"What is the solution?" Tuobayan mounted his horse and scooped Ah Jiu onto his arm.
"Don't think you're at a disadvantage," Ah Jiu mumbled, but it was the only way for now.
"I'm definitely not at a disadvantage if I can help you," Tuobayan said, entering the city with ease.
"Go to the yamen and find Wang Mian," Ah Jiu instructed.
Seeing Lord Wang was not difficult, as Yun Jie was on duty that day.
He trotted off to report, and Lord Wang naturally did not neglect the matter.
Upon meeting, Lord Wang's smile was uncontrollable, "Miss Jiu, you have great skill. The situation at the Yizhuang has been greatly helped this time. The Prince himself is full of praise and has heard he even bestowed a treasure upon you."
"Lord Wang, Jiu'er needs to see you about something urgent," Ah Jiu got straight to the point.
"Urgent? Tell me about it," Lord Wang knew that if not for the ongoing war and the constant spread of illness, the Prince would have personally awarded a plaque for Miss Meng Jiu'er's contributions.
He, Wang Mian, had also earned merit because of it, thanks to Miss Jiu'er.
"Can the Meng family be exempted from conscription?" Tuobayan interjected.
"Ah? That is impossible. It is a direct order from the Prince. I am a mere civil official, how can I interfere with recruitment matters?" Wang Mian was startled. He could help with other things, but military affairs were completely outside his purview.
"Then, what if Tuobayan and I get married?" Ah Jiu said casually.
Tuobayan's pupils contracted. Married?
In the past, he wouldn't have understood what marriage meant, but since he had tricked his way into a position in the city, he had seen and heard more. He now naturally knew what marriage entailed.
His Adam's apple bobbed several times, and he stared blankly at Ah Jiu.
"Married?" Wang Mian was so stunned by the girl's audacity that he couldn't speak for a long time.
"Yes, you need two birth charts and to stamp a marriage certificate. That's all. I don't need any matchmakers or dowry, and I need it now," Ah Jiu was impatient. This was the only way.
"This... this is a matter for a lifetime," Lord Wang gasped. He seemed to understand the reason behind it, but this girl's boldness was too much.
A lifetime? For Ah Jiu, everything she had experienced in her past life had taught her one fact: surviving was what a lifetime was about.
Beyond that, nothing else mattered. What was love, she didn't understand, nor did she wish to know. Her only desire was for her family to live together in peace.
"I know, but Lord Wang, I've made up my mind," Ah Jiu said, walking to Lord Wang's desk on her own, picking up a brush and ink, and scribbling her birth details.
"Xiao Yan, yours..." Ah Jiu started to ask, then suddenly remembered he didn't even know where he came from. Forget it, she'd just make it up.
At least she knew Tuobayan was twenty this year. She made up the month, day, and hour.
"You've even made me a witness to the marriage? I say, girl, you are truly audacious. If anything goes wrong in the future, don't blame this old man. You made your own choice."
Wang Mian had been an official for so many years, yet he had never seen a girl treat her own marriage so carelessly.
"I won't blame you, it's all my own choice." Ah Jiu said and handed the brush to Lord Wang.
"Truly unheard of," Wang Mian sighed and shook his head. He wrote a marriage certificate, "This will be registered with your household registration and settled at the Hualan Medical Hall in Nanming City."
He stamped it, "Here you go."
Ah Jiu took it and immediately smiled.
Tuobayan stood by like a pillar, gazing dazed at Ah Jiu, who had just handed herself over. He was momentarily lost in thought.
"Xiao Yan, let's go." Ah Jiu hopped over the threshold, then remembered and turned back to bow, "Thank you, Lord Wang."
"Go on, go on," Wang Mian sighed.
Tuobayan followed, trotting to mount his horse. She sat in front of him, nestled in his arm. For a moment, he felt that his mood was completely different from a moment ago.
"Ah Jiu, you won't regret this, will you?" Tuobayan's heart was filled with complex emotions.
"To be able to enter the city, what is there to regret? Besides, if you want to marry someone in the future, you just need to give me a divorce letter."