Chapter 21
Xie Yunchu used to feel tired because she didn't dare to trouble Wang Shuhuai. Now she acts more generously and doesn't have too many concerns. One must first take care of oneself before taking care of others. At this time, her voice sounds like a string of honey.
No matter how polite Wang Shuhuai was, he couldn't help but obey her orders.
Xie Yunchu was satisfied. Wang Shuhuai had always been a person who was difficult to shake. Even at this moment, his expression was still surprisingly calm.
He looked at his wife in his arms. Her face was as tender as a lotus, extremely beautiful, with a natural charm all concentrated in the beauty mole on her eyebrow. She was like a crabapple that he had ripened prematurely.
It turns out that women’s beauty is ever-changing.
On the night of mid-May, the cicadas are chirping non-stop.
Xie Yunchu was sweating and lying motionless on the bed, with her hair stuck to her temples and her cheeks flushed. Wang Shuhuai was already dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed. He found a snow handkerchief and handed it to Xie Yunchu. She took it and wiped it a few times without even looking at her husband.
"Second Master, go wash first." He looked lazy and nonchalant.
Wang Shuhuai suddenly felt a little depressed. She had not treated him like this just now, and he was too lazy to argue with her. He went to the bathroom first. Xie Yunchu then asked Nanny Lin to go in and went to another room. Her legs were sore and swollen, and she stumbled and couldn't walk. It was obvious that Wang Shuhuai had some strength left, otherwise she really couldn't hold on.
I was so tired that I didn't say a word all night.
The next day, Wang Shuhuai disappeared again. Xie Yunchu had gotten used to it. The Third Madam sent a nanny over and asked Xie Yunchu to go to the Glazed Hall today to teach the girls some skills. Nanny Lin told Xie Yunchu,
"The Second Miss didn't want to attend the flower viewing banquet, but the Third Madam forced her to go, so the Second Miss had no choice but to agree."
"I see."
She was not happy to let Xie Yunchu be the head of the family, but she was happy to accompany the girls in arranging flowers and reciting poems.
Just clean it up and it's over.
Xie Yunchu's father has always been very strict with her. Not only did she learn calligraphy and writing when she was young, but she also practiced flower arrangement, embroidery, chess, and pot-shooting every day. She has always been known as a talented woman in Beijing. Today, she read a few pages of "A New Account of Tales of the World" with several sisters-in-law. Wang Shuyi listened seriously, but Wang Shuya and Wang Shuqin were daydreaming.
Wang Shuhuai has been serving as an imperial edict in the Fengtian Palace today. After the incident with Western Chu, the emperor discovered that this young number one scholar was quick-witted and intelligent, so he summoned him to his side for consultation.
Soon Prince Xin asked for an audience and submitted a patrol plan to the emperor. The emperor lowered his head and read it carefully. Wang Shuhuai and Prince Xin looked at each other.
One is calm and peaceful, the other is as deep as the sea.
Their eyes quickly staggered and no one paid any attention to each other.
Prince Xin did not indulge Wang Shuhuai's bad habits, and Wang Shuhuai did not take Prince Xin seriously.
Two years ago, it was also outside the Fengtian Palace. It was a rainy and thundering day. Prince Xin was in a dishevel and glanced at him sharply like a lone wolf. Wang Shuhuai had no connection with Prince Xin. He was a little confused at the time, but now he understood. That day, the princess summoned him into the palace and arranged for Xie Yunchu to be his wife.
Therefore, Prince Xin must have coveted Xie Yunchu for a long time. Considering the character of her father-in-law, if Prince Xin was not a prince, Xie Yunchu might not have married him.
After realizing this, Wang Shuhuai felt uncomfortable.
After reading the memorial, the emperor looked up at Prince Xin.
"Your patrol map shows that some troops from the northern border have been transferred to the border of Western Chu. Why is that? Yun'er, the Mongols have always been a threat to our Great Jin, and we must not take it lightly."
Prince Xin bowed his head and replied calmly, "I am worried that Western Chu might be cunning, so I am using troops to intimidate them to prevent them from changing their minds. Moreover, these troops pretend to be horsemen, so they can receive horses from Western Chu in the future, which is killing two birds with one stone."
The emperor frowned slightly and glanced at Wang Shuhuai.
Wang Shuhuai bowed to Prince Xin and said,
"Your Highness Prince Xin, Prince Jing'an hates my family, not the Great Jin. The reason why Western Chu is willing to exchange horses with the Great Jin is that it hopes that the Great Jin can withstand the pressure from the northern Mongols and give Western Chu a chance to breathe. Prince Jing'an has been in power for many years. If he didn't have such a broad mind, Western Chu would have been destroyed long ago. Your Highness's move will definitely make Western Chu suspect that my Great Jin is playing both sides, which will be counterproductive."
The emperor closed the memorial and agreed, "You are right, Yun'er. The peace talks have finally come to an end and have achieved results beyond our expectations. We should not easily anger Western Chu."
Prince Xin's expression did not change at all. He bowed to the emperor first, then looked at Wang Shuhuai and said in a low but aggressive voice, "Lord Wang, are you used to pinning your hopes on others? Do you expect others to be self-aware in everything?"
Wang Shuhuai could tell that Prince Xin was coming for him. He lifted his robe and bowed again. "I never place my hopes on others. First, I have a backup plan to constrain Western Chu. Since we are negotiating on the surface, we cannot deploy troops openly. Otherwise, it will break trust and will not benefit both countries. Once a rift appears between Western Chu and the Jin Dynasty, the Mongols will take advantage of it. Do you think you can fight on two fronts?"
"We already have conventional troops deployed on the border of Western Chu. I think Your Highness does not need to do this."
"Secondly," he pulled his wide robe together and put his hands behind his back, "sometimes people have to believe in fate. What belongs to me is mine, and I can't run away from it." This was a response to the double entendre that Prince Xin had just made.
After hearing his next words, Prince Xin showed a hint of contempt in his eyes.
The emperor had no idea what the two were doing, so he threw the memorial forward and said, "Revise it and show it to me again."
Prince Xin slowly took the memorial, held it in his hands, and glanced at Wang Shuhuai faintly, "I would like to ask your Excellency, in your opinion, how should we deploy troops on the border of Western Chu?"
The emperor also looked at Wang Shuhuai.
Wang Shuhuai knew that it was far from the time for him to show his talents, so he quickly raised his sleeves and bowed again, "I am a civil servant, not a military officer. I would like to ask His Majesty and Your Highness to make the decision on this matter."
The emperor saw that his son was targeting Wang Shuhuai, and said unhappily, "Alright, go back and re-draft."
The summer rain came and went in a hurry, and the eaves were shrouded in wet evening smoke. Wang Shuhuai's clothes were frosted, and he hurried back to the study. When he came out in a dark blue robe, the guard and groom Qi Wei handed him a message:
"News has come from the south that the witness will arrive in the capital by boat soon and beat the drum to file a complaint with the emperor."
Wang Shuhuai nodded indifferently, fastened his clothes and sat down at the desk. As soon as Xi Chu left, the proposal to measure the fish scale atlas was raised again. The emperor was caught between the new and old factions of dignitaries and had not yet made a decision.
Wang Shuhuai was either exhausted or something, he sat at his desk and didn't get down to work. Qi Wei had been with Wang Shuhuai for many years, and he was almost inseparable from him. Qi Wei also saw clearly what was going on with Prince Xin. "Master, do you want me to help you check on Prince Xin?"
Today, when the Marquis was at the palace gate, he ran into a servant from Prince Xin's mansion. The servant was sarcastic and mocking to him. Qi Wei knew that there was something fishy between Prince Xin and Xie Yunchu.
The master is in a bad mood and perhaps wants to know about the past of the two.
Wang Shuhuai stared at him coldly, "Do you know what you are doing?"
Qi Wei knelt down immediately.
"I know I was wrong."
As long as Xie Yunchu is his wife, he must trust her. Suspicion is the seed of marital estrangement. Wang Shuhuai does not want to and is unwilling to do so.
She and Prince Xin had known each other before they got married, and no matter what he investigated, he could not change this fact. Instead of focusing on the past, he might as well think about the future...
Wang Shuhuai was busy until late at night again. The clerical skills learned from Western Chu could also be used in Jiangnan, but he needed to make an outline of where to start. He tossed around in the library all night and felt really tired. He sat on the stairs in the corner and looked at the bright moon outside the window.
The moonlight and the flowers intertwined, the wind blew, the branches cast shadows, and he seemed to see a graceful woman walking out from the moonlight, beautiful but not coquettish, gorgeous but not vulgar, dignified and bright... This scene overlapped with the beautiful figure on the bed last night.
Wang Shuhuai knew clearly what he was thinking. He took a deep breath and went to the cushion under the window in the northwest corner of the study. He often meditated here when he was young. After sitting for a while, he gradually calmed down and went back to the study.
May 20th is the day when the Queen holds a flower-viewing banquet, which is held at the Lanyue Pavilion in Liangyuan.
There were still two days before the flower viewing banquet. Xie Yunchu followed the orders of the elders and took the three girls to practice calligraphy and piano in the flower hall. There were three guqins and three guzhengs in the flower hall. The walls on both sides were hung with the girls' paintings, poems and songs. There were also some tea, snacks and preserved fruits on the high table. Everyone prepared in an orderly manner. The graceful branches of flowers and the heavy shadows of bamboos turned into a cool touch on the flower pavilion.
Xie Yunchu’s advice to everyone is to choose the one they are best at.
The second lady, Wang Shuqin, is good at guqin as her name suggests.
"This way I can deal with my mother." Wang Shuqin came from a wealthy family and lived a carefree life. Fame and fortune were easily attainable for her, so she was less competitive and she played the piano lazily.
Xie Yunchu ignored her and turned to ask Wang Shuya, "Where is the fourth sister?"
Wang Shuya looked up at Xie Yunchu, then hesitantly lowered her eyes, "I... don't really want to go..."
"Why?" Xie Yunchu asked casually.
Wang Shuya was stunned for a moment, and lowered her head even lower. "Why should I stand on the stage and let those men judge me?"
When these words came out, Xie Yunchu was stunned. It was hard to imagine that such an inconspicuous girl could express such insights.
Xie Yunchu quickly recalled Wang Shuya's previous life. In her previous life, she was devoted to managing the family business of the second branch and did not have much contact with the girls from other branches. She did not know Wang Shuya well. The last impression she had was that the fourth wife forced her to marry a man she did not want to marry. Half a year after her marriage, Wang Shuya swallowed gold and died. This incident completely hit the fourth wife, and the couple was severely reprimanded by the Duke and his wife. From then on, the eldest princess became estranged from the fourth wife.
It takes a lot of courage for a person to swallow gold and die. There must be some obstacles that he cannot overcome.
Xie Yunchu felt distressed when he saw Wang Shuya's frail appearance.
"Did you convince your mother?"
Wang Shuya shook her head in despair. Her small face, which was the size of a palm, was white and delicate, and anyone who looked at her would feel pity for her. Xie Yunchu was not a Bodhisattva and did not have the mind to meddle in other people's affairs. He just patted her shoulder as a silent comfort.
As for Wang Shuyi, she had a big idea, "I want to choose everything." She had no obvious strengths, so she simply won by numbers.
Xie Yunchu picked out a few books for her to study and left her alone.
On the twentieth day, all the ladies and young wives of the mansion went out together, and more than a dozen carriages headed for Liang Garden.
The Moon-Raising Pavilion is a circular building with seven floors. Rows of private rooms surround a large courtyard. It is embroidered with brilliant colors, tall buildings and wide courtyards, and is majestic and spectacular. The emperor has said that he wants to match up several unmarried princes and dukes at this banquet. It is called flower viewing but is actually a selection, and the standards are much higher than before.
The Wang family was distinguished, and they were allocated an elegant room with an excellent location. The third wife sat in person to urge her daughter Wang Shuqin to take the stage. Dou Keling and Xu Shiwei tried their best to show their courtesy to the ladies, and Xie Yunchu took the opportunity to slip away. He originally wanted to look for Xiao Youran, but he bumped into Jiang Fan first, and was dragged by Jiang Fan to the elegant room overlooking the river for tea.
The summer is bright, the lake breeze brings the long hot sunshine in,
Jiang Fan first poured tea for Xie Yunchu and told her happily, "I'm here to tell you the good news on behalf of Youran. She's pregnant again."
Xie Yunchu's first reaction was that something was wrong, and he soon realized that she was pregnant. He was overjoyed, "No wonder I didn't see anyone just now. If this is true, I'm so happy." Xiao Youran had been looking forward to having a child for a long time.
Among all the friends, Jiang Fan was the most gentle and shy. She gently tugged at Xie Yunchu's sleeve and asked affectionately, "What about you? Are you almost there too?"
When Xie Yunchu was asked this question, she suddenly remembered an important thing. It seemed that in her previous life, she was pregnant with a boy at the end of this month. She was so happy at that time. Wang Shuhuai also smiled, which was rare at that time.
According to the date calculation, she should have been conceived on the first day of May. She did not sleep with Wang Shuhuai on the first day of May in this life, so what should she do with Er Ge'er?
Xie Yunchu's heart tightened all of a sudden.
Jiang Fan saw her like this, and felt that she was being pricked in the sore spot. Jiang Fan was very kind, so he quickly came around and hugged her.
"My dear Chu'er, blame me for being too talkative. Children are also a matter of fate. You can't rush them."
When Xie Yunchu heard the word "fate", tears rolled down her cheeks. She had never cried in all these years since her rebirth. The thought of missing out on her son made her heart ache. After all, he was the child she had raised with great difficulty, and she could not completely give him up in her heart.
No, if it was destined to be her child, he would come sooner or later.
Xie Yunchu stopped crying, smiled and comforted Jiang Fan, "I'm fine, I'm fine..."
Finally, he persuaded her to stop. Jiang Fan thought of another thing and looked at Xie Yunchu worriedly. "Tell me the truth, are you and Lord Wang estranged? You never gossip among us sisters. That day, you rarely shouted that you wanted a divorce. They both thought you were joking, but I know you are a cautious person. How could you easily say the word divorce?"
"Besides, my husband had a drink with your Lord Wang a few days ago. He said that your Lord Wang looked like he was worried and was drinking alone."
Xie Yunchu was surprised by this. She wiped away the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief and asked hurriedly, "Are you saying that Wang Shuhuai was drinking alone? Maybe I was wrong."
"We were drinking at the same table, how could we be mistaken?"
Jiang Fan smiled and said, "My husband came back and told me that Master Zhu laughed at your Lord Wang, 'Shu Huai has no heart, so how can he talk about his worries?'"
Xie Yunchu laughed until tears came out. "That's exactly what you said. Our Second Master is always focused on his official duties. Even if he was drinking to keep quiet, it would definitely have nothing to do with me."
The two chatted about everything from family matters to food, clothing and dressing. Half a day passed, and Jiang Fan asked someone to go to the street to buy some delicious dishes. The two had lunch here. Just after noon, Xia An hurriedly pushed the door open and found Xie Yunchu.
"Master, I discovered that Miss San was meeting Master Xiao under your name."
Xie Yunchu's face darkened when she heard this. In her previous life, Wang Shuyi begged her to help her make a match on this day. At that time, she was devoted to her sister-in-law and wanted to strengthen the relationship between them, so she created an opportunity for Wang Shuyi to meet her aunt. In this life, she gave up, but she didn't expect that Wang Shuyi would take the initiative to hook up with Xiao Huaijin.
Fortunately, she had a trick up her sleeve and told Xia An to keep an eye on Wang Shuyi, otherwise who knows how big a mess the situation would have been.
Xie Yunchu immediately stood up and said, "Where is the person? Lead me there now."
"In the attic on the top floor."
Xie Yunchu turned around and pulled Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan was also very smart. He said without waiting for her instructions, "You can go ahead. I will take Chunqi and Haitang to guard the corridor and not let anyone go up."
"Thank you very much."
Xie Yunchu took Xia An out, and before leaving, he asked Xia An to go to the Wang family's private room to call two maids. The four of them quietly went to the top floor, passed the stairwell corridor, and saw Wang Shuyi's maid guarding the attic door.
The maid was fine when she saw Xie Yunchu, but when she saw the old woman behind her, she was frightened.
Xie Yunchu gave a look, and a maid immediately came forward, covered the maid's mouth, and tied her up.
Then Xie Yunchu quietly stepped in, looked around, and finally saw Wang Shuyi and Xiao Huaijin standing at the mast and talking, with Xiao Huaijin's servant following not far away.
Wang Shuyi was wearing a pink lotus-colored skirt, looking shy and timid. She didn't dare look at Xiao Huaijin. Xiao Huaijin was wearing a royal blue brocade robe with a jade pendant around his waist, the most common attire for a nobleman in the capital. He stood beside the pillar with his brows lowered, deliberately keeping a distance. His eyes were not looking at Wang Shuyi, but at the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains in the distance, with impatience visible between his brows.
Xie Yunchu stood at the entrance of the hall and coughed heavily.
Wang Shuyi and Xiao Huaijin on the other side looked over at the same time.
"Sister-in-law..." Wang Shuyi was startled for a moment, then showed joy, "Sister-in-law, you are here. Prince Xiao was worried about you..."
Before she could finish her words, Xie Yunchu interrupted her coldly, "If I hadn't come, I don't know how embarrassed you would be."
The smile on Wang Shuyi's face froze. He had never expected Xie Yunchu to say such cruel words in front of Xiao Huaijin. His face flushed at first, and then after realizing the consequences, he almost lost color and was shaky.
"Sister-in-law..." she burst into tears.
Xie Yunchu then looked at Xiao Huaijin.
When Xiao Huaijin saw Xie Yunchu, a complex expression flashed across his eyes, and then he smiled as usual, "I'm sorry, a woman from the Wang family told me that you had something important to talk to me about, and I came here without thinking too much..."
Xie Yunchu felt that Xiao Huaijin was mentally ill. Why did she have to be so sneaky to find him? After all, it was her sister-in-law who was embarrassed. Xie Yunchu knelt down to him first, and then explained,
"I'm sorry for causing trouble to you, cousin. I didn't ask anyone to send you a message. It was this useless sister-in-law who came to see you on my behalf. I want to apologize to you here."
After seeing Wang Shuyi, Xiao Huaijin guessed the truth and was about to find an excuse to leave, but was bumped into by Xie Yunchu. He felt very ashamed. He didn't know why he came here at that time, and he was also annoyed and angry at the moment.
"It was also my fault for not noticing that moment." He bowed his hands to apologize.
What else could Xie Yunchu say but to bow to him.
Xiao Huaijin's gentle gaze fell on her cheek, and then he left without looking back.
Wang Shuyi looked at his back with tears rolling down her cheeks. All her thoughts were instantly shattered. As soon as they entered the corridor, she vented her anger on Xie Yunchu without knowing the truth.
"Sister-in-law, why don't you give me some face?"
Before she could finish her words, a loud slap hit Wang Shuyi on the cheek. Xie Yunchu used some force, and Wang Shuyi staggered and hit the carved window behind her. Her head hit the carved window, her hair was disheveled, and she looked very embarrassed. She didn't care about the pain, and looked at Xie Yunchu in shock. She couldn't believe that the amiable and respectable sister-in-law would actually hit her.
Xie Yunchu sneered, "I don't think I know what you are planning? You use my name to meet cousin Xiao. If it works out, you will fall in love at first sight and promise to spend your lives together. If it doesn't work out, I will become your scapegoat. Others will just think that I am a married woman who is having an affair with my cousin, and you, Wang Shuyi, will distance yourself from it..."
"I didn't..." Wang Shuyi's body slowly slid down from the carved wall, panic intertwined in his eyes, and finally sat down on the ground hugging his knees, feeling extremely wronged, "Sister-in-law, don't say that, I'm not that kind of person."
Xie Yunchu no longer wanted to argue with her, so he turned around and looked at the two maids in the inner courtyard, "Did you see what happened today with your own eyes?"
The two old women were from the Discipline Court. The royal palace was a large and wealthy mansion with strict house rules. Whenever they went out, they were accompanied by a maid who was responsible for enforcing the rules. The reason why Xie Yunchu asked them to come along was to clear herself. Once something happened, she would deal with it as she saw fit. She didn't want to save face for Wang Shuyi. If such a person wasn't severely punished, who knew what kind of trouble she would cause in the future.
As for why he exposed her in front of Xiao Huaijin, it was to completely cut off Wang Shuyi's thoughts.
The maid immediately bowed her head and said, "We have seen clearly that the Third Miss used the Second Madam's name to meet with a stranger. This is against the Wang family's rules. We will take her back and leave it to the masters to decide."
Xie Yunchu raised his chin, and two maids immediately took Wang Shuyi and his servant away. Family disgrace should not be made public, so the maids were obviously trained and they took the people out from the back door without anyone noticing and stuffed them into the carriage.
Afterwards, a maid was responsible for sending the person back to the Wang family with the guard, while another person helped Xie Yunchu report back to the third and second wives.
When the Third Madam heard that Wang Shuyi was meeting a man outside her family in such an occasion, she was furious. First, the Wang family girl participated in the competition, and then Wang Shuyi ruined the reputation of the Wang family. The Third Madam could not tolerate any sand in her eyes. She glanced coldly at the petrified Second Madam.
"Second sister-in-law, please come with me to deal with the book ceremony," and then said to the fourth wife,
"From now on, all matters concerning the child will be handed over to my fourth brother's wife and Yun Chu."
The Fourth Madam naturally agreed, so Xie Yunchu had to stay in the private room and watch the competition in the afternoon.
This flower-viewing banquet lasts from sunrise to 3 p.m.
At that time, Wang Shuhuai was working in the Ministry of Revenue. When the imperial guard Qi Wei learned about the flower viewing banquet, he went to the palace to find him.
"Second Master, the Queen is holding a flower-viewing banquet today, and our Young Madam is also going." He simply told him about the Third Miss, Wang Shuyi.
Wang Shuhuai was naturally angry, but fortunately Xie Yunchu handled it properly. However, he soon remembered another thing. Among the older princes, the crown prince, the second prince and the fourth prince were all married, but the third prince, Prince Xin, had never married. The emperor seemed to intend to choose a concubine for the unmarried prince through this flower-viewing banquet, which meant that Prince Xin would also go.
The man who was usually calm and composed suddenly couldn't sit still anymore.
No man wants to see his woman being touched by others.
Wang Shuhuai slowly closed the document, slowly stood up and walked into the small duty room opposite, and asked for leave from Doctor Wen.
Doctor Wen had worked with Wang Shuhuai for so many days, but he had never seen Wang Shuhuai leave the yamen before dark.
It's really rare that he took the initiative to ask for leave today, and I approved it without saying anything.
After leaving the Ministry of Revenue, Wang Shuhuai immediately rode his horse to Liang Garden. After dismounting, he followed the Nine-Turn Corridor to the Lanyue Pavilion. From afar, he saw a tall and majestic man standing under a curtain covered with colorful flowers and willows behind the east gate.
He was dressed in black clothes, standing at the fence with his hands behind his back, looking at the private room opposite.
The building is tall and wide, but his back is like a series of mountains bringing overwhelming pressure.
At least when Qi Wei saw him, he couldn't help but tighten the knife at his waist. Wang Shuhuai noticed the guard's movements, slowly raised his hand, motioning him to wait outside, then walked up the stairs and walked over calmly.
Prince Xin heard footsteps behind him and glanced sideways. He saw a tall and handsome man in a green robe standing beside him. Under the bright moon and cool breeze, he looked extremely handsome.
If it wasn't for this kind of person, he might have taken action to get the person back.
But Wang Shuhuai still disappointed him.
Wang Shuhuai noticed the cold gaze of Prince Xin, and without turning his head, he taunted in a low voice,
"Your Majesty is really free."
Prince Xin looked forward again and retorted, "Not as busy as you, Lord Wang."
Wang Shuhuai smiled lightly and ignored him.
"Does your Majesty know why I hurried back to the capital?"
"I don't know, and I'm not interested."
Prince Xin raised his lips slightly, "My people happened to be at Yingjiang Red Tea House and heard that your wife was thinking of divorce."
Wang Shuhuai's breathing stopped when he heard this. He had guessed this possibility long ago. At the beginning, Master Zhu told him that Yingjianghong was Prince Xin's territory, and Xie Yunchu happened to be drinking in that teahouse. Then, Prince Xin, who should not have returned to Beijing at this critical juncture, returned to Beijing.
Prince Xin was stationed at Xiaoguan, fighting against the Mongols in the north and the State of Chu in the west. During the peace talks, Prince Xin's powerful army was the confidence of the Jin Dynasty, but he hurried back just after the negotiations ended.
This shows how important Xie Yunchu is in his heart.
A feeling of being offended filled Wang Shuhuai's chest, and he couldn't tell what he felt. However, he was always calm and composed, and smiled calmly, "Who at that table didn't talk about divorce? Did you see them getting divorced?"
Prince Xin's eyes were as bright as lights, and he said firmly, "Yun Chu is different."
"You didn't call me Yun Chu." The words came out lightly, like a sharp blade out of its sheath.
Prince Xin smiled instead of getting angry. He tilted his head to look at Wang Shuhuai, with an interested smile on his lips, "Sir Wang, she and I have been childhood sweethearts. I have always called her that."
The hostility in Wang Shuhuai's eyes was forced out little by little, and he looked over and said, "Did she agree? As far as I know, she keeps her distance from you." There was no trace of familiarity in the conversation between Xie Yunchu and Prince Xin that night.
He has been in official circles for many years and is not familiar with the ways of the world, so he may not be able to notice this.
Prince Xin was not at all moved by his words. Instead, he asked quietly, "What about her attitude towards you, Lord Wang?"
Wang Shuhuai's heart choked slightly. Xie Yunchu's attitude towards him was indeed not as good as before recently, but so what? He smiled and said, "She is my wife now. She is by my side."
"Really?" Prince Xin didn't care. "Maybe it won't be soon."
Wang Shuhuai smiled lightly and looked at his opponent calmly, "I'm afraid that will disappoint His Majesty."
Prince Xin flicked the dust off his collar and said, "Then we'll wait and see."
At the beginning of the evening hour, the flower-viewing banquet was drawing to a close, and people were coming down the stairs one after another. Prince Xin retreated to the side corridor, but Wang Shuhuai stood facing the wind, waiting at the corridor entrance where Xie Yunchu was coming down the stairs.
One was wearing a black python robe, looking noble and impressive, while the other was wearing a green official robe, looking elegant and restrained. An invisible undercurrent was surging between the two of them.
No one was willing to give in, and no one was prepared to admit defeat.
Xie Yunchu was a little tired after spending the whole day, so he took Chunqi's hand and slowly walked down the stairs.
Their eyes fell on her at the same time. She had a lazy and arrogant expression, a beautiful face like the moon, and all the lines and curves were beautiful. She looked like a beauty who walked out of a painting.
At this time, the officials and their wives passing by recognized Prince Xin and bowed to him. Xie Yunchu looked up in surprise and was slightly stunned when she saw Prince Xin for the first time. Prince Xin's eyes met hers, and almost in an instant, Xie Yunchu's eyes were separated, and she discovered Wang Shuhuai behind the crowd.
There was an even deeper look of astonishment in his eyes. Wang Shuhuai never appeared in such occasions. He was not interested in the competition between women, and he never used women as bargaining chips to manipulate government affairs.
She certainly didn't think her husband was waiting for her, but she still walked over gracefully and calmly, passing near Prince Xin halfway and kneeling slightly towards him.
Prince Xin did not show any aggressiveness towards Xie Yunchu as he had just shown. Instead, he nodded in a friendly manner as a greeting.
Xie Yunchu naturally walked towards Wang Shuhuai, and Wang Shuhuai also extended his hand to Xie Yunchu at this time.
Xie Yunchu's heart was shocked. What tricks was this guy playing again? Then he thought, Wang Shuhuai had created the illusion of a harmonious couple in front of elders or outsiders before. Moreover, doing so in front of Prince Xin might help to dissuade Prince Xin from having such an idea. So he cooperated with Wang Shuhuai and stretched out his hand.
Wang Shuhuai felt relieved, held her hand and turned to go out.
Prince Xin watched the couple walk away with an expressionless face, then turned and walked out of the Lanyue Pavilion through the alley.
The setting sun in summer was still dazzling. The Lanyue Pavilion was bustling with people. The couple's sleeves were folded, and they didn't look like they were holding hands. Xie Yunchu had never been held like this by Wang Shuhuai before. She felt uncomfortable, and her palms were a little wet. Based on her understanding of Wang Shuhuai, she should have let go even if she was acting, but he was indifferent.
People were coming and going, so Xie Yunchu had no choice but to endure it. She finally got to the carriage. Wang Shuhuai was going to lead her up, but Xie Yunchu couldn't help herself and quickly pulled her hand away, holding onto the shaft and getting on the carriage. "I'll do it myself."
It's good to treat each other with respect, but acting shouldn't be overdone, Xie Yunchu thought.
Wang Shuhuai stood alone beside the shaft of the carriage, silently watching his wife get into the carriage. The evening breeze blew open a corner of the curtain. She leaned lazily against the wall of the carriage, rubbing her temples and dozing off. She didn't even glance at him, nor did she even invite him to ride with her.
Wang Shuhuai was driven crazy by her. He never refused to be intimate with him, but he no longer stayed by his side. On the surface, everything went on as usual, but the passion and tenderness of the past were gone.
No matter how indifferent Wang Shuhuai was, he realized that there was a rift in their marriage.
The tall and straight man stood tall, the setting sun shining on his broad spine. He felt like a thorn in his back. Ever since he heard that Xie Yunchu wanted to divorce, he had been angry and sneered at first, but had slowly calmed down in the past few days. Every detail of the past was replayed in his mind, and Wang Shuhuai felt uncomfortable.
What exactly did he do wrong?
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