Chapter 260: 260: Regent King Proposes Marriage

Words : 1459 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Regent King Proposes Marriage Zhan Lan frowned at Mu Yan’s shameless look, “Mu Yan, the cook in your mansion is no worse than mine here.” Mu Yan tugged at her sleeve, his youthful voice clear and bright, “I’m hungry...” Zhan Lan glanced helplessly downstairs where Liu Xi’s voice came from, “Miss, the food is all ready.” “Good, I’ll come down right away,” Zhan Lan replied. Mu Yan’s voice overrode hers, “Bring it up!” Zhan Lan: “...” Why did she feel that Mu Yan was more like the master of this house than she was, not feeling like an outsider at all? Liu Xi served the meals. After bowing and taking her leave, she left the room, leaving only a table of food and the two of them. Zhan Lan bent down to pick up her chopsticks to eat, and seeing her standing, Mu Yan also stood. Suddenly, Mu Yan broke the silence, “I, your husband, excel in all the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If you want to listen to music, don’t trouble your brother.” He emphasized the word ‘brother.’ Zhan Lan picked up a piece of braised pork with her chopsticks and looked at him, teasingly said, “You look about the same age as my brother today.” A smile curled at the corner of Mu Yan’s mouth as he seized her wrist, “All right, I’m convinced.” Zhan Lan was still smiling, but her smile suddenly froze; Mu Yan’s action caused the braised pork to fall from her chopsticks. Afraid it would fall on her clothes, Mu Yan went to catch it, only to press his hand against Zhan Lan’s chest. The pork was caught, but the soft sensation from his hand made him withdraw it immediately. Embarrassed, Zhan Lan didn’t look at him; the air suddenly turned frosty, Mu Yan’s ears reddened, pretending nothing happened, he picked up his bowl and shoveled another mouthful of rice. Zhan Lan wiped the oil stains on her chest with a napkin and accidentally knocked over a dish. An even more embarrassing incident occurred; the sauce from the braised pork splattered onto Mu Yan’s purple clothes. Zhan Lan felt like she had dragged a deity down to the mortal realm and then drenched him with a pot of rice. Mu Yan’s clothing was extremely complex in craftsmanship and the material was light and airy, not something ordinary. “I’ll compensate you,” Zhan Lan said awkwardly. Mu Yan tugged at her sleeve and asked, “How does the madam plan to compensate?” Zhan Lan saw the teasing in his eyes, she let go of his hand and suddenly remembered, “Oh, I took a piece of clothing from your room yesterday and haven’t returned it yet, why don’t you change into it first?” Mu Yan raised an eyebrow, “Madam seems so eager for my body; then I shall strip.” He placed his hand on his belt, pretending to disrobe, Zhan Lan gently pushed him away, a pained expression on her face, “Do you have no heart? I’m already injured like this, and you’re still irritating me to the point of full-body pain.” Mu Yan quickly looked at her worriedly, “Does the wound hurt?” Zhan Lan, seeing his flustered expression, laughed, “I’m just teasing you. It’s no fun being teased by you all the time.” Mu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, “Did you apply the medicine?” Zhan Lan, anticipating what he was about to say next, quickly said, “Yes, I did.” Mu Yan nodded, touched her hair, and said, “Heal properly, don’t make me worry.” Zhan Lan nodded softly. “I will come to your house to propose after the morning court tomorrow,” said Mu Yan before leaving. Zhan Lan looked at Mu Yan in surprise, “I thought you were joking.” “It depends on the matter,” Mu Yan smiled and walked away. Zhan Lan called after him, “You didn’t take your clothes!” “Leave it with you!” Mu Yan, in high spirits, went downstairs. He returned to his own courtyard and stepped into the storeroom. Half a year ago, he had already prepared all the betrothal gifts, having long been planning to marry Zhan Lan and bring her home. ... Early next morning, at the dawn court, Mu Yan sat beside the Crown Prince, leaning on the chair with one hand supporting his forehead, listening to court affairs. The Crown Prince glanced at him from time to time, trying to fathom Mu Yan’s thoughts. Zhan Beicang noticed Mu Yan’s distraction and wondered what the Regent King could be so engrossed in! Sometimes, there was even a barely noticeable smile on his lips—could he be thinking of a young lady? Zhan Beicang couldn’t help but inwardly criticize: Who knows which unfortunate girl has fallen for such a frivolous playboy. After all the ministers had presented their reports, Mu Yan looked towards the Crown Prince and asked, “Has the envoy from Beiyue not left yet?” The Crown Prince met Mu Yan’s intense gaze, trying to steady his emotions as he said, “The marriage alliance with Beiyue has already caused a significant stir among the common folk, to appease public discontent, in one month, Princess Si Yao shall go to Beiyue for the marriage.” The ministers had various opinions, some agreed and some opposed. “Your Highness, why must we let the Princess marry in such a humiliating way?” “Yes, Your Highness, this tarnishes our national prestige and lacks dignity!” The two voices belonged to civil officials, who were also senior ministers; the Crown Prince didn’t know how to respond at once and looked towards Mu Yan. Mu Yan addressed the two ministers: “Dignity? The dignity was won for Nanjin by the Brave General! Zhan Lan is injured all over—if not for you two to marry or go to battle, if you can do none, then refrain from empty talk!” The two ministers were embarrassed and dared not say anything more. They understood that the Crown Prince was merely announcing the decision of the Regent King. The more one said, the more mistakes one could make; better to say nothing. Mu Yan’s presence was commanding, just sitting there, he made the courtiers feel an overwhelming pressure. Zhan Beicang said nothing, he was quite satisfied with Mu Yan’s decision—after all, it’s good that Zhan Lan didn’t have to marry. After the court session, Zhan Beicang headed back alone. Yet, Mu Yan called out to him from behind, “General Zhan, please wait a moment.” Zhan Beicang slowly turned around, looking at Mu Yan, “Does the Prince have matters to discuss?” Mu Yan curled his lips into a light smile, “This King wishes to accompany General Zhan to the General Mansion.” Zhan Beicang was astonished, as he had no particular relation with Mu Yan. What was Mu Yan visiting his mansion for? However, he couldn’t just brush off Mu Yan’s face, so he said, “Then let’s go together!” “Please!” Zhan Beicang walked in front, filled with suspicion in his heart, wondering why Mu Yan’s attitude towards him today was better than every other time before. It even seemed to hold a bit of a smile. His mind was full of doubts, fearing what Mu Yan might be plotting, so he heightened his vigilance. Mu Yan followed behind Zhan Beicang, his eyes turning colder. If not for the fact that Zhan Beicang was Zhan Lan’s real father, and his future father-in-law, he really did not want to speak with him. After all, the man was blind to his own daughter! The sedan chairs of Zhan Beicang and Mu Yan arrived one after another at the General Mansion. When Zhan Beicang stepped out of the sedan, he suddenly noticed many exquisitely crafted boxes made of golden nanmu wood at the door. At a glance, they stretched beyond sight. Furthermore, each box was tied with a red ribbon, making them look even more like betrothal gifts. What was Mu Yan planning to do? The common folk were also shocked by this scene, with some onlookers and some discussing. “These must be betrothal gifts, right? Could it be that King Wei is going to marry the legitimate daughter of the Zhan Family?” “So many gifts, stretching as far as the eye can see, that’s quite lavish!” “That’s not right, look at the people guarding the boxes, they’re wearing the Iron Armor Guard uniforms, they belong to the Xingtian Department!” “Could it be that the Regent King is asking for a marriage? But isn’t the legitimate daughter of the Zhan Family, Zhan Xuerou, already engaged?”

Chapter 260: 260: Regent King Proposes Marriage

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