Chapter 23 [23] The relationship between husband and wife is not harmonious?
【23】/First release
In the backyard of the Marquis' Mansion, there is Zheng's Chunxuan Hall.
In this familiar place filled with elegant incense and lingering tea aroma, Yun Ran was finally able to relax and chat with the women in her family about what she had seen, heard, and felt over the past two days.
After learning that Prince Jing's mansion wasn't plagued by poisonous miasma or snakes and rats as rumored, and that Prince Jing didn't have a habit of eating raw meat, drinking raw blood, or even catching and chewing raw mice when he was starving in the middle of the night, Zheng and her three sisters-in-law breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."
"So, all that sulfur, cinnabar, and rat repellent in your trousseau box is useless."
"You can keep that box of herbal sachets for preventing plague, miasma, evil spirits and insects. They won't get in the way anyway."
"Alas, the rumors outside are so shocking that we have to make more preparations."
"If you ask me, those people who spread rumors are so wicked! The first time I saw our brother-in-law today, I felt that those people outside were talking nonsense—"
Third sister-in-law Qian Sijin clutched a handful of roasted melon seeds and spoke righteously, "Given our prince's brother-in-law's fine looks, his graceful demeanor, and his untainted temperament, how could he possibly be a barbarian who eats raw meat and drinks blood? You can't just attribute their bad habits to him just because he's been there? That's unfair."
After she finished speaking, Yun Ran and her sister-in-law Li Wanrong looked at her.
Qian Sijin paused while cracking some sunflower seeds: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Well, I admit that I've said bad things about King Jing before, but... but I only heard those things from the storytellers in the teahouse."
Qian Sijin's eyes drifted a little, her pretty face flushed with embarrassment. "It's all the fault of those storytellers who made up stories and exaggerated them! The next time I hear these nonsense, I will be the first to defend my brother-in-law!"
She admitted her mistake quickly, and everyone present was speechless.
After all, except Yun Ran, everyone in this room had heard more or less about the terrible news about King Jing. Everyone was in the same boat, and no one had the face to criticize anyone else.
Yun Ran, holding a celadon jade cup, drank the Eight Treasures Green Bean and Osmanthus Tea in one gulp before saying, "Those rumors aren't entirely false, though. He does keep quite a few snakes, and his temperament... is certainly peculiar."
As soon as these words were spoken, Qian Sijin, who had just righteously said that she wanted to clear the name of "Prince's brother-in-law", was choked.
Zheng and the others were also stunned: "Really raising snakes? And quite a few?"
Yun Ran nodded. "It's said that there's a yard west of the palace that's set aside specifically for raising snakes. I'm not sure exactly how many there are, but the palace sends a cartload of mice to feed the snakes every day. I estimate there must be several hundred."
Hundreds of them!
The expressions of Zheng and others froze.
Especially when I think about the scene of hundreds of snakes nesting in the backyard, my scalp tingles.
Yun Ran, however, remained nonchalant. "Aside from raising snakes and having a strange temper, he's fine in other aspects. Not as scary as people say."
Zheng and her three sisters-in-law: "..."
Aren’t hundreds of snakes scary enough?
Whenever there was a snake in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion, they could not sleep well.
"Ran Ran, why does the prince keep so many snakes?"
Second sister-in-law Lu Lingzhen spoke weakly: "Have you persuaded him to release the snakes?"
"Maybe it's his personal hobby. I didn't ask for details. As for persuading him to let it go..."
Yun Ran scratched his chin and smiled awkwardly: "Second sister-in-law, you think too highly of me. He and I are not that familiar with each other yet."
Qian Sijin frowned: "You two are already husband and wife, but you're still not familiar with each other?"
On the second day after she married Yunze, she knew how many moles Yunze had on his butt.
Yun Ran blinked. "Husband and wife are husband and wife, but even husband and wife have their differences. Right now, he and I are... okay."
Qian Sijin: "Is it okay?"
Newly married, the couple is in love and inseparable, but my sister said "okay" so reluctantly. Could it be...
Is the harmony between fish and water not very harmonious?
Obviously, Qian Sijin was not the only one who thought this way, but because there were so many people, no one dared to ask directly.
So you looked at me and I looked at you, and laughed dryly.
Yun Ran saw that everyone suddenly fell silent, and thought that they were prejudiced against King Jing because of those two shortcomings.
"Actually, as a husband, he's not bad."
Yun Ran said, "When I was in the Taoist temple before, I heard a lot of trivial matters about couples. For example, there was the old man Liu at the entrance of the village who secretly got the widow at the entrance of the village pregnant at his old age. The husband of Tian Lao San beat his wife, and the young wife couldn't stand it and jumped into the river. There was also the son of Wang Yuanwai who forced a woman to marry him and beat her brother to death..."
Yun Ran has heard too many stories like this from pilgrims over the years.
Those men are bad in all kinds of ways and have no bottom line.
Every time this happened, Yun Ran felt fortunate that she was a person from outside the world and marriage had nothing to do with her.
Unexpectedly, fate played a trick on me and I was given a marriage without knowing why.
Fortunately, compared to those who beat people, stole people, oppressed people with their power, and indulged in drinking, whoring and gambling, King Jing only had a slightly eccentric temper.
Blame it if you want, it’s better to make people angry than to hurt them.
Time spent chatting always passed quickly. Not long after, the maid came to remind us: "The food in the kitchen is ready. Do you want to eat now?"
Zheng looked at the bright sunshine outside the window and said, "Set the table."
After a pause, she said, "Wanniang, take your two younger siblings to make arrangements. Ranran and I will follow."
Li Wanrong understood that her mother-in-law wanted to have a private conversation with her sister-in-law. She replied, stood up and looked at her two sisters-in-law: "Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, let's go."
After the three daughters-in-law left, Zheng dismissed all the maids in the house, leaving only Yun Ran.
Seeing this, Yun Ran looked curious and asked, "Mother, do you have anything to tell me?"
Zheng said nothing. She simply held her daughter's hand and looked her up and down carefully. Then she said seriously, "Ranran, tell me the truth. How are you doing in the palace? His Royal Highness Prince Jing...is he treating you well?"
So that's what you were asking.
Yun Ran smiled and said, "Mother, what I just said is the truth. I eat well, drink well, and sleep well in the palace. Except for not being able to see you, everything else is almost the same as at home."
"Besides, my courtyard in the palace is three times larger than Ting Xiaxuan's! The front yard is more than enough for practicing Tai Chi, or even practicing swordsmanship. There's a large open space in the backyard, but there are only a few peach trees planted there. What a waste! I thought I'd tidy it up after these two busy days. Tomorrow, spring will come, and it's just right for sowing. I'll plant half vegetables and half flowers. I can even fence off a corner and raise some free-range chickens."
"Also, the bed I'm sleeping on now is really big. I slept sideways last night, so tonight I plan to try sleeping sideways. The food at the mansion is also excellent. There are several chefs, and one of them is a cook who can cook Huaiyang cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and pastries. Her cooking skills are amazing..."
She talked about some trivial details to make Zheng believe that she was living a good life.
Zheng's attention was on: "You slept sideways last night, so how did King Jing sleep?"
"Huh? I don't know."
Yun Ran was confused and blinked: "I didn't sleep with him."
Zheng: “……?”
Sure enough! She wondered how it could be so smooth.
Since there was no one else around at the moment, Zheng pursed her lips and asked in a low voice about the bridal chamber.
After Yun Ran told the truth, Zheng was surprised: "You haven't performed the Zhougong ceremony yet?"
She originally thought that with the Queen Mother watching over her, it would be accomplished that night.
Mentioning this, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Yun Ran's fair face: "I guess he is just like me, we just met and we are not familiar with each other yet, so he must be embarrassed."
Zheng: “…”
Men don't care about whether the other person is familiar with each other or not when it comes to things like this, it only matters whether he wants to or not.
Although King Jing is handsome, Ranran is also a beautiful lady, as pretty as a flower and jade, so she shouldn't be out of his sight...
Well, there must be something wrong with King Jing.
"Mother? Mother?"
Yun Ran looked at Zheng's serious face with a frown on her face, feeling anxious. "Is this Zhou Gong ritual urgent? If so, then I want to find a way to get it done."
Zheng was choked by these words, and her face flushed red: "Well, it's not that urgent."
Anyway, she is already married and they live under the same roof together all day long. As long as the couple is in good health, they will get married sooner or later.
Besides, the Queen Mother is probably more anxious than them about this matter.
"No rush."
Zheng looked at her daughter's delicate and bright face and said gently, "Things like this require letting nature take its course. It's not too late to do it when you feel it's almost done."
Yun Ran tilted his head: "Almost? When is it almost?"
This is totally clueless.
Zheng sighed inwardly, raised her hand and pinched her daughter's fair cheek, which felt very nice to the touch: "You will know when the time comes."
Yun Ran understood this sentence——
In the past, she would follow her master and senior sisters with questions, and they would often say, "You'll know when the time comes."
Yun Ran secretly thought that they just couldn't answer her, so they were just being perfunctory with her.
Humph.
**
When Yun Ran and Zheng arrived at the dining room, the rest of the people were already there.
Including Sima Jing who was sitting in the seat of honor.
He raised his eyes and saw Yun Ran walking in from outside with Zheng's hand in his.
I don't know what she was saying, but her eyes were curved into crescents with a smile that seemed to be overflowing.
He had never seen her smile so happily before.
So this is her condition in the Marquis' Mansion.
No wonder I want to go home so much.
Yun Ran didn't have time to look at Sima Jing until he walked to the edge of the round table.
Unexpectedly, this look happened to meet the man's gaze.
She was in a good mood at the moment, and surrounded by her familiar environment and relatives, she winked at him happily.
Sima Jing: “…”
She is so bold today.
Flirting openly in front of so many people?
He frowned and looked away, and Yun Ran let go of Zheng's hand and walked over to sit beside him.
"Your Highness."
She called out sweetly, her soft tone still barely changing from what she was saying to Zheng: "Can you go to the guest room to rest?"
Sima Jing looked at her strangely and nodded.
Yun Ran noticed that he seemed to be in a bad mood. He looked around at everyone at the table and lowered his voice as he approached him: "What's wrong? Did someone neglect you? Or was there something I didn't take good care of? If so, don't keep it to yourself. Just tell me and I'll take care of it."
She was so close to me, and there seemed to be a hint of the sweet fragrance of osmanthus flowers in her breath.
Sima Jing guessed she had probably eaten some osmanthus flower pastry, and said calmly, "Be more respectful outside and don't get so close."
Yun Ran: “……?”
She asked him with good intentions, but he thought she was too close?
For a moment, Yun Ran had a rebellious thought. Since he hated her getting close to and touching him so much, if he really made her mad one day, she would jump on his back and hold on to him like a sticky monkey and refuse to let go, making him so angry that he would die!
Sima Jing had no idea of the "evil revenge plan" in the young lady's mind. When he saw her sit back with a pout on her lips, the air returned to normal and was no longer as thin as before.
"Ranran, try this mandarin fish with scallions and peppers."
Second brother Yun Rui sat diagonally across from the young couple, his dark face beaming with smiles. "I bought this at the vegetable market this morning. I specially picked the biggest one! It's still alive and kicking, so fresh!"
Counting it up, this is the second time the brother and sister have met.
When we met for the first time, we were a little reserved and unfamiliar with each other. Now when we meet again, especially after I got married, our feelings have become deeper.
Even though Yun Ran still felt that her second brother was as black as charcoal, he was still a tall and strong charcoal with regular features. What's more, this charcoal brother went to buy fish for her early in the morning.
This kind of thought is enough to move people.
"Thank you, second brother. I'll eat a few more bites!"
Yun Ran picked up the chopsticks and put several pieces of snow-white fish into the bowl.
As the fish first enters your mouth, a slight numbing sensation spreads across your tongue, gently tickling your taste buds like a spring silkworm feeding on mulberry trees. As you chew it, the snow-white fish, so tender it practically melts on your tongue, its distinctive sweetness, mingled with the fresh aroma of scallions, sinking straight down your throat.
But soon, a hint of just the right spiciness rose from the root of the tongue. It was not as scorching as oil boiling over a raging fire, but rather like the warm winter sun, wrapping the deliciousness of the fish, tempting people to reach for their chopsticks to take a second bite.
"Delicious!" Yun Ran's eyes lit up.
And this is undoubtedly the best encouragement for Yunrui.
Looking at his sister eating fish with big mouthfuls, Yun Rui felt happy and emotional.
Two days ago, my sister was still a young lady waiting to be married.
When I saw her again two days later, she had tied her hair into a bun, and there was a man by her side who looked cold and difficult to get along with.
It is true that the prince's brother-in-law has impeccable looks, but what's the use of a man being good-looking?
Zhenniang said that a good husband should be gentle and considerate, know how to be kind, have life in his eyes, and always have his wife in his heart.
At the beginning, she gave up a group of talented pretty boys... ahem, elegant young men, and chose him, a warrior with little knowledge, because she was attracted by his thoughtfulness and consideration, and his eyes were only for her.
If this brother-in-law was not of noble status and had a cold personality, he would have pulled him aside to teach him how to be a husband.
Sima Jing naturally also noticed the frequent glances from Yun Jia Erlang.
He raised his eyes, but Yun Erlang quickly looked away again and picked up his chopsticks to add more food to the second young master's wife.
Looking at the other members of the Yun family at the table, the men were adding more dishes to their wives from time to time. Even Silang Yunshang, who had not yet married, was not idle. He held a bowl of soup to cool it down for his little nephew A Zong.
After a moment of silence, Sima Jing picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of roast chicken with white bamboo shoots and placed it in Yun Ran's bowl.
Yun Ran was concentrating on eating the dishes that Zheng had picked for her, when she suddenly saw another piece added to her bowl. She raised her head with puffed cheeks and said, "Mother, pick some food slowly, I don't want to eat..."
Before she could even utter the word "finished", she discovered with horror that the person who picked up the food was Sima Jing!
What's wrong with him?
Suddenly possessed by a ghost?
Looking at the girl's dazed look with her eyes wide open and her cheeks puffed up, Sima Jing's eyebrows twitched slightly.
She looks a bit like a chinchilla like this.
Especially those bulging cheeks, which make people want to poke them for some reason.
"Eat it."
He turned his eyes away calmly: "You're welcome."
Yun Ran: “……?”
She was completely confused until she met the ambiguous smiles of her three sisters-in-law, and then she understood.
He was fulfilling his promise and cooperating with her to play the role of a loving couple.
Thinking that he had kept his promise, Yun Ran was deeply grateful. In return, he picked up a piece of rosy, fragrant lychee flesh and gave it to him: "Your Highness, you have some too."
Sima Jing paused holding his chopsticks.
Yun Ran smiled at him: "You don't have to be polite."
Sima Jing: “…”
His eyes fell again on the piece of lychee flesh in the white porcelain plate.
He never eats food that has been touched by others.
but……
He had just picked up a piece for her, and she ate it without any disgust.
If he showed disgust at this moment...
"Your Highness, why don't you eat?"
Seeing that he was still not picking up his chopsticks, Yun Ran said, "This sweet and sour lychee meat is my chef's specialty. It's sour and sweet, and tastes so good. I can eat half a plate every time!"
Seeing her open her pair of bright black eyes, full of anticipation, the other Yun family members at the table seemed to be looking at him as well.
Sima Jing's eyebrows moved slightly, and he finally raised his chopsticks, picked up the piece of meat and put it into his mouth.
The taste is moderately sweet and sour, the meat is fragrant and juicy, fat but not greasy.
Yun Ran asked, "How is it? Is it delicious?"
Sima Jing: "Not bad."
The taste of the food is secondary. The main thing is that the food picked by others does not seem as unacceptable as imagined.
The meal was quite enjoyable. After they were half full, Silang Yunshang brought out the 20-year-old Xishiqiang wine he had specially bought.
Because today was to celebrate Yun Ran's return home, even the eldest sister-in-law Li Wanrong, who usually didn't drink, poured a glass, and Marquis Changxin and the four brothers of the Yun family each had a large bowl.
Yun Ran originally drank from a cup, but after one glass, he found that the taste of the wine was very mellow, so he changed to a large bowl.
Zheng looked worried and said, "Ranran, can you drink?"
Yun Ran patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, mother. I can drink quite well. When I was in the Taoist temple, I brewed peach blossom wine every spring, green plum wine in summer, osmanthus wine in autumn, and plum blossom wine in winter. I had wine to drink all year round, so I didn't get drunk easily."
"Besides, we agreed last time not to leave until we're drunk, how can I break my promise!"
After saying that, Yun Shang burst out laughing: "Ran Ran, don't blame Fourth Brother for not reminding you, this Xishi dialect is much stronger than the wine you brewed yourself, so you better take it easy."
Yun Ran raised his chin and said, "Don't look down on me. Besides, the drinking competition hasn't even started yet. Who knows who will be the drunk one in the end?"
Although Yun Shang was a few years older than Yun Ran, he still had the heart of a young man. He became excited when he heard it, rolled up his sleeves and stood up: "Okay, then I will compete with you."
"I'm your elder brother, so I'll give you half. Let's play a drinking game. If I lose, I drink a bowl, and if you lose, you drink half a bowl. How about that?"
"Okay, come on, who's afraid of who?"
Yun Ran's eyes sparkled, and he rolled up his sleeves, eager to give it a try.
The brother and sister soon started competing with each other.
"Hello, brothers! Three stars shine, four fortunes! Five firsts, six six six..."
The two are of similar age. Once they start playing, they are very competitive and neither of them gives in.
Marquis Changxin and Zheng Shi, who were standing by, couldn't help but hold their foreheads as they watched their little son and daughter playing like children.
It was fine to play like this before, but now my daughter is married and her husband is sitting right next to her...
What does this look like.
Sima Jing was indeed frowning.
Before coming, Yun Ran said that she would not leave until she was drunk today.
He thought it was just a statement.
But now, seeing the young lady with her sleeves rolled up, her face flushed and making fists, he realized that she was serious.
An hour later.
The Marquis of Changxin and his wife carefully reminded the maids to help Yun Ran onto the carriage gently, and then escorted Sima Jing out with a guilty look on their faces: "Your Highness, please bear with me. Yun Ran was just too happy today and drank a little too much."
"And that bastard Silang, we will definitely teach him a lesson later. Next time, we won't allow him to compete with Ranran in drinking."
"I apologize for the poor hospitality today and for the inconvenience. Your Highness, please don't mind."
Sima Jing remained silent until he reached the carriage, then he said, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, please stay. There's no need to see me off."
Marquis Changxin stopped, and Zheng looked at the carriage worriedly, suggesting again, "Why don't we rest for a while before going back? It's still early anyway."
In fact, it was already the afternoon, which was not too early.
Sima Jing didn't want to stay in someone else's house any longer, so he said, "When you have time another day, I'll let the princess go home to visit the two elders."
After saying that, he turned around and stepped on the stool to get on the carriage.
The early winter sunlight dimmed. Looking at the royal procession slowly leaving Xuanhuafang, the marquis' wife clutched her handkerchief, reluctant to take her eyes off it.
Marquis Changxin put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Although Your Highness appears to be taciturn, he is quite patient with our Ranran."
Zheng sighed, "It's better than I expected."
But only some.
King Jing looked so cold and didn't seem like someone who would care for others.
Especially his attitude towards his own daughter. You could say he cares, but it's also very indifferent. You could say he doesn't care at all, but he still knows to pick up food for her, and when he sees her stumbling after getting drunk, he'll lend a hand.
"Alas, I just hope that the two of them can get along well, even if they can't be in love and respect each other."
"Yes."
Marquis Changxin said, "Our Ranran is so good."
Unless King Jing was completely blind, it would have been a great honor for the Sima family to have given him such a lovely and well-behaved daughter as his wife.
The red-wheeled carriage rumbled forward. Inside the narrow compartment, the royal blue curtains filtered the skylight outside into a dim yellow.
A faint smell of alcohol floated in the carriage, mixed with the sweet fragrance of Yun Ran, creating a subtle charm in this small, enclosed space.
Yun Ran leaned against the cushion, his cheeks flushed with alcohol, and his usually clear eyes were now covered with a layer of mist, like glass wet by rain.
"Your Highness, please smile."
She stretched out her finger and waved it in front of Sima Jing's eyes, her voice slightly soft and sticky after drinking, "You are so beautiful, you must be even more beautiful when you smile."
Sima Jing sat upright, his smoky-black robe appearing even more solemn in the dim light.
Seeing Yun Ran looking like a drunk with his head tilted, his brows furrowed even deeper.
Even though he is so drunk, he still has the audacity to say that he has a good alcohol tolerance.
ridiculous.
Seeing that he ignored her, Yun Ran didn't get angry. She just tilted her head and stared at him with her watery eyes, as if she was studying some rare treasure.
Sima Jing: “…”
Anyway, she is drunk and I am afraid she won’t remember it tomorrow.
He leaned forward, ready to manually twist her head aside.
The carriage suddenly jolted.
Yun Ran cried out in surprise and fell forward uncontrollably.
Sima Jing's eyelids twitched.
His long arms subconsciously reached forward and wrapped around the slender waist.
In an instant, the place I touched felt soft, and the familiar light sweet fragrance lingered around my nose.
Sima Jing's eyes flickered slightly.
He didn't lower his head until the person in his arms moaned.
Unexpectedly, the girl in my arms also raised her face.
When their eyes met, the air seemed to make a crackling sound.
Yun Ran's eyes were naturally big, and now that the two of them were so close, his appearance was clearly reflected in her black pupils.
Sima Jing felt as if his heart was gently bumped by something.
There is some inexplicable irritability.
He took a deep breath and raised his hand to push her away, but saw Yun Ran grabbing his collar, his eyes fixed on his mouth, muttering foolishly: "Your Highness, has anyone ever told you that you have a beautiful mouth?"
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The author has something to say: Sorry, I was late because of something, I will draw a small red envelope to compensate for this chapter~ [melted]
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