Chapter 23  : Shen Lang’s Marriage

Even Shen Lang himself was suspecting if he was really the groom of tonight.

That was because apart from sending him food, nobody came to visit Shen Lang. Even the person who sent him food did not talk to him.

The Earl did not visit him, and neither did his wife nor Jin Mulan. In fact, even Jin Zhong did not visit him. He seemed to have been forgotten in the guest room.

He was suspecting if the Palace of the Earl had found a better candidate. That was because people who were more suitable for the role in Xuanwu City were uncountable. Countless young men were willing to sacrifice themselves for Jin Mulan.

Finally, the evening came!

Two servants entered his room. Rather, two middle-aged women came in with red and gold robes, the groom’s headwear, belt, shoes, and more.

“Mr. Shen, please take a shower and change your clothes in preparation for the wedding!”

***

The process of accepting a son-in-law was similar to marrying a wife. The female side would have to head over to the male side to invite them while the wedding was held at the female’s side.

Most of the time, the bride would be covered with a veil and return to her house after sitting on a carriage going one round outside her house.

Occasionally, when things were more extreme, the groom would be required to sit on the carriage with a headwear until he paid respects at the bride’s house.

Unfortunately, Xuanwu City belonged to the traditional area, whereby practices were more extreme. As a son-in-law, the groom had to sit in the carriage. Of course, he did not have to wear the headwear, but he had to wear a mask.”

However, even with that, many people thought that this was defeating a man’s morale.

Therefore, many of the men in Xuanwu City would rather stay single than do this.

At this moment, Shen Lang had finished wearing his red robe and sat in the carriage with a silver mask.

From the Palace of the Earl to the temple, followed by paying respects to the bride’s parents…

***

The entire Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu was decorated with lights, and the servants were busy.

There were not many guests, but they totaled up to 100 people.

More than half of them were related to the Palace of the Earl. The others were celebrities, scholars, officials, and excellent martial artists from Xuanwu City.

By right, there would be many guests attending the wedding of the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu’s daughter. Besides Nujiang County, even the governor and the monarch would send people over.

However, the wedding happened at the last minute. Therefore, the guests from Nujiang County were unable to rush over there.

This was considered the least-prepared wedding in the history of the Palace of the Earl.

Although the guests were talking in the hall, none of them were focused since they kept looking at the door.

Everyone was inquisitive and anticipated about who the groom was.

Jin Mulan was the princess of Xuanwu City. Who could marry her? How wonderful must he be?

Although he was moving into the female’s house, it made others extremely jealous.

Especially those young men who were not married, they were green with jealousy. They held their breaths and stared at the door.

Who on earth was he to be able to match up to Miss Jin Mulan?

Although he did not receive an invitation, Tian Heng, the leader of the Black Clothes Gang, came shamelessly. He was extremely nervous. If the groom was Shen Lang, he would be in trouble.

However, he overheard others talking about how the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu was very outstanding and how excellent Jin Mulan was.

Moreover, many celebrities were guessing who the groom was. The names they suggested were all talented and handsome young men who were at least a first-degree scholar. They were either a first-degree scholar of literature or martial arts.

“First-degree scholar? Please don’t joke around. The groom must be at least an imperial scholar.”

“That’s right. Jin’s family is not an ordinary noble family. Their rank is way higher than that. Although some of the imperial scholars are talented, they did not have anyone to back them up, so if they married into the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu, they could get wealth out of nowhere.”

In the Ming dynasty, a rule forbade those who lived with their in-laws from participating in scholarly examinations. However, there was no such rule in the Yue State.

“Yes, moreover, Miss Jin Mulan is so beautiful and outstanding. She is loved by countless guys.”

“That’s right! If the person is not an imperial scholar, then he does not deserve to marry Miss Jin Mulan.”

As for Shen Lang, nobody bothered to mention his name. How was it possible? It was a complete mismatch.

Therefore, Tian Heng felt slightly more relieved.

At this moment, Zhang Pu was staring at the door. He was also jealous of the groom.

Who was Jin Mulan? She was the dream girl of all the young men, including Zhang Pu.

He knew why the wedding was so rushed. That was because the Earl of Xuanwu did not want his daughter to leave the family after marriage. Moreover, the people from the Zhu Family were on their way to ask for the Earl’s blessing.

Zhang Pu did not bother about that. He was actually slightly happy that Jin Mulan, a stunning beauty, did not marry Zhu Hongxue. Why should Zhu Hongxue deserve Jin Mulan?

When Xu Qianqian saw his fiancé’s expression, she felt jealous but did not show it. Instead, she smiled and said, “I am really curious, I wonder who is the lucky man who managed to marry Miss Jin Mulan.” 1

At this moment, the entire atmosphere turned silent.

That was because the Earl and his wife had appeared. They sat at the center of the hall.

Beside them stood a plump young man who looked unhappy. He was the son of the Palace of the Earl.

Everyone was anxious. The wedding ceremony was about to begin, and the groom was about to be revealed.

“Pa, pa, pa…”

At this moment, loud firecrackers were heard outside the door.

The groom had arrived!

Everyone swarmed forward to look at the lucky guy.

Amidst all the attention, a carriage was gradually carried to the door. The curtain opened, and the groom entered.

He was wearing a silver mask, and his face could not be seen clearly. He was slim and had fair hands. He should be a literary scholar.

Everyone was guessing his identity.

“The bride has arrived!”

Jin Mulan also appeared!

Every man stopped breathing while all the women widened their eyes in jealousy.

That was because Jin Mulan was marrying a man who was about to live with her family. Therefore, she did not wear a red dress but a silver dress instead.

The silver dress was neutral and extremely fitting. Jin Mulan looked extremely stunning and perfect.

This was a strong signal that told everyone that Jin Mulan was a female soldier. Moreover, she would fight for the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu in the future, and nobody could stop her. 2

Her silver dress also complimented her figure so well that it made their heart flutter.

Absolutely gorgeous, extremely eye-catching…

Instantly, all the men were even more jealous of the groom who was wearing the mask.

Jin Mulan did not look happy or sad. For her family, she was completely willing to sacrifice her happiness. Moreover, someone like Shen Lang was more suited for her family’s benefit.

However, Shen Lang had a poor reputation after all.

He had a low IQ, could not manage his own living, and was unable to graduate elementary school despite ten years of studies.

Therefore, even if she sacrificed for her family, marrying someone like this definitely made Jin Mulan slightly sad.

***

“The time has come!”

Everyone rose to their feet in unison.

“A bow to heaven and earth!”

“A bow to the parents.”

“A bow to each other!”

“The ceremony has ended, enter the room!”

The ceremony was formal but short.

Like a bride, the groom could only remove his mask when they entered the room.

That was frustrating!

Suddenly, a voice emerged. It was none other than Liu Chengyan, the City Lord of Xuanwu City.

“Earl, although according to traditions, the groom can only remove his mask after he enters the room, all of us are very curious as to who can match up to Miss Mulan. Can you please satisfy our curiosity?”

Liu Chengyan spoke the thoughts of everyone.

At this moment, a peal of laughter was heard from outside. However, it sounded frigid.

“Hahahaha! I was just here to pay a visit to the Earl, I can’t believe I made it to the wedding of my niece.”

This laughter was so thunderous that it almost broke people’s eardrums.

This person was very skilled!

With the laughter, a tall figure walked in slowly.

The Earl of Xuanwu hurried forward to welcome him.

Everyone fell to the knees and bowed!

“Greetings, Sir Zhu Lin!”

He was Zhu Lin, the governor of Tian Nan Province, the brother of the monarch’s wife, the Ping Nan General of Yue State, the governor of Baiyun province, and the City Lord of Pingnan Pass. He was extremely powerful. 1

He represented the Zhu Family to ask for the Earl of Xuanwu’s blessings. He was swift. He traveled 200-300 miles a day, and nobody expected him to reach in time for Jin Mulan’s wedding.

The announcement was made the same day as the wedding?

What on earth was happening? Wasn’t it clear?

They did not want to be involved with the Zhu Family and did not want to reject them upfront. Therefore, before he rushed over, they married off their daughter.

“Earl of Xuanwu, what kind of friend are you, why didn’t you inform me about your daughter’s wedding? If I had not come to Xuanwu City for business matters, wouldn’t I miss the wedding?” Zhu Lin’s gaze was cold, and he smiled as he said, “I wonder who is the young man that is worthy of being my niece Mulan’s husband; take off his mask and let me take a look!”

“Yes, take it off!” Everyone shouted.

Jin Mulan looked at Shen Lang and nodded.

Shen Lang immediately took off the mask!

Instantly, many people gasped in horror.

Tian Heng’s eyes widened, and his body froze.

It was… really Shen Lang!?

He was in great trouble!

The people who were the most stunned were none other than Xu Qianqian and Zhang Pu.

At this moment, Xu Qianqian could no longer control herself. She forgot to keep her good manners and gasped in disbelief and shock when she saw Shen Lang’s handsome face!

***