Sugar coating
If the marriage plan between Huo Shan's God Lin Xu and the Nine-Tailed Fox clan is rejected, Lord Huo Shan can use this to stir up the unity of the Huo Shan demon tribe. At that time, even if it's just a Lin Xu, no matter how big a god, they won't be able to get away with it. However, although this plan is good, its actual implementation is by no means an easy task.
Huo Shan Jun dared to boast that he would not worry about the nine-tailed fox clan refusing to sell him face, and when asked about the origin of this matter, it had to be traced back to the era of Hua Shan Jun's great-grandfather. At that time, the old demon king who was famous for his bravery helped the nine-tailed fox clan who were guests in Huo Mountain to resist the enemy's attack, and as a result, he fell ill and died after hiding his injuries. In fact, the nine-tailed fox clan owed Hua Shan Jun's family a favor, so he confidently declared that as long as he acted as a matchmaker, the nine-tailed fox clan would definitely agree.
The solar term has gradually entered the severe winter, and the weather in Huoshan is also getting colder. The sky is floating with willow catkin-like snowflakes, which are falling down in the northwest wind. The towering Tianzhu Peak in the distance is also becoming blurred in the vast snowy wind.
It so happened that Lin Xu, who was enjoying the snow and drinking tea in the courtyard, received a report from Yin Bing, saying that an unexpected guest had arrived outside.
It is said that guests from afar are treasures. Even if Lin Xu didn't like this guest with a special identity, he still had to instruct his subordinates to lead the visitor to the living room for a chat.
"On Mount Taibai, I have seen the Old Mountain God."
This doctor, Bai Dafu, looked just like those accountants in old movies who were born to be cold and had a sharp tongue. Even though he was trying his best to look like a refined gentleman at the moment, Lin Xu still felt that this guy was an eyesore whenever he appeared before him.
Lin Xu coldly smiled and bluntly asked back:
"Oh, I don't know what brings you to this humble temple of mine. Are you here to make peace or issue a challenge?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Dafu's face cracked a smile as he chimed in:
"Neither of them is right, I'm here to make a perfect match."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xu furrowed his brow and cast a more cautious glance at Dr. Bei.
The night cat comes to the mansion, nothing is impossible! Lin Xu is not afraid of the monsters playing tricks, now that the mountain god temple has basically recovered its energy, even if the various monster kings in Huo Mountain put aside their previous grudges and come together to attack, who wins or loses is still a 50-50 chance. It's hard to guard against hidden arrows! If the monsters want to come up with some sinister plot, Lin Xu is after all in a conspicuous position, the possibility of being ambushed by someone is too high, indeed there are some things that must be prevented.
Lin Xu suddenly burst out laughing and said:
"Oh, Lin would like to hear more about it."
Mr. Huo Shan had anticipated all possible reactions from Lin Xu, and now faced his opponent's seemingly mocking laughter with a calm demeanor, saying:
"I wish to make peace with your esteemed self, and thus I desire to act as a matchmaker, arranging a good marriage for you. From then on, the two families will put an end to their armed conflicts, and Mount Huo will be free from troubles once more!"
After listening to this, Lin Xu pretended to think, turned his back and rolled his eyes. Ah! Mr. Huo's words are indeed more pleasant than singing, but the credibility of these words is probably less reliable than a drug dealer claiming he will wash his hands clean and sell flour instead.
A fleeting thought in his mind, Lin Xu wouldn't express it verbally, and instead smiled coldly, saying casually:
"According to this, Lin had better be taught a good lesson. I wonder which family's renowned lady is worth the trouble of having Lord Huoshan personally take action for me?"
Dr. Bei was confident in this trap and wasn't afraid of Lin Xu seeing through it at all, so he said with a very calm attitude:
"Haha, this young lady is a talented and virtuous daughter from a renowned family, she must be a perfect match for Mountain Lord. If it weren't so, how would I dare to come forward and offer my services as a matchmaker?"
"Haha, it seems I'm too ignorant, who would have thought that there's such a renowned and respected family in this small village of Huo Mountain? It's really beyond my expectation!"
It felt like the situation ahead was a murky pool of unknown depth, so Lin Xu put on an attentive and humble attitude, completely adopting a passive defense strategy. After all, he was a successful figure in the insurance industry, and that kind of social trickery where you speak to people in their own language was second nature to him. At this moment, playing a verbal sparring match with Dr. Bei was also something he could handle with ease.
After teasing Lin Xu for half a day, Bai felt that the suspenseful program was almost over. He cleared his throat and got to the point:
"This little girl who is acting as the matchmaker is from the lineage of Qingqiu Jiutai Fox. She drifted here due to some reason in the past and can be considered half a native of Huoshan. If we talk about family background, I suppose you, Honorable Sir, wouldn't look down on the Jiutai Fox clan?"
Cultivate the spirit, nurture the body. According to Lin Xu's temperament, it has become even more stable now, but as soon as he heard the name of the Nine-Tailed Fox, despite his increasing experience and knowledge over the years, he couldn't help but change color, like a chameleon.
Throughout history, the nine-tailed fox clan has indeed produced many famous historical figures. The most well-known is probably the nine-tailed fox Su Daji in the novel "Fengshen Yanyi", who was captured by Nuwa and was responsible for corrupting the Shang Dynasty. If you think back to that talented and intelligent last king of the Shang Dynasty, Emperor Zhou, and how he ended up burning himself on the tower, it's clear that the saying "beautiful women are a curse" is not unfounded. Furthermore, in terms of appearance and temperament, if a woman is already at the level of being able to topple cities with her beauty, how much worse could she be?
Lin Xu's concern was not that he would marry an ugly woman in this marriage, but that he would end up like King Zhou of Shang.
Refusing the proposal on the spot is an extremely rude move. If Mr. Huo seizes this small detail and makes a big deal out of it, it will be difficult to make amends later. If we agree now, although there may be no immediate harm, Lin Xu's heart is like fifteen buckets of water, uncertain about what the future holds.
"Could Mr. Bei be so kind as to give Lin Xu time to think of a countermeasure?" he said with a calm and collected tone.
"Heh heh, isn't the Honored God thinking that the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan is beneath your status?"
"This is a treacherous remark! Lin Xu cursed silently, but his face didn't reveal any displeasure. He immediately continued to speak:"
"Oh, Mr. Lin had no such intention, he was just too surprised at the time and couldn't express himself clearly in words."
Upon hearing this, Bai Daifu burst out laughing with great joy and clapped his hands loudly, saying:
"Haha, if that's the case, then I'll congratulate you in advance. Please choose an auspicious day and send a matchmaker to Yangchun Mountain where the Nine-Tailed Fox tribe resides to propose!"
The old-fashioned wedding customs of "纳采, 问名, 纳吉, 纳徵, 请期, 亲迎" have long been out of sight for modern people. Lin Xu was stunned and hadn't figured out what was going on when Bei Dafu had already achieved his goal and turned to leave with a nod, without even giving him a chance to use delaying tactics.
Nacai is the first of the six traditional Chinese wedding customs, where the groom's family sends a matchmaker to the bride's home with gifts and proposes. If the bride's parents agree to the marriage, the matchmaker then asks for the bride's name and birth date (including the four pillars of destiny). Once it has been determined that there are no conflicts between the couple's astrological signs, the groom's information is sent to the bride, a step known as naji. The second step is nazhen, which literally means "to send betrothal gifts". When this step is completed, the engagement is officially announced and all that remains is for the couple to set a wedding date and for the groom to pick up his bride.
Lin Xue took some time to think clearly, and it turned out that he had been tricked again. He was furious and looked at the thin figure disappearing into the snowy distance, cursing angrily:
"What a stubborn old thing! Why didn't the hunters peel off your dog skin along with it back then?"
It has come to this, and it is already a done deal. Lin Xu thought through the pros and cons all night, and by dawn the next day, he had cleared his mind and saw that this marriage was inevitable.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan is a renowned and respected family among the demon clans, famous throughout the land. Openly refusing to marry would clearly mean that they are not on good terms with the majority of the demon clans. If things go wrong, it's likely that even the demons outside of Mount Ho will be provoked. In light of this, the danger of bringing a fox girl home is still relatively great, but at least this kind of danger can be controlled. At most, they would just need to be more careful in the future. This is much better than an uncontainable disaster that cannot be suppressed. Weighing the two evils and choosing the lesser one, Lin Xuan could only think this way for now.
Although he said so, Lin Xu thought about it again and started worrying. Recently, there have been too many annoying things!
The Tudiye Huang Shiren is going to marry is a foster daughter. If the nine-tailed fox tribe agrees to the marriage, they probably won't casually marry off a tribeswoman either. Neither side can afford to offend the other easily.
The traditional marriage system of Huaxia is not polygamy, but monogamy with multiple concubines. A man actually has only one wife, and the rest are all concubines.
Lin Xu, as the respected god of Huo Mountain, can marry one main wife and have two concubines according to ritual law. Although the social status of the main wife and concubines is not much different, there is still a distinction between high and low, so which side should be given the position of the main wife?
To ponder this thorny problem, Lin Xu hesitated for a long time and also pulled out countless strands of hair. At this point, he really understood why the ancient kings of China lived in luxury but died young one after another.
Apart from the habit of eating excessively for no reason and being plotted against, overthinking due to minor issues is definitely a crucial factor. No matter how trivial the matter may seem, once it reaches the top, it becomes a major issue with far-reaching implications. As the saying goes, "the heavens have no private matters." Even if it's just a small issue, one has to rack their brains to figure out how to balance the interests of all parties involved. If this situation continues, even someone made of iron would be unable to withstand it.
A few days later, the snowflakes were still fluttering outside the window. Lin Xu liked snowy weather, and it snowed more around Shangshen Temple than elsewhere. In a way, this place was disconnected from the outside world.
His gaze returned from the old plum tree outside the window, its branches twisted like a dragon and covered in snow, as Lin Xun flipped through the marriage certificate on the table with a calm tone.
"Hmm, Jing Shu, sounds like a good name."
Jìng sù is a phrase from the Book of Songs, and if it's used to praise a woman's gentle character and beautiful appearance, that would be most appropriate. If Lin Xiang hadn't been ashamed and then courageous in recent years, diligently studying hard to make up for his lack of common knowledge, he might not have been able to see the good implications attached to this name.
Heaving a sigh, Lin Xu put down the marriage certificate of Hu Nu Jing Shu and picked up the one belonging to Huang Shi Ren's adopted daughter, reading it slowly:
"Alas, Meng Yanran!"
At this time, Lin Xu let out another sigh and gently placed the two marriage certificates together, his expression gradually calming down. Since he couldn't resist, he might as well face it calmly.
