.
He did receive quite a few letters from the Marquis's residence...
"This one is mine, and this one... is for you, Chief Minister Yuan." In the study of the county government office, Xiao Heng handed the letter in his hand to Chief Minister Yuan. "It's a letter from my father."
Chief Minister Yuan already knew that he was actually the young marquis of Zhaodu.
Upon hearing that the letter was from the Marquis of Xuanping, Chief Minister Yuan assumed that something important had happened in the court. He quickly took the letter and solemnly opened it.
Then he saw a line of elegant calligraphy: "My daughter-in-law's elder brother's future grandfather-in-law, my daughter is one month old. Grand Secretary Yuan is very knowledgeable. Please trouble yourself to give her a nice name."
Attached is a portrait of my daughter.
Yuan Shikai: "..."
Xiao Heng didn't mean to peek, but his father's handwriting was so big it was impossible to miss.
As expected, a small portrait of his sister was attached.
He couldn't remember how many "letters seeking fame" his father had sent out.
My great-uncle received it too.
Also, wasn't his sister's name already chosen?
Using the naming as an excuse to show off one's daughter is really too much!
When he has a daughter in the future, she will never be like her father!
...
Suzaku Avenue.
After the start of spring, the weather in Beijing was fine and sunny.
Shangguan Qing practiced horse stance in the courtyard.
The disease didn't develop overnight; he had been poisoned for twenty years, and even with the purple gromwell fruit, it wouldn't be a quick and easy cure.
He needed to recuperate for several months. In addition to taking purple gromwell fruit every day, he also had to drink Chinese medicine prescribed by the imperial physician. The imperial physician also instructed him to exercise more, which would help his recovery.
Marquis Xuanping would come here every day to help him stretch his muscles and bones. At first, he could only take a light walk, but gradually he was able to do a horse stance.
The father and son recovered together and are doing fairly well.
"You practice your horse stance first." In the courtyard, after adjusting his son's movements to be correct, Marquis Xuanping said in a serious tone, "The weather is nice today, I'll go and bring your sister out to bask in the sun."
Shangguan Qing pouted: "It's just an excuse to help me practice horse stance, you really want to hug your little sister."
My little sister is three months old. Her name is Xiao Yi, which is said to be the name her mother chose when she was pregnant with her first child.
The name sounds cute, and in reality... she is quite well-behaved, except that she doesn't drink the wet nurse's milk and has to be fed by the princess herself.
It seems that his mother fed him personally when he was a child.
But I digress. Let's get back to my sister.
Besides causing trouble for her mother, another problem with my younger sister is that her crying is so loud, it's earth-shattering and ghost-weeping. It's not a big deal during the day, but at night, it's so loud that the whole street can't sleep.
No one can appease him except his father.
His father would come to see him every afternoon, have dinner with him, and then leave after putting his younger sister to sleep at night.
As his younger sister grew older and went to bed later and later, his father also passed away later and later...
Princess Xinyang went out, and inside the room, Yu Jin was watching over the fast-sleeping Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi was prettier than most newborns when she was born, and after her postpartum period, she became much plumper and fairer, and even more charming and adorable.
"Lord Marquis." Yu Jin bowed to Marquis Xuanping.
Marquis Xuanping nodded in response, walked to the cradle, and looked at the sleeping little one inside, a slight smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.
Yu Jin glanced at him subtly, thinking to herself, "The Marquis is different from before."
Marquis Xuanping raised an eyebrow: "So handsome, you must have taken after me."
Yu Jin's face darkened. She took back what she had said. The Marquis is still the Marquis!
Before long, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the door; Princess Xinyang's carriage had returned.
She had just gone to the palace to discuss the marriage between Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao with Empress Dowager Zhuang and Empress Xiao.
Both women, who held high positions of power, had no objections to the wedding; in fact, they were quite supportive.
In Empress Dowager Zhuang's heart, that brat Aheng owed her beloved a grand wedding.
Princess Xinyang thought so too. Back in the countryside, the two of them had never been properly married. Her son was unconscious, and when he opened his eyes, he became someone else's husband.
There was no wedding ceremony, nor a bridal chamber.
What kind of marriage is this?
Furthermore, since he used someone else's identity that time, and he has now reverted to his identity as Xiao Heng, the marriage between Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiaoniang is no longer valid.
Of course, she also had her own selfish motives.
She wanted to witness her son's wedding.
The betrothal letter has already been sent to Bishui Hutong. Today, she mainly needs to finalize the specific betrothal gifts and the wedding date with Empress Dowager Zhuang and Empress Xiao.
"Princess, you're back." Yu Jin greeted her with a smile, reaching out to untie her cloak and hang it up. "Did the talks go smoothly?"
"It went very smoothly," Princess Xinyang said.
"The Marquis has arrived," Yu Jin said softly.
Princess Xinyang turned her head and saw someone sitting in front of the cradle, staring at the little one inside and grinning foolishly.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, falling on his mature and handsome face.
His eyes seemed to be filled with starlight.
She turned her head away and muttered to herself, "Why is he here again?"
Yu Jin smiled and said, "Then, shall this servant kick the Marquis out?"
Princess Xinyang choked for a moment, then glared at her and said, "If you kick him out, and he starts crying, are you going to comfort him?"
Yu Jin covered her face, unable to suppress a laugh.
"Alas," Princess Xinyang sighed.
Yu Jin keenly noticed Princess Xinyang's unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong, Princess? Has something happened?"
Princess Xinyang frowned and asked curiously, "I came out of the palace just as the court was ending, and they came to me one after another to name Yiyi... Did I ask them for a name? Why are so many people suddenly so keen to name her?"
Marquis Xuanping rocked the cradle as if nothing was wrong, his face calm and composed.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shangguan Yan left a blank imperial edict demanding that the king abdicate. The king was furious and naturally refused to comply easily.
His bodyguards had been dealt with by Xuan Yuanqi, but he still had a large number of Imperial Guards and troops from the Commandery.
He pretended to draft an imperial edict, and took the opportunity to press a mechanism next to the desk. He fell into a secret passage, and at the same time, a firework signal rose into the sky from the roof.
The Imperial Guards and the troops of the Commandant's Office rushed towards the inner palace. Xuan Yuanqi was prepared and, with the help of his son, opened the palace gates wide. Thirty thousand Black Wind Riders and twenty thousand Shadow Troops stormed into the palace.
They were soldiers who had just returned from the battlefield, their bodies brimming with the aura of war and conquest—a quality that the pampered imperial army could not match.
If Wang Man and Wang Xu's troops were here, they might be able to turn the tide.
But Shangguan Yan deliberately left them on the road.
The Imperial Guards were showing signs of weakness, and the King activated a second mechanism in a secret passage, sending another firework soaring into the sky.
This is to contact Lord Yeonsan in the outer city.
Contrary to popular belief, Yeonsan-gun was not as naive as he appeared. He commanded a secret royal army, which served as the king's last line of defense.
However, before he could make a move, a long sword appeared from behind him and was calmly placed against his neck.
I don't want to hurt you.
Gu Changqing said.
Lord Yanshan said coldly, "Do you think threatening me will work?"
Gu Changqing said calmly, "I know you're not afraid of death, so you don't care about your daughter's life or death either?"
Lord Yeonsan's pupils contracted: "What do you mean?"
Gu Changqing tilted the tip of his sword slightly, as if making a silent gesture. Immediately afterward, a member of the Gu family's secret guards walked in from outside the door, carrying the sleeping little princess.
Lord Yanshan's expression changed drastically: "Xiaoxue! You...you're despicable! You wouldn't even spare a child! Do the Crown Princess and Miss Gu know what you've done?"
He stayed behind in the capital with Gu Chengfeng and learned about Gu Jiao's identity from Gu Chengfeng. He also realized that the person who had kidnapped him was Gu Jiao's older brother.
Gu Changqing's expression remained unchanged: "They don't need to know. Choose, your daughter or your brother?"
Lord Yeonsan gritted his teeth: "You..."
Gu Changqing said coldly, "Don't think I'm soft-hearted. You and I are the same; we both have people in this world we want to protect, and we'll stop at nothing to do with it. Even if it means going to hell after death, we won't hesitate."
Yeonsan-kun closed his eyes in anguish.
Gu Changqing was right. There was someone in this world he wanted to protect. For her, he was willing to pay any price, even if it meant betraying the brother who trusted him the most!
Lord Yeonsan handed over the military tally.
...
Once outside Lord Yanshan's residence, the Gu family guard ripped off his human skin mask and grinned, "Brother, you acted so well just now! I almost believed you! I was afraid that if Lord Yanshan didn't agree, you would really kill the little princess with one sword!"
Gu Changqing said seriously, "I'm not acting."
Gu Chengfeng was taken aback.
Gu Changqing glanced at him and laughed out loud: "Fool."
(End of this chapter)
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