Love Like the Galaxy

Chapter Forty-Four:
A Guide to Marriage Alliances in a Township

After a few days of rest, the emperor’s edict arrived on the fourth day.

First, Old Magistrate Cheng was praised for his righteousness and kindness towards the people. His name would be bestowed upon later generations, and wise officials of the world would compete for recognition. Before Shaoshang, who was kneeling below, could complain, it was immediately announced that the Old Magistrate Cheng would posthumously be named the second-class Marquis of Guannei, and after his eldest grandson comes of age, he would be granted an official rank of 600 stones and given 10000 yuan.

Seeing that her niece only half-understood, Madam Sang quickly explained in her ear that once the grandson of Lord Cheng reaches adulthood, he would obtain an official position at the 600 stone rank level. As for whether it was an important position or a casual one, it all depended on the child’s own abilities – this was a very generous reward.

Shaoshang breathed through a sigh of frustration and thought to herself that the emperor was still on the road. If it wasn’t for the emperor’s mercy and failure to decisively resolve the rebels, how could Hua County and the Cheng family encountered such a bloody disaster!

Accompanied by Madam Sang’s older brother Sang Yu, Madam Cheng led her two grandchildren to bow and thank the emperor for his kindness, and then asked the Cheng Zhi couple to accompany Sang Yu to the side hall to talk. With the addition of Shaoshang, the four of them sat down in groups around the charcoal pot. It wasn’t easy to eat and drink too much. Cheng Zhi could only offer his wife and brother-in-law a bowl of hot honey soup.

The brother and sister of the Sang family were very similar in appearance, both of whom were just average. However, Sang Yu had been a disciple of the Sang family for many years, and his body exuded a touch of poetic and profound aura. He held a cup and didn’t drink, first asking his sister about her injury.

Madam Sang smiled. “I’ve been eating and sleeping well these past few days, and I’ve been changing the dressing every day. It’s much better, just skin and flesh injuries, but my bones or muscles aren’t hurt.”

Sang Yu breathed a sigh of relief and brought a second piece of news to everyone, saying that the emperor ordered Cheng Zhi to temporarily replace the magistrate of Hua County, pacify the people, and eliminate disasters in the village. It seemed that the edict would arrive tomorrow or later.

Shaoshang secretly cursed her uncle for his good luck. “Master Sang, why didn’t this edict come today with the other one?” she politely asked. During this journey, the couple entertained famous scholars, and she always accompanied them like this, occasionally adding a few words.

Sang Yu had learned from a letter that his younger sister loved the daughter of the Cheng family’s eldest son very much. At this moment, he saw that the girl had a beautiful appearance and a graceful expression. He also thought that after his sister was injured, thanks to the careful care of this young girl, she was already close in his heart. He smiled. “His Majesty is kind. In order to avoid the family of the old magistrate being hurt by this situation, he specially sent an order one or two days later.”

Shaoshang was speechless, and she never thought that the emperor would have such a gentle and considerate temperament.

Madam Sang looked at her stunned expression and smiled at her brother. “She complained to me a few days ago that His Majesty was not cruel and ruthless enough. Didn’t everything go away except for Fan Chang?”

Shaoshang let out a startled ‘oh’ and angrily scratched Madam Sang’s waist. She retaliated by scratching her small nose.

Sang Yu shook his head and sighed. “There are probably not a few people who think about that, but how can the world know about His Majesty’s difficulties? Fan Chang’s achievements in following the dragon are not small, except for his fierce temper. Before his rebellion was revealed, he only took him based on rumors… This, this…” He stroked the five strands of his scholar’s beard. “Besides, we have always shared difficulties and wealth. In the past, Emperor Gaozu executed many meritorious officials but it is now said that His Majesty will also follow suit, which has not prevented instability in people’s hearts…”
[Emperor Gaozu of Han (d. June 1, 195 BCE) was a Sui military commander who led a rebellion against his former masters and founded the Tang dynasty.]

Shaoshang nodded secretly, that made sense.

After considering this matter, she plainly said, “Uncle, I’ll go to the front hall to guard the coffin for you. You and Master Sang should have a good conversation, don’t worry.” She got up and walked out, then turned halfway. “Master Sang, I ordered the chef to cook meat soup with scallion leaf mountain mushroom sauce. My uncle can’t eat it so Aunt and I pour it on the hot wheat rice to eat.”

Cheng Zhi was originally in a gloomy mood, but now he couldn’t help but pat the floor, laughing and cursing, “You child, even if you don’t like your uncle, don’t show it to everyone!”

“Last night I made you soup and cakes!” Shaoshang immediately retorted.

“Didn’t Madam Cheng tell you to make an extra bowl?” Cheng Zhi thought about it and became angry. “Otherwise, you only planned to cook it for everyone else! I spoil you for nothing!”

“Uncle is a big fool!” Shaoshang said, furious. “Only when the madam speaks can you eat well! Hmph, there’s no more food for you tonight!” She stomped her feet angrily and left, while Cheng Zhi glared and blew his beard out behind her. The Sang siblings fell against the table, laughing.

As the small girl walked out of the door, Sang Yu wiped away the happy tears from the corners of his eyes. “Your niece is clever and likeable,” he said to his sister. He turned to his brother-in-law. “This county is fine, but the countryside outside the county has suffered a lot. You should be diligent and thorough, and perhaps you can fill the position of magistrate.”

Cheng Zhi shook his head, speaking in a low voice, “It’s natural to be diligent and thorough, otherwise I wouldn’t be sorry for the old man under the Nine Springs. I still won’t make up for this deficiency. I’ll be here next year and I’ll let you find another place.”
[Nine Springs is the Chinese mythological underworld. Like Hades.]

Sang Yu frowned and was about to express his disapproval but Madam Sang quickly took over. “My thoughts are of the same as Zi Rong. If we hadn’t been leisurely all the way, and arrived here a few days earlier, Zi Rong would’ve had to go out of the city to kill the thieves, and life or death would have been difficult to predict. Now that the old man has sacrificed himself for righteousness, we are all good. If Zi Rong fills this gap, he will inevitably be criticized by those who are frivolous and free in the future, and those who are devoted to their duties will suffer.”

Sang Yu stroked his beard and thought for a moment. “That’s right,” he said. “Don’t worry where you are going, I know several small counties can fill the gap in county officials. Alas… it’s not as prosperous and peaceful as here.”

As the emperor gradually crushed and subdued the lords, it actually required a lot of local officials. But it was also the county seat. There were large and fertile counties with tens of thousands of households, such as Hua County and Qing County, and small barren counties with only hundreds of households. Even being a county magistrate there was not as comfortable as being a county magistrate in Hua County.

“It’s okay,” Cheng Zhi said. “I should also learn to start my own family and protect the people like he did. It’s just…” He looked at his wife and said, “Why don’t you go back to the capital and I’ll take office myself?”

Madam Sang forcefully twisted her husband’s waist and glared at him. “If you want to go back, go back yourself, give me the official seal and I will take over for you! I haven’t been there with my brother in the past few years, so I need to show mercy and cherish the jade!”

“What do women know?” Cheng Zhi covered his waist with a groan and glared angrily. “I’m doing it for you!”

“Alright!” Seeing this scene, Sang Yu had a headache. “What’s the point? Would I find a place full of poor mountains and rivers for Zi Rong to create trouble on the ground?! General Cheng wouldn’t agree either! Besides, we must wait until His Majesty finished patrolling Yanzhou, then Qingzhou, and then return to the capital city before we can officially be appointed as officials.”

After painstakingly saying this, he became more and more angry as he pointed to his sister’s nose and exclaimed, “You! Take care of your leg injury or else you won’t go anywhere!” He turned to point at his brother-in-law. “You! Take care of yourself and don’t make yourself look weak! Otherwise, go back to Bailu Mountain to study with my father!”

After roaring this, and seeing that the couple were cautious and didn’t dare make any more mistakes, Sang Yu, who was admired by others, finally felt much more comfortable. After taking a long breath, he said, “Go, order your niece to prepare dinner as well. I will return to His Majesty’s place tomorrow morning.”

Madam Sang raised her head. “Eh?” she said curiously. “Didn’t you say that His Majesty would leave camp to Shanyang Commandery in a few days? Shouldn’t you go back to pack your bags right away, brother?”

“His Majesty has been losing his temper these past few days,” Sang Yu said helplessly. “I need to hide a bit. The luggage has already been cleared up by a servant.”

Cheng Zhi also felt strange. “Is His Majesty indignant about the rebellion?” During the sudden chaos, the emperor was not angry. Now that the rebellion was over with, how could he get angry?

“Not for that,” Sang Yu said, pinching his beard and smiling bitterly. “A few days ago, Fan Chang and those scumbags who instigated rebellion were all captured and killed after being chased by Eleventh Lang. This was originally a good thing…” He paused. “Unexpectedly, when Eleventh Lang reported to the emperor, he collapsed. His Majesty only then realized that he had been injured for several days, but kept it hidden and persisted in pursuing the rebels. Now he’s bedridden with a high fever and unconscious… Uh, no, he was already awake when I left.”

Cheng Zhi and Madam Sang glanced at each other. Madam Sang sighed. “Since he is awake, why would His Majesty’s temper…?”

Sang Yu laughed angrily. “His Majesty walked back and forth in front of Eleventh Lang’s bed, repeatedly saying, ‘Tell him to get married and have a son quickly, otherwise no one will see him off even if he dies!’”

“Eleventh Lang refused?” Cheng Zhi asked.

“Nonsense! If he was willing, His Majesty wouldn’t be angry!” Sang Yu said. “Later on, he became impatient. Eleventh Lang said he would marry someone who loves him as his uncle did, rather than being like his parents – resentful and hateful for half of his life.”

Cheng Zhi clapped his hands and smiled. “Once he said this, His Majesty must have been at a loss.”

“If he didn’t say that, His Majesty can’t do anything about him,” Sang Yu said. “Four years ago, the chief of Yuchang County remarried, and His Majesty wanted to pressure him to get married. However, he rode alone to the northwest, but coincidentally encountered a Hu man who violated the border and almost lost his life there! How dare His Majesty force himself after that? His Majesty can’t get angry at Eleventh Lang, or even vent his anger on others.”

“His Majesty sympathizes with the ups and downs of Eleventh Lang,” Cheng Zhi couldn’t help but say, “raising him like a son. In fact, if he really doesn’t want to get married, why doesn’t he take a concubine and have a son first?” In fact, whether he gets married or not isn’t important, the key is whether he has a son.

“A concubine,” Sang Yu said, humming. “Do you think His Majesty didn’t try that? That no one else tried to do that? But Eleventh Lang is strange. Those concubines came and went, and none of them served for long, let alone produced any children. Alas, forget it. I will return to Bailu Mountain after accompanying His Majesty to Qingzhou. The days of accompanying him are really uncomfortable!”

Madam Sang didn’t say a word about her thoughts.

After completing the three-day vigil, Cheng Zhi immediately began the bustling post-disaster reconstruction work. Due to the injury of Madam Sang’s leg, in addition to negotiating with the wives of the county’s major ethnic groups to beg for food, many other auxiliary tasks were honestly and politely assigned to his dear niece.

When Shaoshang was studying, she once heard a saying that until the establishment of New China, dynasties in China could only control local areas up to the county level, and local governance in units below the county level mainly relied on indigenous forces such as clan gentry.

Before she saw it, she didn’t understand what it meant. How could they not control it? There were village committees and branch secretaries in the village, town mayors and secretaries, and various levels of government agencies in the two. In the county, there was a complete set of public security, procuratorate, and law enforcement auxiliary offices, with a one-stop process of collecting taxes, gambling, anti-pornography, and anti-mafia population statistics. It was easy to find any you wanted, and it was easy to spread.

But now, Shaoshang fully understood.

Hua County was a county with a permanent population of around ten thousand households. It was equipped with one county magistrate, with an official rank of less than a thousand stones and one county magistrate (Cheng Zhi). The official rank ranged from four hundred stones to six hundred stones, responsible for civil affairs, taxation, household registration statistics, and other work. In addition, there are two county captains with an official rank of two or three hundred stones, responsible for public security.

That was to say, for such a large town with a population of tens of thousands, there were only four officials appointed by the state! Four! The remaining auxiliary personnel were provided by the officials themselves.

So – 

The Old Cheng County Magistrate kept four or five staff members, as well as family generals and soldiers brought in from the family. During peacetime, he would write memorials and documents, and when someone caused trouble, he would arrest them.

The county magistrate of Little Cheng raised two or three disciples, as well as a steady stream of elder brothers who sent their experienced generals to guard them.

Even the two local police officers each had a group of younger brothers following them, shouting in the street market and various shops on weekdays to maintain order.

Originally, Shaoshang wanted to ask, ‘What if the appointed county magistrate and magistrate had no money and no one else to rely on?’ Later on, she realized this question was too intellectual. At the time, it wasn’t the imperial examination system, and she could achieve the goal of being ‘a farmer in the morning and a minister in the evening.’ Nowadays, it was mostly recommended by the court and famous scholars as officials or summoned by decree. Simply put, those who could become officials, regardless of their family background, were basic people with normal backgrounds.

Take Yuan Shen as an example. He met all the above conditions – his father was a state pastor, a prominent feudal official, and could fully recommend his excellent son to the court as an official. His numerous teachers were either great scholars or leaders, and they could also recommend their favorite disciples to become officials. But he took the third path, and at the age of eighteen, he made a remarkable achievement at the Confucian scripture discourse ceremony and was personally summoned by the emperor to be appointed as an official.

Of course, there are exceptions to the curve to save the country.

For example, the county magistrate subordinate to Senior Brother Gongsun next door was from an ordinary peasant family, but he had been brilliant since childhood and favored by local teachers. He was also recommended to study at the Imperial Academy.

Secondly, the county magistrate of Dongjun was originally from the home of a street vendor, but he found business opportunities in turbulent times and accumulated a large amount of wealth by selling horses. It was said that he also helped several generals of our dynasty raise food and grass during the war. Based on this, he donated a moderate position after the war to overcome his official addiction, which could also be considered a shining star of his family. This time, his immediate supervisor caused a commotion, and he responded in person with extravagance. He even insisted on donating all his property to Daye, and then turned his head and expressed his sincerity to the emperor.

Shaoshang couldn’t help but raise her big toe for this county magistrate, such talent!

Shaoshang originally thought that this type of official appointment model was not conducive to the promotion of grassroots talents, but looking at the heavy bamboo slips in her hands, she felt that this idea was redundant. In a society where even paper had not yet been developed and popularized, wisdom could not be circulated in a cheap way, and could not unlock the wisdom of the people. How could large-scale grassroots talents be promoted? This was the reality.

For example, she was now standing in the hospital in the corner of the west city, serving as a shelter ­– it was a congee shed. The petty official asked: The day before yesterday, 30 pieces of old rice were sent. Yesterday, 40 pieces of mixed beans were sent. A large pot requires two pieces of rice. Each pot can be rationed to 20 people every day. Three pieces of old rice and one piece of mixed beans can be boiled into thick bean congee. There were more than 1200 people outside. Today, at least how many pieces of old rice and beans need to be sent by Master Cheng?

On that side, the disciple sent by Cheng Zhi to help had not yet prepared the plan. Shaoshang took a branch and drew a few equations on the ground, which surprised the official.

Shaoshang was also taken aback. She clearly remembered that as long as it did not involve advanced math or higher levels, Madam Sang’s mental calculation was not much faster and the results were not much worse than her own written formula calculation. That customer was still considered a cultural person, and as for the rest of the people in the shed, they had no idea what Shaoshang was talking about. Some of them were wild and had not even mastered basic numbers, let alone addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Shaoshang suddenly realized that she needed to work hard to suppress greed, because it was too easy to deceive these farmers and hunters. When collecting leather goods and grains, she had to fiddle with the numbers, which was completely unprofitable – Firmly slapping the treacherous business genes passed down to her by her prior life’s father, Shaoshang remained steadfast in her work and resolutely drove away all those evil ideas.

Because the Huben warriors arrived in a timely manner, the time that the bandits could commit crimes was actually only a half day. Even if they worked overtime for rape and plunder, the damage to the population and economy was still limited.

Nowadays, more than 1200 people in the shed were unlucky and severely affected households. Not only had their houses been burned down, their families killed and maimed, but their belongings and food had also been looted. Even if there were relatives to provide shelter, the injuries and illnesses on the body will cost a lot. Therefore, Cheng Zhi specially set up a medical clinic to take in the affected people in the village for treatment and injury, and wait for their physical recovery before returning to their hometown.

Shaoshang thought, ‘Indeed, medical treatment has always been expensive.’

Madam Sang originally didn’t want Shaoshang to go to such a place, but Shaoshang felt that spending all day with the orphans and guardians of the Old Cheng County Magistrate’s family made her feel down. It would be better to go out and engage with the Red Cross movement, especially the trauma would not be contagious.

Madam Sang wanted to respect her opinion, so she had to agree.

In this era, the medical level was still very rough, and the treatment of external injuries was mostly done in three strikes: cleaning, scraping, and applying medicine. At most, a highly skilled suture could be added, and it was inserted into the flesh with hemp thread, causing Shaoshang’s heart and liver to tremble. Don’t even think about antibiotics or anything else, the most advanced treatment was to have the shamans dance and sing mantras on the side!

At first, Shaoshang wanted to fight and drive out all the superstitions. She noticed that after this was done, many injured people mustered up the courage to survive – so the atheist Young Mistress Cheng politely invited the gods to perform a performance every few days for a good reward. Over time, the county unexpectedly gained a good reputation for her admiration for heaven and earth, as well as for the gods.

The medical shelter was filled with people who were affected by the war, so it was naturally not a good atmosphere. Everyone had a belly full of tragic stories. If she were an ordinary little girl, she would probably cry dozens of times a day. Therefore, it was rare for someone as cold and hard-hearted as Shaoshang to stay.

Turn back the flowing intestines, sew them together with a howling cry, and cut off the scattered limbs with skin and flesh. Without anesthesia, one could only endure it and apply medicinal oil to the burnt black and red skin and flesh…

Faced with the medical apprentices and helpers gathered from the entire county, Shaoshang stood expressionless and commanded. Daily mobilization of food, medicine, and water, registration of the names and hometowns of the deceased and injured individuals who were left, allocation of personnel to take care of the injured, scheduling of work and rest shifts, and careful statistics of expenditure and income to avoid waste and corruption.

Cheng Zhi originally only wanted his niece to handle the emergency for a few days. When he took out his hand from repairing the city defense, he sent another reliable person to manage the medical house. However, Shaoshang argued and refused to leave.

These days, she almost always got up before dawn and rushed from the county government house to the medical house. She only returned at dusk and worked at least fifteen hours a day. Sometimes, when she was too busy, she would make do with lying down overnight in the inner hall of the medical room, with rotating guards and martial maids guarding her side.

If, at first, she only sought refuge outside to avoid the bustling county government house, later it seemed as if an inexplicable and anxious force supported her, urging her to persevere day after day.

On the fifth day at the medical house…

Faced with groups of patients who were either crying or feeling heartbroken, Shaoshang was able to respond coldly and effortlessly:

“Cry? What’s the use of crying? With this strength, quickly bite the wood in the doctor’s hand and hold onto the bone.”

“Don’t scream, you’re just being bullied. You’ve been bullied several times, and there’s a big difference between one and the other. Your fiancé has been waiting outside for two days, and when you’re good, you’ll go back and get married. If you aren’t good, I’ll find a match for him later and get him another bride!”

“Your father and brother had limbs chopped off and died of pain? I’m so sorry. However, if you die, so many fields in your family will have to be given to someone else. You should quickly recover and find a wife to give birth to one, two, three, four, five, and bring back the days of your father and brother.”

“What, your mother and sister were all assaulted to death? Fortunately, you are a man and the thief was straight, otherwise your chrysanthemum would turn into a sunflower.” The last part was said in her head.

On the tenth day in the medical house…

When Shaoshang wrote, ‘Twelve people have recovered from their injuries today, they have left; thirty-one people died from injuries and they were moved out of the house,’ she deeply felt that the most important thing right now was to develop medical care rather than develop paper to spread knowledge.

Relying on the current situation, even if she tried to improve the hygienic conditions, cook, wash, wrap cloths, eat, sleep, clean, and ensure the indoor temperature, it still depended on everyone’s physical fitness. Those who could endure would endure, and those who couldn’t endure would be taken out of the city.

After all, not everyone had Ling Buyi’s ruthless endurance and strong physique. As of this day, only two or three hundred of the first 1200 people were left. One third of those who left had become souls, and their bodies are either taken back to their families for burial, or burned into ashes and scattered.

On the fifteenth day in the medical house, it rained heavily.

Shaoshang was lying next to a quiet hospital bed in the inner hall, tightly holding a cold little hand in both hands, and couldn’t help but shed tears.

The girl on the sickbed was not yet thirteen years old, with beautiful eyebrows and a large dimple on her cheek. She used to have a happy family, but unfortunately, her home was built at the entrance of the village, and she couldn’t escape when encountering bandits who came riding in on horseback.

She watched helpless as her entire family was slaughtered, was stabbed in the abdomen and brutally assaulted. Kind neighbors picked up the dying girl from under the burned down house and took care of her for several days before she was sent to the county hospital.

The little girl had a strong will to survive. She gritted her teeth and endured the intense pain of changing the dressings and suturing time and time again. Even in a coma, she murmured to survive and seek revenge. When she was conscious, she would tell people how her parents and siblings loved her when she was young. Shaoshang made every effort to take care of her, wrapping her wounds, feeding her medicine, and changing her clothes with her own hands. She kept encouraging her softly, praying to the Heavenly God Buddha not to let this child die.

As long as you live, you will die.

But she still went, with endless pain and unwillingness. Before her death, she opened her big eyes and said to Shaoshang, “Young Mistress is very kind and virtuous. I will find you again in the next life.”

Watching the girl’s body being carried away, more than half a month of hard work and anger hit together. Shaoshang’s crying was choking and trembling all over. Amidst tears, she remembered that little maidservant with dimples and a love for listening to her flute. She didn’t even see her corpse, or maybe her corpse was completely gone…

Shaoshang suddenly wanted to go home, back to her own time. It would be better to go to that small town with cold eyes than to be here. There, she was not afraid of anything. If someone mocked her, she could scold them back a hundred times; when someone bullied her, she always found an opportunity to double her revenge in return. Later on, everyone in the town looked at her with admiration.

But here, she was so powerless! She couldn’t do anything! She could only shrink in the inner hall and cry weakly.

After crying for a long time, she had a headache. The guard hurried in from outside and reported, “Young Mistress, there is a young master surnamed Lou outside who wants to see you.”

Shaoshang stood up and forcefully wiped away her tears with her sleeve, rushing out with a murderous expression. The two martial maids looked at each other; they had been trying to persuade the young mistress for a long time to stop crying. Why did she stop crying immediately?

Shaoshang quickly stepped out of the inner hall and pushed the curtain outside open. Sure enough, she saw Lou Yao standing there, who had been separated for two months, with a few servants beside him.

Lou Yao seemed to have been on the road for a long time, with a face full of wind and frost, and half of the clothing under his coir raincoat was wet. At first glance, he saw Shaoshang with a cheerful expression on his face, but before he could open his mouth and say half a word, Shaoshang already walked over like a gust of wind, silently tugging at the sleeves of the young master and forcefully dragging him out.

If it came to strength, three Shaoshang’s couldn’t drag Lou Yao, but how could Lou Yao compare his strength with a girl? So, of course, he allowed himself to be pulled out of the house. The servants around him looked at each other but none stepped forward to ‘protect the young master.’

Shaoshang was plunged into the pouring rain, eyes red, and exclaimed, “What are you doing here? Are you blackmailing me again?!” She was really fed up with those young masters and mistresses who were born into an easy life!

The heavy rain poured down heavily, and her clothes quickly became soaked. Lou Yao looked at it indecently, quickly took off his coir raincoat and draped it over her. “No,” he stuttered. “Like last time, I really admire you.”

Shaoshang pushed away the coir raincoat into the young man’s hands, screaming, “Shut up! Who wants you to admire me? You don’t know who I am! You’d admire something if it was three colors, you ignorant idiot! Do you know what happened to Yanzhou?! Are you still thinking of this worthless admiration? You are full of it! Let me tell you, I am a bitter and mean person who will take revenge, I am narrow-minded and vicious, full of sneakiness but incompetent! Only relying on the protection of my father and brother to show my teeth and claws until now, it’s really useless! There’s nothing to ‘admire’…”

Lou Yao disregarded the girl’s indignant chatter, stepped forward and grabbed her, and covered her head and shoulders with the coir raincoat. He took three steps back, mustered all the strength in his chest and roared like thunder, “You listen to me, first!”

Shaoshang was taken aback, and pulled the coir raincoat up to her mouth in a daze.

Lou Yao took a deep breath, but because the rain was running all over his face, he almost sucked water into his nostrils. After coughing and sputtering a few times in embarrassment, he loudly said, “I wanted to say goodbye to you outside the capital that day. Actually, I told my family that I wanted to marry you as soon as I went back to the Wan family banquet! My mother thought I was joking at first, and I knelt in front of her residence… knelt for about half a stick of incense… then my mother agreed to send a letter to ask my father about this.”

Shaoshang was stunned. Only half a stick of incense, so short. Your mother has a very easy way to talk to.

Lou Yao continued, “Who knew you were leaving the capital so soon, that’s why I came after you and wanted to tell you. I’m not a disciple or a frivolous person, I truly admire you.”

Speaking of this, he was a bit shy. “After your convoy left, I actually went back to pack up immediately and hurried to my father in Shanyang Commandery. I… I want to tell my father that you are a very good woman.”

Shaoshang chuckled and almost burst into tears. “Me? I’m a good woman?” This was the best joke she had ever heard since she was born.

Lou Yao was now completely soaked and he wiped his face. “Sure! You’re just great. You’re brave and witty. You dare to say what others dare not and do what others dare not to do! Why do you have to swallow your anger when you’re bullied? And why do you persist even if you don’t like something? If Young Mistress He didn’t withdraw the engagement on her own, would I have to be cowardly and endure it all my life?

“I want to… I want to be fearless like you! I don’t want to be as mediocre and cowardly as before,” the young man said his words slowly, standing tall against the rain without feeling the cold.

“Five days ago, my father promised our marriage and sent someone back to the capital to ask my mother to propose marriage to the Cheng family. I… I will come to see you first.

“Don’t listen to people’s words and then self-harm and shame yourself. I have inquired about your affairs, and you are not at all like what is rumored! I believe in my own eyes! You must also believe in yourself!”

The winter rain was piercing and cold, but the enthusiasm and sincerity emanating from the young seemed to evaporate this piercing chill into nothingness.

Shaoshang stared at him in a daze, feeling a warm sensation in her heart. Although it was only a small warmth as faint as a nightlight, it was enough to give people hope.

She didn’t feel the cold, either.