nycdaug Chapter 170 Engagement
Chapter 170 Engagement
The horse farms on the outskirts of Beijing raised horses used by the imperial guards on a daily basis, and even many war horses were used here during battles.
Lu Zijun followed Song Lan all the way up to the city wall and saw many soldiers pulling their war horses walking in the horse farm. Looking from the top of the building, the horse farm seemed grand and lively, but Lu Zijun didn't know what Song Lan's intention was.
Song Lan looked at them for a while before turning back to look at Lu Zijun and said calmly, "When my father and I were at the border, we dealt with these horses every day. Now that I think about it, I've been at the border for ten years. Enemies often invade the border, making it hard to defend. I watched my brothers die one after another, but I was really powerless."
After hearing what Song Lan said, Lu Zijun's eyes were very complicated. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.
Lu Zijun stood beside Song Lan, listening to him continue speaking, "When I was a child, my father was always away from home, and my mother took care of me and my sister alone. I still remember that at that time, my mother always sat in the pavilion at home for a whole day. Later, the border was victorious, and my father also came back, but unfortunately, my mother became ill due to daily worries and fears, and she passed away not long after. Zijun, have you heard of a poem?"
Lu Zijun listened to Song Lan's words and asked blankly, "What poem?"
"A clay pot will break if it is not close to the well mouth, and a general will inevitably die on the battlefield." Song Lan said this with a hint of melancholy, but he looked at Lu Zijun and said softly, "When I was a child, I made a vow that if I could not give my wife happiness in the future, I would rather never marry. I don't want to see my wife follow in my mother's footsteps."
Lu Zijun murmured, and said in a low voice, "Now the world is peaceful, why do we need to fight a war?"
"Who can guarantee that the world will always be peaceful?" Song Lan looked at Lu Zijun and smiled faintly, "Nowadays, the ladies in the capital should find a civil servant to have a future."
"If everyone becomes a civil servant, how can there be soldiers to defend the country?" Lu Zijun stood beside Song Lan and said loudly, "I, Lu Zijun, will marry a man who is upright and indomitable. If I were a man who could fight in the battlefield, I would definitely not shrink and hide behind others. What's more, I am only marrying a husband who is a general. I think... I will be proud of my husband."
"Besides, being a civil servant isn't necessarily that good. You risk losing your head at any time. Wan Ning married the most powerful civil servant in the world, but didn't you want her to marry him in the first place? This is not okay, that is not okay. What kind of person is the right one for her to marry?"
Lu Zijun's impassioned speech made him laugh, and he couldn't help but reach out and touch her hair.
What Lu Zijun said now was very direct. After she finished speaking, a blush appeared on her face belatedly, and she couldn't help feeling that it was really shameful that she was so eager to get married.
Song Lan asked softly, "So what you mean is... are you willing to marry me?"
Song Lan's voice was brisk, and Lu Zijun's heart trembled. Although she was a little shy now, she took two steps forward and grabbed Song Lan's hand directly, saying firmly, "I like you and I am willing to marry you."
Song Lan took Lu Zijun's hand and pulled her to his side, and the two hugged each other on the city wall.
The two of them stayed together for a while before going down the city wall and taking a carriage back to the capital.
When Lu Zijun returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, her face was full of shyness. Who would have thought that she would run into the whole family waiting for her at the door as soon as she entered. Lu Zijun stood up straighter and coughed twice, "Father, mother, it's getting late now, why are you still in the yard?"
Madam Lu couldn't wait any longer. She stepped forward and grabbed Lu Zijun's hand, and asked in a low voice, "How is it? Have you confronted General Xiaolan? Did you confront General Lan as your mother taught you? If you don't say it now, I'm afraid it will be too late."
Lu Zijun coughed twice more before nodding slowly, "I said it."
"Then what did he say?" Mrs. Lu was now anxious and angry, and Mr. Lu next to her was almost the same. Although he did not ask any questions, he kept his ears close to the two of them and listened.
"He said..." Lu Zijun was rarely so shy, and said in a low voice, "He said he would come to our house in three days to propose marriage..."
"Really?" Mrs. Lu heard this and happily grabbed Lu Zijun's hand, laughing, "I said that our daughter couldn't find a suitable marriage because she was waiting for a good match. Now she has found one, right? Now, those ladies who laughed at me must be envious of me now. My daughter's husband is from such a high-ranking family, such a powerful family, and a promising and handsome man."
Mr. Lu at the side also stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Good, good, you are really promising. It's worth your father and mother's efforts to plan for you for so long."
Lu Zijun curled her lips and looked at the two of them. They had completely forgotten what their expressions were when they didn't let her go to Bishuitang.
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Ever since Guan Surong failed in her attempt to send the love wine, Mrs. Guan has been concentrating on planning the next time.
Guan Surong was really discouraged now. She looked at Madam Guan and said, "Mother, I feel like my cousin seems to have discovered something. He was really cold when he saw me these few days. My uncle was also indifferent when he saw me. I feel guilty now, so it's not good to make any more love wine. Why don't we look for someone else's?"
"Silly child, if you don't catch Song Lan now, how can other men catch up with him?" Mrs. Guan is now particularly satisfied with Song Lan. "If you don't want this brother, you have to go to the rich but powerless Yan family. Although the Yan family is a wealthy family, it is not as good as the general's mansion after all."
Mrs. Guan was talking about these two families, but she didn't expect that with their own family's official positions and status, they couldn't even reach a family like the Yan family.
Guan Surong pursed her lips, knowing that she couldn't persuade him, so she said in a low voice, "Since mother is determined, please think of another way for Rong'er."
Mrs. Guan is now trying to think of a solution.
Who would have thought that as soon as she went out, she saw the servants of the general's mansion moving things into the courtyard. The whole courtyard was already filled with things. There were all kinds of eight-treasure colored glaze, gold and silver utensils on top. Mrs. Guan was dazzled for a moment, so she asked the little maid guarding the door directly, "What are you doing?"
The maidservant beside her bowed to Madam Guan and responded hurriedly, "Madam, the Second Master will go to the Lu family to propose marriage in two days. These are the dowry."
The maid's words were like a bolt of lightning. She stood there in a daze, "Propose marriage?"