Chapter 18: Mulan's Husband Selection

Shen Lang's mind was spinning quickly, flashing countless ideas.

At this moment, the main door in front closed directly, keeping him outside.

This was normal because the Count had secret matters to discuss, and Shen Lang was just an outsider, impossible to involve.

"Who from the Zuo family has arrived?" the Count asked.

"The younger brother of Governor Zuo Rong, General Zuo Lin!" the confidant replied, handing over a secret letter from Nujiang City.

The Count's face turned grim after reading it.

General Zuo Lin's arrival meant trouble.

It represented the Zuo family's determination! Their proposal for marriage wasn't just an ordinary alliance, but a move to implement a new policy.

To seize the Count's estate and military power, the most crucial thing was to what? To deprive the Count of his military authority. And the Count's heir was an incompetent fool, incapable of safeguarding the family's legacy.

"We must refuse," the Countess trembled.

"We can't. The Zuo family is influential. Openly refusing is tantamount to offending them. Besides, there may be the will of the monarch behind this proposal," the Count pondered.

"I will never marry outside the family. I must stay and assist my brother, to safeguard the century-old legacy of the Jin family," said Jin Mulan.

The Count paces uneasily in the room, while Jin Mulan declared, "Father, I will disfigure myself."

"No!" the Count interjected. "I must protect you. Even if you disfigure yourself, the Zuo family will still propose marriage to you unless..."

"Unless I marry today before General Zuo Lin arrives, and show him that I'm already married," Jin Mulan proposed, realizing it was the only way.

The Count, torn, agreed. He quickly wrote down the names of five exceptional young men, including his distant relative, the main secretary of Xuanwu City, and four loyal young talents of the Count's household.

"Zhong, find these five men and bring them here. Let's give Mulan the choice," the Count instructed, feeling immensely guilty.

Moments later, Shen Lang entered and boldly declared, "Count, Miss Mulan, can I join the competition? I also want to marry you!"

Stunned, no one in the room could respond. The Count, usually composed, now looked close to exploding. The others present shared the same feeling, a desire to tear Shen Lang apart.

Just based on you? You think you can marry the young lady of the Earl's Mansion!

Your looks are certainly sufficient, but you are so handsome that you'd be better off being a gigolo, rather than harboring such wild fantasies.

What kind of background do you have? Just a poor farmer who lives in a thatched hut.

Of course, one cannot choose their birth. If you are outstanding enough, the Earl might consider it, since it's difficult to find a son-in-law with a prestigious background.

But look at yourself, Shen Lang.

Ten years of schooling, and you didn't even graduate from the village school, simply got kicked out.

In the modern Earth, this would be equivalent to studying for a degree for ten years and still not graduating from elementary school at the age of eighteen.

Born into a poor peasant family, yet incapable of shouldering any responsibility, lazy and useless, a complete waste.

The entire Xuanwu city knows that your mind is dysfunctional, your intelligence lacking.

Compared with the five candidates selected by the Earl, you, Shen Lang, are truly worthless.

These five young talents are either exceptionally gifted in literature or outstanding in martial arts, while you, Shen Lang, are absolutely worthless.

What's intolerable is that you, Shen Lang, abandoned your parents to marry into the Xu family for wealth and status, and now that you've been expelled by the Xu family and rejected by Xu Qianqian, you still intend to marry the daughter of our Earl's Mansion?

What do you think our Earl's Mansion is?

How much more noble is the daughter of the Xuanwu Earl compared to Xu Qianqian? Even if we're looking for a son-in-law, we'll still have to pick and choose carefully. You're just like a toad lusting after swan's flesh!

The Countess stepped forward to comfort her husband gently, saying, "Darling, don't be angry. It's been said that this Shen Lang has a mental disability, and he's just a child. What are we stooping to argue with him for?"

The Xuanwu Earl sighed deeply.

Yes, this is a person with mental illness, and also just a child. What's the point of arguing with him, noble Earl?

"Guards, take this wayward child back home, and send ten gold coins, remember to give them to his parents, not to him," the Earl ordered, "Send someone over to fetch him tomorrow and educate him properly in the mansion."

"Yes!" Two warriors stepped forward, grabbing Shen Lang's arms and forcibly dragging him out.

Shen Lang said, "Miss Mulan, I believe I am more suitable than those other five people to be your husband. Can I at least have the opportunity to compete?"

Jin Mulan gazed at Shen Lang, then looked at him for quite some time before saying, "I remember now, three years ago when I went hunting, I accidentally ran into you while riding. You are the Second Fool…"

Hey! Miss, it's really hurtful to speak like that.

That's right, no one in the village calls him by his real name, they all call him the Second Fool, because there's also a big Fool in the village, and he was Shen Lang's only friend at the time.

When Jin Mulan's war horse accidentally injured Shen Lang, she immediately picked him up and asked people in the village about his name and where he lived. The answer she received was that this was the Second Fool.

Upon hearing the words "Second Fool," the Earl's face couldn't help but twitch.

Shen Lang said, "Miss Mulan, I also want to marry you, and I won't let you down."

Jin Mulan looked at Shen Lang with a gentle gaze.

Even a little tender.

Three years ago, after hearing Shen Lang's story and knowing that he was a person with intellectual disability, she felt very sympathetic towards him and visited him several times, sending the best doctors to treat him.

In short, Jin Mulan looked at him as she would a child, and at that time, Shen Lang's intelligence was indeed equivalent to that of a child.

Mulan was disappointed with the deceit in the adult world, but was kind and sympathetic towards the innocence of a child.

So, Jin Mulan looked at Shen Lang and said, "Alright, I'll add you to the list, and you can compete fairly too."

While others discriminated against Shen Lang, she did not.

As the Earl was about to intervene, Jin Mulan smiled and said, "Father, what are you worrying about?"

The Earl laughed at himself for a moment, realizing, indeed, what was he worrying about?

Mulan was just kind and sympathetic, and she had added Shen Lang to the list of candidates, even though she wouldn't actually choose him. There was no need to worry unnecessarily and get worked up over this issue.

"Guards, take Shen Lang to the sixth study!" the Earl ordered.

...

An hour later!

The other five young talents were taken to the Xuanwu Earl's Mansion and each placed in one of the five studies, while Shen Lang was taken to the sixth study.

They never saw each other, never knew who the others were.

Selected personally by Jin Mulan, they were being scrutinized behind a screen.

Time was running out. The selection had to be made by noon, and the wedding was to take place that evening. There was only an hour to choose the son-in-law from the six candidates.

And so, the selection of the Earl's son-in-law commenced in the study.

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