Marquis Mu Houchu chuckled and said, "Your brother would be upset if he knew that his darling sister had tricked him this way."
Ji Xinhe peevishly retorted, "Unless I push him this way, he won’t realize his true feelings any sooner. It’s better to deceive him a bit today, instead of leaving their matter unresolved until the point where he truly has to face such a situation, right?"
Ji Dong was slow in understanding, emotional matters particularly. He has had feelings for Xiao Cui for a long time, but he didn’t even realize it himself. If he didn’t experience the taste of loss, he wouldn’t realize the importance of Xiao Cui in his heart. Without Ji Xinhe playing the matchmaker, even at the very end, Ji Dong wouldn’t understand. Only by then, when Xiao Cui’s family is genuinely preparing to marry her off, it would already be too late for him to reflect.
Situationally, Mu Houchu wrapped his arms around Ji Xinhe and chuckled, "Whatever my wife says is right."
"My final wish before marriage is for my big brother to find his wife. After my marriage, our household will be lacking a mistress. Although we would still be living together, you are the Prime Minister after all, and you will have affairs at the Imperial Court to attend to. If I can’t bear to part with you and choose to stay by your side, my only worry would be my eldest brother and Xiao Bei."
While saying all of this, Ji Xinhe gently curled her lips into a smile, "If my eldest brother finds a family, and Xiao Cui treats Xiao Bei well, due to her kind personality, a weight would be lifted off my heart."
Marquis Mu Houchu’s heart trembled as he gazed at her fixedly, "You..."
Did she do all of this for him, in essence?
She had been prepared to face trials and tribulations by his side and grow old with him, but he didn’t know his weight in her heart was so heavy.
Prior to this, he only thought that Xin He agreed to this marriage half-heartedly, but only now did he realize that from the moment she agreed to marry him, she was fully committed to him.
"Hmm?" Ji Xinhe blinked, seemingly unperturbed by it all. As if everything, was naturally supposed to be this way.
She loved him as a matter of course and also considered their future as a matter of course.
Mu Houchu softly laughed, hugging her a bit tighter, "Xin He, do you know how happy I am to be marrying you."
"I am happy too," Ji Xinhe snuggled in his arms chuckling delightfully.
As Ji Xinhe and Mu Houchu celebrated their happiness, Ji Dong was not too pleased.
He didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. Rolling about, thinking through the night, he was already standing in the courtyard catching a breeze the next morning.
Still yawning, Ji Xinhe came out, and gave a start when she saw the person standing in the courtyard, "Hey big brother, why are you up so early?"
She saw that Ji Dong’s face was somewhat pale, and he had some dark circles under his eyes. Perhaps, he didn’t sleep well last night?
Ji Dong managed a nod, then pursed his lips before speaking, "Xin He, I have something to tell you."
Ji Xinhe’s eyes brightened, "What is it?"
Ji Dong hesitated for a while, and after a long time, mustered the courage to say, "I want to propose to Zheng Xiaocui."
"Xiao Cui?" Ji Xinhe feigned surprise.
"Yes, but..." Ji Dong bowed his head in some shame, "I haven’t earned any money yet, and I’m afraid I can’t offer a good enough betrothal gift. I’m afraid the Zheng family..."
Ji Xinhe put on a stern face and said, "Big brother, what are you talking about? Isn’t our home’s money shared by us siblings? What do you mean by you haven’t earned any money?"
"But that’s your earnings." Ji Dong actually wanted to earn his money himself, which is why he was hesitant to propose to begin with.
"That’s the money we, as a family, earned through hard work together. How can it be mine alone? If you speak this way, aren’t you trying to disown me as your sister?" Ji Xinhe said discontentedly.
"I, I didn’t mean that..."
Ji Xinhe turned and went into the room, taking out a purse containing thirty taels of silver that she had prepared and shoved it into Ji Dong’s hands. "There are three silver bars inside, each worth ten taels of silver. Take this to the Zheng family and propose sincerely."
"But I...", Ji Dong hesitated again.
"This isn’t my money, it’s my big brother’s money. I am just more attentive, so I manage the family’s finances. Don’t be distant with me, big brother," Ji Xinhe sternly said.
Ji Dong accepted the money, but he still seemed hesitant.
Ji Xinhe then said, "If big brother truly likes Xiao Cui, it’s better to propose as soon as possible. Otherwise, if it’s too late, who knows what will happen in the future. If Xiao Cui gets taken away by someone else, won’t you regret it for the rest of your life? It’s not easy for a person to find someone they truly appreciate in their lifetime. It would be a waste if you miss it."
With these words, Ji Xinhe was truly sincere. It took her two lifetimes to meet a man she truly loved. Because she knew how rare it was, she also learned to cherish the feeling. She was afraid that Ji Dong wouldn’t understand this, considering that finding love is easy, but is it really?
It’s already a rare fortune for a person to be able to find such a person in their lifetime.
Ji Dong held the silver tightly in his hands and nodded firmly, "I’m going!"
Immediately after, he ran off swiftly.
Ji Xinhe watched Ji Dong’s retreating figure, and only then did she laugh. Seeing Ji Dong coming to propose himself, Xiao Cui would surely be thrilled.
By evening, Ji Dong returned overjoyed, and Ji Xinhe didn’t need to ask to know it probably worked.
"So, how did it go?" Ji Xinhe was quite curious and moved closer.
Ji Dong scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Old Master Zheng and I talked all afternoon. Once he was sure about my intentions, he agreed."
"Really? What did Xiao Cui say?" Ji Xinhe exclaimed.
"Xiao Cui, she... naturally agreed as well." A faint blush appeared on Ji Dong’s face. Without Xiao Cui’s approval, how could Old Master Zheng have agreed so easily?
Ji Xinhe giggled, "Isn’t this good news then, big brother?"
With her words, Ji Dong became even more embarrassed. He soon changed the subject. "Why haven’t you had dinner and rested yet? You have to get up at dawn to get ready for your marriage tomorrow. You also have to be busy the entire day. Be careful not to be exhausted by the time."
"I know already." Only then did Ji Xinhe let Ji Dong off the hook, sniffing in disdain before she turned and left. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Mu Houchu was already waiting for her in the courtyard.
As per tradition, the groom would naturally be in the bridal chamber until the morning of the wedding day when he leads the procession with music and fanfare to marry the bride. His stay in Ji Xinhe’s house was already against the rules, and he certainly couldn’t stay here on this final night.
"Why haven’t you left yet?" Ji Xinhe joked.
Mu Houchu took her hand softly and said, "I can’t bear to leave."
Ji Xinhe chided him with a smile, "I will see you tomorrow. You are talking nonsense for just one night’s separation?"
Mu Houchu curled his lips into a smile, pulled her into his arms with a swift motion. "I can’t bear it. I can’t bear it even for one night."
Without her, he seemed to find no meaning in staying at this place. He used to think that he was tired of his scheming life and preferred the tranquility here, but now he realized he only liked this place because she was here.
The snowy mountain village paths they walked on together were extraordinarily serene.
The simple meals they ate together were extraordinarily delicious.
The stars they watched together were extraordinarily beautiful.
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