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Chapter 1201: Sister, You've Been Exposed!
🕑 Added 2024-12-14 10:28:41 +0000 UTCGuanyu knew that the Xiahou family wouldn't be easy to deal with. The three formal letters and the six traditional ceremonies were essential for any proper marriage. If his sworn brother wanted to marry Xiahou Juan, they would likely have to wait until autumn to complete the whole process.
However, while Xiahou's family was difficult, other families might be easier to handle. Zhang Fei was a brother, and so was Zhao Yun. He decided to first resolve Zhao Yun's marriage to Ma Yunlu before worrying about Xiahou Juan.
The Ma family was different from the large, prestigious Xiahou family. While they had once been prosperous, they had long since fallen into decline. They had also lived among the Hu people for many years. Although the Ma family worked hard to maintain Han customs, they still adopted some Hu habits.
Of course, the Hu customs weren't all bad. They were straightforward and easy to deal with, and if their temperament aligned with yours, everything went smoothly without any scheming or unnecessary complications.
Thus, Guanyu thought it would be much easier to handle the Ma family. Besides, compared to Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun had a clear advantage in appearance—he was undeniably more handsome by miles. Moreover, Zhao Yun could even pull off wearing a scholar's robe, adding to his appeal.
Guanyu rode to the Ma residence. By now, he was quite familiar with the family. Although Ma Teng knew he shouldn’t interact too much with Guanyu, he was still grateful for Guanyu saving Ma Chao's life, so he didn't instruct his gatekeeper to refuse Guanyu entry.
"General Guan, please come in," the gatekeeper said as soon as he saw Guanyu, immediately opening the main gate and welcoming him inside. However, unlike before, the gatekeeper could tell this time that Guanyu was dressed in travel gear.
Before Guanyu could sit down in the main hall, Ma Teng came out with Ma Chao and Pang De to greet him. "General Guan, you are in travel attire today..."
"I am leaving Chang'an today, but before I go, I have a request," Guanyu said, showing a rare smile. With the Ma family, it was best not to give them too much time to think, as they were impulsive. Given enough time, they might just regret it.
"Whatever General Guan has to say, as long as it doesn't involve official matters, the Ma family will certainly agree," Ma Teng replied with a smile. He already had a personal friendship with Liu Bei back in Ye City, and with the added favor of Guanyu saving Ma Chao, he was willing to deepen their relationship further.
"It doesn't involve official business," Guanyu slowly shook his head.
"Then please feel free to speak. The Ma family owes both Lord Xuande and you, General Guan, so whatever we have, we will agree to," Ma Teng said with a smile. In his mind, he thought Liu Bei had everything the Ma family had, and Guanyu was too honorable a man to take what wasn’t rightfully his. So, the only request left would likely be something about safeguarding the emperor.
A sharp glint flashed in Guanyu's eyes. "General Ma, what do you think of Zhao Zilong, General Zhao?"
Ma Teng was taken aback. Why had the topic suddenly shifted? However, he still answered honestly, "He is both skilled in civil and military affairs, a true heroic figure, unmatched in both talent and appearance."
"Then, would you be willing to give Miss Ma to him as his wife?" Guanyu suddenly asked. It was rare for him to say so much.
"Of course..." Ma Teng began to reply instinctively but quickly caught himself, coughing awkwardly. "Ahem, my daughter, General Guan, you don’t know. She is stubborn and unruly, obsessed with martial arts, and behaves much like a man. How could she be a good match for General Zhao?"
Naturally, Ma Teng didn’t want to marry off his only daughter, Ma Yunlu, to Zhao Yun. He had several sons and nephews, but only one daughter. To him, she was his precious treasure. Although Zhao Yun was a fine man, Ma Teng didn’t think it was an ideal match.
Pang De scratched his head nearby. The letter Zhao Yun had sent hadn't reached Ma Teng because their paths had diverged. Instead, the letter had ended up with the Ma family in Chang'an.
Afterward, Ma Teng hurried off to Bingzhou to fight the Xianbei, and he never got a chance to see the letter. Besides, Ma Yunlu had returned to Chang'an before him.
In fact, Ma Teng had no idea that Ma Yunlu had run away from home at one point. As for the servants and maids, none of them dared to mention it to Ma Teng, as it would offend both him and Ma Yunlu.
Guanyu squinted slightly. "General, did you not know that Miss Ma and General Zhao have already grown fond of each other during their trip to Mount Tai? If not, I wouldn’t be here proposing a marriage."
"What?!" Ma Teng was shocked, looking at Guanyu, not knowing what to say.
"Bring Yunlu here!" Ma Teng shouted after a moment of stunned silence. The whole room fell quiet. After a few moments, Ma Teng roared at Ma Chao. He knew Guanyu wasn’t the type to lie.
Ma Chao grinned and immediately ran off. While Ma Teng didn’t know about the matter, Ma Chao did, and he didn’t think there was anything wrong with Ma Yunlu marrying Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun was incredibly handsome, exceptionally powerful, and had a great temperament. A brother-in-law like him was truly one in a million!
Ma Chao rushed to the inner courtyard and pushed open the door to his sister’s residence. He was surprised to find that Ma Yunlu wasn’t practicing her martial arts but was instead sitting there, frowning in deep thought.
"Yunlu, something big has happened! You’d better run. You've been exposed!" Ma Chao hurried over and whispered urgently.
"Huh?" Ma Yunlu looked at her brother, utterly confused. "Brother, what are you talking about? I don’t understand at all!"
"You and brother-in-law have been exposed. Father might confine you. You need to run quickly," Ma Chao said, pulling out a pouch of gold beads from his waist and tossing it to Ma Yunlu.
"What brother-in-law? What are you talking about?" Ma Yunlu said, blushing as she looked at Ma Chao. Her reaction stunned him. In the past, she would have drawn her spear and thrust it at him for such a joke, but now she actually blushed!
"Just look at yourself," Ma Chao said, pulling out a mirror that Liu Bei had given him in Ye City and showing Ma Yunlu her bashful expression.
"You need to run. I'll stall Father for you. Otherwise, you might never see your brother-in-law again. Li Feisha is in the back courtyard. Ride him, and he will recognize you. Go to the post station, and the horse will protect you. It will also return on its own. Just remember to leave with General Guan." Ma Chao handed her the pouch of gold beads and the mirror, then pushed her out the door.
Ma Chao wasn’t blind. He could see clearly that Ma Yunlu had feelings for Zhao Yun. Besides, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with Ma Yunlu marrying Zhao Yun. But given his father's attitude, there was a chance he might break off the marriage. For his sister’s happiness, Ma Chao decided to help his future brother-in-law.
Ma Yunlu, still dazed, found herself mounted on Li Feisha. However, after hearing Ma Chao’s parting words, "My dear sister, Father doesn’t seem to want you to marry Zhao Zilong. Haven’t you noticed how often Cao Zixiu has been visiting our house lately?" she finally woke up completely.
"I don’t want to marry Cao Zixiu!" Ma Yunlu shouted angrily, her heroic spirit returning in full force.
"I don’t want Cao Zixiu as a brother-in-law either! Don’t be fooled by the fact that they both have the character 'Zi' in their names. But let me tell you, having Zhao Zilong as a brother-in-law is much more impressive than Cao Zixiu. Now, go quickly! I’ll deal with Father, and I’ll take care of the three letters and six ceremonies later!" Ma Chao urged her.
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