Mian Tang was taken aback. “Ah? He was… fine, I suppose.”
He Zhen raised an eyebrow. “Fine? If he was so fine, why didn’t he provide you with more household money while keeping you as his mistress?”
He Zhen clearly remembered that although Mian Tang had earned money back then, she always had to be frugal. Mian Tang had mentioned that her husband occasionally brought home some money from gambling on chess, but they had to budget carefully to make ends meet. While Mian Tang had been proud of her husband’s ability to earn money, He Zhen now realized that amount was far too stingy for a prince.
Mian Tang, cornered by He Zhen’s words, could only stubbornly defend him: “At that time… he had to conceal his identity, so he couldn’t bring too much money…”
“Even the gentlemen from the merchant guild give more money to courtesans when they visit brothels…” He Zhen muttered under her breath, her eyes filled with a mix of understanding and pity as she looked at Mian Tang.
Feeling that He Zhen was unfairly tarnishing Cui Xingzhou’s reputation, Mian Tang tried to salvage the situation: “He didn’t intentionally deceive me… It was truly unavoidable at the time…”
“Unavoidable indeed… His engagement to the other side wasn’t broken off yet. If you had made a fuss, it would have caused quite a commotion in the prince’s mansion…”
When Miss He Zhen wanted to be, she could be the most acerbic person in all of Lingquan Town.
Mian Tang gave up trying to explain and honestly said, “We’ll take it one step at a time. When we signed the marriage contract, he said we could dissolve it at any time…”
Mian Tang had meant to convey that the prince was open-minded and had given her a way out. However, to He Zhen’s ears, combined with Cui Xingzhou’s cold and menacing demeanor in the firewood shed, it sounded like a threat. The implication seemed to be that Liu Mian Tang should obey in all matters, or she could easily become a discarded wife at any moment.
In the past, when He Zhen had fantasized about being with Prince Huaiyang, she had imagined the obstacles they might face due to their vastly different social standings. Now that Liu Mian Tang was living out that fantasy in her stead, those imagined obstacles seemed to be coming true one by one.
Although He Zhen came from a merchant family, she had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered any grievances at home. After enduring the torment in the firewood shed today, she felt intimidated by the grand mansions with their vermilion gates.
She pitied Mian Tang, who had been deceived and deflowered early on by the lecherous prince. Now, with no other choice, Mian Tang had to enter the prince’s mansion and live with such a stingy and heartless man.
For a moment, all of He Zhen’s sharp edges softened.
As Mian Tang finished speaking, the carriage arrived at their destination. Mian Tang invited He Zhen home for some calming soup and a good rest, which would help wash away the unpleasantness from the marquis’s firewood shed.
After a long pause, He Zhen lowered her head and asked, “Will you laugh at my previous foolishness?”
Mian Tang smiled. “When we were selecting porcelain patterns for our shop, we both chose the best ones. It shows we both have discerning tastes. He is indeed handsome, and even if he weren’t a prince, people would still fight over him. Why would I laugh at you?”
He Zhen quickly glanced at her, feeling that Mian Tang was praising him too much as if trying to find solace in her situation. Not wanting to point this out, she murmured, “Please take care of yourself… Now that you’re a noblewoman, I’ve been so tactless as to challenge you in public… You don’t blame me, do you?”
Seeing He Zhen’s sudden formality, Mian Tang smiled and replied, “If I blamed you, I wouldn’t have sent someone to retrieve you from the firewood shed…”
The two women exchanged a smile, their girlhood infatuation now feeling like awakening from a long dream. Before parting, He Zhen kindly warned Mian Tang about Miss Lian’s provocative words.
Learning that Lian Suilan knew about her previous residence on North Street, Mian Tang remained calm. It was a fact that, unless everyone in Lingquan Town was massacred, would eventually become known. She had always acted with a clear conscience. As for Prince Huaiyang, if he dared to deceive, he should dare to face the consequences. So even if Miss Lian knew and gossiped behind her back, it didn’t matter.
After inspecting Dongzhou, Cui Xingzhou made a brief return to Zhenzhou today, squeezing it into his busy schedule.
After dinner at the prince’s mansion, he strolled into Liu Mian Tang’s courtyard.
Mian Tang was writing a letter to her family.
Over the past few days, Liu Mian Tang had organized her business affairs and sent some money to her maternal uncle Lu, allowing him to buy back some of the Lu family’s previously sold land. This would prevent the family from depleting their resources and repeating past mistakes.
In a recent letter, her eldest uncle mentioned that under her maternal grandfather’s guidance, the two branches of the family had separated. Her grandfather now lived with the eldest uncle’s family, while her second uncle, Lu Mu, had moved out to live independently.
Mian Tang thought this arrangement was for the best. Given her eldest uncle’s kind nature, he truly couldn’t outmaneuver her second uncle. In her letter, she reminded her grandfather to take care of his health, promising that next year, when the situation in Dongzhou was less tense, she would request Prince Huaiyang’s permission to visit home and see him.
As she was writing, a voice came from behind her: “No need to wait until next year. The conflict will be resolved this autumn.”
Mian Tang turned to look at him. “Really? At today’s tea party, the ladies were talking about the troubles in Dongzhou. They said the bandit leader is formidable, reminiscent of Lu Wen from Yangshan…”
Cui Xingzhou had always believed that Liu Yu was Lu Wen. Hearing Mian Tang praise a former lover in this way, he couldn’t help but coldly snort, “Even if it were Lu Wen, he’d still be no match for me. What is there to fear from another like him?”
Mian Tang glanced at him and turned away, saying, “If the prince is so brave, he should use it on the battlefield. Why did you need to frighten a young lady in the firewood shed today?”
“What young lady? She’s an old maid!” Cui Xingzhou corrected Mian Tang with a stern face. “She’s always stirring up trouble around you. No wonder she can’t get married! If I hadn’t shown up today, who knows how she would have insulted you? I merely scared her a bit. If it were up to me, I’d have silenced her permanently!”
Prince Huaiyang had harbored a long-standing grudge against He Zhen. Finally catching her today, merely frightening her was indeed lenient.
Liu Mian Tang had been feeling somewhat annoyed after being chided by He Zhen earlier, thinking herself too easily deceived. Even He Zhen had woken up to reality, while she remained enchanted by this great deceiver.
However, seeing Cui Xingzhou’s irritated demeanor, she couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t worry, she won’t be pining for you anymore. Miss He said that even the rewards given to courtesans by merchant guild members are more generous than the monthly allowance you gave me!”
Even the most handsome man couldn’t overcome the reputation of being miserly. He Zhen’s image of the dashing young hero in white robes atop a white horse had crumbled beyond repair.
Cui Xingzhou cared little for He Zhen’s opinion. He pulled Mian Tang into his arms, his voice husky as he said, “How long has it been since you’ve let me touch you? I haven’t had the chance to reward you… Why don’t you open your bedroom door tonight? I promise to reward you handsomely…”
Mian Tang refused to comply, playfully pushing him away after some banter.
Cui Xingzhou said, “All right, I won’t bother you then. But don’t rush to send me away. Let’s talk a while longer.”
Mian Tang had been learning to make some pastries from Mama Li and offered some to him.
Having played the role of a fake married couple for so long, they could no longer behave like shy, unmarried youngsters exchanging poetry and stealing glances.
Under the embroidered curtains adorned with flowers, the tall and handsome man wearing a golden crown half-embraced the beautiful woman in a pink dress as they whispered and nuzzled each other, creating a truly pleasing scene.
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager had no desire to let her son break the rules. Before they could spend too much time together, she urgently summoned Cui Xingzhou to speak with her.
The stern-faced old woman ruined the romantic atmosphere, but Cui Xingzhou couldn’t disobey his mother.
In any case, no matter how eager Prince Huaiyang might be, he had to remain abstinent until after the wedding ceremony!
This was the main reason Cui Xingzhou was so eager to resolve the troubles in Dongzhou – to defeat that scoundrel so he could return to the capital for the wedding and enjoy his bride’s company every night.
News of Prince Huaiyang’s impending marriage had spread throughout Zhenzhou, with people privately discussing how the prince’s bride-to-be had risen from a humble sparrow to a phoenix in one fell swoop.
After returning from her medical treatment in Zhenzhou, the Princess Consort of Sui naturally shared some information about Prince Huaiyang’s new bride with her husband over dinner.
The Prince of Sui had been only half-listening until the Princess Consort mentioned that Prince Huaiyang’s fiancée was surnamed Liu and called Liu Mian Tang. At this, he slowly raised his head.
In recent days, the Prince of Sui had been busy preparing for his trip to the capital. Although he had heard reports from his subordinates about Prince Huaiyang’s journey to the capital to receive rewards, he hadn’t inquired about it in detail. As for Prince Huaiyang bringing back a woman to marry, it seemed like a matter only women would care about.
Since the bride wasn’t from a noble or influential family, there was no political alliance to consider, so the Prince of Sui naturally paid little attention to it.
However, he never imagined that the woman Cui Xingzhou intended to marry was Liu Mian Tang from Xizhou!
The Prince of Sui had only eaten half his meal before setting down his chopsticks. He then thoroughly interrogated each of the spies who had returned from the capital.
Only then did he gain a clearer understanding of this seemingly impossible marriage?
The Prince of Sui was shocked that Cui Xingzhou would dare to go against convention and marry such a female bandit leader!
Beyond the shock, he felt a sense of having his prey snatched from the tiger’s mouth.
Now he understood why Cui Xingzhou had meddled in affairs that didn’t concern him, and why the people he had sent to abduct the bride had never returned.
After hearing his subordinates’ reports, he glared ominously for a long while before suddenly bursting into laughter. However, his laughter was filled with endless malice: “Well done, Prince Huaiyang! You constantly oppose me, always trying to snatch what I desire! But we’ll see who has the last laugh…”
To be honest, due to this momentary oversight, he had missed a great opportunity to drive a wedge between Cui Xingzhou and the new emperor.
However, knowing now was still beneficial, as he could plan accordingly.
If Prince Huaiyang continued to grow in power, it would eventually pose a threat to his ambitions. The current unrest in Dongzhou presented a good opportunity. If utilized properly, he could eliminate Prince Huaiyang and effortlessly obtain the woman who increasingly piqued his interest.
Originally, the Prince of Sui’s interest in Liu Mian Tang had been merely curiosity about an intriguing novelty he wanted to play with. But now, this woman who was about to become Prince Huaiyang’s wife truly aroused his competitive spirit.
“Liu Mian Tang,” he thought, “I’d like to see what charms you possess that have bewitched someone as cold and hard as Cui Xingzhou!”