17: betrothal

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

Outside the Shangguan Residence, gongs and drums blared, and firecrackers went off in unison.

Servants dressed in bright red robes walked out.

Each pair carried a shoulder pole, and in the baskets suspended between them were piles of gold, silver, jewelry, and expensive silk.

Upon counting, there were fully thirty-six baskets.

Such a scale was enough to be worthy of marrying a Young Master of the imperial family across the Great Xia.

The massive procession moved towards the Su Residence amidst the lively atmosphere.

Along the way, the commoners were drawn over one after another.

"Sister Wang, whose family is going to propose marriage? It's so grand, bringing thirty-six baskets of betrothal gifts!"

"I heard someone say it came out from the Shangguan family!"

"So it's the prefect, no wonder it's such a grand gesture!"

"I just don't know whose house they are going to for the betrothal. If I recall correctly, when the Su Family's Second Young Miss married the White family's Young Master years ago, they only brought twelve baskets of betrothal gifts!"

"I don't know. I haven't heard any rumors before. Speaking of which, haven't the prefect's two daughters already married?"

"..."

Su Quan and Mu Xiyan had kept their plans very well hidden, causing the commoners to gossip and speculate. More and more people gathered here, making it quite lively!

Today, Mu Xiyan was wearing a festive bright red dress, her dark hair coiled high, riding a beautiful horse with a large red flower tied to her chest, making her the center of everyone's attention.

"This young girl is truly beautiful!"

"Indeed, when did such a great beauty come to our Yongning City!"

"Auntie Wu, you better keep an eye on your man, lest he gets his soul hooked by this beauty!"

"Master Ximen, my man and I are deeply in love, so you don't need to worry about it!"

"..."

Looking at the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, a faint smile curled at the corners of Mu Xiyan's mouth; this was exactly the effect she wanted.

As long as the momentum was grand enough, surely Su Xuemei would find it difficult to handle!

With this thought, she cleared her throat and announced loudly: "Everyone, I am going to the Governor's Su Family to marry the Su Family's Third Young Master. Those of you who are willing are welcome to come along and join in the celebration!"

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar ensued.

"It's actually the Su Family's Third Young Master!"

"Is the Little Demon Man getting married? Counting his age, it is indeed time!"

"Damn it, just thinking about the Little Demon Man lying on top of another woman makes This old lady's heart ache with a twitch!"

"If it's the Su Family's Third Young Master, such a grand spectacle makes sense. A marriage between the Governor and the prefect is also a fine story!"

"..."

The news spread throughout the entire Yongning City as if it had grown wings.

Regardless of what they were doing, the commoners stopped their work in unison and took to the streets, just to catch a glimpse of this rare spectacle.

For a time, the streets of Yongning City were completely empty as everyone went out.

The bustling crowd converged into a wave and surged towards the Su Residence.

...

Outside the Su Residence.

Su Xuemei had received the news in advance.

Her face was gloomy, and she sneered: "This woman has deep schemes; she wants to use the momentum of the Yongning City commoners to force this Governor to agree to this marriage!"

"Daring to have designs on my brother, watch me twist her head off in a moment!" Su Guihui clenched her fists with a hint of ruthlessness.

She would absolutely never allow her brother to marry out of this family!

Standing on the other side, Su Guimin also spoke with a cold face: "Mother, I didn't expect Brother to secretly find a wild woman behind our backs. Fortunately, he hasn't been ruined this time, but next time might not be the case!"

"To be safe, after today, we should just throw Brother into the cellar and imprison him to avoid any long-term trouble!"

"What you say makes sense!" Su Xuemei nodded slightly and continued: "After killing that woman, throw Su Quan directly into the cellar. Anyway, his eighteenth birthday is only a few days away!"

Just then, a dense stream of people appeared at the end of the road.

The ruthlessness on Su Xuemei's face dissipated, replaced by a refined and elegant smile as she walked forward: "Guimin, Guihui, they are here. Follow me to meet this woman who dares to covet Xiao Quan!"

Soon.

The crowd surged over.

They cleared a path, and first, the servants of the Shangguan family walked out, neatly placing the thirty-six baskets of gold and silver jewelry at the entrance of the Su Residence.

What a grand gesture!

The corners of Su Xuemei's eyes twitched involuntarily.

If she didn't harbor improper intentions toward her adopted son, such expensive betrothal gifts alone would have been enough to make one feel favorable.

Su Guihui couldn't hide her thoughts, sneered, and cursed under her breath: "Heh, with just this little bit of copper stink, you want to get your hands on This old lady's brother? Do you look down on our Su Family?"

"The Su Family is wealthier than a nation; naturally, these betrothal gifts are not worth looking at!"

As Mu Xiyan spoke, she rode her tall horse to the front of the crowd. Unassuming and composed, she said calmly: "But these betrothal gifts are also a token of this young lady's sincerity. Moreover, matters of affection cannot be measured by money!"

"It's you? Aren't you the divine doctor who travels the world?"

Su Xuemei stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the young girl's face.

"Governor, 'divine doctor' is overpraising this commoner. I only know a little bit of medicine and happened to diagnose Young Master Su's condition!"

Mu Xiyan dismounted and came before Su Xuemei.

There was quite a disparity in height between the two.

Mu Xiyan was over 1.7 meters tall, which was considered tall for a woman, but compared to the burly Su Xuemei, who was over 1.9 meters tall, she appeared somewhat inadequate.

However, facing this petite woman who was a head shorter than her, a faint sense of wariness rose in Su Xuemei's heart.

She glanced at the gathering crowd of commoners, turned, and walked into the residence: "Regardless of anything else, those who come are guests. Follow me into the residence first!"

"Okay!"

Mu Xiyan followed calmly, with no look of fear, as if she didn't notice the murderous intent hidden in the shadows at all.

The thirty-six baskets of betrothal gifts were carried inside, and the vermilion gate slammed shut.

The crowd watching the excitement gradually dispersed.

However, the atmosphere inside the residence became increasingly heavy.

Su Quan also heard the news and rushed over. The two exchanged glances in full view of everyone, which made the anger in Su Xuemei's heart rise "whoosh."

She sat in the main seat with a bold and unconstrained posture, her gaze extremely oppressive.

Mu Xiyan was the first to break the silence. She spoke with full sincerity: "Auntie, I know Xiao Quan was born into a noble family and has been pampered since childhood. By comparison, I am merely a distant relative of the prefect, and there is some suspicion of me climbing the social ladder!"

"But Xiao Quan and I are truly in love. I can swear to heaven in front of all the relatives and friends here that I will protect, tolerate, and cherish Xiao Quan in the future, and never let him suffer the slightest grievance!"

"I hope Auntie, for the sake of our true love, will fulfill our marriage!"

These heartfelt words made Su Xuemei let out a sneer.

Now inside the Su Residence, she couldn't even be bothered to pretend, and said indifferently: "A mere distant relative of that old dog Shangguan wants to marry my son Su Quan. It's truly a toad wanting to eat swan meat. Why don't you go pee and look at your own reflection!"

"Someone, come and arrest this delusional madwoman!"

Several fierce-looking women pounced over.

Seeing this, Mu Xiyan's expression darkened.

She never expected that even though she had performed the etiquette flawlessly, the other party, even if they didn't agree, shouldn't have torn off the facade right from the start!

This precisely left no room for her subsequent plans to be executed.

What to do?

Should she expose her identity and fight her way out?

But if she did that, Su Xuemei would inevitably become wary, and if things went wrong, it could trigger a war across the world!

Just at the moment when the young girl was in a state of confusion, Su Quan suddenly rushed out and blocked in front of her...