Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 239 Matchmaking
Inside the Huainan Palace, the morning light shines through the carved window lattices and onto the spacious and bright dining hall.

Su Qingwan was wearing a moon-white brocade dress and was having breakfast elegantly. The table was filled with exquisite snacks and porridge. At this time, General Xiao Ning strode in. He was dressed in a black suit, with an upright posture, and the sword on his waist swayed gently with his steps.

General Xiao Ning walked to the table, bowed to Su Qingwan, then sat down and picked up the bowl and chopsticks.

However, his mind was obviously not on this breakfast. He hesitated several times and looked confused. Su Qingwan saw this and found it very interesting, but she deliberately did not expose him. She ate by herself and occasionally looked up to observe General Xiao Ning's expression.

As breakfast was almost over, General Xiao Ning could no longer hold back. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, sat up straight, and said with a serious and somewhat nervous look, "Princess, I want to marry Zhang Huaining!"

Su Qingwan was slightly startled, and the chopsticks in her hand stopped in mid-air, "Ah?"

General Xiao Ning was about the same age as her, and was specially sent by the prince of the southwest to assist her. When Su Qingwan went to Xilin to open up the trade route, General Xiao Ning accompanied her all the way and protected her. During that long business trip, the two experienced ups and downs and were very familiar with each other's temperament.

General Xiao Ning is a man who hates evil and acts openly and honestly, with a strong and heroic spirit. From an unknown soldier, he relied on his own bravery and wisdom, and survived many battles on the battlefield to climb to the position of general. The youth's spirit has not only not been extinguished, but has become more dazzling.

The prince sent him to Huainan, which meant that General Xiaoning would become Su Qingwan's confidant in the future.

When the time is right, Su Qingwan plans to hand over the military power of Huainan to him. General Xiao Ning used to be quite resistant to marriage. After years of fighting on the battlefield, he was used to obeying military orders and did not have much resistance to the arranged marriage.

However, Su Qingwan never expected that he would take the initiative to propose to Zhang Huaining.

"Do you like her?" Su Qingwan came back to her senses, a smile appeared on her face, and she asked with interest.

General Xiao Ning's face instantly turned red, like a ripe tomato. He nodded gently, looking a little shy.

"She may not like you!" Su Qingwan looked embarrassed and frowned slightly.

She and Zhang San had an agreement, and Zhang San also agreed to marry his two unmarried sisters to his people. But Zhang Huaining was a new widow and had been married before, so Zhang San did not consider her. Su Qingwan naturally did not expect General Xiaoning to fall in love with Zhang Huaining.

"Then I don't care. You are the one who arranged the marriage. You decide it for me!" General Xiao Ning was afraid that Su Qingwan would not agree, so as soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared like a gust of wind.

Su Qingwan looked at his departing back and sighed helplessly, "..."

Luzhu and Qingyun, who were serving on the side, were also surprised and looked at each other.

Su Qingwan looked at them, and they both shook their heads at the same time, their eyes full of doubts, and they were obviously confused. Zhang Huaining was recuperating in the backyard of the palace. She was seriously injured and had not yet woken up.

This morning the doctor reported that she was no longer in danger. But the two had never met each other. Could it be that General Xiao Ning had already taken a liking to Miss Zhang when she was competing in the ring?

Although General Xiao Ning was born in poverty, he rose from the bottom step by step with his own efforts. He was outstanding in ability, commanded the battlefield with confidence, and killed countless enemies; he was also quite handsome, with sharp eyebrows, starry eyes, and a high nose bridge. Many generals in the southwest wanted to marry their daughters to him. Unfortunately, General Xiao Ning's mother passed away three years ago, and he had to mourn, so the marriage was delayed.

Since the marriage was proposed by Su Qingwan, and General Xiao Ning was a general whom she respected very much, she naturally had to take it seriously.

Su Qingwan turned around and told Luzhu: "Go and find out when Zhang Huaining's husband died. Dayuan law stipulates that after a woman's husband dies, she must remain a widow for three years before she can remarry, unless there is an imperial decree. However, there are new rules in the southwest and Huainan borders, and women can remarry after being widowed for one year. In addition, find out if she has someone she likes and who else is in her husband's family." Logically, this kind of thing should be done by Chenfeng, who is experienced and most skilled. But after all, it is to inquire about the private affairs of a girl. As women, Qingyun and Luzhu are more convenient to do this. The two of them are very efficient. When night fell, they found out the news, and it was a big gossip.

Lu Zhu was very excited and could not wait to say, "The husband of Miss Zhang is Zhang San's brother. He is a weak scholar who can't lift anything. He usually teaches children to read and write in the mountains. He also took two concubines, each of whom gave birth to a son. Miss Zhang is kind-hearted and raised the two children as her own. She is also very generous to the concubines. The mountain bandits all praised her for her broad mind and love for her husband. She is so loyal to her deceased husband that she even takes care of his concubines and illegitimate children."

Qingyun then added: "Those women also said that Miss Zhang loves beauty, and that the scholar won her favor with his handsome appearance. She likes the appearance of this kind of weak scholar, and our General Xiao Ning... I'm afraid he doesn't quite suit her taste."

After hearing this, Su Qingwan couldn't help but feel a headache, "What should I do?"

"How about letting General Xiaoning dress up as a scholar and try?" Lu Zhu suggested with a turn of his eyes.

"No way!" Lu Zhu smacked her lips and continued, "General Xiao Ning led his troops to stop the fight before, and he was wearing armor. When you were not there, he and Miss Zhang had a fight. Now it's too late for him to pretend to be a scholar."

Su Qingwan pondered for a moment and said, "Miss Zhang has always been sensible and far-sighted. I will go and talk to her with emotion and reason. She should be willing to marry General Xiaoning, right? After all, General Xiaoning is a rare good husband."

Lu Zhu asked, "Miss, are you planning to go and propose marriage yourself?"

Su Qingwan sighed softly, "I can try to arrange this marriage first. If Miss Zhang doesn't want to, then General Xiaoning can only pursue her himself."

In the evening, Zhang Huaining slowly woke up. She was still very weak due to excessive blood loss, but she was fine. After Su Qingwan learned the news, she went to visit her immediately. Zhang Huaining was flattered to see Su Qingwan coming. She didn't expect that she would be taken to the palace to recuperate.

Su Qingwan walked to the bedside, with a bit of guilt on her face, and said: "Ms. Zhang is a noble man. If you were not willing to endure the pain in the ring and fight for your life in exchange for the forgiveness of the people, this large-scale conflict and bloodshed would probably continue. On behalf of the people of Huainan, I thank Miss Zhang for her great kindness!"

Zhang Huaining really risked her life to get the peace she has today. At that time on the ring, no one knew whether she could make it out alive, not even she herself was sure.

"The princess's plan was brilliant, and I just did my little bit to help. The bandits committed crimes in Huainan City, and I did this just to atone for my sins. I don't deserve the princess's gratitude. I am also very pleased that the matter could be resolved peacefully. I just hope that there will be no more conflicts in the future." Zhang Huaining said softly.

"If there are any conflicts in the future, as long as you come forward, it will be settled!" Su Qingwan said with a smile, "No matter if they are bandits or common people, they will remember your kindness. This competition was set up in front of the people of the whole city. The people of Huainan value their promises the most. Once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back!"

"I hope so!" Zhang Huaining breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Qingwan chuckled and changed the subject: "I came to see you today, not only to care about your injuries, but also to ask for your opinion on something."

"Please speak, Princess!" Zhang Huaining sat up straight and said seriously.

Su Qingwan looked calm and said frankly, "I have a general under my command, his surname is Ning, he is only 21 years old and has never been married. He is the one standing next to me that day. You have fought with him before. Your brother and I have made an agreement that we hope that the girl from the Zhang family can marry General Ning, which can be regarded as a marriage between the mountain bandits and the Huainan Palace. Your brother has already agreed to this matter. General Ning just told me that he admires you and wants to marry you. What do you think?"

After hearing this, Zhang Huaining was stunned and speechless for a moment, "..."

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