Chapter 412: Preparation for Marriage
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Therefore, these hostages were in a precarious situation. This ten-picul bow could not be easily made. Back then, when Xu Shi hired a craftsman to construct the bow, he used good materials. Not to mention the bowstring, Mu Yangling could not even find a replacement for this wood. Therefore, she decided to keep this bow at home.
However, Qi Haoran was very optimistic. “It’s alright. Take it with you. We’ll have to return to Lin’an Prefecture one day. It’s just that it won’t be convenient to bring it out then. We can just go back and get it in the future. When we reach Lin’an Prefecture, if you’re bored, you can bring this bow to hunt and go horse racing.”
Mu Yangling glared at him. “When have I ever used this bow to hunt? What else is the matter? If there’s nothing else, leave. If my mother sees you, nothing will happen to you but I’ll definitely be scolded.”
Xiuhong came to look for Mu Yangling with a sullen expression. Seeing that Qi Haoran was around, she reached out and pushed him out. “You guys can’t meet before you get married. Why are you always breaking the rules? Hurry up and leave. If you don’t leave, I’ll tell Uncle and get him to whip you.”
Qi Haoran snorted and told Mu Yangling to wait for him to come and marry her. Then, he ran away happily.
When Xiuhong turned around to look at Mu Yangling, her eyes turned red.
Mu Yangling held her forehead with a headache. Ever since she found out that she was getting married, Xiuhong had been crying by her side every day. “Cousin, you really can’t take me with you?”
Mu Yangling reasoned with her. “If you leave with me, what will happen to Great-aunt and the others? Our family business is here. I’m still counting on you and Cousin Lang to take care of everything after I leave.”
“Young Master Fan has already handed his business to the steward below. Can’t we hire a steward too?”
Mu Yangling thought for a moment. That was one possibility, but she still didn’t know what was going on in Lin’an Prefecture, so how could she bring her there?
In the three prefectures, Qi Xiuyuan was considered the highest ranked. With his influence, they could do whatever they wanted and walk around freely. However, Lin’an Prefecture was so small, but all the nobles were gathered there. Spoiled by her, Xiuhong and the other children spoke their minds freely. They were not even afraid of the local magistrate. If they went to Lin’an Prefecture, she did not know if she could protect them, so it was best for them to stay here.
Mu Yangling shook her head. “If you can choose a capable and trustworthy steward, you can leave the matter to them. But don’t even think about Lin’an Prefecture. Not to mention that it’s a tiger’s den, Great-aunt and your younger sister are still here. Don’t tell me you can bear to leave them behind?”
Xiuhong pouted. Mu Yangling patted her hand and said with a smile, “Maybe I’ll be back after going to Lin’an Mansion for a while. I can’t let you guys run to and fro with me. Alright, hurry up and help Great-aunt tidy up a room. Uncles and Aunts will be here tomorrow.”
Since there were no servants in the Mu family, they asked their relatives for help just like all the villagers who held weddings. Liu Ting and the rest would come over tomorrow.
Other than making arrangements for the family business, Mu Yangling had almost nothing else to do.
She had already started preparing her dowry when she was 12 years old. In addition to the betrothal gifts given by the Qi family, Shu Wanniang picked out some and kept them, then stuffed the rest into her dowry box. As she really could not compress them, she could only use a bigger box to fit the 128 items.
As for Mu Yangling’s wedding dress and wedding blanket, all of them were meticulously made by Shu Wanniang. No one in the three prefectures could rival her embroidery skills, so they were the most exquisite.
After trying on the wedding dress, Mu Yangling couldn’t bear to take it off. She looked at the embroidery threads in the basket and was extremely tempted. “Mother, do you think I’ll be able to be half as good as you in a few years if I start to diligently practice embroidery?”
At the side, Xiulan pursed her lips and smiled. Shu Wanniang tapped her forehead and said, “Do you think embroidery is so easy? As long as your embroidery skills aren’t embarrassing, it’s fine. Don’t even think about mastering it at a high level.”
Mu Yangling felt overjoyed as she touched the vivid patterns on her clothes. She spun one round in front of the bronze mirror and said, “It’s okay. Even if I can’t embroider it myself, I just need to wear it.”
In the next few days, it would be the dowry day. When the Liu clan’s people came and saw the dowry in the courtyard, they were green with jealousy. “How, how much does this cost?”
Great-aunt smiled faintly and said, “It doesn’t cost much. Most of our dowry is farmland. These are all betrothal gifts from the Qi family.”
“Then will you return all of it?”
“Since their betrothal gifts are generous, Ah Ling’s dowry can’t be shabby anymore. Of course, we have to return it.”
Someone pulled Shu Wanniang and hinted that they should leave the betrothal gifts behind. Even if they dote on their daughter, they shouldn’t include all the betrothal gifts in her dowry.
Shu Wanniang only smiled. She even thought that the dowry was too little. If it weren’t for the fact that it wasn’t good to surpass Qi Haoran’s sister-in-law, Madam Li, she would have expanded her dowry to 142 items.
However, she did not dare to say this because it would be too hateful.
At this moment, the marriage contract had already been completed. Qi Xiuyuan took out his own marriage contract and handed both contracts to Fan Zijin. “Write your sister-in-law’s name on it. Be careful on the way.”
Fan Zijin agreed. That night, Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin talked for a long time. When Fan Zijin came out, he was in high spirits and his eyes were shining. The next day, he set off ambitiously with a pair of dark circles under his eyes.
On the fourth day after Fan Zijin left, Mu Yangling put on her wedding dress and got married from the Mu residence in Xingzhou Prefecture. The sedan chair carried her all the way out of the city. After changing into a carriage, she headed towards Jingzhao Prefecture.
Qi Haoran was left in the General’s Mansion to take care of Qi Xiuyuan, whose condition had worsened. He had no choice. He had originally wanted him to personally come and welcome the bride, but Qi Haoran had yet to learn how to feign sadness. In order to prevent others from noticing anything, he could only stay in the General’s Mansion and wait for the bridal escort team to enter the city before going to welcome the bride.
The bridal escort team walked for two days before entering the city gate early in the morning on the third day. Qi Haoran was already waiting at the city gate on a tall horse in his groom’s outfit. After receiving the bridal escort team, everyone went to the General’s Mansion.
All the citizens of Jingzhao Prefecture came to watch the commotion. Everyone looked at the wedding team in silence. Someone in the crowd shouted, “Everyone, cheer up. Let General Qi bask in the joy, and perhaps he’ll recover!”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone tried their best to smile and clap their hands to congratulate the wedding team. After wishing the newlyweds eternal happiness, they added, “I wish General Qi good health and a speedy recovery.”
Qi Haoran, who was trying his best to suppress his smile, gradually fell silent when he heard this. Looking at the people praying for his Big Brother on the way, Qi Haoran felt a little guilty. It seemed that they had deceived many people, but what touched him the most was the sentiments of the people.
Hence, the spy hiding in the crowd saw Qi Haoran wearing a dark expression with tears in his eyes. Seeing this, he was now 60% convinced of the rumors that Qi Xiuyuan was in a coma from being poisoned..
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