Marrying Wife and Concubine Together: After Rebirth, I Remarried the Scumbag's Father on the Sp

These words completely put Lin Yiwan at ease. She had originally worried that the Zhenbei General's Mansion, being a military family, would have strict rules or complicated inner quarters. Now, after hearing Madam Lu's words, she realized that it was actually very peaceful, and that her parents-in-law were reasonable people. She was certain that Miao'er would not suffer after marrying into the family.

Zhan Miao, who was standing to the side, listened to the conversation between the two, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she also secretly raised her eyes, her eyes full of joy.

She recalled Lu Jingheng's flustered and apologetic appearance at Wanghu Tower that day, and his resolute words when he spoke of defending the country. She became even more convinced that this was the man she wanted.

The Grand Princess also arrived at the Peony Garden at this time. Seeing that the two were chatting happily, she smiled and said, "I knew you two would be able to talk about the same thing. Now it seems that Jingheng and Miao'er are truly a match made in heaven. Why don't we take advantage of today's occasion to finalize this marriage and put our minds at ease?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Lu looked at Lin Yiwan, her eyes full of smiles: "What do you think, sister?"

Lin Yiwan smiled and nodded: "Of course it's excellent. It's a blessing for our Zhan family to be able to form a marriage alliance with the General's Mansion."

The Grand Princess's words of engagement filled the courtyard with joy. Madam Lu and Lin Yiwan exchanged smiles and chatted, feeling that the marriage was a natural progression.

Lu Jingheng stood to one side, his dark eyes sweeping over Zhan Miao beside him. The girl's cheeks were flushed with a light pink, and her dangling fingertips were gently curled. He smiled slightly, reached out to help her up, and said in a low voice, "I hope to receive your guidance in the future, Miss Zhan!"

Zhan Miao looked up and met his gentle gaze. Her heart felt as if it were filled with a warm cloud, and she softly responded with an "Mmm".

The group immediately agreed that three days later, the Grand Princess would personally lead Zhan Miao out of the mansion to prepare the dowry, while the General's Mansion would prepare the betrothal gifts. Once the dowry was ready, an auspicious day would be chosen for the engagement ceremony.

Everyone in the Zhanyi Marquis's mansion was overjoyed. After Zhan Miao returned home, even her personal maid, Wan Chun, teased her, saying that General Lu was handsome and composed, a perfect match for countless noble ladies in the capital, and that she had received an immense blessing.

Zhan Miao scolded him playfully, but at night, she looked in the bronze mirror and stroked the jade hairpin that Lu Jingheng had given her the day before, unable to hide the smile in her eyes.

Three days later, just after dawn, the Grand Princess's carriage stopped in front of the Marquis of Zhanyi's residence. Beside the gilded carriage, maids carried various boxes, followed by several skilled nannies from the Imperial Household Department, all of whom were experienced in preparing dowries.

Zhan Miao wore a moon-white ruqun embroidered with magnolia blossoms, her hair styled in a simple, parted bun, adorned with a pearl hairpin, making her look elegant and charming.

Upon seeing this, the Grand Princess took her hand and sighed with a smile, "With our Miao'er in such a state, if that brat Jingheng dares to wrong you, your aunt will be the first to punish him."

Zhan Miao blushed and followed the Grand Princess into the carriage.

The carriage rolled along the cobblestone road, heading towards Jinxiu Street, the most bustling street in the capital. It was home to the finest silk shops, jewelry stores, and dowry shops in the country, and noble ladies of the capital would all come here to prepare their dowries.

First, they arrived at Jinxiu Pavilion. Upon seeing that it was the Grand Princess, the manager hurriedly came out to greet her personally and brought out all the finest Yun brocade, Shu brocade, and Suzhou embroidery. The Grand Princess selected one by one for Zhan Miao: red for her wedding dress, gold for her bedding, and pink for her everyday clothes. Each piece was of the highest quality.

Zhan Miao listened with a smile, her heart filled with anticipation for the future.

Then they went to Linglongxuan and selected a headdress inlaid with red gold and rubies, earrings inlaid with filigree and pearls, and a jade bracelet, all of which were priceless treasures. The nannies wrote them down in a book, waiting to send them to the Marquis of Zhanyi's residence later.

Around noon, the group had lunch at Fu Lin Lou, a restaurant located on the street. The Grand Princess, feeling sorry for Zhan Miao who was tired, suggested that they rest for a while before going to pick out some exquisite cosmetics.

After resting, the carriage had just arrived at the entrance of Linglong Pavilion when suddenly a series of urgent shouts, accompanied by the sound of horses' hooves, came from afar: "Please wait, Grand Princess! Please wait, Miss Zhan!"

The sound was shrill and tinged with sorrow, startling the guards beside the carriage who drew their swords in alarm.

The Grand Princess lifted the carriage curtain, her brows furrowing slightly. She saw a woman dismount from a fine horse, stumble and fall to the front of the carriage, kneeling on the ground. Her face, covered in dust, was still filled with a stubbornness that could not be hidden.

She was dressed in a faded coarse cloth outfit, with a curved knife at her waist, and calluses on her hands that had not yet healed, clearly indicating that she had been traveling outside the Great Wall for many years.

The girl appeared to be about fifteen years old. Although her clothes were old, she had a tall and straight posture. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the carriage, saying loudly, "I am Su Ningshuang, a native of Dingxiang on the border. Today I dare to stop your carriage, only begging the Grand Princess to do justice for me and restore my status!"

The Grand Princess's expression darkened slightly, and the maid beside her shouted sternly, "Insolence! This is the Grand Princess's carriage; how dare you, a mere country bumpkin, act so wildly here? Drag her away immediately!"

Two guards stepped forward and tried to drag Su Ningshuang away, but Su Ningshuang clung tightly to the wooden pillar of the carriage and refused to let go.

She shouted, "I am not being unruly! I am General Lu Jingheng's wife! Today, seeing the Grand Princess bringing Miss Zhan to prepare her dowry and intending to be engaged to General Lu, I had no choice but to come! General Lu already has a wife, how can he marry Miss Zhan? This is deceiving the emperor and ruining Miss Zhan's life!"

These words were like a thunderclap, stunning everyone around. Pedestrians on the street gathered around, pointing and whispering among themselves.

Zhan Miao sat in the carriage, his face turning deathly pale. His fingers gripped his clothes tightly, and he felt a ringing in his ears. The joy he had felt moments before had turned into a bone-chilling cold.

She couldn't believe that Lu Jingheng, who spoke gently to her and said he would protect her for life, already had a wife.

The Grand Princess's face instantly darkened, her noble air transforming into a chilling aura. She stared at Su Ning Shuang and said coldly, "Do you know what you're saying? Jing Heng is a member of our royal family, a prodigy who rose to fame at a young age, and has always been upright in his conduct. How could he be engaged to a woman from the borderlands like you? Let alone be my wife! I think you're being manipulated by someone to deliberately cause trouble!"

“Every word I have said is true, not a single word is false!” Su Ningshuang raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, but her gaze was firm.

She stated: "Three years ago, General Lu was stationed in Dingxiang with General Zhenbei. At that time, the enemy attacked and General Lu was surrounded. It was my father and the local militia who risked their lives to save him and pulled him out of the pile of dead bodies."

"General Lu was grateful to the Su family for saving his life, and seeing that the girl was in love with him, he married her in front of the Guandi Temple in Dingxiang. Although there was no formal betrothal ceremony, there were several soldiers under the command of General Zhenbei as witnesses, and a tiger tally and jade pendant that General Lu personally gave to the girl as proof!"

After saying that, Su Ningshuang took out a jade pendant made of black iron from her bosom. The pendant was engraved with a majestic white tiger. It was the token of the Lu family and also the personal item that Lu Jingheng carried with him when he joined the army.