Bai Zheng lowered her head with a faint smile on her lips.
"Zheng girl, you've saved the Phoenix Chime for the Marquis Mansion. I'll surely report this great merit to His Majesty so that he can reward you generously," laughed the Grand Duke Zhou.
"Then I'll have to trouble the Grand Duke," said Feng Linyuan calmly.
"You brat! The rewards will be for the girl's dowry. What are you thanking for?" chided the Grand Duke Zhou.
The King of Wen squinted at the Grand Duke Zhou and said loudly, "Old Zhou, the young couple is so united even before they get married. It's a good thing. Looking at how lovey - dovey they are, staying with us old folks, they might even be secretly complaining that we're spoiling the fun."
After saying that, he drove Bai Zheng and Feng Linyuan out.
Standing outside the hall, Bai Zheng and Feng Linyuan couldn't help but look at each other, and finally their expressions turned into a faint smile.
The spring sun was bright, and the oncoming wind carried the fragrance of peach blossoms, making people feel refreshed.
Bai Zheng stood under the corridor, looking into the distance, but speaking at the same time.
"You'd better take this sword back to the Marquis Mansion. It'll avoid trouble if it's not in the Bai Mansion."
The good roofs of her own house couldn't withstand thieves stepping on them every day.
Feng Linyuan, standing beside her, nodded and said, "I was just thinking the same thing. By the way, Zheng'er?"
"Hmm?" Bai Zheng looked up.
"You've been going out early and coming back late these days, so busy that you hardly have time to rest. You should take care of yourself and don't overwork," a gentle look flashed in Feng Linyuan's eyes.
Bai Zheng said awkwardly with a smile, "Did Qing Shao tell you about this?"
Feng Linyuan raised his eyes gently and said, "You were so busy that you didn't even know I was coming to propose marriage today. Why would Qing Shao need to tell me?"
Bai Zheng felt embarrassed and quickly explained, "Doing business is always hard at the beginning. Once the shops are stable and the business is on the right track, I can hand it over to others. Don't worry, I won't be this busy all the time."
"Just as you said, doing business is the hardest at the start, so there's no need to rush. You don't need to buy a dozen shops at once. Just take it one step at a time."
Bai Zheng lowered her head and said, "You seem to know everything."
Feng Linyuan stared at her, reached out to brush a wisp of hair from her forehead, and whispered, "Shouldn't you spare some time to keep an eye on your future husband?"
"What do you mean by that?" Bai Zheng couldn't help asking.
Feng Linyuan raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Do you know who has come from Western Liang this time?"
Bai Zheng was caught off - guard by this question.
These days, she had been fully focused on her own business and Feng Linyuan's health, with no energy left for other things.
She didn't even know that people from Western Liang had come to Yongding City, let alone who had come.
She shook her head and said, "Apart from the Crown Prince of Xuanning, who else has come?"
Looking at Bai Zheng's blank expression, Feng Linyuan couldn't help but sigh deeply, "Zheng'er, when will you really keep me in your heart?"
These words made Bai Zheng even more puzzled, "What does the people from Western Liang have to do with you?"
Feng Linyuan said helplessly, "Zheng'er, do you know why I rushed to propose marriage today?"
As soon as these words came out, Bai Zheng just remembered that the last time she visited Feng Linyuan was three days ago. At that time, the topic was all about the whereabouts of the divine doctor Zhou Yuanning, and there was not a single word about proposing marriage.
That was why she was caught off - guard by today's proposal.
Why was he in such a hurry to propose marriage... Bai Zheng frowned and thought. Most likely, it was because of the fear of long nights and many dreams.
Long nights and many dreams?
"Could it be that there's a change in the marriage?" Bai Zheng suddenly realized, "Did a prince from Western Liang come? No! I'm just the daughter of a third - rank assistant minister. I'm not in their eyes..."
Bai Zheng suddenly looked up, her eyes full of surprise, "Could it be that a princess or a county princess from Western Liang has come and wants to marry you?"
Feng Linyuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Zheng'er is really smart. Among the people who came to the Great Zhou with Zhuo Lingxiao this time, there's a Princess Yunxi."
Bai Zheng couldn't help laughing and said, "But you have a sworn feud with Western Liang. What was the Emperor of Western Liang thinking to send a princess to marry you?"
"Can you still laugh?" Feng Linyuan glanced at her and said with a smile, "Now your future husband is about to be snatched away."
"What do I have to worry about? There's someone more worried than me above. They'll solve this problem for me," Bai Zheng reached out to pick a petal on the peach branch and said indifferently.
If Feng Linyuan really married Princess Yunxi of Western Liang, with the support of Western Liang, Feng Linche sitting on the throne would probably be the first one to lose sleep.
"You're really a smart one," Feng Linyuan hooked his lips.
"So, you received an imperial edict from Feng Linche temporarily and rushed to my house to propose marriage? In that case, is the wedding date also set?"
Since Bai Zheng could think of this, Feng Linyuan naturally could too.
So, it was very likely that this hasty proposal was not Feng Linyuan's own idea, but most likely an order from Feng Linche.
"The fifteenth of next month," Feng Linyuan nodded and said.
"There's still a month," Bai Zheng bent the peach branch and then let it go. Watching it bounce back gently, she sighed, "It seems that this Princess Yunxi is going to cause some trouble."
"Then I'll have to trouble Zheng'er next," somehow, there was a light purple outer robe in Feng Linyuan's hand.
He put the outer robe on Bai Zheng, his eyes and eyebrows full of gentleness, "The spring weather is changeable. Don't catch a cold standing in the wind."
The wind blowing under the corridor ruffled Bai Zheng's hair. She stretched her eyebrows and said, "When the flowers on these peach trees all fall to the ground, the leaves will naturally grow. I understand this truth."
Seeing that the wedding date was approaching, Bai Zheng was even busier.
Every day, besides dealing with the matters of the shops, fields, and the kiln, she was also often dragged by Mrs. Lin to choose jewelry, patterns, and make wedding clothes.
There was even an episode in the middle.
Grandma He, who had been extorted for a dowry, in order to vent her anger, in the name of teaching Bai Zheng rules, sent someone to call her to the General's Mansion.
But she wasn't allowed to enter the door. She was only made to stand outside the Hall of Hundred Blessings to practice rules.
Fortunately, it was the sunny March. The sun was neither too cold nor too hot. Bai Zheng would stand if she wanted to, and when she was tired, she would sit on a stool beside her.
When Grandma He scolded her, Bai Zheng would retort indifferently, which actually made Grandma He extremely angry.
After three or four times, Grandma He felt a bit disheartened and didn't call Bai Zheng there anymore.
One day, Bai Zheng was dragged by Mrs. Lin to Xinrui Pavilion again to choose gold and silver jewelry for her wedding.
Looking at the dazzling array of precious jewelry in the store, Bai Zheng felt a bit headache.
Although she was planning to open a shop to do business, she had no intention of opening a jewelry store, so she was even less interested.
Mrs. Lin was extremely excited. She was holding a bracelet in her left hand and two hairpins in her right hand, not knowing which one to put down.
"Zheng'er, come and take a look quickly. Which one do you like?" Mrs. Lin nudged Bai Zheng with her elbow and asked impatiently.
Bai Zheng knew that she loved her daughter dearly, so she forced a smile and patiently looked at them for a few times, then pointed to one of the hairpins and said, "This one."
As soon as Bai Zheng's voice fell, a blue - dressed woman walked up from behind, domineeringly pointed at the hairpin that Bai Zheng had just chosen and said loudly, "Waiter, wrap this up for me!"