NFBE Chapter 377 Urging marriage
Chapter 377 Urging marriage
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Canglan Jingcheng finally returned from the military camp. As soon as his figure appeared at the gate of the mansion, he shouted loudly, "Mother!"
Before the words had even finished, Li Desheng had already stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This servant greets Your Highness."
Cang Lan Jingcheng waved his hand casually and said, "All is well, all is well." Before he finished speaking, he did not stop walking and went straight inside.
Seeing this, Li Desheng was not angry, after all, he had already paid his respects to the prince.
Hearing her son's call from inside the house, Su Nuannuan hurriedly put down her embroidery and sat up. Just then, Cang Lan Jingcheng walked in.
"Your son greets His Majesty the Consort." Canglan Jingcheng respectfully bowed to Su Nuannuan.
Jinse and Tingxue, who were standing to the side, also hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to Canglan Jingcheng, saying, "This servant greets Your Highness."
Cang Lan Jingcheng smiled slightly and gently raised his hand, saying, "My two aunts, there's no need for such formalities."
Su Nuannuan looked at her son with great joy and asked with a smile, "Why did you decide to come back today?"
Cang Lan Jingcheng chuckled and replied, "The general has given me a leave of absence, Mother. I've been traveling all this way, and my stomach has been growling for a while now. Is there anything good to eat?" With that, he plopped down on the brocade stool and looked at Su Nuannuan with anticipation.
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly instructed, "Jinse, go to the small kitchen and prepare some food for the prince."
Upon hearing this, Jinse quickly responded, called to Tingxue, and then they hurriedly walked towards the small kitchen together.
"How have you been lately?" Su Nuannuan asked softly, looking at her son with a gentle smile.
Cang Lan Jingcheng raised his head, met his mother's gaze, and then replied with a wry smile, "It's much better now, Mother. You have no idea how miserable my days were when I first entered the army!"
He frowned, as if recalling the hardships of that time, and continued, "Especially in winter, not only were living conditions harsh, but the weather was also extremely cold. Even if we wore thick cotton clothes, once we put on that icy armor, the chill would still penetrate through the layers of clothing and reach our bodies."
Cang Lan Jingcheng's voice was slightly low, as if he still had lingering fears about that experience. "You can't imagine how my son survived those days. Some people didn't even make it and froze to death, which broke the general's heart."
He paused, sighed, and continued, "However, the general has no choice. After all, the military pay allocated from above is limited, and it is already a great blessing that it is not delayed."
At this point, a smile suddenly appeared on Canglan Jingcheng's face. "However, the situation improved greatly last year. Mother, you sent down jackets to the army camp last year, and they were so warm! There were no more soldiers freezing to death all winter, and the general was overjoyed!"
Upon hearing the word "last year," Su Nuannuan paused for a moment, then came to her senses. Yes, the New Year was over; it was practically last year!
Seeing that his mother seemed a little distracted, Cang Lan Jingcheng moved the brocade stool closer to her and asked expectantly, "Mother, shall we go out to see the lanterns tonight?"
"No, it's too cold. You go by yourself! And while you're at it, find a daughter-in-law for Mother." Su Nuannuan said with a smile, a hint of amusement on her lips.
Upon hearing this, Canglan Jingcheng blushed slightly, scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, and muttered, "Oh dear! Mother, your son hasn't achieved anything yet, so there's no rush to get married."
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan glared at him and scolded, "Don't forget, you are a prince!"
Cang Lan Jingcheng quickly explained, "Mother, of course I remember my identity. It's just that the situation here is not yet stable, and I am really worried about it. I want to wait until everything is settled before returning to the capital to be a carefree prince and enjoy all the delicacies in the world."
Hearing this, Su Nuannuan felt somewhat helpless, but she knew what her son was thinking, so she nodded and said, "Alright, your mother will wait for that day. However, this won't stop you from getting married."
Seeing his mother's resolute attitude, Cang Lan Jingcheng had no choice but to continue coaxing her, "Mother, just wait a few more years. When I return to the capital, I will definitely marry a good princess."
Su Nuannuan persisted, asking, "How many years do you want to wait? Two years, three years, five years, eight years, or ten years? There has to be a time limit!"
Feeling somewhat embarrassed by his mother's pressure, Cang Lan Jingcheng thought for a moment and quickly said, "Five years. In five years, I will definitely return to the capital to marry the princess."
Su Nuannuan nodded in satisfaction, but still asked with some concern, "What if you develop a crush on someone else during these five years? You can't keep dragging someone along forever!"
"Impossible, the military camp is full of men, even the dogs are male," Cang Lan Jingcheng said with a look of disgust.
"Alright, stop joking around. Remember to tell your mother if you have a girl you like. Your mother's requirements are not high. As long as she is a woman with a clean background, it doesn't matter if she has a social status or position." Su Nuannuan said earnestly, seemingly very concerned about Cang Lan Jingcheng's marriage.
"Mother, what if your son doesn't like women?" Cang Lan Jingcheng looked at Su Nuannuan with a teasing expression and a smug smile on his lips.
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan felt a surge of anger. She glared at Cang Lan Jingcheng and said irritably, "Then you can prepare to grow old and die in the border town!"
Cang Lan Jingcheng seemed unaware that his words had angered Su Nuannuan. He still smiled and said, "No, Mother, I was just joking." As he spoke, he touched his nose, looking embarrassed.
Su Nuannuan looked at Cang Lan Jingcheng's expression and felt both amused and exasperated. She sighed helplessly and said to Cang Lan Jingcheng earnestly, "Anyway, I don't care whether you like women or men, you have to get married. If you marry a man, you really have to be prepared never to return to the capital for the rest of your life, otherwise, I'm afraid your brother will break your legs. Also, your title of Prince Yong will have to be given to someone else. You decide what to do."
Just then, Jinse walked in carrying a steaming bowl of soup noodles. Her appearance seemed to bring a glimmer of hope to Canglan Jingcheng.
"Your Highness, your noodles are here," Jinse said softly, then carefully placed the soup noodles on the table.
Cang Lan Jingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Jinse gratefully and quickly said, "Thank you, Aunt Jinse."
He could finally escape the topic of his mother's "marrying a wife".
Tingxue followed behind Jinse, carrying tea and pastries, and gently placed them on the table.