The Du Family Snatches a Groom

At Young Master Han's shout, many of the men fighting over him paused.

What? Young Master Han already had someone in his heart?

If that was the case, even dragging him home would do them no good, and they would waste their chance to snatch another young master.

For a moment, many of them hesitated.

Just then, two burly servants hurriedly took Young Master Han by the arms and whispered, "We're from the Du Family, son-in-law. Come with us!"

Han Yucheng's eyes lit up, but he still had his doubts. "Are you really from the Du Residence?"

One of them hastily replied, "Rest assured, son-in-law! Our young lady saw you from the bookshop just now, and that's why she sent us to snatch you!"

Only then did Han Yucheng relax and prepare to leave with them.

To his surprise, the other men vying for him refused to accept this and kept their grip on his arms.

"They must be lying! Whichever family snatches him gets him as their son-in-law!"

"Exactly! A fine young man like Young Master Han would make the perfect son-in-law for our family!"

"All of you, get away! Stop fighting our family for him!"

Seeing how sought-after her eldest maternal uncle was, Chu Siqing could not help breaking into a nervous sweat for him.

Her eldest uncle already had a sweetheart. What would happen if another family snatched him away to be their son-in-law?

Seeing his elder brother being tugged about by the arms, Han Nanxing hurriedly handed his little niece to his sister and squeezed forward to help Han Yucheng.

The Du Family's two burly servants were no pushovers either. As they fought for their son-in-law, they did not forget to curse the others.

"You shameless lot! What are you snatching him for? We already told you Young Master Han is our Du Family's son-in-law!"

"That's right! Young Master Han is already spoken for. Let go!"

Hearing this, Han Nanxing's eyes darted as an idea struck him. He told the guards from Prince Yu's Residence, "Pull the others away and let my elder brother leave with the Du Family's men!"

Princess Yu added, "Do as Nanxing says!"

So Han Nanxing and the guards worked together to pull away the other families' burly servants.

The two men from the Du Family seized their chance. Taking one side each, they hoisted Han Yucheng clean off the ground and made to carry him back to their residence.

Seeing the duck almost in their grasp about to fly away, the other families' men grew frantic and tried to give chase.

Han Nanxing and the guards blocked them with all their might, finally allowing the Du Family's men to escape.

Only once Young Master Han had vanished from sight did the men snatching a groom disperse in disappointment, ready to seize the next Presented Scholar.

Princess Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Yucheng had not been snatched away by another family, or what followed would have been troublesome.

Han Nanxing limped back to his sister.

Seeing that her second uncle's sleeve had been ripped open, exposing part of his arm, Chu Siqing could not help giggling to herself.

"Someone stomped on my feet several times back there," Han Nanxing complained. "They still hurt!"

He lifted his sleeve, now torn into strips, and lamented to his sister, "What will people on the street think when they see me looking so disheveled?"

Chu Siqing burst into giggles and said in her babyish voice, "Second Uncle... shame, shame..."

Han Nanxing pinched his little niece's cheek. "You little imp."

Princess Yu could not suppress her laughter either. "Nanxing, you really put in a great deal of effort this time. Your elder brother must thank you properly later."

She glanced around and spotted a ready-made clothing shop nearby. "Nanxing, there's a clothing shop over there. I'll take you to buy a fresh outfit first, then we'll hurry home."

Han Nanxing beamed. "My sister treats me best."

They went to the clothing shop first so Han Nanxing could change, then hurried to the Earl of Ningyuan's residence.

Once home, Han Nanxing could not wait to give the Earl of Ningyuan the good news. "Father, Elder Brother took Fourth Place!"

The Earl of Ningyuan had been waiting at home for quite some time. Joy rose to his brows, though he still could scarcely believe it and asked again, "Fourth Place-the top rank in the second tier?"

Han Nanxing nodded emphatically. "That's right! Elder Brother did brilliantly!"

The Earl of Ningyuan immediately exclaimed in excitement, "Yucheng has brought glory to our family!"

Having learned her lesson last time, Madam Wang agreed, "Yes, our eldest has always stood out above the rest."

The siblings Han Wenyuan and Han Xiangning were there too, their faces full of delight, and both offered a few pleasant words.

The Earl of Ningyuan was just about to tell his youngest children to make something of themselves like their eldest brother when he suddenly realized his eldest son had not returned.

He hurriedly asked his eldest daughter, "Wanqing, where is Yucheng?"

Han Nanxing immediately cut in. "The people from the Du Residence snatched Elder Brother away!"

His second son's abrupt remark left the Earl of Ningyuan utterly bewildered.

What did he mean, snatched away?

Princess Yu explained, "Father, I haven't had a chance to tell you yet. Yucheng is going to marry Miss Du."

Before the Earl of Ningyuan could answer, Madam Wang blurted out, "When did this happen? I didn't even know..."

Princess Yu gave her a displeased glance, then continued addressing the Earl of Ningyuan. "Father, as you know, the Capital has a longstanding custom of Snatching Sons-in-Law from the List. Since Yucheng took Fourth Place, so many families sent burly servants to seize him as their son-in-law."

Han Nanxing shared in his brother's glory. "Father, you have no idea how sought-after Elder Brother was! When I tried to stop those men, they even tore my sleeve apart. Eldest Sister just bought me the outfit I'm wearing now..."

The Earl of Ningyuan's head swam as he listened, and he interrupted, "Wait. Let me hear your sister first."

The two younger children, Han Wenyuan and Han Xiangning, listened with great fascination, tugging at their second brother and peppering him with questions.

"Really? Second Brother, that many people were fighting over Eldest Brother?"

"Second Brother, are you making this up? How could they possibly tear your sleeve?"

Seeing that they did not believe him, Han Nanxing hurriedly drew his little niece to his side to bear witness.

After every statement, he asked Chu Siqing, "Second Uncle is telling the truth, isn't he?"

Chu Siqing would nod or answer in her babyish voice, "Mm-hmm," "Yes," or "That's right."

Han Wenyuan and Han Xiangning were young and had never witnessed such a grand spectacle. Both listened, utterly enthralled.

Meanwhile, the Earl of Ningyuan asked his eldest daughter, "Which Miss Du is she?"

Princess Yu replied, "The second daughter of Lord Du, the Minister of Justice."

The Earl of Ningyuan was both surprised and delighted. "I know Lord Du's character well enough," he said approvingly. "His daughter surely cannot be anything but fine!"

"That was my thought too," Princess Yu said with a smile. "We were in the teahouse when Yucheng looked outside and caught Second Miss Du's eye. They took a liking to each other, so the Du Residence sent men to snatch him."

The Earl of Ningyuan clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "Then this is an excellent match indeed."

Princess Yu said, "Father, Yucheng is still at the Du Residence. If Mother takes a pair of gold hairpins to Miss Du, the marriage will be settled."

The Earl of Ningyuan nodded and was about to give Madam Wang instructions when she suddenly said, "My lord, isn't it a little hasty to settle our eldest's marriage just like this?"