"Big brother, lift the veil quickly, I want to see sister-in-law!"
"I heard sister-in-law is a woman of both beauty and talent in the capital—she must be very pretty! Big brother, hurry up, don't keep sister-in-law waiting!"
Lu Peifeng was pushed in front of Song Mingyuan by his younger siblings, who barely reached his thighs. Each of them looked even more anxious than he did, the actual groom.
His gaze was indifferent.
Taking the jade ruyi tied with a red cord from the matchmaker, he gently lifted the red veil adorned with pearl tassels under the unblinking stares of his younger siblings.
Everyone instinctively held their breath.
As the red veil rose, a delicate, beautiful face appeared before them.
The bride in her red wedding gown had skin like snow and a face like a flower, with vermilion lips and gleaming white teeth. With the barest curve of her lips, her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with radiance—breathtakingly beautiful.
The four little ones were completely stunned.
"Wow—"
"Sister-in-law is way too pretty! But why is she so thin? Is the Grand Tutor's mansion not feeding you?"
They had never met Song Mingyan, so they had no idea the bride before them was not who she was supposed to be.
Lu Peifeng, however, darkened his gaze, and the air around him turned icy cold.
Anyone else would have been trembling under his sharp, piercing stare, but Song Mingyuan acted as if she couldn't feel it at all.
She sat on the wedding bed without flinching, openly appraising him.
The man stood tall and straight as a pine, his bearing vigorous as the blazing sun. He had sword-like brows and starry eyes, chiseled features, and a pair of cold, sharp eyes as keen as an eagle's, concealing a hidden edge.
Handsome, certainly. Cold, absolutely.
No wonder he was a general—the killing aura on him was heavy.
The little kids were much cuter.
Song Mingyuan looked at the children. "Kids, your big brother is so fierce! Does he have a problem with me?"
The bridal chamber froze as if the air had turned to ice. The matchmaker and maidservants lowered their heads, afraid to even breathe.
At the same time, they secretly admired Song Mingyuan's courage.
She really dared!
Hearing this, the little ones put on stern faces and rallied to Song Mingyuan's defense.
They said to Lu Peifeng with dissatisfaction, "Big brother, how can you make a cold face at sister-in-law! Mother said a good man is one who dotes on his wife!"
"That's right, that's right! If you scare sister-in-law away, no one will have babies with you! You'll end up with no son to see you off at your funeral!"
"Sister-in-law, don't be afraid! If big brother is mean to you, when I grow up, I'll marry you, and I'll definitely treat you well!"
Song Mingyuan was struggling to hold back her laughter. General Lu's standing in the family was truly precarious—these little rascals were just too adorable!
Seeing Lu Peifeng's face turn dark, she reached out and patted the little one's head, suppressing a smile as she said, "You all go out first. I need to have a proper talk with your big brother. If we can't come to an agreement, then I'll marry you all instead."
Four pairs of round, jet-black eyes lit up in unison.
"Then… fine!" The little ones shyly scratched their heads, cheeks flushing red.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, we'll definitely take responsibility for you! I'm your number one husband!"
"I'm the second husband!"
"Me, me, me! I want to be the third husband!"
"I'm the fourth husband! From now on, sister-in-law is our wife. So what about big brother?"
"Big brother… he's mean to sister-in-law, so let's let him die alone! Once he's reflected on his mistakes, we'll let him be the junior one."
They hadn't even started talking yet, and the little ones had already arranged everything for themselves—and for Lu Peifeng—quite neatly.
Song Mingyuan collapsed in laughter.
Hahaha!
Die alone? Be a concubine?
You little rascals, you actually dare to say that!
Making the esteemed young general her concubine—she couldn't stop laughing!
Lu Peifeng, his face dark, grabbed his chattering younger siblings who were loudly conspiring right in front of him and tossed them out one by one.
The door slammed shut, blocking out their indignant glares.
The maids and servants had long since taken their leave with good sense, leaving only Lu Peifeng and Song Mingyuan alone in the bridal chamber.
Watching the woman who had collapsed onto the bed in complete disregard for decorum, Lu Peifeng's brows were cold and heavy, his expression unreadable. He simply waited in silence for her laughter to subside.
Song Mingyuan finally managed to stop laughing and sat up. The moment she saw his cold, aloof demeanor, utterly devoid of warmth, she found it hard to bear.
She ran through every sad thing she could think of before suppressing the overwhelming urge to laugh.
"Ahem… well then, if you have questions, just ask. I'll tell you everything truthfully."
"Explain."
Lu Peifeng uttered two curt words, sitting upright in the chair with his knees bent, his back straight as a drawn sword.
He was tall and long-limbed, strikingly handsome.
Merely sitting there was a feast for the eyes.
At this moment, those dark, deep eyes stared unblinkingly at Song Mingyuan, radiating immense pressure.
Song Mingyuan straightened her expression and said seriously, "The Lu family is doomed!"
The moment the words left her mouth, a wine cup shot toward her face with murderous intent, moving so fast it left only a blur.
Song Mingyuan tilted her head and dodged it.
Damn man, no sense of honor at all!
She shot him a glare. "What's the rush? Can't you let me finish speaking first? You're a block of ice—you don't know the first thing about being gentle with a lady!"
"If it weren't for the matchmaker, you'd never find a wife in a lifetime!"
Cold and taciturn by nature, stubborn as stone, tight-lipped as a sealed gourd, and quick to throw hands at the slightest disagreement.
Whoever marries him is in for a world of trouble!
The cup missed its mark, pierced through the red bridal curtains, and smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces and leaving a dent in the plaster.
"Who are you?" Lu Peifeng furrowed his brows.
Though he couldn't claim to know every piece of news from the capital by heart, he was well-versed in it. A young lady raised in the inner chambers could never possess such skill.
What was her true purpose in entering the General's residence?
Meeting his scrutinizing, wary gaze, Song Mingyuan cut straight to the point. "I'm here to make a deal with you."
"I'll be straightforward—I can't be bothered with beating around the bush. Song Panshan got word that someone is plotting to frame the General's residence for colluding with the enemy and committing treason. The Emperor will use this opportunity to eliminate your family."
"But the Zhenguo General's residence has generations of merit to its name. He can't wipe you out entirely and invite the world's condemnation. So, to win himself a reputation for mercy, he'll sentence the General's residence to confiscation of property and exile, sending your whole family to the borderlands to atone for the crime."
The news Song Mingyuan dropped made Lu Peifeng's pupils contract slightly. If all this were true, why hadn't he received even a hint of it?
Or had the Zhenguo General's residence already had its ears and eyes blocked off, reduced to a cornered beast?
"Is this true?"
This matter was of grave importance; Lu Peifeng had no choice but to treat it with utmost caution.
"I've already married into the family—how could it be false?"
Song Mingyuan hadn't taken her dowry maid's warning seriously at all, and directly sold out the Grand Tutor's residence.
"To protect Song Mingyan, Song Panshan threatened the life of my personal maid and forced me to marry into the General's residence in Song Mingyan's place. That… is the reason I'm here."
"If not for the fact that the General's Estate was about to collapse, would Song Panshan have dared to pull a stunt like swapping brides and offend the General's household?"
Lu Peifeng's eyes were cold and somber. The moment the bridal veil had been lifted, suspicion had already taken root in his heart. Now, he was half-inclined to believe Song Mingyuan's words.
He closed his eyes, suppressing the turmoil within him. When he opened them again, he had regained his composure. "What kind of deal do you want to discuss with me?"