His Majesty said that by the grace of Heaven, a date has been chosen for the wedding.
"Kneel down!" Tang Feng had barely stepped into the front hall when he heard Old Master Tang's angry shout. Tang Feng shuddered reflexively, but still forced himself to remain calm as he lifted his clothes and knelt down.
"I'm asking you! I told you to offer incense and pray to our ancestors, what were you doing?!" Old Master Tang roared, then grabbed a teacup and threw it at Tang Feng. Before Tang Feng could dodge, it hit him squarely on the head. Tang Feng was stunned for a moment after being hit, but he didn't feel much pain. He just felt a warm liquid flowing down his head. Qin Jiujiu, who was standing to the side, quickly grabbed a handkerchief and went to Tang Feng's side. "Why is it bleeding? Come here, don't be idle, quickly press it down, or it will become a scar." After saying that, she grabbed Tang Feng's hand and pressed it firmly to the wound.
Not only Qin Jiujiu, but even Old Master Tang was terrified. He was indeed angry, but he hadn't expected to throw that cup, nor had he expected Tang Feng not to dodge it. Seeing Tang Feng bleeding, he panicked and ordered the servants, "What are you all standing there for! Quickly, get a doctor! Tang Feng has finally gained some fame; don't let him be fooled by this!"
Actually, Tang Feng was fine; he'd only bled a little. He'd initially wanted to comfort Old Master Tang, but then he thought about the seriousness of the situation—it seemed even more serious than his trip to the brothel. If he said he was alright, he'd definitely get a beating. Thinking this, Tang Feng rolled his eyes and then pretended to fall straight down.
"Oh dear! Oh dear! Xiao Feng, what's wrong with you! Godfather, look at you! You can't hit someone just because you're angry!" Qin Jiujiu was getting anxious. She shook Tang Feng, but there was no response. "Why isn't he responding to my calls?"
Just as Old Master Tang was about to step forward to check, he heard someone outside shout, "Imperial edict! Come out quickly to receive it!" Old Master Tang, who was about to squat down, immediately stood up upon hearing it was an imperial edict and pulled Qin Jiujiu towards the door.
"Eunuch Feng!" Master Tang stepped forward and quickly bowed.
Eunuch Feng quickly returned the greeting, then peered into the large group of people standing there, but couldn't find Tang Feng anywhere. He asked, "Lord Tang, where is your young master? Come out and receive the imperial decree!"
"To my shame, my son committed a crime today, and I acted rashly in a fit of anger, hitting him rather hard. Now..." Old Master Tang was momentarily at a loss. Tang Feng was lying unconscious in the front hall; how could he possibly receive the imperial decree? "Looking for me?" Everyone turned to look at Tang Feng, blood streaming from his head, as he staggered out, leaning against the doorframe. Tang Feng had been lying in the front hall for a while. He had thought that fainting would elicit a heart-wrenching cry of regret from Old Master Tang, but instead, Qin Jiujiu had thrown him to the ground, leaving him genuinely dizzy. When he regained his senses, he heard a commotion at the door and got up to see what was going on.
"Oh dear! Now everyone's here. Young Master Tang, please kneel down slowly. This humble servant must now respectfully read the imperial edict."
Tang Feng, unaware of what was happening, knelt down. The eunuch dismounted and pulled a yellow scroll from his sleeve. "Is this the imperial edict?" Tang Feng wondered. "Could it be that the Emperor is about to bestow upon him a high official rank and a life of endless wealth and glory?" Thinking this, Tang Feng couldn't help but smile. The eunuch then opened the edict and read aloud:
By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have heard that Tang Feng, son of the Grand Astrologer Tang Zhaonan, is exceptionally talented, handsome, refined, and possesses a dignified bearing. I am greatly pleased to have heard of him. Now, Zhou Ziliang, son of Marquis Dingbei Zhou Wuhai, has reached the age of twenty and is of marriageable age. A virtuous son should be chosen as his bride. Tang Feng, with his outstanding talent and jade-like appearance, is a perfect match for Zhou Ziliang. To facilitate this union, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Prince of a Commandery and State in marriage to Zhou Ziliang. All ceremonies shall be jointly handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and the wedding shall be held on an auspicious day.
Tang Feng was completely bewildered. If he wasn't mistaken, Zhou Ziliang was a man, so was he... a woman? Although Tang Feng didn't want to admit it, his hand silently rested on his chest, flat. Tang Feng stared blankly at Eunuch Feng, hoping he would say something like, "The imperial edict was delivered to the wrong person."
"Young Master Tang, please accept the imperial decree!" Eunuch Feng chuckled as he closed the decree and placed it before Tang Feng. "I also wish to offer my early congratulations, Young Master Tang! It's a happy ending for the lovers, and all your pleading before the palace hall for a whole day has not been in vain. If you and the young marquis are to be married in the future, don't forget to invite me to your wedding feast!"
Tang Feng slowly raised his hand to take the imperial edict from Eunuch Feng's hand, and slowly opened it. The five large characters, "Choose an auspicious day for the wedding," were particularly eye-catching. "Young Master! His Majesty has finally granted you a marriage!" Liu Yiwan hugged Tang Feng, who was still kneeling on the ground in a daze. "Your wish of so many years has finally been fulfilled."
"My son! Now that you're married to the young marquis, you can't be as willful as you were at home!" Old Master Tang, supported by Qin Jiujiu, was in tears, as if he hadn't been the one pounding his chest in anger just moments before.
Tang Feng looked around and saw that everyone seemed happy. Some were dancing with joy, while others were crying tears of joy. Tang Feng slowly pushed away Liu Yiwan, who was hugging him, stood up, took the imperial edict, and walked towards the mansion. The wound on his head was getting more and more painful. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but the bleeding that he had finally managed to stop started flowing again. Tang Feng felt that his vision was getting more and more blurred, and his head was spinning. He tried to grab the door frame, but his legs went weak and he knelt down at the door, losing consciousness.
"Master! Master! Young Master has fainted from joy!" Liu Yiwan stepped forward to help Tang Feng up and called out to Old Master Tang. The old master was also startled. It was just a marriage decree, yet his son was so excited. "Eunuch Feng! My son is not feeling well today, so this old minister will not keep you here for a while!"
"Young master's health is of utmost importance!" Eunuch Feng waved his hand. "As I said before, once the two young masters are happily married, don't forget to invite me to your residence for a drink."
"Of course, of course," Old Master Tang chuckled, bowed to Eunuch Feng, and went inside to instruct the servants to fetch a doctor to take care of Tang Feng.
Seeing that Old Master Tang had returned, Eunuch Feng mounted his horse. "Master," the young eunuch leading the horse couldn't help but ask, "that young master Tang doesn't seem to be in good health either, he looks sickly. How can he possibly withstand the young marquis?"
"You're so talkative. What do you know?" Eunuch Feng lightly tapped the young eunuch on the back with his riding crop. "Hold your horse tight. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't know what you shouldn't know."
"oh..."
At the Tang residence, the servants hurriedly helped Tang Feng back to his room. Qin Jiujiu, standing at the door, instructed Liu Yiwan to fetch a doctor before going inside to care for Tang Feng.
By the time Liu Yiwan brought the doctor over, it was almost evening. Qin Jiujiu was extremely anxious, worried that Tang Feng's wound had become infected due to lack of treatment. "Miss Jiu, I've brought Doctor Ma from Beicheng!" Upon hearing that Liu Yiwan had returned, Qin Jiujiu quickly stood up and said, "Doctor Ma, please take a look at my brother. He was injured at noon and hasn't received any treatment. He's still unconscious."
"Young lady, please don't worry. Let this old man take your pulse." With that, the old man closed his eyes and sat down by the bed to take your pulse. "There's nothing seriously wrong, but the head injury wasn't treated in time, and now he has a slight fever. I'll prescribe some medicine; you can go back and brew it for your son to drink."
"Thank you so much, Doctor. Ah Wan, go see the old gentleman off!" After saying this, Qin Jiujiu picked up the prescription written by the old gentleman, glanced at it briefly, and called over the servant waiting at the door to get the medicine.
"Sister, is Brother Tang alright?"
Qin Jiujiu looked down and saw Qin Liuliu squatting on the ground, her eyes red, looking up at her. "Brother's alright, why are you crying like that, a grown man?" Qin Jiujiu squatted down and wiped away Qin Liuliu's tears. "Go inside and keep an eye on brother for me, I'm going to cook now." Having received the order, Qin Liuliu happily skipped into the room.
Qin Jiujiu, as the older sister, was genuinely happy for Tang Feng. At noon, she overheard servants saying that Tang Feng was timid and cowardly as a child, always crying and showing no interest in anything except the young master of the Zhou family, whom he had a deep affection for. The young master of the Zhou family was a promising young man who had fought many victories alongside his father, making great contributions to Yan Yun, and was highly praised by the current emperor. She also heard that not long ago, Tang Feng was so preoccupied with this marriage that he lost his appetite and, for the first time ever, went to the palace to plead with the emperor, who reluctantly agreed to the marriage. Qin Jiujiu pursed her lips. Hearing this story, she felt that everyone thought Tang Feng was unworthy of the young master of the Zhou family, but she didn't think so. Qin Jiujiu felt that Tang Feng also had his merits, but he just hadn't shown them to others.
"Miss Jiu, the old gentleman has been taken back."
"You're so slow! Xiao Feng has been lying there for so long and you haven't brought the doctor. Look at him now, he's got a fever, he'll probably suffer tonight," Qin Jiujiu said with a hint of reproach. After all, Liu Yiwan was the only one in the manor who could walk fast. She had carefully instructed him at noon to bring the doctor back early, but he didn't return until it was almost dark.
"Miss Jiu, you've misunderstood me. I may be fast, but as you just saw, Old Master Ma is frail and trembling; how could he possibly walk fast?"
"Sigh, I was a bit too hasty," Qin Jiujiu sighed. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? There are some leftover buns from lunch on the stove; heat them up and eat them! I was thinking of cooking, but I was worried that Xiaofeng would be left unattended tonight."
After listening, Liu Yiwan waved his hand and said, "Miss Jiu, please go and cook. I'll look after the young master here. Besides, I've asked the doctor; it's just a minor injury, so you don't need to worry too much." After saying that, he went into the house.
Liu Yiwan entered the house, intending to fetch a basin of well water to wipe Tang Feng's body. Just as he was about to grab the basin, he saw Qin Liuliu lying on top of Tang Feng, fast asleep and hugging the blanket. Liu Yiwan sighed and picked up Qin Liuliu, but ended up carrying the blanket along with him. Liu Yiwan had to hold onto Qin Liuliu with one hand and pull the blanket with the other, because Qin Liuliu was clinging so tightly that he couldn't pull her off. "You brat, let go!"
"Ah~" Qin Liuli rubbed her eyes. "Why did you call me~"
"Untie the blanket! It's so late, go back to your room and sleep."
"No! I want to be with Brother Tang!" Qin Liuli gripped the corner of the blanket tightly and wouldn't let go.
"Don't make me tell your sister, or she'll come and beat you up."
That worked. Qin Liuli bit Liu Yiwan's wrist and jumped down, standing at the door shouting to Liu Yiwan, "I hate you the most! I'm going to tell Brother Tang tomorrow!"
"Go ahead and sue! Your Tang brother is getting married soon, he won't have time to care about you anymore." With that, he closed the door.
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