The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 361 - 357 Arrange Marriage

When the ladies-in-waiting left the palace, Ruo Xuan did not follow them out.

She ran to Xuanyang Palace to see Xuanyuan Que.

Ruo Xuan took out the golden Xuancao Flower and feigned ignorance, "Xuanyuan brother, is this from you?"

Xuanyuan Que looked at the vibrant flower and nodded, "Mhm."

Ruo Xuan smiled even more radiantly, "I just had a dream, do you know what it was about?"

Playing along, Xuanyuan Que feigned ignorance as well, "What dream?"

Ruo Xuan intended to tell him, but then thought better of it, adding, "Never mind, I won’t tell you!"

How could the War God of Nine Heavens possibly kneel and propose to a little Flower Demon?

If she told him, he would surely say it was impossible!

Moreover, last time she got back at him by kissing him and transferring the bitter taste to him, he got angry.

If she mentioned dreaming about him stealing a kiss from her, who knows, he might get angry again.

Forget it, she didn’t like it when he was angry.

Xuanyuan Que: "..."

This flower was starting to learn how to keep secrets too.

Xuanyuan Que didn’t press further.

He handed her a box of pastries and fruit ripened with his Spiritual Power, "Leave the palace, a marriage decree will be announced soon, and you’ll be delayed if you’re late."

Ruo Xuan happily took the basket and left the palace.

*

Gao Yan and Zhu Yan, among others, left the palace in high spirits.

Because Gao Yan had to return the flower to Xuanyuan Jie, she asked her close friends to leave first as they neared the palace gate, so she could wait a bit longer.

Zhu Yan and the others knew she had to return the flower, so to avoid embarrassment, they left ahead of her.

Gao Yan also knew she could simply leave the golden flower at the palace gate and go, but that would make people think she was rejecting a marriage with the Imperial Family.

If this spread, it could cause unnecessary trouble for her father.

Since she knew Xuanyuan Jie, she thought of giving it to him privately.

After the palace banquet ended, Xuanyuan Jie hurried back to the rockery in the Imperial Garden to look for the gold flower he had accidentally dropped.

But there was no sign of the flower.

He asked the eunuchs and palace maids who were responsible for cleaning nearby if they had found it, and they all said no.

Xuanyuan Jie believed they wouldn’t dare to lie, so he asked who had been around the rockery.

Learning that it was Princess Wuyou and Gao Yan who were the last to leave from the vicinity of the rockery, his heart began to race, wondering whether it was Xuanbao who had found the flower.

Xuanyuan Jie hastened towards the palace exit.

He walked very fast along the way, hoping that it was Xuanbao who had picked up the flower, yet fearing it wasn’t.

The anxiety was unbearable.

The ladies-in-waiting could refuse a marriage proposal, simply by leaving the flower at the palace gate upon their departure.

He wanted to see if there was a flower by the palace gate.

Gao Yan saw Xuanyuan Jie hurrying over and called out to him, "Second Young Master."

Xuanyuan Jie, being the Second Young Master from the Prince An Residence, had also frequently gone out with Gao Yan and Zhu Yan in the past few years because of Ruo Xuan.

Everyone referred to him as Second Young Master.

The two could also be considered good friends.

When Xuanyuan Jie heard Gao Yan calling him, he walked over to her.

Since the eunuchs from the Imperial Garden said that Xuanbao and Gao Yan were the last to leave, he was about to ask her if she knew who picked up the golden flower.

Gao Yan took out a golden flower wrapped in a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it back to him, "I found it on the rockery in the Imperial Garden, Xuanbao said it’s yours."

Xuanyuan Jie recognized the golden flower at a glance and couldn’t quite decide whether he felt more disappointment or relief.

Perhaps more disappointment; Xuanbao knew he had lost the golden flower but hadn’t kept it.

Xuanyuan Jie accepted it, and thanked her.

Gao Yan asked, "How could you even lose the golden flower?"

Xuanyuan Jie had no mood to explain and simply said, "I lost it by accident."

Gao Yan nodded, not asking further, and took her leave, "Then I’ll be leaving first."

Still, Xuanyuan Jie couldn’t help but ask, "Did Xuanbao receive the golden flower?"

Gao Yan looked at him with sympathy, "She did, she received the golden flower specially prepared by the Ninth Prince."

Xuanyuan Jie forced a smile, "Is that so? That’s good."

His heart was bleeding!

Xuanbao had indeed chosen Xuanyuan Que.

Although he had long guessed that as long as Xuanyuan Que sent flowers to Xuanbao, she would definitely accept them.

But he couldn’t help but hold on to a glimmer of hope that Xuanyuan Que wouldn’t send flowers to Xuanbao.

With Xuanyuan Que’s aloof and detached demeanor, as if he were in conflict with the world, he had thought he would spend his life alone.

But he also knew that Xuanbao trusted and depended a lot on Xuanyuan Que.

Xuanyuan Que was good to Xuanbao as well.

Xuanbao was the only person who could approach him and converse with him.

Moreover, when the two of them were together, others couldn’t blend in, as if they belonged to a different world, not like everyone else, separated by an invisible barrier.

Seeing Xuanyuan Jie’s forced laughter, Gao Yan felt deep sympathy, wondering why he had to fall for Xuanbao.

The entire Capital City knew that Princess Wuyou was the cherished darling of the Ninth Prince.

And with the Ninth Prince being so formidable, who could compete with him?

She took her leave once more, "Then I’m really going now."

After saying this, Gao Yan left the palace, got into her family’s carriage, and departed.

Xuanyuan Jie, likewise, left the palace gate as if he had lost his soul, got on his horse, and rode away.

The imperial decree for arranged marriages arrived at the various households half an hour later.

Even though the distances to each residence varied, the eunuchs tasked with delivering the decree had agreed to announce it simultaneously after one hour.

This was the largest arranged marriage event since the founding of Xuanyuan Country.

Although the Emperor had not made any demands, the eunuchs felt the significance was extraordinary, so they decided to issue the decree at the same time.

Xuanyuan Jie and Gao Yan returned to their respective homes at the same time.

Gao Yan’s return was due to her home being farther away.

Xuanyuan Jie had taken a ride around the city on horseback. He had intended to visit Princess Wuyou’s residence to find Ruo Xuan, but he only lingered outside for a moment and ultimately did not visit, afraid of causing trouble for Ruo Xuan.

Thus, both of them stepped into their courtyards at the same time, returned to their rooms, changed their clothes, and then a young attendant/maid came in to announce, "Second Young Master/Miss, hurry, come receive the decree!"

Both of their expressions were bewildered as they said in unison, "What decree?"

The young attendant/maid: "Of course, the imperial decree for the arranged marriage!"

Gao Yan received the decree in a daze, and even after the eunuch who delivered the decree had left, she was still bewildered.

At the Ministry of Revenue Minister’s residence, there was an atmosphere of joy and celebration.

The wife of the Minister of Revenue joyously took her daughter’s hand, "You girl, why didn’t you tell us you received the golden flower from the second son of Prince An’s residence when you came home? You even said you weren’t chosen!"

Gao Yan came back to her senses, "No! I didn’t receive his golden flower!"

The wife of the Minister of Revenue: "You didn’t receive it, then why did the Emperor arrange a marriage for you two?"

Gao Yan became anxious, "I picked up his golden flower, but I’ve already returned it to him."

The Minister of Revenue frowned, "What happened exactly?"

Gao Yan recounted the whole incident.

As she explained, she recalled the moment during the meal when a palace maid suddenly asked who had the golden flower. At first, she hadn’t spoken up, but then the maid asked several times, "Who still has the golden flower?"

Thinking it was Xuanyuan Jie who had sent someone to look for the flower, because whoever had the golden flower would certainly be known to the Empress Dowager, she admitted that she had it.

It turned out it wasn’t Xuanyuan Jie looking for the flower, but the Emperor confirming who had received the golden flower to issue the marriage decree.

What should she do now?