Liu Miantang couldn’t savor the official’s gallant demeanor, as she remembered she had just scalded him badly.
When Cui Xingzhou ordered Mo Ru to tie up the intruders and call for guards, she hurriedly went to pull his sleeve.
Cui Jiu hesitated slightly when he saw her approach, then stood still.
Miantang rolled up his sleeve and saw that Cui Jiu’s arm was red and appeared to be blistering.
“My lord, it’s all my fault…” Liu Miantang’s words trailed off as she choked up. Perhaps due to inhaling some of the smoke earlier, her legs suddenly gave way as she spoke, and she sank to her knees.
In truth, Miantang looked quite pitiful with her reddened eyes and tear-stained face. However, with a writhing lecher in the room and his own scalded arm, the delicate beauty’s vulnerability seemed somewhat out of place.
Cui Xingzhou glanced at her, gently helping her up. He allowed Li Mama to rinse his arm with cool water and apply a thin layer of fragrant oil.
Somehow, Mo Ru had quickly found some guards. They entered without a word, dragging out the three tightly bound and gagged thieves.
A carriage waited outside. The guards tossed the three men in like sacks of potatoes and swiftly departed, skipping even the usual process of taking statements.
Miantang paid no attention to this, focusing instead on fanning and blowing on her injured husband’s arm, hoping to ease his pain.
When the lights came on earlier, she had recognized the intruder as the rogue who had accosted her in the alley some days ago.
Today’s break-in was entirely her fault!
Miantang felt guilty. When they returned to their room after the courtyard had quieted down, she sat close to Cui Xingzhou. Observing his consistently calm expression and his swollen arm, she tearfully said, “Husband, it’s all my fault. Please… please scold me!”
Cui Xingzhou wasn’t overly concerned about his arm injury. After all, during his early military years, he had experienced far worse in the camps. However, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, thinking that if he had climbed over the wall earlier and replaced that scoundrel, he might now be covered in blisters. He spoke softly, “It’s not as if you invited the intruder. Why should I scold you? I was worried you might have been wronged, but it seems you were well-prepared…”
Miantang, still shaken, replied, “I’m fortunate I stayed up late. Li Mama mentioned you like hot tea, and I was afraid you’d trouble her for water when you returned at night. So I had her prepare a small charcoal stove to keep water warm. Otherwise, I’d have had no weapon at hand… I could only have died to prove my innocence… leaving you alone…”
As she spoke of these distressing thoughts, tears flowed uncontrollably.
Cui Xingzhou sighed softly, glancing at the newly formed cobweb on the ceiling beam before lowering his head to speak kindly, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Feeling remorseful, Miantang couldn’t help but complain about the intruder: “I thought the people of Lingquan Town were simple and honest. It should be a peaceful and prosperous place. How could there be such a vile person? Breaking into someone’s home in the dead of night… They say the Prince of Huaiyang here is virtuous, but now it seems he’s just for show, allowing the relatives of local officials to wreak havoc!”
Before she could finish, she noticed her husband’s handsome eyes widening slightly with displeasure. He drawled, “How is the disturbance at your door related to the Prince of Huaiyang?”
Realizing her mistake in using crude language before her husband, Miantang quickly composed herself and said softly, “Please forgive my careless words, husband. It’s just that the local officials are so infuriating! You submitted a complaint, yet there’s been no response. It shows that the prince’s subordinates are negligent and cover for each other. Now this thief has come to our door, clearly seeking revenge… If that scoundrel is released again…”
Hearing Miantang’s words, Cui Xingzhou remembered that she had written a complaint to report the rogue. However, he hadn’t taken it seriously at the time and had tossed the paper into the moat after leaving. Later, when Liu Xiaoniang asked about it, he had casually lied, saying he had submitted it to the authorities…
From a certain perspective, he had indeed been negligent and indulged that rogue… But to admit his mistake and apologize to the wife of a rebel was utterly absurd…
So, for a moment, Cui Jiu fell silent, his handsome face clouded with frost.
Although he usually appeared gentle, he was like a cloud atop a high mountain – visible yet untouchable, only to be gazed upon from afar.
During feasts with other nobles, the Prince of Huaiyang would inevitably be surrounded by courtesans and dancing girls. Yet, while these women would joke and flirt with others, none dared approach the prince.
The reason was simple: women of the pleasure quarters were adept at reading people. The prince’s cultured smile held no warmth, nor did he show any intoxication from the revelry. Such a man, no matter how handsome or noble, with eyes that revealed a hint of cruelty, made others feel inferior and timid, reluctant to approach.
Now, the mask of warmth that the Prince of Huaiyang used to deceive the world had vanished. His tall figure sat there, his handsome eyes coldly staring at Miantang, exuding an oppressive aura.
He rarely showed anger, but now he let his pent-up frustration vent freely.
Any other woman would have been too frightened to breathe, unsure of how to lighten the mood.
But Miantang thought her husband must be angry about the corruption of local officials and worried about prospects.
Thinking this, she felt genuinely sorry for her husband Cui Jiu. Carefully avoiding his injured arm, she finally embraced his waist while he was awake. She extended her jade-like hand, gently patting Cui Jiu’s broad back, and buried her face in his shoulder, saying softly, “Don’t worry, husband. After all, he trespassed into someone else’s courtyard today. Even if that garrison commander wants to cover for him, he can’t turn the tables on us. It’s not like we dragged him into our courtyard, right?”
Cui Xingzhou was completely stunned that Liu Miantang would take the initiative to embrace and comfort him. She was so close that he could smell the fragrance of her hair, and her jade-like arms embracing him were so soft…
The Prince of Huaiyang took a deep breath, thinking that even in a real marriage, a woman shouldn’t be so forward… Had Liu Miantang thrown herself at Lu Wen in the bandit’s lair, thus securing her safety?
However, Miantang’s embrace calmed his rare outburst of anger. He steadied himself and finally raised his hand to pat her shoulder lightly: “Don’t worry about this matter. I’ll take care of it at the government office…”
Hearing his deep voice, Miantang felt much more at ease. Although her husband seemed impatient with worldly affairs, he possessed an unusually calm demeanor. Despite the home invasion caused by her troubles, he hadn’t spoken a harsh word to her… Moreover, his broad chest was so comforting to embrace. Miantang listened to his heartbeat and instantly felt more secure.
After this warm embrace, it was time to rest.
Miantang, thinking her husband wouldn’t be able to sleep with his injured arm, engaged Cui Jiu in pillow talk to distract him.
She mostly spoke about her recent experiences managing the shop and interesting happenings in the neighborhood.
Although the prince’s subordinates and Li Mama regularly reported on the activities in the small courtyard on North Street, they focused mainly on suspicious individuals. They never shared the daily minutiae of shop life as Miantang did.
Such trivial matters were never brought to the Prince of Huaiyang’s attention. Even when his mother was unhappy in the prince’s mansion, she maintained the dignity expected of a noble lady, preferring to confide in her trusted maids rather than burdening her son with her troubles.
How could a man of stature concern himself with such trifles?
But now, the woman lying beside him spoke freely, sharing everything with him.
“The Zhang family’s wife on North Street has recently set up an altar and invited a dog spirit!” Miantang said.
With nothing else to do, Cui Xingzhou asked, “A dog spirit?”
Miantang quickly nodded and explained, “It’s an old dog skin blessed by a Taoist priest. They say fox spirits fear it most. Mrs. Zhang says her husband has been ensnared by a fox demon and needs to dispel the evil energy. At first, I thought they had encountered a ghost. Later, I found out that her husband had brought home a girl from the red-light district and was insisting on taking her as a concubine. So I said, since it’s a human problem, what use is a dog skin? Human problems need human solutions.”
Cui Xingzhou didn’t see much wrong with the Zhang man’s actions. However, if one wanted to take a concubine, they should seek a poor but respectable family. Bringing a prostitute into the household would indeed tarnish the family’s reputation and upset the main wife. So he asked casually, “How to solve it with human means?”
Miantang, leaning close to him, said, “Mrs. Zhang comes from a wealthy family, and her family’s rice shop was funded by her maiden home. She’s just too soft-hearted, letting her husband push her around. Her family sent her a capable maid, but Mr. Zhang dismissed her. Since she can’t handle her husband, she should bring that maid back and stop listening to her husband’s sweet talk…”
Hearing this, Cui Xingzhou suddenly interrupted her: “Don’t meddle in other people’s household affairs.”
He had placed Liu Miantang here to lure out rebels, not to solve neighborhood disputes. If she got involved with too many people, wouldn’t it distract the secret guards and Li Mama, potentially causing them to miss the real rebels?
Liu Miantang realized she had overstepped and failed in her wifely duties. She quickly said, “You’re right, husband. It’s someone else’s family matter. It’s not like you’re taking a concubine, I shouldn’t interfere…”
At this point, Miantang suddenly paused. Since she had lost her memory after the injury, her husband had been considerate but never intimate.
Initially, she appreciated this respectful distance due to her unfamiliarity. But now, she couldn’t help wondering if her husband, like Mr. Zhang, had other women serving him.
Feeling a sudden tightness in her chest and not wanting to speculate wildly, she abruptly asked, “Husband, do you want to take a concubine?”