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He happened to overhear a conversation in the Imperial Garden, where the Qin Prince was actually proposing to the Daughter of Ju Rong. At that moment, Young Master Ji Xun's expression was quite unpleasant; one person was overjoyed while the other was gritting his teeth in anger. This caught his interest.
Interesting. Since they were both eyeing his woman, he might as well take the initiative and leave them empty-handed, extinguishing their hopes for his woman. With this thought in mind, he decided to find Chen Xiong that evening.
Originally, he could have issued an imperial decree to bring her into the palace directly, but while he could do that for Ju Dan, he absolutely could not treat his elder brother Yan Dan the same way. He wanted to bring his beloved into the palace like a commoner would, using a grand red bridal sedan chair. Even if she wanted to become the emperor later, he would be willing to be the Queen. At that time, she would be responsible for state affairs—deciding which countries to conquer and expanding their territory—while he would handle matters at home, such as what color to paint the furniture and what to have for lunch. That way, he could find peace of mind.
However, he thought he had arrived early, only to find someone had beaten him to it, forcing him to take the back door. How dare they compete with him for a bride? Just wait until he turned around; he would teach them a lesson.
He was from Daliang and knew where the back door was, but others did not. The front gate of Ju Mansion was still bustling with noise as people jostled for position.
Ju Rong hurried to the front gate and saw a chaotic scene where everyone was pushing and shoving each other, creating a buzzing sound like bees. Before he could get closer, he felt dizzy and wanted to find a place to hide.
Fortunately, San Chun was smart; upon seeing that things were amiss, she immediately ran away.
After all, she was a Noble Lady. If she were exposed and surrounded by people, it could be disastrous.
As Ju Rong reached the entrance, a crowd surrounded him. Two Vako People (matchmakers) grabbed his arms on either side, their mouths chattering away.
He felt his ears buzzing and forcefully shook off both of them. "What do you want? One at a time."
"I'll go first."
"No, I will!"
Ju Rong snorted and pointed at a plump Vako Person. "You go first."
"Alright." The Vako Person happily waved her handkerchief and then began to list all the benefits of marrying her son.
"We are here to propose marriage. Our Qiu Lan Gongzi is the most beloved son of Qin Wang. He is truly graceful, talented, handsome, with a noble demeanor, standing tall, strikingly handsome, standing out from the crowd, fresh and elegant, with an extraordinary presence, a prodigy of intelligence, charming and dashing, standing at seven feet tall, dignified and upright, possessing both talent and beauty..."
Before she could finish, another Vako People member spat, "Even the servants know that Gongzi Qiulan was driven out; how can he compare to our Zhao Country Prince? Our Young Master Zhao is truly refined and elegant, possessing both talent and beauty, a remarkable figure rarely seen in the world."
Both young masters from the two countries were exceptional individuals; there was no need for anyone else. Ju Rong was taken aback; he initially thought it was some boring official's son who had heard about Ju Dan's beauty and came here to cause trouble. That's why he had ordered people to block the entrance. Who would have thought that two of the Four Great Young Masters were among them? Even if they were Four Great Young Masters, was it really necessary to block the entrance?
He stepped aside and said, "In that case, please come inside to talk."
"How reasonable of you, sir."
The two Vako People chuckled as they called for people to carry gifts and rushed inside. In no time, the lively entrance returned to calm.
Not far away in a teahouse sat two individuals. Seeing everyone enter, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Then they glanced at each other's expressions and found it amusing.
Gongzi Qiulan laughed and said, "I heard that His Highness has taken a liking to the Daughter of Ju Rong; why would he wade into this murky water?"
Ji Xun replied lightly, "Just because I don't express it doesn't mean I won't act."
In fact, Qiu Lan hadn't intended to propose today; he was just feeling uncomfortable after being humiliated by Chengyang Jun at Ju Mansion last night. He was also one of the renowned Four Young Masters; how could he endure such humiliation? He had long known that Chengyang Jun liked San Chun. Now that San Chun had become Ju Dan, the biggest change was that her status matched his own. If he didn't marry the beauty soon to spite others, it would be unfair to this domineering Lord Jun who had gained many benefits from him.
Coincidentally, on his way back to Yan Palace, he ran into Ji Xun. When Ji Xun asked where he had been, he casually replied that he had gone to Jurong Mansion. Ji Xun was usually reserved and rarely spoke much with others, but that night he asked him many questions. At the time, Qiu Lan didn't think much of it; later on reflection, he realized it was strange but didn't consider that Young Master Ji Xun was also one of San Chun's admirers.
If that girl knew there was another Zhao Country Prince who liked her, she would probably come running from eight hundred miles away! Just thinking about her smug face made him smile slightly as he asked Ji Xun, "Why do you like that girl?"
Ji Xun smiled back and said, "I have known her for a long time."
Then no matter what Qing asked next, he refused to say more. How could he discuss his matters with Yan Dan with outsiders?
Although the matter of seeking a marriage proposal was a spur-of-the-moment decision, it was something he had longed for. He had a deep bond with Yan Dan and had long made vows of "only you for me." If today’s endeavor succeeded and they could unite, it would be a beautiful story.
Gongzi Qiulan could tell from his expression that he was not someone who would easily give up, which only ignited his competitive spirit. He had previously thought little of San Chun, but now he couldn’t help but see her as a rare treasure worth fighting for. People are like that; if something comes too easily, they don’t cherish it as much. However, if suddenly many people are vying for it, it can spark a desire to obtain it.
As the saying goes, "A hundred families seek one daughter," meaning that the more people seeking her, the more interesting it becomes. If no one is interested, even if one manages to win her over, there is little sense of luck in it.
He smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting. "If that's the case, let us each rely on our own abilities."
"Naturally."
The two exchanged smiles before turning their heads to look at the lively scene inside Ju Mansion. Although they couldn’t see what was happening inside, the sounds of celebration were clear even from several streets away.
At this moment, San Chun did not appear as Azure Wind Antelope imagined; her face was not radiant.
She was indeed smiling, but it was a bitter smile, one that felt more painful than eating bitter herbs. Standing before her was Zhong Xue, looking at her with an expression that made her feel extremely guilty.
She felt her legs begin to tremble; if Dong Dong hadn’t been behind her, she would have surely turned and run away faster than a rabbit.
"It wasn't me who brought them here," she said, lowering her head and staring at her toes, hoping to convey some sense of remorse through her hair.
"I know it wasn't you," Zhong Xue scoffed softly. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that someone would invite three families at once for a marriage proposal.
Yet even knowing it wasn’t her fault, she still felt resentment towards this flirtatious girl who had attracted numerous admirers when she was a man. Now that she had changed identities, was she falling back into old habits?
When he first heard the news, he found it hard to believe. Ji Xun was one thing, but how did Gongzi Qiulan get involved? He immediately called for Dong Dong to inquire about the details.
Dong Dong seized the opportunity for revenge and immediately embellished the description of the battle outside the gate. It was quite a spectacle, a performance titled "Two Sons-in-law Arrive at the Door," with the father-in-law laughing heartily. He had not seen Chen Xiong and was unaware that someone had slipped in through the back door.
Zhong Xue quietly observed Dong Dong for a while, then raised her hand to support her forehead and raised an eyebrow at him, suddenly asking, “Do you know the Vako People in Daliang City?”
Dong Dong was taken aback. “I don’t know them.”
Zhong Xue smiled even more broadly. “If This Lord asked you to assemble a marriage proposal team within half an hour, how would you go about it?”
Dong Dong shouted, “Don’t go too far!” He was a flying thief; it was one thing to serve as a bodyguard against his will for two years, but did she expect him to be her steward or nanny?
Zhong Xue merely thought that even if he truly wanted to do so, she wouldn’t ask him to. However, being preempted like this made him feel frustrated.
“Let’s go out and take a look.” He took Dong Dong outside and ran into San Chun, who was trying to sneak away. There was no reason not to vent some anger on her.
It was unfortunate for San Chun; she intended to take a shortcut but happened to run into him.
Blocked in her tracks, she had nothing to say and could only lower her head and pretend to admit her mistake.
Zhong Xue casually flicked her fingers on the hilt of her sword at her waist, her expression half-smiling. “What do you think we should do about this?”
San Chun had no idea what to do, but judging by the atmosphere, it seemed that today’s marriage proposal would not succeed.
With tears in her eyes, she asked him, “What does Lord Jun want?”
“You go to the front hall and tell Ju Rong that no one is getting married.”
“Understood.” She sighed and turned back toward the front hall, wondering if Ju Rong had sent those people away.
Zhong Xue and Dong Dong followed her closely.
They circled from the backyard into the front hall. As a young lady, she couldn't appear in such an occasion, so she turned and quietly hid behind the screen placed behind the table. Turning her face, she discovered that there were two more people behind the screen—Zhong Xue and Dong Dong.
Peering outside, she noticed that many more people had appeared in the hall without her noticing. She felt overwhelmed; where did all these people come from?
These people were naturally brought by Chen Xiong. They had gone around to the back door, and with his face as Ju Rong's brother-in-law, who would dare to refuse them entry?
Chen Xiong stormed in, feeling extremely frustrated. Throughout history, which family sought a marriage proposal through the back door? Especially since he was acting on a royal decree. He felt he had brought shame upon the Great Yan Kingdom all by himself.
He wasn't the only one feeling frustrated; Ju Rong also felt the same. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Chen Xiong and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Brother-in-law, what brings you here?"
"Seeking a marriage proposal."
Ju Rong rubbed his forehead, feeling even more of a headache. "Which family are you seeking for?"
Chen Xiong leaned in and whispered something. Instantly, Ju Rong's expression turned even more pained. Many families had daughters being courted, which was a good thing to be desired. However, as her future father-in-law, he found it incredibly distressing. The families seeking proposals were all too powerful for him to handle. If things went wrong, it could lead to disaster for his own family.
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