BSI Chapter 054 Your Wife, Your Person
Chapter 054 Your Wife, Your Person
Zhou Lun never expected that just one drinking session would result in him gaining a wife.
Gao Yingxiang's arrangements were impeccable, and even Li Wanqing strongly agreed with the marriage.
In Li Wanqing's view, his sworn brother should indeed get married, especially since the bride was Gao Yingxiang's niece, Gao Guiying. How could he possibly object to such a good thing as a marriage between relatives?
Faced with this outcome, Zhou Lun could only accept it helplessly.
But while he accepted it, he knew in his heart Gao Yingxiang's true purpose in doing so.
Zhou Lun had long been aware that Gao Yingxiang intended to win him over.
He had always maintained a respectful demeanor towards Gao Yingxiang, but he never truly intended to pledge allegiance to him. After all, in his heart, Li Wanqing was still his elder brother; how could he possibly turn around and side with Gao Yingxiang?
The current rebel army is nominally one entity, but in reality, it consists of four factions.
Gao Yingxiang, Li Wanqing, Wang Er, Zhao Sheng.
As the chief leader, Gao Yingxiang possessed the strongest forces, and the entire rebel army respected him as their lord after their forces were united. However, among the three subordinates—Li Wanqing, Wang Er, and Zhao Sheng, who had recently joined—Li Wanqing's strength was no less than Gao Yingxiang's, and in terms of the elite nature and well-trained nature of his troops, he was even slightly superior.
On the surface, Gao Yingxiang treated Li Wanqing with great respect and often sought his advice on matters. But in secret, to ensure his dominant position, he never stopped making underhanded moves.
Firstly, when the two armies had just joined forces, Gao Yingxiang deliberately sent Huang Long to test Li Wanqing and others, intending to gain the initiative of the rebel army.
Although Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing saw through this, considering the unity and mutual support of the rebel army, Li Wanqing eventually took the initiative to acknowledge Gao Yingxiang's dominant position after being persuaded by Zhou Lun.
However, after Wang Er joined the army, Gao Yingxiang began to intentionally support him. Especially during the Battle of Anding, if it weren't for his deliberate indulgence, how could Wang Er's troops have obtained so many resources and grown so powerful?
He skillfully balanced the two factions, allowing his subordinates to fight amongst themselves while he remained firmly in control as the leader. Gao Yingxiang's methods were truly admirable.
After Zhao Sheng's troops joined the rebel army, Gao Yingxiang astutely discovered the relationship between Zhao Sheng and Zhou Lun. This further solidified Gao Yingxiang's already high regard for Zhou Lun, making him even more determined to bring Zhou Lun into his camp.
Unfortunately, Zhou Lun was a very slick man. Even though Gao Yingxiang tried to test him several times and made overtures, he remained unmoved. On the surface, he was friendly and respectful, but in reality, he always stood firmly on Li Wanqing's side.
This result gave Gao Yingxiang a major headache. He coveted the old camp that Zhou Lun had personally trained, and valued Zhou Lun's abilities and skills even more. After several unsuccessful attempts to win him over, Gao Yingxiang finally resorted to his "trump card," pretending to drink with Zhou Lun but actually using marriage as a pretext to forcibly bring him into his camp.
In Gao Yingxiang's view, as long as Zhou Lun and his niece Gao Guiying got married, he would be his niece's husband, and everyone would naturally become one family.
They were family, inseparable. Zhou Lun commanded Li Wanqing's most elite old camp; with this connection, he could essentially bring this elite force to his side. He gained both men and elite troops—wasn't that a win-win situation?
Furthermore, after the marriage, if Zhou Lun were to fall out with Li Wanqing in the future, he couldn't very well "sacrifice his own family for the greater good," could he? Caught between his sworn brother and his uncle, who was essentially his father-in-law, Zhou Lun was in a dilemma. His only choice was to remain neutral. And this was precisely the choice Gao Yingxiang wanted.
The same applies to Zhao Sheng's side.
The news of Zhou Lun and Zhao Sheng's sworn brotherhood could not be kept from Gao Yingxiang. Winning over Zhou Lun was tantamount to indirectly winning over Zhao Sheng. Coupled with Wang Er's troops, which were already under his control, Gao Yingxiang now had all the rebel forces firmly under his grasp. Even if Li Wanqing and others had any complaints later, he could still maintain control of the entire situation thanks to his absolute strength and advantage.
Besides, there's his niece, Gao Guiying. Even if Zhou Lun is currently dissatisfied with his schemes, once they're married, a little whispering in his ear will eventually change things. When Gao Guiying gives birth to a son or daughter for Zhou Lun, his child will practically be part of the Gao family. Surely his great-uncle wouldn't mistreat Zhou Lun's child?
Admittedly, Gao Yingxiang's move was beyond Zhou Lun's expectations; he never imagined Gao Yingxiang would resort to such a method. Faced with this situation, Zhou Lun had no choice but to agree.
The wedding was arranged very quickly.
The next day, Zhou Lun and Gao Guiying's wedding was held in a lively and joyous atmosphere amidst everyone's congratulations.
After the wedding ceremony was completed and the couple was led to their bridal chamber, Zhou Lun, dressed in his wedding attire, looked at Gao Guiying, who was sitting there under the red candles with her veil on her head, and only then did he realize that he was now a "married person".
Having lived two lives, Zhou Lun had no shortage of women in his previous life, but this was the first time he had ever been married.
Looking at his bride in the candlelight, he didn't know what to feel. He also understood that once this marriage was over, his position in the rebel army would become more sensitive, and he would no longer be just Li Wanqing's deputy general.
After calming himself down, Zhou Lun picked up a scale from the table and slowly used the scale to lift the bride's red veil.
Gao Guiying's face was revealed in the candlelight; it was a face tinged with shyness and a smile. She wasn't the kind of beauty that could topple kingdoms; in terms of looks, she could only be considered above average. But in the flickering candlelight, Gao Guiying appeared exceptionally beautiful today. Her eyes were like water, full of affection, and for a moment, Zhou Lun, who was looking at her, was stunned.
"Husband, it's time to drink the nuptial wine."
Gao Guiying, who was sitting there, waited for a while. Seeing that Zhou Lun did not make any move, she couldn't help but whisper a reminder.
Zhou Lun then came to his senses, smiled and said, "I forgot about myself." He walked over, picked up the wine pot that had been prepared, poured two cups of wine, and handed one of them to his newlywed wife.
When Gao Guiying took the wine cup, her fingers lightly touched Zhou Lun's hand. Far from being shy, she accepted it gracefully.
Standing up, Gao Guiying, dressed in her wedding gown, drank the nuptial wine with Zhou Lun. After finishing, she took the empty wine cup from Zhou Lun's hand and placed it back on the table.
"My lord, from this day forward, we are husband and wife," Gao Guiying said solemnly to Zhou Lun.
"Yes..." Zhou Lun didn't know how to answer. He had absolutely no feelings for Gao Guiying.
To be frank, the two had only met once before the marriage, and that was in front of Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing. They didn't even talk to each other. Gao Yingxiang simply asked, "Guiying, are you willing?" and she replied, "It's up to Uncle to decide," and that was how the marriage was arranged.
Zhou Lun knew absolutely nothing about Gao Guiying's character or personality. From their first meeting to their wedding night, only a single day had passed. The two were thus brought together as husband and wife. For a matter of great importance like marriage, it was practically child's play.
But the fact remains: Gao Guiying is right before him, and she is now his wife. Amidst his emotions, Zhou Lun also pondered how to get along with her in the future. After all, she is Gao Yingxiang's niece, and he knew perfectly well what Gao Yingxiang's intentions were in marrying her to him.
Just as Zhou Lun subconsciously replied "Yes," but before he could figure out how to start the conversation, Gao Guiying spoke first.
"Before marriage, I was the daughter of the Gao family, but from today onwards, I am your daughter-in-law of the Zhou family." Gao Guiying's eyes were bright, sparkling in the candlelight. She said firmly to Zhou Lun, "Although I am a farmer's daughter, I know the principles of obeying one's father at home, one's husband after marriage, and one's son after one's husband's death. Having married you, I am your person, your wife! You are my everything."
"And what about your uncle?" Zhou Lun asked subconsciously.
These words slipped out of his mouth, and only after he said them did he realize that they were somewhat inappropriate, but it was too late to take them back.
Unexpectedly, Gao Guiying smiled and said to Zhou Lun, "Uncle is naturally an elder, but he is the elder of the Gao family. Now that I have married into the Zhou family, I am Zhou Gao Shi. Zhou comes first, Gao comes second. I haven't been to school, but I understand the principles. Husband, am I right to say this?"
Gao Guiying's expression was very serious, her eyes did not avoid Zhou Lun's gaze at all, and there was a smile on her lips.
Looking at the young woman, Zhou Lun's gaze softened, and he couldn't help but smile.