Chapter 93 Reunion (12) Cohabitation

"In the past, I was supported by my family, adorned with flowers and jade, and served by servants. I was considered a model gentleman in the eyes of the world, receiving all the praise. Yet, I was also blinded by the dust of worldly affairs. I said I felt sorry for you, that I indulged you, but only because you are my wife. Our relationship is intertwined by interests, and you are also an innocent victim in this marriage. We will not last long, and I don't need to make things difficult for you in this matter. But in reality, there are many things I will never truly understand or comprehend about you."

For example, I don't know why you always get along with your parents and the elite families; I don't know why you are so willful and can't be more obedient and learn to behave properly, making things difficult for others; I am even less clear about the hypocrisy and greed you keep talking about...

From my perspective, the achievements of aristocratic families, honed over generations, are a result of their hard work and divine favor. Yes, it is true that excessive power, which allows them to control the transfer of power, can breed many problems. But which dynasty can guarantee that there will be no problems at all, or that it can guarantee so-called integrity and incorruptibility? Many things are just relative; human nature has always been like this.

Standing among the aristocratic families, even though I know some of the problems, even though I know the hardships of the common people, even though I know the conflicts between the gentry and commoners, I will never truly empathize with these things. Because I am not the one who truly experiences and suffers. You suffer cold looks and ridicule because of your birth, which I see as something that can be reconciled. As long as you put down your airs and learn to be a good wife in an aristocratic family, the problem will naturally be solved. You are unwilling to bow your head, unwilling to wrong yourself, and I will not force you, but I do not think you are right either. I just think you are spoiled, willful and ignorant. And I have indulged and tolerated you because I did not care. Without exception, it has become my tolerance and care, adding bricks and tiles to my worldly reputation. They have made me successful, and you are the one who bears the bad reputation. Have you ever thought that if there were no such rules and prejudices of social class, you would not be like this? What was the reason in the beginning? No one will delve into it.

Are commoners and those from humble backgrounds left with no way to seek help? When people come to me for help, I can resolve their problems with a wave of my hand, effortlessly. So I don't consider it a difficult matter. Among the aristocratic families, there are many like me, such as Wang Wu and Lu Wu. There is always a way out. I have no idea how many people they have begged, how many wrong paths they have taken, how many shoes they have worn out, how they have humbly begged and inquired around before finally coming to me. They have exhausted all their efforts to gamble on a possible act of kindness, and I help them with a casual remark. They are grateful to me, praising me as a gentleman and proclaiming my virtue to the world, while I don't even remember their names or what they look like.

They forgot that they shouldn't have acted this way, that they could have earned their positions through the proper channels of talent and virtue; I forgot that too.

The powerful clans, by consolidating their power, cut off the paths of many, yet offered them meager benefits, allowing them only a chance to breathe and survive. Many clans refused even these small benefits, instead using them as an opportunity to humiliate them to the extreme, treating them like ants under their feet. He did nothing, yet simply because no one else was willing to share a little with them, he became a saint in the eyes of the world, showered with praise…

But he was never a saint. He had his own selfish desires and did some bad things in that position. The image of a virtuous person was just a facade. He knew better than anyone what he was really like and felt unworthy of the title.

He said helplessly, "Liyang, I've been locked in that cage for far too long. All those praises and honors have numbed my spirit, made me lose my claws, and made me accept those established rules."

The man sighed, “During these years of asceticism, I have witnessed the purest malice and the purest kindness in this world. These are things that I could never have heard or seen from my previous position.”

He finally understood her past situation, her self-protection beneath her fierce exterior, the preciousness of her remaining kind and innocent in such circumstances, and the deep affection she left behind after her repeated compromises.

She said she had become bad and had started to learn to weigh the pros and cons before making decisions, but after weighing the pros and cons, she still chose him.

In her eyes, she herself was more important than any calculated gains or losses.

His wife was the truly wonderful person, as clear and transparent as jade, as graceful and proud as pine and bamboo, as fiery and exuberant as the sun, and as beautiful and charming as a peony... She was never simply a crude, reckless, illiterate, spoiled, and willful good-for-nothing.

Li Yunru never imagined that he had thought so much and paid so much for it. She felt ashamed of her narrow-minded guess.

The person lowered their head and lowered their eyes.

Yan Ning held her hand tightly and said sincerely, "Liyang, only at times like this do I feel that I am truly standing with you, that our hearts are the same."

"But I feel sorry for you."

"Silly girl." Yan Ning stroked her face, his eyes tender and affectionate. "This is my own choice, there's nothing to feel sorry about."

"Um."

He is not a three-year-old child; he has his own thoughts. People can take responsibility for their choices, and she shouldn't have thought that way.

But he was her husband, the closest person to her in the world besides her sister and brother. It's understandable that she thought this way. Human nature is such that people tend to favor those they are closer to and are more moved by everything about them.

Having figured all this out, she felt much better and stopped dwelling on it. She looked up, raised her chin, and said haughtily, "Then hurry up and cook! I've been waiting for you for ages, I'm starving!"

"Hehehe."

Yan Ning smiled helplessly; her emotions came and went quickly.

"Then you sit down, I'll be done in a bit."

After saying that, he carried the things into the kitchen, and a few moments later, some firelight appeared, brightening the room.

Li Yunru didn't sit down. Instead, she walked to the kitchen and leaned against the door to watch him tidy up.

Are you sure you can manage? Do you need my help?

"Need not."

He neatly tidied up the woodpile, lit a fire, and said, "It's getting late today, let me cook you some noodles. Eat and get some rest. Tomorrow when I have some free time, I'll let you try my cooking."

Can I say no?

Yan Ning turned to look at her, smiled and shook her head, "It seems like it won't work, because I'm a little tired too."

He had just recovered from the Gu poison attack and had been traveling for two days straight without rest, so he must be exhausted.

Li Yunru was just joking. Since she was so open and straightforward, she didn't mince words. "Then you'd better cook well another day. If it's too awful, I'll run away."

Yan Ning smiled helplessly and agreed, "Okay."

The noodles were made quickly; in less than 15 minutes, two steaming bowls of scallion oil noodles were ready. After the two finished eating, they quickly cleaned up and washed up before preparing to rest.

Yan Ning changed the mattress on the bed, picked up his bedding, and said, "You sleep here, I'll go to the next room."

There are only two or three rooms in the courtyard. The room next door must have been used by the previous owner to store miscellaneous goods. It was small and dark. He was a clean person and cleaned it up very well after he moved in, but it was not much better. How could anyone live in such an environment?

Besides, this is a place he rented; it's his home, his house...

There's no reason for a guest to kick the host out to stay.

"stop!"

As he was about to leave, Li Yunru called out to him, "What are you doing? It makes me look like a bad person."

She brought the mattress back, patted the bed, and said, "Sleep here!"

Yan Ning looked at the spot she pointed to and said with difficulty, "Liyang, given our current relationship, it doesn't seem quite appropriate."

Li Yunru: "..."

Is she... shooting herself in the foot?

She wouldn't give in, she wouldn't let him sleep in that grocery store, and of course she wouldn't go there herself!

Sigh, that's the downside of having tight pockets; you can't even afford an extra room.

"If I say it's suitable, then it's suitable. Why are you making so many demands?"

She pulled the person over and drew a line, saying, "You sleep here, I'll sleep here. Use the mattress as a line, and don't cross over!"

Yan Ning's lips curled up almost imperceptibly as she asked, "What if we cross the line?"

Li Yunru: "Punish!"

"What will the punishment be?" Yan Ning asked.

Li Yunru frowned slightly and thought for a moment, then said, "Punish the other party in every detail, and every order must be carried out without fail!"

"What if it's Princess Yue?"

"impossible!"

She answered without hesitation, "I sleep very soundly, I would never cross the line!"

"What if?"

"There's no chance of that happening!"

Yan Ning thought that she seemed to lack a proper understanding of herself in this regard.

However, it suited his wishes.

"All right."

The man reluctantly said, "Since the princess says so, I will accept it without being impolite. If I am disrespectful in any way tonight, please forgive me."

As it turns out, Li Yunru was indeed too confident in herself in this regard, to the point that she lacked judgment.

She was very tired and fell asleep soon after lying down. In the middle of the night, she found the heat source and came up to him again. Yan Ning was very tired, but he was used to it and was a light sleeper. The moment she wrapped her arms around his waist, he woke up.

As expected.

He raised the corners of his mouth, touched the person's nose with the night light, and whispered, "Liyang, you came here by yourself, so it's not like I disobeyed you."

He removed the extra blankets and pulled her directly into his arms, nuzzling her neck for a while before finally being satisfied and lazily falling asleep again.

Li Yunru was awakened by a burning gaze the next day, but when she opened her eyes she found herself hanging on Yan Ning. He was awake, but he didn't get up or push her away. He just stared at her. When he saw her open her eyes, he deliberately asked in his lazy, hoarse voice, "Princess, you're awake."

"..."

What's going on?

It seems like she's been set up...

"Does the princess not acknowledge it?"

Seeing her eyes darting around and avoiding his gaze, he didn't hesitate to expose her and tilted his head to continue staring.

"How do I know it wasn't you last night..."

"Um?"

He tilted his head further, revealing most of his long neck, on which several purplish-blue marks were clearly visible...

But why doesn't she remember it at all?

And is she really that... amazing?

Oh well, she originally planned that if someone broke the rules, she would find an excuse to make demands of him and have someone take her to Yan Sheng's master to get rid of this damn Gu poison. But she never expected to get herself into this mess.

"I agree, don't worry, I keep my word!"

Her resigned expression made Yan Ning want to laugh. In fact, she had pinched herself before she woke up. She didn't mean to frame her; she just wanted to leave "obvious" evidence so that Yan Ning wouldn't have a reason to deny it. But seeing her like this was really amusing.

He finally understood why she had always enjoyed teasing him in such a pretentious way.

That's really interesting.