Chapter 13 'Steady as a Mountain': "I'm not going back." Yu Lang, bleary-eyed and lying on Shen Wanqing's rocking chair, slumped over with his hands...

"I'm not going back."

Lying on Shen Wanqing's rocking chair with his eyes half-closed in a drunken stupor, Yu Lang rested his hands on the armrests, turned to the side with half of his buttocks dangling in the air, and turned his head to look at his wife.

"What? You're not going back? Are you not going back, or am I not going back? Do you mean I'm going to stay at home with you and not go back?"

Chunxian brought in a bowl of hot hangover soup. Shen Wanqing tried to act like a virtuous woman and reached out to take it, but the bottom of the porcelain bowl was so hot that she immediately pulled her hand back.

"Let them do it, don't interfere in everything."

"I didn't interfere, I just picked it up casually, I didn't do anything."

Yu Lang pulled his wife's hand, pried open her fingers, and frowned as he looked at Shen Wanqing's reddened fingertips. He noticed that his wife always wanted to lend a hand with everything. Whenever the maid brought in tea, she would pour it for her whenever she had a spare moment.

Yulang thought this person was quite virtuous once or twice, but these past few days it's been like this every time. Even when washing her face in the morning, she wrings out the hot towel herself while Chunxian turns around to look for something.

As a young master raised by the Hesheli family, Yu Lang didn't quite understand why she would do such a small thing herself. He wanted to ask her, but then he felt that his relationship with Shen Wanqing wasn't at that level yet.

Until noon today, when I was sitting next to my father-in-law, Lord Shen initially acted quite convincingly. But after the banquet was halfway over and he had drunk quite a bit, he started holding my hand and rambling on and on about how his daughter was an honest girl and he hoped I would treat her well after she married into the family.

The Shen family is not short of money, nor is it lacking in influence. Their eldest brother-in-law has already passed the county-level imperial examination and become a scholar. If they can concentrate on their studies for a few more years, they might actually pass the provincial-level imperial examination.

If a family in the Manchu banner system produced a scholar who passed the provincial examination, even if he failed the imperial examination, the family could still find a way to secure him a government post outside the capital. In this way, the Shen family could enjoy wealth and prosperity for at least another generation.

If you really care about your daughter and think she's honest and taciturn, you should find her a family with a slightly lower social standing than the Shen family, preferably one that relies on Shen Hongshi for her career. That way, Shen Wanqing can truly stand tall in her husband's family.

The fact that the Shen family would have their daughter married to them, only to be criticized by her aunt on their very first day of marriage, is frankly a sign that the Shen family wanted to get on the coattails of the Hesheli family. Given this, it would be rather pointless for them to feign reluctance to part with their daughter now.

“It’s not okay if you don’t do anything. Just let them do what they want. You have to remember that you are my great-grandmother, Hesheli Yulang. Don’t always think about them.”

“Grandma, don’t be so obedient in the future. If it’s yours, you should ask for it. If you don’t want something, you should refuse it. Otherwise… no one will feel guilty for making you feel wronged. Do you understand? Do you remember?”

Shen Wanqing had no idea that Yulang was concocting a whole melodramatic drama in his mind, and that she was the poor little cabbage who had suffered countless hardships and grievances. She just found it quite amusing to be talked about like this by a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid.

"I understand, I get it, I'll remember it. If I don't lie down and sober up soon, I really won't be able to go home today."

"I said I'm not going back."

There's no reasoning with a drunk person. The man who was just now acting all mature and composed, trying to reason with Shen Wanqing, turned around and acted like a child, holding his wife's wrist and putting it under his head, curling up completely on his side in the recliner. "Mother said I should stay at home with you for two days before going back."

"When did you say that? I didn't know." Most newlywed brides have to return home before sunset. In the original owner's memory, there was no instance of a newlywed bride staying for more than a few days.

“It was something I mentioned when I went to pay my respects this morning. You were walking so fast that I had to stop you. That’s what I was talking about. The Mid-Autumn Festival is in about half a month. You just got married and you can’t even spend it at home. It breaks my heart to see you like this.”

"Alright, then we'll stay a couple more days." Without any pretense of politeness or saying it wasn't appropriate, Shen Wanqing quickly called Qiuwen in. "Go to Madam's place right away and tell her we're not going back today. Tonight we'd like to have lychee pork, Shaoxing wine chicken, a rice sausage with extra chili, and a fish head tofu hot pot."

"What is lychee flesh? Can lychee be made into meat?"

Yu Lang was led by Shen Wanqing to the bed in the inner room, his legs unsteady and his mind growing increasingly hazy. Even so, he still didn't forget to ask what lychee flesh was.

"Fujian's specialty dishes are sweet and sour and very delicious. You'll know once you wake up from your nap."

The original owner lived in Fuzhou with her parents for several years, and before that, Xu's family had been stationed in Changsha Prefecture for many years. Xu's taste was both spicy and sweet and sour.

When Xu first married into the Shen family, she was extremely unaccustomed to it. Fortunately, after so many years, she has influenced the tastes of the entire Shen family.

In addition to the chefs who cooked Beijing cuisine, the Shen family also employed a chef who cooked Hunan cuisine and a chef who cooked Fujian cuisine. Both chefs were very skilled, and their acquaintances often borrowed them to cook for large banquets.

"Yes, my grandmother stayed in Fuzhou. When we leave, I'll ask my father-in-law for the cook and bring him back with us."

"Alright, I'll leave this to you. We'll see what you're capable of then."

"You dare to ask for a cook? In recent years, five young ladies from the Shen family have married out, and none of them have ever managed to take a cook with them. Shen Wanqing finds it truly laughable that Yu Lang dares to set his sights on Xu Shi's precious daughters. She especially wants to see how he'll be turned on."

Hearing Shen Wanqing's words, Yu Lang nodded repeatedly. He wanted to say something more, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he became drowsy. When he woke up, it was already dark outside.

Inside, the scent of South China Sea red sandalwood was burning. The faint aroma of honey mixed with a light milky fragrance wafted through the curtains, relieving the grogginess and headache that should have come with a hangover.

"What time is it?"

"It'll be Hai Shi (9-11 PM) in a little over half an hour. You slept really long."

"Why didn't you wake me up? My parents-in-law are here. It's not right for me to still be asleep at this hour."

"Go to sleep, go to sleep. There's no one else in this room. Who are you putting on this act for? It's time for my parents to go to sleep too. There's nothing wrong with it."

Shen Wanqing pressed down on Yulang's shoulder. She had just returned from the Xu family's place, and if he really got up to go over there, she would have to accompany him. She didn't have the energy to go back and forth.

"Get up and wash your face. I asked the kitchen to save the food for dinner. Get up and eat something."

"No, I can't eat if I sleep too long. Make me some millet porridge and steamed buns, and I'll just have a couple of bites."

Yu Lang sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at Shen Wanqing in the dressing mirror. This room was Shen Wanqing's boudoir, and its furnishings and decorations exuded elegance and simplicity, completely different from the bright red and festive style of her home.

"Then have something to eat with me. I'm a little hungry after talking to my mom all night."

Shen Wanqing never had the habit of urging others to eat or drink; if they wanted to eat, they could eat, and if they didn't want to eat, going hungry all night wouldn't cause any problems. But the dishes Shen Wanqing ordered were so delicious that Yulang put the millet porridge aside after only a couple of sips, and picked up a piece of tofu soaked in milky white fish soup with his chopsticks—it was piping hot and sweet.

"This tofu is delicious, even fresher than fish." Without even touching the steamed buns that were brought to him, Yu Lang looked at his chopsticks flying up and down without stopping. He felt a little embarrassed and could only keep praising the Shen family's chef for his good skills and Shen Wanqing for her good taste in food.

As for Shen Wanqing deliberately asking him which chef he wanted to take with him when he went back, Yu Lang pretended not to hear her, and quickly and accurately picked up a piece of lychee flesh and stuffed it into his mouth: "Delicious, this lychee flesh is the best."

The young couple stayed at the Shen family's house for three days, only returning when the Mid-Autumn Festival was truly near. Madam Tongjia sent someone to the east courtyard specifically to tell them that the couple had been exhausted and didn't need to visit the main courtyard for the next few days, but could rest properly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wanqing immediately laughed, hugged the pillow behind her back, let out a cry, and fell onto the daybed. She had been getting up at dawn every day lately, and tomorrow she could finally get a good night's sleep.

Shen Wanqing never puts on airs in private, and Yu Lang likes to see her so carefree. He couldn't help but take off his boots and lie back on the daybed.

"Hold on, what did you promise me last night? What did we agree on for the next three days? You haven't forgotten, have you, old man?"

Perhaps because he felt it was a rare opportunity to sleep with his wife in her unmarried room, he didn't have a moment's peace for two out of the three nights he spent at the Shen family's house.

Since it was at the father-in-law's house, although it's perfectly normal for men and women to have such affairs, the two of them still tiptoed around afterward to clean up and wash. What should have been a perfectly legitimate and justifiable matter was made to look like they were stealing.

“I haven’t forgotten. Master didn’t say what he was going to do. Why do you have to think so much, Madam?”

Yu Lang hooked his finger around Shen Wanqing's left pinky and deliberately rubbed the callus on his thumb back and forth, making Shen Wanqing's temples throb. She couldn't help but complain to herself, how could this seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid have so much energy? If he kept doing this, she really wouldn't be able to handle it.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, a spoilsport appeared. Chang Shun's hurried footsteps approached from afar, indicating that something urgent had happened.

"Sir, someone is looking for you outside."

Who is it?

"They said he was a close attendant of Lord Lingpu and had taken Lord Lingpu's household token."

"Understood. Welcome them to the front hall. I'll be right there."

Ling Pu is someone both the original owner of this body and Shen Wanqing know. He is the husband of the wet nurse of Crown Prince Yinreng, a confidant of the Crown Prince, and was recently promoted to the position of Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department. He is extremely popular.

Don't let Yu Lang's status as the legitimate young master of the Crown Prince's maternal clan fool you; when it comes to being incredibly close to someone, ten Yu Langs combined couldn't compare to Ling Pu. Otherwise, why would Yu Lang have to greet someone so politely when they sent a servant to visit?

In the thirtieth year of Kangxi's reign, the Crown Prince's position was still secure. Kangxi had only just launched the first of his three campaigns against Galdan the previous year. In the palace, only the eldest prince, Yinzhi, had gotten married, and his primary consort had just given birth to the third princess.

The Crown Prince has several concubines in his Yuqing Palace, but the Crown Princess has not yet been chosen. The other concubines are all unnamed and live in a side hall of Yuqing Palace. Among them, only one concubine, Lady Li, gave birth to a son in February of this year, but unfortunately, he did not survive.

Further down the line, the third prince, Yinzhi, had just gotten engaged, and the future fourth prince, Yinzhen, was only thirteen years old. Two years ago, Empress Xiaoyiren passed away, and the fourth prince, who had been raised in Empress Xiaoyiren's palace, moved back to Yonghe Palace this year. Right now, besides studying, the young man's biggest headache is how to get along with Consort De.

As for the next generation, the fifth prince, Yinqi, was still struggling with Chinese characters in the Imperial Study, while the seventh prince, Yinyou, had difficulty walking and had finally managed to get a good horse from Emperor Kangxi. He was now pestering his riding and archery instructor, wishing he could stay on the horse's back all day.

Given this situation, the Crown Prince's position was so secure that there was absolutely no surprise. So even though Shen Wanqing had a lot to say, she could only pretend to be happy as she saw Yu Lang off, and only after turning around and entering the house did she slump her shoulders completely.