Chapter 298 Forming a Bond Between Two Families
Zhou Congxian paused, then stood up and turned to look at her.
Meng Shilan's eyes were calm, without a trace of pride or guilt, just a pure inquiry.
"It's obvious that my maternal grandfather had ulterior motives in bringing this marriage to this point."
She pointed out Meng Yushan's intentions without any hesitation.
"When His Majesty betrothed me to you, your Zhou family was after the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
"So now, my maternal grandfather went with the flow and turned the game around."
"If you want to marry a daughter of the Meng family, you may."
"To marry into another family."
Her words were calm yet sharp, hitting the nail on the head.
Zhou Congxian was silent for a moment, then a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.
"Everyone has their own selfish motives."
“Your maternal grandfather had one, my father had one, and His Majesty… also had one.”
"From the very beginning, this marriage was all about scheming and calculation, with everyone looking out for their own interests."
"The original intention of forging a bond between two families and creating a beautiful story has long been lost."
He raised his eyes and gazed intently at Meng Shilan.
"Do you know why His Majesty issued that imperial decree to bestow the marriage?"
Meng Shilan did not answer, but just looked at him quietly.
"Because at that time, in His Majesty's eyes, the Duke of Zhenguo was a lonely man without an heir."
Zhou Congxian's voice was low, yet it carried a clear understanding of everything.
“An old general who has no worries and holds great military power is the most feared.”
"But an old general who has concerns, expectations, and even weaknesses is different."
He spoke slowly and deliberately.
"What His Majesty wants to control has never been you, nor me, but the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion behind you."
“It’s my maternal grandfather,” Meng Shilan replied softly.
"yes."
"Later, during the autumn hunt, he was publicly betrothed to a wife and a concubine."
A cold glint flashed in Zhou Congxian's eyes.
"It seems like a family full of glory and immense favor."
"In reality, they still want to use this complicated marriage to control us, and to control even more of us."
Meng Shilan, "You also feel that His Majesty... is different?"
Zhou Congxian shook his head.
“If it were the former Third Prince, he wouldn’t have done this.”
"He has the world in his heart, is benevolent and righteous, and would not use such imperial tactics to scheme against his own ministers."
"But now, he is no longer the Third Prince."
His voice carried a complex emotion that was difficult to describe.
"He is His Majesty, the emperor of the entire Great Sheng."
"He has too many things to consider."
He stopped there and said no more.
Some things are best left unsaid; that's the limit.
To say anything further would lead to utter ruin.
He turned around, took a deep look at Meng Shilan, and then at the bewildered Fu'er and Pang Xi.
Then, he resolutely walked toward the caravan carriage that had been waiting for him not far away.
He never looked back.
Just as he was about to mount his horse, he stopped.
He didn't turn around, but left her with a resolute back view.
His voice, carried clearly by the wind, came through.
"Meng Shilan".
"In this life, whether you and I are the heir and wife of the Duke of Yingguo's family, or the husband and wife of the Duke of Zhenguo's family."
"Our marriage is predestined, and neither of us can escape the other."
As soon as he finished speaking, he nimbly mounted his horse.
Meng Shilan stood there, watching the ordinary horse merge into the long caravan and gradually disappear into the distance until it vanished at the end of the official road.
a long time.
A slight smile played on her lips.
In the wind, only her barely audible yet incredibly weighty reply remained.
"Waiting for you to come back."
The wind stopped.
The smile on Meng Shilan's lips vanished with the wind.
She turned around, took Fu'er and Pangxi's hands, her gaze calm and serene as she looked towards the path they had come from.
"Let's go home."
Fu'er nodded obediently, but her little hand unconsciously waved in the direction her father had left.
"Father, come back soon."
...
The wedding date arrived as scheduled.
As soon as dawn broke, the entire capital city was abuzz with excitement.
Weddings and marriages happen every year and are heard about every month.
The fact that the heir of the Duke of Keguo's mansion would marry into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was an unprecedented event.
Almost all the people in the city flocked to the streets, craning their necks and eagerly waiting.
What they wanted to see was not a bride with a long procession of red bridal procession, but a husband who was "married" in a way that was never seen before.
The area in front of the British Duke's Mansion was bustling with traffic and people.
Although red silk and lanterns were hung inside and outside the mansion in accordance with etiquette, there was no trace of joy.
The glaring red, reflecting the ashen faces of everyone in the mansion, seemed like a silent irony.
The entire mansion was eerily quiet.
Not even a celebratory drumbeat could be heard.
The silence was deathly still, like a magnificent tomb, burying the last vestiges of the Zhou family's dignity.
Zhou Congxian's courtyard remained as quiet and desolate as ever.
There were no maids or servants serving them.
In the courtyard, a tall woman stood quietly.
"Madam Guo, if anything unusual happens later, don't panic, we'll take care of everything."
Wei Xun explained.
She is Guo Fan's older sister, already married and serving as a military officer with her husband at the border. This time, she came to help on Meng Gong's orders.
Sister Guo nodded, her face full of the forthrightness of a woman from the border region.
"Brother Wei, rest assured, since Lord Meng has entrusted me with this important task, I will definitely not mess it up!"
Sister Guo was much taller and more slender than the average woman. Although her martial arts skills were not as superb as her younger brother Guo Fan's, she was still a formidable fighter in the martial arts world.
She put on Zhou Congxian's bright red wedding dress.
Embroidered with gold thread, featuring a qilin and rolling cloud patterns, it is exceptionally luxurious.
In a flash, he transformed into a handsome young man.
She wore a pair of specially thick-soled black boots that barely supported the height of her wedding dress.
At first glance, her figure bore a striking resemblance to Zhou Congxian, making it difficult to tell whether she was male or female.
Wei Xun gently covered her face with an exquisite red veil.
The veil hung down, obscuring all facial features and body contours.
Now, who could possibly know that the person under the veil was not Zhou Congxian, the heir apparent of the Duke of Ying's mansion?
Through the veil, he appeared calm and dignified.
Songhe Hall is where several elders of the Zhou family have gathered.
Everyone's face was extremely solemn.
It doesn't look like there's any joy in the family.
Zhao spoke first, breaking the silence, "Don't say anything, I'm not going."
Although the Duke of England did not speak, he turned his head to look in the other direction first.
He has completely lost face.
In the past, when people said that his family had made a good marriage, they were really trying to curry favor with him.
If someone says that now, they're mocking him!
Old Madam Zhou held her forehead and sighed deeply; she didn't want to say anything.
The auspicious time has arrived.
The tightly closed gates of the British Duke's mansion finally creaked open slowly.
A magnificent carriage, incomparably beautiful, came to a stop in front of the mansion gate.
The carriage curtain was lifted by a pale white hand.
Meng Shilan, dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, sat gracefully among them.
A light veil covered her face, obscuring her stunning beauty, but it couldn't hide her aloofness and nobility.
She's here.
She arrived as promised to pick up her husband, who was to live with her in-laws, and they would return to the Meng family mansion together.
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