C63 (1/2)
After hearing that Zhou Kuangzheng and Tang Zhi Li had arrived at the He mansion's entrance, Shang Jie became anxious. Zhou Kuangzheng was the uncle of Beicheng, and Tang Zhi Li was the third prince. How could Old Madam He and the others reject him so easily when he personally came to the He mansion to propose marriage? Although they had not entered the palace yet, nor had they come to suppress others with an imperial edict, with their status, even if they were themselves, they would not be offended. As she was thinking this, she stopped Old Madam He when she saw that she was about to lead someone out of the mansion to welcome Tang Zhi Li and Zhou Kuangzheng. ”This Tang Zhi Li must be here to propose marriage, but I don't know how Old Madam is going to refuse?”
Madam He and the others went out to welcome them, but stopped and said, ”They've already reached the manor's entrance. We can only welcome them in first, we can't just avoid them.”
”Old granny, let go of that for now. Just give us Sister Yuan.” ”As long as you let Elder Sister Yuan go first, regardless of whether it's Tang Zhi Li or Zhou Kuangzheng, they will have nothing to say.” Shang Jie anxiously said, ”No matter what, we can't let Sister Yuan marry into Northern Cheng Country.”
”Old granny, just betroth Sister Yuan to our Brother Yang!” When Madam Anping heard Shang Jie's words, she felt a moment of resentment and went up to stop her from being the first to speak.
Matriarch He was also worried in her heart. If they were to rush over to ask for He Yuan, what would happen to He Min then? He Min was the eldest concubine's eldest daughter, Li Jiayi's direct descendant. Even before she had a chance to get married, she had already promised both He Yuan and He Yi to marry her in the future. Thinking that they couldn't let He Min let them off, she agreed to let He Yuan go. Madam He composed herself and said, ”I will naturally not let you all fail today. Sister Min and Sister Yuan will allow one of your families to go with you!” She was about to say more, but Mrs. He and the others had already welcomed Tang Zhi Li and Zhou Kuangzheng into the room.
Tang Zhili and Zhou Quanzheng came to the He manor without any orders, but their identities were there. If they were to propose marriage, it would be difficult for them to refuse. She came to a sudden realization as she quietly waved at the old woman who had followed her to Princess Changchun's residence. She whispered, ”Quickly go to the Grand Princess's residence and inform her that Sister Yuan and the rest have returned home today. ”Now that Tang Zhili and Zhou Kuangzheng have arrived at the He Mansion, they're all prepared to propose marriage. As the eldest princess is the godmother of Sister Yuan, she has to nod to Fang Xing and ask her to come quickly.” Seeing the old woman nod her head and leave, the young mistress hurriedly sent someone to report to He Nian, telling him to return back to the palace as soon as possible.
The He manor was a mess, and Jiang Hua An had received the news that Zhou Quanzheng and Tang Zhi Li had not gone to the inn with the officials of Nanchang and had instead gone straight to the He manor to propose marriage. He hastily arranged for He Yi and He Yuan to board the carriage.
After getting on the carriage, He Yuan supported He Yi and leaned against his body. He touched her forehead and asked: ”Big sister Yi, are you feeling better? Are you still unconscious? ”
”Much better after getting off the boat.” The boat was sailing fast these few days, and He Yi felt sick. He ate less and looked a little haggard. He leaned on He Yuan's shoulder, sighed, and said, ”We're finally back. This trip has really been messed up.”
Because of the heat, He Yi's face didn't look too good. He Yuan had to lift a corner of the curtain to take a breath of fresh air. He opened it and said, ”Eh, the sedan chair over there seems to belong to our Residence of He.”
”Let me see!” Upon hearing that it was a sedan chair from the Residence of He, He Yi perked up and hurriedly went over to take a look. ”Maybe it's my mother, your mother, and the others who are sitting in a sedan chair to receive us!” Just as she finished speaking, the sedan chair finally stopped. She looked carefully and saw that it was Ning Ruoxue who came out of the sedan. She couldn't help but shout, ”It's my mother! It's my mother!”
On the way, Ning Xueluo met Jiang Huaian's group and hurriedly went down the bridge. She said a word of hard work to Jiang Huaian and the rest, and when she saw the curtains open, he showed his little face and called out to her. She couldn't help but lift the curtains, climb into the carriage and congratulate them, ”I left March 26, but today is the third day of the seventh month, so I've been gone for more than three months! Let me see, why are you so thin? ” As he said that, he pulled He Yuan over to take a look. He nodded and said, ”Although Sister Yuan has also lost some weight, she's still quite spirited. Looking at the days, saying that it was about time for them to return, the old ladies and wives in the mansion talked about it every day. We're finally back! ”
”You two can leave on an empty palanquin. Let the young mistress and the younger sister sit together in a carriage.” Seeing Ning Xueluo get into the carriage and leave for a few months, Jiang Hua An had a lot to say as soon as they met, so he ordered the sedan bearers to leave. He followed behind the carriage with He Shouye and his horse.
He had a lot to say to Ning Xueluo, about the day of the competition, about the way things had been on the road, about the sights of the Northern Kingdom, and so on. He also said that He Yuan had taken care of him during the past few days because of his seasickness. He Yuan then asked about the situation of the people in the mansion before they left. The three of them chatted as the carriage arrived at the Residence of He.
Ning Xueluo's carriage's curtain was lifted just now, and when she heard the matriarch's voice outside, she said, ”Young Mistress and Big Sis are back, the mansion's going to explode. The old lady came out to take a look a few times, so we have to go inside quickly.” He came up to help them down and greeted them.
When He Yi and He Yuan saw that the sedan chair belonging to the Residence of Marquis Anping and the sedan chair belonging to the General's Estate had stopped at the entrance of the Residence, they smiled and said, ”Today, the Residence is quite lively. Madam Shang Shu, Madam Anping and Madam General's Lady have all come to the Residence of He. Could it be that you know that we're coming back today, and are here to join in on the fun? ”
”That's right!” Ning Ruoxue vaguely answered him, because seeing the steward's anxious face, she pulled him over and whispered, ”Didn't you say we can discuss the marriage when I get back from taking big sister? Could it be that someone else has come to your house? ”
The steward wanted to avoid congratulating the others, so when He Yuan heard her, she lowered her voice and said, ”Once Young Mistress has left, the estate will welcome Lord Zhou and the Third Prince to the North State. They are currently serving tea in the hall. ”That Lord Zhou's mouth is really sharp. As long as he mentions the Third Prince that Miss Yuan gave to them and the sincerity in his words, the old lady would be unable to refute him. She would only say that we'll discuss it when Miss Yuan returns.”
While they were talking, the lady had already rushed out when she heard the news. She pulled He Yuan over to take a closer look and muttered something to him. Then she saw He Ci, Jiang Hua An, and the others dismount from their horses and rush over to meet him. She read the message again and said a few words in a messy voice. He hurriedly said, ”The hall will be full of people right now. Sister Yuan and Sister Yi don't need to go in immediately to see the old lady and the young lady. They can only go in after they've washed themselves.” Only after seeing them walk away did he say to Ning Ruoxue that Matriarch He had already promised Madam Shang's grandson, Tao Lingjie, and so on.
Ning Ruoxue let out a sigh of relief when she heard Tao Lingjie's words. She pulled her elder sister and asked, ”I heard that Third Prince of Beicheng came. No one in this hall can afford to offend him. I wonder who Sister Yuan will give it to? ”
”I'm in a hurry!” When the lady saw Jiang Huanan enter the hall behind her, she turned around and said, ”It was all thanks to you protecting Sister Yuan and the others this time. The old lady said that she would thank you very much!”
At this time, the main hall of the He Estate was bustling with noise and excitement. Zhou Quheng said to Old Madam He, ”After the alliance between the north and south, there was a mutual exchange and there was even an embroidery meeting. The people became more harmonious with each other. Our Emperor, the Queen of the North and the North, thought of friendship between the two countries, but might as well form a family of a few women and promote relations between the two countries as well. Because this time, seeing that the Lady Yuan is generous, clever and intelligent, and our Third Prince has an old relationship with a pair of good karma, so I thought about it. ”I'm just afraid that others will not show their sincerity by coming here, so instead, I came here personally with Your Highness to propose marriage. I hope the old lady can grant my wish!”