So what if I traveled through time? I'll continue to roll in another place

Xiao Yueshan finally felt relieved after getting the consent of the Princess of Jin. As soon as she got home, she told Lu Jiayan the news. The crisis of forced marriage was resolved.

But Lu Jiayan did not relax as she expected after hearing this, and still looked worried.

Xiao Yueshan felt very strange and asked Lu Jiayan if he had any other worries.

Lu Jiayan frowned, sighed and said, "Although the Princess of Jin promised not to let the Chen family marry me, I'm afraid Meng Yufu won't give up easily."

Xiao Yueshan nodded, knowing that the matter had not been completely resolved. She consoled him, "Indeed, we still need to be careful to prevent her from secretly tripping us up. You don't have to worry too much. There will always be a way out. We will always find a way."

Lu Jiayan seemed to be worried, but he didn't talk about it in detail.

The Princess of Jin was true to her word. On the Shangsi Day of March, she used the opportunity to hold an elegant banquet by the water in the Prince of Jin's mansion, and invited the wives of the masters and unmarried young ladies and gentlemen from all the families in the capital to the royal courtyard of Pingcui Mountain in the western suburbs to sing poems.

As Zhou Yao's "cousin", Lu Jiayan went there with Xiao Yueshan.

The banquet at Prince Jin's mansion was naturally generous and elegant. Because there were so many guests, although men and women sat together at all activities, men and women were still seated at separate tables during meals.

At this table, Zhou Yao, Xiao Yueshan and others finally saw Shou Junwu, who had not appeared for a long time.

He became extremely thin, as if he would fall down if the wind blew. The clothes that once fitted him now looked empty, as if they were hanging on a skeleton. His face was as pale as paper, bloodless, his eye sockets were sunken, and his eyes became dull and lifeless, completely losing his previous elegant demeanor.

When they saw him again, they didn't recognize him for a moment. Xiao Yueshan and the others stared with wide eyes, looking at the haggard and skinny man in front of them in disbelief.

Seeing how emaciated he was, Lu Jiayan couldn't help but feel sad and distressed.

"Junwu, what's wrong with you?" Zhou Yao couldn't help but ask.

"It's okay, I just caught a cold. Brother Zhou, don't worry." Although he was answering Zhou Yao's question, he couldn't help but look at Lu Jiayan, as if he wanted to look at her a few more times and imprint this touching figure in his heart.

After he said this, he left. Xiao Yueshan and the others didn't know what had happened. It was not convenient for the female guest to go to him directly, so they asked Zhou Yao to find out what was going on.

Before Zhou Yao could walk over, Ji Shu came up to him and said, "Yao'er, I haven't seen you for a long time. I heard that you have made great achievements in Xizhou. That's great!" Ji Shu was really satisfied with his brother's grandson.

"Thank you, uncle. I just saw Lord Shou. I wonder how he is doing recently and why he looks so haggard?" Shou Junwu admired Ji Shu the most, so he might know more about the inside story.

"It's about a marriage proposal, but outsiders like me don't know the details." Ji Shu's wife died of illness when he was exiled to Suzhou. The Ji family lost power, lacked medical care and medicine in daily life, and their children were not saved. Now Ji Shu is alone and does not want to remarry, so he is not very well informed of the news in the harem.

"Marriage is a major matter and it is up to the parents and the matchmaker to decide. It must be decided by the Duke Dingguo and his wife. There is no point in overthinking it. After the official appointment, you went to Xizhou. Lord Que from the Censorate has always wanted me to introduce you to him." Ji Shu wanted to take his nephew and grandson to meet more nobles. Zhou Yao's senior brother Peng Zhen also returned to the Censorate to take up a post. He had not met Zhou Yao since arriving in the capital, so he came over to chat.

Zhou Yao had no choice but to accompany his great uncle to Que Yan's place for social events.

After finally finishing his conversation with everyone in the Censorate, he found an excuse to slip away and finally found Shou Junwu in the huge courtyard.

The distraught young man sat by the water, leaning on the stone landscape, looking as broken as a delicate flower reflected in the water.

"Junwu, what's going on? Is there anything that can't be said directly between you and me?" Zhou Yao sat down next to him.

Shou Junwu laughed bitterly, "Brother Zhou, I just deserved it. Some time ago, my parents arranged a marriage for me, with the youngest daughter of Duke Xin. I didn't want to, but the elders in my family forced me... I, I really like Jiayan..."

After hearing this, Zhou Yao sighed in his heart. He was even worse at comforting others than Xiao Yueshan. He couldn't always persuade people to elope. What's more, Lu Jiayan clearly didn't want to get entangled, so even if they wanted to elope, she needed her consent.

He could only pat Shou Junwu on the shoulder and said, "Brother Shou, things have come to this point, so you should be more open-minded."

Shou Junwu closed his eyes in pain, tears of the strong man rolled down his cheeks, "I don't want to get married so hastily, and I don't want Miss Chen to be entrusted to the wrong person..." He held Zhou Yao's arm, "Brother Zhou, to be honest with you, I have thought about going to the Zhou Mansion to find Jiayan and elope with her. Even if I don't want the wealth of the mansion, the official career, and disappoint my father and mother's kindness in raising me, I still want to be with her."

He wiped away his tears and said, "But Brother Yao, you know, my mother found out that I was trying to escape, and locked me up at home." No wonder I haven't seen this kid recently, Zhou Yao thought, it turns out that he was put in solitary confinement.

"In fact, I am determined to leave, and mother can't do anything to me. But mother talked to me in detail..." He looked very aggrieved, "She said that she has met Miss Lu, and she is indeed a very good woman. If I were to elope with her, I don't know what kind of name people would label her as a seductive woman. I really love her, can I bear to let her be criticized by the world for my own pleasure?"

He couldn't stop feeling sad when he said this. "Also, my mother said that although I traveled everywhere and seemed to have rich experience, I spent all the family's money. Even if I changed my name and disguised myself, the elders in various states and prefectures all knew that I was the youngest son of the Shou family, and they all secretly arranged for me to travel. I have never earned a penny since I was 20 years old. If I really betrayed the family, how can I give Miss Lu a good life?"

After hearing this, Zhou Yao felt mixed emotions and could only accompany him silently.

Shou Junwu's tears gradually stopped, he raised his head and said, "Brother Yao, please don't tell anyone about what happened today, especially Jiayan. I don't want her to be upset because of me. Although mother's words are direct, they are indeed the truth. When I am able to take care of Miss Lu and decide my own marriage, I will definitely ask her for marriage in a grand manner."

Zhou Yao nodded, secretly sighing in his heart that Shou Junwu had indeed grown up.

"It's getting late, let's go back." Shou Junwu stood up, straightened his clothes, forced himself to be energetic, and returned to the banquet with Zhou Yao.

The banquet table for Qushui Liushang has been set up, with Chu Yuanming sitting at the head of the table. According to the entrustment of Duke Dingguo and Duke Xinguo, he has to facilitate the marriage between the two families today.

"Junyu is a handsome man, and he and Miss Chen are a match made in heaven. If this marriage can be facilitated, it will surely become a good story." He said, "On the first day of the new year, I intend to give Miss Chen to you as your wife. What do you think?"

Shou Junwu's face changed slightly when he heard this, but he quickly regained his composure. He knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude, then said politely: "I am grateful for the kindness of the prince and the duke. However, I know that I am young and immature and not yet capable of starting a family, so I asked to go to Taozhou in Huainan Prefecture to gain experience. I really cannot accept the prince's kindness, and I don't want to delay Miss Chen's family. I hope the prince will forgive me!"

Everyone at the banquet was shocked. Duke Xin Chen Shixian's face instantly fell. He did not expect Shou Junwu to resolutely reject this marriage by volunteering to guard the border.

Now that the good thing has not been accomplished, it would be embarrassing to continue the stalemate. A trace of surprise flashed in Chu Yuanming's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said with a smile: "It's okay. It's normal for young people to want to achieve success and be motivated. In this case, let's put this matter aside for now."

Shou Junwu breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Chu Yuanming with gratitude and secretly vowed in his heart that he must work hard for his own happiness.