Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

After solving this big problem, Tao Jiuxi and his party headed back to Beijing.

Along the way, she carefully inspected each orphanage, recording the conditions without missing any details. After completing an investigation at one place, she rushed to the next one without stopping.

Fortunately, Xue Yunmeng was with us, and we laughed and talked all the way, making the journey full of fun and less boring.

After entering the capital, Shen Zhiyi and Ji Qingyi went straight to the palace to meet the emperor, while Tao Jiuxi took Xue Yunmeng home.

Tao Jiuxi had just brought Xue Yunmeng to his house to settle down for rest when the eunuch who came from the palace to deliver the imperial edict arrived at Tao's house.

Tao Hongyuan hurriedly led everyone in his family to kneel on the ground. Tao Jiuxi did not dare to be negligent and immediately knelt down as well. He didn't know what the imperial edict was about today.

"It is God's destiny, the emperor decreed:

Today, we have Shen Zhiyi, a man of both virtue and integrity; Tao Jiuxi, virtuous and generous, intelligent and beautiful. They seem a match made in heaven, a match made in heaven, a perfect match made in heaven. It is truly a happy marriage. I am deeply pleased and hereby grant them marriage. I hope that in their future marriage, they will live in harmony, respect each other as guests, treat each other with equal respect, and be united in love, growing old together. They may share both prosperity and hardship, becoming role models for the world, and their stories will be passed down through the ages.

Admire this. "

When Tao Jiuxi heard Shen Zhiyi's name mentioned in the imperial edict, he couldn't help but sigh at how fast Shen Zhiyi worked.

He probably hasn't left the palace yet, but the imperial edict granting the marriage has already been delivered to his home like flying.

"I accept your order and thank you for your grace." Tao Hongyuan said respectfully.

When Tao Jiuxi heard this, his heart was filled with joy.

Although this marriage had actually been a done deal for a long time, the imperial decree granting the marriage was like a reassurance, which put Tao Jiuxi's originally anxious heart at ease.

After sending off the eunuch who announced the imperial edict, Tao Hongyuan said calmly, "Xier, come with me to the study."

"Yes. Father." Tao Jiuxi responded obediently.

Arriving in the study, Tao Hongyuan spoke slowly, "I, your father, originally disapproved of your marriage to the Shen family. However, from the moment he followed you out of the capital, I understood that your friendship was deep and that this matter could not be stopped. Since that is the case, I do not want to embarrass him any further. I only hope that after you get married, you can live a good life with him. This is the path you have chosen, and you must stick to it no matter what. I will ask your mother to prepare a dowry for you, but our family's financial resources are ultimately far different from the Shen family's, so please do not despise us."

"Thank you, father." Tao Jiuxi was happy. As long as Tao Hongyuan didn't cause trouble, she would be grateful.

In fact, she originally wanted her father not to prepare a dowry for her and wanted him to leave it to her sister, but then she changed her mind and thought that this was her father's intention after all, so she gladly accepted it.

After coming out of the study, Tao Jiuxi took the imperial edict and returned to his room happily.

Looking at the imperial decree granting marriage in her hand, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise, and her heart was filled with sweetness.

On the second day, Xie Ningqiu from the Shen family came to propose marriage.

At that time, Tao Hongyuan was attending court, and Tao Jiuxi, Tao Qingwan and Zhong Yunxi were having breakfast.

When Zhong Yunxi heard that someone was coming to propose marriage at this time, she was so shocked that she couldn't hold her chopsticks properly.

"Jiuxi, I'm so nervous. What should I say when I meet Duke Shen's mother?"

"Don't be nervous. The emperor has already granted the marriage. They are here today just for formalities. We just need to receive them politely."

"Okay. Qingwan, if there's anything I said that's wrong, you can give me some pointers."

"Don't be nervous, Yunxi, you already have the demeanor of a mistress of the house. I believe in you."

As they talked, several people walked out the door to greet them.

The front of the Tao family mansion is extremely lively today.

The Shen family's marriage proposal procession stretched from one end of the street to the other, with no end in sight. Leading the way was a majestic gong and drum team, beating out a deafening "dong! dong! dong!"

Following closely behind was a long line of people carrying boxes, numbering several hundred. The boxes varied in size, each one a work of art. They were filled with gold, silver, jewelry, silks, and satins, each betrothal gift demonstrating the importance the Shen family attached to this marriage.

Xie Ningqiu walked in the middle of the procession, dressed in a gorgeous dark purple brocade robe embroidered with blooming peonies in gold thread, looking elegant and graceful. Surrounding her were many members of the Shen clan.

This huge team stopped in front of the Tao family's door. The area was already surrounded by neighbors, three layers inside and three layers outside, blocking the entire street.

People were whispering to each other, all marveling at the grand scene of proposing marriage. The sounds of praise, discussion and gongs and drums intertwined into an extremely lively picture.

Such a grand event is definitely not accomplished in a day, which shows how much effort they put into it.

Xie Ningqiu saw Tao Jiuxi at a glance, and her face was instantly filled with joy.

She knew in her heart that Tao Jiuxi didn't have much affection for her, but today was an important moment concerning her son's lifelong event, and she couldn't suppress the smile on her face. Shen Zhiyi specifically asked his mother to go alone to propose marriage so that Tao Jiuxi would not feel any discomfort.

"Jiuxi, long time no see." Xie Ningqiu spoke first.

"I live in Ankang, Anping County." The people behind Xie Ningqiu greeted him.

Tao Jiuxi bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, Madam Shen. Greetings, everyone."

"Hello, Madam Tao. Actually, I should have come to visit you earlier, but I was busy with many trivial matters. I hope you can understand."

"Hello, Mrs. Shen." Zhong Yunxi responded quickly.

"The imperial decree granting the marriage arrived at your house yesterday. I'm sure my in-laws have received it." Xie Ningqiu asked with a smile.

"Got it, got it, Mrs. Shen, let's go inside and talk." Zhong Yunxi tried hard to pretend to be mature and steady, greeting everyone, but the nervous expression was obvious, which made Tao Jiuxi see it and couldn't help laughing.

Arriving at the main hall, everyone took their seats one by one.

Xie Ningqiu said, "Thanks to the Emperor's blessing, Yi'er's marriage is finally settled. I came here today to set a wedding date as soon as possible."

"Mrs. Shen, this matter is a bit sudden. I wonder when you want to make a decision?" Zhong Yunxi asked.

"The sixth day of next month. Yier was very anxious and discussed this matter with me after returning home yesterday. Besides, we have already had our horoscopes compared, and that day is a very auspicious day." Xie Ningqiu explained with a smile.

Zhong Yunxi, sitting in the main seat, glanced at Tao Jiuxi, who nodded slightly. She didn't know when Shen Zhiyi had arranged so much, but she felt that her only responsibility was to make an appearance.

Zhong Yunxi immediately understood and said, "The sixth day of next month. This time is a bit tight, but since my mother-in-law has said it, my family will naturally cooperate."

Seeing Zhong Yunxi agreed, Xie Ningqiu stood up, took out an exquisite note from his pocket, and handed it to the first old man who looked a little older but had an elegant temperament.

"Jiuxi, this is something Yier asked me to pass on to you. All the elders are present today, please witness it together." Xie Ningqiu said to Tao Jiuxi with a smile.

Tao Jiuxi couldn't help feeling a little strange, and thought to himself: What is so mysterious? Why doesn't he get it himself, but asks his mother to do it for him?

Just as I was wondering, I saw the old man gently open the post, his expression solemn, and then slowly spoke:

"Guarantee"

I am Shen Zhiyi. With a sincere heart, I take this sacred oath and respectfully present it before Your Majesty, the Empress, and the elders of my family. I hope it will serve as a witness.

Tao Jiuxi is the only true love of my life. She is my spiritual and physical support, my life partner. I am willing to share the joys and sorrows with her, and go through life and death together, for the rest of my life, and my love for her will never change.

From now on, I swear to heaven: I will only marry Jiuxi as my wife in this life, and will never think of taking a concubine, nor will I leave a place for a maid.

My body and my heart both belong to Jiuxi.

In the prosperous scene, I will appreciate the magnificence of the world with her and share the joy of life with her; in times of hardship and difficulty, I will shelter her from the wind and rain and protect her from the harm of the world.

If I break this oath, I am willing to receive the most severe punishment from God.

May Your Majesty be enraged and withdraw the trust and favors bestowed upon me, causing me to lose His Majesty's favor; may the Empress despise me because of my infidelity, making me unacceptable to the palace; may my family be ashamed of me and expel me from their home. In that case, I will lose all my wealth and honor, and my reputation and status will be completely destroyed.

I will live out my life in solitude, with the condemnation of my conscience following me like a shadow, never ceasing. I will be despised by the world and condemned by the ages.

This oath is witnessed by heaven and earth, and is visible to the sun and the moon. I will never regret it.

Guarantor: Shen Zhiyi.

Afterwards, the old man solemnly handed the letter of guarantee to Tao Jiuxi.

Tao Jiuxi was filled with shock. Looking at the letter of commitment covered with seals of all sizes, she never thought that Shen Zhiyi would do this for her.