I'd rather die than marry
Tang Feng was unconscious for a whole night, his dreams fragmented and incomplete. In his dream, he was wearing a red wedding dress, and through the veil, he could vaguely see a burly, imposing groom opposite him. He was carried into the bridal chamber by the groom, and despite his kicks and punches, the man seemed oblivious. Once inside, he slammed Tang Feng onto the bed, yanked off the veil, and Tang Feng finally saw his face clearly: a thick beard, dark skin, and a mole below his mouth—it was a living, breathing Li Kui! Just as the man was about to kiss him, Tang Feng jolted awake. "Holy crap! Whew...wow!" Tang Feng sat bolt upright, looked around—he was still in his room—and breathed a sigh of relief. "It was a dream, thank goodness it was a dream."
"Young Master! You're awake! Come and drink your medicine."
Tang Feng looked up and saw Liu Yiwan carrying medicine in. "You had a high fever in the middle of the night and were covered in sweat. I changed your undergarments this morning. The medicine was just brewed by Miss Jiu this morning. Please drink it while it's hot."
Tang Feng touched his head; his injuries from yesterday had been bandaged. His whole body ached. He picked up the bowl of medicine, took small sips, and asked weakly, "Yesterday, could I see that imperial edict again?"
"I know you're delighted, young master. Please wait." With that, Liu Yiwan picked up the imperial edict from the table and placed it in Tang Feng's hand.
Tang Feng carefully read the imperial edict from beginning to end. "If I'm not mistaken, this Zhou Ziliang should be... a man!"
"Yes! The young marquis is definitely a man."
"Then... if I'm not mistaken, I'm not a woman, right?"
"Even if you're wrong, it's still a man!" Liu Yiwan was a little confused by the question.
"Then I'd like to ask," Tang Feng slowly closed his eyes, clenched the imperial edict, remained silent for a moment, and then threw the edict heavily to the ground. "Why were two men betrothed?! Ah!"
Liu Yiwan quickly picked up the imperial edict that had fallen to the ground. "Oh my little ancestor, calm down! This is an imperial edict! You'll be beheaded if you do this! It's not that two men can't be betrothed! Since the founding of our country, His Majesty has clearly stipulated that as long as two people are in love, it doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman."
Tang Feng hadn't expected Yan Yun to be so open-minded, but he simply couldn't accept marrying a man. "Take this back! I'm a grown man, I can choose not to marry, but now you want me to marry a man?"
"Young Master! This is an imperial edict! You think you can just call it off like that?" Liu Yiwan was puzzled. Tang Feng had begged and pleaded for this marriage, and now he wanted it called off?
"Fine! Fine! You can't back out, huh? I'll go myself!" Tang Feng was furious, snatching the imperial edict from Liu Yiwan's hand and rushing out. Liu Yiwan was terrified; if the old man at home saw this, they'd be finished. She quickly grabbed a piece of clothing and chased after Tang Feng. Tang Feng, still recovering from a serious illness, wasn't walking fast, but Liu Yiwan couldn't stop him at all! Just as they were about to reach the old man's door, Liu Yiwan shouted to Qin Jiujiu, who was cutting flowers, "Miss Jiu! Keep an eye on the young master! He's gone mad!"
Qin Jiujiu reacted quickly and grabbed Tang Feng. "Xiao Feng, where are you going?"
"Wait for my father!" Tang Feng said, then knelt down in front of the door with a thud. Qin Jiujiu looked at him and was about to pull him away, "Xiao Feng, what are you doing! Why are you making such a fuss so early in the morning? You've just recovered from your illness, be good and go back inside to rest."
Tang Feng remained kneeling, unmoved, until the door creaked open. "What's all this commotion so early in the morning!" Old Master Tang said as he straightened his clothes and came out.
"Father, I want to annul the engagement!" Tang Feng held up the imperial edict in his hand.
Old Master Tang nearly twisted his beard with rage upon hearing this. "You scoundrel! Who do you think you are? Defying an imperial decree! You wouldn't have enough heads to lose even if you had a hundred! You were the one who requested the marriage decree before the emperor, and now you're the one who's announcing the engagement and defying the decree! What do you want?! What else do you want! Now get back to your room! You're not allowed to step out of the house before you get married! Liu Yiwan, you keep an eye on him!"
"Father, my mind is made up, there's no need for further thought!"
"Fine! Bring the family discipline manual! Beat him until he agrees!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Upon hearing that family discipline was to be invoked, Tang Feng's arrogance instantly diminished by more than half. He quickly waved his hands, "I can think about it some more. Think about it some more." After saying that, he hurriedly returned to his room.
Liu Yiwan finally found Tang Feng in the wardrobe. "Young Master! What are you doing hiding in the wardrobe? I just don't understand. The young marquis has such a good family background, what are you so upset about? Marrying him would be an immense blessing."
Tang Feng grabbed a piece of clothing and threw it at Liu Yiwan's face, saying, "Such good fortune, do you want it?"
"How could I dare share in the young master's good fortune? Then can you tell me why you suddenly don't want to get married anymore?" After saying that, Liu Yiwan took off her shoes and went into the wardrobe, sitting face to face with Tang Feng.
"Suddenly? I never wanted to. I'm asking you, do you like men?"
"No, I prefer gentle and pretty girls," Liu Yiwan said, scratching her head a little embarrassedly.
"Do you think it's possible that I also like gentle and pretty young girls?"
"No way! Young Master, you went to great lengths for this marriage, crying, making a scene, even threatening suicide, and it all ended up in the palace. If you like girls, I, Liu Yiwan, will just write my name backwards."
"Liu Yiwan"
"ah?"
Tang Feng clenched the clothes in his hands and grabbed them at Liu Yiwan's face again. "Get out of here, damn it, get out!"
Tang Feng never dreamed in her life that she would actually marry a man. Yes, you heard right, marry him, and she even had to beg and plead for it. Tang Feng leaned weakly against the cabinet, unsure of what to do. Should she submit to this marriage? Or should she resist to the end?
"I'm a man, shouldn't I be the subject of a beautiful love story?"
"But Liu Yiwan said that Zhou Ziliang's family is extremely wealthy."
"No, no!" Tang Feng quickly shook his head. "I, Tang Feng, am a person with principles and a bottom line. How can I marry a man I've never even met just for money?"
But he really is very rich.
"No way," Tang Feng shook his head again. "I'm straight, I can't give up pretty girls for some money."
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" Tang Feng scratched his head vigorously, pulled over the cabinet door, and banged his head against it. "No way, no way! This is too outrageous! I can't brainwash myself at all. I can't accept marrying a man! My Purple Gold Gourd! Take me away!"
It wasn't until Qin Jiujiu called Tang Feng for dinner that evening that he crawled out of the cupboard. "Dinner's coming up, your godfather's here too, so be good." Tang Feng didn't reply, but simply followed her into the backyard, bowed to Old Master Tang, and then took his seat to eat.
"A day has passed, how's your decision?" Old Master Tang put a piece of food into Tang Feng's bowl.
Tang Feng shoveled a mouthful of rice, and after a long while, he whispered, "I won't marry." No sooner had he finished speaking than Old Master Tang slammed his bowl heavily on the table, startling Qin Jiujiu and Qin Liuliu. "Say that again!"
"I said I won't marry him," Tang Feng said again, mustering his courage. His hand holding the bowl trembled, and his palms were sweating. "Outrageous! You say you won't marry him and then you just say so? Have you considered the people in this household? Have you considered me? Huh! You only think of yourself! You're so capricious! So selfish!" Old Master Tang slammed his chopsticks on the ground. "I think you can forget about eating. Get back to your room and reflect on your actions!"
At this moment, Tang Feng also stood up and muttered under his breath, "You're clearly just like Yang Bailao! You only think of yourself, you've sold your own son and you don't even know it. You're still counting the money for him!" Tang Feng was both aggrieved and angry. He didn't know about this marriage, he didn't know about the past, and he wasn't the one kneeling in front of the hall begging and pleading. Yet, Old Master Tang kept pressuring him.
"Sister, what is Yang Bailao?"
Qin Jiujiu quickly covered Qin Liuliu's mouth, saying, "Adults are talking, children shouldn't interrupt."
Old Master Tang was trembling with rage. He barely managed to stand up, leaning on the table for support. "You...you...I don't know who this Yang Bailao you're talking about is. All I know now is that I must discipline you on behalf of our ancestors! Guards, bring him the family law! Beat him until he kneels and begs for mercy. From now on, he'll live in the ancestral hall. We'll talk about it when he admits his mistake."
"You hit me again, you hit me again! All you do all day is threaten me with those two big sticks! I'd rather die than agree!" Liu Yiwan quickly hugged Tang Feng, afraid he'd cause some more trouble. "Young Master! Please, say less!"
"You'd rather die than agree, huh? Then beat him to death! If you don't hear him admit his mistake today, don't stop hitting him with the sticks!" The old man pointed at Liu Yiwan and the others and said, "No one is allowed to plead for him! Otherwise, the outcome will be the same!" After saying that, he snorted coldly and turned away.
Tang Feng was somewhat afraid of the family discipline before him, but the engagement terrified him even more. He immediately lay face down on the bench, shouting, "Even if you beat me to death today, I won't admit my mistake! What's wrong with having a normal sexual orientation?!" The servants holding sticks didn't hesitate, striking him repeatedly, delivering over twenty blows. Qin Jiujiu quickly stepped forward to stop them, saying, "Aren't you all reckless? The master is angry, and you're angry too? If you really hurt him, how will you explain yourselves?" She then ordered the servants to help Tang Feng up. Tang Feng didn't dare sit down, but could only kneel on the ground. Qin Jiujiu also knelt down and asked, "Little Feng, are you alright? If you're not feeling well, don't bear it. I'll have Awan get you some medicine."
Tang Feng shook his head and slowly stood up, supporting himself on the chair. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. I just feel so frustrated." His voice choked with emotion. Qin Jiujiu had never seen Tang Feng cry before. "Oh dear! Why are you crying? This... I..."
Tang Feng wiped his face with his sleeve and pushed away the hand that was helping him. "I'll go to the ancestral hall myself, don't worry about me." After saying that, Tang Feng limped out. That night, Qin Jiujiu had Liu Yiwan bring Tang Feng bedding and medicine. Tang Feng lay on the bedding, muttering, "Tang Feng, Tang Feng, you're really something! You've been timid and cowardly your whole life, but what are you doing, acting all high and mighty in this marriage? Ugh~ You've ruined me! You've gone to pursue love, and I have to stay here and take care of your funeral arrangements." After saying that, he got up and crawled to the altar where the spirit tablets were enshrined. "Ancestors! Please bless me. I just want to get married. I don't want to be someone else's wife." After saying that, he lit three sticks of incense. Tang Feng hadn't been this devout when he worshipped the ancestors two days ago.
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