PFC Chapter 069: You Want to Marry My Mother?
Chapter 069: You Want to Marry My Mother?
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, he secretly slipped up to the watchtower and carefully examined the wolf skin.
That's right, it was her uncle who gave her... the black wolf pelt that the original owner had given her.
The black wolf was found by my uncle at the foot of Luoxia Mountain. It was covered in wounds and on the verge of death. My uncle didn't recognize the wolf and thought it was an old hunting dog abandoned by its owner. Feeling sorry for it, he took it back to the general's mansion and asked Physician Jiang to treat it.
It lived in the general's mansion for more than half a year, allowing its injuries to heal to almost complete. The uncle disliked life in the capital and wanted to venture into the world. Before leaving, he took it to a separate courtyard and gave it to its original owner, who was less than two years old.
The wolf was even more loyal than a dog. It remembered its uncle's instructions and protected the original owner every step of the way. It was also the original owner's first friend, often carrying her around the yard.
When the original owner was five years old, someone set fire to her room under the cover of night. It was the dog that discovered it in time, grabbed her clothes, and dragged her out of the room.
The scab on its back was left from that time.
It was sick, very sick, and every night it would howl at the moon. Just then, its uncle came back to visit and told the original owner that it wasn't an old hunting dog, but a wolf.
Like fallen leaves returning to their roots, it longs to return to the mountains that nurtured it.
The original owner held it and cried all night before sending it onto the carriage back to Lin County.
The driver was the steward of a village in a neighboring county. His name was Lu Yong, and his ancestral home was Luoxia Mountain. He promised his uncle that he would definitely send the old wolf back to the mountains.
The old wolf returned, but he had turned into a wolf skin, which was hung on the watchtower of Luoxia Mountain.
Lu Zhiyuan clenched her fists; she would help the original owner find out about Old Wolf.
With a burst of music, the village chief returned from the foot of the mountain to fetch the bride. Dressed in red and green, he was surrounded by the villagers. The first person Lu Zhiyuan saw was not the village chief, but Scarface, who had changed into new clothes and stood to the right rear of the village chief.
Perhaps sensing Lu Zhiyuan's gaze, she looked up and glanced at her. The moment their eyes met, her brows furrowed.
He told her to leave.
He grabbed the flagpole and slid down to the ground.
I looked up and my eyes met that face.
"The sister who gave us the clothes said it was wolf skin. I'd never seen it before, so I went up to take a look out of curiosity."
"Curiosity killed the cat," Scarface said coolly. "Don't run around, or you'll get yourself into trouble."
"Then I'll follow you." He grabbed Scarface's clothes, smiling innocently.
Upon arriving at the main hall, they just happened to see the bride alighting from her sedan chair. Seeing her back, Lu Zhiyuan's brow twitched. When she confirmed the bride was indeed her mother, the scarred man pinned her to the spot. Her mother acted strangely, her movements as she tied the love knot for the groom were extremely stiff.
Her gaze fell on the groom and she paused again—Lu Yong, the steward of the country estate.
With each thread threaded, the matchmaker beside her would call out—
May our bond last forever.
The second time, he wore white hair that reached his eyebrows.
Three times the fortune is blessed with many descendants.
Four times... "Wear your big head, you big dummy!"
On the fourth call, a smelly shoe flew over and hit the matchmaker on the head.
Xie Chaoyun, who was tying the love knot, was startled. Her previously stiff gaze gradually softened and cleared. She turned around, her eyes locking onto Lu Zhiyuan, and then she flew into a rage, grabbing Lu Yong by the throat. "What do you want to do to my daughter?"
The knot of love, not yet properly tied, lay flat on the ground. Lu Yong's face was pale, and his gaze fell on his and Xie Chaoyun's bright red wedding attire, revealing a trace of regret.
"You were so close, so close to becoming my lawfully wedded wife."
"You're insane! I'm your mistress!" Xie Chaoyun's fingers tightened, her eyes filled with coldness. "I've treated you well, and the Lu family has treated you even better. Why are you acting like this?"
"Is it wrong for me to want to marry you?" Lu Yong remained unmoved, looking into Xie Chaoyun's eyes: "I wanted to marry you the first time I saw you! We share the same surname, I met you before Lu Huai, and I saved you, so why is he the only one in your eyes and heart? Yunniang, what is it about me that I lack compared to him?"
Xie Chaoyun looked at him suspiciously: "You saved me?"
"On the Qingzhou River, it was I who saved you, it was I who carried you into the local temple." Lu Yong laughed, his eyes filled with mockery. "You should have been my wife, but because of my poor background, he took you away for nothing. If Yunniang doesn't believe me, you can open my collar and take a look. You asked me about that birthmark."
Xie Chaoyun loosened her grip slightly and looked at Lu Yong's neck. Beneath the bright red collar, a patch of light brown was visible.
"Do you see clearly? I'm the one who saved you, and I should have been the one to pledge my life to you." He took the opportunity to grasp Xie Chaoyun's hand: "What he can give you, I can give you too. It's just the six ministries coming to congratulate you! Look, the side hall is full of their congratulatory gifts."
The villagers dispersed, revealing items displayed in the side hall. The ministries of the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Justice, and the Garrison Command were all open, revealing nothing but gold and silver jewels. However, the Ministry of Works was conspicuously absent. The Minister of Works was advanced in years, and the ministry's affairs were mostly managed by two vice-ministers. One of them was unmarried, and the other had only a son and no daughters, but his elder brother had a niece of similar age to Lu Zhiyuan.
In a flash of inspiration, he instantly realized that the person they wanted to abduct was the niece of the Vice Minister of Works, and they needed to gather the support of all six ministries to summon a congratulatory gift.
He touched his ear and said loudly, "You really went to a lot of trouble. In order to compete with my father, you did not hesitate to kidnap the families of officials from the Six Ministries and use the ransom as a congratulatory gift."
"Do you think I'm very clever?" Lu Yong's eyes were filled with madness. "Look at all this gold and silver jewelry. How much more than your father did when he married your mother? I didn't want to provoke the Xie family, but since you've come, it must be fate. Don't worry, I will never let your mother down like your father did. I know they treat you badly, but I will treat you as my own son."
"Treat him like your own son? You think you can?" Lu Zhiyuan sneered. "No matter how bad my father is, he's still the Marquis of Pingnan. What can you give me? This mountain stronghold?"
"Of course not, how could I bear to let your mother live in a place like this?" Her madness turned into obsession: "I made a deal with the Southern Chu people. In seven days at most, the capital will be in chaos. At that time, the Southern Chu people will take over the imperial city, and I, as a great contributor to Southern Chu, will be ennobled and appointed as a general. If you like the identity of the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Pingnan, I can also become the Marquis of Pingnan. Nothing will change. No, it will be better, because I will do a better job than your father and will not let your mother suffer the slightest grievance."
“But my mother doesn’t like you. If you force her to marry you, you’ll only make her suffer.” Pushing through the crowd, she walked up to Lu Yong and said, “You’re not qualified to marry my mother.”
"If I'm not qualified, who is?" Lu Yong stretched out his hands: "You are Yunniang's child, I won't hold it against you. Be good, sit over there and observe the ceremony properly."
"Yuan'er, don't be afraid!" Xie Chaoyun shielded her daughter behind her: "Lu Yong, don't make another mistake."
"The wedding continues." Lu Yong grabbed Xie Chaoyun's hand and pushed Lu Zhiyuan aside: "I was being lenient with you just now. Did you really think you could escape from here? I know you're wary of me, and I know what you want to do."
His other hand traced her face: "I've given you the most potent poison in the world. Even if you wake up, you won't be able to escape from me. Don't believe me? Try circulating your internal energy and see if you still have the strength to refuse me."
Xie Chaoyun gathered her strength, her body went limp, and she was embraced tightly by Lu Yong.
The matchmaker picked up the love knot that had fallen to the ground, took Xie Chaoyun's hand, and tied it on Lu Yong's head.