Chapter 819: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 819: Together (4)
Given Xiao Ruiyuan’s military achievements, his status in the army, and his connection with Chu Heng, the likelihood of being executed for defying the imperial order was low. At most, he would lose his position and title.
In the future, when Chu Heng ascended to power, Xiao Ruiyuan would have his own place, so he didn’t need to worry too much.
Mo Yan, on the other hand, had too many people to consider. If Emperor Hui’an targeted her, her concern for her family would make it impossible for her to defy his orders.
Even if Xue Tuanzi used the Dream Inducing Technique to subtly suggest to Emperor Hui’an in his dreams to abandon the marriage plan, it might not succeed. After all, Emperor Hui’an was a monarch with the pride of a ruler, and he wasn’t a fool. Using the technique on him could provoke him instead and might backfire. It would be best to avoid it unless absolutely necessary.
After discussing for a long time, the two still couldn’t come up with a perfect solution. For now, they could only take things one step at a time.
That evening, after dinner at the Mo family’s house, Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t leave as usual.
Mo Yan, holding a pot of freshly brewed Yunwu tea, said to Mo Qingze, “Father, I have something to discuss with you. Let’s go to the study.”
Seeing that Xiao Ruiyuan hadn’t left, Mo Qingze felt something was off. When he heard his daughter’s words, he vaguely guessed what was going on. He looked at Xiao Ruiyuan standing beside Mo Yan and nodded, getting up to walk toward the study.
“I’ll carry it!” Xiao Ruiyuan took the tea tray with one hand, while his other hand tightly held Mo Yan’s hand.
Mo Yan ignored the curious glances from others and held Xiao Ruiyuan’s hand in return, smiling as she looked up at him. “Let’s go!”
Watching the surprisingly harmonious figures of the two, the others were left in stunned silence. It wasn’t until they were out of sight that the twelve-year-old Xin’er, looking dazed, asked Tang Xin, “What’s going on with my sister... and Big Brother Xiao? How could she be holding hands with a man?”
Tang Xin rubbed her eyes, muttering, “I don’t know, I really don’t know!”
Zhen’er clapped his hands excitedly and said, “I know, I know! Big Brother Xiao must be going to be my sister’s husband!”
“How do you know?” Xin’er and the others asked in unison. Even the youngest, Sheng’er, understood what a “brother-in-law” meant, and looked at Zhen’er in surprise.
Zhen’er grinned smugly, resting his arm on Yun Zhao’s shoulder. “Some people in the school secretly read romantic novels. I borrowed one and flipped through a few pages, and it said so...”
“Cough, cough...” Before Zhen’er could finish her sentence, Yun Zhao’s cough interrupted her. Seeing all eyes on him, Yun Zhao remained composed and said, “Don’t listen to him. Romantic novels aren’t allowed in the school. If the teacher finds out, we’d get a hand slap!”
Upon hearing this, Zhen’er quickly realized her mistake and hurriedly agreed, “Yes, yes! Romantic novels aren’t allowed in the school. I was just fooling around with you guys!”
Romantic novels were about love stories between talented men and beautiful women, and they were popular among students. However, the Zhizhi Hall was very strict. Most of the students were around ten years old and not mature enough, so the school prohibited them from bringing such books in, fearing they might be negatively influenced.
If the teacher found out, not only would they be punished, but their parents would also be notified. Once their parents knew, they would definitely be in big trouble.
“Really?” Xin’er was a little skeptical. “But you clearly said you’d read a romantic novel. How did you know Big Brother Xiao was going to be our brother-in-law, then?”
Mo Qingze was strict with Zhen’er and Yun Zhao and didn’t allow any romantic novels in the house.
Zhen’er quickly nodded, “Really, really. Otherwise, would I have said that? Big Brother Xiao wouldn’t have held my sister’s hand if he wasn’t planning to be our brother-in-law, right? And my sister wouldn’t have let him hold her hand if she didn’t want it!”
Before Xin’er could say anything else, Li Xiu intervened to save Zhen’er, “Alright, alright. The most important thing now is whether Big Brother Xiao can be your brother-in-law. Do you all want that?”
“Yes!” the four of them said in unison, their voices loud and clear. In their eyes, Big Brother Xiao might appear cold, but every time he came over, he brought them gifts they liked. That showed he was thoughtful. After all, a busy general wouldn’t put so much thought into such small gifts unless he truly cared.
A trace of a smile appeared in Li Xiu’s eyes, though her face still showed concern. “But it seems like Master Mo doesn’t like Lord Xiao. The last two times Lord Xiao came over, Master Mo seemed very indifferent.”
The four little ones frowned when they heard this.
Zhen’er’s eyes lit up with an idea and she whispered, “How about we sneak outside the study and listen in? If Father doesn’t agree, we can go inside and plead with Big Brother Xiao!”
The other three brightened up and nodded in agreement. “Yes, let’s do that!”
The four little ones, like little mice, quietly sneaked to the window of the study, eager to listen to the conversation inside...
(The End of This Chapter)
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