After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 283 Cen Mingzhu Chooses a Husband
Cen Mingzhu pouted unhappily and rubbed her handkerchief hard. "Father, it's one thing for outsiders to look down on me, but why do you look down on me too? Even if I can't marry a prince, I don't have to be so pitiful as to submit to a peasant!"
I wouldn't even give a damn about a family like the Yaos, let alone a good-for-nothing brute like him!

Originally, she was in love with the prince and dreamed of marrying him, even if she couldn't be his principal wife. Unfortunately, she was ambushed when she entered the palace and was taken advantage of by a lecherous man from the Yao family, so she had no choice but to compromise.

Everyone seemed to be satisfied with the marriage, but she was unwilling. So she secretly poisoned her fiancé, and on the wedding day, the groom died of the poison before even entering the bridal chamber.

She thought this would give her a chance to marry the prince again, but things were not as simple as she imagined.

After that good-for-nothing Yao died, she was branded as a jinx, unable to marry and forced to stay with the Yao family as a widow.

Cen Mingzhu couldn't stand it and made a scene for half a year before her family helped her break away from the Yao family.

Coming to the border was not her own idea; she was tricked into coming by Cen Yingfan's father.

Cen Yingfan was anxious, angry, and somewhat powerless. His voice rose considerably as he spoke, "Then what else can you do? Stay in the capital and become the subject of everyone's gossip? It was already difficult enough for me to get you out of the Yao family. If you don't want to find a good husband to marry, what else do you want to do?"
Do you really expect those rich and powerful young men from the capital to marry you?

A newlywed widow with a reputation for bringing bad luck to her husbands would be unmarriageable even for a princess, let alone Cen Mingzhu, who was just the daughter of a fifth-rank general.

Cen Mingzhu burst into tears in anger.

Cen Yingfan was also heartbroken. "Here's what we'll do: if you don't like Shen Yi, there are some promising young talents in the military camp. I'll have them come over to talk to you later. You can secretly observe them through the screen and choose one that catches your eye. I'll also be able to thoroughly investigate their backgrounds."

These all take time.

This time, Cen Mingzhu didn't insist, but her interest waned.

Seeing that she remained silent, Cen Yingfan immediately ordered his men to bring over the soldiers he had identified.

Soon, a group of soldiers gathered in the tent, and the pungent smell almost made Cen Mingzhu, who was behind the screen, feel nauseous and vomit.

She was feeling irritable and frustrated when she heard Cen Yingfan's displeased questioning.

"Where's Shen Yi? Why didn't he come?"

Zhu Yixuan hurriedly stepped forward, respectfully clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, "Reporting to the General, Shen Yi and Deputy General Pan went to patrol the border. They set off this morning and have been on their way for half a day."

"What is Pan Wanli doing? Why did he send Shen Yi on patrol?" Cen Yingfan was furious, his brows furrowed.

Zhu Yixuan comforted him understandingly, "This time, Longxia Kingdom retreated five miles, and the border patrol area expanded. I guess Deputy General Pan didn't dare to be careless, so he called Shen Yi away as well. After all, Shen Yi is quick-witted and can be of great use at critical moments."

Zhu Yixuan didn't hold back his praise for Shen Yi, which made Cen Yingfan glance at him a few more times. "What Zhu Baichang said is not without reason. Forget about them. Today, I have called you here to discuss the distribution of supplies."

With the year-end approaching, it's a great joy that our army has forced the enemy to retreat this year. The imperial court has provided ample provisions, so the soldiers can have a good meal. In a moment, report the number of soldiers in your respective camps, and also mention any special circumstances. I'll have my men make arrangements.”

"Thank you, General!" The crowd bowed excitedly, and only after they had finished did they turn and leave.

Zhu Yixuan walked at the back, thought for a moment, then turned to Cen Yingfan and said, "General Cen, my family just delivered two large carts of fresh mutton. The goods are temporarily stored in a merchant's shop in the city. May I have someone fetch them to give the brothers an extra meal?" "Oh? Where is your home?" Cen Yingfan asked leisurely.

Zhu Yixuan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "My family is from Zhaohua County, Lizhou, and belongs to the Zhu family, one of the three major families in Zhaohua County."

Cen Yingfan nodded in satisfaction, "Okay, you can have someone bring the items in with my token."

Zhu Yixuan quickly thanked him and left.

As soon as the person left, Cen Yingfan immediately called out Cen Mingzhu from behind the screen and shook his head regretfully. "Originally, your father favored Shen Yi, but Shen Yi has gone to patrol the border and will probably not be back for another ten or twenty days. You two are destined to be apart, so let's just give up. What do you think of Zhu Yixuan?"

While Zhu Yixuan was speaking, Cen Mingzhu had already carefully observed him. "Father, this person is outstanding in his speech, manners, and conduct. If you ask me, I naturally have nothing to say. But what is the background of this Zhu family in Zhaohua County, Lizhou?"

It's said to be one of the three major families, which sounds impressive, but it's nothing compared to the powerful families in the capital.

Upon hearing this, Cen Yingfan knew that his daughter was still satisfied with Zhu Yixuan, but her old problem had resurfaced, causing her a headache.

“Our Cen family only started to rise to prominence with your grandfather’s generation. Father’s position is already the most powerful in the Cen family. In terms of family wealth, we can’t compare with them at all. If the Zhu family has a good foundation, it would be a good choice. At least Lizhou is far from the capital, so we don’t have to worry about gossip spreading there.”

With her father around, she wasn't afraid of her husband's family disrespecting her. Now that she thought about it, Zhu Yixuan was indeed better than Shen Yi.

Cen Yingfan felt increasingly fortunate as he thought about it, feeling as if even God was on his side.

However, just to be on the safe side, we should still send someone to Lizhou to investigate thoroughly. Remember that Shen Yi and Zhu Yixuan are from the same hometown, so we should investigate them together as well.

Cen Yingfan acted swiftly, sending people to Lizhou the very next day.

Over the next few days, Cen Mingzhu met several more potential husbands, but none of them were as good as Zhu Yixuan. In the end, she accepted her father's choice.

On New Year's Eve, the soldiers in the barracks enjoyed a hearty feast of fish and meat.

Shen Dagou returned from gathering information in other camps, and his expression was somewhat off.

"What's wrong? Who bullied you?" Ye An asked with concern.

Shen Dagou sat down dejectedly. "Nobody bullies me, but it seems like everyone bullies us! I saw that the other tents are eating really well. They have fish, meat, and some wine. Zhu Yixuan's tent even has mutton. We only have nothing. We only got some bones with meat on them, and that's it."

"This is too much! How can they bully people like this?" Ye An was indignant, feeling that even the bones in his hand didn't taste good anymore.

He wanted to confront someone, but Song Yongnian stopped him, saying, "Shen Yi isn't here. Don't make any rash moves, lest you cause him trouble."

“Yes, yes, yes! I heard that woman is still in General Cen’s tent. Making trouble at this time will easily attract her attention. We have to be patient and wait for Shen Yi to come back before we talk about it,” Su Sheng advised anxiously.

In the past, he would have jumped up like Ye An, but ever since he learned of Cen Mingzhu's existence, he has kept quiet.