Chapter 17
Whether it was because Xiao Chuan had too few friends, or because of his bad temper, or both, Mi Yao only realized after he left that no one had come to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, and there were no traditions or customs such as the master of ceremonies arranging for a boy to press down on the bed or eat fruit.
However, in her opinion, this was a convenient and good thing.
Unfortunately, she was too leisurely to even have a moment to drink a cup of tea. Upon learning that Xiao Chuan had gone to the banquet, the women at the banquet arranged to go to the bridal chamber to see the bride.
The bridal chamber instantly became lively. She wanted to imitate Xiao Chuan's cold face, but unfortunately, she was too beautiful and looked kind and good, which was the complete opposite of Xiao Chuan's unpleasant face, so it was of no use.
Faced with this, she could only change her strategy: either pretend she couldn't hear people talking about how big her breasts and buttocks made her look like she was good at bearing children, or she would lower her head and pretend to be shy.
"Although she is a bit older, no young lady who has just come of age has such charm. No wonder Governor Xiao went to Jiangnan specifically to ask for her hand in marriage."
"Didn't you hear people say she's the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan? I bet her butt was already this big when she came of age, otherwise how could she be the most beautiful woman?"
"They'll probably have two kids in three years."
...
Xiao Chuan was a military general, and most of the guests invited to his wedding were his colleagues. Among the female guests were elegant ladies, but no matter the occasion, elegance could not overcome vulgarity, especially since there was a bed and everyone knew what Mi Yao was going to do with Xiao Chuan in an hour.
The conversation had progressed to Xiao Chuan's thick, black, and shiny hair, and his high nose bridge, gradually leading to a discussion of his facial features.
Mi Yao's gaze fell on Xiao Shan, who was faintly visible through the gaps in the crowd. She wanted someone to carry her out, but when she did, she realized that Xiao Shan was holding onto the hem of a woman's dress next to her.
Their eyes met, and the woman smiled at her, calling out, "Sister-in-law."
Seeing Mi Yao's blank look, the woman's face showed a hint of tension and embarrassment. "Your husband, Xiao Chuan, is my younger brother. I have been married out of the Xiao family for many years..."
Seeing that Mi Yao didn't recognize Xiao Rou, the bystanders kindly introduced her: "Mi Niang, this is your aunt, Xiao Rou, who shares the same parents as Commander Xiao."
"The bride doesn't even recognize her own elder sister-in-law. It seems the rumors are true. Commander Xiao really dislikes this married elder sister."
"It's my own brother's wedding, and we don't live far apart, yet he only came to visit on the wedding day. I guess Magistrate Xiao wouldn't allow it. No wonder some people say Magistrate Xiao's heart is like a knife..."
"Keep your voice down."
Listening to the whispers of the people around her, Mi Yao roughly understood who the woman in front of her was. After calling her "Auntie," their eyes met, and Mi Yao didn't know what to say to Xiao Rou for a moment.
Upon closer inspection, Xiao Rou's facial features do indeed resemble those of the Xiao family members, except that she has deep wrinkles between her eyebrows, her lips are habitually pursed, and the corners of her mouth turn down, giving people a sense of sorrow and hardship that makes her seem like she is living a difficult life.
Not only her appearance, but also the worn-out plain brocade cotton coat with floral patterns on her body, showed that she was not living a comfortable life.
Whether she missed it while reading the book or it wasn't mentioned at all, she only found out at this point that Xiao Chuan had an older sister.
Moreover, judging from his appearance, Xiao Chuan treated her the same way he treated his three children, raising her in a completely natural and unsupervised manner, without letting his older sister benefit from his influence at all.
"Ninth Sister-in-law, you are truly beautiful. I had heard before that you were the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan, but I thought it was just an exaggeration. Now that I see you, I know what it means to be a celestial being descended to earth."
As Mi Yao was pondering how to exchange a few polite words with her aunt Xiao Rou, she heard a girl's clear and melodious praise. A girl in a peach-colored satin dress and a hairpin with gold-carved hibiscus tassels took Mi Yao's arm. "I've heard that Ninth Sister-in-law has a good reputation for virtue in her youth. When I hold a flower banquet in the future, you must attend."
Unlike her unpreparedness when facing Xiao Rou, Mi Yao knew who this young lady was.
Like Xiao Chuan, Xiao Chuan's adoptive father, Zhao Tianhe, was destined to be widowed.
Zhao Tianhe had four children who died before he turned forty due to various reasons, and his first wife also passed away from grief.
After Madam Zhao's death, Zhao Tianhe did not remarry. Instead, he adopted one son and daughter after another and raised the children of the collateral branches of the Zhao family by his side.
The woman dressed so elaborately, with even thicker makeup than she did, was the seventh daughter of a collateral branch of the Zhao family.
The reason why we can tell that she is Zhao Qiniang is not only because Yu Xiu inquired about which female guest to pay attention to, but also because Zhao Qiniang has a lot of scenes in the book.
Both are vicious female supporting characters, but the original owner was evil in the inner courtyard of the Xiao family, while Zhao Qiniang targeted every beautiful lady in Yizhou.
Her elder brother was lustful, so she found prey for him. Using her identity as a daughter of the Zhao family, she befriended beautiful women and secretly drugged them so that her brother could take advantage of her. Then she used her power to threaten the women into shutting up.
In the book, Zhao Qiniang also came to find the original owner, but the original owner was lucky. Before she could drink the drugged fragrant drink, Xiao Chuan descended from the sky and stopped her from being poisoned.
However, Xiao Chuan did not explain to the original owner why he spilled the fragrant drink and dragged her away from Zhao Qiniang's banquet and locked her in the Xiao Mansion.
Therefore, when Zhao Qiniang's affair with her brother was exposed, the original owner did not feel that Xiao Chuan had saved her.
She felt that Xiao Chuan was deliberately trying to embarrass her. His actions were clearly intended to make others misunderstand that she, like other women, had fallen into Zhao Qiniang's trap and had an affair with Zhao Qiniang's brother.
Mi Yao didn't even bother to be polite to the vicious female supporting character who was eyeing her. When Zhao Qiniang invited her, she withdrew her hand, smiled with her head down, and pretended to be deaf without even opening her mouth.
Seeing this, Zhao Qiniang wanted to say something more, but the other women interrupted. When the matchmaker reminded her that the time had come and the crowd dispersed, she tried to say a few more words among the others, but Mi Yao did not respond.
"She really thinks she's something special. She's just a daughter of a fallen noble family, yet she dares to act tough in front of me in Yizhou."
While in the new house, Zhao Qiniang could still endure it, but as soon as she stepped out of the house, she gritted her teeth and kicked the lush flowers and plants in the corridor.
"My lady, be careful someone might be there."
The road was full of guests. Zhao Qiniang's maid noticed that some women were looking in this direction and reminded her mistress.
"Tell me!"
Zhao Qiniang's foot landed on the maid. "So what if others see?! This Yizhou and even the entire Jiannan belongs to my uncle. These people are nothing but ants clinging to the Zhao family."
The more she talked, the more dissatisfied she became with Mi Yao's attitude towards her. Xiao Chuan was nothing more than a lackey of the Zhao family, and even the wife of a lackey dared to put on airs in front of her.
Instead of returning to the women's table, she had a servant deliver a message to her fifth brother. When the two met in the corridor, Zhao Qiniang couldn't wait to say, "Why didn't you go to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, fifth brother? Yu Nu is as beautiful as a fairy. Even as a woman myself, I can't help but be captivated by her beauty when I see her fan.
Zhao Wulang drank quite a bit during the banquet, and when he heard Zhao Qiniang praising Mi Yao so highly, his heart burned and his body became itchy.
"Of course I wanted to see Yu Nu's true face, but Xiao Chuan was stingy and didn't even bother to find an excuse. He just coldly looked at the military general who said he wanted to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, which made the others give up their ideas and dare not mention the matter in front of him."
Among Zhao Tianhe's adopted sons, Zhao Wulang despised Xiao Chuan the most and was also the most afraid of him.
The other adopted sons knew whose food they were eating and knew to be humble in front of the Zhao family, but Xiao Chuan didn't take them seriously.
Previously, his elder brother had offended Xiao Chuan with his words, and Xiao Chuan had directly beaten his elder brother up. Zhao Tianhe not only did not stand up for the Zhao family, but also rejoiced that Xiao Chuan had a temper and rewarded Xiao Chuan.
"That's a real pity. I didn't expect that Fifth Brother was afraid of Xiao Chuan and dared not make a move on Yu Nu. Yu Nu comes from a prestigious family and is proficient in all the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Only a talented man like Fifth Brother would know how to cherish such a talented woman. It would be a waste to pair her with a brute like Xiao Chuan."
"Who said I'm afraid of Xiao Chua!"
Upon seeing Yu Nu's alluring figure in the wedding hall, he was immediately captivated and wished he could take Xiao Chua's place in the bridal chamber that very night.
He wouldn't even mention such a divine delicacy if it were far away in Jiangnan, but since it was in Yizhou, he naturally had to try it.
"In the future, find opportunities to associate with her more often, just like before. If you get Yu Nu, I will reward you handsomely."
"I just feel sorry that such a talented and beautiful young lady from a noble family like Madam Yu is going to be ruined by Xiao Chuan. I think she and Fifth Brother are a match made in heaven. It's not for Fifth Brother's benefit."
Zhao Qiniang smiled, already impatient to see Mi Yao's face turn pale when she was defiled, her beautiful eyes filled with hatred and fear, and her only option to hang herself to prove her innocence.
*
"Zhao Qiniang and Zhao Wulang are both good-looking and of good status, but I never expected them to be so wicked. Their words are worse than those of pigs and dogs."
While in the bridal chamber, Yu Xiu had been observing Zhao Qiniang. Seeing that she was adorned with pearls and jade and dressed in red and green, she felt that Zhao Qiniang was not someone to be trifled with and was trying to steal the limelight from her elder sister.
Seeing that her elder sister ignored her, she left the bridal chamber with a resentful expression. Yu Xiu followed her and first saw her scolding the maid, and then she heard her plotting with Zhao Wulang.
Should we tell my brother-in-law about this?
After recounting the conversation between the Zhao siblings, Yu Xiu asked with concern.
The brother and sister were like beasts, conspiring together to do evil. They had obviously done what they claimed to have done before and had even succeeded.
There's no such thing as a thousand days of guarding against thieves, especially since both of them share the surname Zhao. She was genuinely afraid that her older sister might be careless and, knowing they weren't good people, let them get away with it later.
"Of course we should tell him that he is the head of the family, and these matters should naturally be handled and resolved by him."
Mi Yao had no intention of wasting her time on Zhao Qiniang. She planned to wait until Zhao Qiniang came to visit again, then fabricate some stories to get Xiao Chuan to deal with the brother and sister.
But who would have thought that the Zhao siblings would be so flamboyant, able to openly share their secrets in someone else's residence without knowing if anyone was eavesdropping?
I don't know if they were too stupid, or too arrogant to think that having the surname Zhao would give them absolute power in Yizhou, and that they regarded all the beautiful women as their own.
"Just tell your brother-in-law, he will definitely be able to protect your sister."
“That’s not necessarily true.” Mi Yao teased Yu Xiu with a pout. “Look at Xiao Shan and the others, even their own aunt. Commander Xiao doesn’t have the habit of protecting his own family.”
Putting everything else aside, in her marriage with Xiao Chuan, she absolutely had to maintain boundaries with him and never let him treat her like family.
Being treated as one of your own by someone who doesn't protect their own and even mistreats their own people is like living hell.
Mi Yao sat in front of the gilded openwork dressing case, removing the incredibly heavy peony-patterned, gold-inlaid, jade-embroidered, pearl-adorned ceremonial crown from her head, while constantly pondering how to maintain the boundary of not being family with Xiao Chuan.
When Xiao Chuan, reeking of alcohol, returned to the bridal chamber, Mi Yao had already taken down her cloud-like hair, which was now loosely curled and cascading down her back. She was wearing a dawn-red brocade dress with floral patterns, and over it, a layer of rouge-red gauze embroidered with phoenixes and dragons.
The two exchanged a glance. Seeing that he had no objection to her having removed her crown and changed her clothes, Mi Yao felt relieved and continued to sit on the couch.
Xiao Chuan walked to the dressing table, removed her hair ornament, and went to the bathing room to wash up for a while. When she came out, her face was flushed from the smell of alcohol and still wet with water. She had also changed into her undergarments.
Even at this point, Mi Yao still felt that everything was fine.
When Xiao Chuan got into bed, she noticed something amiss in his white silk trousers out of the corner of her eye.
Before she could figure out what was wrong, she saw Xiao Chuan start to lift his clothes. Startled by his intention to go straight for it, Mi Yao could only calm herself down, put her arms around his neck, and lean in to kiss the corner of his lips.
After kissing her, she looked at him with seductive eyes and said, "With my soft, delicate skin, doesn't my beloved Xiao Lang want to kiss and touch me?"
Several dragon and phoenix candles burned brightly inside the room. Under the candlelight, Mi Yao's skin seemed to be covered with a layer of soft light like jade and mist. She smiled charmingly, like an alluring fairy from a storybook.
Xiao Chuan looked at her lips. Mi Yao had delicate features, but she didn't have cherry lips.
The plump lips that occupy a significant portion of her oval face, paired with slightly upturned philtrum, are more vibrant and alluring than the reddest palm flower, as if they could swallow up all the filthy desires in a man's heart.
Of course, I want to be close to you.
Xiao Chuan leaned down and kissed Mi Yao's lips as she wished. After a few sucks, he touched the tip of her tongue that had peeked out from her lips.
Thinking of the fire-avoidance diagram he had glanced at a few times, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Mi Yao's slender waist, making her sit on his body so that he could easily change positions and kiss her more deeply.
It was at this time that Mi Yao realized something was wrong.
After kissing for a while, Xiao Chuan was like boiling water, her neck stained with rouge, eager to take the next step.
Mi Yao, her previous gentle and charming demeanor gone, frowned deeply, pressed her hand against his chest, and resolutely said, "No!"
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