Duan Yao immediately picked up on Zhao Jiaqi's words and said with a chuckle, "The two of us have also thought about this. We understand the rules. These two children will have a grand wedding in the inner city, and then another one back in Dingbei Liao. Since it's their wedding anyway, I believe everyone can understand this arrangement."
Hearing her elder sister-in-law say this, what else could she find fault with? Everything was going according to their wishes, and it seemed they were genuinely seeking to marry their daughter.
"Then let's do as sister-in-law says. As for other matters, sister-in-law and brother, please take more care of them."
Helian Zhicheng finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, then said with a smile, "As long as you two agree to this marriage, we'll handle the rest. You don't need to worry about it, just tell us your thoughts."
Fan Zehao, after listening to them talk for a while, finally got a chance to interject. He snorted and said, "The person is already marrying into your family, what other thoughts could there be?"
"If you dare to bully my daughter, I will not let you young scoundrels off."
His words were chilling, and he looked at everyone with displeasure. Then, he turned and left with a flick of his sleeve.
This left the couple in an awkward position. They forced a smile at Zhao Jiaqi. Although Helian Zhicheng felt a little embarrassed, the fact that the child's marriage was settled made him incredibly happy.
"Sister-in-law, my elder brother truly dotes on Yu Meng. We understand that giving away your precious daughter will be difficult, but these two children will still get married in the inner city and won't leave the princely estate. In this regard, it's no different from taking a son-in-law, wouldn't you agree?"
Duan Yao nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, that makes sense. So, sister-in-law, please talk to Zehao properly. After all, we genuinely love Mengmeng and will treat her very well."
Zhao Jiaqi didn't want to dwell on the child's marriage anymore. She had already agreed, and any more talk would be futile and might cause annoyance.
"My husband is just having a hard time adjusting. I believe he will get used to it after a while. Brother and sister-in-law don't need to worry about it. Our two families know each other well, so there's nothing to be concerned about."
They found her words very convincing.
The three sat for a while longer, then got up to take their leave and began preparing for Yu Meng's coming-of-age ceremony. The future mother-in-law was eager to welcome her daughter-in-law, but Yu Meng's own mother still wanted to handle her daughter's coming-of-age preparations herself.
Thus, that afternoon, Zhao Jiaqi began her preparations and sent out invitations widely, even to her reclusive godfather and to Xiao Junjun, who was far away in Zongsheng Kingdom.
That evening, Fan Zehao looked at the invitations on the table with a sense of loss. There was not a trace of joy on his face.
He sat in a chair and sighed, "When the child was born, she was so tiny, her face no bigger than my fist. In the blink of an eye, she's getting married. My heart aches."
Zhao Jiaqi smiled and pinched his cheek, "What's there to ache about?"
"Yu Meng and Jinli will still live in the princely estate after they get married. It's almost as if she hasn't left. Besides, how long can you keep your daughter?"
These two rhetorical questions left Fan Zehao speechless. On closer thought, he realized she was right, but his heart still ached.
"Once they get married, they should move out. It'll be less of an eyesore if they're not around to bother me." Fan Zehao finished speaking and turned to wash up.
Zhao Jiaqi watched his retreating back, somewhat unable to fathom her husband. Why was his temper so fickle, changing from one moment to the next, like a woman going through menopause?
He was the one who was reluctant to let his child leave, and now he was saying she was an eyesore and bothered him.
This bad habit had been cultivated quite severely.
Zhao Jiaqi withdrew her gaze and buried herself in her work again, writing down everything she thought of. As the saying goes, a good memory is not as good as writing things down, lest she forget things when she got busy.
News of the wedding soon spread throughout the inner city. Everyone was delighted to hear the news. Within two days, there was a surge of people entering and exiting the inner city. It was evident that the street vendors were packed together, with stalls lined up one after another, selling all sorts of goods.
Even the itinerant peddlers stopped their usual rounds, finding a spot to wait for the opportune moment to make a fortune.
The patrol teams in the inner city, originally just a few, were doubled and increased by dozens more. With the princess's wedding, merchants from other regions flocked to the inner city, fearing any potential disturbances.
One day, the princely estate received good news.
The special envoy had replied, stating that Xuanyuan Kingdom had been destroyed, Baili Fengge committed suicide on the city walls, and the army of Yun Kingdom had also suffered heavy losses. Especially those who had consumed the Divine Immortality Paste, becoming addicted and losing control, had resorted to suicide or self-harm. For this, Huangfu Xi harbored immense hatred for Baili Fengge and even flogged his corpse in anger after his death.
However, Fan Zehao did not tell his wife about these matters. He simply told her, "With the help of the special envoy, Huangfu Xi and Wang Zhen achieved a great victory. Xuanyuan Kingdom is no more, and Baili Fengge committed suicide on the city walls, offering his death as atonement."
Zhao Jiaqi's hand paused while she was painting, then she continued to sketch the exquisite designs, replying faintly, "That child... what a pity."
If only she had been properly educated, the child wouldn't have ended up on this path and committed so many wrongdoings.
Fan Zehao burned the letter and casually asked her, "For Yu Meng's wedding, should we still invite Huangfu Xi?"
"He is an emperor, his status is too noble. It's probably best not to."
Fan Zehao nodded silently and, leaning on his desk, wrote a reply to the special envoy. He also sent a letter to Wang Zhen, informing him of his daughter's engagement.
Five days after the letters were sent, the special envoy returned with his special forces, dusty and travel-worn. Wang Zhen was with him, and the group looked disheveled.
As soon as they entered the princely estate, the special envoy shouted, "Where is my disciple? Come out quickly, your master is back." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
This was Wang Zhen's first time at the princely estate. Upon entering, his eyes darted around, his mind solely focused on finding his wife.
In the inner chambers, Madam Wang Tang, upon hearing from Zhao Jiaqi that Wang Zhen had returned, rushed out excitedly. The couple saw each other from a distance, and in that moment, both of them let go of their worries and embraced.
Yu Meng, the spoil-sport, chose that very moment to dart out, calling "Master!" as she rushed towards the special envoy, "Master, you're finally back! Teach me another set of martial arts, I can't even beat Jinli anymore."
The special envoy looked at Jinli's silly grin and dotingly stroked Yu Meng's nose, "Was he bullying you again?"
Yu Meng nodded pitifully, "Mm, I can't beat him anymore."
"Silly girl, Master will tell you, if you can't win, just cry. This trick is guaranteed to work, and it always does."
Yu Meng pouted. She disdained such tactics; she wanted to win with her own strength, not by resorting to trickery.
Master and disciple had much to talk about. On the other side, Wang Zhen helped Madam Wang Tang to the inner chambers; he wanted to personally thank his sister-in-law.