Hearing Yi Qing say this, Ling Xue'er slumped to the ground again. All this time, she had been stringing these men along just in the hope of marrying into a good family and living a life of wealth and glory. If she were to be casually betrothed, she might as well be dead.
Hearing Yi Qing's words, Ling Hong knew this was a way out for him. He hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Please, General, arrange a marriage for my younger sister."
"I won't marry!" Ling Xue'er shouted.
Xiao Jinghan ignored her. He scanned the centurions kneeling in front of him and then fixed his gaze on Chen Fengnian. "I saw you charging the fastest. You must be in love with Miss Ling. It'll be you."
Chen Fengnian was stunned. "Reporting to the General, this subordinate is determined to serve the court to the death. I've long disregarded life and death and dare not think about marriage."
Ling Xue'er, who had been shouting that she wouldn't marry, looked at Chen Fengnian in disbelief. She knew how much Chen Fengnian had liked her in the past, but she never expected him to refuse to marry her. This was simply a humiliation.
"This is an arranged marriage," Xiao Jinghan said, looking at Chen Fengnian.
A chill ran down Chen Fengnian's spine. He knew he was doomed. If he married such a woman, he would be under General Xiao's watchful eye, and he would never have a chance to advance in the future.
Ling Hong also looked at Chen Fengnian. Although Chen Fengnian was usually a bit of a slacker and liked to gossip about trivial matters, he was very smart, and his abilities were far from what they seemed. It wouldn't be a bad thing for his sister to marry Chen Fengnian.
Under the gazes of the two men, Chen Fengnian felt even more pressured. "Please, General Xiao, understand. This subordinate will not consider marriage until I have achieved fame and success." He was determined not to marry Ling Xue'er.
Hearing Chen Fengnian say this, Xiao Jinghan suddenly remembered his sworn brother, Bai Chengyi. "Then this General will transfer you to the border. How about that?"
Although there were not many battles on the border now, it was still a hundred times more dangerous than here. However, precisely because of this, there were more opportunities to accumulate military merits.
"Thank you, General, for the promotion," Chen Fengnian hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.
"Don't thank me too soon. You were a centurion at Ge Ling Pass, but at the border, you'll just be an ordinary soldier. You'll have to build your own merits," Xiao Jinghan thought this Chen Fengnian was a shrewd one.
"Yes," Chen Fengnian replied.
Ling Hong sighed inwardly.
Xiao Jinghan scanned the others and saw that they were all as silent as cicadas in winter. These men actually seemed to take Chen Fengnian as their leader. It seemed that this Chen Fengnian was not completely useless.
"In that case, this General won't randomly match up the lovers. Ling Hong, you handle this matter. This General will leave Ge Ling Pass in three days and expects to attend Miss Ling's wedding banquet," Xiao Jinghan said directly.
Ling Hong had no choice. He knew the General was giving him face, but it was so short a time. Where could he find a good family for his sister? Moreover, after this commotion, which good family would dare to marry his sister?
"Yes," Ling Hong saluted.
Ling Xue'er was dragged out. The centurions all took their leave, fearing that General Xiao would hold a grudge against them.
Ghost Lord had left at some point. Since Xiao Jinghan had returned, there was no need for him to stay here. He had his own things to attend to.
Xiao Jinghan was a bit angry at being interrupted just now, but it was also a good time to eat something. He hadn't eaten properly on his way back.
"I wrote and told you all about this, but you didn't care," Yi Qing pouted.
"I was afraid you'd be bored. If you really cared about these things, Ling Xue'er wouldn't be so lively," Xiao Jinghan liked it when Yi Qing pouted at him.
Yi Qing squinted and smiled. "Ling Xue'er is really unlucky to meet someone like you who doesn't know how to cherish the fairer sex."
Xiao Jinghan glared at Yi Qing discontentedly. "I'll deal with you later."
The next morning, Yi Qing couldn't get out of bed. She began to regret taking such good care of Xiao Jinghan before. His physical strength was just too good.
It was almost noon when Yi Qing got up. There were no maids around her. Xiao Jinghan helped her get dressed, and the two almost ended up rolling back into bed again.
"Ling Hong is holding a martial arts competition to find a husband for Ling Xue'er. Do you want to go and have a look?" Xiao Jinghan suggested.
"Sure. Call Wu Min. I'll explain it to her," Yi Qing got excited.
Xiao Jinghan was a bit reluctant about Wu Min. Fortunately, Lu Tianxun was there, and Wu Min didn't use the fact that she had saved his life to force a marriage.
"Let's go," Yi Qing pulled Xiao Jinghan and left.
Wu Min had already gone out. Lu Tianxun now felt that he should focus on his marital relationship and stay away from Xiao Jinghan and Yi Qing, lest a comparison would lead to a divorce.
Ling Xue'er's martial arts competition to find a husband was a grand event, but no one stepped forward. Instead, there were rumors about why Miss Ling was holding such a competition, which made the people below sigh with relief that they didn't have to marry such a woman.
Yi Qing stood below the stage and saw Ling Xue'er sitting there in full regalia with a cold face. Obviously, she was dissatisfied with this arrangement, but she couldn't resist.
Without the Ling family, she was nothing.
If you don't have the ability, don't cause so much trouble. In the end, if you don't want to take responsibility, there's no such good thing in the world.
"Why isn't anyone going up to compete?" Yi Qing craned her neck and looked around the stage.
"There are garrison troops at Ge Ling Pass. There are few martial artists, and ordinary people won't participate in such a competition," Xiao Jinghan explained.
"If no one competes, then whoever goes up will get to marry her. Why isn't anyone going?"
Xiao Jinghan thought Yi Qing was being too naive. "Not everyone is qualified to go up. See that?" He pointed to the steps on one side.
Yi Qing looked over, but she was short and was blocked by people, so she couldn't see clearly.
It turned out that the scenes in the TV shows where someone leaped onto the stage and won the beauty were all lies. In a martial arts competition to find a husband, one also had to register their family background and marital status. It wasn't just anyone who could go up.
"I can't see clearly," Yi Qing stood on tiptoe.
Xiao Jinghan bent down and carried Yi Qing on his shoulders. Everyone looked at them enviously, and even Ling Xue'er on the stage looked over.
She looked at Yi Qing with hatred. If it weren't for Yi Qing, she wouldn't be in such a mess.
"There's nothing to see," Yi Qing only saw Ling Xue'er but couldn't see her expression clearly. She guessed it wouldn't be good.
Xiao Jinghan bent down and put Yi Qing down. "Then I'll take you for a walk. We're leaving in a couple of days. Let's buy some things for Baozi."
"Okay," Yi Qing nodded.
Ling Xue'er's two - day martial arts competition to find a husband ended in failure. On the third day, she had to throw the embroidered ball. As a result, no one dared to pass by the city gate for fear of being hit by the ball.
Who would have thought that Miss Ling, who was once so popular at Ge Ling Pass, would end up in such a situation? By this point, really no one dared to marry her.
Ling Xue'er cried from morning till dusk. Her eyes were swollen. Ling Hong beside her didn't know how to comfort her. At this point, who could he blame?
At first, he clearly knew his sister's intentions, but he still held out a glimmer of hope, which was why things had gotten out of control.
Yi Qing and Xiao Jinghan were having dinner. They were leaving tomorrow, but Ling Hong didn't have time to see them off today. Most of the dishes on the table were specialties of Ge Ling Pass. It would be hard to eat them after leaving.
"If no one really marries Ling Xue'er, what will happen to her?" Wu Min asked curiously.