For a moment, Lin Qingyuan felt that the noisy crowd around him disappeared, leaving only him and the smiling beauty alone.
Lin Qingyuan fell into a daze. When others saw this, they noisily turned their head and called him: "Master Zhuangyuan is here, why should we be afraid? Compiler Lin, please come and help!"
Lin Qingyuan quickly recovered his mind. He secretly smiled at himself, laughing at his sudden strangeness. Suppressing the throbbing in his heart, Lin Qingyuan waved his hand resolutely: "No. Since eldest Miss Cheng has said so, how can I still be impetuous?"
Everyone roared: "Lin Zhuangyuan's scholarly talent is top-notch. I don't remember you backing off from debating with others before. Why are you so humble today?"
Lin Qingyuan's cheeks were a little red, but he couldn't lose his bearing in front of so many people. He said: "I am also a person with a younger sister. I can sympathize with eldest Miss Cheng's sincere feeling and don't want to overstep."
Seeing that Lin Qingyuan refused to help, the crowd was disappointed and went to find another helper noisily. Seeing them gone, Lin Qingyuan secretly sighed in relief. But when his nerve had just relaxed, he suddenly felt a shiver, and a chill ran along his spine. Lin Qingyuan quickly turned around and saw a person standing at the gate. The aura around the man was out of sync with the festivity at this place. Without showing any particular emotion on his face, he stared at Lin Qingyuan with a deep gaze.
Seeing his friend was here, Lin Qingyuan should feel relieved. Still, for an unknown reason, the nervousness as of being stared by something dangerous did not dissipate in the slightest, but became more obvious instead. Lin Qingyuan put on a smile and waved to the newly-came person: "Jingxing, why are you here?"
Other people in the courtyard were busy trying to pick up the bride, and most of them didn't notice Cheng Yuanjing's arrival. Cheng Yuanjing slowly walked on the pathway. He looked at Lin Qingyuan quietly and said: "This is Cheng family's manor. Why cannot I come?"
Lin Qingyuan was startled. What happened to Cheng Yuanjing? Although this man was indifferent, he wasn't arrogant and had a good sense of courtesy. Normally, Cheng Yuanjing would not be so rude.
Lin Qingyuan didn't put it into heart. He thought that Cheng Yuanjing simply didn't like crowds, so his temper was a bit irritable today. Lin Qingyuan smiled brightly and said: "Jingxing, it's a pity that you didn't help to block the gate earlier. Otherwise, how can those people break in so easily..."
When a man took a bride, it was natural that he would get blocked by his in-law family, and the new son-in-law couldn't get angry either. If the bride has many uncles and brothers, the groom would have to please them one by one. The male relatives were still okay, because female relatives were much fiercer when dealing with a new son-in-law. Sometimes they would even use a broom and rolling pin to beat the welcoming team. Asking some literary questions like Cheng Yujin did now was truly nothing.
Cheng Yuanjing didn't bother himself with today's wedding. He didn't even show his face. But just now, his servant reported that the welcoming team had arrived at the second miss' boudoir and was making trouble there. Cheng Yuanjing knew that with Cheng Yujin's character, she would never make trouble at her own initiative. Still, it wouldn't good if some of the men brashly charged in and collided with her.
Cheng Yuanjing couldn't help but worry about Cheng Yujin, so he went to the new bride's courtyard. Who ever thought that he would witness such a scene the moment he arrived?
Among the crowd, Cheng Yujin raised her head, and her gaze fell on Lin Qingyuan accurately. She smiled at him sweetly and even spoke with a plea of intimacy. On top of that, Cheng Yuanjing could see clearly how Lin Qingyuan fell into a daze.
Cheng Yuanjing was very sure that at this moment, Lin Qingyuan's heart was moved. Cheng Yujin wanted to marry Lin Qingyuan, and Lin Qingyuan himself gradually sank into her temptation. The man had the feeling, and the woman had the intention. Others would praise them for being a match made in heaven. What else could prevent them from forming a marriage tie?
At this moment, Cheng Yuanjing was like a lion king whose territory was being invaded. The cold aura around him was so dense that it almost visible. Cheng Yujin was busy buying time for the bride inside and didn't notice that Cheng Yuanjing was here.
Huo family and Yichun Marquis manor were not at the same level. Huo Changyuan himself had a promising career in the military, and the welcoming team he invited today were all young talents with good looks. In contrast, the Cheng family had no one to show off. Therefore, at the gate just now, it was very easy for Huo Changyuan and his team to break the blockade. The welcoming team saw how the Cheng family's men were defeated so easily, and they became so excited that they even felt that the bride-welcoming had already succeeded. Who thought that in the last pass, at the door of the new bride's boudoir, they would be blocked by the bride's sister, the eldest miss of the Cheng family.
Cheng Yujin stood in front of the door. Her bearing was elegant, her manner was graceful, her posture was unperturbed. But in fact, she wasn't as calm as on the surface. She glanced at the crowd. There, standing in the center, was Huo Changyuan, dressed in red exactly like the memory she saw. But so what? She would never marry him again in this life. Whether Huo Changyuan was dead or alive, was a ghost or human, had nothing to do with her.
When Cheng Yujin saw Huo Changyuan, except for disgust, her mood didn't fluctuate in the slightest. For now, she had to put on an act and buy more time. After glanced briefly at Huo Changyuan, Cheng Yujin no longer paid attention to him, but thoughtfully observed the two people next to the groom.
Weddings and funerals were a major event. Betrothal gift, dowry, and even the guests invited at this day were undoubtedly a symbol of the family's standing and prestige. Consequently, the people Huo Changyuan invited into his welcoming team were also of high standing. Of the two groomsmen that stood by his sides, one was the second-ranked jinshi from the nineteenth year of Jianwu and still considered a relative of the Huo family. The other one, very unexpectedly, turned out to be Duke Cai, Zhai Yanlin.
It was completely different than her previous life. Cheng Yujin was curious, but she was even more vigilant. What did Huo Changyuan do that he could invite a man with Duke Cai's standing into his welcoming team? After thinking hard, Cheng Yujin couldn't figure it out. She could only put the matter down temporarily and tried to find out later.
Although Cheng Yujin was very studious, she was also very aware of her shortcoming. As a woman, she hadn't studied scholarly literature in an orthodox manner. She could only exploit the loopholes by using glib-tongue and word traps. However, this trick was merely enough to fool people like Xu Zhixian but absolutely useless in front of people with a solid academic foundation.
Cheng Yujin successfully stopped Lin Qingyuan temporarily. She then looked at Zhai Yanlin calmly. Zhai Yanlin's lips curled up a bit, as if finding the scene extremely interesting. He was not in a hurry to join in. Cheng Yujin secretly sighed in relief. As long as Lin Qingyuan and Zhai Yanlin didn't interfere, she could hold on for a few rounds.
Cheng Yujin slowly asked question after question. All the questions were from classical literature. However, Cheng Yujin's questions were all unusual, and the answers were very tricky. Rather than testing literature knowledge, they were more like brain twisters.
Zhai Yanlin looked at Cheng Yujin. His gaze was deep with interest. Since the last time he talked with Old Madam Zhai about marrying Cheng Yujin as his second wife, he suddenly became interested in Cheng family's eldest Miss. He only needed to inquire a bit to learn a lot about her. The more Zhai Yanlin knew about this girl, the more curious he was. So, when he heard that Huo Changyuan was inviting people to be his welcoming team, Zhai Yanlin took the initiative to join in.
Duke Cai took the initiative to become Huo Changyuan's groomsman, Huo family absolutely had no reason to refuse. In fact, Zhai Yanlin didn't care much about Huo Changyuan or the future Marchioness. Zhai Yanlin didn't do it for the so-called appreciating Marquis Jingyong's talent or giving him a face. Zhai Yanlin's reason was simple: he was just interested in the bride's sister.
It now seemed that his choice was right.
Zhai Yanlin looked at Cheng Yujin with a smile. He had known before that Cheng Yujin was beautiful. But today, he found out that she was even more stunning when dressed well. Cheng Yujin wore a white blouse with a red auspicious motif on its edge, coupled with a gourd-patterned mamian skirt. Because she was still observing mourning, the color she wore was plain and light, but the meticulous pattern and intricate embroidery motif improved her elegance by several levels.
Her blouse was tucked at the waist, and its corners and cuffs were tidied by a golden thread. Below, there was a beautiful mamian skirt with no wrinkles. Around the knees were embroidered with auspicious red gourds with a sprinkle of golden dust. The embroidery was very neat and beautiful. Standing in front of the door, Cheng Yujin's every movement was so proper and graceful. Both of her hands were clasped on the front. She spoke with clear intonation and unhurried tone, and no one dared to step forward to interrupt.
Some of these young men had no fear in anything and dared to make noise in front of their elders. But standing in front of Cheng Yujin, each of them became very docile and even held back their tongue, showing no sign of the crude loudness just now.
Huo Changyuan looked at the girl standing before him. They were clearly only one step apart, but the distance seemed to be as far as earth and heaven. Since he entered the courtyard, Huo Changyuan hadn't spoken a single word. The jinshi groomsman answered Cheng Yujin's questions one by one. Seeing that she still didn't seem to back off, he began to feel anxious.
The groomsman secretly nudged Huo Changyuan, signaling that the auspicious hour was coming. But Huo Changyuan seemed to be in a trance. His eyes kept staring at Cheng Yujin. The groomsman saw that Huo Changyuan didn't react, and became more and more anxious. He couldn't help saying: "Eldest Miss Cheng, when a man grows up, he has to marry, and so does a woman. Even if you feel reluctant of your sister, you shouldn't guard the door so tight and prevent your sister from coming out, don't you?"
At this moment, Lian Qiao came out from the inner room and whispered something in Cheng Yujin's ear. Cheng Yujin frowned. The room inside was out of order. With so many people, things were placed randomly, and they even lost Cheng Yumo's veil. Now the situation became thorny. Cheng Yujin had come forward and couldn't let people in before everything was ready. But if she tried to delay for too long, these men would lose their patient.
Cheng Yujin quickly concealed her emotion and smiled brightly: "Of course I am not blocking my sister from coming out, but since Marquis Huo wants to marry our Cheng family's daughter, you should show enough sincerity. Marquis Huo, don't you agree?"
Cheng Yujin clearly was making up reason, but who made the men be susceptible to this? Huo Changyuan was somewhat feeling dreamy. He clearly knew that Cheng Yujin simply spoke casually without deeper meaning and that she was very good at maintaining a facade. But nevertheless, Huo Changyuan still couldn't help but feel happy when she moved the topic to himself.
Perhaps, she deliberately made things difficult today to express her displeasure of him breaking off their engagement and married another woman? Thinking of this, the corner of Huo Changyuan's lips curled up instantly. He deliberately ignored the urge from the groomsman and kept looking at Cheng Yujin intently, as if going in and picking Cheng Yumo was no longer mattered to him.
The groomsman didn't know Huo Changyuan's mood at this moment. Because the auspicious hour was almost here, he became anxious and stopped holding back. He no longer showing mercy and quickly answered Cheng Yujin's questions. Inward, Cheng Yujin was also very anxious. No one came to inform her of the situation inside, so she had to bite the bullet and drag for a while before confirming the answer.
Seeing this, the jinshi groomsman frowned: "Eldest Miss Cheng, you are deliberately making things difficult."
Cheng Yujin responded: "Who is making things difficult? Marquis Jingyong is the holder of a nobility title. The groomsmen and welcoming team he invites are all high talents in both martial and literary arts. Is it possible that honored young talents from the court cannot even guess the riddle from a little girl still in the boudoir?"
Hearing this, Zhai Yanlin couldn't hold his laughter. His eyes gleamed, and he no longer concealed his gaze towards Cheng Yujin: "Eldest Miss Cheng is truly a talented girl. Let me try. Eldest Miss Cheng, if you may."
Cheng Yujin broke out in cold sweat. It's over. If Zhai Yanlin came forward, she wouldn't be able to hold on. Cheng Yujin secretly cursed. When a servant girl came forward, Zhai Yanlin and the others also saw it. He must guess that Cheng Yujin was stalling time for a reason. So far, he was watching silently without interfering. One was because he didn't want to compete with young people, and one was to give a face to Cheng Yujin. Why did he suddenly decide to come forward?
Cheng Yujin sighed. No matter what, she had to hold on. Cheng Yujin frantically searched for the most tricky question in her memory. If she didn't read the answer beforehand, even she couldn't guess the answer. However, after Cheng Yujin gave the question, Zhai Yanlin only contemplated a little before quickly said three answers in succession, with the third answer being the right one.
Cheng Yujin's eyebrows slightly moved. When the jinshi groomsman saw this, he immediately rushed forward: "Eldest Miss Cheng, we have guessed all your questions. You no longer have a reason to stop us, right?"
Seeing the groomsman rushed forward, other people in the welcoming team also quickly followed. Cheng Yujin was caught off guard and almost tripped. She staggered back two steps, but there was nothing on the back, and she was about to fall. Cheng Yujin was startled and was about to scream when two arms caught her body. The palms that touched her were warm and very strong. The upper half of Cheng Yujin's body was on those arms, but despite the weight, they still firmly supported her body and didn't falter in the slightest.
A shadow fell upon her. Cheng Yujin raised her head and saw the person who caught her. She called surprisedly: "Ninth Uncle?"
Cheng Yuanjing lowered his gaze and quickly checked her situation: "Are you alright?"
Cheng Yujin shook her head. Thanks to Cheng Yuanjing, she was okay. Cheng Yujin quickly got up with Cheng Yuanjing's support. But after she stood steadily, Cheng Yuanjing's hands were still circling her forearm without letting go. Feeling so many gazes, Cheng Yujin was embarrassed. She quietly tried to get free, only to feel the grip became stronger. But even though her arms were gripped strongly, it didn't feel hurt at all.
Cheng Yuanjing pulled Cheng Yujin behind him. There was no expression on his face, but it made people feel a heavy pressure for no reason. When he opened his mouth, the originally noisy place became quiet in an instant.
Cheng Yuanjing looked at Zhai Yanlin and smiled faintly, but there wasn't the slightest warmth in his tone: "There is no meaning for Duke Cai to compete with a little girl. I have also admired Duke Cai's name for a long time. Please give me one or two pointers."
Seeing Cheng Yuanjing protectively held Cheng Yujin behind him as if guarding his possession, Zhai Yanlin slightly frowned.
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