Chapter 320 The learned groom

Meng Xuan was so serious, as if he was saying that she should be loyal to friends. He Danggui was more speechless. She thought that they were now like becoming sworn brothers…

She asked cautiously, “Meng Xuan, have you ever seen the marriage ceremony?”

Meng Xuan told her very proudly, “I have lived two lives and I have read tens of thousands of books. I learned that from a book.” Then, he raised his chin proudly.

He Danggui was dumbfounded. She asked, “You read it from a book? What’s the marriage ceremony like?”

“Like what we are doing now.” Meng Xuan said affirmatively.

He Danggui took a long time to regain her senses, “Then, can you please tell me which book you were reading?”

“The book about getting married.”

Fine! He Danggui closed her eyes helplessly. She decided to listen to Meng Xuan. She changed her kneeling position to a more comfortable one and looked up at the red candles above. Then she nodded and said, “Okay, I will count on three. Then let’s kowtow together!”

“No!” Meng Xuan refused and stretched out his hand to stop He Danggui.

He Danggui was stunned, “What’s wrong? You told me to kowtow to the cabinet and the candles.”

Meng Xuan frowned and raised his chin, “I should count the number.”

He Danggui was speechless and closed her eyes, “Fine! You do it.”

“One, two, three! Kowtow!” Meng Xuan shouted loudly and kowtowed with He Danggui at the same time. “Kowtow to Heaven and Earth once. Kowtow to Heaven and Earth twice. Kowtow to Heaven and Earth three times…nine times…ten times…seventeen times…eighteen times…”

He Danggui knocked again and again, and she was gradually feeling dizzy. When she heard that Meng Xuan had counted to twenty-nine times, she finally interrupted him, “Enough! Three times would be enough! This is common sense!”

Unexpectedly, Meng Xuan was angry. He stared at He Danggui and cried out in disbelief, “One time to thirty! Why did you interrupt me? I told you to be serious!” He took a deep breath and said magnanimously, “Forget it. For the sake of your agreement to marry me, I won’t argue with you. Now we have to start over. Focus on it this time. It is about the rest of our life. I will obey you in everything except for this one!”

Start over? Looking at the cabinet in front of her with a small paper doll cut by Chan Yi, He Danggui thought this cabinet was so lucky that it could even accept the kowtowing of the two renascent people. She was full of doubts and helplessness, but she couldn’t reject this upright, formal, and awe-inspiring Meng Xuan. Fine, she would listen to him this time.

So, they went through the process again.

“Kowtow to Heaven and Earth once. Kowtow to Heaven and Earth twice…seventeen times…eighteen times…twenty-nine times…thirty times…thirty-one times…thirty-nine times…”

He Danggui almost cried. She doubted that Meng Xuan was intentional. How much longer would it go on for? Forever? But she didn’t dare to interrupt him, otherwise they would start over again.

When she heard the number fifty, He Danggui was a little excited. Was it over? However, Meng Xuan continued his counting, “…fifty-one times…sixty-one times…eighty times…” At the time, He Danggui was worried about Meng Xuan instead of worrying about herself. This man was injured. She hoped that his wound would be fine…

When Meng Xuan counted to one hundred and twenty, He Danggui thought that this might be the retribution for punishing Sun Meiniang. In a short time, even she herself had to kowtow a thousand times… She glanced at Meng Xuan’s side face and had many thoughts. Was he really going to do that? He said he had read ten thousand books. Where did he buy those books? After marrying him, she must burn his study…

When the number came to one hundred and fifty, Meng Xuan finally stopped. He looked at He Danggui and smiled happily, “Good girl! You have not interrupted me this time. We finally performed it well.” However, he still showed a bit of resentment. “The rite is sacred. How can you treat it as a joke? You almost made us unlucky!” Then, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled, “From then on, we are a real couple. Xiaoyi, are you happy?”

He Danggui nodded, “Yes.”

“Are you sure?” Meng Xuan was startled, “You are also happy? Xiaoyi, are you really happy?”

“Yes.” He Danggui nodded and asked him, “Shall we get up now? I’m worried about your wound. Let me take off the bandage and check it. Lu Jiangbei, Gao Jue, and Liao Zhiyuan are from the same sect. Their icy Zhenqi can even corrode copper and iron. I have seen Gao Jue chop a bamboo forest with a knife. Where his blade went, all the bamboos got done. The scene was daunting.”

After she finished her words, Meng Xuan smiled and said, “Xiaoyi, you are distressed about me. I’m your sweetheart, right?” He raised his hand to wave away the worry in her eyes and comforted, “I know what you mean. Don’t worry. I am okay. No interruption now! We haven’t finished the oath yet. Follow my words! Then, we will continue to be so loving for the fifty lives.”

“Fifty lives?” He Danggui was surprised.

“Yes.” Meng Xuan looked at her softly, “Didn’t you also say that three times of kowtowing would last the marriage for one life? We have done a hundred and fifty times, so we are going to be a couple in fifty lives. In the beginning, I only planned to kowtow thirty times for the ten lives, but you interrupted me. Then I hope to extend our marriage for a longer period!”

He Danggui didn’t feel touched but only felt that Meng Xuan was like a child. However, his eyes were so clear. When he looked at her, it seemed that she could directly see his heart. She realized that these words came from his heart. He really wanted to be her husband for fifty lives. She was overwhelmed by his gaze and lowered her head slightly. How lucky she was to be loved by such a wonderful man in fifty lives. She wouldn’t need anyone except for him.

Looking at the shy Xiaoyi, Meng Xuan smiled and said, “Xiaoyi, say what I say. This is an oath that weighs more than gold.”

He Danggui thought she couldn’t afford Meng Xuan’s love so much, but she was willing to take care of him and support him. Was it the bud of love? This feeling would lead her into a happy life, right?

As for the next forty-nine lives, no one could tell what would happen to them. Would they still become human? According to Bai Yangbai, in most cases, souls would become all creatures like birds, beasts, flowers and plants, and only a small part of them would become human. However, what if they both become men in the next life? Or women? Would these happen?

He Danggui wanted to slap herself. At such a moment of love and affection, listening to Meng Xuan’s oath, she was thinking about these strange things. She might be overjoyed?

Meng Xuan, not knowing her strange thoughts, only looked at her affectionately and said word by word, “I, Meng Xuan, on the fourth day of the first month of the 31st year of Hongwu Period, marry He Danggui as my wife. We will be together forever.”

He Danggui also said, “I, He Danggui, on the fourth day of the first month of the 31st year of Hongwu Period, marry Meng Xuan as his wife. We will be together forever.”

Meng Xuan looked at her gently, and suddenly had a sly look, He said quickly, “From now on, I will only love and spoil you. I won’t lie to you, and I will fulfill my promises to you. I won’t bully, beat or scold you. I will always believe in you. I won’t allow anyone to bully you. I will always accompany you whether you are happy or not. You are always the most beautiful one for me, and I will always see you in my dreams. You’re the only one in my heart.” After he finished speaking, he motioned He Danggui to follow him.

He Danggui was stunned for a moment. She had heard these words from a woman in a story told by Qing’er. The experience of that woman was quite similar to that of Zhuo Wenjun who married Sima Xiangru. However, after their marriage, her husband fell in love with someone else. Before they got married, this woman had asked her husband, “From now on, you should only love and spoil me. Don’t lie to me. And fulfill your promises to me. You should not bully, beat or scold me. You should always believe in me. And don’t allow anyone to bully me. You should always accompany me whether I am happy or not. I’m always the most beautiful one for you, and you should always see me in your dreams. I’m the only one in your heart.”

He Danggui didn’t believe that there was such a man who could keep these promises. Not to mention all of these points, anyone who could achieve one or two of them would be a good man. That woman said so on behalf of all the women in the world. Who didn’t want her husband to treat her in this way?

It was weird. Meng Xuan’s words were almost the same as the story told by Qing’er. In addition, Meng Xuan said that the bride and groom would kiss each other in front of everyone. This was also like the custom of Qing’er’s hometown. From which book did he learn that?

She wanted to ask him, but she was worried that Meng Xuan would blame her for interruption again. So, under Meng Xuan’s gaze, she repeated the oath, “From now on, I will only love and spoil you. I won’t lie to you, and I will fulfill my promises to you. … I will always see you in my dreams. You’re the only one in my heart.” Were these their commitments for each other? Were these the same expectations that they both wanted to have?

Meng Xuan listened quietly. His eyes were clear like the brightest star in the night sky. After she finished, he nodded and sighed, “This time, everything is settled. Xiaoyi, I will never let you go. If you dare to leave me, I will…let you pay for it!”