HCB Chapter 460 The Emperor's Bestowal of Marriage
Chapter 460 The Emperor's Bestowal of Marriage
Old Lu chuckled: "What? You want to beat him up?"
The donkey cart creaked and groaned.
The two remained somewhat silent throughout the journey.
Xu Yiyi covered her head and face completely with a cloth, watching the convoy of cars passing by.
"Damn it, these people don't even know how to slow down."
Old Lu stared intently at the dusty dirt road ahead, occasionally flicking his whip lightly.
"Whose caravan is this? They've got quite a entourage!"
Their donkey cart was moving along the main road just fine when suddenly someone came up and chased them away.
Immediately behind me came a commotion and the heavy creaking of the axle.
A long procession of carriages was slowly approaching from behind, almost taking up the entire road.
Leading the way were several trucks covered with thick tarpaulins and tightly secured, flanked by several mounted guards in uniform with solemn expressions.
[Looks like someone you don't want to mess with!]
Xu Yiyi thought to herself.
The traffic was endless, and it seemed like there was no end in sight.
Seeing so many carts and horses carrying goods, she thought she had encountered a large-scale merchant caravan.
Old Lu squinted and observed until the two carriages in the middle of the procession pulled up.
Only then did they realize that these two carriages were completely different from the cargo carts in front and behind. They were much more spacious and luxurious, made of the finest nanmu wood, with intricate carvings on the windows and light blue silk curtains hanging on them. The horses pulling the carriages were also exceptionally plump and strong with glossy coats.
It doesn't look ostentatious, but anyone with a discerning eye can tell that this is not something an ordinary caravan can afford.
"It shouldn't be a caravan."
Old Lu shook his head, his voice low, "Judging from this, we've encountered a wealthy family's procession. The carts and horses carrying goods at the front and back must be supply wagons."
Just then, the most luxurious carriage slowly drove past their donkey cart.
A gentle breeze blew in, lifting a corner of the curtain of the carriage window, and the silhouette of a woman sitting inside, dressed in an elegant but exquisite dress, her hair neatly combed, could be vaguely seen.
Xu Yiyi looked in that direction and met the woman's gaze.
With just one glance, the woman turned her head away.
His eyes were filled with disdain, as if he had seen some kind of trash.
Soon, the curtain fell, and the convoy continued on its way, leaving only the rumbling sound of wheels rolling over the dirt road and a faint, cool fragrance in the air.
It was immediately covered by the dust that rose up.
Old Lu glared angrily at the convoy ahead and pulled the donkey cart to a stop.
"Let's wait until the dust settles down before we go."
He squinted as he spoke, glancing at Wu Yuan's condition as he did so.
The donkey cart remained stationary for a quarter of an hour before slowly making its way into the city.
"Go straight back?"
Old Lu returned the donkey cart to the cart shop, patted the hem of his clothes which were covered in grass clippings, and turned to look at Xu Yiyi.
Xu Yiyi shook her head, holding Wu Yuan who was playing with her hair in her arms, and said softly, "No rush. I want to go to Zhechong Prefecture to see A Yue. She has been back for a while now. I wonder how she is doing."
Old Lu was taken aback when he heard this, then suddenly realized and slapped his forehead.
"I'm really getting old, look at my memory! I almost forgot about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Ah Yue has indeed been back at Zhechong Prefecture for some time now..."
That girl is silly and doesn't know any better.
I wonder if I'll be ganged up on and bullied.
"to make."
Old Lu nodded and readily agreed, "Then let's go to the Zhechong Prefecture to take a look. It just so happens that I've been thinking about that girl for a while now."
The two walked along the main street toward Zhechongfu, and happened to run into the same caravan they had just encountered.
More than twenty carriages were stuck in place, unable to move.
"Call her arrogant, now look what happened, she can't do anything about it, right?"
Old Lu said smugly, his voice not quiet.
The woman suddenly lifted the curtain, her gaze filled with disgust.
Adhering to the principle of "the less trouble, the better," Xu Yiyi dragged Lao Lu and disappeared into the crowd.
The two walked side by side, and as they approached Zhechong Prefecture, she suddenly realized something.
"Are you still wanted by the authorities?"
Old Lu's mouth twisted into a sneer, his tone filled with disdain.
"How many years has it been since that incident? It happened in the previous dynasty! Besides, I've gone from a handsome young man to this old geezer, who would recognize me now?"
Xu Yiyi snorted: "That's hard to say. Didn't Jiang Qinshui recognize you?"
Jiang Qinshui's eyes looked strange the moment she saw Lao Lu.
"How should I put it? This... I guess you could call it her talent; she's really good at judging people."
So, Lao Lu wasn't surprised at all that she recognized him.
The two men had just reached the door when they explained their purpose to the guards.
While waiting, I heard a familiar, heavy sound of wheels and hooves behind me.
Looking back, it was the same train convoy I had just encountered on the street.
"What a coincidence! We've met again." Old Lu crossed his arms and couldn't help but sigh.
The convoy headed straight for the gate of Zhechong Prefecture, maintaining its speed and displaying a completely different momentum from when it was blocked in the market earlier.
The mounted guards stood even straighter, their chins slightly raised, exuding an obvious arrogance.
……
"Yi-yi! Master! What brings you here?"
As the two were observing the group that had stopped in front of them, A-Yue, dressed in a smart military uniform, quickly came out of the mansion to greet them. When she saw A-Xu and Lao Lu, a delighted smile immediately appeared on her face.
She greeted the guards first before jogging out.
"Who's your master? Don't call me that."
Old Lu turned his gaze back to A Yue, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance.
"Oh! Wuyuan is here too?" Ayue was pleasantly surprised and reached out to hug Wuyuan.
The child frowned, initially a little angry, and kept staring at Xu Yi.
Only after recognizing who Ah Yue was did he manage a forced smile.
"Come on! I'll take you to Guiyan Courtyard."
A-Yue held the child and teased him several times, but seeing that he was really impatient, she reluctantly put him back into Xu Yiyi's arms.
"Guiyan Courtyard? Where is Duoyu?"
A-Yue nodded: "I've lived in Ping'an Town for so long, I'm used to the hustle and bustle. I'm not used to living alone, so I moved in."
It's also a good opportunity to keep an eye on Duoyu.
The carriage behind them remained stationary, and the guards and stewards they had seen earlier were negotiating with the soldiers of the Zhechong Prefecture.
Although they were some distance away and the exact words were unclear, the convoy members, with their chins slightly raised and their gestures forceful, still exuded an undeniable air of arrogance.
Old Lu gestured with his lip in that direction and asked A-Yue in a low voice, "Who are those people? They've got quite the airs, able to act so arrogantly in the Zhechong Prefecture."
A-Yue glanced at him in the direction of his gaze, her eyes immediately sparkling with gossip.
She leaned closer to Lao Lu and Xu Yiyi, and even though the group of people at the door were quite unpleasant, she kept her voice extremely low.
"You'd never guess, those people are incredibly powerful," A-Yue said, keeping everyone in suspense.
This immediately piqued Lao Lu's gossipy nature.
"What's her background? Could she be some official's mistress?"
Ah Yue chuckled and immediately shook her head.
"It's not a mistress, but it is indeed related to an official within the household."
A-Yue continued to feign mystery.
Xu Yi raised an eyebrow and tentatively asked, "Could it be related to Lord Lin?"
A-Yue immediately gave her a thumbs up, something she learned from Xu Yiyi.
"You guessed right, it really is related to adults."
Old Lu said with some disdain, "Isn't our Grand Tutor Lin always known for his low-key approach to things? Why are the people around him so disdainful?"
"That's a bad word."
A-Yue explained, "These people are related to the adults, but they are not actually members of the Lin family."
"Our lord! Didn't he perform another meritorious service recently? He was personally betrothed by the Emperor! He's betrothed to a remarkable noblewoman from Chang'an. These people..."
She paused, making sure to whet everyone's appetite, and gestured to the imposing convoy, "These are the servants from the future lady's household. They said they came ahead to arrange things and deliver some dowry. Look at this setup, tsk tsk, they haven't even married into the family yet, but they're already putting on airs, as if they're afraid our Zhechong Mansion isn't grand enough and that their young lady is being wronged."
As Yue spoke, she pursed her lips, clearly disapproving of the group's behavior.
"A marriage has been arranged?"
Old Lu sounded somewhat surprised and subconsciously looked at Xu Yiyi.
"That's right! The sunken ships of the previous dynasty have all been salvaged, and such a large sum of money has filled the national treasury. His Majesty is delighted and has directly bestowed a marriage upon the young master. The wedding will take place next month."
Ah Yue kept talking, she was really bummed out after hearing the news.
With Xu Yiyi and Lao Lu here, she finally has someone to confide in.
"He's actually getting married."
Old Lu spoke to Xu Yiyi with some dissatisfaction.
"What you're saying is not normal for him to get married. He's already twenty-five. His older brother already had two sons when he was that age."
If it weren't for his ex-fiancée having to observe mourning for her relatives, she would have gotten married long ago.
"But..." Old Lu hesitated, and A Yue's eyes immediately darted between the two of them.
Xu Yiyi glanced at him: "You don't think I'm with him, do you?"
Old Lu was a little taken aback by the look she had given him earlier, and immediately nodded in submission.
Seeing this reaction, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
"He is my elder!"
Xu Yiyi almost laughed out of anger.
"What? What? What are you talking about?"
A-Yue was completely bewildered, looking at the two of them with a face full of confusion.
"Didn't he ask you to pretend to be his sweetheart back then? I thought there would be some kind of romance between you two."
Xu Yiyi suddenly realized.
You were eavesdropping!
Old Lu turned his head away, stubbornly saying, "I'm useless; my hearing has always been excellent."
As they were talking, they arrived at the gate of Guiyan Courtyard.
"I almost forgot about this if you hadn't brought it up. Anyway, I refused, so please don't bring it up again."
She and Lin Ke were never on the same path.
Old Lu shrugged and didn't continue talking about it.
A-Yue was even more confused.
"Fine, I won't ask anymore. You won't tell me anyway." She snorted, her tone slightly dissatisfied.
The three of them walked around the corridor and came to the backyard.
At this hour, the children in Guiyan Courtyard are all studying, so it is very quiet.
Ah Yue led the two back to her room and sat them down before continuing their gossip.
"Let me tell you, our future wife has quite a background. She's the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei's mansion, a true golden branch and jade leaf! She's a noble lady of the highest order, so it's not surprising that she has such a grand entrance..."
Ah Yue became more and more excited as she spoke, "Our lord has really gained face this time. The Emperor himself acted as matchmaker, promising such a prestigious marriage. It's just that..."
She changed the subject.
"When this marriage was arranged, it caused quite a stir in Chang'an. How could the Duke of Wei bear to let such a pampered noblewoman marry into our Chuijun family and suffer? But in the end, the Emperor's word was law. The Duke of Wei made a scene and was punished, but the marriage was still arranged."
As she spoke, an expression of admiration appeared on her face.
After all, for a father to risk his life to plead with the emperor to rescind his decree for his daughter's sake, he was absolutely willing to go all out.
"So, our future wife's father, the Duke of Wei, started to think about getting our lord back to Chang'an. Putting aside everything else, just with our lord's family background, getting an official position in Chang'an would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"
"You must know that before being transferred to the Zhechong Prefecture, you were a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. While your rank wasn't high, your power was immense. This position held the reins of punishment and allowed you to oversee the private affairs of officials. Only someone highly trusted and regarded as a confidant by the Emperor could be appointed to this post."
Xu Yiyi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
The rank of the Upper General of the Zhechong Prefecture was Senior Fourth Rank, while the rank of the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice was Senior Fifth Rank.
It's a promotion in name only, a demotion in reality!
"But! Our lord refused without even thinking!"
A-Yue's tone was filled with astonishment, "They said they were duty-bound and unwilling to leave without permission. Now, things are at a standstill. The Duke of Wei thinks that the lord is ungrateful, but the lord has his own principles."
She pursed her lips as she spoke: "So, as you can see, this marriage has to take place, but the people from the Duke of Wei's mansion are acting like they own the place, putting on airs like they're above everyone else, and they're all holding a grudge!"
Xu Yiyi inexplicably felt that Lin Ke's experience was somewhat tragic.
His childhood sweetheart and fiancée married someone else, and before they're even married, he's already having a falling out with his future father-in-law.
"I overheard the future wife's nanny telling the servants a couple of days ago that after the marriage, the Duke of Wei plans to find a pretext to send the future wife back to Chang'an."
A-Yue clicked her tongue: "Isn't this ridiculous? Newlyweds don't have much affection for each other to begin with, and once they return to Chang'an, they're even less likely to develop any relationship. Instead, they're giving others an opportunity to take advantage of them..."
"You know, adults are highly sought after."
Ah Yue said with a hint of smugness.
Old Lu scoffed: "A hot commodity? I don't think so."
His words were full of disdain.
"Say less."
Xu Yiyi patted him on the shoulder.
As they chatted, A-Yue finally learned the purpose of their visit to the prefectural city.
She immediately looked at Wu Yuan with teary eyes. The child glanced at her calmly, then turned her head and buried her little head in Xu Yiyi's arms.
"He despises me!" A-Yue cried out.
She clearly saw the disdain in the child's eyes.
It's unbelievable that I was looked down upon by such a tiny kid.