Chapter 78 "The beauty is drunk, and he teaches his wife by the pillow."

==Chapter 78: Running Away from Home==

The cool night air drifted in through the window. Su Wanyue blinked, and it took her a while to realize that she had been in the palace before she fell asleep, and woke up on a pleasure boat. Anyone would find it unbelievable. Seeing that his wife was clearly still not over it, the emperor said unhurriedly, "I have already told the Empress Dowager that she will take good care of Xixi."

Su Wanyue frowned slightly and said softly, "Xixi is still so young..."

“Wanwan, Xixi is destined to be a queen. She’s not as delicate as you think. There are so many people in the palace taking care of her. Don’t you trust your own daughter?” Xiao Yu’s slender fingers stroked her smooth black hair as he asked slowly.

The emperor would certainly cherish and pamper his wife, and he would also pamper his daughter, but he would not indulge her blindly. He would discipline her strictly when necessary.

Su Wanyue glanced at him, her eyes filled with reproach, "Anyway, it's always my husband who's right."

Xiao Yu gently lifted his soft wife down, his warm, slender fingers lightly stroking her head. On the table were cloud-shaped cakes, water chestnut cakes, crabapple cakes, and lychee syrup. The emperor said, "Don't overthink it, hmm."

The painted boat was decorated like a small pavilion. Su Wanyue had just slept for a long time and was not sleepy at all. Bright stars hung in the sky at night, gleaming with silver light. She stood by the window looking at the moonlight, while Xiao Yu played with his teacup while watching her.

That evening, Xiao Yu and Su Wanyue played chess on a painted boat. After the game, another romantic affair ensued. Ripples spread across the water, and Xiao Yu, breathing heavily, said in a low, husky voice, "Why am I even more sensitive than in the palace?"

Su Wanyue pinched his waist hard and kept trying to hide in his arms.

Once again, Xiao Yu placed a kiss on his wife's delicate and beautiful cheek. He really enjoyed spending time alone with her.

***

Unlike the capital, the scenery of Jiangnan is elegant, with winding streams and many literati gathering in pavilions to compose poems and discuss literature. The prefect of Jiangnan had known for a long time that the emperor and empress were coming to Jiangnan, but he did not know when they would arrive. Therefore, he waited at the city gate every day. When he saw the outstanding young couple, the prefect's eyes lit up. Six years ago, there was a flood in Yunzhou, Jiangnan. When he was the magistrate of Yunzhou, he had the honor of seeing the emperor when he was still Prince Cheng. So he saw the emperor and empress at a glance. The prefect hurriedly led his men over and said, "This humble official greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

Emperor Xiao Yu and Prefect Wen Kang of Jiangnan had met before, but this was the first time he had seen the Empress. Her temperament was as radiant as spring blossoms, elegant and gentle. Standing next to His Majesty, she did not overshadow his beauty at all. They were a perfect match. No wonder the Emperor and Empress were treated with the same esteem, and the people of the world praised the Empress so highly.

"Lord Wen, you may rise." Xiao Yu raised his hand, and Wen Kang stood up neither servilely nor arrogantly, leading the two to the government office. The meal was arranged at Fanghua Pavilion, and each dish was exceptionally exquisite and delicate, brought to the Emperor and Empress by a flowing stream. In addition to Wen Kang, the minor officials under the prefect had also arrived at the Wen residence in advance. They were all too excited to see His Majesty and the Empress here. Wen Kang stretched out his long arm, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this way please."

The scenery of Jiangnan is extremely picturesque. Su Wanyue married into Beili five years ago and has been living in the capital ever since. This is her first time in Jiangnan. She loves the scenery of Jiangnan, so when the servants offered her wine, she couldn't help but drink a little more.

Wen Kang and the others accompanied the emperor as they discussed matters of state, including taxes in Jiangnan. As the emperor listened, he kept glancing at his wife out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that she was clearly drunk and wanted to remind her, but he was worried about spoiling her enjoyment.

Seeing his wife's complexion as fair as spring flowers in March, her almond eyes glazed over—clearly she was drunk—Xiao Yu rose unhurriedly. The officials, including Wen Kang, were surprised to see their emperor suddenly stand up and assumed they had said something to displease him. Just as they were about to explain, the emperor bent slightly, his delicate hand gently touching the Empress's forehead to check her temperature. "Drunk," he said.

Su Wanyue looked at the man in front of her with hazy almond-shaped eyes. Although she was drunk, she was still clear-headed and knew who the man in front of her was. She shook her head slightly and said that she was not drunk, but her appearance clearly showed that she was drunk.

Upon seeing this, the prefect of Jiangnan quickly stood up. He first ordered his servants to prepare a hangover soup, and then had them lead His Majesty and the Empress to the Lotus Garden. The scenery of the Lotus Garden was the prefect's specialty, with its pavilions nestled against the mountains and beside the water, resembling a fine ink painting of mist and rain.

His wife was even more obedient than usual after getting drunk. Perhaps realizing that she was drunk, she closed her eyes and leaned obediently against the emperor's chest. Xiao Yu gently placed her on the couch and tucked the blanket in.

The prefect's servants brought over the hangover soup that had been prepared in advance, and were about to feed it to the Empress when the handsome Emperor took the soup from her. Seeing this, no one dared to disturb him further and curtsied before retreating.

Xiao Yu fed his wife the hangover soup, but she wasn't very cooperative. He could tell that she didn't like bitter things, but she definitely had to drink the soup. So Xiao Yu put the soup aside, lowered his head to kiss his wife, and tasted the grape-flavored wine in her mouth. He gently told her that she was drunk and that if she didn't drink the soup, she would feel unwell when she woke up tomorrow.

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable with what she was hearing, Su Wanyue made a soft "hmm" sound and struggled to sit up. Xiao Yu supported his wife's thin back with his large hand and fed her the hangover soup. After finishing the bowl of soup, Xiao Yu held his wife in his arms and fell into a deep sleep.

A gentle breeze was refreshing, and the environment was invigorating. Hearing that the Emperor and Empress had already retired for the night, Wen Kang told the other officials to go back first and come again another day.

After the Empress Dowager became the Prefect, Wen Kang finished all his official duties half a month in advance, eager to spend time with her at the residence. However, the Empress Dowager didn't need his company at all, leaving Wen Kang feeling somewhat ashamed. That day, Xiao Yu and Su Wanyue went to the First Pavilion in Jiangnan for tea and music. A young man in fine clothes, seemingly of noble birth, saw Su Wanyue's graceful figure and his eyes widened. He beckoned to his servants and swaggered over, flashing what he considered his most dashing smile, "This young lady..."

Before he could even reach out, a heavy folding fan pressed down on his slightly chubby arm, nearly breaking it. The young master in his fine clothes grimaced and groaned, repeatedly crying out in pain. At the same time, he tried to figure out who this man was who had pressed down on his arm with the fan. He wanted to know who was so bold as to not even recognize the local tyrant of Jiangnan, who was beyond the reach of even the prefect of Jiangnan, yet someone dared to lay a hand on him in this very territory.

He cried out in pain, finally seeing the face of the person who had attacked him. The person was handsome, with delicate eyebrows, a refined and elegant bearing, and eyes that held an air of dominance that made Lu Feng unable to lift his head. Who were they? Even though he was afraid, Lu Feng maintained a fearless posture, straightening his back. "Young master, do you know who I am?"

Xiao Yu scoffed lightly. Lu Feng felt the contempt shown to him, and his cheeks burned with pain. Just as he was about to retort, Xiao Yu moved his folding fan. Although it was just a slight movement of the fan, he felt a sharp pain in his fingers, which spread throughout his body. This person's martial arts must be unfathomable. Lu Feng panicked completely, tears streaming down his face. "It was my fault for not recognizing your greatness. I know I was wrong. I hope you will not hold it against me, young master."

"Apologize." Xiao Yu's voice was calm and even, but it carried a chilling undertone.

Lu Feng then looked at Su Wanyue. The girl in front of him truly deserved the title of "beautiful as a fairy." However, at this moment, he dared not admire her, nor did he care to. He sincerely apologized to Su Wanyue, saying that he was in so much pain that he was about to faint, and his words were trembling.

Xiao Yu opened his folding fan, and Lu Feng's servants quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Young Master."

Lu Feng was in so much pain that he could barely stand. He felt like his hands were about to be broken. If he were at home, he would definitely be crying his eyes out, but under the coercion of the man in front of him, he could only hunch over, be subservient, and leave with a lifeless look in his eyes.

The other onlookers applauded, praising his courage.

Su Wanyue glanced at Xiao Yu with bright eyes. The man lowered his gaze and scratched her palm. The woman quickly withdrew her hand.

When the prefect of Jiangnan heard about this, he hurriedly explained to the emperor, “Your Majesty, you are unaware that the Lu family is a prominent family in the Jiangnan region. Every year when the court collects taxes, the Lu family does not hesitate to pay them. However, the head of the Lu family only had this youngest son late in life, so he spoiled him so much that he became arrogant and ignorant. He is greedy for beautiful women, but he does not dare to go too far.”

However, since he dared to covet the Empress, it's no wonder His Majesty took action to teach him a lesson.

There are some things the prefect of Jiangnan can manage, but these family matters are really not something Wen Kang can easily handle. However, this matter today certainly cannot be left ambiguous.

Xiao Yu gave Mo Yu a wink, and that very day the head of the Lu family learned of what his youngest son had done. He immediately imposed family discipline, ordering him to reflect on his actions in the mansion for three years. Upon learning that the people he had offended were His Majesty and the Empress, Lu Feng was so frightened that he dared not leave his room for more than half a year. But that's another story.

On the day His Majesty and the Empress returned to the capital, a light drizzle fell from the sky. The Prefect of Jiangnan personally escorted His Majesty and the Empress to the city gate and watched them leave.

They returned to the capital in a carriage, with a thick fox fur rug on the chairs. Xiao Yu asked his wife if she had anything to say, and Su Wanyue said softly, "Lord Wen is a good official."

During their two weeks in Jiangnan, the prefect of Jiangnan worked diligently and conscientiously, and the people of Jiangnan had a high opinion of him. Xiao Yu smiled upon hearing this, "I will keep an eye on it."

His wife was the most remarkable of all; as she said, Wen Kang was indeed an honest and upright official.

At that time in the palace, Qin Ruofu carefully combed the little girl's hair into two small buns. The little girl's face in the mirror was fair and rosy, and she looked extremely cute. In the first few days after the Emperor and Empress left, the little girl did not sleep well at night, but she did not cry or fuss. During the day, she still went to the study obediently. Qin Ruofu felt that the little girl's personality was sometimes just like Wanwan's, which was quite endearing.

"Xixi, your father and mother have returned to the capital." She patted the little girl's head and smiled.