Chapter 160

Third day of the month.

Auspicious for: Marriage, travel, buying a house, opening a business

Inauspicious for: Brooding, repairing graves, erecting monuments

On this day, Commander Jiang's daughter was to be married.

It was somewhat rushed.

Gong Qichi brought Young Lord Zi and Zi Ganjiang to attend the wedding.

Zi Ganjiang had also received an official appointment.

Following his adoptive father in rebellion, he now shared in the rewards.

He was now a proper military officer, albeit a minor one.

When he first laid eyes on Jiang Wan, he had thought about taking her as a wife.

Later he realized his thinking had been clouded by delusions of grandeur - he wasn't worthy.

Jiang Wan was clearly a young lady from a noble family. What right did someone like him, who risked his life in battle, have to pursue her?

Did he think his face was that impressive?

Instead, he had taken an interest in Commander Jiang's eldest daughter.

Zi Ganjiang and Jiang Feng had spent a fair amount of time together and could be considered friends.

He quite liked Jiang Feng's sister.

However, Zi Ganjiang believed that for a real man, establishing one's career came first, before starting a family.

After receiving his appointment, he had originally intended to propose.

The last time they were at the jewelry store, Jiang Feng's sister had smiled at him, revealing white teeth and dimpled cheeks, her smile warm and bright.

But he never imagined that the next time he came, it would be to attend her wedding.

It turns out that if you like a good girl, you should confess and take action early.

If you wait too long, someone else will snatch her away.

He never would have guessed that the Young General Meng, who came from the Capital City for his appointment, would propose to Miss Jiang Yu.

And even more surprisingly, he was willing to stay with Miss Jiang at her family home for three years.

The former was already unimaginable, but the latter, those three years, was even more inconceivable.

Zi Ganjiang felt he couldn't do it, so he didn't put on any act of undying love. He simply enthusiastically presented his gifts.

For a man to establish his career, the prime of youth is fleeting. He couldn't afford to waste three years, or three years after three years. Life is short, there aren't that many sets of three years to spare.

Gong Qichi was simply happy for his good friend Changtian.

As for the Meng family's sons, aside from the pressure to produce heirs, even they as rebels couldn't find fault with them.

Though they were rebels, they only opposed the court, not humanity itself.

So they happily brought General Zi's gifts to pay a visit.

For the appointment, Gong Qichi didn't receive an official post. He remained Young Lord Zi's tutor and advisor.

He brought the quiet Young Lord Zi to visit.

Jiang Mianmian was delighted to see Young Lord Zi.

He was practically the first child she had met in this world, besides Jiang Xiaoshu.

They even had the shared experience of wearing big floral jackets together.

Natural allies.

It had been a long time since they'd met. The child's face was chubbier now, even cuter.

People came and went beneath the tree.

They could see many heads below.

...

Jiang Yu wore a beautiful red wedding dress, sitting in the room.

Her great-aunt watched her.

She had to keep an eye on her - this girl, on her wedding day, smelling the fragrance from outside, was thinking about sneaking off to eat something...

The great-aunt truly had it hard.

Jiang Yu was dressed very elaborately, sitting on the bed, fiddling with the silver tassels hanging in front of her forehead, finding them amusing.

She wore red lip rouge, her mouth a bright red, her cheeks plump. She shook her head, swinging her legs, her feet adorned with red embroidered shoes inlaid with pearls.

When this grown girl acted childish, Aunt Yin felt it was fortunate she was born into such a family. In any more complicated household, she would have died eight hundred times over.

"I don't ask for much, just that you know how to act properly. Keep your mouth shut. If you don't understand, keep quiet. If you want to say something inappropriate, also keep quiet. Before marriage, your great-aunt will teach you. After marriage, let your husband teach you. Learn from your father - know how to appear weak."

Aunt Yin repeatedly instructed her.

Jiang Yu nodded seriously, the tassels on her forehead swaying as she did, distracting her once again.

The great-aunt sighed.

She also understood why the master wanted to keep the son-in-law at home for three years. Like this, how could they not worry?

After three years, with a child or two, even if the marriage wasn't ideal, it couldn't be called off.

...

Today.

Meng Shaoxia wore the red attire of a bridegroom.

He came from the county office to escort the bride.

After the wedding, he would live at the Jiang family home, in a separate suite.

It had a bedroom, tea room, dining room, study, bathroom, small kitchen, and reception room - a fully functional set of rooms.

The training grounds were just outside, very convenient.

Although required to stay with the Jiang family, being separated by the training grounds provided some distance.

Meng Shaoxia was accompanied by personal guards left by Old Master Meng to escort the bride.

The two tigresses at home, his mother and grandmother, though complaining, efficiently handled matters.

The betrothal gifts were rushed over, arriving just in time.

The gifts were given quite discreetly.

They included shops in the Capital City, courtyards, property deeds.

There were also specially exchanged property deeds from Jingzhou Prefecture, including a mountain villa and a mountain.

Then there were gold, jade, pearls, precious stones, and silver notes - small in volume but all valuable items.

The value of the betrothal gifts wasn't reduced just because the bride's family lived in a remote area.

Of course, it didn't look like much - there was no large furniture or the like, as it wasn't practical to transport such things so far. Everything given was practical and genuinely generous.

Changing into the red bridegroom's attire, wearing the formal hat, Meng Shaoxia mounted his horse and set off for the Jiang family home.

The weather today was truly fine.

He took a deep breath, feeling very happy.

It was as if he had fulfilled the lifelong wish of two lifetimes.

Today, he was getting married.