After the Emperor left, the military officials at most patched together a few doggerel verses. But even such poetry made them beam with joy, thinking they had opened the door to knowledge. When the market-opening drums sounded in the morning, the generals who had been drinking wildly all night finally staggered, preparing to go home. The Yun family’s carriage also came to pick up Yun Ye. Liu Jinbao’s strange smile made Yun Ye quite angry, but he was too tired to bother with him and burrowed into the carriage to sleep soundly.

In a daze, he returned home, flopped onto the bed, kicked off his shoes, and wriggled like a maggot into the bedding, planning to sleep until tomorrow. Xinyue and Na Rimu snuck in like two thieves. Xinyue gathered her husband’s shoes and placed them by the bed, then lay on him sniffing around like a puppy. Perhaps not detecting what she should detect, she had Na Rimu take a turn. Na Rimu also detected nothing—aside from the suffocating wine stench, there were no other scents.

They covered their husband with a blanket and quietly left. Turning around the corner of the building, Na Rimu said irritably, “Those kids were talking nonsense. Husband would never go to those messy places. Na Rimu is so beautiful—why wouldn’t he come find me instead of looking for those ugly women?”

Xinyue imitated Yun Ye by pacing back and forth with hands behind her back. After two rounds, she said suspiciously, “Xiao Wu might lie, but Shishi wouldn’t. Hearing them say he went to a pleasure house means he definitely went. But Liu Jinbao said husband accompanied the elders drinking all night at our family’s tavern, and there’s no powder scent on him. Looks like the kids heard wrong—they heard ‘pleasure house’ when it was ‘tavern.'”

Na Rimu nodded obsequiously like a lackey, agreeing that elder sister was right. Just as she was preparing to return to her room to see her daughter, she heard Xinyue say through gritted teeth, “Are you really that beautiful? Am I some kind of hideous monster?”

Xinyue had always been petty. Na Rimu gave her a big smile, walked quickly a few steps, and went to her own room. Best not to provoke Xinyue at times like this.

There was still a big pile of matters at home waiting to be handled—no time to pick on Na Rimu. Today’s weather was good. The fur clothes in the storeroom all needed to be taken out to air, lest they get damp. Some copper coins had also developed green rust and must be soaked in medicinal solution. She’d have the maids use brushes to scrub the silver cakes too—they looked uncomfortable all dark and grimy.

The inner courtyard was her domain. She always enjoyed the feeling of being in charge. A whole house of women—aside from old grandmother, didn’t the rest all depend on her management? Those Shu embroideries in Runniang’s dowry should see some light too. Airing out bridal trousseaus—today seemed like a good day for it. In the future, when all the household girls married off one by one, the courtyard would also empty. The garden was too small, not as large as the Princess’s. Everything was planted with flowers. Though the colorful display was beautiful and perfume was a major household income source, this was a home, not a workshop. In some more years, husband should also be promoted. She didn’t hope for county duke, but becoming a county lord was very possible. The garden must be renovated—a pond, brocade carp, carve some animal heads to hang at the spring outlets for an impressive look. Not like now, with bees flying everywhere annoyingly.

Seeing grandmother enter the Buddhist hall and the little one taken to the treehouse by the wet nurse, Xinyue began strutting proudly around the courtyard issuing orders. The accounting office with several warehouse managers went in and out moving money, mixing medicinal solutions. Maids took out all the household’s stored winter clothes, hung them on ropes, and beat them with rattan paddles. She sat in a rocking chair drinking tea, looking east and west, not letting Xiao Wu and the others in—as long as those troublemakers entered, the household couldn’t accomplish anything.

Aunts, sisters-in-law, and elder sisters also took things from their rooms, with the help of their own maids arranging and airing everything piece by piece before storing them away again. Playing mahjong was the most important matter of the day.

There was only one outsider in the inner courtyard—Chengxin. None of the women in the courtyard considered him a man. Besides, he wasn’t really a man. All day long dressed in bright colors, holding an orchid finger while embroidering—it was crazy. Among a whole courtyard of women, not one embroidered as beautifully as he did. Husband had said that in this world, the most outstanding in every field were men. The best chefs were men, the best tailors were men, those who made the finest rouge and powder were also men. Women were only left with the one use of bearing children. Her own husband was just like that—cooking, sewing, proficient at everything, excellent at everything. If he didn’t do something, fine, but once he did, women like them couldn’t catch up even spurring their horses.

She gave a languid moan. Marrying a husband like this—who knew what virtue she’d accumulated in her past life? As long as he was home, she felt lazy and didn’t want to move at all. The family business gradually grew stronger, and the children grew taller day by day. Yesterday he could already call her “mother” completely. Thinking of these things, her heart felt comfortable. Best if such days never had an end.

Hypatia arrived, and Xinyue’s pleasant dream shattered. Looking at Hypatia’s delicate features, flaxen hair, cat’s-eye-like eyes, and exquisitely proportioned figure, Xinyue found her more hateful the more she looked. That butt so big and round, chest piled up so high, not even knowing to cover up a bit—truly shameless.

“Marquis Yun promised me a small building. I’ve come to take possession of it. Also, I very much need a carriage. Please have him arrange it all together. The small building I want must be able to house all of us. I don’t need servants, but the procurement of vegetables and rice for my building must be handled by you. I like tranquility. Aside from Marquis Yun, the rest of you needn’t come disturb me. I need to quickly enter a working state, otherwise it would be disrespectful to life.”

Hypatia spoke very directly. Since Yun Ye valued her scholarship, then providing her some necessary conveniences was only natural. Other people’s thoughts were irrelevant. She had suffered indignities for so long—it was time to hold her head high.

Xinyue’s face turned black as charcoal. Though she said nothing aloud, in her heart she was roaring: “On what basis—just because of your millstone-like butt? I’m the legitimate wife of this household. You, a singing girl, dare to order me around imperiously in my own home?”

She drank a mouthful of tea to suppress her fury and said to Hypatia, “My clumsy husband hasn’t mentioned these matters to me yet. As for how to handle this, we need to wait until my husband wakes up before deciding.”

“Heavens! As a scholar, how can one so stifle one’s own life, spending precious time on excessive sleep? This is irresponsible to himself.”

Xinyue’s anger could no longer be suppressed: “What is your status to dare speak of my husband this way? You, a barbarian woman, arriving at the door in broad daylight making a big fuss—already shameless. You actually dare speak such nonsense in my home—what audacity! Someone, throw her out!”

Immediately several burly matrons prepared to throw Hypatia out, but were blocked by her attendants. Hypatia briefly reviewed the causes and consequences and immediately knew where things went wrong. Pushing aside those attendants, she said to Xinyue, “Madam, forgive my presumptuousness. I think there’s been a misunderstanding between us. I’m not some singing girl—I’m a guest professor at the academy. Those requirements I mentioned to you just now are my salary.”

“Additionally, I’m also a ceremony guest invited by His Majesty the Emperor. My name is Hypatia, from distant Egypt.”

Xinyue desperately wanted to find a crack to crawl into. Indeed it was so. In Chang’an City, no barbarian singing girl would dare speak this way to a titled lady. Those who dared speak this way—unless she was an important guest.

Having the matrons withdraw, Xinyue stood and bowed to Hypatia saying, “Just now I was rash. I didn’t realize you were an important guest. My clumsy husband didn’t explain to me. Please don’t take offense.”

Hypatia laughed covering her mouth, grasped Xinyue’s hand and said, “Beautiful madam, you are the most beautiful person I’ve seen since entering the Tang nation. You should have confidence in your appearance. As for me, Hypatia—two hundred years ago I already married Truth. Eight generations of Hypatias, not one has married. We’re only interested in scholarship. Men to us are not necessities, so you needn’t worry I’ll fall in love with the Marquis. I’m more interested in the knowledge in his brain than in him as a person.”

Only then did Xinyue truly relax. This woman wouldn’t marry, so she posed no threat to herself. Academy teachers were all great scholars. Husband respected each of them. Since this barbarian woman could be an academy professor, she must have real ability. Regarding scholarship, the Great Tang had always been respectful—regardless of how big your butt was.

Excusing herself, she returned to the bedroom. Seeing her husband open his eyes looking at the ceiling as if just awakened, she was about to tell him a guest had come when Yun Ye pulled her onto the bed and in two or three moves untied her chest wrap. Men who just woke up always had strong fire.

Letting his hands misbehave on her body, she still said, “There’s a barbarian woman looking for you, come to collect a debt.” Xinyue was very satisfied with her husband’s performance. This eagerness now meant he hadn’t fooled around last night—he really had drunk all night.

“Bad luck! Why does that stinking woman come at exactly this time? Would it kill her to come later?” Yun Ye muttered, lifted his head from his wife’s chest, irritably arranged his clothes, and prepared to see Hypatia.

Xinyue fastened her chest wrap, saying with a grin, “Outside women really know how to seduce, making husband’s fire so strong. Now I’m not comfortable letting you be alone with that big-butt woman.”

“If she weren’t called Hypatia, I might have some interest. But with that name, this woman is no different from a man. Honestly, I’m more worried about you being with her. This type of woman with strong control desires—who knows, her interest in women might be even greater than in men.”

“Husband is talking nonsense, right? How could women like women?” Xinyue didn’t believe such things could happen.

“Look at Chengxin and you’ll know. Some men like men—why wouldn’t there be women who like women? You’re just ignorant from limited experience. In any case, stay away from her from now on. I’ve noticed she’s unusually good to her maidservant.” Xinyue shuddered, strenuously trying to shake some filthy images from her mind, and followed closely behind Yun Ye to the front hall to see that barbarian woman.