Chapter 47 "Do you have any energy? Yuanyuan was still..."

"On Yuanyuan's birthday, Brother Tang spent the whole day with you. How about Yuanyuan celebrates her birthday with Brother Tang tonight?"

Meng Yuanxiao's birthday is the Lantern Festival. Ever since she can remember, her brother Tang has been there for her every birthday.

He couldn't disturb the Meng family during the Lantern Festival, but she would pester her eldest and second brothers to take her out to see the lanterns. Once outside, her brother Tang would stay with her all night.

He accompanied her to see the lanterns, solve riddles, and go shopping to eat all sorts of delicious food. He wasn't usually very patient, but on her birthday night, he was incredibly patient.

Last year, on her fifteenth birthday, Lu Erlang actually found her and said that the Lu family had built a large and beautiful lantern tree. He also asked someone to make a beautiful glass lantern for her and invited her to see it.

But she refused. Although she really wanted to play with Lu Erlang, she still preferred to be with Tang Gege on her birthday.

On her birthday this year, she was having a cold war with her brother Tang because of the Lin family's affairs, and didn't want to talk to him all day.

That day, Brother Tang stayed with her all day, following her wherever she went. After watching the lanterns that night, she threw a tantrum and refused to return to the Cui residence, but he indulged her and accompanied her to her own house.

However, she had never celebrated Tang-gege's birthday with him, and didn't even know when his birthday was.

Thinking about all this, Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but soften his heart.

Cui Xintang saw this, and with his large hand he pinched her slender waist and pressed her down.

Meng Yuanxiao was sitting facing him, and she noticed it immediately through his clothes.

Her face flushed red instantly.

Cui Xintang chuckled and kissed her on the lips, "Yuanyuan, don't you miss your Tang-gege at all?"

"..."

*

When Meng Yuanxiao woke up the next day, Cui Xintang was still there, leaning lazily against the headboard, casually flipping through her storybook.

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned for a moment. Cui Xintang glanced at her and asked, "Awake?"

He raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "If Yuanyuan doesn't wake up soon, Brother Tang's arm will go numb."

Meng Yuanxiao blushed slightly, stretched, and sat up. "Brother Tang, why haven't you gone to the yamen yet?"

"I asked my superior for leave today to spend the day with you," Cui Xintang said casually, before pulling him close and kissing him on the lips.

"Mrs. Chen came over just now, but I sent her away. What does Yuanyuan want to do today? Brother Tang will keep you company."

His behavior was truly unusual. Meng Yuanxiao nestled in his arms, looking up at him with a suspicious expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Cui Xintang chuckled, and gently pinched her cheek with his arm around her. "Aren't you upset that your brother Tang doesn't spend time with you? Even if your brother Tang is an ox or a horse, he should rest for a day or two from time to time."

Meng Yuanxiao pouted, snuggled closer to him, buried her face in his chest, and refused to speak.

Meng Yuanxiao had been sulking with him, and the two hadn't been this intimate in a long time. They leaned against each other, creating a rare and warm atmosphere.

Cui Xintang casually flipped to a page of the storybook, her other hand gently stroking Meng Yuanxiao's waist. "Where did Yuanyuan get this storybook from?"

"It was a gift from Mingyue," Meng Yuanxiao said absentmindedly.

As she spoke, her hand unconsciously slipped inside his shirt.

Cui Xintang let her be, but couldn't help glancing at her.

He woke up first, and Yuanyuan was still sleeping soundly with her head on his arm. Afraid of waking her, he let her continue to use his arm as a pillow.

With nothing to do, he leaned against the headboard and casually picked up the storybook that Yuanyuan had placed beside him and flipped through it.

The stories young ladies like are all about the love and hate of scholars and young ladies, extremely clichéd. I originally thought this one was the same, but I never expected that someone would write a story about a martial arts hero.

Cui Xintang was busy with official business and rarely paid attention to Wu Tanhua's affairs. When he saw the contents of the storybook, he was stunned.

Previously, no one dared to make up stories about the top three scholars (状元探花) at will.

Three years ago, he passed the imperial examination with the third-highest rank and broke off his engagement. He often received handkerchiefs from young ladies who tried to send him gifts, but he told Qingzhu to throw them all away.

Even so, no stories about him have ever circulated among the public.

This year's newly crowned martial arts champion is a woman, and both in the imperial court and among scholars, there is a secret disdain for her.

Those who write vernacular stories are all scholars; which scholar would be willing to promote her?

So, the reason why this story came about and spread is obvious.

As she was thinking this, Meng Yuanxiao suddenly asked, "Brother Tang, I heard that Wu Tanhua has joined the Palace Guard, is that right?"

“Hmm,” Cui Xintang said casually, “Besides holding a seventh-rank official position in the Palace Guard, he also serves as a martial arts professor at the Imperial Academy.”

Meng Yuanxiao immediately sat up from his embrace, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling. "In the Palace Guard, that means working with my second brother. Could I ask him to take me to see Martial Arts Scholar?"

"...What do you want to see Wu Tanhua for?" Cui Xintang asked.

Seeing that Meng Yuanxiao was unhappy, he added, "The Palace Guard is further divided into several Case Departments, which don't necessarily mean that you'll be working with Meng Zheng."

Meng Yuanxiao pouted, gave a displeased snort, and leaned back into his arms to read the storybook with him.

"Brother Tang, you're so boring."

Cui Xintang was amused by her and pinched her chest, "Do you have any strength? Yuanyuan didn't know last night?"

Meng Yuanxiao's face flushed red, and she removed his hand.

Cui Xintang knew exactly what she was thinking. He subconsciously held a hint of rebuke in his eyes, glanced at her, and said, "Yuanyuan, do you really think that Wu Tanhua will have a smooth journey in the Palace Guard and the Imperial Academy?"

"Why not?" Meng Yuanxiao frowned at him. "You were the martial arts scout in the same year as Brother Tang, didn't you also enter the Palace Guard back then?"

Just as Cui Xintang was about to speak, he noticed her displeasure and, after thinking for a moment, decisively shifted the blame to Meng Zheng.

“Meng Zheng works in the Palace Guard, so he must know something. Yuan Yuan is curious, so go ask him.”

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

How could she not know that although her brother Tang was working on the new policies in the Ministry of Revenue, it was not voluntary, and he did not believe in women being able to hold official positions.

She snorted and looked away. "Anyway, there are already female officials in the court. You can't do anything about it even if you're unhappy. There will be more female officials in the future, which will make you furious."

She spoke the last few words softly and indistinctly, but Cui Xintang still heard them.

He was both angry and amused, and after a long while he asked in a low voice, "If you anger Brother Tang to death, does Yuan Yuan want to remain a widow?"

"..." Meng Yuanxiao's face turned even redder.

Cui Xintang then stopped teasing her and asked casually, "Yuanyuan, are you still thinking about becoming a female official?"

"So what if I am?" Meng Yuanxiao disliked this disdainful look and said defiantly, "I don't have the ability of a martial arts scholar, so I don't necessarily have to be an official like you, but I can do other things."

"for example?"

"For example, after Tang□□, you were transferred to a post outside the capital. I could certainly handle a minor official position under you, right?"

Cui Xintang paused for a moment upon hearing this, then looked down at her. "Didn't you say you didn't want to be assigned to a post outside the capital with me?"

Meng Yuanxiao choked, "I was just saying, for example."

After saying that, he muttered to himself, "It's okay not to leave the capital. You can also take the exam to become a painter. Painters are also female officials."

Cui Xintang: "...Yuanyuan, what use is being a minor official to yourself or to the government?"

Meng Yuanxiao opened his mouth, but was momentarily speechless at the question.

Cui Xintang looked at her with amusement. "A minor official's job can be done by anyone who is literate and clever. It doesn't matter to the yamen who does it. And a clerk's annual salary might not even be enough for Yuanyuan to buy a piece of jewelry or have a meal at a restaurant."

"We, Meng Xu and I, have to take care of everything for you, afraid that you will cause trouble or be bullied. You don't care about the affairs of the manor. Isn't that a loss for both sides?"

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

Cui Xintang: "So, Yuanyuan, why are you arguing with me about this? You can manage the household if you want, or leave it to Chen if you don't. Go out and play with Zhang Mingyue. Isn't that more comfortable than being a lady-in-waiting?"

Meng Yuanxiao was angered by him, "Then why do you come back to the manor so late every day, and then hide in the study as soon as you get back?"

"...I was on official business."

Meng Yuanxiao didn't believe it. "When you're on leave and don't have to go to the yamen, don't you also try to find ways to go out?"

Cui Xintang only wanted to dissuade her from her pointless attempt to become a female official, but he didn't expect her to have so many reasons, which gave him a headache.

He patiently coaxed, "Even during my days off, I often have to go to the government office, and I can't refuse invitations from friends and colleagues every time. Haven't I spent time with you whenever I could?"

"Heh, I know you even asked my older brother out during your day off."

"..."

“You yourself don’t want to stay in the manor, yet you want to trap me here. It’s meaningless for me to be a minor official in the yamen, isn’t it the same as being in the Cui manor? When I went to Yunping County with you, didn’t Sister Chen manage the household affairs very well? The household affairs are the same whether I’m here or not.”

"..."

“You just look down on me,” Meng Yuanxiao said.

“You said it yourself,” Cui Xintang refused to admit.

“Exactly!” Meng Yuanxiao wouldn’t be fooled so easily. “You not only look down on me, but you also look down on your sister-in-law. I told you before how amazing your sister-in-law is, that she’s better at riding horses and shooting arrows than those men, and you looked at me with disdain.”

"You look down on my sister-in-law, but she's incredibly capable, knows military strategy, and can lead troops in the army. Can you do that?"

She looked sullen, but Cui Xintang remained completely unperturbed.

He stared at Meng Yuanxiao for a long time before slowly saying, "Does Yuanyuan really think that after Li Shi and Meng Xu divorce, she can successfully take the military examination and enter the army as she wishes?"

"Why not?" Meng Yuanxiao frowned, subconsciously feeling that his words had a deeper meaning. "Even my elder brother said that if my sister-in-law were a man, she would be a general in the army without a doubt."

Cui Xintang raised an eyebrow. "You said it yourself, if it's a man."

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

“If she hadn’t married Meng Xu, it would be fine, but now that she’s married into the Meng family,” Cui Xintang said more seriously, “Yuanyuan thinks that after the divorce, the Meng family will let her run wild and embarrass your Meng family?”

"..." Meng Yuanxiao's face turned pale.

Cui Xintang looked at her with a half-smile, not at all feeling that her words were excessive.

Meng Yuanxiao suddenly didn't want to talk to him anymore. She tried to get up from his arms, but he stretched out his long arm and pulled her back.

"Didn't you insist on arguing with me about these things? You get upset even after I tell you." Cui Xintang's voice sounded somewhat helpless.

He dared not say that to her again, and coaxed her, "Didn't you always clamor to go to the mountain to see the flowers in the spring every year? Today, your brother Tang will take you to the mountain to play."

"Don't go." Meng Yuanxiao buried her face in his chest, looking completely listless.

Cui Xintang knew perfectly well that she was still preoccupied with Meng Xu and Li Keying's affairs, which was why she was so sullen.

He didn't want to talk to her about this, nor did he want her to get involved in the Meng family's affairs, so he said, "If you don't want to go, then you don't have to."

Meng Yuanxiao said, "Brother Tang, I dreamed of the Ye family."

Cui Xintang's hand, which was resting on her waist, paused.

Meng Yuanxiao's voice was muffled as he continued, "I dreamt that Ye Shi was soaking in the icy river water, smiling at me."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "Brother Tang, I never wanted to hurt anyone, but we killed Ye Shi. Every time I see Niu Niu, I think of Ye Shi."

Cui Xintang: "..."

Meng Yuanxiao looked up from his embrace and asked, "Brother Tang, how is the situation in Yunping County?"

Cui Xintang was silent for a moment, "When did Brother Tang break his promise to Yuanyuan? Brother Tang is not an irredeemable bad person. Yuanyuan will feel guilty, and so will Brother Tang."

He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Yuanyuan should trust Brother Tang and give him some more time."

After saying that, he gently patted her waist, "Aren't you hungry yet? Get up and have your meal."

The young couple rarely went to the Wu family's courtyard, so they ate in their own small courtyard.

After the meal, Hongshao came in and said, "Young Master, Qingzhu has come to report something to you."

Cui Xintang went out, and Meng Yuanxiao read a storybook in the room for a while. Before Cui Xintang returned to the room, Meng Yuanxiao put down the storybook and went out.

She stretched and strolled slowly to the courtyard gate, where she saw Cui Xintang and Qingzhu standing outside talking.

Meng Yuanxiao had no penchant for eavesdropping on others' conversations. With her hands behind her back, she strolled slowly around the courtyard once more.

As he strolled back to the courtyard gate, he saw that the two people outside had already noticed him. Cui Xintang was smiling as he looked at him.

Meng Yuanxiao paused, then looked at Qingzhu and said, "Qingzhu, what have you been busy with these past few days? I haven't seen you in so long."

She said, "You're even busier than Brother Tang."

Qingzhu choked, touched her nose, and said awkwardly, "Young Madam is joking. I just follow Master around every day and do some errands for him."

"What kind of errand are you doing?" Meng Yuanxiao blinked.

Qingzhu: "..."

Meng Yuanxiao then looked at Cui Xintang. Her gaze lingered on his waist before she asked, "Brother Tang, where's the folding fan I gave you?"

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her large, almond-shaped eyes looked at him with some displeasure. "You said before that you were afraid of getting it dirty in the countryside, but it's been so long since we got back, why haven't you used it?"

Cui Xintang paused for a moment and said, "After returning from Yunping County, I had people search for it in the study for several days, but we couldn't find it. I suppose the servants have taken it somewhere."

"Yeah?"

"...Hmm. Or when will Yuanyuan paint another folding fan for Brother Tang?"

“Okay,” Meng Yuanxiao stared at him for a moment, but didn’t argue with him and readily agreed, “I’ll help Brother Tang draw when I have some free time.”

After saying that, she didn't leave, but continued to stand there and wait.

After waiting a while, seeing that the person showed no intention of coming in, Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips and asked, "Brother Tang, are you going out again?"

"Yes, I have some official business to attend to," Cui Xintang said.

Meng Yuanxiao's eyes immediately reddened.

She looked at Cui Xintang with her big, watery almond-shaped eyes, and after a long while, she said aggrievedly, "Didn't you say you were going to stay with me today?"

It wasn't her who asked him to stay; it was him who said so. Besides, she should have been at the Meng residence with her mother and sister-in-law right now, but he insisted that she come back to be with him.

Cui Xintang looked apologetic and paused for a moment before saying, "I'll come back to be with you as soon as I'm done with my work."

After a slight pause, he asked again, "Should we send someone to the Zhang residence to invite Zhang Mingyue to go out with you?"