As the young mistress smashed the bowl and shouted, Li Mama, who was usually unfazed by high-ranking officials, felt her heart tremble slightly. She was surprised at how fierce the normally gentle young mistress could be.
Having spoken, Li Mama continued resolutely, embracing a mindset of getting it over with quickly: “Before you lost your memory, madam, you had a relationship with him for a while. Do you remember anything?”
Mian Tang felt as if her acupoints had been pressed, recalling her earlier dream. She was momentarily speechless. However, she couldn’t believe that before her memory loss, she would have been so unfaithful, neglecting her handsome husband for that sickly-looking young man.
Could it be that she had damaged her brain before, truly unable to distinguish between jade and rubble?
She couldn’t help but mumble, “How could this be… How? Does my husband know?”
Mian Tang’s lost expression was pitiful. Li Mama’s resolve weakened, and she softened her tone to comfort her: “Don’t worry, the master knows everything. He told me he would forgive and be lenient with you.”
This was true. The Wang had once told her that after the Yangshan rebels were dealt with, he would reward that lonely, disgraced woman with the residence on North Street. This showed the Wang’s magnanimity. Seeing Liu Mian Tang’s virtuous nature and recognizing her as a woman who had suffered, he gave her a place to belong, offering a turning point in her ill-fated life.
However, upon hearing that Cui Jiu knew, Mian Tang collapsed into her chair.
In that moment, she understood everything. She realized why Li Mama had always looked at her with disdain when she first woke up, and why her husband was always polite yet distant, never crossing boundaries even when they shared a bed.
It turned out that there had been a rift between them as a couple, and she had betrayed her husband, figuratively placing a large green hat on his head!
Thinking about how inconsiderate she had been before losing her memory, Mian Tang felt extremely frustrated. She wished she could grab her past self and slap her face hard.
Was it because her husband had been away for a long time, studying and visiting friends, that she had grown lonely and succumbed to the temptation of a frivolous man, momentarily losing her resolve and making a grave mistake?
Thinking about the man called Zi Yu who had boldly appeared before her husband earlier, openly challenging him and offering her a ridiculous “gift,” Mian Tang felt both ashamed and furious.
What kind of dissolute young master was he? Did he think he could humiliate her husband so blatantly?
Mian Tang was about to continue questioning Li Mama about the details of her past mistakes when Li Mama found herself at a loss for words, feeling that she might be sent to a hell of tongue-pulling for telling so many lies after death.
She could only serve Mian Tang another bowl of sweet soup with a stern face, saying, “How would this old servant know about such private matters? You’ll have to think carefully yourself… If you remember anything, just tell the master.”
Mian Tang found Li Mama’s words confusing. Even if she did remember her mistakes, how could she tell her husband? Wouldn’t that be like rubbing salt in his wounds?
Now, her heart was filled with thoughts of how she had wronged her husband.
As for her past with the sickly young master, she was too ashamed to even think about it.
Although Li Mama and her husband had treated her normally due to her illness and memory loss, hiding the shameful incident for so long, how could she pretend to be at ease as if nothing had happened?
So when Cui Jiu returned to the room after dining in the hall, he saw the young mistress, who should have been resting in bed, once again performing the grand courtesy of a wife. She knelt deeply, placing her hands properly, and respectfully asked, “My lord, are you tired from today’s journey? Would you like your wife to massage your legs and relax your muscles?”
Cui Xingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly. It had been a long time since Liu Niang Zi had been so formally courteous.
Perhaps he had been coming to North Street too often since arriving in Lingquan Town, making the young mistress feel overly familiar with him. As time passed, she had become more intimate but also more lax in her manners.
Today, for some unknown reason, Liu Niang Zi has reverted to the old ways of holding herself to high standards and treating her husband as if he were the sky itself.
“There’s no need. I have an appointment with a friend tonight for a game of chess by candlelight. You should go to sleep first; I’ll be leaving shortly.”
However, as soon as he declined, the young mistress’s eyes suddenly reddened with urgency: “Husband, if you despise me, just give me a divorce paper. I won’t trouble you anymore. Otherwise, this slow torture is unbearable for both of us!”
Although Cui Xingzhou had instructed Li Mama to probe a little, he didn’t know exactly what she had said. Seeing Mian Tang’s swollen eyes from crying, he frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, “What are you talking about?”
Liu Mian Tang bit her lip and repeated what Li Mama had told her.
She had always been straightforward by nature. Although her husband was a rare, ideal match, she had wronged him first. Why should her husband have to look at her in disgust and avoid her, making it impossible for him to return home comfortably?
If it was truly her fault, it would be right for him to divorce her!
Cui Xingzhou listened, frowning slightly, but couldn’t find fault with Li Mama’s actions.
To provoke this young mistress’s memories of Lu Wen, Li Mama had described Lu Wen as her lover, which wasn’t far from the truth.
However, when the words reached Cui Jiu’s lips, he paused briefly before changing the narrative: “He had ulterior motives and tried to seduce you several times, but you never gave in to him…”
Although Li Mama had spoken the truth, her words were too harsh. If a woman couldn’t handle such news, wouldn’t she be driven to suicide out of shame upon suddenly learning of her past indiscretions?
After the Yangshan rebellion was quelled, Liu Mian Tang would still need to live her life. It would be best if she could remember on her own, but if she truly couldn’t recall, he didn’t wish to directly tell her about being kidnapped by bandits and losing her virtue.
The Prince of Huaiyang rarely considered matters so thoroughly. However, seeing that this woman was inherently good and sincere, he decided to give her some future dignity.
Liu Mian Tang had been prepared to separate from her husband but unexpectedly heard from his lips that her chastity was still intact.
At once, she sighed with relief, her grief subsiding. With a nasal voice, she asked, “Husband, are you deceiving me to put my mind at ease?”
Mian Tang’s eyes were most alluring. Usually bright and coquettish, now in the candlelight they were reddened from crying. Even the hardest-hearted man would soften at the sight of those tear-filled eyes.
Cui Xingzhou looked down at her, slowly raising his hand to wipe her tears. He spoke, half-truthfully and half-falsely, “If you had truly been intimate with that man, how could I have allowed you to remain here until now?”
This was also true. She was merely a woman kidnapped by bandits and forced to lose her virtue; naturally, he wouldn’t be too hard on her. But if she had truly become the wife of that rebel, then she would be considered an accomplice, and he would have ways to deal with her…
However, Cui Xingzhou’s words were like sunlight breaking through dark clouds, dispelling all the sorrow in Mian Tang’s heart.
Li Mama was probably old-fashioned, suspecting her of infidelity after seeing her speak with Zi Yu a few times. Fortunately, her husband was perceptive and understood the truth about her innocence.
She thought that her husband, Cui Jiu, must have been jealous and angry at the time, and his subsequent coldness towards her was probably due to this resentment.
No wonder he was unwilling for her to converse with the likes of Doctor Zhao. Once bitten by a snake, one fears even rope for ten years!
Regardless, it was her lack of caution that had allowed men like Zi Yu and Doctor Zhao to almost take advantage. From now on, she would keep only her husband in her heart and wouldn’t even glance at other men!
However, after comforting his wife for so long, Cui Jiu realized he could no longer make it to his “chess appointment.”
Qingzhou had a night curfew. Using his alias as “Merchant Cui Jiu,” it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to wander the streets outside the inn. Naturally, he had to spend another night with Liu Niang Zi.
Perhaps because the “couple” had resolved the knot in their hearts, that night Mian Tang was particularly clingy, insisting on holding onto his neck to fall asleep.
In the morning, when Mian Tang saw Cui Jiu off, she was especially reluctant to part. However, her husband seemed to have not slept well, with bloodshot eyes. He spoke little, silently drinking his porridge without even looking at her.
Although her husband still maintained a respectful distance and wasn’t as intimate as ordinary couples, Mian Tang felt that they had a long life ahead together. Like deep snow on a high mountain, there would eventually come a time of spring blossoms and melting streams.
With this thought, Mian Tang found new hope in her days. Even if her husband was in a bad mood from waking up and didn’t want to talk, she dutifully pretended not to notice his expression, simply adjusting his collar and wiping his face with a handkerchief.
However, when she got close to him, she could always hear him inhale slightly and then sigh, practicing some kind of breathing technique.
Her husband was handsome, even when he was sulking with pursed lips, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
However, she absolutely would not accept the gift from that Zi Yu fellow yesterday. Although the poetry and painting tea party had high standards for entry, accepting that young master’s gift would only trouble her husband, wouldn’t it?
When she heard her decision to give up the entry spot, Cui Xingzhou was very pleased. His tense face finally showed a smile, and he told her that Mo Ru had already purchased a stall in the Qingzhou market. She could go watch the stall and see if any connoisseurs would appreciate their porcelain.
Mian Tang nodded obediently, determined to promote their porcelain enthusiastically.
After arranging all this, Cui Xingzhou left reassured, getting into his carriage. He could then lean back against the cushions and relax his nerves, which had been tense all night.
After all, if she went to the official tea party, wouldn’t it disrupt the scene and break his long-planned arrangement?
Now that Mian Tang had a business to attend to, she wouldn’t wander off, and her presence in the bustling market would draw Lu Wen out.
That scoundrel was hiding in an inn guarded by soldiers, so Cui Xingzhou couldn’t do anything there. But if he showed his face and got into an argument with someone in the market, being killed by a ruffian with a knife would seem perfectly natural… Didn’t General Shi want to gain a reputation for being virtuous? Let’s see what consequences arise when the rebel leader he’s so intent on pardoning dies in his territory… His Majesty had played his cards well, wanting to reduce the power of the Zhen Prefecture. Let’s see if it’s as easy as he thinks…
Liu Niang Zi had restless sleeping habits, clinging to him like a child. He wondered what kind of incense she used; it had a sweet peach scent…
Somehow, as Cui Xingzhou’s thoughts wandered, they gradually drifted elsewhere…
He was lost in thought for a while before suddenly realizing his lapse. He frowned slightly, no longer allowing himself to indulge in such musings, and instead closed his eyes to rest…