Hearing this, Emperor Jin Zheng quickly sat up straight and looked at Ge Long'an, who was sipping tea leisurely. "At this point, are you still going to be so stubborn?"
"Well, you should at least ask Xuan'er and Zian what they think, right? Didn't you say I was forcing them together without considering their wishes? Now you won't even let me ask for their opinions? What exactly do you want me to do?" Ge Long'an rolled his eyes at Emperor Jin Zheng. Probably he was the only one in the whole Kingdom of Yulong who dared to act like this towards the king.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'm afraid of you. Go ahead and ask."
Emperor Jin Zheng was really at his wit's end with Ge Long'an.
The capital city in the daytime had a different charm from that at night. The weather was clear today, with blue skies and white clouds. The gentle breeze was cool. There were small stalls selling all kinds of trinkets lining the streets. The hawking sounds intertwined in the sky above the capital, creating a unique bustling scene.
Wei Shuxuan held the candied haws that Ge Zian had just bought for her. Come to think of it, the candied haws in ancient times really tasted different from those sold in modern times. The sweetness and sourness were just right, and the taste was natural. She asked Ge Zian curiously, "I think Uncle Ge and the emperor have a really good relationship. Did they know each other before?"
"Well, what do you think their relationship should be?" Ge Zian counter - questioned.
Wei Shuxuan thought for a while and gave a sly smile. "Judging from the tone Uncle Ge uses when talking to the emperor, Uncle Ge, the emperor, and my father should have known each other since childhood. And my father is the eldest, the emperor is the second, and Uncle Ge is the third. Am I right?"
"Indeed, but I don't know much about their past. However, I know that both my father and the emperor respect General Wei Tu very much. Besides the fact that General Wei Tu is the oldest, another reason is that he has great charisma."
"Wow, was my father really that amazing?" Wei Shuxuan couldn't help but sigh.
"He's your father. Don't you know?" Ge Zian looked at Wei Shuxuan strangely.
Wei Shuxuan coughed lightly. "My father never talks about his own things in front of me. Moreover, he spends most of his time fighting battles outside. I've only seen him a few times. How could I know so much?"
"That's true..." Ge Zian thought carefully about what Wei Shuxuan said. She was right. Although he and Wei Shuxuan grew up together on the border, later Wei Shuxuan was called back to the capital by General Wei Tu. After that, General Wei Tu was always busy on the border and rarely returned to the capital to visit his wife and daughter.
Wei Shuxuan secretly glanced at Ge Zian's reaction. It seemed that he didn't have any doubts about her explanation. Finally, she could breathe a sigh of relief. Really, Ge Zian was just too vigilant about her words, wasn't he?
"Zian, do you think your father will agree to annul our engagement?" Wei Shuxuan stuffed one candied haw after another into her mouth, making her cheeks bulge.
"How would I know? My father is a stubborn old man."
Ge Zian couldn't help but sigh. Wei Shuxuan looked at him in surprise. "I thought you didn't know. After all, you always follow your father's words. You're such a filial son."
"Xuan'er, stop teasing me."
Seeing Ge Zian's pleading face in distress, Wei Shuxuan couldn't help but find it funny. "Okay, okay. I won't say it anymore."
They strolled on the street for a while longer. Suddenly, there was a commotion in front. Wei Shuxuan looked up and saw several strong men surrounding a thin young boy. She didn't know what they were doing. The young boy tightened his lips and said nothing. Wei Shuxuan looked into the young boy's black - and - white eyes. The glint in his eyes touched her heart.
Before Ge Zian could react, Wei Shuxuan had already walked into the group of strong men. She stuffed the remaining candied haws in her hand into the young boy's hand. "Hold this for me."
The young boy took the candied haws stuffed into his hand by Wei Shuxuan blankly. Then he saw Wei Shuxuan looking at the strong men, tilting her head up. "You guys are adults. What's the point of bullying a child! Let this girl teach you a lesson!"
"What? What did you say? It's his fault for begging on my territory. I'm just asking him to pay some protection money!" The leader was a tall and ferocious - looking man.
"Well, you're in the wrong. This is a public place. Even the government hasn't said anything yet. How can you guys collect protection money?" Wei Shuxuan retorted.
"Get her! Don't waste time talking to this bitch!"
Just as Wei Shuxuan was about to fight, Ge Zian held her back. "Xuan'er, you're wearing a dress. It's inappropriate to fight here!"
Ge Zian was really helpless, but he'd handle this.
They were just a bunch of hooligans. All they knew were some basic martial arts skills. Ge Zian easily knocked them all down with just a few moves.
"If you guys dare to collect protection money here again, I, Ge Zian, will never let you off! Get out of here!"
Who in the current capital didn't know Ge Zian's name?
As soon as those hooligans heard that the man in front of them was Ge Zian, they fled in terror.
Wei Shuxuan walked over and took back her candied haws. "Thanks, little boy."
The young boy looked at her, tightening his lips without saying a word. Then he saw Wei Shuxuan put a few copper coins into his bowl. "To thank you for holding my candied haws, these few copper coins are a reward for you."
Just as the young boy was about to say something, the pretty girl in the blue dress left with the handsome man.
The sun was setting. They had been out for quite a while. It was time to go back. But Wei Shuxuan didn't want to walk back to the palace. So Ge Zian asked Wei Shuxuan to go back to the general's mansion with him. He would ask the steward to arrange a carriage for her to go back to the palace.
When they returned to the general's mansion, Wei Shuxuan and Ge Zian thought Emperor Jin Zheng had already left. But unexpectedly, they saw him walking from the back yard to the main hall. Emperor Jin Zheng was a bit surprised to see them coming back together. "Why are you two together?"
"I asked Zian to accompany me shopping."
Wei Shuxuan quickly pinched Ge Zian to signal him not to speak. Hearing her answer, Ge Zian obediently closed his mouth.
"By the way, Long'an said he has something to ask for your opinions."
The two of them looked at Ge Long'an. He put down his teacup. "You don't have to get married, but, Shuxuan, would you like to call me godfather? Would you like to become siblings with Zian?"