Upon hearing this, Commandant Lu was momentarily stunned, then his face turned white with anger. He abruptly stood up, looking around for something suitable to hit someone with. He grabbed a feather duster and pointed it at Lu Yuanpeng: "You little brat! You...which family’s young lady have you wronged?"
Commandant Lu had misunderstood, thinking that this rascal Lu Yuanpeng had ruined a young lady and only came to him for help when the matter was exposed, saying he wanted to marry her.
"Grandfather!" Lu Yuanpeng was startled by his grandfather, his eyes wide open, "How can you think of me like that? Although I’m usually a bit off, I would never do anything as despicable as bullying men or oppressing women!"
Commandant Lu thought for a moment, realizing that might indeed be the case, and his heart pounded again...
"Did you secretly engage yourself to someone? Have you not overstepped your bounds? Is there...is there any intimacy..."
Seeing his grandfather so angry that he could barely speak, Lu Yuanpeng quickly raised his hand and swore: "No intimacy! My feelings for her are respectful and sincere, but she is as clueless as a block of wood and doesn’t even know that I like her! But... lately, her family has been arranging a betrothal for her, so I’m really anxious! Grandfather...I beg you, you must help me!"
Lu Yuanpeng kowtowed repeatedly.
Commandant Lu breathed a sigh of relief, seeing his grandson like this made his heart ache. The feelings were sincere, the young lady was unaware, this wasn’t such a big deal to warrant frightening someone like him who was halfway into the grave!
Although Commandant Lu favored the lady from the Wei family, he knew it still required this brat’s willingness. Fortunately, there had been no formal engagement with the Wei family yet; he had only sent Lu Jin to inquire about their thoughts. Had there been a formal engagement, and this brat fell for someone else... bringing the Wei family’s daughter home then neglecting her would indeed be a disservice to both Wei Bugong and the young lady.
Sighing in relief, Commandant Lu felt that since Lu Yuanpeng had someone he liked, it wasn’t a bad thing to satisfy him. However, he must apologize to Wei Bugong, saying, "Look at you! It’s just a marriage discussion, not a formal engagement. Get up, get up! A gentleman is not afraid when calamity comes, and is not overjoyed when fortune arrives. Look at your elder brother, then look at yourself! Stand up and speak properly!"
Commandant Lu also breathed a sigh of relief; liking a young lady from another family was indeed better than causing some major trouble. Commandant Lu put down the feather duster, feeling much calmer: "Liking a girl isn’t a big deal, as long as your behavior has been proper and the girl’s family background is respectable, we can send someone to discreetly convey your feelings to her family. If the girl is also willing, we can make it official!"
In Commandant Lu’s view, although Lu Yuanpeng had been mischievous and unruly in the past, he was not unforgivably wicked. As long as the other family was respectable, with the current status of the Lu family, proposing should be rightly expected.
Lu Yuanpeng shrunk his neck, muttering softly: "Grandfather, a gentleman is not afraid when calamity comes, and is not overjoyed when fortune arrives... You were the one who said that!"
"Not overjoyed, my..."
Commandant Lu couldn’t finish the expletive. He hurriedly stepped out from behind the desk, pointing at Lu Yuanpeng, which made Lu Yuanpeng keep backing away, saying as he did: "Grandfather... Grandfather, I truly like the Bai family’s fourth young lady. I won’t marry anyone else in this lifetime! The fourth young lady is the Bai family elder sister’s most beloved younger sister. She was brought along even during battles. In the war against Daliang, Bai family elder sister rushed day and night to Daliang to save her. These imperial nobles may feign affection, but they don’t truly like the Bai family’s fourth young lady. I’m the only one who genuinely does!"
Hearing Lu Yuanpeng’s words, Commandant Lu’s temper flared even more. He turned around, grabbing the feather duster to hit him: "You address her as Bai family elder sister? You call her Bai family’s fourth young lady? She is the Emperor of Zhou...our Gaoyi King! You impudent brat, do you dare covet Gaoyi King!"
Lu Yuanpeng’s fondness for Bai Jinzhi also startled Lu Jinxian. Although Commandant Lu declared that marriages for his offspring above the third rank wouldn’t be considered, Lu Jinxian secretly wished for the Lu family to advance further. He felt that now, with the emperor’s favor, the Lu family should make plans for themselves; having good in-laws for the young men in the family—and indeed within the clan—would ensure continued glory and fortune for the family.
"Father, father!" Lu Jinxian quickly stepped forward to shield Lu Yuanpeng, blocking his father, "Father, please don’t be hasty, listen to what Yuanpeng has to say. Perhaps both Yuanpeng and Gaoyi King have feelings for each other. This way, we could help fulfill an excellent match! We can’t let the Lu family’s cautiousness delay the children. Marriage is a lifelong affair, and though it’s said to follow parental orders and matchmaker’s words, we should also consider the children’s wishes."

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