Chu Tianze arrived with the imperial edict, but the other person who was supposed to receive it swaggered into the Marquis of Nan'an's residence instead. It was an unparalleled honor for the Emperor's cousin to come in person, and the Marquis's residence should naturally treat him with utmost respect and hospitality.
Gone was the gentle and friendly demeanor he displayed in front of Lu Mingxiu and the others. Although he still maintained the playboy's air of a spoiled young master, Chu Tianze exuded a slightly cold and aloof noble aura. The difference was evident in his every gesture; despite being polite, An Yuanliang clearly felt inferior.
This is the difference between the top aristocratic families and ordinary aristocratic families in the capital.
Without further ado, Chu Tianze first had two eunuchs read out the imperial edict.
All other embellishments and praises aside, only a few words left a deep mark on everyone's hearts.
"The ninth daughter of the An family married Lu Mingxiu, the Marquis of Pingyuan."
An Ran's marriage to Marquis Pingyuan is now a done deal.
Everyone accepted the imperial decree with their own thoughts, and the Marquis of Nan'an led his entire family in expressing their gratitude.
Chu Tianze's gaze fell on An Ran.
The little girl stood there gracefully, a slight blush on her fair, jade-like face. Her expression showed neither smugness nor timidity; rather, her poised and confident demeanor subtly revealed a touch of girlish shyness.
My nephew has good taste.
After announcing the imperial decree, Chu Tianze, representing Lu Mingxiu's elders, discussed the marriage with the Marquis of Nan'an, his wife, and his concubine.
Regardless of whether this was in accordance with the rules or not, the Marquis of Nan'an's residence dared not say anything.
"The Marquis of Nan'an and the Marquis of Pingyuan already had a marriage agreement, and now the Emperor's decree to grant them this marriage is the icing on the cake." Chu Tianze said with a smile, "I would like to congratulate the Grand Madam, the Marquis, and the Madam in advance."
An Yuanliang's face was full of smiles, and he didn't even notice the sarcasm in Chu Tianze's words.
"Congratulations, congratulations." Seeing that Chu Tianze seemed approachable and good-tempered, An Yuanliang even disregarded the fact that Lu Mingxiu was also there and asked, "I wonder why His Majesty has bestowed this marriage upon Ninth Sister?"
He was still thinking about the benefits he had received from Chen Qian.
An Yuanliang was also very guilty. Considering the relationship between the former Nan'an Marquis's Mansion and the Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion, no matter how you looked at it, the benefits of An Ran marrying the Pingyuan Marquis were not as great as marrying Chen Qian.
"What, Marquis of Nan'an, are you unwilling?" Chu Tianze still had a smile on his face, but a hint of coldness appeared in his peach blossom eyes.
"Of course not. It's just that Ninth Sister is currently embroiled in rumors, and I'm afraid she's not quite worthy of Lord Lu."
Chu Tianze was so angry at An Yuanliang that he laughed. He had never seen such a muddle-headed person who didn't even want to see his own daughter doing well. Lu Mingxiu, standing to the side, was even more direct, staring coldly at An Yuanliang, which made An Yuanliang shiver involuntarily.
"His Majesty's words are law. Whether someone is worthy or not is not for you, Marquis, to decide, nor for me to decide." Chu Tianze raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face, and said, "But let me be frank with you, Marquis, is your Ninth Miss favored by the Empress, or was it the Empress who facilitated this marriage? Does the Marquis intend to defy the Emperor and the Empress?"
After getting married, An Jiu became the Lady of Pingyuan Marquis, and no one dared to or could underestimate her.
Even An Jiu, who was favored by the Empress and whose marriage was granted by the Emperor through the Empress's request, had to be treated with utmost respect by the Marquis of Nan'an's household.
With this serious accusation looming over him, An Yuanliang dared not speak nonsense anymore and could only laugh it off.
Before leaving, Chu Tianze had repeatedly instructed Lu Mingxiu that he should say these things himself. He could stand up for his future wife, but he had to be mindful of Chu Tianze's feelings.
“Ninth Miss is very good, a perfect match for me. I am pleased with her.” Lu Mingxiu smiled coldly.
It's true that he likes An Jiu, but that doesn't mean he has a good impression of the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion.
Lu Mingxiu's silent, stern face was fine, but this smile sent chills down the spines of the three. What exactly did this Marquis mean? Was he expressing his feelings for An Jiu? And his gaze was as cold as ice water mixed with shards?
All three were somewhat uneasy, especially An Yuanliang, whose smile became even more strained.
The imperial edict did not specify a wedding date, only that an auspicious day would be chosen for the marriage. Chu Tianze wanted to help Lu Mingxiu set this auspicious day to prevent the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion from taking advantage of any loopholes and making other plans.
After all, the Marquis of Nan'an's family was An Jiu's maternal home. Chu Tianze knew when to threaten her appropriately, not wanting to go too far and embarrass his future niece-in-law. Therefore, he always wore a smile on his face, and the look in his peach blossom eyes had become much more restrained.
"Her Majesty the Empress said that the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion should have a mistress, so she hopes that Ninth Miss can marry into it as soon as possible." Chu Tianze said, "I think it would be best to choose this year as the wedding date."
This request is a bit too urgent.
As the year draws to a close, Anran is only fifteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), which is quite early.
The old lady then tentatively asked, "Ninth Sister is still a bit too young. Why not wait until she comes of age before arranging her marriage?"
From her perspective, the matter was indeed strange, so she wanted to test it out.
Chu Tianze, however, did not take the bait. "Being young is not a problem. You can marry into the household first and then consummate the marriage after you turn fifteen."
After she married him, Anran was put in charge of managing the household? But they didn't consummate the marriage?
This left the three women, including the Dowager Lady, even more confused. Was he truly sincere in marrying An Jiu, or did he have ulterior motives? The Marquis of Nan'an's family had done wrong, so naturally they were overthinking and misunderstanding these things. Chu Tianze had already seen through it, but he didn't expose it, letting them struggle with their own thoughts.
He had originally intended to vent his anger for Lu Mingxiu.
Before the old lady could ask more questions, Chu Tianze preemptively ordered the servant he had brought in, "Bring everything up."
"These are gifts bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress," Chu Tianze said slowly. "Although they are not included in Mingxiu's betrothal gifts, they were given to Ninth Miss by Her Majesty the Empress."
The implication is that we shouldn't even think about getting our hands on these things.
Lu Mingxiu will give what he deserves; as for the rest, the Marquis of Nan'an should not even think about it.
At this point, besides repeatedly agreeing, An Yuanliang dared not say another word.
"Mingxiu has personally prepared a gift to give to Ninth Miss," Chu Tianze said. "Why don't we invite Ninth Miss over and let the two of them have a chat?"
An Yuanliang frowned, about to say that it was unreasonable, but he saw the Grand Madam give him a wink, so he dared not say anything more.
Even if An Jiu were brought in today, the Marquis of Nan'an's residence wouldn't dare say a word, let alone let the two of them meet. Besides, these words were spoken by Chu Tianze, would they dare to offend their cousin, the Emperor?
"As Your Excellency says," An Yuanliang agreed, though his voice lacked conviction.