Spring Drunk Chang'an

Shi Xiaoyue frowned and spoke pitifully.

Liu Changan was stunned. "Engagement? You want to get engaged? When? With whom?"

Why didn't she hear about it?

It was obvious that at this time in the previous life, Liu Wenrui had not yet forced Xiaoyue.

That was two months later.

After Liu Wenbai's autumn imperial examination was over and he was selected as the top scholar by Emperor Yingwu, the Ningguo Mansion held a grand banquet. Qi Guo came with his wife and daughter to congratulate him. Xiaoyue was the one who was plotted against.

Before that, there was no news of her engagement at all, otherwise, it would have been impossible for it not to have been spread.

"...He's one of my father's military officers, a fourth-rank officer named Wu or something. He's in his twenties and has never been married. My father says he's very handsome and has a straightforward personality. He has no parents, no siblings, and is a bit of a loner. My father promoted him."

Shi Xiaoyue paused, "With a fate like his, all his family members died. He's unlucky for his parents and his entire family. He's only a fourth-rank official, and he relies on my father for promotion. Betrothing me to him would definitely be marrying down!"

The eldest daughter of a dignified Duke's family married a small-time military officer with no relatives...

The marriage is not ordinary.

Both are the eldest daughters of the Duke's Mansion. Queen Song is the mother of a country. Song Zhinian is worthy of being the Crown Princess.

Shi Xiaoyue had to marry a fourth-rank military officer. This was so obviously unfair that ordinary people would probably chant Buddhist scriptures and sigh, "Poor motherless child" when they heard about it.

But Shi Xiaoyue didn't.

She pointed at her face, her expression somewhat lamenting, "I know exactly what I look like. Daddy found this military officer for me... I know he did it for my own good. If I marry someone of my social status, no one will dare to treat me badly. I'm not sociable, and I don't like climbing the social ladder. Without any relatives, no one will be able to control me. My father controls the military officer, and he'll have to support me for the rest of his life!"

"Dad is very good to me."

Shi Xiaoyue said with a smile.

She is totally unlike an ordinary girl. Chunsi Ai Shao is shy when talking about marriage. She is extremely calm, as if she has considered everything carefully.

Liu Changan was silent. Looking at her, he didn't know where to begin. After thinking for a long time, he asked cautiously, "So, is this what you mean?"

Duke Qi arranged it, and Xiaoyue had no objection. Why hadn't she gone through the six rituals and carried out the engagement ceremony in her previous life? Instead, Liu Wenrui took advantage.

"Whether you order or not, it's 50-50!" Shi Xiaoyue shrugged.

Liu Changan was stunned. "What do you mean? You and Duke Qi both agreed, so how can it be 50-50?"

The success rate is half and half.

"Because of my stepmother, the Princess!" Shi Xiaoyue curled her lips, "She wants me to marry the eleventh son of the Shoushou Earl..."

Princess Nanweng was born in Prince Rui's mansion. Prince Rui was the cousin of Emperor Yingwu and an extremely inconspicuous figure in the royal family. Princess Nanweng was his eldest daughter out of wedlock, and her biological mother was Prince Rui's concubine.

This concubine was born in the Shoushou Marquis's mansion.

"Shou Shoubo's Li family, that's not it, that's not it..." Liu Changan thought about that family, and after a moment, his eyes suddenly widened, "His family..."

"We're a notoriously poor family in the capital, living off our daughter-in-law's dowry and our daughter's betrothal gifts!" Shi Xiaoyue pouted. "Although I'm ugly, my mother left me a large sum of money, and my father loves me and promised to give me more. My stepmother probably did some calculations in private and discovered that my dowry was quite large, so she decided to take it!"

"The Shouning Marquis's family has always had a custom of taking in many wives and concubines, and having children in exchange for money. In this lifetime, they have sixteen sons and nineteen daughters, and they gave up their eleventh son to marry me, a golden child with a dowry of one hundred thousand taels. Even if I'm a little ugly, they're willing to do it!"

"My stepmother has been much more friendly to me lately. A few days ago, she even called me to her yard and had dinner with me!"

"It hasn't happened in years."

Shi Xiaoyue was smiling widely, and her tone was very relaxed. She didn't seem to be talking about her own marriage, but rather gossiping about others.

Liu Changan looked at her and felt something was wrong. She became more cautious. She blinked and said, "So, Xiaoyue, what are you thinking? Do you have any ideas?"

"What do you think?" Shi Xiaoyue asked instead of answering.

Liu Changan, "..."

"Well, if it were me, I would naturally choose a military officer. Even though he's not from a noble family like an earl or a marquis, at least he's brave and ambitious, and has a promising future. The Li family... they're so famous for being a 'golden-rice earl's family', marrying him would mean being ripped off!"

"Xiaoyue, don't be confused. Talk to the Duke of Qi and try to coax him into submission. Don't let the princess fall into the fire pit when she can't resist you!!!"

To be honest, the Li family's marriage is only half as good as Liu Wenrui's.

Liu Changan was very anxious.

Shi Xiaoyue blinked her eyes and spread her hands innocently, actually having the leisure to persuade Liu Changan.

She said earnestly, "Sister Chang'an, look at my face. It doesn't matter who I marry."

"If I betroth him to a military officer, he can still use my dowry to get promoted, and if he enters the Li family, he'll still be treated with respect. What's the difference?"

"It doesn't matter. I can marry anyone."

Shi Xiaoyue didn't care at all.

Liu Changan frowned and looked at her. The more he thought about it, the more strange it seemed to him. She remained silent for a long, long time, and suddenly asked, "Xiaoyue, do you have someone you like?"

Moreover, the person he likes is of too low a status, and the Duke of Qi would never agree to it. So, he just gave up hope and didn't care who he married.

She glanced at Xiong Zhen secretly.

Xiong Zhen: ...

With his back straight, he looked like a door god, grabbing a thief who appeared out of nowhere and hitting him in the ribs.

The thief's face turned blue after being scolded.

"I... like it or not..." Shi Xiaoyue rolled her eyes, not looking at Xiong Zhen, but said awkwardly, "What's the point of me liking it alone?"

"Then it must be a mutual affection."

"Oh!"

Xiaoyue likes Xiong Zhen, but Xiong Zhen doesn't understand, or he pretends to be ignorant, and feels that he is not worthy of her.

Liu Changan understood and looked at Xiong Zhen seriously. He found that although Xiong Zhen seemed not to hear Shi Xiaoyue's words and was concentrating on beating the thief, his eyes were actually dark.

Oh, it seems to be the latter!

Xiong Zhen felt that he was not worthy of the daughter of the Duke of Qi.

A guard and a lady.

Tsk tsk tsk, come to think of it it does look like a storybook.

Liu Changan sighed and wanted to persuade him, but she didn't know what to say. She had heard about Xiong Zhen's origins from Xiaoyue. He was her maternal brother, born into a family of servants and a child born in a wealthy family. Even though they had grown up together, their status was not equal.

Xiong Zhen wants to marry her...

It's probably the same as Xia Mu marrying Liu Qingru.

It's pure dreaming and absolute delusion.

Duke Qi would rather strangle Shi Xiaoyue to death than marry her to a guard with a son!

If she really got married, what would happen to the other girls in the Shi family? The Duke of Qi's Mansion was a large family, with branches and tributaries, and side branches and offshoots. Counting them, Shi Xiaoyue had at least 20 or 30 cousins, aunts, and nieces.