Before Eloping

After leaving, Qiao'er and Xing'er hurried back to their young lady's chamber.

An Yuzhi, who had been sitting in a chair, immediately stood up and anxiously asked, "What did my brother call you over to discuss?"

"Young Lady, don't worry. Xing'er and I didn't say much about you. The young master still doesn't know." Qiao'er comforted her, her smiling face carrying a hint of pride at having done well.

An Yuzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xing'er frowned almost imperceptibly and could not help saying, "Young Lady, is it really all right to hide this from the young master? If he finds out, he'll definitely be very angry." When answering the young master earlier, she had not dared to say too much, so she had only revealed part of the truth. That way, if the young master learned of it later, her responsibility would be lessened.

An Yuzhi was somewhat displeased by her words. "He must not find out."

She instinctively wanted to hide it from An Ziran. Especially after learning that he had settled her marriage with that prince from Prince Fu's Manor, the thought had only grown stronger.

"Xing'er, you're worrying too much. Even if the young master finds out afterward, could he really punish Young Lady? Once Young Lady marries into Prince Fu's Manor, she'll be the future princess consort. Who would dare bully her then?" Qiao'er said with a smug expression.

Seeing this, Xing'er helplessly shook her head.

Neither of them noticed the troubled expression on An Yuzhi's face.

Three days later, the wedding date was finally set for the seventeenth day of the fourth month. It was an auspicious day, suitable for marriage and promising wealth and great fortune. Since the manor's only elder was a little addled in the head, Fu Wutian handled the marriage arrangements himself. On the fourth day, the manor's betrothal gifts were sent in a grand procession to the An Family.

The residence they lived in was no longer rented. An Ziran had later spent several thousand taels to buy it, turning it into one of the An Family's properties. That way, the An Family's legitimate young lady would not have to marry from a rented residence, giving malicious people something to gossip about.

The marriage between the An Family and Prince Fu's Manor had already spread throughout Gentlemen City, causing a tremendous stir.

The War God's reputation was illustrious. Ever since Fu Wutian had led the generals and soldiers back in triumph, many people had wanted to see the War God's true face and heroic bearing for themselves. However, Fu Wutian rarely appeared in public. Even when he returned to the capital over a month ago, he had ridden on horseback wearing a mask. Thus, aside from a small number of people, almost no one knew what he looked like.

As a result, many rumors appeared in Gentlemen City, mostly speculating about his appearance and recounting his achievements and battles at the frontier. Now that people heard he was getting married, it caused an even greater sensation than the emperor's selection of consorts.

Fu Chong, the emperor of Da Ya, was also alerted. Da Ya's War God, his own nephew, was getting married, yet he, the emperor, had not even known about it. So that very night, he summoned Fu Wutian to the palace.

The names of the royal family's daughters-in-law had to be entered into the ancestral registry before they could be recognized. They also needed the emperor's approval. In other words, the emperor controlled their marriages and could only allow them to marry those he appointed; otherwise, they could not take wives as they pleased.

In the emperor's eyes, Fu Wutian's marriage was more valuable than those of his own sons.

Although Fu Wutian had only returned to the capital for a month, the emperor had mentioned his marriage more than once. He had once considered marrying a minister's daughter to him, but later abandoned the idea because of certain matters. That did not mean he had given up.

If Fu Wutian were marrying a concubine, he would not say anything. But the position of princess consort was different. A mere landlord's daughter wanted to climb into the royal family? Absolutely impossible!

The emperor's anger quickly subsided.

Although Fu Wutian was his nephew, he commanded heavy troops and had fought for over a decade. His prestige in the army was even greater than the emperor's. What the emperor feared most was that if Fu Wutian did not want to do something, even an imperial order could not make him do it. Not to mention that he had an old grandfather who behaved without the dignity of his age and had an unpredictable temperament.

Old Prince Fu was the emperor's uncle. He possessed the Dragon-Whipping Rod bestowed by the late emperor and had the authority to supervise the emperor. Although he had not attended court for a long time due to illness, his authority remained. Whenever he flew into a rage, even the emperor himself had to give way.

Fu Wutian took his grandfather on a trip around the palace, and the emperor no longer had any ideas. He could only acknowledge the marriage agreement Old Prince Fu had made years ago.

Only seven short days remained until the seventeenth day of the fourth month.

Just as everyone in Gentlemen City was discussing this marriage, An Yuzhi panicked.

Tomorrow, she would flee the marriage...