Chapter 222

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Upon hearing these words, An Wang revealed a satisfied smile on his face; he nodded lightly, a self-satisfied glint flashing in his eyes. Then he slowly extended his hand and carefully withdrew a bright yellow imperial edict from his bosom. This edict seemed to exude a mysterious and solemn aura, drawing everyone's gazes.

Seeing this, An Wangfei hurriedly rose and stepped forward, receiving the edict respectfully with both hands. She placed it gently on the table before them, and then gathered around together with the others, curiously watching this decree that symbolized imperial authority.

Worried that the others might not see the characters on the edict clearly, Yan Shuang'er, who was standing to the side, voluntarily stepped forward and said softly, "Let me read it aloud for everyone." Having spoken, she bowed slightly, carefully unfolded the edict, and began to read it aloud in a clear and pleasant voice.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Ping Junwang Yan Si is gifted by nature, handsome in appearance, and has established illustrious merit in the trade between the two nations; while Dongying Princess Shangguan Xingyu is beautiful without and wise within, possessing both talent and looks. These two are truly a match made in heaven, therefore We specially bestow upon them a joyous union, selecting an auspicious day for their marriage. Receive this decree!"

After Yan Shuang'er finished reading, the originally quiet room instantly became extraordinarily lively. Qianqian and Yan Jie were excited like two little birds, chattering incessantly.

Yan Jie said with a face full of admiration, "As expected, Father is still amazing — once he acts, there's nothing that can't be accomplished!"

Qianqian also nodded repeatedly in agreement, "Exactly, exactly, our Father is the most incredible!"

Then they began to imagine the scene of Yan Si's wedding. Yan Jie shouted impatiently, "Great! When Second Brother gets married, we'll get to eat sweet wedding candy!"

Qianqian was even happier, clapping her hands: "Right, right, not only wedding candy, there'll definitely be lots of delicious braised pork knuckles too! Just thinking about it makes me so happy!"

Just then, An Wangfei called out loudly, "Chunxi!" A crisp reply came: "Your Servant is here!" An Wangfei then instructed, "Go quickly to the kitchen and check how the meal preparations are coming along, then send someone to notify Si'er, just say the meal is almost ready, tell him to hurry back." Chunxi hastily acknowledged, "Yes!" Before her voice fell, she had already rushed out of the courtyard with hurried steps.

At this moment, Wangfei's courtyard was extraordinarily lively. Wangfei was seen discussing enthusiastically with Yan Shuang'er the items needed for the wedding, the two speaking back and forth, very cheerful; on the other side, Qianqian was heatedly discussing the wedding day menu with Yan Jie, sometimes laughing, sometimes whispering, the atmosphere extremely harmonious.

Time passed unnoticed, and after a while Yan Si finally returned. Simultaneously, the exquisite dishes meticulously prepared in the kitchen were all completed. Thus everyone went together to the dining hall to enjoy the feast.

At the dining table, everyone ate and chatted, joyfully harmonious. An Wangfei wore a smile, turned her head to look at Yan Si and said, "Si'er ah, the imperial edict has been successfully obtained; after the meal, go take a look at it, alright?"

Yan Si hurriedly nodded in agreement, "Alright Mother, many thanks to Father Wang and Mother Fei for worrying over this matter." Hearing this, Wangfei waved her hand lightly, smiling as she chided, "With us, do you still need to be this polite! This afternoon, Shuang'er and I specially went to calculate and reckon an auspicious day for your wedding. We calculated three days total: the first is May 20th, which is actually less than a month from now — such a short deadline truly makes one feel the urgency of time!

If we rush, I fear preparations won't be thorough, and then people might think we don't value Yu'er enough. The third day, August 16th, is indeed quite distant — the time span is too long, who knows how many variables will arise in between! After deep consideration, Mother believes the most suitable is June 8th.

However, the final decision ultimately rests in your hands. What do you think? Why not record these three days one by one, then send a letter to Yu'er to ask her own wishes?"

Hearing this, Yan Si hurriedly replied, "Mother Fei has considered things truly comprehensively, down to the smallest detail! After the meal, your child will immediately set about writing this letter." Seeing her son so sensible and obedient, Wangfei couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile, and nodded slightly in approval.

Before long, everyone finished their meals and returned to their respective rooms to rest. Yan Si, however, turned back to his own room and began writing the letter.

The next morning, sunlight fell through the window lattice into the room. Yan Jie went to Shangshufang as usual to continue his lessons. On the other side, the sleepy-eyed Qianqian woke leisurely; after a simple wash and tidy-up, she ate a few bites of breakfast at random, then hurried off to find Yue Yi to spar and exchange skills.

Simultaneously, Wangfei came to Wufangyuan in a leisurely manner, but at this moment only Yan Shuang'er sat there quietly alone in the garden.

Wangfei smiled at Shuang'er and said, "Shuang'er ah, how about we go out for a stroll, buy some things needed for the wedding?" Yan Shuang'er considered for a moment and replied, "Mother, if only the two of us go, and Qianqian finds out we didn't bring her, I'm afraid she'll be sulky. Why not wait until Qianqian finishes sparring and go together?"

Wangfei nodded after hearing this, expressing agreement, "Mm, you're right. Then I'll return to my room to rest a bit; after Qianqian tidies up properly, remember to send someone to inform me." Yan Shuang'er acknowledged, "Alright, Mother, please rest assured." With that, Wangfei turned and left.

At this moment, Qianqian was in the training grounds, locked in a fierce, evenly matched bout with Yue Yi. She was drenched in sweat, yet her eyes remained sharp, her moves swift and powerful. Yue Yi, for his part, concentrated fully on countering Qianqian's fierce offensive, not daring the slightest slackness.

Time flew by; after about an hour, Qianqian finally stopped, panting heavily. After the intense contest, Yue Yi also felt somewhat exhausted.

He secretly marveled: Qianqian's martial arts were advancing daily, her strength growing ever greater — she was no longer like before, when he could easily dodge her attacks; now he sometimes couldn't even guess where her next fist would strike.

After the spar ended, Qianqian raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and said to Yue Yi, "Brother Yue Yi, let's stop here for today; we'll fight again tomorrow!"

Yue Yi smiled and replied, "Alright, Miss rest well, conserve your strength, looking forward to an even more spectacular showdown tomorrow." With that, the two each turned and left the training grounds.

Back in her room, Qianqian was already soaked through from the intense exercise just now; the sticky feeling made her very uncomfortable. So she hurriedly ordered her personal maid Mantou to quickly bring hot water, preparing to bathe comfortably and wash away the fatigue and sweat.