"Marry immediately?" Luo Qingxue's face turned beet red.
Luo Changfeng beamed, clapping his hands. "Your grandfather supports Feng's suggestion!"
"Grandfather..." Luo Qingxue was flustered.
She had only recently changed her opinion of Liang Xiao. This sudden proposal of marriage caught her completely off guard.
"I disagree," Liang Xiao blurted out unexpectedly.
Everyone was startled. Yue Lian nudged Liang Xiao's shoulder, anxious.
Luo Qingxue stared blankly at Liang Xiao, tears welling up in her eyes, hurt.
Liang Feng sighed. "I'm being transferred to guard the city in Yanzhou. If I happen to die in battle, only you and our third brother will be left in the Liang family. It's better to settle down and start a family sooner rather than end up in the same predicament as me."
"Xiao'er, why do you disagree? Your elder brother is right!" Luo Changfeng feigned displeasure, sending a barrage of flirtatious glances at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao looked dejected and explained, "The Princess has ordered me to participate in the Imperial Examination for talent selection. The outcome will determine whether the engagement is broken off. Disobeying imperial orders could lead to the execution of the entire family."
Luo Changfeng smiled. "This is the Princess's wish, not an imperial decree! Have Qingxue speak to the Princess; it will be easy to handle!"
Luo Qingxue fidgeted, wanting to speak but holding back.
She no longer knew what to do.
She herself had asked Xiao Shuang to help break off the engagement!
Liang Xiao pouted. "I'm not ready yet. Let's talk about it after the Imperial Examination. I want to see what this so-called Imperial Examination is all about."
Liang Feng and Luo Changfeng tried to persuade him further, but Liang Xiao refused to agree.
If they got married, Luo Qingxue would have to live with him. Then, his identity as "Tian Jiangjun" might be exposed!
In his previous life, he had been an undercover agent and knew that the exposure of an undercover agent could bring disaster to their family. It wasn't a far-fetched notion.
Even in front of his closest relatives, he could not reveal his secrets!
His body had not yet recovered to its full strength. If the barbarians and internal spies found out, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Luo Changfeng and Liang Feng spoke incoherently in their anxiety.
Luo Qingxue's tears streamed down her face. She looked at Liang Xiao resentfully and said, "As long as you are happy!"
Liang Xiao grinned. "However, I never said I wanted to sever ties with her, nor did I say I didn't want to marry her."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
Luo Qingxue also stopped crying, feeling much better.
But soon, Luo Qingxue's pretty face flushed again, and her heart panicked. Why was she feeling a trace of relief at Liang Xiao's words?
She realized she might not want to break off the engagement anymore...
Luo Changfeng roared with laughter. "Good! As long as you are willing to marry Qingxue, but the wedding cannot be delayed for too long! How about this, Qingxue, you should visit Xiao'er often recently to strengthen your bond!"
Luo Qingxue quickly turned her head away, not daring to look at anyone, and after a long while, managed a muffled "Oh!"
"No!" Liang Xiao shook his head.
"Why not again?" Luo Changfeng was almost ready to jump over and grab Liang Xiao by the neck, forcing him to agree.
Liang Feng had already jumped up, ready to deliver a kick to Liang Xiao's backside.
Luo Qingxue lowered her head again, feeling wronged, blaming herself for having hurt his feelings before.
Liang Xiao pouted. "There must be many barbarians infiltrated in the city. Besides, how can we let a young lady constantly be out and about? Of course, I should come to the Luo mansion to see her."
Hearing this, Luo Changfeng was overjoyed, and Liang Feng also breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
Luo Qingxue felt her face burning and muttered, "That's more like it..."
So, this fellow was worried about her safety!
Liang Xiao merely smiled.
Liang Feng stood up. "Then I'll go see Xue Jing at my father-in-law's house first. Second Brother, since you're here, stay and keep Qingxue company today. Even if your performance in the Imperial Examination is not ideal, and the Emperor orders you to break off the engagement, you can still get married after breaking it off. It won't be considered disobeying the decree."
With that, Liang Feng smiled and ran off, leaving Liang Xiao rolling his eyes again.
Luo Qingxue quickly hurried to her boudoir to prepare, leaving Luo Changfeng to talk with Liang Xiao.
Luo Changfeng's torrent of "earnest teachings" was met with Liang Xiao's constant smiles and patient listening.
This elder was meticulously working to facilitate this marriage, purely for the sake of the friendship between the two families and the unfulfilled wishes of their parents.
Seeing Liang Xiao so "well-behaved," Luo Changfeng became happier than a seventy-year-old child, clapping his hands in praise from time to time.
"Xiao'er, you're only eighteen and already so talented. You will surely become a pillar of the state in the future. Remember to stay humble and not become arrogant!"
Liang Xiao just nodded repeatedly.
After a quarter of an hour, Luo Qingxue ran back and led Liang Xiao and Yue Lian to her boudoir.
At the door, Yue Lian wisely stopped.
As Liang Xiao was about to speak, Luo Qingxue urged, "Yue Lian, you come in too."
Yue Lian shook her head in panic. "Young Madam, I am a servant. I will wait outside!"
"Young Madam?"
The address caught Luo Qingxue off guard. Her face instantly turned crimson, and she seemed startled.
"You are family to me. If you call yourself a servant again, I will be truly angry!" Liang Xiao deliberately put on a stern face.
Luo Qingxue covered her mouth and chuckled, pulling Yue Lian in as well.
Upon entering the room, Liang Xiao couldn't help but praise it.
On the wall hung a precious sword and a long spear. The rest were calligraphy and paintings. On the table were writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, along with several poems.
Luo Qingxue spread out the poems one by one and asked softly, "What do you think of these?"
Liang Xiao glanced at them and praised, "They are quite good!"
"Feel free to criticize. I'm not petty..." Luo Qingxue said, sounding wronged.
Liang Xiao smiled. "They are indeed quite good, unlike Ouyang Sheng's overly elaborate works. But why do you, a young lady, always write border poems?"
Luo Qingxue lowered her head. "I have studied literature and martial arts since I was young. I always dreamed of joining the army and serving the country as a female general. But as I grew up, I learned that the country does not allow women to enlist, so I can only express my fantasies through poetry."
Liang Xiao nodded in admiration.
Luo Qingxue asked timidly, "Is the poem 'Ze Guo Jiang Shan Ru Zhan Tu' really written by you? Please answer me truthfully, after all, I am your nominal fiancée..."
"And childhood sweethearts, too," Yue Lian added.
Liang Xiao had no choice but to nod.
Luo Qingxue was both surprised and delighted. "Then can you write it again? And that poem 'Man Jiang Hong', can you write that one too? I'll grind the ink for you!"
"No!" Liang Xiao repeatedly shook his head.
Luo Qingxue couldn't help but feel disappointed. "Why not?"
Liang Xiao replied, "That poem, I promised Xiao Shuangzi, I would only write it for him. As for 'Man Jiang Hong', I have already written it, but I gave it to Zhuo Lingjun."
Luo Qingxue suddenly understood and asked, "Xiao Shuangzi? Who is that?"
"He's my sworn brother. Although he's a eunuch, he also worries about the country and its people," Liang Xiao chuckled.
Luo Qingxue became even more curious. "You must introduce him to me in the future. The fact that you are sworn brothers with someone who worries about the country and its people shows that you are not that kind of person..."
As she trailed off, Luo Qingxue shyly lowered her head.
Because of her, Liang Xiao had become the "profligate" that the entire capital's men mocked!
Liang Xiao shook his head. "It's probably not possible to introduce him to you. He only comes to my house at night to find me."
"Then I'll just go to your house!" Luo Qingxue blurted out, and upon realizing what she said, her face flushed to the roots of her ears.