The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

On the Lantern Festival, the palace gates and surrounding areas were bustling with activity.

Houses and streets are adorned with colorful lights, which, like twinkling stars, illuminate the night sky.

The curfew at the palace gates has been lifted, and guards and servants are now free to enter and exit the palace.

As soon as night fell, Young Master Xue took Xue Chongzi to the market.

After finishing her work, Gong Zishang wanted to take Gong Yuanzheng to see the lanterns.

After searching the palace gates without finding him, they finally found him on the eaves of the Zheng Palace.

High on the eaves, the young master sat alone, gazing up at the painting in the sky, with many empty wine bottles scattered around him.

Looking at Gong Yuanzheng's hair, which was still not even waist-length, Gong Zishang suddenly realized that her younger brother was not yet of age.

"Take me up."

Gong Zishang whispered an instruction to Jin Mao, who immediately stepped forward, picked up Gong Zishang, and with a light touch of his toes, they reached the rooftop.

Gong Yuanzheng naturally noticed Gong Zishang's arrival, but he really had no mood to pay attention to her.

Gazing at the painting in the sky, he drank the last sip of wine and casually tossed the bottle aside.

Empty wine bottles rolled down the roof tiles, and only then did Gong Zishang notice that there were not only many empty wine bottles on the eaves, but also many on the ground.

She couldn't help but frown. "How much did you drink?"

Gong Yuanzheng ignored her and instead lay down on the eaves.

In previous years, no matter how busy my brother was, he would always rush back to the palace to celebrate the Lantern Festival with him.

This year, even now, my brother is still out there searching for Liang's whereabouts.

Gong Yuanzheng blinked, concealing the tears welling in his eyes. Looking at the painting, he suddenly felt a mix of grievance and envy.

In the painting, Gong Yuanzheng always spends every festival with his brother and Yue'er.

However, it hasn't been turned on for half a month.

Gong Yuanzheng had a premonition that the intervals between the opening of the scroll would become longer and longer, and it might even disappear after one of its openings.

This realization made him even more depressed and lonely.

Gong Zishang could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his expression.

She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before looking up at Gong Yuanzheng with a smile on her face.

“Brother Yuanzheng, once this painting disappears, your wife might be at the palace gates.”

Gong Yuanzheng's eyes lit up instantly.

"Right now, Shangjiao and his elder brother are doing their best to track down Liang."

Gong Zishang's eyes flickered slightly. "Perhaps, sister-in-law doesn't even need to come to the palace gate. You can go directly to the Lin family to see her."

Before Gong Yuanzheng could speak, Xue Gongzi's excited voice came from under the eaves.

"Really? Zhi Ren! We can leave the valley and go to the Lin family?"

He and Xue Zhongzi had just finished strolling through the lantern festival and bought a lantern for Gong Zishang and Gong Yuanzheng respectively. As soon as they entered the palace gate, they excitedly came to find the siblings.

Seeing Xue Gongzi so excited, Gong Zishang found it amusing and couldn't help but tease him as he looked down at Xue Gongzi.

"Is Xiaoxue no longer afraid of the outside world?"

Young Master Xue smiled, though he was just a little naive, not stupid.

Having studied military strategy under Gong Zishang's side for so long, he naturally guessed Gong Zishang's plan.

He leaped onto the roof, handed the lanterns to Gong Zishang and Gong Yuanzheng, sat down next to Gong Zishang, and tried to negotiate terms.

"Holding the blade, in the painting, it is me and Da Xue taking Qingyu to find the new site of the palace gate."

"Let the three of us go this time too."

Gong Zishang admired the lantern in his hand and agreed without hesitation.

"Yes, as long as you can get Lord Lin to agree, you can certainly take Qingyu with you."

Young Master Xue: "......"

Before he could speak again, a faint light flashed from the scroll above his head.

Everyone immediately looked up, and just as they had expected, the scroll had opened once again.

The latest to appear were Daiyu and Qingyu, who were sitting in a carriage.

Qingyu excitedly talked to Daiyu, while Jiamin sat to the side watching the two siblings with a smile.

"Second sister, this is the first time I've seen a salty lake. The people who live there told us that it's the sea."

"Only now do I truly understand what it means to be far away from the vast ocean and to be a light boat on the road to enlightenment. When the sea is calm, the waves are peaceful and leisurely."

Daiyu looked at Qingyu with envy, but her mood became increasingly depressed.

Qingyu keenly noticed Daiyu's change and immediately moved closer to her.

"Second sister, the new site for the palace gate has been chosen. It's in Haixi, very close to the sea. We can go to the beach to play anytime then."

"There's a noodle dish over there called satay noodles. It has a unique flavor. Second sister, I'll take you to try it sometime!"

Daiyu's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again. Haixi was so far from the capital; her mother and father would definitely not let her go.

Jia Min smiled and patted Daiyu's head, "Yu'er hasn't finished her apprenticeship yet, so naturally she should learn diligently from Zishang."

Daiyu exclaimed with delight, "Mother!"

Jia Min looked at Daiyu with loving eyes, "You must study hard. In the future, you will get a title like your master, and your marriage will naturally be in your own hands."

Daiyu was only seven years old after all, and she didn't care much about the engagement.

What makes her even happier is that she can continue to learn what she loves.

If one can continue learning weapon crafting, then naturally one won't neglect medical skills and martial arts either.

Looking at Daiyu, who could not hide her joy, Jia Min felt a pang of emotion.

"But you must promise your mother that you must return to the capital every year for the New Year."

After meeting Gong Zishang, Jia Min and Lin Ruhai discussed many times in private what kind of life Yu'er should live.

If she were to marry into a wealthy or scholarly family in the future, she would surely be confined to the mansion. Having already experienced the freedom of the world, would Yu'er be able to adapt to such a life?

If, like Yue'er, she were to marry into a martial arts family, Yu'er would love poetry and literature, while most martial artists are not literate. If the couple couldn't even communicate, how could they possibly have a happy marriage?

The couple discussed it for a long time but couldn't reach a conclusion.

So they decided that since Daiyu now liked weapon crafting, she should learn it.

When it comes to choosing a husband in the future, if the other party does not like Yu'er's behavior, it means that the two have different views and there is no need to get married.

If they can't find someone who is compatible with Yu'er, then they can give her more family wealth to rely on, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to establish a female household in the future.

After thinking it through, Jia Min and Lin Ruhai decided to stop restricting Daiyu's behavior.

As long as the Lin family and the palace gates exist, no one will dare to ridicule Daiyu for these matters.

When Jia Min looked at Qingyu, who was equally excited, she immediately stopped smiling.

"Qingyu can't go out anymore. You're five years old now, it's time for your education."

Qingyu was dumbfounded.

Daiyu laughed so hard she bent over when she saw him.

But Qingyu quickly returned to normal. It's okay, he can't go out, but Brother Xiaoxue can come and find him.

Little Xue's brother will bring him lots of fun and delicious things. In the future, when his martial arts skills improve, the Lin family's guards will naturally be unable to stop him.

The carriage stopped, and Daiyu and Qingyu's faces fell at the same time.

Seeing the siblings' faces instantly turn sour, Jia Min said, "I know you don't want to come to the Jia family, and I don't want to come either."

"But today is your maternal grandmother's 70th birthday, so we can't not come."

Qingyu frowned and said, "Mother, I heard everything from my brother-in-law. A year ago, when he came to the Jia family, that strange cousin Baoyu even tried to extort his jade pendant!"

"I've only been learning martial arts from Brother Xiaoxue for half a year. What if he tries to extort money from me?"

Jia Min smiled and tapped her son's forehead. "Don't worry, he can't extort you."

Qingyu looked at Jia Min with confusion, while Daiyu's expression was somewhat strange.

That's why they couldn't extort money from him, right? The magical jade was slammed into the wall by his brother-in-law's palm.

What are the servants of the Jia family doing? Don't they clean the house regularly? They haven't discovered its existence for a year.

Fortunately, nothing bad happened to Jia Baoyu that year; otherwise, even if Grandmother Jia was afraid of Gong Yuanzheng, she probably would have come knocking on his door.

Seeing that Jia Min didn't say anything, Qingyu didn't press for details and got off the carriage with Daiyu and Jia Min.

From afar, they could see the palace carriage slowly approaching. Qingyu couldn't wait any longer, so she used her lightness skill to head towards the carriage.

"Big sister, brother-in-law!"

Gong Yuanzheng jumped down from the carriage, caught Qingyu with great skill, and held him in his arms.

"You've gotten even stronger in the last few days."

Gong Yuanzheng in the painting looks more mature. In just one year, his aura has changed a lot, and he even looks a lot like Gong Shangjiao.

Gong Zishang glanced at Gong Yuanzheng beside her, then at Gong Yuanzheng in the painting, and felt a pang of emotion.

Working alongside Shangjiao, Yuanzheng's younger brother has really grown a lot.

It makes sense. How could Yuanzheng's younger brother not grow up quickly when a new intelligence system needs to be established and maintained?

Gong Zishang stroked his chin, feeling a little regretful that he hadn't seen the changes in himself and Da Xue.

Within a year, she had gone from being a princess to having a noble title, so she figured her life would be even more carefree.

Seeing Xue Gongzi's bright smile out of the corner of her eye, Gong Zishang couldn't resist teasing him again.

"Little Xue, the new location for the palace gate has been decided! It's in Haixi!"

Young Master Xue's smile remained bright. "Zhi Ren, someone also needs to be in charge of the relocation of the palace gates."

As the two bantered, Jia Min led a large group of younger relatives into the Jia family's gate.

Yuanyang was already waiting at the door, looking at Jia Min and the others with a big smile on her face.

"Aunt, the ladies of the Shi family have all arrived. Now, we're just waiting for you."

Jia Min simply responded with a faint "yes" and gestured for Yuanyang to lead the way.

When she reached the entrance of Rongxi Hall, she suddenly stopped, her brows furrowing slightly as she looked at Gong Yuanzheng. "Is Baoyu inside?"

Just as Yuanyang was about to answer, she heard Gong Yuanzheng reply, "Mother, he's inside."

Yuanyang was startled. She had inquired about some things in the martial arts world and knew that some masters had better hearing and sight than ordinary people. Could it be that her cousin-in-law was also such a master?

"After you have paid your respects to the old lady, take Qingyu and Baoyu to the front hall."

Gong Yuanzheng readily agreed.

Yuanyang's eyes changed slightly. The old lady's purpose in keeping Baoyu here was very clear. Wasn't Jia Min slapping the old lady in the face by doing this?

She would have to think of a way to tell Grandmother Jia this information first, so that Grandmother Jia could come up with a solution in advance.

In a flash, Yuanyang noticed a cold gaze falling on her.

He looked up and met Gong Yuanzheng's sharp, piercing eyes.

Yuanyang couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, thinking back to the methods this person had used a year ago.

After meeting him, Granny Lai inexplicably developed epilepsy, and a year later, the attacks are becoming more and more frequent.

All thoughts vanished without a trace in an instant.

When Yuanyang led Jia Min into the house, they were immediately greeted warmly by Grandmother Jia.

"Min'er! Come sit here with me! You heartless thing, you wouldn't come here if I didn't invite you!"

Jia Min smiled, ignoring Grandmother Jia's words, and simply pulled Daiyu and Qingyu in front of her.

"Yu'er, Qingyu, come and pay your respects to your grandmother."

Daiyu and Qingyu bowed respectfully.

When Grandmother Jia saw Daiyu, her eyes lit up, and she repeatedly beckoned the two of them to come forward, but Daiyu and Qingyu did not move.

When Jia Baoyu saw Daiyu, he was also a little stunned. This younger sister looked so familiar. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Qingyue stepped forward.

"Grandmother, this is a gift that Yuanzheng and I found for you. Do you like it?"

Grandmother Jia could easily see that Lin Qingyue was deliberately interrupting Baoyu. Her eyes darkened, and just as she was about to say something more, she heard Gong Yuanzheng's voice.

"I've seen my maternal grandmother. It's been a year since I last saw her. I hope she's feeling better."

The smile on Grandmother Jia's face immediately faded. When she met the ambiguous smile in Shanggong Yuanzheng's eyes, Grandmother Jia immediately swallowed back what she was about to say, turned her head away, and pulled the little girl next to her.

"Min'er, this is Xiangyun, your cousin's daughter."

Jia Min's expression also showed some emotion. Having experienced the loss of her parents while still an infant, Jia Min couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

Reaching out, Jia Min pulled Xiangyun to her side, examining the little girl's features with some emotion, "The last time I saw you, you were still an infant, and now you've grown so much."

Shi Xiangyun's attention, however, was on Lin Qingyue and the others.

Her curious gaze swept over Gong Yuanzheng several times, but when she met his cold eyes, she couldn't help but shrink back.

My second brother is right, this cousin-in-law is really scary.

His gaze shifted to Lin Qingyue. "Big Sister Lin, Second Sister Lin, I invited you both to Sister Bao's birthday party last time, why didn't you come?"