How could an ordinary rich family know the complexity and danger behind a noble's hegemony? They could only see the power and influence on the surface.
For this servant, every time he came to the Prince's Mansion, he was not qualified to enter. It was difficult to even see one of these three, let alone three at once, and at such a close distance.
The majestic Prince Yong's voice was deep and resonant. His imposing manner, coupled with his thick black cloak, made him even more imposing. He was the ever-victorious commander-in-chief on the battlefield and held the power to decide the life and death of the entire Southern Province!
Sitting in a wheelchair, Meng Shanming looked thin, but his eyes were sharp. His gaze was as sharp as a knife, making those who were timid tremble in fear. This was the "Yan Shan Ming" of the "Yan Shan Ming, Qi Wuhen" sung by the common people!
The calm and unhurried Lan Ruoting's eyes occasionally revealed an awe-inspiring dignity. This man was in charge of the Southern Province's government affairs, and all the local officials of Southern Province were in his hands.
The servant's mouth was dry. Seeing these three, he was excited and nervous, standing next to his Young Master, feeling honored!
After exchanging pleasantries, Shang Chaozong patted Fu Junlan's back, turned the servant around, and gestured, "Come, let's talk inside."
The servant watched as Fu Junlan and Shang Chaozong walked side by side up the stairs, his mouth still unable to close …
After entering the Prince's Mansion, Fu Junlan drank tea in the living room, looking a little reserved. Meng Shanming didn't accompany her, and only Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting were present, but it still gave her a great pressure.
Even though Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting appeared to be close to the common people, and didn't put on any airs, the ups and downs they had experienced, and the status they had immersed themselves in for a long time made it hard for a commoner like Fu Junlan to act natural. This was an insurmountable chasm that couldn't be avoided when one's status was completely crushed.
In front of these two people, Fu Junlan couldn't find any feeling of being on equal footing with them. It was a feeling that she couldn't even reach, so she could only be a yes-man.
Facing these two people was not as natural as facing Shang Shuqing. Shang Shuqing was intelligent and could take care of Qu Ying's state of mind. He could grasp Qu Ying perfectly.
As for Shang Chaozong, he couldn't find a common topic with Fu Junlan at all. However, he couldn't just dismiss her with just a few sentences. He was afraid that she would look down on him or think that he was putting on airs. He could only find something to talk about.
He could only lower his tone as much as possible and ask about trivial things, such as how his family was and how they were doing!
Actually, Shang Chaozong himself was feeling uneasy, but he still had to pretend to be easygoing, trying his best not to make others feel disgusted.
For his sister's marriage, Shang Chaozong had done his best.
After asking about a mess of things, Shang Chaozong really couldn't find anything to talk about. He raised his hand and patted his forehead, "Almost forgot. Junlan and Qing-er have an appointment. Qing-er seems to have something with her sister-in-law. Junlan, wait a moment. I will help you call her out. "
When he stood up, Fu Junlan, whose butt was leaning against the chair, quickly stood up as well. How would she dare to be impolite?
Shang Chaozong reached out his hand and gestured for him to continue sitting and drinking tea. When he turned around to leave, he gave a look to Lan Ruoting.
Lan Ruoting apologized to Fu Junlan and followed him out.
Fu Junlan, who was a little nervous to the point that her mouth was dry, then opened the teacup and drank a few mouthfuls of tea.
The maid in the room had good eyesight and was used to serving others. When she saw the angle of the teacup tilted to her mouth, she immediately went forward to serve and opened the teacup to pour tea for Fu Junlan.
Even if it was a maid of the Wang residence, Fu Junlan didn't dare to do anything wrong. She quickly stood up and expressed her gratitude.
The maid pursed her lips into a smile and replied politely, "Young Master Fu need not be so courteous. This is what this servant should do."
The servants in the residence were the most talkative so how would they not know that this was the future son-in-law of the Wang residence. Didn't they see that the Prince and Mister Lan were personally accompanying him?
Outside, Lan Ruoting followed them to the eaves at the side. Shang Chaozong turned around and whispered in his ear for a while.
After Lan Ruoting understood, he nodded his head repeatedly, "Prince rest assured, I know."
Shang Chaozong strode away and Lan Ruoting quickly returned to the hall.
When she saw him enter, Fu Junlan quickly stood up again. Lan Ruoting smiled from ear to ear and gestured with his hand, "Please sit, please sit. Young Master Fu, please sit and have some tea."
The restless Fu Junlan could only stiffly sit back down. She only dared to sit back down after Lan Ruoting had sat down as well.
The maid then brought Lan Ruoting's teacup to the table where Lan Ruoting had just sat down.
Lan Ruoting gestured with her hand. The maidservant understood and immediately retreated.
Now that there were no outsiders, Lan Ruoting smiled amiably and said, "I had some matters to attend to just now and have kept Young Master Fu waiting."
Fu Junlan hurriedly said, "It wasn't long, it wasn't long. Mister Lan is busy with official business. If you have something important to attend to, you don't have to worry about this student. This student doesn't dare to disturb you. Allow this student to do as he pleases. "
"Eh, it wasn't a bother, I just happened to be free." Lan Ruoting chuckled and waved his hand. After taking a sip of tea from the teacup, he also asked about family affairs.
Fu Junlan didn't dare to not answer and replied in a standard manner.
After asking about family affairs, Lan Ruoting asked about his hobbies and what he was good at.
In fact, these questions didn't need to be asked. The other party's hobbies and habits had long been neatly listed on his desk. He already knew them clearly.
However, the intention of his questions seemed to reveal that he was making some arrangements. It seemed that he was considering what official position he would arrange for Fu Junlan. This made Fu Junlan a little nervous.
After asking about the other party's family and personal situation for a while, Lan Ruoting finally asked about the matters between men and women. "Young Master and the Princess have been together for a period of time. What's your impression of the Princess?"
Fu Junlan replied, "The Princess is intelligent. She is proficient in the four arts. She is a rare talented woman. This student admires her."
Lan Ruoting leaned forward slightly. "Then what's your family's impression of the Princess?"
Fu Junlan replied in a standard manner, "She has the demeanor of a noble family and is a lady from a prestigious family. They praise her endlessly!"
"Haha, that's good. That's good." Lan Ruoting smiled. He held the teacup to conceal his slyness. He put down the teacup and coughed dryly. "Young Master Fu, there's something that I don't know if I should say."
Fu Junlan hurriedly said, "Mr. Lan, please speak your mind. I'm all ears."
Lan Ruoting's fingers lightly tapped on the tea table for a while. He deliberated over his words. "Young Master Fu, it's like this. A straightforward person doesn't resort to insinuations. You and the Princess have been together for a long time. If you continue to be like this, it's easy to attract gossip. Shouldn't you make a decision on some matters?"
"Make a decision?" Fu Junlan was nervous and didn't understand what he meant. He cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me."
"Yes!" Lan Ruoting patted his thigh and leaned closer. "Young Master is a smart person. How can you be so muddle-headed at this time? In the Prince's Mansion, the Prince and the Princess have high hopes for you. Since you and your family also have high hopes for the Princess, then some matters should be settled as soon as possible. The Princess and Young Master are not young anymore. They can't continue to fool around like this. What do you think? "
"Uh …" Fu Junlan suddenly came to her senses. She finally understood what he meant. The marriage was about to get down to business. She immediately said timidly, "Yes, yes, yes."
Lan Ruoting asked, "What is it?"
Fu Junlan hurriedly changed her words. "Okay, okay, okay."
"Hey, you." Lan Ruoting looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He once again made it clear. "Young Master Fu, the Princess is a girl. The Princess is getting married. You can't let the girl speak first, can you? Do you want others to mistakenly think that the Prince is using his power to oppress others? Or that the Princess is shamelessly marrying you? There is no such logic! Young Master, as the groom, you should take the initiative. The matchmaking and betrothal gifts should be done first, right? "
Fu Junlan was a little embarrassed. She hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, okay."
In fact, she was a little hesitant in her heart. If the Prince's Mansion didn't make an official statement, who would dare to come and propose?
"What's good about it?" Lan Ruoting stared at her and said, "Young Master Fu, what do you mean? Can't you say it clearly so that the Prince's Mansion can make preparations?"
Fu Junlan was not stupid. She knew that this was the Prince's Mansion's official statement. She immediately said clearly, "Okay, I will go back and inform the elders in my family to handle this matter."
Lan Ruoting smiled and said, "That's right!"
In fact, this was Shang Chaozong's idea. When Niu Youdao came back, Shang Chaozong was a little anxious.
Originally, there was no hurry. They had already investigated the situation of Fu Junlan's several generations of ancestors and thoroughly investigated Fu Junlan. After confirming that there were no problems, the war in the west had begun again. At this time, the army was secretly on guard, so it didn't seem too appropriate to hold a wedding.
After so long, it did not make a difference. Shang Chaozong originally wanted to wait until the situation had stabilized before holding his sister's wedding.
Who would have thought that Niu Youdao would suddenly come back, and the people of Thatched Cottage would have to stay in Nanzhou Prefecture for a long time.
Some things could be hidden for a while, but they could not be hidden for long. At that time, with Shang Shuqing's personality, there was no telling what trouble he would cause.
Forced by the situation, Shang Chaozong was indeed a commander on the battlefield. He made a prompt decision to get married as soon as possible. Previously, this was the instruction he gave to Lan Ruoting outside.
When Lan Ruoting said that he was right, Fu Junlan immediately got up to leave and went to inform the elders of the family.
Lan Ruoting really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He quickly got up and pulled him back, "Young Master Fu, there's no need to rush. Didn't you already have an appointment with the princess? How can you break it so easily? It won't be too late to go back and report to the elders after the appointment with the princess, right?"
Fu Junlan, "Yes, yes, yes. I was being silly."
Lan Ruoting extended his hand and invited him back to continue drinking tea, "Young Master Fu, there's no need to rush. The Prince has already invited the princess. The princess should be here soon. Don't be impatient."
"No need to rush, no need to rush." Fu Junlan smiled apologetically and picked up his tea to hide his embarrassment.
…
In the depths of the Prince's Mansion, Feng Ruonan, who had sent away all the relevant maids, pretended that there was no one to help take care of the child and pulled Shang Shuqing to help.
After helping for a while, Shang Shuqing saw that the appointed time with Fu Junlan was almost up. He wanted to go but was stopped by Feng Ruonan. She said that when Fu Junlan arrived, the servants would naturally report to her. In reality, she was afraid that Shang Chaozong hadn't settled the matter and that Shang Shuqing would bump into the arrival of the people from the Thatched Cottage.
After interacting with Fu Junlan for a while, Shang Shuqing knew that Fu Junlan wouldn't break the appointment. Seeing that the time was up and there was still no servant to report to him, he wanted to go and take a look several times but was stopped by Feng Ruonan.
Seeing that he couldn't delay it any longer, a cough sounded. Shang Chaozong had arrived. The couple exchanged glances and Feng Ruonan felt relieved. She knew that her task was completed!
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