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

The polo match concluded successfully, and the ladies, accompanied by their personal maids, departed one by one in carriages.

After parting ways with Li Shu, Jiang Shuwan went straight back to the Grand Princess's residence.

Jiang Shuwan hadn't ridden a horse in a long time, and after riding for a while today, she felt tired. She washed up and went to bed early to rest.

***

"What do you mean, 'become a concubine'?!"

Lin Ruoqing had just returned from the polo club when she was invited to a small courtyard, where she looked at the woman sitting and drinking tea with a shocked expression.

Ye frowned, feeling that the woman in front of her was easily startled, which made her impression of her even worse.

"What, do you think you're worthy of being Erlang's legal wife?"

Ye's tone was full of sarcasm, and Lin Ruoqing was furious. It was the same words again. Today she had heard countless people belittling her status. They were just like Ye, with disdain in their eyes and tone. Was it something she could decide to be born into a low-class family?

Who wouldn't want to be born into a prestigious family!

Ye didn't want to get entangled with her any further, so she bluntly said, "If you don't want to repeat what happened last time, then you'd better behave yourself. You won't be this lucky every time."

Lin Ruoqing's pupils contracted slightly. Could it be that the assassination attempt she suffered last time was...?

He Zhilin hadn't told Lin Ruoqing that the assassin was from the Huian Marquis's mansion, so she didn't know.

"Think about it carefully, but my patience is limited."

After finishing her speech, Ye stood up haughtily.

"By the way, I don't want Erlang to know that we've met."

After finishing her sentence, Ye left without looking back.

Lin Ruoqing seemed to have lost all her strength and collapsed to the ground.

Her family background was ordinary. Her father had finally passed the imperial examination and worked diligently for more than ten years before his superiors noticed him and transferred him to the capital.

Little did she know that in the capital, every three steps she took was filled with powerful figures and imperial relatives. She proceeded with extreme caution until one day she encountered He Zhilin.

Unlike other young masters in the capital, he was a gentleman, polite, and gentle. The two quickly became acquainted and began to express their feelings for each other.

A few months ago, she heard that He Zhilin's fiancée was going back to Beijing. She heard that his fiancée was the daughter of a marquis and the granddaughter of the current Grand Princess, and was of noble birth.

Later, Lin Ruoqing thought, "So what if I'm of noble birth? In the end, Erlang still likes me. I've always been beautiful and refined since I was a child. Everyone who has seen me praises my beauty. The daughter of a marquis must be of ordinary appearance, otherwise why would Erlang like her?"

She was completely wrong. Jiang Shuwan was not only a stunning beauty, but her demeanor also made her feel ashamed.

No!

Lin Ruoqing could give up everything, but she couldn't let go of He Zhilin. As long as she could stay by He Zhilin's side, what did it matter if she was a concubine? As long as Erlang had her in his heart, Erlang could make her a secondary wife, or even the principal wife.

After making up her mind, she went to find He Zhilin.

After He Zhilin finished his business, his attendant reported that Lin Ruoqing wanted to see him.

He Zhilin rubbed his forehead.

Lately, for some reason, he has been having some strange dreams. In his dreams, many people are shrouded in mist and he can't see them clearly, but he can sense that the place he is dreaming of is the Huian Marquis's mansion.

My mother has been putting pressure on me lately, and I genuinely want to marry Lin Ruoqing.

Never mind, let's meet the person first.

He Zhilin arrived at the place Lin Ruoqing had arranged to meet.

There were few people here, and they had met here many times before without anyone noticing.

Lin Ruoqing's eyes were red and swollen from crying, and even though she tried to hide it, it was still noticeable if you looked closely.

He Zhilin looked at her with concern, "Ruoqing, what's wrong with you?"

Lin Ruoqing smiled at him, "It's nothing, just some sand in my eyes."

"That's good."

He Zhilin believed it.

Lin Ruoqing called out with a conflicted expression, "Brother Lin..."

He Zhilin asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"You said you would marry me."

"I promise you I will marry you officially, but it's not the right time yet."

He Zhilin had been arguing with his parents about this for many days. He had never really rebelled against his parents before.

Lin Ruoqing quickly said, "No, no, no, I know you've already worked very hard for us. I don't want to see you in a difficult position. As long as I can stay by your side, I don't care about our status."

It took He Zhilin a moment to understand what she meant.

"How could I possibly let you become my concubine!"

He Zhilin refused without even thinking about it.

Seeing his decisive refusal warmed Lin Ruoqing's heart, and she said affectionately, "Brother Lin, I'm willing. I'm willing to do anything for you."

“But I am unwilling. Ruoqing, please wait a little longer. As long as I do a good job this time, I can ask the Emperor for a marriage decree.”

In He Zhilin's heart, she was the woman he loved, and he would never wrong her.

Lin Ruoqing was tempted. If she could be the principal wife, who would want to be a concubine?

"Brother Lin, I believe you."

At this time, Huianbo and Ye Shi were not present. If they had heard their own son say such things, they would probably have been so angry that they would have attacked him.

***

April arrived in the blink of an eye, and as the weather grew warmer, Jiang Shuwan's wedding drew ever closer.

Since the last time Gu Shi and Dongping Hou had a dispute over the dowry, the two had not seen each other for a long time.

Du Mama tried her best to persuade Gu Shi to back down and let the matter rest, but Gu Shi refused.

When Jiang Shurou found out, she tried to comfort her mother, saying that her mother was the best person to her in the world.

"Mother, I heard that you and Father haven't seen each other for a long time?"

Madam Gu said angrily, "Which gossipy person has come to you with their rumors!"

Jiang Shurou comforted her, "I found out about Mother myself; no one was talking about it to me."

"Rou'er, you're still too young to understand."

Madam Gu was feeling troubled, but since her daughter was not yet married, there were many things she could not say to her.

"Daughter doesn't understand anything, but daughter wants her mother and father to be like before, and for our family to live in harmony."

Hearing her daughter's words, Madam Gu's resolve wavered.

"My sister is getting married soon. How are the dowry preparations going?"

Jiang Shurou, staying at home, knew that the Gu family had no intention of preparing a dowry for Jiang Shuwan.

Gu said sarcastically, "Now that you are a princess, how could you possibly look down on the dowry I prepared?"

Jiang Shurou advised, "Mother, although my sister was raised by Grandmother, she is still your daughter. If outsiders find out that you didn't prepare a dowry for her, they don't know how they will ridicule you."

How could Madam Gu not have thought of this? But she was always proud and wanted Jiang Shuwan to speak up for her, but who knew that Jiang Shuwan was also a tough nut to crack!

"You're so understanding as a younger sister, as an older sister..."

Gu didn't finish her sentence, but her attitude said it all.

When Jiang Shurou arrived, Madam Gu looked unwell, but when she left, a smile appeared on her face.

Jiang Shurou felt that her mother was getting worse and worse, but her father treated her too well, making her feel no sense of crisis at all.