Golden Branch

The plain brocade was removed and the plain white lanterns were replaced with red ones.

The servants in the princess's mansion and the royal residence also changed out of their plain clothes.

Wang Heng took her six younger brothers and sisters to the ancestral hall set up in the Wang residence to pay tribute to Wang Lin. After going through the entire process, they officially took off the mourning clothes they had worn for two and a half years.

From today onwards, Wang Heng's Princess Mansion and Wang's Residence will open their doors and resume normal social activities.

Lou Yu took a special leave to accompany Wang Heng on related matters.

He was happier than anyone in the Wang family. His usually gentle and calm face was now filled with obvious joy.

Ah Heng finally finished mourning, and now the wedding date can be decided and the wedding ceremony can be held.

"Aheng, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory has checked and found that there are auspicious dates for marriage in February and March next year."

After the ceremony was over, he spoke anxiously as he watched Wang Heng, wearing a newly made light purple chest-length skirt and an autumn-scented jacket, slowly walk into the main hall.

"February? March?"

Wang Heng allowed the maid to take off her coat and sat down wearing only her clothes.

It was winter, and it was freezing outside, but it was as warm as early summer inside.

The floor heater and the fumigation cage made the huge main room very warm.

If necessary, you also need to open windows for ventilation and dissipate the heat.

"Brother, isn't it too early?"

"It's almost the twelfth lunar month now. If we set it for February or March, it will only be three or four months away."

It’s too rushed!

The princess's descent has its own complicated etiquette.

Wang Heng, on the other hand, was not so eager to get married.

Although her brother's Duke's Mansion was right next door, although she had known her brother for more than ten years, and although she was not so opposed to marrying her brother now...but, when she thought about getting married, Wang Heng still felt an inexplicable uneasiness and fear.

After getting married, she was no longer a daughter of the Wang family, but a wife of the Lou family.

Her life will be dominated by a man, and she...will definitely not be used and betrayed by her husband like her mother was.

But she was just afraid.

Lou Yu knew Wang Heng too well. She could see through her thoughts with just one expression or one look.

Lou Yu reached out his hand, stepped over the table between them, and gently held Wang Heng's small hand.

The fingers are as white as peeled onions and as white as jade. When held in the hand, they are not skinny bones, but soft and tender.

Lou Yu gently stroked, his white and slender fingers slowly tracing the lines on Wang Heng's palm.

"Not too early! Ah Heng, we agreed at the beginning. I gave you three years, and now, the three-year period is almost up."

"It's not even three years yet, only two and three months."

Twenty-seven months, how can that be three years?

Wang Heng did not pull her hand back. Ever since that kiss on Mount Li that day, her relationship with Lou Yu had indeed undergone a qualitative change.

Lou Yu always looks for opportunities to kiss, cuddle and pinch her. Wang Heng doesn't dislike it, but she won't ask for it either.

She seemed to be enjoying it passively.

Maybe Wang Heng still felt uncomfortable in her heart, but physically, she had already gotten used to Lou Yu's closeness.

Fortunately, Lou Yu was very restrained. Most of his kisses were on the forehead and temples, instead of losing control like he did that night.

Wang Heng was very receptive to this level of close contact.

And his actions of kneading her little hands and pinching her little face also made Wang Heng feel not only not repulsive, but also with a strange feeling of faint anticipation.

Lou Yu's perseverance gradually made Wang Heng accustomed to his intimacy and their relationship as an engaged couple.

However, getting used to intimacy does not mean that one can immediately accept the change in their identities——

There is still a difference between an unmarried couple and a married couple.

After marrying Lou Yu, Wang Heng was no longer an independent individual who belonged entirely to herself, but now had a husband, an in-laws' family, and a large group of relatives and clansmen.

Wang Heng was most afraid of trouble, and was even more unwilling to deal with a fool like Dugu.

Unfortunately, Dugu was the elder, and her relationship with Lou Yu could not be completely severed.

There is also the Lou family, a prestigious family with a history of two or three hundred years.

Although the family had been separated for a long time, there were still more than a dozen relatives in the Anguo Mansion and the hometown of Longzhou.

When Amian was in the Xiao family, she fought with all kinds of top-notch people every day.

Xiao Wuji favors her and will stand firmly on her side whenever there is a dispute.

However, even an honest judge finds it difficult to judge family affairs. All kinds of trivial matters and family gossips are like a tangled mess that cannot be cut off or sorted out.

Amian is independent, strong, capable, and skillful. She also has the enthusiasm and broad-mindedness to "find endless joy in competing with the best". She can feel at ease and at home in the Changle Marquis' Mansion.

Wang Heng was too lazy to deal with these.

She is also delicate and cannot stand the slightest bit of grievance.

But in this mundane world, it is inevitable to interact with others.

Wang Heng couldn't help but feel anxious when she thought about the many troubles she would have to face after getting married.

She now has a bit of an ostrich mentality of "delaying for a while is better than delaying for a while".

"Why not three years? My father-in-law died in the first year of Yuanzhen, so next year will be the third year of Yuanzhen."

As a new big shot in the court and a fighter among the civil servants, Lou Yu is best at playing word games.

Wang Heng's mouth twitched. "Brother, my father died in the autumn of the first year of the Yuanzhen reign, and the wedding date you planned was the spring of the third year of the Yuanzhen reign."

The end of a year, the beginning of a year, no matter how you add them up, it’s not enough for three years.

"..."

Lou Yu smiled and continued to trace the lines on Wang Heng's palm with his fingers.

He looked into Wang Heng's lively lychee eyes and said softly, "Heng, I know you're worried, but you know me. I'm not Wang Lin, nor am I Yang Shou or any other man."

"I am your brother first, and your husband second!"

"I understand that you like your current life and don't want to change it. I won't make empty promises. I will show you later that even if you marry me, you can still live the life you want."

"Actually, I'm used to being your brother and sister, but Ah Heng, you must know that there are some things that can only be done by husband and wife, not by siblings!"

"I want to be with you forever, sharing the same bed and grave. If being brother and sister is okay, then we don't have to get married!"

Lou Yu had wanted to say these words to Wang Heng for a long time.

It's just that there has never been a suitable opportunity.

In the two previous quarrels, both of them were angry. Lou Yu, who was usually calm and composed, was also angered by Wang Heng and lost his rationality and organization.

After calming down and being able to think normally, Lou Yu didn't want to say these words abruptly.

After waiting for more than two years, they finally got the chance. The two of them did not argue but discussed the matter relatively calmly, and Lou Yu took the opportunity to speak out.

At this point, Lou Yu squeezed Wang Heng's hand, applying a little pressure: "Heng, what do you think? Should we get married?"

Wang Heng's face was numb. "Brother, do you want to listen to what you are saying? Aren't you afraid of being called a 'pervert'?"

Being brother and sister, but not getting married, and then “sharing the same bed in life and the same grave in death”?

Haha, brother, are you dissatisfied with your image as a gentle gentleman and want to commit an incestuous act that challenges the world?

"Doesn't Wang Mian always call me a 'little pervert' behind my back? And you, too, haven't you been calling me that in your heart?"

The smile lines on Lou Yu's lips deepened, and his eyes were filled with doting.

He is a pervert, he is not a normal good person.

As long as you can achieve your goal and get the girl, what does a few scolds matter?

He even enjoys crawling on his knees and being hit in the face. He is really a pervert at heart.

"..."

When Lou Yu revealed the secrets between her and her best friend, Wang Heng's beautiful face flashed with embarrassment. "Haha, brother, you already know everything!"

"Well, we were just saying it casually, don't take it seriously!"

"My brother is not a pervert. He is gentle, elegant, aloof and noble, and has the demeanor of an ancient gentleman. He is the exiled immortal admired by countless noble ladies in the capital!"

Wang Heng smiled and uttered a long string of flattering words.

Lou Yu remained unmoved. He brought the topic back to the topic, "So? Do you want to get married?"

Although he was extremely eager in his heart, Lou Yu deliberately put on an attitude of "you can also say no".

Wang Heng: …

After a moment of infatuation, she nodded firmly: "Yes!"

The engagement has already been made, so let's do it sooner rather than later. There's no need to regret it.

Wang Heng didn't want to push Lou Yu to the point of becoming a pervert.

Brothers and sisters who sleep together and are buried together after death?

hiss~~~

This is too much of a challenge for Wang Heng, an ancient native.

"Wedding in February or March?"

Lou Yu took advantage of the victory and tried to set a date for the wedding.

"March, it's not too rushed, and the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, just right!"

Wang Heng disagreed with Lou Yu's decision to demolish the house, so she had no choice but to drill a window.

"Okay! Then let's set it for the sixth day of March!"

Lou Yu picked up the little hand that he had been kneading for a long time, put it to his lips, and kissed it gently, with a smug light flashing in his eyes.

……

After finishing mourning, Wang Heng resumed her normal social life.

The first thing she had to do was to go to the palace to pay her respects to her mother.

For more than two years, she had not entered the palace and had no chance to see her mother.

And Wang Heng had never seen her younger brother, who was almost three years old.

I have seen quite a few portraits. Both Concubine Jiang and Lou Yu would send portraits of the Ninth Prince regularly.

Even the Ninth Prince could regularly receive gifts carefully prepared by Wang Heng, including her portrait.

A pair of half-siblings, although they have never met each other, are familiar with each other's appearance.

Now that she has finally finished her filial piety, the people Wang Heng wants to see most are her mother and younger brother.

He sent someone to the palace gate to deliver the name card, and soon received a response from the palace:

Concubine Jiang summoned Princess Langya into the palace.

That afternoon, Wang Heng's four-wheeled carriage appeared at the palace gate.

Wang Heng changed into a brand new bright red waist-length skirt embroidered with gold thread, and covered it with a white fox fur coat.

The fur coat was snow-white, without a single speck of other colors.

The fluffy fur collar makes Wang Heng's little face look delicate and beautiful.

As she walked, a hint of red appeared and disappeared, making her figure look even more graceful, bright and lively.

"Mom!"

Sitting in the sedan chair given by Concubine Jiang, Wang Heng came to Baifu Palace. She bowed and greeted respectfully.

"Why are you getting thinner? You're too honest, child. As a daughter, you should mourn for your father, but you also have to consider your mother."

Concubine Jiang looked at her daughter's slender appearance and couldn't help but scold her with some heartache.