Chapter 18: 18

Chapter 18: Mulan Chooses A Husband

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Shen Lang’s mind instantly began to work, going through many plans.

At this moment, the door before him instantly slammed shut, cutting him off outside.

This was normal because the Earl was going to discuss a private matter now. Shen Lang was still an outsider after all; he couldn’t participate in the discussion.

…

“Who from the Zhu Family is coming?” the Earl asked.

“Governor Zhu Rong’s younger brother, the Pingnan General, Zhu Lin!” the trusted aid replied, presenting the secret message sent from the pigeon in Nujiang.

The Earl read it through with a grim expression on his face.

To think that it was General Zhu Lin. The matter was genuinely looking bad, ah!

This meant that the Zhu Family was determined to succeed!

Asking for marriage could be done openly. However, General Zhu Lin came hurrying over in secret. He intended to catch the Palace of the Earl off guard and not give them any chance to refuse.

The idea that Zhu Hongxue was marrying Jin Mulan was definitely not an ordinary marriage alliance. Its aim was to carry out a political shift.

What was the most essential thing for robbing the power and military authority of the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu? To make the palace lose their general. The Highness of the Earl of Xuanwu was a useless moron who wasn’t capable of protecting his family’s foundations.

The moment Jin Mulan married Zhu Hongxue, they would tear the pillar of the Palace of the Earl down into the ground. In doing so, they would snatch away the military authority of the Earl.

The Earl’s wife spoke with a trembling voice, “Darling, can we refuse?”

The Earl shook his head. “We can’t. The Zhu Family is a powerful figure. Outrightly refusing is the same as us having a fall out with them. Furthermore, this proposal may carry the intentions of the Monarch.”

Jin Mulan said, “I will absolutely not marry. I will definitely stay in the house to guide my younger brother and to protect the Jin Family’s hundred years of family establishment. Whoever wishes to snatch it away will have to step over my dead body.”

The Earl sighed, and his brows furrowed tightly as he paced throughout the room.

Jin Mulan said, “Father, I can disfigure myself.”

Then, she pulled out her dagger. As long as the Earl gave the order, she would slice away at her beautiful face till it’s tattered.

“No!” the Earl said, “I indeed want to protect our family’s establishment, but I must first protect my own daughter from harm. Even if you are disfigured, the Zhu Family will still seek your hand in marriage, unless…”

Jin Mulan replied, “Unless I marry today, to a live-in son-in-law, and complete the marital rites before General Zhu Lin arrives, making it an absolute fact so that he will retreat and not seek my hand in marriage!”

Indeed, this was the only method now. Even an engagement wouldn’t work. After all, there was no such thing as an engagement for a son-in-law marrying into the wife’s family.

General Zhu Lin was less than two hundred li away from the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu. He would arrive tonight.

Originally, even if they looked for a son-in-law to marry into their family, the Earl of Xuanwu intended to pick carefully.

They had to be wedded tonight, which meant that they had to send out the wedding invitations before noon. In four hours, they absolutely had to decide on the son-in-law. 1

Looking at his beautiful and strong daughter, the Earl of Xuanwu’s heart softened as he said, “Mulan, the Zhu Family is powerful. That Zhu Hongxue also has a promising future and is a good choice for a husband. I can’t sacrifice your happiness for the sake of our family’s benefits. Why don’t you consider it for a bit?”

The Miss of the Palace of the Earl, Jin Mulan, said, “Father, it is my greatest happiness to be able to contribute to the family. Younger brother definitely would not be able to protect our ancestor’s efforts when you’ve passed. I absolutely will not marry out of the family.”

The Earl instantly felt incredibly moved, and his heart ached. Then, he picked up a brush and wrote five names on a piece of white paper.

These five people were exceptional young men and were the most suitable candidates for marrying in as their son-in-law in the Earl’s opinion.

The Earl really pitied his daughter and had already begun choosing a husband for her since three years ago. However, it wasn’t very acceptable to get someone to marry into the wife’s family, and most importantly, Jin Mulan had always been rejecting the idea of marrying too.

Now, time is pressing. The family had to make their decision fast.

The first name amongst these five husband candidates was Wang Lian.

A young talent, clearing his provincial examinations at the age of eighteen, the current registrar of Xuanwu City, and the Earl’s distant relative.

The second name was Mo Ye, a martial art prodigy in Xuanwu City. He was selected for the Martial Arts Examination at the age of sixteen and was currently practicing hard to prepare for the imperial examinations.

These two were young men with promising futures. The other three were young talents from the Palace of the Earl. They were good at martial arts or studies, and were cultivated from a young age by the Jin Family. Thus, there was no doubt on their loyalty to the Earl’s Palace.

These five people were full of admiration for Jin Mulan, and they dreamt of her day and night.

To be exact, all the young men of the surrounding radius had viewed Jin Mulan as their dream lover.

“Jin Zhong, send someone to get these five men into the Palace for Mulan to pick.” The Earl handed the name list over to his loyal servant.

The Earl already felt like he had let down his daughter considerably; thus, he only decided on five candidates and left the final choice up to Mulan.

“Yes, sir!” Jin Zhong cradled the name list into his chest upon receiving it and walked out of the door, sending several men to fetch the candidates.

The Earl said, “Mulan, although time is tight, Father will definitely find the best candidate for you. I’ll ensure that you live in happiness for the rest of your life. These five young men are all very exceptional; you can choose carefully.”

Just at this moment, Shen Lang walked in and said, “Earl, Miss Mulan, can I join the competition? I also wish to marry you!” 2

When this was said, everyone present was stunned. They couldn’t react at all and were completely caught off guard.

Then, the Earl of Xuanwu, with all his excellent temperament, finally couldn’t endure it anymore and was practically about to explode.

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It was not only the Earl. The other few people present looked at Shen Lang with daggers in their eyes.

“You? Someone like you also wishes to marry the Miss of the Palace of the Earl!”

“Your looks are definitely enough, but you look so handsome that you’re more suited to be a gigolo and not be carried away by your wishful thinking.”

“What family are you from? A mere peasant who is so poor that you live in a thatched hut.”

“Of course, one could not choose where they were born. If you’re outstanding enough, the Earl could give it some consideration. To have a live-in son-in-law from a good family background was difficult, after all.”

“However, Shen Lang, you should take a piss and look at yourself?”

“You studied for ten years, but you couldn’t even graduate from a college in town and was dropped out directly.”

In the modern world context, this was the equivalent of not graduating from elementary school at the age of eighteen.

“You’re born into a poor family, but you’re unable to do hard labor and laze around with your uselessness.”

“Everyone Xuanwu City knows that there’s something wrong with your brain.”

Compared to those five candidates that the Earl had listed, Shen Lang couldn’t even compare.

Those five young men were talented in literature or martial arts, while Shen Lang was entirely incompetent.

“The most unacceptable thing is, you had abandoned your parents and married into the Xu family as their live-in son-in-law for the sake of a luxurious life. Now that you’ve been chased out by the Xu family and abandoned by Xu Qianqian, you still dare to wish to marry the Miss of the Palace of the Earl?”

“What did you take my Palace of the Earl as?!”

“The daughter of the Earl of Xuanwu is worth multiple folds compared to Xu Qianqian! We’d pick carefully even if we are looking for a son-in-law to marry into our family! You’re really aiming for someone completely out of your league!”

Madam Jin went forward to soothe her husband’s back and said in a gentle voice, “Husband, don’t be angry, they say that this Shen Lang isn’t mentally developed, and he is just a child. Why should we lower ourselves to his level?”

The Earl of Xuanwu let out a long sigh.

Indeed, there really was something wrong with his brain and was merely a child. Why should the Earl be so calculative with him?

“Men, send this bum home and send ten gold coins. Remember to hand it to his parents and not him,” the Earl ordered, “then send someone else to go pick him up to study here at the palace tomorrow and teach him a thorough lesson.”

“Yes, sir!” Two soldiers stepped forward and grabbed Shen Lang’s shoulders before dragging him out.

Shen Lang said, “Miss Mulan, I believe I am more suitable than those five men to become your husband! Don’t tell me I don’t even have the right to compete?”

Jin Mulan looked over at Shen Lang and took a good look at him. “I remember now; three years ago, when I went hunting, I also accidentally knocked into you, you’re fool 21…”

“Hey! Goddess! It’s a little too much for you to speak like this, ah!”

That’s right, no one called Shen Lang using his name in the village; they all called him fool 2 because there was still a fool 1 and was the only friend Shen Lang had at that time.

When Jin Mulan’s horse accidentally injured Shen Lang, she immediately carried him and went to the village to ask about his name and address. However, everyone replied, saying he was fool 2.

The Earl’s face couldn’t help but twitch upon hearing the words “fool 2”.

Shen Lang said, “Miss Mulan, I also wish to marry you, I definitely will not disappoint you.”

Jin Mulan’s gaze when she looked at Shen Lang was full of gentleness.

When she heard of Shen Lang’s story three years ago and learned that he was mentally challenged, she remained full of sympathy for him and had visited him a couple of times, sending the best doctors to treat him.

All in all, Jin Mulan viewed it as if she was looking after a child. After all, Shen Lang’s intelligence was like that of a child back then.

Jin Mulan was very disappointed by the mutual deception in the world of the adults but was very friendly toward the innocence of a child.

Thus, Jin Mulan looked at Shen Lang and said, “Fine, I will add your name to the list. You may compete fairly.”

Others might discriminate against Shen Lang, but she wouldn’t.

The Earl was about to open his mouth to interrupt, but Jin Mulan said with a smile, “Father, what are you so worried about?”

“Indeed, what am I worried about?”

“Mulan is merely being compassionate, which is why she is adding Shen Lang’s name into the list of candidates. She wouldn’t even choose him, so why should I have groundless fears and feel angry about it?”

“Men, send Shen Lang to the sixth study room!” The Earl ordered.

***

Two hours later!

The other five promising youths were brought to the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu and settled into five separate study rooms while Shen Lang was in the sixth.

None of them met and wouldn’t know who their competitors were.

It was up to Jin Mulan to make her pick by observing them through a veil.

Time was tight; they had to decide on a person before noon and get married by night time. They only had two hours at most to choose one out of the six to be Jin Mulan’s husband.

Jin Mulan stepped into the study room. The selection of husbands in the Palace of the Earl officially began!

…

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