The General Seized Her by Force - Chapter 7

“He’s coming! He’s here!”

“Look, look, look at the Tanhua (third-place graduate)!”

“He is so fair and handsome!”

The screams almost drowned out the sound of gongs and drums.

Li Yue savored the meaning behind her sister’s words; for once, she was genuinely interested. She walked from the table to the window, and following Li Chu, she looked down, wanting to see what Wen Shu looked like.

Everyone had come to see the Tanhua; the Zhuangyuan (first-place graduate) and the Bangyan (second-place graduate) were well aware of this, but they truly had not expected the social customs in the capital to be this bold and unrestrained!

It was one thing for women to frantically throw sachets and flowers at the Tanhua, but even men were doing it! Some were even shouting out their family background and names, hoping to catch the Tanhua’s eye and thus forge a good marriage.

If this were anyone else, enjoying such adoration from the world while making the golden list, they would have long since lifted their chin to the sky, looking at others with their nostrils. Yet, when looking at this Tanhua, she was extremely gentle and humble, maintaining a straight posture with her eyes cast down, solemn and unmoved by either favor or humiliation.

Everyone thought to themselves, the Tanhua is so young, yet to have such composure in the face of vanity and temptation, she will surely accomplish great things in the future!

However, in reality, Wen Shu’s palms were slick with cold sweat, and her lips were pressed so tightly they were turning white.

Winning the position of Tanhua was naturally a good thing. During the Chuanlu Ceremony, she had been so excited that her steps were floating and her face was flushed, until she walked out of the palace gates and saw that tall, high-headed horse, which could crush her just by lifting its hoof.

Wen Shu had never ridden a horse; she had even been kicked by a donkey when she was a child. Ever since then, she had kept a respectful distance from any tall species with hooves.

Fortunately, she was a scholar, so it did not matter that she couldn’t ride.

But today was different.

A procession of scholars through the streets was a tremendous honor, the pride of a scholar’s life.

Wen Shu had no choice but to grit her teeth and let someone help her onto the horse.

She gripped the rough reins tightly in her palms. Even though the Ministry of Rites officials guaranteed her repeatedly that this horse was docile and would not kick, she still sat there in fear and trepidation.

Along the way, Wen Shu was so cautious and careful that she did not dare to move at all. Her gaze was fixed on the white horse; her mind had already rehearsed countless scenarios, all of them involving the white horse going crazy, and how she should jump off the horse so as not to be killed on her happiest day.

Who would have thought that her terrified appearance would be misinterpreted as having a calm temperament?

With the tall hat suddenly placed on her head, even if Wen Shu was only pretending, she had to act like an indifferent and relaxed immortal.

However, her appearance was not exactly the cold and aloof type. When she deliberately tried to look serious, her tense face only made people want to tease her even more.

“Wen Tanhua, look at me! Look at me quickly, this humble slave is exceptionally beautiful!”

“I am prettier than her, I am prettier than all of them! Tanhua, look at me!”

Wen Shu distractedly looked at the roadside, but anyone who caught her gaze erupted into cheers, which made Wen Shu’s ears grow warm, and her tension and fear of the white horse faded a little.

The horse walked slowly, and only then did Wen Shu dare to lift her face.

People standing on both sides of the road could see Wen Shu’s appearance clearly if they looked up, but Li Chu and Li Yue on the second floor could only see the square black hat worn by the Tanhua in red, and the two long, thin wings extending from the back of the hat.

Seeing the procession approaching below the Xiankelai restaurant, Li Yue felt her heart stir and glanced at her sister.

Li Chu did not disappoint her; she raised her hand and curled her finger, placing her right index finger against her lips.

The next moment, a loud and crisp whistle sounded, as if from the horizon—a single, long, lingering sound that instantly drowned out the noisy and chaotic crowd!

Almost everyone subconsciously followed the noise and looked up.

Including Wen Shu.

Only then did the people on the second floor clearly see the Tanhua’s appearance.

Rounded, clear eyes, a fair and scholarly face, with an aura of literature about her. At first glance, she looked like a scholar who had just stepped out of a painting.

The red, round-collared robe and the black, straight-up official hat made the Tanhua look even more fresh-faced and bright-eyed; it truly lived up to the saying: “A dashing youth in bright clothes on a fast horse!”

Meeting Wen Shu’s gaze, the triumphant smile in Li Chu’s eyes deepened.

She held the window sill with one hand, her body leaning out halfway. She specifically whistled again, aimed right at Wen Shu.

This sound was short and brisk, sounding playful and extremely frivolous.

It was April, and the spring breeze was at its softest.

As the wind spread the crisp whistle, it caught the red hair ribbon behind Li Chu’s head.

Wen Shu was caught off guard. When she looked up, she saw such a bright, heroic, smiling face leaning on the window looking down at her, along with the red hair ribbon fluttering and stretching in the wind beside her dark hair.

The two were positioned such that one was leaning on the window looking down, and the other was sitting on a white horse looking up.

It wasn’t just the end of Li Chu’s hair ribbon that the wind tugged at; it also blew up the light pink petals that the girls on the second floor on both sides of the street were scattering onto the scholars.

Stunned for a moment by the beauty, Wen Shu finally reacted, half a beat late, amidst the teasing and jeering of the crowd, realizing that she had been staring at someone.

What’s more, this was the same person who had teased her with a whistle.

Being teased like this by a woman, when Wen Shu’s eyes met the smiling gaze of the other, her face flushed red in an instant. She quickly looked away, pretending that nothing had happened.

However, her skin was delicate and fair; when she blushed, even her pale white skin showed a faint pink, which was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight. Especially since she was sitting high on the horse’s back, she had nowhere to hide her blush.

In front of everyone, Wen Shu wore a face that was red to the point of almost steaming, trying her best to put on an expressionless mask. She gripped the reins tightly and stared at the back of the white horse’s head, looking as serious and solemn as if she were taking a riding and archery exam.

In truth, she was a bit embarrassed and annoyed, but she didn’t dare turn her head to look back, so she could only stare wide-eyed at the back of the white horse’s head.

After this incident, Wen Shu absolutely did not dare to look around again.

As the scholar procession slowly moved away from beneath the building, and Wen Shu’s figure was no longer visible, Li Chu rested her chin on her hand, her fingertips lightly tapping her cheek. She looked toward the end of the street and whispered, “Wen Xiaoyang.”

From Wen Shu’s reaction just now, she knew at a glance that this fool definitely did not remember her.

When Li Chu whistled earlier, Li Yue had dodged behind the wall to avoid the crowd’s gaze. Only then did she reveal herself at the window.

She reminded Li Chu, “Sister, they have all gone far away.”

And—

“Didn’t you say you were going to help me look at prospective marriage candidates today?”

Li Yue gently nudged her sister’s shoulder with her elbow, teasing her intentionally, “I think that Tanhua, Wen Shu, looks pretty good.”

Li Chu nodded slowly, praising her without reservation, “She is quite good. It would be even better if she married me.”

She raised her hand and patted Li Yue’s arm. “I’ll find someone else for you later.”

Li Yue didn’t want that at all. Right now, having someone distract her sister from arranging her marriage made her feel relieved.

At noon, the two sisters called over Guan Luhaiqing. The four of them ate at the Xiankelai restaurant, using the private room of Baron Sinan. After the meal, when Li Yue returned to the mansion for a nap, Li Chu clearly had other plans.

Since Wen Shu had not taken the initiative to come over, if she wanted to see Wen Shu, then she would have to be the one to take the initiative.

Since she couldn’t wait for the Wen family to come to her, she would pay a visit to the Wen family.

Li Chu instructed Guan Lu, “Go to the warehouse and pick out some generous gifts. We will head to the Wen family this evening to offer our congratulations.”

She moved so quickly and with such urgency that by evening, Li Yue, who had woken up from her nap, gasped in astonishment at the mountain of gifts piling up in Li Chu’s courtyard.

She couldn’t tell if this was preparation for generous gifts or a dowry.