Chapter 54. Idle talk.

Yongkang almost burst into tears while holding Daiyu, but fortunately, she managed to pull herself back to reason. Daiyu listened to her complaints and comforted her, saying that she couldn't repay kindness with ingratitude and what kind of behavior would it be to make someone cry.

Therefore, Yongkang forcefully suppressed the tears welling up in his eyes, took Daiyu's hand and stood up: "I haven't explored Fifth Brother's residence yet, Sister Lin, please take me to play in the garden!"

Daiyu smiled and said, "I haven't been sightseeing much either, let's go take a look together!"

Yongkang then said, "That's where Fifth Brother is wrong. He didn't even show you around. I'll have to scold him later!"

“You’re clearly just looking for an excuse to argue with your fifth brother, so don’t drag me into it.” Daiyu looked at herself in the mirror and, seeing that Yongkang was perfectly fine, then left the main room with her.

The Prince Duan's Mansion covers a vast area and was built with great ingenuity. Every corner has scenery worth appreciating, and it is impossible to see everything in a single day.

At lunchtime, Chu Heng came to find them. At that time, Daiyu and Yongkang were standing on the bridge watching the fish. When he approached, he heard Daiyu mention that she had seen many interesting fish on the back mountain of Longhua Temple, including some black ones.

Although Yongkang had been to Longhua Temple, she had never gone to the back mountain. She had only seen the ornamental fish, and the rest of the fish were already on the table when she saw them. Hearing Daiyu's words, she was very excited, but then she was also very regretful. At that time, she had also run around and played in many places, but her wet nurse stopped her from going to the stream or river. Not only did she miss the interesting fish, but she also missed the opportunity to spend more time with Sister Lin.

Hearing this, Chu Heng couldn't help but feel fortunate that Yongkang hadn't come up to him back then, otherwise he would have had even less time to spend with Daiyu.

"Why did you come here?" Daiyu saw Chu Heng, turned around to face him, and asked with a smile.

Chu Heng strode over to Daiyu, naturally took her hand, and smiled, "You seem genuinely happy. Aren't you hungry?"

Daiyu glanced at the sun and belatedly smiled, "So it's already this late?"

A strand of hair was blown by the wind and fell onto Daiyu's cheek. Chu Heng raised his hand and tucked it behind her ear: "I'll have someone set lunch in that pavilion over there. Otherwise, it'll be too tiring for you to walk back."

"Hmm," Daiyu said with a smile, "It's getting hotter every day, but it's cooler here."

Yongkang coughed lightly: "Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister-in-law, has either of you noticed there's someone else here?"

Daiyu then realized that Yongkang was still beside her, and she was immediately extremely embarrassed.

Chu Heng leaned over and looked at Yongkang: "Why are you still here in the way?"

Daiyu quickly said, "I'm hungry. Please be quiet and let's go have a meal first."

Chu Heng immediately stopped talking and reached out to support Daiyu, saying, "Walk slowly." Only after they had crossed the bridge did he take Daiyu's hand again.

Yongkang secretly marveled. These two were clearly not like this when they were alone, so why were they so affectionate when they were together? She really didn't understand.

After lunch and a half-hour rest, Daiyu and Yongkang went out for a stroll again, this time with Chuheng joining them.

Chu Heng had a ready-made reason: "I haven't shopped around much either."

Yongkang was speechless: "But this is your residence, and it's not like this is the first year you've moved in."

"Yes," Chu Heng replied casually, keeping his footsteps close to Daiyu's.

Yongkang: "..."

Daiyu lowered her head and chuckled softly.

When Yongkang returned to the palace in the afternoon, the three of them hadn't even finished touring the entire residence. Chu Heng smiled and urged Yongkang to hurry up: "If you're late, the palace gates will close, and you won't be able to get back. Be careful of being punished!"

"You're just trying to scare me, Fifth Brother. You better watch out, or I might ask for permission to stay at your house for ten days or half a month next time!" Yongkang threatened him, hands on his hips.

Chu Heng: "..."

Daiyu shook her head and smiled. This was a direct hit to Chu Heng's weakness. She came to his rescue, saying, "Yongkang, your fifth brother is just worried about you. He's afraid you'll be punished."

"Yes," Chu Heng hurriedly replied, "I was worried about you, you shouldn't..." A sharp pain in his arm made him swallow back the words of ungratefulness.

Yongkang crossed his arms and said, "I only learned today what it means to use brine to curdle tofu. There's always something that can subdue something else."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Alright, it's really getting late. If you want to play, you can come another day. We really have to go back today."

Yongkang then stopped, and helped the female official into the sedan chair: "Sister Lin, you go back with Fifth Brother, there's no need to see me off."

"Okay." Daiyu replied with a smile, told someone to lower the curtain, and watched the sedan chair disappear into the distance before she and Chu Heng slowly walked back to the main room.

"You've had a hard day dealing with her," Chu Heng said, looking at Daiyu with tender eyes.

Daiyu shook her head: "I'm not tired. It's quite fun chatting and laughing with Yongkang."

Chu Heng said guiltily, "I'm sorry, I couldn't give you the opportunity to make more friends."

Being the emperor's favored younger brother sounds incredibly prestigious, but it also places a constraint on Chu Heng, preventing him from freely associating with anyone. Daiyu is now the Princess Consort of Duan, and she must endure the same restrictions that Duan faces.

Daiyu exclaimed in surprise, "I just told Yongkang this morning that you two are really siblings, and now I have to tell you that again."

Chu Heng let out a breath and asked, "What did Yongkang say?"

Daiyu then picked out parts of their conversation and told him about them, finally saying, "Yongkang may be guileless, but she's not stupid. She'll be more careful in the future."

"I wonder who said not to learn to be cunning, but now she's saying it herself," Chu Heng teased.

Daiyu tilted her head and smiled: "I don't want you to say it in front of Yongkang, otherwise wouldn't that be deliberately trying to start a fight? I think you're deliberately trying to start a fight with me right now."

Chu Heng hurriedly protested his innocence: "Absolutely not! How could I dare to argue with you? Wouldn't that be a sure way to lose?"

"Huh?" Daiyu asked, feigning confusion. "Your Highness, are you saying that I'm very capable, so you don't dare to argue with me? Or are you saying that I'm quick-witted, but my arguments are all fallacies and heresies, so you can't win an argument with me?"

Chu Heng paused, then spread his hands with a bitter expression and said, "See, I told you, I was bound to lose."

"Hahahaha..." Daiyu burst into laughter at his appearance.

Chu Heng helped her step over the threshold, then patted her chest, his face always bearing a gentle and doting smile, until Daiyu laughed until her stomach hurt, at which point he added a touch of helplessness: "Alright, alright, rest a bit, let me rub your stomach."

Daiyu smiled and shook her head, clutching her stomach, saying, "I...I'm fine..."

Chu Heng felt even more helpless. Fearing that Daiyu would laugh uncomfortably, he said, "Let's talk about something serious so you can forget what happened earlier."

Daiyu leaned on his shoulder, panting, and asked, "What...is it?"

Chu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Didn't you say you kept Master Gu's calligraphy in a box and planned to take it out another day? Why don't we go find it now? I have two more pieces. Let's sit down and appreciate the calligraphy properly, shall we?"

Daiyu hugged Chu Heng's arm and laughed for a while before slowly stopping. She had laughed until tears streamed down her face. Chu Heng took a handkerchief and gently wiped them away, then asked someone to bring hot water for her to wash her face.

Daiyu then instructed Zijuan to find the calligraphy she had kept, and called Xueyan over to tidy her hair.

After a while, several calligraphy works were hung on the screen, and Chu Heng and Daiyu sat side by side on the soft couch to appreciate them.

...

The next day, Chu Heng ordered people to catch a lot of fish from Longhua Temple and the river outside, and keep them in the water at home.

“This is all running water; fish from outside should be swimming in. How can it all be these pretty ones?” Daiyu was fishing with a fishing rod when she suddenly remembered this and immediately turned to ask Chuheng, who was playing the zither.

Chu Heng said, "The water is flowing water, and so are people. With someone watching, I'm afraid that unclean things might come in with the water."

Daiyu hummed in agreement, then urged him again, "Don't stop! I'm waiting to catch some fish to make lunch for the kitchen!"

Chu Heng laughed and said, "If you can't catch any fish, does that mean we're going to go hungry?"

Daiyu blinked and laughed, "I can't catch any fish, it must be because your music isn't attracting them to the hook."

Chu Heng smiled good-naturedly and said, "Alright, it's all my fault."

Because of Prince Duan's mistake that day, they had to eat fish bought from outside for lunch. Daiyu refused to give up and went fishing again in the afternoon, but still caught nothing.

Daiyu insisted, "I'll come again tomorrow!"

Chu Heng hesitated, "Aren't we going out? We're going fishing again tomorrow. When are we going out to play?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu was immediately torn. She was determined to catch the fish, but she also longed to go out and play. She found it difficult to choose between the two.

She made her decision just before falling asleep that night: "I'll go out tomorrow."

Chu Heng smoothed her long, dark hair that fell over her shoulder and smiled as he agreed, "Okay."

Daiyu smiled faintly: "Then... rest for a while, we have to get up early tomorrow."

"Hmm... there's no need to get up too early." Chu Heng's eyes darkened, and he lowered his hand to grasp Daiyu's wrist.

After their wedding night, Chu Heng never hurt Daiyu again, but she could never forget how she felt that time.

Daiyu couldn't help but say, "No..."

Chu Heng had only been joking with her, but he hadn't expected her to react like this. He instinctively let go of her hand: "Don't be afraid, I...I didn't...I just..."

Daiyu pursed her lips before daring to look up at him. In the dim light, she could see the panic and sadness on his face. She whispered, "I wasn't scared."

The night was quiet, and Chu Heng heard those words very clearly. His heart instantly came to life, and he quickly and carefully took Daiyu's hand, asking softly, "What do you feel is wrong? Can you tell me?"

Daiyu stroked the hem of her dress. The curtains concealed the candlelight, and the dim, private space allowed her to say the words she was too embarrassed to utter during the day: "You...you're too fierce." Once she said that, the rest flowed much more smoothly: "I get up late every day, and the nannies all laugh at me."

Chu Heng never expected it to be for this reason. He had to admit that, being newly married, he had indeed become addicted to the pleasures of marriage.

"From now on..." Chu Heng had barely uttered a word when he realized his voice sounded off. He coughed lightly before speaking normally, "I won't be so fierce anymore, okay?"

Daiyu grasped his hand in return and said, "Mmm."

Seeing how compliant she was, Chu Heng couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation and said, "Then... is today okay? Just once, and I won't let you sleep in tomorrow morning?"

Even without candlelight, Chu Heng could see that Daiyu's face was flushed red all the way down to her neck, as if she had been smeared with rouge.

But she still nodded almost imperceptibly.