The daily life of a cold and aloof general raising his wife

Knowing that Xie Huai'an came from a humble background, the Emperor bestowed a large mansion upon him and also presented him with a great deal of gold, silver and jewels as betrothal gifts. Xie Huai'an delivered these gifts to the Grand Princess's residence the next day.

Xie Huai'an was dressed in a black outfit, with a tall and slender figure, and exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.

The Grand Princess was helped by her maid to the front hall.

Upon hearing the voice, Xie Huai'an bowed to the Grand Princess.

"Your subject Xie Huai'an pays respects to the Grand Princess."

The Grand Princess raised an eyebrow slightly after getting a clear look at Xie Huai'an.

Yesterday, when I saw Xie Huai'an at the palace, he had a full black beard, but I never expected that his face under the black beard would be so handsome.

"General Xie, please don't stand on ceremony. From now on, we're all family."

"Yes."

After performing the ceremony, Xie Huai'an stood properly.

"They say the people below say you've come today to propose marriage?"

"Yes."

After Xie Huai'an finished speaking, he handed over the list of betrothal gifts.

The maidservant went forward to take it and then placed it on the table next to the Grand Princess.

Xie Huai'an replied sincerely, "These are all gifts from the Emperor. As a commoner, I don't have much gold or silver on me. My salary over the years has been stored at the border. I have already sent someone to retrieve it and included it all in the betrothal gifts."

The Grand Princess didn't look at the betrothal gift list. She stared at Xie Huai'an and said, "I've heard a bit about your affairs. I don't care about these material things. I only wish that my Wan'er can live a safe and smooth life."

Xie Huai'an cupped his hands and guaranteed, "Your subject guarantees that he will only have the princess as his wife in this lifetime, and will never take a concubine."

The Grand Princess did not expect him to say that.

"Is this true?"

Xie Huai'an's voice was firm and powerful: "A man's word is his bond."

The Grand Princess looked at him with satisfaction, "I believe in you, and I hope you will not disappoint me."

As soon as Jiang Shuwan arrived, she heard Xie Huai'an promising his grandmother that he would never take a concubine in his life. She stood outside the door, unsure whether to go in or back out.

Feiyue and Feiyun, the two maids, exchanged knowing glances when they heard what their future son-in-law said.

The Grand Princess saw Jiang Shuwan and called out, "Wan'er."

Jiang Shuwan lifted her skirt and entered the room, then bowed with her eyes lowered, saying, "Greetings, Grandmother."

"General Xie has never been to the Grand Princess's residence before. Why don't you show him around?"

The Grand Princess wanted the two of them to get to know each other better.

Jiang Shuwan naturally knew what her grandmother meant.

Jiang Shuwan led Xie Huai'an to the back garden.

Watching the two young people's backs, the Grand Princess felt they were a perfect match. She had initially been dissatisfied with the marriage, but now all her dissatisfaction had vanished.

Jiang Shuwan led the way, and Xie Huai'an stood just two steps away from her. Although they were married, they could not cross that line.

Feiyue and Feiyun followed about ten steps away from the two.

The two remained silent as they walked, and Jiang Shuwan spotted a pavilion not far away.

"This princess invites General Xie to have a cup of tea."

"Alright."

Xie Huai'an had never felt that the two of them could walk so awkwardly before, but he did today.

The two arrived at the pavilion. Jiang Shuwan asked Feiyun to prepare tea, while Feiyue stood guard outside the pavilion.

Jiang Shuwan then dared to look up at Xie Huai'an, and their eyes met.

The two of them then simultaneously looked away from each other.

Jiang Shuwan felt her cheeks getting slightly hot.

Xie Huai'an's complexion appeared normal, but his slightly red ear tips betrayed him.

If either of them had looked at the other, they would have noticed something was wrong, but unfortunately neither of them dared to.

Silence

Feiyun, accompanied by two maids, served tea and snacks before leaving.

After taking a couple of sips of tea, Xie Huai'an, feeling less nervous, said, "After the wedding, I may have to return to the border to take up a post."

Jiang Shuwan: "I know."

Xie Huai'an hesitated for a moment before speaking: "My biological father died early and I was raised by my mother. Later, my mother remarried and had a son and a daughter. My stepfather treated my mother and me very well."

Jiang Shuwan was somewhat surprised. She only knew that Xie Huai'an came from an ordinary family and knew nothing else. She didn't expect him to tell her these things.

"Don't worry, I will respect my elders and be filial to them."

Xie Huai'an was honest with her, and Jiang Shuwan assured him that she would treat his family well and would not look down on them because of her good background.

Xie Huai'an originally thought that telling Jiang Shuwan about his background would earn her disdain, but he did not expect her to say such a thing.

Xie Huai'an stood up, cupped his hands, and promised, "Your Highness has been wronged by marrying me. I will never let you down in the future."

Jiang Shuwan smiled and said, "I hope General Xie will not forget what I said today."

"Never forget it for the rest of my life."

The two sat in the pavilion for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before returning to the front hall. After bidding farewell to the Grand Princess, Xie Huai'an left the Grand Princess's residence.

The Grand Princess was very pleased to know from the expressions on the two young people's faces that they got along well.

The wedding date is set for early May, and it's already past February. In just over two months, time is running out.

The Grand Princess gathered skilled embroiderers to embroider Jiang Shuwan's wedding dress, and the Grand Princess's residence has been bustling with activity lately.

After Feiyue and Feiyun met Xie Huai'an, their hostility towards him lessened.

In Feiyun's words, the son-in-law and her daughter are a perfect match, both in terms of talent and looks.

Jiang Shuwan had previously promised to invite the noble ladies of the capital to go on an outing, and now that the weather wasn't so cold and the grass was just turning green, she wrote out invitations to them to play polo, chuiwan, and touhu.

Jiang Shuwan invited only noble ladies with whom she had a good relationship.

After receiving the invitation, Li Shu went to see the Empress. After the Empress agreed, she happily chose the dress to wear on the day of the outing.

***

The day of the visit was sunny and clear.

Jiang Shuwan was dressed in a green outfit, while Li Shu was dressed in a red outfit; the two looked very eye-catching standing together.

Because it was a polo match, some of the ladies brought their friends, so there were quite a few ladies here today.

Li Shu finally got to go out and have some fun, so once she had enough people, she mounted a horse and started playing polo with them.

Jiang Shuwan then greeted the noble ladies who had come.

A woman in a pink dress walked up to Jiang Shuwan and saw that she had a bright smile on her face. She said with a smile, "I was worried about you when I heard that the Emperor had bestowed a marriage upon you a few days ago. Now it seems that I was worrying too much."

The speaker was Song Wenying, the granddaughter of the Imperial Tutor. She had a gentle personality and a good relationship with Jiang Shuwan.

Jiang Shuwan took her hand and said, "Thank you for still thinking of me."

As the two were chatting happily, Jiang Shuwan looked up and saw Jiang Shurou walking towards her in a moon-white dress.

Song Wenying whispered, "Why is she here?"

She and Jiang Shuwan had known each other since childhood, so she naturally knew that Jiang Shuwan and Jiang Shurou were not close. She didn't believe that Jiang Shuwan had sent the invitation.

"I don't know, it's okay, you go do your thing," Jiang Shuwan said to Song Wenyin with a smile.

Not wanting to stay, Song Wenyin said, "Then I'll go play pitch-pot."

Jiang Shuwan smiled and nodded, "Go ahead."

Jiang Shurou said with a smile, "Why didn't you send me an invitation when you organized your first trip back to Beijing?"

"What's the use of coming down or not? You've already shown up uninvited."