Ji Xinhe stared at him tightly: "Mu Houchu, on what basis do you force your way into my life so domineeringly? Did you take my words from yesterday as just wind passing by your ears?"
With deep and profound eyes, Mu Houchu stared at her: "You say we have no more fate, I’ll accept it as no more fate. Fortunately, I still have this lifetime to create fate between us. You say you don’t believe me, fortunately, I have a lifetime to make you believe me. Xin He, I won’t let go, even if I have to exhaust this life."
Ji Xinhe pursed her lips and said lightly: "You can do whatever you want, but my purpose in coming to the capital city is to do business."
Very innocently, Mu Houchu asked: "So what?"
Ji Xinhe gritted her teeth, this man ignores any amount of nonsense when he isn’t ashamed.
"Isn’t it about time for you to leave?" Ji Xinhe took a deep breath and said.
"Well, it’s getting late. Since I’m here, I might as well have dinner before leaving. Otherwise, I’m afraid it will be too late to eat when I go back." Mu Houchu wasn’t leaving, sitting in the house with a wretched look on his face.
If she doesn’t live at his mansion and won’t let him come to her, what can she do?
Ji Xinhe: "······"
——
Duan Mansion.
Duan Lan hurried back and immediately asked the servant waiting at the door: "What happened?"
The servant hastily answered: "The young master should go directly to Elder Master and Madam Duan to ask for details. The Elder Master said that when the young master returns, he should see him first."
Duan Lan was puzzled, not knowing what was so urgent, but he still walked quickly towards his parents’ main courtyard.
Tingyu Pavilion.
Elder Master Duan and Madam Duan were already waiting there.
Entering, Duan Lan paid his respects first: "Greetings to father and mother."
Elder Duan said seriously, "Where have you been?"
Duan Lan pursed his lips and said, "I went to meet a friend."
"You’ve only been back in the capital for a few days, and I haven’t seen you for three days. I sent you to Jishan Academy to study so that you could calm down. Looking at it now, the books you’ve read over the years were all in vain." Elder Duan was always strict with his children. With a serious face, Duan Lan knew that something must be wrong.
Duan Lan stood there without saying anything, waiting for Elder Master Duan to continue.
Looking at his expression, Elder Duan knew that he probably had already guessed his intentions. He couldn’t help but sigh softly in his heart; this child was actually very clever.
"Don’t forget the purpose of your return to the capital this time. I’ve thought about it, and your marriage with Jun Yao should be arranged. You are not young anymore and have not yet married. What does that look like?" Elder Master Duan said solemnly.
Duan Lan’s face changed, and he said immediately: "I have said on the day I returned to the capital that I don’t want this marriage. This time, I came back to make it clear to dad and mom that I have never met Li Junyao. Why use marriage to constrain me?"
Elder Duan’s beard was trembling with anger: "Ridiculous! What do you mean by constraint? A man should marry and a woman should wed. Moreover, marriage should follow the command of parents and words of matchmakers. How can you be so willful and mischievous? Your marriage with her is a sworn betrothal. The marriage contract is there. How could our Duan Family be untrustworthy?"
"But I don’t want to marry her."
"Who do you want to marry then?" Elder Duan asked angrily.
Duan Lan lowered his head slightly, but had nothing to say. The person he wanted to marry might not necessarily be willing to marry him.
Elder Duan said anxiously: "Do you know that after the morning court today, the Emperor kept me behind to talk privately? He hinted at reusing the Duan Family between the lines. With Old Man Chen retiring from court and the Emperor newly ascending the throne, it’s time to employ people, and this is also an opportunity for the Duan Family. The Emperor even has plans for granting marriage······"
Before Elder Duan could finish his words, Duan Lan became anxious: "I don’t want to get married for the time being. I don’t want this marriage even more. Please ask father to request the Emperor to revoke his decree!"
"Can I take back the Emperor’s words?" Elder Duan snorted coldly: "This marriage was a done deal from the start. Even if the Emperor didn’t say anything, you must go through with it. Our Duan Family will not be a betrayer."
Duan Lan could only look anxiously at Madam Duan, Lady Li.
Lady Li shook her head: "Lan’er, you know, Jun Yao was born without a mother and is quite pitiful. She is your cousin after all, and my poor sister left only this daughter when she passed away. Since the marriage was arranged back then, it should be concluded. You were not concerned about these things before. Why are you suddenly stubborn today? Even though you haven’t seen each other much, didn’t your dad and I only meet a few times before we got married, and we’ve been together happily since then?"
Elder Duan coughed lightly. Lady Li probably didn’t know that back then, he had only seen her once and went home crying and making a fuss to propose to her.
"Your mother has spoken, so stop causing trouble. This matter is settled."
However, Duan Lan said, "Mother just feels that Li Junyao is pitiful without a mother and wants her to marry into our mansion so she can be well taken care of. But who she marries doesn’t matter, does it? Why must it be me?"
Elder Duan glared: "Your big brother and second brother are both married and have wives. Do you expect Jun Yao, the legitimate daughter of a marquis family, to marry in as a concubine? Moreover, this was originally your marriage. You didn’t object in the past, so why are you suddenly unwilling now? The Emperor is planning to grant this marriage, so what is there to be unhappy about?"
"I can promise anything, but I don’t want this marriage at any cost." Duan Lan said with a serious face, leaving this statement behind. After that, he bowed and left.
"You!" Elder Master Duan was angry: "This child is getting worse as he gets older!"
Lady Li’s eyes were slightly dim, but she just shook her head: "I think it’s probably because they’re not familiar with each other. We’ll find an opportunity in the future to let them spend more time together. Perhaps things will get better."
"What else can we do? The Emperor is planning to grant the marriage. If our Duan Family is accused of resisting the decree and disrespecting it, what will become of us?" Elder Duan was very troubled at this moment.
Lady Li sighed softly: "Thinking about it, I’m also to blame. If I had known Lan’er would be so resistant to this marriage, I wouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place. It’s just that Jun Yao is now helpless and alone. Although she is the legitimate daughter of a marquis family, a child without a mother is always vulnerable to being bullied. I originally thought that if she married into our family, Lan’er, who has a gentle disposition, could take care of her more, and at least give my sister peace in the afterlife, but who would have known······"
"Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore. I guess he’s just been wild outside. He’s just spoiled now. How can he just refuse a good marriage? Our Duan Family values trustworthiness the most. With the Emperor taking this matter to heart now, it’s absolutely impossible to retreat!" Elder Master Duan nailed the matter down as if it were set in stone.
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