Drunk Bamboo

In the 19th year of Chongguang, spring began.

An imperial decree granting marriage unexpectedly fell into the hands of Xie Juesheng, the president of Baiyun Academy. It was like a bolt from the blue, making him feel dizzy.

Half an hour later, the four people gathered in the Ren De Hall of the Xie family to discuss important matters, and there was complete silence.

The head of the family, Xie Juesheng, sat on the high hall, looked at his eldest daughter Xie Yupei, who was full of worry, and his second daughter Xie Yulan, who had a cold face, and shook his head repeatedly. Then his eyes fell on the imperial edict on the table, and he sighed helplessly.

Nephew Xie Yuyun is a rare wise and talented person in the Xie family. At this moment, he just sits aside and has no idea how to deal with the situation.

After a cup of tea, Xie Yupei broke the silence first.

"Father, the imperial decree is hard to disobey. As the eldest daughter of the Xie family, I have no choice but to bear the jade pendant. I am willing to set an example and follow the decree to marry the King of Wind as his concubine, so that the Xie family and the academy can live in peace."

Xie Yulan immediately retorted after hearing this: "My elder sister already has a lover, how can she sacrifice herself to marry someone who has nothing to do with her? I have no interest in the secular world, I have chess to accompany me, it doesn't matter whether I marry or not, or who I marry. Father, I am more suitable to marry to Zhongdu than my elder sister."

Xie Yupei: "Yulan, you don't have to fight with me. I am the eldest sister. There has always been a hierarchy of seniority. I am not married yet, so it is not your turn to marry first!"

Xie Yulan: "My eldest sister has been dignified and quiet since she was young. She is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs. Although the Wind King is the third prince of the Holy Lord, his mother is the princess of the White Kingdom in the Far North. I heard that he is nine feet tall, with a waist that is ten times bigger than his waist, tiger eyes and dragon eyebrows, born with supernatural power, and a violent temper. He loves to wield swords and guns the most, but he is not good at writing. If my eldest sister lives with him, isn't it like playing the lute to a cow?"

Xie Yupei's beautiful face showed a sad expression: "The imperial edict has been issued, what can we do? If we disobey the imperial edict, not only will the Xie family suffer, but even the academy will be implicated. The Xie family's century-old foundation cannot be destroyed in our hands. Mr. He and I... are not destined to be together in this life, and can only wait for the next life..."

She was choked with sobs and could not speak.

The emperor granting a marriage is a great blessing. No matter which family it happens to be with, it will be a blessing for their ancestors and they will be overjoyed.

But when this great opportunity fell to the Xie family, a family of educators, it was like a rolling bolt of lightning.

Xie Yuyun's eyes were as clear as a stream. He was just 20 years old, but he was very calm and composed. "The Xie family is a family of scholars. The Baiyun Academy founded by our ancestors has made great contributions to cultivating people. They are role models in the eyes of scholars. The Xie family's ancestral precepts that descendants are not allowed to become officials. They are responsible for cultivating people all their lives. They have trained more than 500 famous scholars and six prime ministers. If all the women in the Xie family are married, the emperor cannot force them. What do you think, uncle?"

"Oh——" Xie Juesheng sighed again.

Xie is one of the "Four Famous Families" in Rao State. Everyone knows the Xie family in the south and Baiyun College. The Xie family has produced many scholars and educated people for generations, but never entered the officialdom, just to teach and educate people wholeheartedly.

This imperial decree granting marriage tied the Xie family and the royal family closely together. The myriad relationships involved were intricate and complicated. Although they did not allow them to become officials, it indirectly broke the rules set by their ancestors.

It was not only these that made Xie Juesheng feel embarrassed, but also because he felt sorry for his daughters marrying far away and did not want them to ruin their happiness in the second half of their lives.

The hall fell silent again.

Outside the hall, a maid passing by saw a girl in white eavesdropping at the door and exclaimed, "Miss San? Why are you eavesdropping?"

"Shh——" The girl immediately made a gesture to keep quiet, but was still discovered by the people in the hall.

"Who's at the door?"

The girl straightened her dress, stood up straight, pushed the door open and walked into the room. She bowed slightly and said politely, "Father, cousin, eldest sister, second sister, it's Yuzhu."

Xie Juesheng frowned slightly: "You are not feeling well, why don't you just stay in your room to recuperate? What are you doing in Rende Hall?"

Xie Yuzhu is the third daughter of the Xie family. She has been weak since she was a child and has never left the house. She is not as gentle and dignified as Xie Yupei, who is well-educated and sensible, nor as cold and frosty as Xie Yulan, who is proficient in chess. She looks ordinary and has no special talents. She is also a person who only appears once in a hundred years in the Xie family - the most mediocre person.

"Is there something bothering father?"

Xie Juesheng felt that he shouldn't vent his anger on his innocent third daughter, so he softened his voice and said, "Go back to your room and have a good rest. You don't need to worry about the things at home."

Xie Yuzhu said gently and politely: "Father, don't worry. Yuzhu is willing to marry to Zhongdu and marry King Feng."

"Did you hear everything?" Xie Juesheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

Xie Yuzhu had poor aptitude since childhood. She finished her elementary reading at the age of ten. She was also weak and sickly, and rarely went out. Later, her temperament changed drastically, and she acted rudely and eccentrically, without any manners. Although she has become more stable in the past two years, she is not comparable to the eldest and second daughters, so Xie Juesheng hardly mentions her in front of outsiders.

The sudden imperial decree confused him so much that he even forgot that he had a little daughter.

Now, she offered to marry him in Zhongdu, suddenly solving all his problems.

"House Rule 91 states that no one should make irresponsible comments in front of elders. As the youngest daughter of the Xie family, Yuzhu knows that she should not be standing here to make comments without the permission of her father, brothers and sisters. But House Rule 120 states that elder brothers should be friends and younger brothers should be respectful. Filial piety is the key to harmony between brothers. Yuzhu has been weak and sickly since she was a child. Her father, brothers and sisters have to worry about everything, but she cannot share your worries. She feels very uneasy. Today, Yuzhu can finally contribute to the Xie family. Please support her, father, brothers and sisters."

After Xie Yuzhu finished her impassioned speech, she got goose bumps all over her body.

It took me three years to memorize the 508 family rules, but I still haven't memorized all of them.

Her real name is Yu Zhu, a master of botany. She accidentally fell off a cliff while collecting specimens and traveled through time to become Xie Yuzhu. She has been in Rao Country for three years and trapped in the Xie family for three years. Except for the Baiyun College next door and the back mountain, she has not even been to the market.

When I first arrived at the Xie family, I was not used to the lifestyle here and was treated like a lunatic. Later, I had to pretend to be well-behaved and polite in front of others, and only then did I have some freedom.

The Xie family was full of books and family rules, which turned the cheerful Xie Yuzhu into a taciturn "lady of noble family".

Now she has a chance to leave, who cares what her future husband looks like? It's better to stay at the border and not come back, she will be freer and happier. How can she not seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Xie Yupei said with concern: "The journey to Zhongdu is long and the weather is cold. Yuzhu, your body can't stand the fatigue of the journey."

Xie Yulan has always been sharp-tongued: "Yuzhu, you have never been far away, and you rarely even leave your house. You are weak and timid. I'm afraid that King Feng will scare you if he looks at you."

Xie Juesheng was worried: "Zhongdu is the capital of our country, and Prince Feng is a member of the royal family. If you marry Prince Feng as his concubine, you will have to go in and out of the palace frequently. The royal family has many rules and etiquette, and if you make a mistake, you will be doomed. The princess' words and deeds represent the Xie family. If she says or does something inappropriate, I'm afraid it will bring disaster to the Xie family."

After listening patiently, he asked Xie Yuyun calmly, "Cousin, do you have anything to say?"

She always believed that Xie Yuyun was the smartest person in the Xie family.

As expected, he had seen through her, and his clear eyes only glanced at her: "Yuzhu, have you really thought it through?"