Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 311 Young
"Qinghe is getting married!"

"Yun and Yan have also brought in sons-in-law to live with them."

"This is incredibly joyous news!"

The elderly women of the Pei family were beaming with joy.

After her initial joy, Madam Fang felt a pang of regret: "It's a pity we couldn't witness such a joyous occasion." Madam Li coughed lightly and quickly gave her a meaningful look. Madam Fang then realized she had spoken out of turn and hurt Madam Lu's feelings. Madam Lu, the very grandmother, was the last to know about her granddaughters' weddings.

To deal with the emperor's decree, Pei Qinghe acted swiftly and decisively. To avoid leaks, she kept it a secret from them as well. She understood the logic, but couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Madam Fang quickly tried to salvage the situation with a smile: "Such a joyous occasion, we should certainly hold a banquet to celebrate. Don't you think so, sister-in-law?"

Lu spoke with a sour tone: "The happy occasion was over a month ago! Why are you still holding a banquet! They've all grown up and are very independent. They don't care what we old folks think anymore."

Lady Li's considerations were much more practical: "The Emperor is so angry that he has fallen ill, so it is indeed inappropriate for us to hold a banquet to celebrate. Even if we send out invitations, who would dare to come? We might as well set up a few tables at home and eat and drink by ourselves."

Meng Liulang, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "When will the banquet be held? I'll be there."

Li laughed: "The Beiping army and the Pei family army have close ties, and our Pei family and the Meng family are also good friends. Even if General Liu hadn't asked, we would still have invited them."

Meng Liulang thought to himself, "It's more than just a close family relationship. In a few months, my brother will become a son-in-law of the Pei family, and we'll be one family from now on."

This matter has not been decided yet, so it is not convenient to make it public for the time being.

The following evening, Meng Liulang brought his newlywed wife, Pang Wenniang, to the banquet. Apart from the two of them, there were no outsiders, and the meal was lively and enjoyable. After the banquet, the elderly Li insisted on personally seeing Meng Liulang and his wife off.

Meng Liulang couldn't resist hinting to Li Shi indirectly, "My elder brother was seriously injured and is staying in Liaoxi City to recuperate. Perhaps he will stay in Youzhou from now on."

Whether Li understood or not, she smiled and revealed a lone front tooth.

The astute Pang Wenniang sensed something amiss. After getting into the carriage, she chuckled softly, "Could it be that elder brother wishes to stay with the Pei family army?"

Meng Liulang hummed in agreement, took Pang Wenniang's hand, and whispered, "Just keep this to yourself, and don't let it slip when you go back to your parents' home."

Pang Wenniang smiled and gently nestled into her husband's arms: "Husband and wife are one. Now that I am a member of the Meng family, I will naturally work with you in everything."

Meng Liulang's heart warmed upon hearing this. He stretched out his arms and embraced her tightly: "Wenniang, you are gentle, beautiful, and well-read. It is truly a disservice to you to marry a rough and uncouth man like me."

Pang Wenniang bit her lip and smiled softly: "How could I feel wronged? I've been looking forward to this day for four years."

four years ago?
Meng Liulang was taken aback and looked down at him: "You've known me for a long time?"

How could I not recognize you?

She had always been pampered and sheltered, living a carefree life as a noblewoman. Then, the capital suddenly changed, and the Pang family was first implicated by the Crown Prince, then forced to flee. Those chaotic and precarious days were like the collapse of the heavens and earth for her.

In her panic and fear, she quietly lifted the carriage curtain and saw a handsome and sharp young general brandishing his sword to drive away the bandits.

In that fleeting glimpse, that cold and handsome face was imprinted on her heart.

From that moment on, he was the only one in her girlish dreams. “My mother told me that General Meng Liu had come to propose marriage, and I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep for several nights.” Pang Wenniang blushed as she confessed her feelings, her beautiful eyes filled with tenderness: “Liulang, I have admired you for years, and now I can finally marry you. My dream has come true. You have no idea how happy I am.”

Meng Liulang's face flushed red. Despite having done everything intimately together, he was now more flustered than when he lifted his wife's veil: "You...you really have always loved me? But I never knew any of this. When I went to the Pang family to propose, it was my elder brother who strongly urged me..."

No, how can I say such a blunt truth?

Meng Liulang regretted speaking without thinking and tried his best to make amends: "That's not what I meant. You are a good girl, and I am a brute who only knows how to kill. I am not good enough for you."

Pang Wenniang chuckled softly, tilted her head back and kissed Meng Liulang's chin, nestled close to him, and whispered in his ear, "You don't need to say anything. I know everything about you."

“I know that you admire and like heroes like General Pei. If you hadn’t been so proud and stubborn back then, you should have stayed in Pei Family Village and stayed by General Pei’s side.”

"I respect, admire, and revere General Pei just as much as you do. She protects the people of Youzhou, fights fiercely against the Xiongnu barbarians, and is invincible. She is the blazing sun in your heart. I am not jealous, nor do I dare to hope to replace her. I only hope that you can make a small space for me in your heart. It would be enough for me to be by your side."

Meng Liulang snapped out of his shock and said seriously, "Since you know, I won't hide it from you. I do like Pei Qinghe."

"It's just that we weren't meant to be, and we missed each other long ago. Over the years, I've had regrets, but I haven't regretted it. If I could do it all over again, I would still lead people away from Peijia Village to find my father and brother who were rescued by the Beiping Army."

"Wenniang, I will try my best to be a good husband and treat you well."

Pang Wenniang smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

Happiness belongs to those who know and cherish what they have.

He was the boy hero of her dreams, and now he is the man she will spend her life with.

……

"cousin,"

Empress Zhang Jingwan sat by the bed, holding Emperor Jian'an's hand, and pleaded softly with sobs, "Cousin, open your eyes and look at me, talk to me."

"Don't do this, don't scare me."

The mournful cries, like vines, entwined around him, leaving him nowhere to hide.

He didn't want to see anyone, let alone speak, and he didn't want to hear Pei Qinghe's name.

But Zhang Jingwan kept crying and trying to persuade him: "It's come to this now, cousin, stop thinking about Pei Qinghe. She's ambitious and power-hungry. Otherwise, she would have led troops to Bohai County or received an imperial decree to enter the palace long ago."

“She is by no means a woman content to stay at home. She led troops to fight the Xiongnu barbarians and took the opportunity to occupy Liaoxi. My father told me that the Fanyang army has also surrendered to the Pei family army. Now, the entire Youzhou is hers. It’s only a matter of time before she raises her banner and establishes herself.”

"Cousin, calm down and think clearly. She will become a major threat to the imperial court in the future!"

Emperor Jian'an closed his eyes, his body trembled slightly, and his right hand was clenched into a fist.

Unable to bear it any longer, the loyal eunuch Shen knelt down: "His Majesty is in a bad mood and should rest and recuperate. Your Majesty, please return to your palace to rest. This servant will serve His Majesty here."

Your Majesty, please shut up! Do you want to make the Emperor so angry he vomits to death?
(End of this chapter)