One year later—
Shu Yao was holding her several-month-old son in the flower hall, surrounded by several noble ladies and noblewomen. During the past six months of her pregnancy, fearing that she would be lonely staying in the mansion alone, Huo Jingsha often sent out invitations to these women of official families to keep her company and chat with her. Over time, the women and noblewomen became quite familiar with each other.
At first, she felt very uncomfortable, always feeling that she came from a humble background and might not be able to have anything to talk about with these ladies from prestigious families. Later, Huo Jingsha noticed her restraint and gave her some advice...
"The women I selected to accompany you in the manor have all been investigated. They are all gentle, virtuous, and humble. Moreover, my selection of them is a favor to their husbands' families, so you don't need to feel inferior to them. With your husband's official rank, they are all people who would rather be currying favor with him than have him. Don't be afraid. Your husband gives you this confidence. If anyone says anything disloyal or does anything to belittle you, you can deal with them on the spot. I guarantee they won't dare to utter a sound. Or they can come back and tell me, and I'll take care of them for you!"
His admonition did indeed ease Shu Yao's mind considerably. After several encounters, she found that these young ladies and noblewomen treated her with utmost respect, never uttering a word of disrespect. They got along quite well, and she realized Huo Jingsha was right; with his power and status in court, he was indeed someone these people dared not offend. Their husbands had to be mindful of Huo Jingsha's feelings, and now they dared not slight her even more.
Tea, snacks, and fruit were laid out on the table. They were discussing a newly opened jewelry shop in the east of the city called "Baojiantang." They had heard that the craftsmanship and designs were of the highest quality, and they agreed to go together the next day to buy some hairpins and head ornaments. Just as they were talking excitedly, they suddenly fell silent. Shu Yao looked up in confusion and found that they were all staring intently at the door.
She didn't even need to turn her head to guess that it must be her imposing Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lord Huo, who had returned.
"Yao'er, I went out of town on business today, so I came back late. Have you and Xiaobao eaten yet? Come... let me hold our son."
Huo Jingsha was promoted again just before she was about to give birth. She is now a second-rank official, but she also holds the position of Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, making her official duties even busier than before.
From the moment he stepped across the threshold, his eyes were fixed on his wife and children, oblivious to everything else. After playing with the chubby boy for a while, he turned back to his wife with a gentle smile and asked, "Would you like them to stay and dine with you? I'll tell the cook to add more dishes."
"No need. My sisters have been keeping me company all morning, they should go back to their residences to rest. How can I keep taking up their time and stay any longer?" Shu Yao smiled faintly and declined on behalf of her friends.
She glanced back with a seductive look, and tsk tsk… look at how they were staring at Huo Jingsha, practically drooling. Ah, no wonder! Since marrying her, this man had indeed softened his edge considerably, and his expression was no longer as cold and aloof as before, giving off an unapproachable vibe. Occasionally, out of consideration for her, he would even give them a smile, looking truly handsome and unaffected. Not only them, but even she, his wife who saw him every day, would be mesmerized.
If I were to stay for dinner, I fear that the first thing I'd taste at the table wouldn't be the delicious food served from the kitchen, but rather my own man's face; just looking at him would be enough to fill me up.
Even if they have a good relationship, she doesn't like other women coveting her husband. So she'd better let them go back to their own husbands and stop drooling over other people's!
Several of the unmarried young women couldn't hide their disappointment; their eyes were filled with it. Reluctantly, they stood up with the others.
"Alright, it's been getting chilly lately. I just had Dongxue brew you a pot of cordyceps at the door. Come in and drink it while it's hot. You're still weak after giving birth to Xiaobao, so don't take it for granted." These gentle and caring words, spoken from a mouth that was always cold and indifferent to others, made almost all the women present grit their teeth in envy and hatred.
How considerate! You Shuyao must have accumulated a lot of good karma over many lifetimes to marry such a wonderful husband.
"I know, Chunlu has been watching me drink it every day these past few days!" Shu Yao couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle when she saw the envy in their eyes. There was nothing she could do; Huo Jingsha was just that good to her, and what they saw was only the tip of the iceberg.
"Okay, then I'll take my son for a nap first, and then I'll come out to have lunch with you after I've put him to sleep." He saw his son eating an apple with apples all over his face, and he smiled as he took out a handkerchief to wipe them, looking very careful, as if he was afraid that if he used too much force, he would hurt his tender little face.
The crowd automatically made way for them, watching Huo Jingsha's figure carrying her son as they walked away, their gazes lingering on her back.
Shu Yao glanced at the women, her smile deepening. The man being looked at, however, was completely unaware that his back had been burned with several holes by the women's eager gazes.
After seeing everyone off, Shu Yao turned and walked towards the inner courtyard. She had only gone halfway when she saw a servant walking towards her. When he got close to her, he did not stop to bow, but quickly brushed past her and disappeared around the corner of the corridor in a few hurried steps.
She found this man's behavior highly suspicious, a hunch honed by years of experience as an assassin. Besides, any servant in the manor would stop to greet her, the young mistress, but this man acted as if he didn't see her at all, not even raising his head. She also noticed he was a stranger, someone she'd never seen before in the manor. Was he new and unfamiliar with the rules?
Shu Yao was puzzled and curiously turned around to take a look, only to find a white sphere lying on the ground, which was particularly conspicuous under the sunlight. She then realized that she had just come from this road and had not seen this thing on the ground. It must have been left behind by the servant who had been in a hurry, and that he had deliberately left it for her to see.
What does that mean? Shu Yao bent down to pick it up, looked around, and saw that there was no one else around except herself. Since she had completely broken away from the assassin organization and the Prince Jing's forces had been eliminated, all the secret guards in the mansion had been withdrawn, leaving only the guards to patrol regularly. Therefore, the Huo mansion was no longer as heavily guarded as it had been a year or so ago.
She crushed the hard outer shell with her fingers, and sure enough, there was a note rolled up inside. Shu Yao unfolded it and saw that it only had one short line written on it: "Do not agree to Huo Jingsha's request."
She was completely stunned, not understanding what the sentence meant! Then, in astonishment, she dissected and scrutinized every word on the paper, reading it over and over again, but still couldn't grasp its meaning. Moreover, there was no signature, so it seemed that the person was deliberately trying to conceal their identity.
Don't agree to Huo Jingsha's requests! Why can't we agree? And what requests will Huo Jingsha make? Are there any requests that require her assistance?
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