Chapter 1189: No Other Choice

Mi Zhen dragging Lu Xun away shocked Chen Xi, but when he considered the difference in their physiques, it made sense. Mi Zhen had fully developed and was taller than Lu Xun by a good margin. Though it was surprising to see her carry him off like a bag, it wasn't entirely unthinkable. "Zhen'er is really strong," Wang Yi muttered to herself in astonishment. She looked at her own slim arms and legs, realizing she probably wouldn't be able to carry Lu Xun like that.

Mi Zhen, after dragging Lu Xun at full speed, turned into an alley, winding through a few turns before arriving at a dead end. She then dropped him at the far end of the alley, crossing her arms and looking down at him.

In the dim alley, Mi Zhen’s shadow loomed over Lu Xun, instantly enveloping him in darkness.

"Lu Bo Yan, I’ve always considered you a friend. Now tell me what you really think!" Mi Zhen blocked Lu Xun in the alley, her expression stern as she stared him down.

"Uh, um..." Lu Xun opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. He glanced at Mi Zhen, realizing her martial prowess wasn't low either. Both of them had internal energy.

"What exactly do you think?" Mi Zhen leaned in slightly, her eyes fixed on the somewhat dazed Lu Xun. She couldn’t remember the last time Lu Xun, usually so clever, had looked this stunned.

Facing Mi Zhen, who loomed over him with an expression as if she was ready to beat him up, Lu Xun suddenly felt a lot of pressure. After opening and closing his mouth several times, he finally managed to say, "I do... have other thoughts about you."

"So, I always thought of you as a friend, but you..." Mi Zhen's expression darkened. Without the eyes of others on her, she didn’t feel flustered or panicked.

"Yes, that’s true." Lu Xun, having calmed down, suppressed his earlier panic. Even if Mi Zhen hit him, that would be the worst-case scenario, and it wouldn’t make much difference. Her rejecting him didn’t really matter.

"Oh, you’ve cooled down now?" Mi Zhen mocked, scanning him from head to toe. "So, I guess that means you’re my prize."

"..." Lu Xun was beyond embarrassed.

"Let’s go. Today, you’ll move into my family. Since neither of us has a noble title, we can get married right away and consummate the marriage tonight." Mi Zhen suddenly smiled, completely different from the shy girl she’d appeared to be in front of everyone. "Although I can’t promise you eternal peace, you are pleasing to the eye. In our circle, you seem the most suitable for me."

Lu Xun was stunned. Move in with her family? No way! He had to keep his surname Lu; he'd rather die than change it to Mi!

"That’s not happening!" In that moment, Lu Xun’s mind kicked into high gear, and his thoughts became incredibly clear. "A true man seeks to achieve greatness before marrying. If I marry you, it will be with all the formalities, including the three letters and six rites. I will not marry into your family!"

"And why is that?" Mi Zhen’s smile was so captivating that Lu Xun couldn’t help but be mesmerized by it. She was a peerless beauty, and when she fully revealed her charm, how could he not be enchanted?

"Because I am Lu Bo Yan!" Lu Xun declared with utmost seriousness as he stared at Mi Zhen.

Mi Zhen looked him up and down. "And you think I believe that?"

"You will," Lu Xun said, laughing confidently. "No one with the capability to achieve greatness would ever willingly marry into another family. Even royalty would receive a bride, not marry into someone else's family."

"How many years do you need?" Mi Zhen sneered. "Even if you’re as brilliant as Fa Xiao Zhi, how long will it take you?"

"..." Lu Xun fell silent. His biggest problem was his youth. To be exact, he wasn’t even officially in office yet. He wouldn’t start handling government affairs until he was at least fourteen years old.

"I’m already sixteen. Even if you wait three years, we’d still be commoners. You’d still be a novice, and I’d be without a title. Even with Chen Hou’s support, if you start at fifteen, it will take at least another year before you could achieve a rank of two thousand shi," Mi Zhen said as she squatted down, looking up at Lu Xun.

"So, there’s no difference between now and three years from now. Nothing will change," Mi Zhen said, smiling brightly at Lu Xun. "I don't mind marrying you. Like I said before, I have no other choice. You are the best option."

"After turning down several suitors, I realized I would likely end up with either you or General Zhao," Mi Zhen said with a sigh. "I don’t have full control over my marriage, though my brother gave me a lot of freedom..."

Mi Zhen looked at Lu Xun, and he could only smile bitterly. He realized that Mi Zhen had a much clearer understanding of the situation than he did. She truly didn’t have any other options.

When Zhao Yun mentioned Ma Yunlu, Mi Zhen’s path had been sealed. Unless she was willing to become a concubine, which was unthinkable for someone like Mi Zhen, she had very few choices left. Her brother cherished her like a gem and would never allow her to become someone’s concubine.

That left only a few candidates, with Lu Xun being the best fit. Although Lu Xun wasn’t perfect, he was certainly better than most, and Mi Zhen had also witnessed the unfortunate fate of Cai Yan.

It was precisely because of Cai Yan’s tragic situation that Mi Zhen realized she couldn’t wait any longer. If she missed the opportunity with Lu Xun, she might have to follow the same path as Cai Yan.

Cai Yan’s last chance for marriage had been when Liu Bei had come to retrieve her. If she had married Liu Bei then, things might have been different. But after Liu Bei sent a betrothal letter to the Zhang family, Cai Yan’s hope was gone.

Due to her status, Cai Yan was destined to marry as a legitimate wife, and only to someone of high rank, like a marquis or a prestigious family. However, most such marriages were arranged when both parties were still children, leaving no suitable match for her.

This meant that unless someone rose to the rank of king and Cai Yan was willing to marry as his queen, her only other option would be to have someone marry into the Cai family.

The man who married into the Cai family would have to meet Cai Yan’s standards, which weren’t low. Cai Yan wasn’t just some middle-aged woman; she was someone who had read all of the Eastern Han Dynasty’s 300,000 volumes of books in the Eastern Archives, as well as the works from Taishan’s library and the collections of various noble families. Any man who caught her eye would need talents that could only be rivaled by the greatest scholars.

As Lu Xun had said, any man with such talents would eventually rise to great heights, so why would he marry into the Cai family? Cai Yan may have unparalleled beauty and intellect, but a man of that caliber could easily marry many women and take them home as his wives.

This was the crux of the issue. Even if the law allowed Cai Yan to marry someone of equal standing, there simply was no suitable candidate left in the Han Dynasty. Mi Zhen, seeing Cai Yan’s situation, realized she could no longer wait.

If she delayed any longer, Mi Zhen would likely end up in the same predicament as Cai Yan. As for Lu Xun, while she still had a slight advantage now, marrying him would secure her future. The plight of Cai Yan had frightened many noblewomen, including Mi Zhen.

Of course, Mi Zhen also trusted Chen Xi’s judgment. Perhaps Lu Xun really could offer her a life free of worries, and so, in front of everyone, Mi Zhen had used a dramatic gesture to accept Lu Xun.

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