Lord Zhao angrily flung his sleeves and left. After this commotion, the news that Zhao Luoning was to become the second young mistress of the Ji family spread throughout every corner of the Zhao mansion.
Soon, the wedding day was approaching.
The Zhao family treated Zhao Luoning's wedding with as much negligence as possible. With the wedding just around the corner, even the wedding dress hadn't been made yet. Since it was impossible for her to make it herself, Zhao Luoning had to go out to buy one.
As soon as she left the mansion, she took Caixue straight to the flint shop.
Businessmen these days were good at scheming. Even ordinary flints had been given fancy touches. There was even a flint inlaid with jade. If you didn't look closely, you might mistake it for a piece of jade.
Zhao Luoning immediately took a fancy to the jade - inlaid flint and said to the waiter, "I'll take this flint."
Caixue quickly stopped her. "Miss, this flint costs almost as much as your wedding dress."
"It's worth it if I can take revenge!"
Zhao Luoning took the flint and left the shop, then headed straight for Tianxiang Tower. If Caixue hadn't held her back, she would have rushed in.
Seeing Zhao Luoning looking like she was going to kill someone, Caixue was also frightened.
"Miss, are you going to kill someone and set the place on fire?"
"I'm going to set a fire, but not to this Tianxiang Tower."
Every grievance had its culprit. Although the madam was detestable, there were many poor girls in Tianxiang Tower. She wouldn't let these girls be implicated for no reason.
"Miss, you can't just rush in like this. What will happen to your reputation if people see you?" Caixue thought for a while and said, "Let me go! I'm just a little maid. It doesn't matter to me!"
She finally managed to persuade Zhao Luoning and told her to wait for news in the restaurant opposite Tianxiang Tower. Then she borrowed a headscarf from the waiter to cover her face and knocked on the door of Tianxiang Tower.
Not long after, Caixue came out. Along with her were a group of well - trained men in strong - looking outfits. Judging from their appearance, they didn't seem to be there to have fun with the girls.
"The madam seemed very busy. I gave her the thing and also stuffed the silver into her hand. She didn't have time to talk to me much and just took it, saying that she would come to offer her gift."
This result didn't surprise Zhao Luoning. The madam of Tianxiang Tower was notoriously greedy for money. As long as there was money, she would do anything. Zhao Luoning pointed at the group of black - clothed men downstairs and asked,
"Who are these people?"
"I don't know either. They seemed to be looking for someone. They scared the madam so much that she was trembling."
"Looking for someone in Tianxiang Tower?"
"Maybe a customer took a fancy to a girl in Tianxiang Tower and wanted to marry her as a concubine. But the girl refused and ran away, so the customer came to the madam to ask for her."
Zhao Luoning: "..."
It was really a waste that Caixue didn't write storybooks with her ability to make up nonsense so seriously.
The wedding date was quickly set, and everything was done in a hurry.
The Ji family also gave enough face to the Zhao family. All the three betrothal gifts and six wedding rites were complete. An eight - sedan chair came to the Zhao mansion to pick up Zhao Luoning.
When Zhao Luoning covered with a red veil walked out of the mansion, Lord Zhao pretended to be ill and didn't even show his face. Zhao Luoning's mother, Lady Zhao, also pretended to be ill and didn't appear.
Lord Zhao couldn't scold Zhao Luoning, so he was said to scold Lady Zhao in his room every day. Lady Zhao originally wanted to come and see Zhao Luoning, but was scolded back by Lord Zhao.
The only one who showed up was the second lady of the Zhao family.
She got what she wanted and looked extremely proud, as if she was marrying off her own daughter.
The Zhao family was at least a big family in Huangcheng. After all, it was a girl from the family getting married, so the Zhao family held a three - day feast. People from all walks of life came to offer gifts. Among them, the madam of Tianxiang Tower was the most eye - catching.
Although the Zhao family didn't like her, they had no choice. Fortunately, the madam was smart enough to know that everyone didn't like her. She just sent a brocade box and left.
The Zhao family finally breathed a sigh of relief. When they opened the brocade box, they found a piece of jade with a very poor appearance.
The second lady frowned and then handed the brocade box to her personal maid.
The accountant was about to record it in the ledger when the second lady stopped him.
"Don't record it. Do you think our Zhao family will return a gift to a madam? Just throw it there."
Although the stone was of ordinary quality, it was still a stone. The things sent by the madam could only be used to fill her private treasury.
The accountant nodded in response and sent the gift box along with the gifts from other noble people into Lady Xu's room.
Zhao Luoning had been waiting for news in her room. She finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that the gift box had been delivered.
At this time, the old woman had just finished doing her makeup. Zhao Luoning frowned when she saw the woman in the bronze mirror who looked like a ghost.
"Grandma, are you sure this makeup should be so thick?"
The old woman who did the makeup was sent by the Ji family. She was quite kind to Zhao Luoning and patiently explained, "Miss, you don't know. This is the rule of our mansion. The thicker the makeup, the better."
Zhao Luoning could only silently complain in her heart, "What a strange aesthetic..." while allowing the old woman to apply blush on her face that had already been powdered seven or eight layers.
Finally, the makeup was done. Zhao Luoning felt that every step she took, three catties of powder would fall off her face. Fortunately, this scary look was hidden under the red veil.
Zhao Luoning was supported by Caixue and walked out of Yuzhu Garden and then out of the Zhao mansion.
At the door, she looked back.
Zhao Luoning was already tired of everything in the Zhao mansion.
Her cowardly mother, the over - bearing second lady, the pampered younger sister, the reckless elder brother, the idle third brother, and the father who couldn't tell right from wrong... This was a bottomless quagmire.
Even though the way she escaped from the Zhao family was to be a substitute bride for her sister.
"Miss, the wedding sedan chair is here."
Just like this, without many people's blessings, Zhao Luoning got into the wedding sedan chair.
It was said that not long after Zhao Luoning's wedding sedan chair left the mansion, a big fire broke out in the Zhao mansion.
Xu Momo, the second lady's personal maid, almost burned to death in the room. When she was found, she was still holding a flint in her hand.
No matter how much Xu Momo defended herself, Lady Xu didn't believe her and demoted her to a rough - work maid. After that, Xu Momo's mind was a bit abnormal.
Of course, all these had nothing to do with Zhao Luoning, who had already gotten married.
I don't know how long the bumpy journey was. It was so long that Zhao Luoning's legs were numb from sitting.
Finally, she heard someone shout, "We're here."
Immediately afterwards, there was a crackling sound of firecrackers, which rang all the way from the city gate to the gate of the Ji mansion.
Zhao Luoning, who was so tired that her eyes could hardly stay open, was helped out of the wedding sedan chair and was led to the main hall like a puppet.
There were two red cushions in front of the hall. Only then did Zhao Luoning vaguely realize that she was going to get married.
It was said that the second young master of the Ji family couldn't even stand up. So who was she going to worship with today?
Just as Zhao Luoning was secretly speculating, the red silk ribbon in her hand tightened. It seemed that someone had grabbed the other end.
A drunken voice sounded beside her.
"Don't... don't support me... I... I can do it."
He was so drunk that people were worried that he would fall down and never get up again.
At the matchmaker's shout of "Worship Heaven and Earth", Zhao Luoning held the red silk ribbon and bowed towards the heaven and earth outside the main hall with the man.
When it came to worshiping the elders, the man beside her suddenly tilted and unexpectedly fell towards Zhao Luoning.
Zhao Luoning staggered and almost lost her balance.
And she was hugged tightly by the man in public.
This dissolute second young master was being disrespectful to her on their wedding day?!
It was really too much.