After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 230 Extra Chapter 3: The Auspicious Time Has Arrived (Wen Caifu x Duan Zhuo)

The marriage between Wen Caifu and Duan Zhuo was initially fraught with twists and turns.

Duan Zhuo was turned away by Wen's father and mother on his first visit.

The two of them had a lot of opinions about Duan Zhuo, and even tried to brainwash Wen Caifu, making her believe that she had been deceived by Duan Zhuo's sweet words.

But in fact, Duan Zhuo wasn't a talkative person.

It was simply that we clicked and sensed each other's sincerity.

Duan Zhuo rose from a bandit leader to a rising star in the imperial court, and is now a prominent figure.

To outsiders, this marriage seems like a good one.

However, the two elders of the Wen family were so worried that their hair had almost turned white.

When Duan Zhuo stepped into the Wen family mansion for the third time, the copper bells on the eaves were jingling loudly in the downpour.

He took off his black cloak and handed it to the servant, revealing a crimson official robe embroidered with cloud patterns.

Rainwater slid down his brow bone and into his collar, leaving a dark stain on his collarbone.

"Lord Duan, please return."

Wen's father stood under the eaves, his bamboo-green sleeves fluttering in the breeze.

Behind him, the carved screen faintly revealed the figure of Madam Wen.

Duan Zhuo unfastened the sword from his waist and placed it on the stone steps; the metal struck the blue bricks with a clear, resonant sound.

He suddenly knelt down, his official robe instantly soaked with rainwater: "I joined the bandits at the age of twelve, accepted amnesty at the age of twenty, quelled the rebellion of Prince Qing, and was granted an official position by His Majesty."

He took out three bronze medals from his pocket, raindrops dripping from between his fingers onto the inscriptions that read "Loyalty and Courage".

"This was earned by the younger generation with their lives."

“Uncle Wen, I used to be a bandit. I know that my status is not worthy of Fu’er. So I would like to exchange my military uniform for Fu’er’s wedding attire.”

The crisp sound of a teacup shattering came from behind the screen.

Wen Caifu's moon-white skirt flashed past through the gap, only to be held tightly by Madam Wen.

Duan Zhuo gazed at the winding watermarks, his Adam's apple bobbing: "This junior swears that I will never let Fu'er down in the future."

"If anyone disobeys, I will be torn to pieces; death is no pity."

The downpour intensified, pounding on the banana leaves in the courtyard like war drums. Duan Zhuo remained kneeling in the rain, the cloud patterns on his official robes gleaming from the water.

Wen Caifu suddenly broke free from her mother and rushed out, her embroidered shoes splashing silvery water as she stepped into the puddle.

She took Duan Zhuo's hand and looked up at her father, "Father..."

“I know Father has a problem with him, but Father, if I don’t marry him, I’ll live a life of quiet contemplation.”

"Father, I like him very much."

Seeing the two men's hands entangled, Wen's father suddenly grabbed the door bolt and rushed over.

Duan Zhuo advanced instead of retreating, letting the jujube wood stick strike his shoulder: "Good job, Lord Taishan, you deserve this blow."

He knew why his father had hit him, but he didn't regret it now.

If it weren't for that day, he wouldn't have been able to marry Wen Caifu.

He looked down at the reddened eyes of the person in his arms. "You gave me a jade pendant and said, 'A delicate die inlaid with red beans.' It took me a long time to understand the second half of the sentence."

Wen Caifu suddenly burst out laughing, tears mingling with the rain as they streamed down her face: "Do you know how deep my longing is... You fool, why are you saying all this now?"

Suppressed sobs could be heard coming from behind the screen.

Madam Wen came out clutching a torn handkerchief: "Master, all we want is for Fu'er to live a happy life, don't we? What else do you have to complain about?"

The door latch in Wen's father's hand clattered to the ground.

Duan Zhuo held Wen Caifu tightly, refusing to let go, until Wen's father said in a trembling voice, "The betrothal letter will be delivered tomorrow," at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Next month is an auspicious month for marriage, my good child, get up now."

Madam Wen reached out to help the two of them up, and Duan Zhuo thanked her softly.

Only Wen Caifu heard that deliberately lowered voice.

"So, Father, you were using a ruse."

Wen Caifu was both amused and exasperated, and reached out to slap him.

It wasn't a ploy by her father to suffer in silence; rather, it was because her father was afraid that he would wrong her, so he put on this act.

This made Duan Zhuo understand that she was also a girl with family protecting her.
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(End of extra)

The last epilogue is finished! Xiang Ning's story is complete~ Many things were only briefly mentioned, but it has a very happy ending. Thank you all for your support during this time. I wish Xiang Ning and Pei Yanzhi, and everyone else in the book, a happy and fulfilling life in another world~