Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2578: Atonement for Sins 41.0
Song Yaojia looked at Yingbao, Yingshun and Shaobai who were chatting happily. It was estimated that even if these martial arts lunatics got together and talked for three days and three nights, they would not be able to finish talking. Not only that, they would probably have to stand up and demonstrate from time to time to support their theories with actions.

Although he was not good at martial arts, he admired their approach. When they met like-minded people and discussed together, different sparks would emerge, which was very beneficial to both parties.

He listened for a while and found that he could understand every word clearly, but the connected sentences were really difficult to understand. So he simply gave up and moved towards Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, leaving them a suitable space. In case they wanted to stand up and gesture later, they would have a very suitable place.

Xue Ruitian and Bai Meng were also listening to Eagle Leopard, Eagle Falcon and Shao Bai talking, and found that their styles and concepts were very consistent, which were completely different from their own.

The two men looked at each other, Bai Meng whispered a few words to Xue Ruitian, and moved closer to Shen Haolin and Shen Cha.

"What are you doing..." Shen Cha looked at this one, then that one, "What's going on?"

"It should be him." Bai Meng raised his chin towards Song Yaojia and said, "I feel like he has something on his mind. He always looks unhappy."

"Ah?" Song Yaojia touched his face, smiled embarrassedly, and said, "I thought I hid it very well. I didn't expect you to find out."

"That's right. We grew up together. I don't know what you are like. Something has been wrong with you since we left Beijing. Although you are very happy, this happiness is not genuine. You are completely different from your usual state." Bai Meng thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Is that why you are unhappy?"

"Is it so obvious?" Song Yaojia sighed. "My main concern is..." He considered his words, "I don't really want to think about it now. It's a bit too early."

"Then you can just say you don't want to. There's no need to follow us all the way here." Bai Meng spread his hands, "Besides, even if you follow us out now, when things are over here, won't you still have to go back and face it? You can escape temporarily, but you can't escape forever, right?"

"Wait a minute." Xue Ruitian waved at the two people. "You two are talking nonsense, and we don't understand. Tell us clearly, what happened that made brother Yaojia escape like this and have to leave the capital and come to us."

"Brother Xiaotian, don't you understand this?" Shen Cha looked at Song Yaojia, chuckled, and said, "Brother Yaojia is already old enough to discuss marriage. During the New Year, the ladies in the palace have already started to arrange for him. It's almost the Spring Festival, and I guess they'll hold a banquet in the palace and select a few families that they like and let them meet."

"Isn't this a good thing?" Xue Ruitian looked at Song Yaojia, "Aren't you willing?"

"It's not that I don't want to, I just think it's too early. My brothers haven't even discussed marriage yet, how come it's my turn?" Song Yaojia touched his nose and said with a guilty conscience, "Besides, the Spring Banquet is definitely not just one or two times. According to convention, it is held at least three or four times a year in the palace, one or two times in each prince's mansion, and one in the mansion of important ministers. Adding up, there are always about twenty times. Although it is not necessary to go to the mansions of important ministers, you have to show up in the palace and the various princes' mansions, right?" He sighed, "I feel tired just thinking about it."

"That's what you said, it's not wrong at all, it's definitely tiring, but..." Bai Meng spread his hands, "Didn't everyone go through this? I've been in Beijing all year round, let alone the Spring Banquet, as long as I'm not on duty, don't I go to every banquet, especially when my grandfather was still around. Besides, you're not the only one who's going through this, everyone has to go through this."

"So, you this year..." Seeing Bai Meng turned away embarrassedly, Song Yaojia snorted, "How dare you say that to me?" "I'm doing serious things, I didn't run away to escape, we are different, okay?" Bai Meng rolled his eyes and said, "Have you ever thought about what would happen to the ladies in the palace if you ran away? What should the candidates who have been favored do?"

"That's right, Brother Yaojia, the ladies must have had their favorite candidates, and they had already told their mothers or the adults in the family, but you ran away." Shen Cha sighed, "All their preparations have been in vain. The main reason is that these girls favored by the ladies must be very upset, thinking that you look down on them and that's why they ran away. Maybe outsiders don't know, but those who know the inside story, especially the mistresses of the high-ranking families in Xijing City, will not consider these girls for their own boys."

"Yes!" Bai Meng nodded. "Not being chosen and running away are two different things. Not being chosen won't hinder those girls from getting married, but if you run away, it's hard to say whether you despise them or have some other reason."

"I'm not worried about that. Before I left, I made an agreement with the ladies and His Majesty that if these girls are wronged because of my willfulness this time, my family will act as a matchmaker for them and I guarantee they will be satisfied."

"It's good that you have a countermeasure." Xue Ruitian looked at Song Yaojia, "Then why are you still unhappy?"

"He's already old enough to get married, but don't worry, there's still no news about the person you love so much!" Shen Haolin took two sips of tea, stood up and walked to the side of the small tea stove, put a cloth pad on it, walked over holding the handle of the small tea stove, put it on the already laid out mat, and used a spoon to add hot tea to each of their tea bowls. Then he walked to Song Yaojia's side and said, "Are you sure she will come back?"

"." Song Yaojia looked at Shen Haolin and shook his head gently, "I'm not sure. I only know that she is the granddaughter of Zeng Yushi's family, but..."

"Censor Zeng?" Shen Cha frowned slightly, "Lord Zeng Tengzheng?"

"Yeah!" Song Yaojia nodded and looked at Shen Cha, "You know?"

"Mr. Zeng has no granddaughters, only five granddaughters-in-law." Seeing Song Yaojia's confused look, Shen Cha was stunned, "You don't know?"

"I don't know." Song Yaojia shook her head gently. "When he left Beijing, I went to see him off specially. I did hear him call him grandfather!"

"I know this." Bai Meng sighed, "Censor Zeng's wife died early, leaving him with three daughters. He never remarried and raised his three daughters by himself. When the three daughters reached marriageable age, Censor Zeng was reluctant to let them marry outside the family, so he found sons-in-law for them. Therefore, the daughters' children all have the surname Zeng."

"So that's how it is!" Song Yaojia sighed, "Actually, knowing all this is useless. Old Zeng is still in office, and I don't know when he will be able to return to Beijing. I don't even know what the girl I met back then is like now." He smiled bitterly, sighed again, and said, "She is about my age, half a month older than me. Who knows, her family may have discussed marriage."

"Don't think too much." Bai Meng patted his shoulder gently and said, "If you two are destined to be together, then no matter how great the obstacles are, you will meet again.