Chapter 120: Her Mother is Still Alive
Chapter 120: Her Mother is Still Alive
The prison warden thought he had misheard.
But when he saw the bold characters of Lu Yuan's name on the marriage certificate, he realized that the Grand Viceroy wasn't joking. This despicable traitor, despised by both humans and gods, was truly going to get married.
He wondered which unfortunate young lady had such bad luck. Unfortunately, the Grand Viceroy was covering the part of the certificate that had the bride's name, so he could only see the groom's name.
Suppressing the shock and curiosity that surged within him, the warden asked with feigned calmness, "May I ask, Grand Viceroy, what about the Emperor and Empress' wedding?"
Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "Just pick another auspicious date for them."
Prison Warden: You dare to even steal the Emperor and Empress' auspicious date! You're getting too arrogant, you despicable traitor!
Lu Yuan glanced at him indifferently. "Hmm?"
The prison warden cupped his hands and bowed. "This official congratulates the Grand Viceroy on his upcoming nuptials."
Lu Yuan picked up the marriage certificate again, opened it, and said indifferently, "Remember to attend the wedding banquet."
The prison warden's legs trembled.
As soon as the prison warden left, Lu Yuan summoned Shangguan Ling.
"What are your commands, Grand Viceroy?" Shangguan Ling asked breathlessly as he entered the room.
"Go and inform Meng Xiaojiu that the wedding date has been set," Lu Yuan instructed.
Shangguan Ling looked at Lu Yuan in disbelief. "Grand Viceroy, I'm in the middle of a mission."
"So?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
So what if I'm on a mission? You summoned me back just to deliver a message?
Are there no other people in the Viceroy's mansion? Don't you see Yu Zichuan sitting up on the roof, so bored that he's plucking arrows out of his body?
"Do you have an opinion?" Lu Yuan's tone turned chilly.
"Your subordinate dares not! This subordinate will head to Fengshui Hutong immediately," Shangguan Ling quickly replied, his earlier irritation vanishing.
You there, consider yourself lucky to be alive today.
Shangguan Ling made his way to Fengshui Hutong.
Tan'er was playing on a swing and called out, "Blade Dancer, you're back!"
Meng Tianlan had just been taught a lesson by his seventh uncle. With a bruised and swollen face, he sat on the ground, sulking like a deflated ball.
Hearing Tan'er's words, he glumly looked up at Shangguan Ling. "Blade Dancer? Show me some of your moves."
Shangguan Ling: "..."
Meng Tianlan hadn't seen Shangguan Ling yesterday and still thought he was a street performer. He muttered to himself, thinking that street performers in the capital were quite impressive, with their fancy outfits and props.
Shangguan Ling drew his Xiu Chun Dagger, its lethal aura compelling. He pointed the tip at Meng Tianlan and said, "You want to die..."
Tan'er quickly interjected, "He's our Third Uncle."
With the smoothness of a seasoned politician, Shangguan Ling sheathed his dagger and swung it through the air. "Forty-eight forms or sixty-nine forms?"
"Show me all of them. If I like it, Young Master will reward you," Meng Tianlan said arrogantly.
Shangguan Ling's jaw twitched, and he endured the humiliation as he performed the one hundred and seventeen forms that he made up on the spot.
"Not bad," Meng Tianlan commented. "It actually looks like a real style."
Shangguan Ling: My dagger is meant for killing. Each strike takes a life. Isn't that a real style?
Shangguan Ling thought for a moment, then asked, "Where are you from? From now on, follow Young Master, and I'll guarantee you a life of luxury."
Tan'er, with her toes touching the ground, stopped the swing. "Third Uncle, we might not be able to afford him."
Meng Tianlan stood up, unbothered. "What do you mean? Is he very expensive? Is there anyone in this world that the Meng family can't afford?"
Tan'er, ever the lively one, said, "He's the Grand Viceroy's confidant. He's a third-ranking official and the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
Thud!
Meng Tianlan knelt down!
...
Li Mama had strong opinions about Lu Yuan, but first, the highest-ranking official from the Viceroy's mansion had come to propose marriage, and now a third-ranking official from the Embroidered Uniform Guard had delivered the wedding date. They had truly given their young miss a lot of face.
Even her anger had dissipated by half.
However, the wedding date seemed a bit rushed to her.
Meng Qianqian had no objections. In any case, it was just a formality for both families, and it didn't matter whether they got married early or late. Moreover, not only was Lu Yuan worried that her mother would come to the capital and force him to marry a girl from Miaojiang, but she was also concerned that the Meng family would come and take her back.
The sooner they got married, the sooner they could put their worries to rest.
On the other side, the Yao family also visited to discuss Lin Wan'er's marriage.
Originally, when Lin Wan'er was adopted by Lady Wen, the Consort Li had personally promised that the Emperor would bestow a marriage between her and Lu Lingxiao.
But no imperial edict was issued, and the Yao family came directly to their door.
The Yao family didn't mention a word about the imperial edict. Instead, the old madam asked, "Isn't the Emperor arranging the marriage?" to which the Yao family's steward replied that the Emperor was busy with state affairs.
Initially, Consort Li had intended to issue an imperial edict to demonstrate her importance to Lin Wan'er. But who could have expected that Meng Qianqian was actually Meng Xiaojiu? Consort Li wanted both of them, and now that Lin Wan'er was pregnant, this marriage couldn't be avoided. As for Meng Qianqian, she hadn't been acquired yet, so they had to be more patient.
And so, the matter of the imperial edict was quietly dropped.
The old madam's face lengthened.
The Lu family had lost a lot of face recently, and she had been thinking of using this marriage to regain some of their prestige. But now, the prestige of an imperial edict was gone.
The second madam pulled at the old madam's sleeve and whispered, "Mother, it's good that the marriage is still on. She's still the young miss of the Duke's mansion."
The old madam agreed. After all, no matter what, Lin Wan'er was still marrying as the young miss of the Duke's mansion.
The old madam asked, "Why isn't Steward Li here?"
Steward Qian smiled and said, "The head steward is occupied with matters in the mansion. He's too busy to get away."
The old madam's displeasure grew as they had only sent a minor steward.
Steward Qian pretended not to notice her unhappiness and continued to smile. "The Duke's wife means for the wedding to be held as soon as possible. Miss Wan'er will move into the Duke's mansion two days earlier and will marry from there."
The old madam asked in confusion, "Only two days earlier? Why not bring her over now?"
Behind the screen, Lin Wan'er listened to the conversation outside, her grip tightening on her sleeve.
Steward Qian continued, "The Duchess is concerned that Miss Wan'er might not be accustomed to living there. Rest assured, Duchess Lu, that the Duke's mansion will prepare everything needed for the wedding, including the wedding dress, the bridal attendants, the bridal sedan chair... We will ensure that Miss Wan'er's wedding is grand and glorious."
As for the betrothal gifts and dowry, the Madame said that the Lu family is going through difficult times, so let's keep things simple."
The earlier words seemed reasonable, but what about what he just said?
Keep it simple? Not only with the betrothal gifts but also with the dowry? Was the National Duke's Manor implying that they didn't want to provide a dowry?
Initially, they said that Noble Consort Li would personally see to it that Lin Wan'er's dowry was augmented—
When Lu Lingxiao married Meng Qianqian, it's true that he didn't give any betrothal gifts, but Meng Qianqian brought with her a dowry worth over a hundred thousand taels of silver!
The Old Madame was displeased and slammed her palm on the table: "Is this how the National Duke's Manor marries off their daughters?"
Money Manager Qian's smile faded a little: "We are also considering the Lu family's situation. Since ancient times, the bride's family's dowry has always been based on the groom's family's betrothal gifts. If the Lu family can afford it, no matter how much the dowry is, the National Duke's Manor will be able to provide it!"
The Old Madame was furious: "You—"
Money Manager Qian smiled faintly and said, "If you are dissatisfied with this marriage, then after Miss Wan'er gives birth to her child, we will register the child under the National Duke's Manor's genealogy, and our manor will raise the child ourselves!"
That won't do! The Old Madame couldn't let her precious great-grandson become someone else's!
"Mother, don't be angry. Let's talk calmly, we're all family here."
The Second Madame didn't care whether the Yao family gave a dowry or not. The Old Madame was too strict, and she couldn't get any benefits from this situation. It would be better to use the influence of the National Duke's Manor to secure a future for her two sons who were studying at the Imperial University.
"Has the wedding date been set?"
She asked with a smile.
Money Manager Qian replied with a pleasant smile: "There are a few auspicious dates next month, the 16th, 19th, 27th..."
"Next month... " The Second Madame glanced at Lin Wan'er's gradually protruding belly, "Then let's make it the 16th. The sooner, the better."
Money Manager Qian smiled: "The 16th is an auspicious day for the Emperor and Empress' wedding. Please choose another date."
Noble Consort Li had already quietly asked the people from the Bureau of Astronomy to calculate the date, and the 16th was indeed an auspicious day this year.
The Second Madame was taken aback: "His Majesty is getting married? And the Empress is—"
Money Manager Qian smiled proudly: "Our second young miss."
Everyone took a sharp breath.
The National Duke's Manor already had Noble Consort Li, and now they were about to have an Empress as well. They were truly a family of noble descent.
Even if Lin Wan'er was a descendant of the Twelve Guards, she couldn't compete with the Emperor and Empress for an auspicious wedding date.
After the people from the National Duke's Manor left, Lu Luo muttered discontentedly: "What's the meaning of this? The National Duke's Manor is clearly treating us differently. We have to pick a date that their young miss didn't choose, and the dowry will be whatever scraps they leave behind. How is this a glorious wedding?"
Lin Wan'er remained silent.
Greed is insatiable. Initially, she didn't even dare to dream of becoming the main wife, but now that her wish was about to come true, and she had gained the additional identity of the National Duke's daughter, she felt somewhat disappointed.
However, this disappointment only lasted a short while. After all, Yao family's legitimate daughter and the Emperor's cousin was someone she couldn't compare with.
As long as she lived better than Meng Qianqian, that would be enough.
Unfortunately, Meng Qianqian's family had come to the capital and would probably take her back to Youzhou soon. She wouldn't be able to witness Meng Qianqian's marriage to Lu Lingxiao with her own eyes.
At Wind and Water Hutong.
"Miss, isn't the wedding date a bit too rushed?"
Li Mama asked.
Meng Qianqian said, "I think it's fine."
Tan'er's small fists propped up her cheeks: "I think so too! The braised pork at the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion is so delicious!"
Li Mama glared at her: "You little glutton!"
Li Mama was worried that with the wedding so soon, many things wouldn't be properly prepared, and their young miss would be wronged.
Meng Qianqian smiled: "I'm a remarried woman, so it's better to keep things low-key."
Li Mama sighed.
Tan'er bounced over to Meng Qianqian and excitedly asked, "Sister, are we going to make your wedding dress tomorrow?"
Customs differed across regions. In Youzhou, female family members often embroidered the wedding dress for their daughters, while in the capital, many wealthy families hired embroiderers to do it.
Meng Qianqian said, "Cai Manager said that she would invite the embroiderers to our home."
Originally, the wedding dress was something the bride's family should take care of, but Cai Manager had arranged everything.
Tan'er pouted: "But I want to go out and take a look."
Meng Qianqian smiled: "Alright, let's go take a look."
Tan'er giggled: "Sister, you're the best!"
Li Mama looked at their young miss with a mix of heartache and relief. Five years ago, their young miss was still a child, and she didn't seem like she was getting married. It felt more like she was being adopted into another family.
Now, she had grown into a graceful young lady, truly resembling a bride-to-be.
"If the Madame knew that Miss is already this old..."
"Cough, cough!"
Meng Tianlan coughed loudly at the door.
Li Mama lowered her eyes to hide the fleeting panic in them. She stood up and said, "Third Young Master, Seventh Uncle, Meng Manager, please come in and sit down."
The three of them entered the room.
Li Mama smiled awkwardly and said, "Miss, the old lady next door seemed to have fallen this morning."
"Is that so? Tan'er, let's go take a look."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Meng Qianqian and Tan'er left the room.
Meng Tianlan asked, "Li Mama, what happened just now?"
Li Mama said guiltily, "I saw that Miss is already so grown up, and I got distracted for a moment."
The Seventh Uncle asked curiously, "After all these years, you still haven't told Third Young Master?"
"How dare I?" Meng Tianlan sat down and picked up the teacup to drink, but after taking a sip, he put it down in disgust, "Grandfather doesn't allow it."
The Seventh Uncle said, "What if one day, Third Young Master finds out by himself? Won't he blame you for hiding it from him?"
Meng Tianlan said earnestly, "It's also for his own good. Moreover, we've hidden it for so many years. If we suddenly tell him that his mother is still alive, will he be able to accept it?"
(End of Chapter)
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