When Xiao Youcheng rushed over upon hearing the news from the palace, he happened to see the three Lu brothers kneeling in a daze in the courtyard.
The palace attendant beside him quietly pulled the hand of the imperial eunuch who delivered the edict and slipped a money bag into his hand.
"Hahaha, Eunuch Liu, Young Master Lu is so overjoyed that he hasn't come to his senses yet. Please forgive him!"
Seeing Prince Kang, Eunuch Liu quickly bowed and plastered a fawning smile on his face. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened a bit more, and his eyes narrowed into slits.
"This old servant pays respects to Prince Kang. May Your Highness live a long and prosperous life! Please rest assured, Your Highness. This old servant knows what to do."
He never expected that the Lu family would have such a close relationship with Prince Kang. From now on, he would have to pay even more attention to Young Master Lu.
Prince Kang nodded slightly.
"Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Liu."
After seeing off the palace eunuch, Lu Chao finally came to his senses. He grabbed the imperial edict and looked at it again and again. Only when he saw his own name on it did he give up his doubts.
"What's going on?"
"Did you meet Xiao Zheng recently?"
They both asked each other simultaneously.
Xiao Youcheng shook his head. "I was chatting with the Emperor yesterday and didn't mention you at all. How could this happen so suddenly?"
Lu Chao also shook his head.
"Not to mention these days, I didn't even see Xiao Zheng on the way back to the capital. Now that our identities are clear, if I were to be as close to Xiao Zheng as before, it would only bring trouble to her. So, unless there's something special, we've tacitly chosen to avoid each other."
"Between the two of you?"
Xiao Youcheng looked at Lu Chao inquiringly.
Lu Chao scratched his head and slumped into a chair in annoyance. His mind was in a complete mess.
At the Loyal and Brave Duke's Mansion, upon receiving the imperial edict, Xiao Zheng felt as if a huge bell had rung in her head. It made her eyes go black.
Suddenly remembering something, she grabbed Xiao Huan, who had gone to the palace the previous day, and frowned as she asked, "Ah Huan, when you were in the palace yesterday, did you hear the Emperor mention this matter?"
Xiao Huan, with dark circles under his eyes, shook his head and then lowered it.
...
Recently, Xiao Zheng's marriage was like a huge rock thrown into the seemingly calm pool of the capital, causing countless splashes.
What was originally just a topic privately circulated among the noble families quickly heated up and became the center of discussion on the streets and alleys.
With the push of some interested people, before long, Lu Chao's name became the focus of people's attention, and his family background was also exposed. Although he was registered under his stepmother's name, he was born a concubine's son and had no official title yet. It was said that he was in poor health. Tsk tsk tsk, could this man withstand a punch from the female general?
The court officials were not as shallow as the common people and thought deeper.
"Have you heard? The Loyal and Brave Duke went to the palace, and the next day, this imperial edict was issued."
"So what?"
"It is said that Xiao Zheng originally asked for the military power of the Xiao Army, but for some reason, she later changed it to that of the imperial army."
"Could it be..."
"If it's about military power, the Xiao Army is definitely better. There are many noble sons and descendants of important officials among the generals of the imperial army. Xiao Zheng can't control them. If she gets married and has children, they won't have the Xiao surname!"
"The Loyal and Brave Duke is quite experienced in handling affairs at such a young age!"
"There should be a wise person behind him giving advice!"
Xiao Zheng didn't pay attention to these rumors in the past two days. She had expected to be given a marriage edict long ago. She originally thought that after ruining her reputation, no respectable family would want her. If she was assigned to a small - family, she could handle it. Even if she became a widow, so what! She never expected that Lu Chao would be implicated.
Thinking of this, a figure flashed through Xiao Zheng's mind, and her tongue gradually tasted bitter.
The next day.
Xiao Huan stood aside, his eyes tightly following the servants who were quickly packing the boxes. His brows were tightly furrowed. Suddenly, he turned to look at Xiao Zheng, who was standing quietly beside him, and his voice was filled with a bit of helplessness.
"Ah Zheng! Don't you trust me? I never mentioned your marriage to the Emperor!"
Xiao Zheng forced a smile. "It has nothing to do with this. The General's Mansion has been prepared. It's inappropriate for me to stay here any longer, both emotionally and rationally."
Xiao Huan was in a complete mess and didn't know how to refute.
"You!"
Lin Ruyi shook Xiao Huan's arm.
"The General's Mansion is the residence bestowed by the Emperor. It doesn't make sense for it to be empty all the time. You two are cousins and both in the capital, just a few streets apart. Are you afraid of not seeing each other?"
Xiao Zheng smiled.
"Miss Lin is right."
Until that figure completely disappeared at the end of the alley and turned the corner, Xiao Huan still didn't say the words that had been stuck in his throat.
He really never thought of competing with Xiao Zheng for military power.
After Xiao Zheng left, the Loyal and Brave Duke's Mansion became much quieter. The generals who used to appear frequently gradually followed Xiao Zheng to the General's Mansion.
Lin Ruyi was a bit indignant.
"Humph! They are all ungrateful people. If your grandfather and father were still alive, how dare these people treat you so lightly!"
Xiao Huan raised his hand to stop her.
"Don't say such things. They have gone through life - and - death battles with Ah Zheng, so their relationship must be extraordinary. There are only a few generals who are familiar with me. Why would they come to the mansion if there's nothing wrong?"
Most military officers are straightforward. Those who received military ranks or rewards would report to Xiao Zheng, which was why the mansion was a bit livelier.
"Humph, I think the rumors in the streets are not groundless. All the people who were able to come to the capital to receive rewards this time were recommended by her. Her ambition is not small."
Xiao Huan's face changed, and he sternly stopped her.
"Be quiet!"
Seeing that he was so protective of Xiao Zheng, Lin Ruyi's eyes turned red with anger, and she turned around to leave.
"Fine! I won't say anymore! I'll go back to Hedong. I'll never talk to you again!"
Seeing that Lin Ruyi was about to leave, Xiao Huan had to chase after her and say a lot of nice words to coax her.
In fact, he had already made up his mind. After the generals were rewarded according to their merits, he would go back to Shuozhou. He didn't believe what the Emperor said. He wanted to find out the truth himself bit by bit!
In the Lu Family Study, Lu Chao finished writing a letter and handed it to Liu Yao. Since the marriage edict had been issued, he had to follow the rules. However, he really had no experience in marriage etiquette. He still had to let Lord Lu and Lady Lu handle it.
"By the way, where is my camphor - wood box?"
He remembered that all the land deeds and house deeds were stored in it. Now that he was going to get married, he had to calculate his family assets.
Lu Chao spread out the account book and traced his finger along the dense rows of accounts, muttering to himself, "The betrothal gifts must not be shabby. They must conform to the etiquette and should be generous."
After muttering, Lu Chao began to calculate item by item. How much gold, silver, and jewelry should be prepared, how many bolts of silk and satin were needed, and how many rare antiques should be included...
Xiao Zheng was marrying down to him. He couldn't let her be wronged.
Wait, there was another thing.
"Should I start working out with weights?"
Lu Chao pinched his own arm and felt a bit inferior when he thought of how neatly and cleanly Xiao Zheng could mount a horse with one hand.
"Women admire the strong. Tsk, what if she likes an uncle - like figure like Xiao's uncle?"
Was it still too late to start exercising now?
Before getting married, Lu Chao felt that he had already developed pre - wedding anxiety.
