Miantang hesitated. She had never accompanied Cui Xingzhou to such social gatherings before. Moreover, they hadn’t yet held their wedding ceremony, and it seemed inappropriate to attend such an occasion without elders present.
So she smiled at Cui Xingzhou and said, “Wouldn’t you and the Marquis be more comfortable drinking together? If I go, your friends might feel constrained. I’ll prepare some sobering soup for you to drink when you return.”
Cui Xingzhou understood Miantang’s concerns and didn’t insist further. However, he felt slightly disappointed that the palace renovations weren’t completed yet.
Fortunately, the foreman had reported that day that the outer and inner courtyard walls were almost repaired. Once the walls were fixed, she and his mother could move back. The rest of the renovations could continue afterward.
Their wedding date had also been set for the end of the sixth lunar month, which was an auspicious day. If they waited until the seventh month, they would have to delay another month due to the Ghost Festival.
His purpose in attending this social gathering was actually to distribute wedding invitations personally, as it was more appropriate to invite close friends in person.
He instructed Miantang to eat well and rest at the Marquis’s mansion. He promised to return early in the evening so they could stay at the Lingquan Town residence.
After all, this was the Marquis’s mansion, and it wouldn’t be proper for them to live together unmarried in front of others. Going to Lingquan Town would allow them to relive old memories.
It had been a while since he had heard Miantang call him “husband” softly in bed with her hair disheveled, and the Prince of Huaiyang missed it dearly.
After Cui Xingzhou left with Zhao Quan, Miantang decided to visit the palace personally to check on the renovation progress, even though she no longer needed to deliver meals.
Passing through Zhenzhou’s West Main Street, she stopped to buy some soft fried cakes.
Bicao grumbled, “County Princess, you ate half a lamb leg for lunch. If you eat more of these hard-to-digest foods, you might upset your stomach.”
Miantang gazed longingly at the cakes bobbing in the hot oil, swallowing as she said, “Just smelling it makes me feel hungry. If I don’t eat, I’ll feel anxious… Ask him to add extra sugar.”
When the hot fried cake was handed to her wrapped in yellow paper, Miantang didn’t care that she was on the street. She blew on it gently and took two bites, swallowing quickly. Only then did she feel calm.
“Boss…” Before she could take a third bite, someone called out.
Miantang turned to see the four Zhongyi brothers staring at her from the roadside.
It was no wonder the four brothers were staring wide-eyed. They had never seen their boss so elegantly dressed before. The woman who usually wore men’s clothing was now in a flowing, ethereal fairy silk dress, her hair in a high bun, revealing her slender neck. Such long-sleeved dresses, impractical for manual labor, were rarely worn by village girls who loved beauty.
But when Miantang wore such a luxurious dress, she exuded an air of graceful beauty, as if she were a transparent pearl nurtured in wealth and splendor.
The four brothers were used to seeing their boss dressed as a man, a straightforward woman who could drink and eat meat with them. Now, seeing this exquisite beauty before them, they felt somewhat timid calling her “boss.”
Miantang, upon seeing them, quickly glanced around and said seriously, “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that? It could cause trouble…”
Luyi was silent for a moment before speaking, “County Princess, please forgive our brothers’ rudeness…”
Miantang took another bite of her fried cake and then handed it to Bicao. She waved the four brothers to a nearby alley corner and asked, “Didn’t I arrange for you to go to the porcelain shop in Lingquan Town? Why are you back in Zhenzhou?”
Luyi bowed and replied, “County Princess, your arrangements were appropriate, but we brothers couldn’t adapt to such a comfortable life. Besides… we’re worried about you being with that Cui villain. We feel more at ease following you…”
Miantang felt a headache coming on, never imagining that such unwavering loyalty would become such a burden.
“Didn’t I tell you that the Prince of Huaiyang treats me well? You don’t need to worry…”
Luyi’s refined face tensed as he whispered, “Boss if you had recovered your memories, you wouldn’t think this way. That Cui villain once offered a huge reward to capture you, regardless of life or death. Your enmity with him wasn’t formed in just a day or two… He doesn’t know your true identity now, so naturally, he covets your beauty. But if he knew, how could he allow his bedfellow to be the former Yangshan bandit leader who nearly killed him several times?”
Even without recovering her memories, Miantang understood what Luyi was saying. In recent days, she had probed Cui Xingzhou’s attitude and his disgust towards Luyi completely discouraged her from wanting to come clean with him.
Miantang felt she was in a dilemma.
If she confessed, their current love would instantly crumble and change. It might even implicate these former Yangshan members, causing Cui Xingzhou to eliminate them all to prevent future trouble.
But if she didn’t say anything, could she hide it from Cui Xingzhou for a lifetime?
Weighing both options, reason told Liu Miantang that the best solution would be to find an excuse to break off the engagement with Cui Xingzhou. This would allow her to safely conceal her identity secret and avoid living in fear, relying on lies every day.
She had once resented Cui Xingzhou for lying to her, not knowing that she was an even bigger lie. But while she understood the logic and knew what to do when faced with the reality, Miantang’s heart was left with just three words – “I can’t bear to!”
So everything became somewhat adrift. Miantang now lived day by day, passively avoiding deep thoughts, muddling through, and allowing Cui Xingzhou to push her forward.
But these four brothers wouldn’t let her hide, insisting on reminding her that she and Cui Xingzhou should be mortal enemies with deep-rooted grudges.
If possible, Miantang even wanted to find a secluded corner to cry her heart out or knock herself unconscious to forget again that she was Lu Wen.
Just then, the guard behind her approached, eyeing the four brothers warily, and asked, “County Princess, is everything alright?”
Miantang rubbed her temples and said, “It’s nothing. Just some shop assistants asking me about business. You can step back.”
After the guard retreated, she said, “Since you know I can’t remember the past, why do you keep bothering me with old matters? Do you expect me to lead you back to the mountains as bandits? I was young and ignorant then, acting recklessly and leading you astray. That’s my responsibility. But you shouldn’t keep bringing up the past. Zi Yu is now the emperor, and Yangshan’s history is no longer worth mentioning.”
Hearing this, the brothers’ eyes filled with tears of disappointment. Lu Quan, being straightforward, spoke his mind: “Boss, you’ve been blinded by his good looks and sweet talk. But how can you entrust your life to such a noble? When you grow old and lose your beauty, he’ll take concubines. How will you live then? If you like handsome men, we can find some for you. You don’t lack money, so why not build a secluded villa in the mountains and live freely?”
Miantang felt that talking too much with these brothers would make one stupid. She rolled her eyes and said, “You all go back now. I’ll come see you in a few days. You’re all grown up now, so learn from the shop owner and stop all this fighting!”
With that, she turned and got into her carriage, hurrying towards the Prince of Huaiyang’s palace.
The brothers watched their boss leave. Luyi turned first, glaring at his fourth brother: “Was what you said appropriate?”
Lu Quan thought for a moment, feeling he hadn’t said anything wrong: “The boss does like beauty. Didn’t she once flirt with you, saying you were as pretty as the second most beautiful in Yangshan…”
Seeing Luyi glaring at him fiercely, as if about to hit him, Lu Quan wisely shut up.
The boss did indeed appreciate beauty, but her standards had improved. Cui Xingzhou alone outshone the former Young Master Zi Yu, and their second brother couldn’t compare to Cui’s otherworldly grace.
His earlier words were indeed boastful. Finding a handsome man to replace Cui Xingzhou would be quite difficult.
Meanwhile, Liu Miantang, feeling confused and troubled, went to the prince’s palace. As soon as she got out of the carriage, several foremen came to report to her.
The palace renovations were progressing quickly. The courtyard walls were almost rebuilt, just needing the final touches. The Prince of Huaiyang’s former sleeping quarters were the focus of the renovation. Not only had they been expanded, but a study had been specially created for Miantang to use as an accounting room.
Another room had been built with a heated floor, laid with red pummelo wood from the south, with softwood wrapping the edges. It was said to be a nursery ordered by the Prince of Huaiyang. If Miantang had a child by winter, the baby could crawl around in split-crotch pants.
Miantang looked at the furnishings in the room, each item thoughtfully designed.
If she weren’t Lu Wen, she could have looked forward to her married life with Cui Xingzhou with a full heart. How sweet that would have been!
When she returned from the palace, Miantang found the Marquis’s mansion bustling with activity. Upon inquiry, she learned that the Lian family had returned to Zhenzhou. Duchess Chu, hearing this, had immediately ordered a carriage prepared to visit her reportedly injured sister.
However, Miantang didn’t go along. She was deeply annoyed by Lian Chushi and that gossipy Lian cousin. Since that was the case, she decided to avoid false pleasantries. The Lian family might be Duchess Chu’s closest relatives, but they weren’t hers. Her absence from such social obligations wouldn’t matter.
When Cui Xingzhou returned from the banquet, Miantang learned from him about how the Lian family had been allowed to return.
It turned out that after the Prince of Sui paid several “ransoms,” he finally got Cui Xingzhou to release the hostages. However, the release was quite a spectacle. When the Princess of Sui got out of the carriage in the busy market, her hair was disheveled and her clothes in disarray, inviting speculation.
Initially, the Prince of Sui and the Prince of Huaiyang had agreed to release the hostages simultaneously. The two men seemed to think alike, both intent on tarnishing the other’s reputation.
The Lian family members were directly thrown from the carriage onto the busy street by the Prince of Sui’s men.
The men all had injuries on their faces, while the women’s skirts were torn. Lian Suilan, in particular, looked dazed and disheveled. She got up from the ground laughing crazily, calling everyone “Cousin Cui” and shouting that she was the Prince of Huaiyang’s fiancée.