Jiang Xuanjin’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the person. His eyelid twitched, and with a stern expression, he placed the person on top of a stone lion at the entrance of the tavern. “If you want to stay at an inn, go by yourself!”
With that, he turned and walked away.
As a member of the scholarly Jiang family, they were a family of etiquette and propriety, raising their children to be upright and modest. Who would want to mess around with her?
Sitting dumbfounded on the stone lion, Li Huaiyu watched his retreating figure, pouting and reaching out to hug the stone lion, looking pitiful.
Qing Si followed behind, frowning. She was about to say that His Majesty was too strict, but the resolute figure stopped after a few steps and seemed to have suppressed his anger, retracing his steps to stand in front of his master.
“Aren’t you leaving?” Huaiyu sniffled. “I’m not leaving, I want to stay at an inn.”
“Do you think threatening me will work?” Jiang Xuanjin sneered.
After a moment, he found a nearby inn with this tipsy person.
Huaiyu squinted and smiled, “Why are you so cute?”
“Shut up!” he growled fiercely, carrying her and facing the strange looks of the innkeeper, they went upstairs and kicked open the door.
“Oops, Purple Sun Jun kicked the door!” Huaiyu stuck out her tongue and said to Qing Si behind her, “Quick, take note!”
Jiang Xuanjin turned back coldly, and Qing Si’s scalp tightened as she lowered her head and said, “This servant will go back to the palace to inform.”
After that, she used the lightness technique to escape quickly.
The inn was well-equipped and clean. It looked like a decent place. Huaiyu was about to jump onto the bed, but she was stopped by the person behind her, who grabbed her clothes.
Staring at the used bedding, Jiang Xuanjin couldn’t hide his disgust. He took off his outer robe and laid it down before allowing her to lie down.
Huaiyu’s face turned red. Not only did she lie down, but she also grinned and pulled him up. “Do you know why I wanted to come to the inn?”
“Your mind is clouded by alcohol.”
Laughing mischievously, Huaiyu raised her index finger in front of him. “No, one time I couldn’t return to the palace because it was too late, so I stayed at an inn. As a result, I was kept awake all night by the noise and got angry, so I wanted to bring you here for revenge.”
Jiang Xuanjin looked puzzled. “If you were kept awake by the noise, why did you bring me here for revenge? Couldn’t you just make some noise back?”
Looking at his solemn expression, Li Huaiyu couldn’t help but cover her eyes with her hand, sighing, “What should I do? You make me feel like I’m seducing a virtuous woman.”
“Say that again?”
“Being able to marry someone like Purple Sun Jun is great!”
“Mhm,” she planted a kiss on his face, Huaiyu hugged him, her drunken breath mixing with his, smiling like a child with rosy lips and white teeth.
Jiang Xuanjin was helpless, he pried her hand away to wipe her face and hands, then unbuttoned her outer robe to make her more comfortable.
Huaiyu half-closed her eyes and stared at him, waiting for him to finish. Suddenly, she asked, “Do you have any other wishes?”
This trickster, when she’s drunk, she’s hard to take care of, not only does she act crazy from the alcohol, but she also talks too much! Jiang Xuanjin grunted, too lazy to answer her. He blew out the lamp and got into bed, reaching out to hold her down to prevent her from falling off the bed.
With the scent of alcohol filling the air, Li Huaiyu, not behaving, kicked the quilt and stretched out her legs to rest them on his waist, rubbing against him.
His body stiffened, and Jiang Xuanjin’s tone was unkind. “What do you want?”
In the darkness, a pair of bright apricot eyes sparkled. Huaiyu lowered her voice and said in a mischievous tone, “Did you hear someone talking next door?”
Nonsense, the rooms in this place are close together, and the voices are clear. Next door were two travelers discussing which direction to take tomorrow, seemingly having a dispute and arguing.
Just as he was about to ask what was so interesting about that, she leaned in, the scent of alcohol mixed with her fragrance, filling his senses.
His pupils constricted, and he reached out to hold her waist, tilting his body slightly to let her straddle him. Huaiyu didn’t hold back anymore, becoming even more unrestrained as she kissed and nibbled on him, causing him to groan in response to her passion.
The travelers next door, who had been arguing, suddenly quieted down. After a moment, one of them spoke softly, “Did you hear anything?”
The other replied, “Didn’t listen carefully, but it sounded like…”
He didn’t finish his sentence but got up and stood against the wall to listen.
Jiang Xuanjin noticed and turned her shoulder, his knuckles stiffening.
Li Huaiyu didn’t take it seriously at all, she lowered her head and pecked him again, drunkenly saying, “When we got married, we didn’t get to drink the nuptial wine together. This can be considered making up for it. Is it good?”
The voice from next door gasped in shock.
Jiang Xuanjin’s face turned ashen, feeling both annoyed and at a loss. This person on top of him didn’t feel embarrassed at all. She reached out and pulled his clothes, touching his burning skin, and rubbing back and forth.
Shivering, he grabbed her wrist, took a deep breath, and lowered his voice, “Let’s go back to the palace.”
“It’s too late,” Huaiyu smirked, lowering her head to bite his ear and blow air into it. “I just like the way you look. It makes my heart flutter.”
“Li Huaiyu,” he called out her full name, each word squeezed out through his teeth, “You’ll regret it when you sober up.”
“Then let’s talk about it when I’m sober,” she waved her hand nonchalantly, boldly pulling up her inner skirt.
…
A well-operated restaurant in the capital was unexpectedly closed. Rumors spread among the people, and Qing Si went out to inquire and returned to the palace, asking her master, “Do you know what happened?”
Her head was pounding from the hangover, and Huaiyu massaged her temples with a pained expression. “Who knows, probably some tax evasion or something.”
“I heard it was an order from His Majesty. Don’t you want to ask him?” Qing Si asked.
Thinking about this made Huaiyu’s head hurt even more. “He’s acting strange today. He ignored me when he woke up this morning. I sent breakfast to him, and he sent it back.”
Qing Si frowned. “What could have upset His Majesty?”
“He’s always upset,” Huaiyu said, hands on hips. But then she couldn’t help but stroke her chin in thought. “Could it be that I did something excessive while drunk? How much more excessive could I have been? We were fine, weren’t we? We didn’t even leave Feiyun Palace when we woke up this morning.”
Qing Si glanced at her. “You and His Majesty returned just before dawn, not in the morning.”
“Really?” Huaiyu murmured, “I don’t remember what I did after I got drunk.”
She pursed her lips and said nothing. Qing Si suddenly felt a bit sympathetic towards Purple Sun Jun.
On a crisp autumn day, a rare day off in the palace, Jiang Laotaiye sat in the courtyard of Longyan Palace, happily playing with his grandchildren.
“Sui Sui is growing so well.” He laughed, his face wrinkling deeply. He reached out and lightly poked the little troublemaker’s hand. “The more she grows, the more she becomes a beautiful woman who will captivate the nation.”
Jiang Yan sat next to him, holding a cup of tea. After some thought, he said, “If she looks like Aunt Xiao, then she will indeed be captivating, but if she looks like Aunt Wang… let’s not discuss it.”
Grandpa Jiang glared at him, “What nonsense! Your third aunt is also beautiful!”
Jiang Chong took the opportunity to knock on Jiang Yan’s head.
Clutching his head in frustration, Jiang Yan smirked, “I was just speaking the truth. Do I get punished in this household for speaking the truth now?”
Li Huaiyu, who had remained silent, couldn’t hold back any longer. “It’s one thing to say that behind my back, but saying it to my face? Are you disregarding me?”
“My uncle said that a true gentleman doesn’t speak ill of others behind their backs. I only dared to speak because I saw it with my own eyes,” Jiang Yan retorted with righteous indignation.
Huaiyu snorted coldly, then reached out to pick up the little rascal and examined him for a moment. “Well, he does resemble his father, while the daughter takes after the mother. I’ll take him under my wing.”
Jiang Yan sighed, “Our Highness is truly pitiful.”
With a smile on his face, Huaiyu swiftly kicked out the chair Jiang Yan was sitting on. Caught off guard, Jiang Yan landed on the ground with a thud. Grimacing, he turned to complain, “Grandpa, look at her! She has no manners!”
The old master squinted his eyes into narrow slits, solely focused on his granddaughter. Under his breath, he murmured, “Can’t see, can’t see. Apart from your sister, Grandpa can’t see anything else.”
Jiang Yan: “…”
Life was becoming unbearable!
On the other side of the courtyard, Jiang Xuanjin and Jiang Shen observed from a distance.
Jiang Shen remarked, “Minister Bai visited the other day, but you were absent.”
“Hmm.”
“He now holds a prominent position as an Imperial Censor, thanks to your favor. He’s been grateful and has accomplished quite a bit. However, ever since you sent back his second daughter and imprisoned Lady Bai, he seems to have aged considerably.”
After a moment of silence, Jiang Xuanjin replied, “We’ll arrange something when we have the time.”
Hearing this, Jiang Shen knew that Jiang Xuanjin still remembered the favor of sheltering the fourth Miss Bai and wouldn’t let Bai Deqing suffer too much.
Relieved, Jiang Shen smiled and changed the subject, “Why do you look so grim today? People say the courtiers are afraid to speak loudly in your presence.”
Upon mentioning this, Jiang Xuanjin couldn’t help but recall that absurd night at the inn. His expression grew even darker.
The instigator on that end seemed to have forgotten everything, bouncing around with the little rascal in tow, her skirt fluttering, adorned with delicate peonies. When their eyes met, she even smiled at him.
Her eyes were enchanting, her beauty bewitching. Despite his anger, he couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat.
They had been married for a long time, weathered many storms together, and life had become smooth sailing. He expected it to feel dull, yet whenever he saw her, he still felt a flutter in his heart. Even if she infuriated him one moment, the next moment her smile would make him forget his anger.
The child in swaddling clothes burst into laughter, the clear sound echoing far away. With the breeze came the scent of osmanthus. Li Huaiyu spun the child around, her face radiant as the morning sun, inadvertently causing him to smile as well.
Jiang Shen watched from the side, a hint of envy in his eyes. “You two have achieved great harmony now, with a harmonious family and children. Do you have any other wishes?”
Other wishes? Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips. This was a question Li Huaiyu had asked him when he was drunk.
“I don’t think so,” Jiang Shen shrugged. “If I were you, I wouldn’t have any either.”
Shaking his head gently, Jiang Xuanjin replied, “I do.”
On the other side, Li Huaiyu looked down and noticed the little rascal had blown a big bubble. Unable to contain her joy, she ran over, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Watching her, he smiled and softly responded to Jiang Shen:
“One, may my lady live a thousand years. Two, may I remain healthy. Three, may we be like the swallows on the beam…”
Seeing each other year after year.
(The end of the main text)