Chapter 119: Asking the Princess Consort to Arrange a Marriage for Dutou Ding

“Brother, I’m not trying to criticize you, but this is like the fox borrowing the tiger’s might! Your name is so well-known in Lanyang; storytellers in teahouses talk about you every day. Others can bask in your glory, so why shouldn’t we climb the social ladder ourselves?”

What the hell is ‘the fox borrowing the tiger’s might’ and ‘climbing the social ladder’? It’s just riding on popularity!

“Squat down! Who told you to stand up!”

Ding Suian low-growled. Jiang Xuan, who had just stood up, squatted back down in the corner with his basin, but still argued, “Now, Brother’s deeds of slaying demons are spreading like wildfire. Reputation is money! We must utilize it. Compiling it into a storybook is just the first step. I have another money-making venture…”

“What money-making venture?”

“Brother knows me; I am incredibly loyal and have many friends. Many sisters, Aunts, and grandmothers of my many friends want to meet Brother. So, I have a plan: Brother can take some time to meet them for a meal, charging eighty-eight taels per person. You get seventy percent of the silver earned, and I get thirty percent. How about it?

Damn, so you want to be a pimp and an agent after all this time!

“…”

“Also, if Brother has any old socks, broken shoes, or clothes, as long as you sign them, I can help Brother sell them!”

Storybooks, business events, private merchandise—they’re doing a full IP development!

“Scram!”

A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it righteously. Ding Suian was a man with principles, and he absolutely could not accept such a thing. “Eighty-eight taels is too little!”

“Then how about one hundred eighty-eight taels?”

“…Let’s talk about serious matters. Why are you using the alias Ding Shui’an?”

“Could it be that Brother agrees to me using your real name?” Jiang Xuan looked delighted.

“I mean, this alias is too perfunctory! Who wouldn’t know it’s me?”

“It’s precisely to let others know it’s Brother! Only then will the young misses in their boudoirs and the resentful women in deep mansions feel a sense of immersion!”

Jiang Xuan spoke with excitement, putting down the raised basin and pacing. “The demon slaying in Lanyang is a true story, and Head Ding Ding Shuian is a real person. The ‘tale of the red snake,’ riding on this momentum, is much more powerful than that tiresome ‘Legend of the White Snake’!”

“One last question, why change the white snake to a red snake?”

“How many people have seen a white snake? But everyone in Great Wu knows our Red Bamboo Snake. It’s brightly colored yet highly venomous. This fits the ‘both good and evil’ setting. Everything is for immersion!”

“You truly are a talent!”

“Brother~” Seeing Ding Suian about to leave, Jiang Xuan quickly said, “When will Brother be free to have dinner with the sisters and Aunts?”

“Scram, scram, scram~”

Outside the courtyard.

‘Creak~’

The mistress of the house, Lin Fuyao, was standing by the ornate gate, peering inside. The door suddenly opened, and she quickly pretended to have just arrived.

“Greetings~ Madam.”

Ding Suian stood still and cupped his hands. How to address her was a problem.

She was an external concubine; if he called her ‘Madam Jiang,’ she might think Ding Suian was deliberately mocking her.

If he were to consider himself her peer through Jiang Xuan, he should at least call her Aunt.

But he knew very well that the woman before him was likely his future sister-in-law, and he naturally didn’t want to be a generation lower.

Lin Fuyao said indifferently, “Is Dutou Ding leaving?”

“Yes.”

Lin Fuyao looked up at the sky, as if casually saying, “It’s almost noon. Stay and eat before you go.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Madam. I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t trouble you.”

He bowed again and strode away.

Lin Fuyao was a little surprised, standing there until Jiang Xuan, who had seen him off, returned.

“Xuan’er, are you very familiar with Dutou Ding?”

“Mother, he’s my big brother!”

Jiang Xuan thumped his chest proudly, clearly very proud.

Lin Fuyao frowned. Although she was an external concubine, her son was ultimately of Great Wu noble Bloodline. Acknowledging a soldier as an elder brother would simply lower his status.

But seeing her son’s proud expression, she ultimately didn’t say anything to dampen his spirits.

She only said, “I heard he personally killed a rat demon in Lanyang this time?”

“Indeed! Brother first received praise from His Majesty, then gained merit in Lanyang, and is also a devotee of both the Civil and Legal Academies. Now, outside, there’s a saying: ‘If one doesn’t know Ding Suian in their lifetime, then claiming to be a hero is in vain.’ Liu Fuzhou and the others, after knowing Brother is my brother, constantly try to get close to me, wanting to invite Brother to dinner~”

Jiang Xuan chattered on, but Lin Fuyao suddenly remembered that her third sister had confidently said last year that Squad Leader Ding would make a name for himself within three years.

Lin Fuyao found this young man’s appearance and talent appealing, but his family background was too poor.

He’s still a bit unworthy of my Waner!

Let’s wait and see.

The next day.

It was mid-autumn, and there was already a chill in the morning air.

Lin Hansu woke up early before dawn at the end of the yin hour and personally ironed the large red arrow-sleeved robe.

After bustling about until the mao hour, Granny Zhang brought breakfast, and only then did she return to the second floor.

“Young Master, Young Master~”

Lin Hansu called softly twice. Seeing that he was still lying in bed, she turned and took a cloth soaked in clear water, placing it on Ding Suian’s face to wash him.

The cool cloth startled him, and his sleepiness vanished.

“Good boy, get up quickly. Today you have to meet Your Highness.”

Yesterday evening, when Lin Hansu finished her duties, Princess Xingguo suddenly had a whim and asked Ding Suian to come today.

He himself wasn’t too bothered, but Lin Hansu was incredibly nervous.

Ding Suian took the cloth, wiped his face, and glanced at the dark sky outside. “At this hour, Your Highness probably isn’t even awake yet.”

“It’s your first time seeing Your Highness. It’s better to arrive early and wait than to arrive late and make Your Highness wait for you!”

Lin Hansu pulled Ding Suian to sit before the dressing table, undid his disheveled bun from last night, re-combed it, and tied a simple, neat bun at the crown of his head, securing it with a silver crown inlaid with jewels.

Then she took the ironed large red arrow-sleeved robe with gold embroidery from the clothes rack and helped Ding Suian put it on.

This garment had been made long ago, but Ding Suian had always found the bright red too flashy and never worn it.

Today’s occasion was formal, so it finally had a use.

Lin Hansu helped him tie the sash at his side, then bent down and wrapped her arms around his waist, tying a five-colored silk braided sash with long tassels, and then put a dark blue round-patterned satin jacket over it.

Finally, for the pair of dark blue satin court boots with pink soles, Ding Suian didn’t let her help him put them on.

A moment later, he was ready.

Lin Hansu stepped back two paces to look.

In the candlelight, the golden threads on the large red arrow-sleeved robe shimmered, making the Young Master appear even more clear and refined, like jade.

With broad eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and naturally reddish lips, he looked like a handsome young man who had stepped out of a painting.

He possessed both scholarly elegance and the heroic bearing of a military general.

The more Lin Hansu looked, the happier she became. She couldn’t help but step forward, stand on her tiptoes, and’smack’ a kiss on Ding Suian’s cheek.

At the hour of Chen.

The two left their respective homes, met up, and then proceeded together to Princess Xingguos Residence in Ziwei Ward.

Lin Hansu rode in a carriage, and Ding Suian rode a horse.

This was their first time traveling together since returning to Central Heaven, and it was done openly.

Princess Xingguos Residence.

Early in the morning, the gatehouse was already filled with officials dressed in blue and green court robes.

In Great Wu, officials of the third rank and above wore purple, fourth and fifth ranks wore crimson, sixth and seventh wore green, and eighth and ninth wore blue.

Although the ranks of those present were not high, it revealed the Great Wu Emperor’s immense trust in Princess Xingguo.

Having a group of officials waiting for an audience at an imperial descendant’s residence all day long would inevitably cause suspicion.

The Princesss Residence having such a scene must be because the Emperor had long granted her authority, and officials, understanding the imperial will, dared to act this way.

When Ding Suian entered, the officials in the gatehouse all stood up in unison, then, seeing that his red attire was not a court robe, they sat back down.

Because of this small interlude, many people secretly scrutinized the young man.

A gaunt-faced green-robed official, about thirty years old, occasionally met his gaze.

The green-robed official did not look away; instead, he smiled and cupped his hands, saying, “May I ask, is this Dutou Ding, who has just returned from Lanyang?”

This remark caught everyone’s attention.

“It is I. May I ask who this esteemed adult is?”

“This official is Li Han of the Bureau of Forestry and Crafts. I have long admired Dutou Ding’s great name.”

Li Han’s smile was warm.

Ding Suian, however, felt that the name sounded familiar.

Oh, isn’t this Second Brother-in-law!

“Is Cavalier Ding, Dutou of the Vermilion Bird Army, here?”

Just as he was about to reply, a eunuch’s shrill voice called out.

This was a summons for an audience.

Ding Suian cupped his hands to Li Han and turned to follow the eunuch.

Once he left, whispers broke out in the gatehouse.

“Is he Ding Suian, who bravely rescued people during the Southern Expedition and returned to the country by crossing Chongyin Mountain?”

“He’s the one who slew the demon in Lanyang?”

“I thought he would be a brawny, rough fellow; I didn’t expect him to be so handsome.”

“This Dutou Ding is not just a soldier; I heard he’s also a devotee of both the Civil and Legal Academies!”

“Devotee? Then he must be skilled in literature and law. Why did he join the army?”

A colleague, seeing that Li Han had just spoken with Ding Suian, actively approached him. “Lord Li, are you familiar with Dutou Ding?”

“Lord Zhang, I am not familiar with Dutou Ding.”

Li Han noticed the other party seemed to have something difficult to say and couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Lord Zhang, do you have a matter?”

Lord Zhang sighed helplessly and whispered, “My little girl read a leisure book called ‘tale of the red snake’ two days ago, and I don’t know what kind of madness she’s fallen into. She hasn’t eaten or drunk for days, constantly asking to see Young Master Ding. If Lord Li is familiar with him, please help make an introduction and ask for his birth characters to have them divined.”

Li Han was greatly surprised. Although Lord Zhang’s seventh-rank official position wasn’t much in Central Heaven, finding a soldier as a son-in-law would still be a proper marriage beneath her station.

“Lord Zhang, is this appropriate?”

Lord Zhang looked back at his murmuring colleagues and whispered, “What’s inappropriate? So many of us are waiting here, yet His Highness summoned him first. In my opinion, his rise to prominence is just around the corner.”

This was the most important reason.

For low-ranking officials like them, if they wanted to invest in a potential stock, they had to do it while the other party was still of humble status. Otherwise, how could it be their turn later?

It wasn’t that Young Master Ding was handsome enough to charm a bunch of fathers-in-law, but rather that at his age, he was unmarried, so marrying him would mean becoming the principal wife; second, he had repeatedly achieved great merits; and third, he had already caught the eye of a noble. The day he soared seemed imminent, so it was naturally worth a gamble.

Li Han understood the other party’s thoughts and considered it seriously.

His son and daughter were still very young, so he naturally had no such plans.

If he could facilitate Lord Zhang’s good fortune, on one hand, he would gain his favor, and on the other, he could use his role as a matchmaker to establish a connection with this talented young man.

It was a win-win situation.

“Lord Zhang, I will help you inquire about this matter.”

“Oh? Just now Lord Li said he wasn’t familiar with Dutou Ding, hehe.”

“I am indeed not familiar with him, but he used to be a guard in Prince Lanyangs Estate. Lord Zhang knows that my humble wife and Princess Consort of Lanyang are full sisters. With this old connection, if we ask Princess Consort of Lanyang to act as a matchmaker, Dutou Ding will surely consider it seriously.”

“Haha~ Then I’ll trouble Lord Li and trouble the Princess Consort.”