Luoyang Brocade

Lu Hong thought he was hiding his thoughts extremely well, but in fact, everyone could see clearly.

In terms of family background, Ling Jingshu's marriage with Lu Hong could have wronged him. However, Ling Jingshu's beauty was alluring, her talent was outstanding, and there was no one better in thousands of miles. Moreover, Lu Hong fell in love with her, and this marriage was not inappropriate.

Due to the ulterior motives in his heart, Lu An did not reject marrying the Ling family. At this time, the family of four was talking, and there were no outsiders. Lu An didn't bother to cover up and asked very directly.

Lu Hong's handsome face was flushed red at first, then turned pale again, and his complexion changed erratically.

Lu An didn't have much patience, and asked again with a frown: "You have no intentions for Sister Shu?"

Poor Lu Hong, the pride and self-esteem of the young man were shattered by Ling Jingshu yesterday, and then Lu Qian couldn't help but touch his scar. Now Lu An came to ask the bottom line again...

Lu Hong was so ashamed to tell the truth, that he simply replied cruelly: "I only have brother-sister feelings for my cousin Shu, and I have no other thoughts." 

Without waiting for Lu An to say anything, and added: "Father, I just want to study hard now, and I will get married after I get a good reputation in the exam. I hope my father will wait until I am successful!

"You only took the government examination last year, you have to wait a few years before you can take part in the township examination. After passing the township examination, you will sit for the palace examination. By the time you have a career, it will be the year of the monkey. (1) Does it mean that if you fail to pass the Jinshi examination, you will not get married? If you don’t like sister Shu, we will not talk about this marriage. When we go back to Jizhou in the future, I will choose another marriage that suits you.”

Lu An’s face darkened, and everyone present was worried.

No matter how reluctant Lu Hong was, he didn't dare to refute his father, so he hung his head and said nothing.

Ling was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses, and hurriedly smiled to smooth things over: "Master, please calm down. Ah Hong is eager to learn, and it is a good thing that he does not want to get married early. Since Ah Hong and Sister Shu do not have this fate, there is no need to talk about this marriage I maintained. Fortunately, I have never said this in front of Fifth Brother, so there is no embarrassment..."

A voice suddenly sounded: "Mother, I want to marry my cousin!"

Ling Shi: "..."

Lu Hong: "..."

Lu An: "..."

Six eyes suddenly turned to Lu Qian who spoke out of the blue.

The three of them seemed to have swallowed raw eggs, and each of them looked more beautiful than the other. Especially Lu Hong, with a look of astonishment and shock.

Lu Qian didn't seem to know how shocking it was what he said, and repeated it again: "Brother has no intentions about Cousin Shu, and he doesn't want this marriage. I like Cousin Shu, and I want to marry her." 

Madam Ling's mind was lost. Confused, she blurted out: "Absurd nonsense! How old are you? You are still a child who doesn't understand things. How can you know what you like and don't like? Even if you want to get married, it will be a few years later..." 

"I'm 12 years old, only two years younger than Cousin Shu." Lu Qian straightened his thin chest, and stubbornness that did not match his age appeared on his delicate and fair face: "I know what liking is. I like Cousin Shu, and I want to be with her day and night I am not yet an adult, so I can make an engagement first. After four years, I will be 16 years old, and my cousin Shu will be 18 years old, and I will marry her then." 

Lu Qian was not joking, he was serious about this.

Ling gasped. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Lu An's sullen voice sounded: "It's a lifelong event, how can you be so trifling! There is an order in everything, and your brother is not engaged yet, so how is it your turn." 

In Lu's house, Lu An was the majestic father, whatever he said was the final thing. His wives, concubines and children all trembled in front of him, and they never dared to contradict his will.

Seeing Lu An angry, Ling's heart trembled, and she quickly winked at Lu Qian. Hurry up and bow your head to your father to admit your mistake!

Lu Qian turned a blind eye to Ling's anxiety; but raised his head and said, "Eldest brother has been smart since he was a child, and he is very talented in reading. So he was distracted by not wanting to get married early. In the future, the elder brother will definitely go to high places and will make our family proud. I am the youngest son of the family. My talent is far inferior to that of my eldest brother, and I probably won't have much future in my studies. It's better to get married and have children earlier, and pass on the heirs for our Lu family."

"Furthermore, although I'm still underage, I know my own mind very well. When I meet a woman I like, I want to marry her home. If I think so, what's wrong with it?"

It turned out to be quite reasonable.

Lu An was quite annoyed at being contradicted by his youngest son. However, he was not overwhelmed by anger, calmed down and thought for a while, and had to admit that what Lu Qian said was quite reasonable.

As long as Ling Jingshu can be married to the Lu family, it doesn't make much difference whether to be the eldest son's wife or the youngest son's wife... (2)

As soon as Lu An's expression relaxed, Lu Qian immediately got excited and looked at Madam Ling pleadingly: "Mother, I am so big, I will never like someone in this life as much as I like cousin Shu. If I can marry her, I will be satisfied in this life and have no regrets." 

His face was immature, but his expression was that of an adult.

It made people feel an inexplicable sense of incongruity.

Ling gathered herself together and gave Lu Qian a reproachful look: "You are only twelve years old, and you will have a long life in the future. What are you talking about in this life? Isn't it ridiculous!"

"Getting married is not a trivial matter. You have to think carefully before you open your mouth. You keep saying that you like sister Shu, maybe it's just a momentary impulse, or maybe it's just a sibling relationship. If you really make a marriage, you can't go back on your word in the future .”

Madam Ling's tone also relaxed a lot.

Lu Qian was overjoyed, and said without thinking: "Don't worry, mother, I will never go back on my word."

Being able to stay with Ling Jingshu for life was the biggest obsession in his previous life. After being reborn, not only did his love for her not diminish, but it became even more intense. How could he go back on his word?

Ling Shi and Lu An exchanged glances, pondered for a moment and said: "This matter is not a trivial matter, let me and your father discuss it for a few days before making a decision." 

Lu Qian suppressed the excitement in his heart, and returned to his usual obedient:" Thank you, father and mother."

...

Lu Hong did not make a sound.

He just stared at Lu Qian in shock, as if he had never seen Lu Qian before.

What he said to Lu Qian yesterday was still in his ears. Lu Qian comforted him carefully and caringly, and he remembered clearly...Why did it become like this overnight?

When exactly did Lu Qian have strange thoughts about Ling Jingshu?

Why didn't he notice it?

Afterwards, the two brothers followed Lu An and his wife to Yonghe Hall. As usual, they greeted the elders and exchanged greetings with their cousins. Then the birthday celebration guests came one by one, and the hustle and bustle were no weaker than yesterday.

Lu Hong's thoughts were chaotic and full of worries, and he passed the day in a daze.

At night, Lu Hong finally had the opportunity to talk to Lu Qian alone: ​​"Second brother, come with me, I have something to ask you." His expression was not very good-looking, and his voice was a little muffled.

Lu Qian had expected it a long time ago and was not surprised at all. He nodded calmly and followed Lu Hong into the room.

This composure made Lu Hong even more frustrated and annoyed. An unknown fire blazed in his heart, and his handsome face sank: "Second brother, are you serious about what you said this morning? Do you really want to marry cousin Shu?" 

Lu Qian raised his head and asked without answering:" Brother, do you think I will joke about my lifelong events?"

The words "lifelong events" sounded extremely harsh.

Lu Hong fixedly looked at Lu Qian's immature face, and suddenly laughed at himself: "I'm so stupid. We two brothers get along day and night, and you know my thoughts like the palm of your hand, but I didn't know that you fell in love with cousin Shu too."

No wonder Lu Qian was very concerned about the matter between him and Ling Jingshu!

No wonder Lu Qian asked so nervously yesterday!

He didn't care about himself at all, but he wanted to make sure that he had completely given up because of Ling Jingshu's rejection!

This feeling of betrayal made Lu Hong feel extremely uncomfortable, and he lost his usual modesty when he spoke: "Second brother, my father and mother originally planned to propose marriage for me. If I agreed at that time, what would you have done?" 

The tone revealed some sharp sarcasm.

Lu Qian's expression remained unchanged: "Since the eldest brother refused, why bother to think about it."

How could he not think about it?

"Cousin Shu should be my wife!" Lu Hong glared at Lu Qian, gritted his teeth and said a few words: "You are obviously robbing what belongs to me by doing this." 

The word "robbing" hit Lu Qian's heart in the most vulnerable place.

Lu Qian's expression also changed, and he said coldly: "Brother, I'm afraid it's inappropriate to say such a thing! If a man is unmarried and a woman is unmarried, how can you say I snatched it? Besides, this is a marriage that you gave up first, so I opened my mouth to plead for it to my father and mother. Could it be that I can't marry her if you can't marry her?"

Lu Hong: "..."

Lu Hong never thought that Lu Qian's words would be so sharp and mean, his face turned red and white. The anger in his heart grew stronger: "Lu Qian! I gave up my marriage because she doesn't like me. I don't want to force her to marry me. But you, knowing that I have her in my heart, even begged our parents to propose a marriage for you. By doing this, are you not trying to win people's love?"

Lu Qian's eyes suddenly flashed a frightening light, and his expression was gloomy: "Whatever you think. In short, I must marry her!"

Lu Hong's handsome face turned pale.

Lu Qian no longer looked at Lu Hong, turned around and was about to leave.

"Wait!" Lu Hong restrained his anger and called Lu Qian: "You insist on marrying your cousin, and I have nothing to say. But, I want you to promise me one thing."

Lu Qian stopped and turned his head. Asked: "What's the matter?"

"I want you to promise me that before you propose marriage, you must express your heart to cousin Shu and get her approval." Lu Hong took a deep breath and continued: "If she is not willing, You can't force it."

Without even thinking about it, Lu Qian agreed, "Okay, I promise you. I'll go find my grandmother after her birthday party is over."

1. It means a long time

2. This person is disgusting