Chapter 16  : Marriage

The Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu was not within the city; it had its own manor and castle, and was about twenty over li away from Xuanwu City.

Shen Lang had only seen this palace from afar and was overwhelmed with its majestic size. However, someone of his status had no right to enter its walls.

In Xuanwu City, the Xu family was considered extremely rich and wealthy.

However, Master Xu could only step into this palace two or three times a year and would only be received by their housekeeper.

The Xu family’s Residence was already sufficiently big and lavish, but it was nothing compared to the Earl’s Palace.

The Earl from the Jin Family received feudal fiefdom and was completely different from those nobles who held empty statuses.

In the history of the past centuries, the Earl of Xuanwu held over five thousand square kilometers of feudal land when it was in its prime. Then, due to a political shift, the Dayan Dynasty and Yue State underwent a series of legislative changes. Thus, the feudal land that the Earl of Xuanwu ruled became considerably smaller.

Even so, the Earl of Xuanwu remained the highest authority of Xuanwu City.

The Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu spanned over a thousand mu and had its own farmland, breeding farm, orchard, winery, etc…

The castle was built on a mountain that was almost three hundred meters tall and spanned over ten thousand square meters. Its walls are taller and thicker than those of Xuanwu City. The number of guards surpassed those of Xuanwu City too.

Thus, if war broke out and Xuanwu City lost, this territory wouldn’t be considered fallen.

If the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu was lost, only then would this entire region truly fall.

Right now, for the first time, Shen Lang had stepped into this palace that contained centuries of history, the grandest building of the entire Nujiang County.

…

The miss of the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu, Jin Mulan, removed all her silver armor and revealed her practice attire.

She practiced martial arts all year round and was taller than the average male. Her legs were also long, toned, and seemed to be beautifully sculpted.

After shedding the practice attire made of snakeskin, Mulan stepped into the giant bath.

The most relaxing and comforting thing after leading the troops back was to take a hot bath.

When she was done, she wore a set of male practice attire and went to greet her parents.

Dressed in male attire, she appeared even more valiant, formidable, fresh, elegant, and magnificent.

“Greetings, father, greetings, mother!” Jin Mulan bowed and greeted.

The study of the Palace of the Earl was not that extravagant, but every single item in it had a history of a hundred years and was extremely exquisite.

Even the majority of the books and records here had over a hundred years of history.

The Earl of Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, was only fifty years old this year. He had a handsome countenance and a gentle temperament, but occasionally, his gaze could be as incisive as a sword that penetrated right into the heart.

He was well-trained in martial arts and was highly skilled too. However, he didn’t carry a sword with him most of the time. Instead, he had books and scrolls on his hands all year round.

He was highly esteemed, but he rarely wore extravagant clothes. Most of the time, he either wore clothing made of cotton or sackcloth.

He was also barely richly bedecked. The only extravagant item on him was the jade pendant on his waist.

“Oh, Mulan, you’re home! How did the drill go this time?” the Earl of Xuanwu asked.

Jin Mulan replied, “Not bad, we didn’t embarrass the Jin Family.”

The Earl of Xuanwu chuckled. “If you say that it’s not bad, then it must be excellent.”

He had a very loving but complicated gaze when he looked at his daughter. He let out a soft sigh. “if your younger brother was a third as soldierly as you, then the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu wouldn’t have to worry about not having any qualified successor… What a pity, ah…”

Jin Mulan asked, “Father, is the situation not very ideal?”

“It is terrible!” the Earl of Xuanwu replied, “the entire Dayan Dynasty is implementing new policies, and the Yue State is no exception. The Emperor’s intentions are already obvious. The new and old forces will be replaced. The old aristocrats will be ripped off their military power and feudal land. During such an unstable period, the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu does not have a qualified successor. This will end the Jin Family clan’s foundations of centuries. How can I face my ancestors when I’ve passed?”

The Earl was so angered after mentioning his son that he gritted his teeth. He was truly too unpromising!

Jin Mulan replied, “As long as I am around, the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu will not crumble.”

She was not boasting when she said this. She was really the pillar of the entire Earl’s Palace and was the greatest pride of her parents.

However, a daughter would ultimately have to marry someone else, ah! Jin Mulan was already twenty-two years old.

“I will not wed for the rest of my life and shall stay at home to support my younger brother to protect the Jin Family’s century-old family estate.” Jin Mulan added coldly, “Whoever tries to marry me is trying to end the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu! They will be the mortal enemy of our family!”

Then, the atmosphere got unusually heavy between the three of them. The Jin Family’s daughter was making such a huge sacrifice for their family, and it made the couple feel extremely upset to the point that they couldn’t say a word of comfort.

After a while, the Earl of Xuanwu changed the topic, “On your way

back today, your soldier had accidentally knocked and injured someone on the streets of Xuanwu City, right?”

“Yes,” Jin Mulan replied.

The Earl of Xuanwu replied, “Get him treated well, give him a sum of money, and then send him home. Our family needs a good reputation, especially during a period like this.”

Just at this moment, the Earl’s chamberlain’s voice rang out from outside the door, “Master, Doctor An requests for an audience.”

“Let him in!” the Earl of Xuanwu said.

After a while, an old man entered. He was one of the three doctors of the Palace of the Earl. When Jin Mulan brought Shen Lang back to the palace, it was this An Zaishi who was in charge of treating him.

“Master.” Old Doctor An Zaishi bowed. “The young man that was hit has already regained consciousness. There are no major issues.”

Jin Mulan was stunned. Wasn’t that young man severely injured?!

“That’s good,” the Earl of Xuanwu replied, but he felt a bit surprised. Was there a need to report to him, the Earl, for something this minor? It would be more than enough to have the housekeeper handle this matter.

An Zaishi said, “When that young man woke up, he requested to seek an audience with the Earl.”

“An audience with me?” The Earl of Xuanwu was stunned. This young man was genuinely too full of himself. The officials of Xuanwu City didn’t even dare to seek an audience with him so rashly, what more an ordinary young man.

Doctor An said, “He said that he had to speak to you about an important matter. It concerns Miss’ marriage.”

When this was said, the Earl of Xuanwu couldn’t help but turn severe and begin to frown. He nodded and said, “If there are no big issues with his body, let him come and meet me.”

***

Shen Lang really didn’t have problems with his body; it was just some bruises that made it a little challenging for him to walk. His face was a bit pale after staying up for an entire night.

When he entered the study room, he bowed and greeted, “Student Shen Lang, offers his greetings to the Earl of Xuanwu.”

He was one of Xuanwu City’s people, and thus, the Earl of Xuanwu’s people. Therefore, he should perform his greetings by kneeling down. However, Shen Lang came from the modern earth, so naturally, he wasn’t willing to kneel down to anyone.

The Earl of Xuanwu showed a surly expression, but he didn’t put on airs, either. His gaze landed on Shen Lang’s face and was a little stunned after seeing his handsome face.

He was really an extremely beautiful young man! It was sporadic to see this sort of look amongst villagers!

“Student?” the Earl of Xuanwu asked, “What’s your scholarly honor? I know of every single one of the successful civil and military candidates in Xuanwu City, but I have never heard of the name Shen Lang.”

Shen Lang said, “I am a student from Hanshui Town College.”

Shen Lang was feeling a little embarrassed when he said this.

The education of Hanshui Town College was the equivalent to primary school education in the modern world. It was indeed a little embarrassing to speak of such an educational background, and more importantly, he didn’t even graduate from college and was chased out.

The Earl of Xuanwu furrowed his brows. “You have soft-skin and tender flesh; it’s evident that your parents doted on you greatly to let you focus on your studies, but you have not even entered the college in Xuanwu City at this age! What an ungrateful son!”

The Earl was feeling a little disdain toward Shen Lang. His son was already incredibly useless, but he was much better compared to this young man here.

When this was said, Shen Lang instantly had a favorable impression toward the Earl of Xuanwu. He could clearly feel that he had viewed everyone in Xuanwu City as his people, instantly chastising Shen Lang on behalf of his parents upon finding out that Shen Lang did not do well in his studies.

“You were knocked over by my soldiers. Is your body alright?” the Earl asked.

Shen Lang replied, “There is no major problem, just some bruises and aches.”

The Earl continued, “You said that you had an important matter to tell me concerning my daughter’s marriage. Do tell.”

Shen Lang replied, “I heard that the Zhu Family wishes to ask for your blessings and that Zhu Hongxue wishes to marry Miss Jin Mulan of the Palace of the Earl.”

This was a secret that almost no one else knew about outside of the Palace.

Instantly, the Earl’s expression changed.

The Zhu Family? The influential officials of Yue State, the in-laws of the Monarch, and the governor of Tian Nan and Ping Nan General-they all came from the Zhu Family.

The moment Jin Mulan married, who would protect the Palace of the Earl? Who would lead the troops of the Jin Family?

If someone wished to get rid of the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu at the roots, they had to break his family’s pillar.

…