In the heavy snow, seventy-two men laid the vermillion lacquered boxes they were carrying on the ground, standing upright and steadfast, like the stones in Guyuan standing firm amidst the wind and sand.

Thirty-six sets of betrothal gifts were lined up in the snow, and the red silk on the poles fluttered in the wind and snow, like the great red banners of triumph from Anding Gate.

By the street, an aged woman watched the thirty-six sets of betrothal gifts and muttered to herself, "When I was a maid in the Li Family, Miss's dowry contained a piece of Xuan Fox Fur. She wore it for fifteen years, and the fleece never flattened. Not a single stray hair was allowed on a complete piece, and it had to be a whole cylinder with no splicing. Even one was hard to find."

An old pawnbroker in a grey squirrel fur coat squinted his eyes, "Cat's-eye with three rings of halo, those are all tributes. The last pair appeared in the Imperial Capital during the Zhen De Period as tributes from the Western Regions. The late Emperor awarded them to an Imperial Concubine, who was buried with them after her death."

"What kind of favor does Chen Ji owe, to be so generous with his gifts?"

"It's been many years since we've seen such a grand betrothal gift in the Imperial Capital..."

Mrs. Zhang listened to the surrounding discussions in silence. Some items in the gift list she had only heard of occasionally. The ten-mile red dowry she wanted for her daughter was given by someone.

More and more people gathered on Fuyou Street, initially curious onlookers, and later even shopkeepers and staff from distant teahouses and taverns came running out.

Eventually, several sedan chairs stopped at the street entrance, also attracted by the magnificent thirty-six sets of betrothal gifts.

At this moment, Little Nine collected the gift list.

Shi San stepped forward, clasping his fists to greet Mrs. Zhang, "Lady, my master once said that worldly fame and fortune are mere fleeting clouds, and betrothal gifts are but for others to see. Only you know if your heart is truly happy. Of these thirty-six sets of betrothal gifts, the most precious is not the cat's-eye or the furs but a hundred-year-old magnolia tree in the Jinling estate... My master sends his distant blessings for a long and happy union to this couple bonded by love and loyalty."

Mrs. Zhang frowned and asked, "Who is your master?"

Shi San smiled, "In reply to the Lady, my master's last name is Qing."

Mrs. Zhang lowered her head in thought, "Was this betrothal gift originally intended for the Qi Family? But for the Qi Family, the Chen family had already given earlier."

Shi San smiled and pointed to Zhang Xia, "Lady, you may not know, but the Second Miss Zhang and Chen Ji privately pledged their lives to each other long ago at Chongli Pass. Second Miss Zhang also opened up her face and tied up her hair at Chongli Pass..."

Mrs. Zhang suddenly turned to look at Zhang Xia, who guiltily turned her head away.

Shi San continued, "When Chen Ji and Zhang Xia privately pledged their lives, my master sent a congratulatory gift—a Mutton Fat Jade Bracelet from Yutian... Since then, this betrothal gift was prepared. My master recognizes only one thing: the bracelet. Whoever has this bracelet on their hand, to them the betrothal gift belongs."

Mrs. Zhang was taken aback.

Shi San explained with a cheerful smile, "Speaking of which, this Mutton Fat Jade Bracelet has a bit of a history. It was a national gift from the King of Yutian to my master. With this bracelet, you can command eight hundred Star Moon Iron Cavalry in Yutian, and even sit alongside the king."

The onlookers were momentarily in an uproar.

No one knew who this master was, who gave such significant favors to the King of Yutian, that warranted such a promise? The cavalry of the small nation of Yutian might have just barely exceeded a thousand, offering eight hundred would be almost the entire nation's strength!

Zhang Xia looked down at the Mutton Fat Jade Bracelet on her wrist. She once asked Xiao Man if this was the Mutton Fat Jade from Yutian, to which Xiao Man replied, "Fake, fake, as long as Sister Axia looks good wearing it, that's fine." Now it seemed everything Xiao Man said was a lie.

Zhang Xia looked up to search for Xiao Man in the crowd, but she had no idea where Xiao Man, hugging Wu Yun, had gone to hide.

At this moment, Mrs. Zhang stood under the oiled paper umbrella, thought for a long time, and said, "Today's heavy snow is not suitable for a banquet..."

Shi San quickly interrupted, "Today's heavy snow blocks the doors. It's unlikely the Chen family or Zhang family had time to prepare a feast. But the Lady need not worry, for my master has already booked the entire Bianyifang Restaurant. All guests from the Chen and Zhang families will have enough meat and wine until they are completely satisfied... Lady, shall we proceed to Bianyifang?"

This time, Shi San had pre-emptively blocked any excuses of delaying the banquet, making it impossible for Mrs. Zhang to postpone the feast for guests any longer.

Chen Ji suddenly thought of Aunt Ping, who always had contingencies prepared, and was the same way in Changping, always thinking three steps ahead of others.

Zhang Xia's eyes, looking at her mother again, were filled with hopeful pleading.

But Mrs. Zhang still shook her head.

This time, she no longer looked at Zhang Xia but turned to Chen Ji standing behind her, "These thirty-six sets of betrothal gifts are loaded with rare treasures. Even I find them dazzling. Regardless of who marries, it is sufficiently respectable."

Mrs. Zhang changed the subject, "But my Zhang family is giving away a daughter, not selling her. Whether Mr. Wang's proposal or these thirty-six sets of betrothal gifts, they are the goodwill of others, not yours. I have one condition: if you agree, I'll allow you two to marry today.

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, "Lady, please speak."

Mrs. Zhang calmly said, "After marriage, you must live with my Zhang family, and the second child must follow my Zhang family's surname."

Zhang Xia's body suddenly tensed.

In the crowd, someone exclaimed, "Living with the Zhang family... how is that different from being a live-in son-in-law?"

Someone whispered, "It's still different. Chen Ji doesn't have to perpetuate the Zhang family's ancestral rites, and Second Miss Zhang must also be included in the Chen family's ancestral temple and registry. The incense can be passed down. Besides, the agreement is that the second child will take the Zhang surname, not the first."

An unnamed man retorted, "What's the bloody difference? Living under the wife's roof as a dependent, where's the man's dignity? Any man who can earn a living should not reside in his wife's family."

A scholar shook his head, "The man takes the woman in marriage; the husband is the wife's guide. For a man to reside with the wife, it is inverting yin and yang and stripping a man of his dignity. If Chen Ji agrees, it will degrade his family's status, and he will be looked down upon in official circles. Even Lord Zhang himself connected with the Xu Family but never became a live-in son-in-law."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd mockingly said, "Chen Ji is arrogant and unruly, surely he would not consent to this. Mrs. Zhang must have seen this clearly and has resolved not to marry off her daughter today. I would not either if I were the Zhang family, avoiding the link to Chen Ji and his treacherous Eunuch Party."

"Indeed, allying with the Eunuch Party unnecessarily sullies one's reputation. Now, Chen Ji's name is already stained, so Lord Zhang should be cautious not to become embroiled after finally entering the Cabinet."

Mrs. Zhang looked up at Chen Ji, "What say you?"

Zhang Xia tightened the reins and said, "Mother, how can we let him live in our house? It's unreasonable..."

Before she finished speaking, Zhang Xia suddenly heard Chen Ji solemnly say behind her, "I agree."

Zhang Xia was stunned.

A flurry of heavy snowflakes fell, covering everything. It seemed as if the whole world was filled only with the rustle of snow, a grand sound gradually filling the air, like an echo from a year ago.

This was Chen Ji's heartfelt intention.

Mrs. Zhang gazed at Chen Ji, puzzled, "You agree?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "I agree."

Mrs. Zhang remained silent for a long time, then turned her head and said to Shi San, "Regardless of who your master is, my Zhang family doesn't want this betrothal gift. Take it back."

In the crowd, someone exclaimed, "They won't even accept the 36 sedan chairs as a betrothal gift? It would take ten lifetimes to spend all that!"

Someone else commented sourly, "These 36 sedan chairs, who knows if they're from the fat of the land scraped by the Eunuch Party, accepting them might burn your hands."

Shi San looked at Mrs. Zhang, somewhat troubled, "Why won't you take it, madam?"

Mrs. Zhang said calmly, "As I've said, our Zhang family is marrying our daughter, not selling her. Besides, if your master truly hoped for Zhang Xia and Chen Ji to be well, he'd stay far away from them."

With that, she stepped to the side of the road, finally stepping aside.

Zhang Xia was momentarily surprised, then turned back to look at Chen Ji, "My mother agreed!"

Chen Ji smiled gently, "Yes, she agreed."

Xiao Man squeezed her way out of the crowd, rubbing Wu Yun's head vigorously, "Did you see that, Heavenly Venerate? It worked, it worked!"

As she spoke, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "The young master and Sister Axia have suffered so much, finally it's coming to an end."

Chen Ji rode his horse slowly forward, with Jin Zhu leading twelve servants behind, and the bedraggled drum and music workers playing a chaotic tune.

Standing in the snow for so long, everyone was frozen stiff.

As the procession was about to leave Fuyou Street, a person stumbled over the snow and water to the back of the procession, shouting hoarsely, "Chen Ji, you can't leave!"

It was Qi Zhaoning.

Her voice rose above the scattered drum music, screeching, "Chen Ji, I will marry someone ten thousand times better than you, someone with high status and authority, while you are just a penniless bastard of the Chen family. He will send a grand carriage to fetch me, lacquered in scarlet, painted with golden phoenixes, adorned with pearls and tassels, not just this lone horse!"

Just then, a rumble of hoofbeats sounded in the distance. Everyone turned to see over a hundred Yulin Army members galloping forward, their armor gleaming silver in the snow, cloaks billowing.

Li Xuan led the 136 Yulin Army members, some holding Sun, Moon, and Stars flags, some holding ceremonial knives, and others holding golden gourd maces, halting in front of Chen Ji and Zhang Xia.

The Yulin Army's imposing presence made the warhorses snort white breath like arrows in the wind and snow, causing the onlookers to retreat in awe.

Chen Ji hesitated, "What is all this?"

Li Xuan laughed heartily, full of spirit, "Someone reported to the Yulin Army camp that you are marrying Second Miss Zhang today, so we came to serve as an honor guard. Too bad we couldn't bring parasols and standards, flags, and banners, otherwise, it would have been even more splendid."

Qi Zhenzhuo quietly explained, "Parasols and standards have dragon patterns embroidered on them; bringing them would have cost us our heads."

Chen Ji looked at Qi Zhenzhuo, "You're from the Qi family."

Qi Zhenzhuo sneered, "Just a useless member of the Qi family."

Chen Ji shook his head, "Still, you shouldn't, you're the Imperial Escort, you can't abandon your duties to serve as an honor guard for commoners."

Li Xuan seemed resolved, "As long as it doesn't cost heads. We've been wasting away in the Imperial Capital for over a decade, better not to stay. We've survived life and death together many times, and now that you and Second Miss Zhang have found happiness through hardship, how can we not come? Remember what you said yourself, destiny is left to fate, while people's hearts are up to us!"

Qi Zhenzhuo further explained, "Master need not worry, the governor wrote to Hu Junxian last month asking him to mediate in transferring us to the Guyuan Border Army to start as common soldiers. Yesterday, Hu Junxian's request was submitted to the capital, and Mr. Wang just signed the Ministry of War document; it has already been delivered to the Yulin Army. We'll depart after your wedding feast today."

Chen Ji looked at Wang Daosheng, who smiled and nodded.

Li Xuan ignored him, turning his horse around, "Where is the Yulin Army?"

The Yulin Army laughed loudly, "Here!"

"Set off!" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Yes!"

One hundred and thirty-six Yulin Army members turned their horses, lining up on both sides of Fuyou Street, their snow-white cloaks and crimson flags resembling a row of blooming flowers.

They formed a protective circle around Chen Ji and Zhang Xia; Zhang Xia, looking at the waving flags, quietly said to Chen Ji, "What you've done was not in vain, right?"

For a moment, Chen Ji was lost in thought.