Chapter 10 The only suitable wife is the mistress of the house; she absolutely cannot be given to him! ...
Yuan Mingjin looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall, elegant man standing with his hands in his sleeves in the shadows. The shadows on his face did not make him look dark; instead, they made his face glow and his skin look as white as snow.
Su Yiyi had remained silent in the hall, so Yuan Mingjin had no recollection of her. Now, suddenly interrupted, he frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
Upon hearing this, the man took two steps forward, stood in the sunlight, and bowed gracefully: "I am the second brother of the King's husband, the second young master of the Su family, Su Yiyi."
Su Yiyi?
The real eldest son of the Su family who should have married her?
Yuan Mingjin suddenly remembered the courtyard full of flowering trees that she had just passed by.
What is his purpose in appearing at this time?
"Rise."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Su Yiyi slowly raised her face. Her forehead was full, her eyebrows were long and thin, her eyes were bright and clear, her nose was slightly upturned, and her lips were like a touch of rouge. Her posture was as upright as bamboo, but she stood there very shyly, lowering her eyes respectfully and revealing a swan-like, snow-white, and slender neck, allowing her meaningful gaze to fall on her without any concealment.
It was her... The woman from that day was indeed His Highness Prince Rui!
Su Yiyi appeared calm on the surface, but inside she was so excited she almost fainted.
Not to mention her outstanding appearance, as a chosen one of heaven, she naturally possessed an innate arrogance that looked down on everything, as if all things in the world would grovel at her feet... He, he also wanted to kneel at her feet immediately, begging for her mercy, wishing that the bright moon would shine on him alone.
Before coming to pay his respects to His Highness Prince Rui, he specially changed his clothes. The elegant bamboo pattern was embroidered on the ice-blue silk. As he walked, the fabric swayed gracefully, and the bamboo pattern also lit up and faded with the light, making his jade-like face even more otherworldly, like a banished immortal who had fallen to the mortal world.
He was confident that his appearance far surpassed that of Su Xiaotang.
However, Yuan Mingjin remained silent for a long time, staring at him intently. Su Xiaotang, who was a few steps away, rushed forward, grabbed Yuan Mingjin's hand hanging by her side, inserted her fingers into Yuan Mingjin's, and clasped them tightly, intimately.
Su Yiyi's eyes sharpened as she stared intently at the two clasped hands.
It's such an eyesore.
I really want to chop off Su Xiaotang's hand.
At the same time, Su Xiaotang was also extremely anxious. Seeing that she remained calm, she nervously called out "My Lady".
There are many servants in Prince Rui's mansion, but if Su Yiyi wants to enter the West Courtyard, he will never agree.
Anyone is fine, as long as she's happy—but it can't be Su Yiyi.
From childhood to adulthood, Su Yiyi took so many things from him—pastries bestowed by the palace, the courtyard arranged by his mother, the gold hairpin left to him by his father… He endured it all.
The only woman I must never give up is my wife!
However, Yuan Mingjin seemed oblivious as he gripped her hand tighter and tighter, continuing Su Yiyi's question with a calm expression: "If it's not a wild duck, then what is it?"
Su Yiyi covered her mouth and smiled: "A pair of mandarin ducks."
"...Who made these mandarin ducks?"
She continued his question, just as he had hoped. Su Yiyi was overjoyed. She steadied her voice and said softly, "My elder brother's father is Feng Langjun. But for some reason, he embroidered mandarin ducks as wild ducks, wasting all that silk thread. My mother, out of consideration for the past, did not remove this crude screen. Fortunately, my elder brother did not inherit his father's talent and is more skillful. He is not only good at embroidery but also at cooking, which I truly admire."
Su Xiaotang's eyelids twitched, sensing something was wrong. Just as she was about to make a move, she heard Su Yiyi continue, "It's a pity that the kitchen is filled with so much smoke. Every time Yiyi tries to imitate Big Brother, she gets so choked up that she can't even open her eyes. Every time, she has to give up before she's even learned a little bit, and she ends up covered in dirt. Yiyi is really useless..."
When did he learn cooking techniques from himself?
Let alone learning, Su Yiyi probably has never even stepped into the kitchen in her entire life.
Su Xiaotang's brows furrowed deeper as she listened. Turning her head, she saw that although her wife appeared calm, there were faint creases between her brows. She smiled and thought to herself that she and her wife were becoming more and more alike.
This is probably what they mean by a husband and wife looking alike?
He was lost in his own thoughts, not giving Su Yiyi's words a second thought; on the other hand, Yuan Mingjin, though he had been leading troops in battle for many years and was used to being straightforward in the military, knew nothing about the affairs of the inner quarters. However, he was naturally clever and easily understood Su Yiyi's roundabout words, which were full of praise but actually criticism. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the terrible life Su Xiaotang had been living in this mansion.
If she truly has obsessive-compulsive disorder and is the kind of fool who believes only one side of the story, then Su Yiyi's underhanded tricks might actually work.
She abruptly asked, "So, your father was a second wife? Didn't he teach you what 'respect for the dead' means?"
"Wh-what..." Su Yiyi was caught off guard by her bluntness and her face turned pale.
Why did Your Highness think that Father was a second wife? And why did you suddenly bring up the concept of "respect for the dead"?
Her two unexpected blows threw Su Yiyi into disarray, making her desperately try to recall if she had said anything inappropriate. However, he had never been to the kitchen before, and his words were merely a figment of his imagination, so he had no way of recalling them.
Su Xiaotang didn't understand what she meant either, so she opened her mouth slightly and looked at her with wide eyes.
"Aren't you two brothers born of the same mother? Why are you being so veiled in sarcasm?"
Seeing Su Xiaotang's dazed look, Yuan Mingjin knew he hadn't understood, so he continued with a stern face, explaining to him word by word: "Sisters and brothers should help each other, but you not only belittled Wang Fu's deceased father, but also praised Wang Fu for being good at both embroidery and cooking—in reality, Wang Fu can't be said to be bad at embroidery, but rather completely clueless about it; and since you despise the kitchen for being dirty, why did you go in there time and time again? Were you truly sincere in wanting to learn, or were you making veiled accusations?"
"Young Master Su, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"I..." Su Yiyi hadn't expected her to be so insightful, not only exposing his innermost thoughts so clearly but also leaving him no face whatsoever. For a moment, her lips trembled and her teeth chattered, unable to utter a word. Overwhelmed with shame, she stamped her foot, disregarding all gentlemanly conduct, even forgetting to take her leave, and turned and ran away, sobbing.
"Tsk, so thin-skinned, he cried after just a few words." Yuan Mingjin watched his retreating figure, feeling utterly bored, and curled his lip. "When the two armies are facing off, they'll say the most vulgar and offensive things. One side says they'll snatch your father away to be your concubine, making you kneel before them, serve tea, and call you 'mother,' while the other side says they'll gladly accept all the hundred or so husbands in your backyard. They'll say whatever will provoke the other side—ugh!"
Before she could finish speaking, her pupils contracted.
His lips were captured by Su Xiaotang's. He had just lightly bitten his lips without any finesse when she reacted, grabbed the back of his head with one hand, and pressed him forcefully against herself, deepening the kiss. Her tongue entwined with his, sucking up all the sweet saliva from his mouth.
When they parted again, their lips were wet and red from the kiss, glistening with moisture.
"Thank you, my lady." Su Xiaotang pressed her forehead against hers, breathing softly, her long eyelashes trembling, her gaze fixed on her, unwilling to leave for even a moment. "Xiaotang has no way to repay you, so I can only... offer myself to you."
He even wanted to inhale every last bit of the bamboo scent emanating from her body.
Yuan Mingjin chuckled, amused: "No, you're already mine, you have to repay me with something else."
"Well..." Su Xiaotang looked hesitant, "I'll cook something delicious for you—"
"Shh." Yuan Mingjin quickly covered her lips with her finger—her shoulders trembled and she felt a chill at the thought of his stinky tofu and stinky mandarin fish. "Are you here to repay a debt of gratitude or to seek revenge? No, no, change it."
Yuan Mingjin, the Emperor's second son, led a large army to resist the Nine Luminaries at the age of fifteen, went to Lu He's Hongmen Banquet alone at the age of seventeen, and captured five cities of Baiyue in succession at the age of twenty. Her momentum was unstoppable, and she was advancing straight to the South China Sea. She was invincible and forced the other side to take the initiative to negotiate peace. At present, she is the most popular candidate for the position of Crown Prince. Who would have thought that she would be defeated by her own husband's stinky food... It is true that one thing subdues another.
No—it's only natural to be afraid of smelly food, isn't it?
Of course, she can't be blamed for this.
"I can't think of anything else. What does my wife want? As long as Xiaotang can afford it, I will definitely give it to her with both hands..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drawn to her lips, which were swollen from his kisses. He leaned in, wanting to kiss her again, but Yuan Mingjin slapped his buttocks with a loud thud, causing the flesh to tremble slightly. "Sit still, don't be so horny."
Su Xiaotang could only sit up straight, her face flushed, and place her hands properly on her knees, her watery eyes still staring at her without blinking.
"We'll talk about it later. Let's serve the meal first." Yuan Mingjin was strong and healthy, and his stomach was healthy. He ate a lot and burned a lot of energy, so he got hungry very quickly. "I wonder how good the cooks in the Su family are. Judging from your appearance... you are outstanding. They must be quite good."
She racked her brains and came up with a fairly appropriate adjective, which made Su Xiaotang chuckle. She then hurriedly went to serve the meal.
After lunch, the two intended to take a short nap, but when Su Xiaotang woke up, Yuan Mingjin was still fast asleep beside her.
He gazed at her unguarded sleeping face and couldn't resist leaning down to leave a feather-like kiss on her cheek.
After asking the time, it was still early before dinner, so having some snacks to tide me over was appropriate.
He recalled that there was a chef in the manor who was extremely skilled at making milk cakes. The cakes he made were soft, delicious, and rich in milk flavor. In the past, he could only get a piece of it with great difficulty, and he would eat it in small bites with great care, and even lick the crumbs off his palms.
Things are different now. He is now a royal consort and should be able to command the cook.
Although Su Xiaotang knew that her wife had eaten all sorts of delicacies, she still wanted her to try the milk cake that she had been longing for and cherishing.
He then quietly got out of bed, dressed, and went to the kitchen to see if the cook was on duty that day.
Su Xiaotang's courtyard was far from the kitchen, almost diagonally located at opposite ends of the Su residence, requiring one to cross a lake to reach it. Although he had been married for only a few days, he couldn't possibly have forgotten all the paths in the residence.
However, when he followed his memory to the lakeside, he saw a large group of servants carrying pots of flowers and plants back and forth, seemingly arranging the garden scenery.
Early summer is approaching, but many flowers and trees do not flourish in the summer, so it is necessary to replace them with seasonal flowers.
Looking from afar, Su Xiaotang spotted a person standing in the center of the crowd, giving instructions and directing the crowd. He looked somewhat familiar.
After seeing it clearly, he couldn't help but shudder again—
That was none other than Hong Liao, who served the master. Although young, she was a formidable character, extremely adept at reading the master's mood, and a loyal and useful dog. Su Xiaotang had never gotten a good deal from her.
Although he is now a royal consort, he is like an elephant that was tied to an iron post from a young age and could not break free no matter how hard it tried. When the elephant trainer replaced the post with a wooden one, it would never struggle again—because in its heart, the post that tied it was invincible.
Red smartweed was just like that to him.
Su Xiaotang instinctively resisted meeting him, so she abandoned that path and instead went around to the other side of the lake.
This road is longer, but that's precisely its advantage—fewer people and more peace and quiet. However, it inevitably involves passing by the back gate of Su Yiyi and Su Yutang's courtyard. Last time, Su Xiaotang sneaked back from Wanqianlou, she took this same road, which is how she overheard Su Aoshuang, Su Yiyi, and Xin Yaning's conversation.
After returning home, he caught a cold due to his own cleverness and self-inflicted suffering. He was then drugged by Xiao Lü and stuffed into a bridal sedan chair to marry in her place.
By the way, how is Xiao Lü? And where is Eunuch Li? They've been back from their visit home for half a day now, why haven't we seen them?
...Forget it, what's the point of thinking about such a treacherous person?
The branches of the chinaberry tree, laden with blossoms, stretched heavily over the wall, and the surroundings were unusually quiet. Passing beneath them, Su Xiaotang shook her head, shaking off her chaotic thoughts along with the petals on her head. After walking a few steps, she arrived at the courtyard wall filled with bamboo.
Judging from my wife's tone today, she seems to greatly admire this courtyard of green bamboo.
Yes, on her wedding day, she had a bamboo scent on her, fresh and pleasant. The wife had never liked incense, so she must have been influenced by the fragrance of the bamboo outside the bedroom.
After returning to the manor, he ordered his servants to scent his clothes with bamboo incense. He wanted to smell his wife's scent day and night, as if... she were always by his side.
Thinking this, Su Xiaotang blushed.
He wanted to get back to see her as soon as possible, so he quickened his pace.
As they passed the wooden door covered in a thin layer of moss, it suddenly opened, and a hand emerged from inside, abruptly pulling Su Xiaotang inside. Before he could even cry out, his mouth and nose were covered, his body went limp, and he was dragged inside. The door closed, and the lakeside instantly returned to tranquility.
As spring dawns, the stream murmurs and the water flows gently. Several orioles sing as they skim across the lake, reflecting the sky and clouds. Just as they are about to perch on a bamboo branch, the branch suddenly trembles, startling the orioles into flying away to another branch.
Hongliao withdrew her gaze and continued directing the servants to work, as if nothing had happened.
A note from the author:
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Let me explain the origin of Su Yiyi's name—the idiom "宜室宜家" comes from the poem "桃夭" in the Book of Songs, specifically the section "周南".
As you've probably noticed, I always update at 9 PM. [Okay]
You guys can check out another female-centric novel in my column, it's called "Immortal Master," muah~ Although it's only a little over 20,000 words, you can give it a try. There's another fanfiction, but I won't recommend it.
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