Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Madam Lan looked at the kneeling Lan Qingwu in disbelief: "Mother is going to find your grandfather..."

Lan Qingwu said calmly, "Mother, I have already agreed to this matter."

Madam Lan's face flushed red as she angrily said, "You...you...do you know that you are the eldest daughter of the Lan family? Other Lan family girls can wait, but can you? Do you know how old you will be in three years...you...are you trying to piss me off to death..."

Lan Qingwu looked to her father, Lan Youchen, for help. Lan Youchen, seeing the frail appearance of his only legitimate daughter, said, "Madam, don't worry. Father has personally arranged for Qingwu to marry. A year from now, we'll have a verbal engagement. After three years, we'll submit the three letters and six ceremonies to the government, and the engagement and wedding will be a smooth process. It won't delay Qingwu. Right now, the most important thing is for Qingwu to recover her health."

General Lan spoke, and Mrs. Lan was helpless and could only feel depressed.

Lan Qingwu returned to her Qingwu Courtyard. Ruhan looked at her young lady in plain clothes with worry: "Miss, do you really have to be like this? This..." This is no trivial matter for a girl who is waiting to be married.

Lan Qingwu's eyes were clear and firm: "Now that you have made a decision, you must move forward courageously - never look back!" Don't regret, don't... miss it.

Ru Ping was shocked by Lan Qingwu's decision, but remained calm. She thought of the note from the imperial city, which had only two words written on it, "An Fu" (well or not), which were so strong that they could be seen through the paper.

Lan Qingwu began to strictly observe the three-year national mourning. She wore plain clothes and ate vegetarian food every day, and no longer went out, staying in her own Qingwu Courtyard.

More than a year later, her grandfather arranged a verbal marriage for her with Lin Shaojie, a member of the Lin family, a family of scholars.

That day, Lan Qingwu was practicing calligraphy when Ruhan came into the room and said, "Miss, Madam wants you to meet the Young Master of the Lin Family. What do you think..."

Lan Qingwu said without even looking up, "No! During the period of national mourning, no outsiders will be seen, no guests will be received, and no going out. Go and tell your mother."

Ruhan hesitated for a moment, but still obeyed the order and went to report to his wife. It was conceivable that his wife would be angry again.

Ruping brought over a cup of tea. She looked at Lan Qingwu's handwriting and her eyes narrowed: "Miss, your handwriting..." The handwriting was obviously in the same vein as that person's. Although she had not seen much of that person's handwriting, she could still recognize it at a glance.

Lan Qingwu was stunned for a moment. "Should I learn some gentle calligraphy for women...?"

She suddenly thought of how an ordinary young soldier could have such outstanding calligraphy and literary talent. This required the instruction of a famous teacher and years of literary cultivation. She was stunned when she picked up the pen, and the ink on the tip of the pen dripped onto the rice paper.

Ru Ping called her softly: "Miss, Miss..."

Lan Qingwu came back to his senses and laughed at himself: "It turns out that I was stupid!" He was also complacent and said that he was lucky, but he didn't know where in the world there were so many young people with outstanding literary and martial arts skills and good character?

She crumpled up the used rice paper and threw it on the ground.

Ruhan replied to Madam Lan and came back into the room. "Miss, Master Lan from the side branch has come to return some books, and he wants you to recommend some other books to him."

Lan Qingwu no longer had the interest to practice calligraphy: "Let him wait in the outer hall."

Ru Ping followed Ru Han and asked, "Is this young man the adopted son of the side branch of the Lan family? I heard that this young man, with a widowed mother and a young sister, was desperate and refused to be adopted by the side branch of the Lan family. Did the young lady convince him?"

Ruhan nodded proudly. "Back then, the young lady was only ten years old. He was the only remaining uncle from the Lan family's side branch. The clan, bullying him for not having any descendants, wanted to reclaim some of his land. He fell for the then-talented and stubborn young master Wang Shuren. Unfortunately, the thirteen-year-old, pedantic Wang insisted on renounce his family name and be adopted into the Lan family."

"The young lady saw that his widowed mother and young sister were almost starving to death, yet he was still so pedantic. She first scolded him, then praised his talent for reading when they met again. The third time, the young lady reasoned with him, appealed to his emotions, and analyzed the pros and cons."

"I also gave him an idea. If he passes the imperial examination and marries a virtuous wife, and has seven or eight children, one of them can be adopted as the Lan family name to repay the kindness of his uncle Lan for raising and adopting him. Prince Wang can then restore his original surname."

"This way, we can save the lives of our widowed mother and younger sister, honor our ancestors and the Lan family, and continue our studies and imperial examinations. It's a win-win situation. Uncle Lan readily agreed. However, Master Lan has wasted a few years, so he plans to take the imperial examinations again in a few years. He is currently studying very hard."

Ru Ping frowned, always feeling that this Young Master Lan... During the national mourning period, the young lady met this Young Master Lan the most.

Lan Qingwu met Master Lan from the side branch. Strictly speaking, she should call him cousin. She recommended a few books to him and the two talked about their thoughts on books. Ruping looked at Master Lan, who was handsome and had a smile as bright as the moon, and was thinking about something as she watched the two of them talking happily.

The elegant young man, now known as Lan Shuren, glanced at Lan Qingwu from time to time during their conversation, his deep eyes shrouded in an imperceptible lingering affection. Why was he always a step too late? He was a step too late to realize his feelings, and now that the beautiful woman had a verbal engagement, he was a step too late again. What if, in a few years, after he passed the exam... He had known her so long before, was it destined that they would never be together?

In the Qianzheng Hall of the Dasheng Imperial Palace, the enthroned Emperor Shenwu suddenly stood up when he saw the new note. The words on it stung his eyes and his heart: "Verbal Engagement!"

He was filled with rage and heartache: "Weakling, I only now realize that letting go is easy, but fulfilling is the hardest!"