In prestigious families, a normal wedding process might take half a year or even a year. However, Lu Zhuo’s condition was critical, and his life could be claimed by the King of Hell at any moment—there truly was no time to delay.
After discussing with Old Mrs. Wei, the Duchess of Yingguo decided that the two families would finalize the marriage contract in the afternoon and send out the wedding invitations. The following day, Cheng'an Marquis Manor would host a trousseau ceremony for Wei Rao, while the Duke of Yingguo’s Manor would deliver all the betrothal gifts. The wedding would officially take place on the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
For the Duke of Yingguo’s Manor, they were merely moving the wedding date, originally set for the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month, forward by a few days. Everything had already been prepared, and the arrangements proceeded in an orderly manner. As for Cheng'an Marquis Manor, the household was small, and there weren’t many relatives or close friends. Preparing a dozen or so banquet tables at short notice was not a difficult task.
The only challenge was the tight timeline—where could they find a dignified and splendid wedding dress for Wei Rao?
The Duchess of Yingguo took charge of this matter. However, just as she was about to make preparations, Eunuch Zheng, accompanied by two female officials from the Imperial Garment Bureau, arrived at Cheng'an Marquis Manor on the orders of Emperor Yuanjia.
Old Mrs. Wei led the entire family to receive the imperial decree, kneeling in the front courtyard.
Today, Cheng'an Marquis Manor was exceptionally lively, with curious onlookers still gathered outside the gate and neighbors nearby straining their ears to listen.
Eunuch Zheng proclaimed the imperial decree in a resonant voice. The gist of it was that Lu Zhuo, the heir of the Duke of Yingguo, had been severely injured while bravely fighting the enemy, and Wei Rao, the fourth young lady of Cheng'an Marquis Manor, had selflessly agreed to marry him to ward off misfortune. Emperor Yuanjia was deeply moved by this act and, knowing that the wedding was hastily arranged, bestowed upon Wei Rao a set of phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes to honor her virtuous character and commend the loyal general’s dedication to protecting the nation.
As Eunuch Zheng’s voice rose and fell with emotion, tears welled up in Old Mrs. Wei’s eyes.
Her granddaughter had been forced into this marriage to ward off misfortune for the Lu Family due to coercion. At least the Emperor was wise enough to offer some compensation for her granddaughter’s sacrifice.
“Your humble subject thanks His Majesty for his grace!”
Under Old Mrs. Wei’s gratified gaze and the envious, resentful stares of Guo Shi and her daughter, Wei Rao kowtowed in gratitude and accepted the imperial decree with both hands.
Eunuch Zheng helped Wei Rao up and said to Old Mrs. Wei, “Time is short. Please take the fourth young lady to have her measurements taken now, so we can return to the palace promptly. His Majesty has ordered the Imperial Garment Bureau to complete the wedding dress by sunset tomorrow and deliver it to the fourth young lady.”
Old Mrs. Wei hurriedly accompanied Wei Rao to have her measurements taken.
After seeing off Eunuch Zheng and his party, Old Mrs. Wei instructed Wei Rao to return to her room while she, her son, and daughter-in-law discussed the arrangements for the next two days.
“Have all the invitations been sent out?” Old Mrs. Wei asked.
This matter was primarily Guo Shi’s responsibility. Forcing a smile, Guo Shi replied, “They’ve all been sent. Would you like to review them, Mother?”
Old Mrs. Wei inquired about one specific family: “Was an invitation sent to Shou An Jun?”
Cheng'an Marquis looked at his wife. Guo Shi’s expression changed, and she stammered, “We’ve severed all marital ties with her. Why should we invite her?”
Old Mrs. Wei sneered, but before she could speak, Cheng'an Marquis scolded Guo Shi, “Shou An Jun is Rao Rao’s maternal grandmother. Why do you think we should invite her? Why are you still sitting here? Go write the invitation at once!”
Glaring at her husband, Guo Shi slunk away to write the invitation.
Old Mrs. Wei sighed and advised her son, “Explain the situation to her properly tonight. When Shou An Jun arrives tomorrow, we must not be discourteous.” For the sake of her deceased second son, Old Mrs. Wei had no desire to see Shou An Jun, but for Rao Rao’s sake, she was willing to set aside past grievances. Over the next few days, Rao Rao’s dignity was of utmost importance.
While the elders busied themselves with preparations, Wei Chan came to speak with Wei Rao.Wei Rao was organizing her trunks when she heard that Wei Chan had arrived. She instructed Bitao and Liuya to continue with the task and stepped out of the inner chamber to greet Wei Chan in the hall.
"Third Sister, is there something you need?" Wei Rao asked with a smile as she gestured for Wei Chan to take a seat.
Wei Rao possessed a naturally enchanting appearance, and when she smiled, her phoenix eyes shimmered with boundless charm, making it seem as though she held the person she was looking at in the highest regard.
Having been sisters with Wei Rao for fifteen years, Wei Chan was long immune to her captivating looks. Instead, she believed Wei Rao deliberately flaunted her beauty and allure to deceive everyone, meticulously crafting a reputation for herself as the "Peony Minister." While the peony was the king of flowers, the peony minister was its deputy—how could Wei Rao possibly deserve such a title?
Wei Chan preferred to call Wei Rao a little vixen, a seductive fox!
The news of Wei Rao's impending marriage to Lu Zhuo deeply agitated Wei Chan, igniting a jealousy within her that burned more fiercely than ever before.
"Fourth Sister, you’re about to be married, and as your elder sister, I can’t bear to part with you. I’ve come to spend more time with you," Wei Chan said, struggling to conceal her true feelings.
Wei Rao was amused by the performance. "Sister, there’s no need to be sad. I’ll come back often to visit Grandmother when I have the chance."
Wei Chan had been observing Wei Rao closely. Seeing her so cheerful and seemingly proud of marrying Lu Zhuo, Wei Chan couldn’t resist making a cutting remark: "Fourth Sister, are you truly willing to go through with this Marriage to ward off misfortune? I’ve heard that Lu Zhuo has been unconscious for nine days straight. What if he... wouldn’t you be wasting five years of your life for nothing?"
Wei Rao’s first two conditions had already spread throughout the capital, and Wei Chan was among the first to know.
Wei Rao lowered her head, clutching her handkerchief. "But that’s Lu Zhuo. Even if I were to become his widow, it would still be my good fortune."
Wei Chan knew it—Wei Rao couldn’t possibly dislike Lu Zhuo. What was most infuriating was that Wei Rao had gotten exactly what she wanted!
Wei Chan had intended to provoke Wei Rao, but Wei Rao seemed to relish the situation. Realizing that further words would be useless, Wei Chan stood up with a grim expression and left abruptly with her maid.
Wei Rao lifted her head and watched Wei Chan’s furious retreating figure. It occurred to her that the young ladies who admired Lu Zhuo and took pleasure in belittling her were likely feeling the same way as Wei Chan at that moment.
And this was only for the Marriage to ward off misfortune. If Lu Zhuo were to wake up and, according to their agreement, they had to pretend to be an affectionate couple in public, how much more would those young ladies despise her?
Wei Rao didn’t care about their sarcastic remarks or their envy and jealousy—it was all fleeting like passing clouds. However, seeing them seething with frustration yet powerless to change anything was like watching a comical farce, and it added no small measure of amusement to her life.
The next day, the twelfth of the twelfth lunar month.
The Cheng'an Marquis’s residence held a dowry addition ceremony in the morning, and in the afternoon, the Duke of Yingguo’s Manor would deliver all the betrothal gifts.
From early morning, Yongning Lane was packed with people—guests and onlookers jostling shoulder to shoulder.
"Make way, make way!"
A coachman tried to clear a path. The crowd blocking the road turned to look, and soon someone recognized the carriage and shouted, "It’s Shou An Jun’s carriage!"
At this cry, the crowd turned en masse, making way while craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the carriage.
Inside the carriage sat Shou An Jun, with her dowry additions following behind. As the maternal grandmother, she had prepared eight trunks of gifts: one containing land deeds, one with silver ingots, one filled with pearl hairpins and jewelry, one with fine silks and satins, and the rest with common dowry items like tea and wedding fruits.The onlookers hadn't had their fill of the spectacle when Shou An Jun's carriage had already entered the Cheng'an Marquis Manor.
Among all those who came to add to the dowry at the Cheng'an Marquis Manor today, none were more splendid or generous than Shou An Jun.
Eight chests of dowry additions were directly carried into Old Mrs. Wei's Hall of Verdant Spring.
Guo Shi and Wei Chan stared wide-eyed, and even Old Mrs. Wei was startled by Shou An Jun's display. Was this still the same low-key Shou An Jun?
"Old Madam, you've truly secured an excellent match for Rao Rao!" In front of all the guests, Shou An Jun made no attempt to conceal her displeasure, her words carrying veiled criticism beneath apparent praise.
The guests could see it clearly—the legendary Shou An Jun, rumored to be obsessed with social climbing, did not approve of marrying her granddaughter off to the Duke of Yingguo's Manor in exchange for glory.
With Shou An Jun playing the villain, Old Mrs. Wei had no choice but to play the gracious host. Smiling, she said, "Young Master Lu is handsome and has rendered meritorious service to the state. If our Rao Rao can bring him some good fortune, it would be her way of serving the court. Please take a seat, Old Madam. You must be tired from the journey—have a bowl of hot tea to warm your stomach."
Shou An Jun refused to sit and went straight to the courtyard to find Wei Rao.
Wei Rao had been entertaining some female guests, but when Shou An Jun stormed in, the guests scattered like birds and beasts.
Wei Rao, dressed in red bridal attire, sat on the couch. Seeing her grandmother enter and glare at her without speaking, she smiled, got up, and guided her grandmother to sit on the couch. In a low voice, she said, "Aren't you afraid of offending the Duke of Yingguo's Manor like this?"
Shou An Jun snorted, "You're going to be the future Duchess of Yingguo. Why should I fear offending the Lu Family?"
She did want her granddaughter to marry into a noble family, but not to become a widow. Remarrying wasn't the issue—why should a perfectly good girl rush to become a widow?
Wei Rao leaned close to her grandmother's ear and revealed her true intentions.
Shou An Jun breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought Old Mrs. Wei and the Cheng'an Marquis were forcing her granddaughter into this marriage.
"Still a loss," Shou An Jun said discontentedly. "For the third condition, you shouldn't have set a five-year limit. You should have made it so Lu Zhuo could never divorce you. Only by becoming the mistress of the Lu Family would you not be wronged."
Wei Rao had considered such a condition, but she disdained it: "The Duke of Yingguo's Manor is fine, but if Lu Zhuo doesn't like me, why should I cling desperately to the title of his wife? I'm marrying him only to counter the Empress Dowager, not for him personally. Once the Empress Dowager dies, I'll immediately leave the Lu Family with the fifty thousand taels betrothal gift and find a good man who loves me and whom I love in return."
Shou An Jun had never met Lu Zhuo but had only heard that the young man was quite exceptional.
But her granddaughter was right—no matter how good a man was, he wasn't worth a woman sacrificing her dignity to beg for his affection. The more you begged, the less you would receive.
"Fine then. Since the Emperor has already bestowed the phoenix crown and ceremonial robes, you have to marry whether you want to or not." Shou An Jun resigned herself and prepared to join the banquet. "We'll talk more tonight. Let's not delay the main event."
Shou An Jun had swept into the room like a whirlwind and swept out just as swiftly.
By the afternoon, when the Duke of Yingguo's Manor came to deliver the betrothal gifts, the sight of one hundred thousand taels of silver alone nearly dazzled the commoners.
"One hundred thousand taels! And they still say the Wei Family isn't after money?"
"After money? They've made it clear—if the marriage to ward off misfortune fails, they won't keep a single tael and will even observe five years of widowhood for Young Master Lu."For other women, remaining a widow for life would be expected and not worth mentioning. However, the Zhou family women had a tradition of remarrying, so from the beginning, no one expected Shou An Jun's granddaughter, Fourth Miss Wei, to remain widowed. When Fourth Miss Wei voluntarily proposed observing widowhood for five years, it instead became a virtue.
"So if Young Master Lu survives, all hundred thousand taels will go to Fourth Miss Wei?"
"What if it does? She revived Young Master Lu through the wedding ceremony and will continue the Lu family line. As a noble daughter of a Count's household, isn't she worthy of a hundred-thousand-tael bride price? Her maternal aunt is the wealthiest in Jin territory - do you think she lacks this amount? Didn't you see how many land deeds and silver Shou An Jun added to the dowry just this morning?"
"I... I just feel Fourth Miss Wei has a poor reputation. She doesn't deserve to marry Young Master Lu, much less receive so many benefits."
"Hah, such grand words! A noble daughter of a Count's household isn't worthy, but your pockmarked daughter is? Then why hasn't the Duchess of Yingguo taken notice and brought the Duke of Yingguo personally to propose at your doorstep?"
"You... I wasn't talking about you! Why do you always target me?"
"I simply despise gossipy villains like you who, unable to obtain what they want, resort to mocking Fourth Miss Wei!"
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