ng Qianqian carefully looked at the little one in her arms: "Is this why you argued with your dad?"
Bao Shu nodded and nodded!
"You like , want to be your mother, but your dad doesn’t like and doesn’t want to marry —no wonder he’s so upset."
Treasure Piggy’s little body shook!
Nodded too early... Can shaking my head now still fix it...
Uh, twisted my little neck...
Qing Shuang: Sothing seems off.
...
Lu Yuan sat alone in the Book Pavilion, sulking.
The servants had all hidden far away, terrified of accidentally provoking their master’s wrath.
Footsteps approached, and soone brave enough stepped into the pavilion.
Lu Yuan didn’t even lift his eyelids before recognizing her: "I’ve gone this far to hide, and yet Ama sohow still has her ways."
Ama stopped in front of him, looking down at him from above: "Young Master Ayuan, have you given it any more thought?"
Lu Yuan replied irritably: "You asked just earlier, didn’t you? I already answered."
Ama said, "Madam instructed that I must inquire of Young Master Ayuan ten tis daily. This is only the second ti today."
Lu Yuan turned his face away and said, "I think she’s trying to drive mad."
Ama said, "How else could Madam force Young Master Ayuan into marriage?"
Lu Yuan replied coldly: "I already said I won’t marry."
Ama spoke steadily: "Young Master Ayuan, the Pri Minister is returning soon. He has won greater military achievents in the Western Regions than the Chu Family. Surely, Young Master Ayuan does not believe he can remain unshaken once the Pri Minister returns to court? If only Young Master Ayuan agrees to marry into an alliance with Miaojiang, Miaojiang would beco the most steadfast support for him."
Lu Yuan laughed mockingly: "Ah, so you’re here just at the opportune mont to exploit the situation."
Ama corrected him: "Madam calls it ’delivering coal in the snow.’
Lu Yuan enunciated each word slowly: "Not. Needed. At. All!"
Ama remained calm: "I’ll be back in half an hour."
Lu Yuan closed his eyes briefly. He always put on a look of wanting to kill, but that was rely for show. He rarely truly lost his temper—except for his own mother, who knew exactly how to push his buttons.
"Take your ti on the way out."
Steward Cen stood at the door, beaming cheerfully as he saw Ama off, then hurried inside to kneel before Lu Yuan, letting out a deep sigh: "Grand Commander, this is no way to go on. They’re sent by Madam herself; we can’t use force against them. But if we don’t, being badgered like this seventeen or eighteen tis a day is unbearable!"
Lu Yuan responded icily: "I’m the one suffering. Why are you in such a rush?"
Steward Cen said loyally: "I’m only worried about our Grand Commander’s wellbeing. How about we co up with a solution? Sothing once and for all."
Lu Yuan gave a faint sidelong glance: "You an to kill Ama and her people?"
Steward Cen hurriedly waved his hands: "No, no! Madam’s sent them; an old servant like wouldn’t dare lay a finger on them."
The main issue was those folks were true Miaojiang masters. Even the Jinyi Guards couldn’t beat them—who’d kill whom was anyone’s guess.
Steward Cen chuckled shrewdly: "I do have a plan."
Lu Yuan: "Speak."
Steward Cen shuffled a little closer to Lu Yuan: "If you don’t want to marry the person Madam chose for you, you can pick soone yourself. Once Madam arrives in the Capital City, the deed will already be done, and Madam will have no room to argue."
"Don’t worry about Madam forcing you to divorce your wife and remarry. Watching her son juggle three or four wives and won bicker doesn’t interest Madam."
But seeing her son get dragged straight to the altar? That she’d certainly be capable of.
Without waiting for Lu Yuan to refuse, Steward Cen continued: "It’s just a temporary asure. If you don’t like her, don’t touch her. If we choose soone ourselves, won’t she surely be easy to control?"
...
Steward Cen exited the pavilion, wiping cold sweat off his brow. Being caught between this pair of lunatic mother and son was truly a tornt for an old soul like himself.
"Grand Commander didn’t agree, but he likely understands this is the best course of action unless he’s willing to risk outright conflict with Madam."
"Which... isn’t entirely impossible."
Steward Cen frowned; what a headache!
Regardless of the outco, Steward Cen first set off to help his master find a suitable match. No need for state matchmakers—the Governor Mansion had its own Jinyi Guards, and searching for proper, clean family backgrounds with suitable young won was hardly difficult. They could even trace back eighteen generations!
Two days later, after rigorous screening by Steward Cen, only those portraits left on the table remained.
Underneath each painting were detailed records of family background and birth dates, requiring everything to be transcribed individually.
Steward Cen thought about it and took the roll of paintings to the Book Pavilion.
ng Qianqian had been diligently organizing the second and third floors of the library ever since the fourth floor had been locked after her last visit. She figured the sooner she finished her work here, the sooner she could legitimately ask for the fourth floor’s key.
"Miss ng, are you busy now?"
"Not busy. Does Steward Cen need anything?"
Steward Cen explained the matter of choosing a bride for Lu Yuan.
ng Qianqian asked calmly: "Is Steward Cen asking to help with the transcriptions?"
Steward Cen stared steadily at her, scrutinizing her every expression. After a pause, he replied: "Transcribing is a small matter. Mainly, I’d like Miss ng to help assess the suitability of these young ladies."
ng Qianqian paused briefly: "Whether or not they’re suitable doesn’t seem up to ."
Steward Cen said: "I just asked Yu Zichuan and Qing Shuang earlier. Yu Zichuan only comnted that he didn’t like one with stern eyebrows."
Ah, so it was rely a casual survey.
ng Qianqian politely accepted the task and carefully flipped through the portraits, internally noting how much thought Steward Cen had put into selecting candidates for Lu Yuan.
"Every young lady is wonderful."
Steward Cen grinned and said: "If Miss ng approves, then there couldn’t be a better match. As for the transcription..."
ng Qianqian said: "I’ll handle it."
Steward Cen exclaid with excitent: "Much appreciated to Miss ng!"
Fifteen minutes later, Steward Cen left the pavilion clutching the newly transcribed painting scrolls.
ng Qianqian continued organizing the library.
Unexpectedly, before long, a maidservant from Tinglan Garden arrived: "Miss ng, the Grand Commander wishes to see you."
"For what matter?"
"Unclear. Steward Cen gave sothing to the Grand Commander, who flew into a rage. Afterward, inexplicably, he ordered I summon you."
ng Qianqian set aside the half-organized ancient texts she was working on and followed the maidservant to Lu Yuan’s study.
The scattered painting scrolls had already been picked up and neatly arranged back on the desk.
Lu Yuan’s expression was frosty, showing no sign of having been in a recent outburst.
"Greetings, Grand Commander."
ng Qianqian bowed politely.
Lu Yuan spoke nonchalantly: "According to Steward Cen, these individuals were fielded to based on your ticulous selection?"
Weren’t these picked by Steward Cen?
Lu Yuan said coldly: "Deny it then. Do you suppose I wouldn’t recognize your handwriting?"
ng Qianqian took the bla without hesitation: "Little Nine made a mistake. Little Nine shouldn’t have acted without authorization."
"Infamy surrounds in the Capital City. Everyone avoids like the plague. Are you sure the people in these portraits are genuinely willing to marry ?"
"Grand Commander is the crè de la crè among n—marrying you would be a blessing spanning three lifetis."
"Even this one?"
Lu Yuan tossed her a portrait.
"Of course. Who wouldn’t wish to marry the Grand Commander?" ng Qianqian earnestly continued flattering him while taking the portrait and unfolding it, her eyes widening in shock!
Why was it her own image?!
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