Chapter 40 Unconsciously, she clung to him...
Xie Zhuo confirmed that Xue Mingyao had not woken up.
A waking Xue Mingyao wouldn't be so proactive. Only the old her would.
They faced each other sideways, so close that he could count her eyelashes and see the shadows they cast on her eye sockets. Beside her neck lay her alabaster-like arm skin; Xie Zhuo touched it with his lips, feeling a cool warmth, like a piece of soft jade.
Unaware of his presence, she clung to him, her strength unusually gentle, yet it gave him a suffocating pleasure. The moonlit night was still and quiet; Xie Zhuo could hear his own heart pounding like thunder, thump, thump, once, twice…
Old stories resurface, old dreams are relived.
Xue Mingyao, lying beside him, was just like the little princess who had clung to him so passionately back then, burning with fiery intensity that stirred his heart. Xie Zhuo shamefully admitted that he deeply missed her, even craved her.
He didn't want her to wake up.
He nestled quietly in Xue Mingyao's embrace, gazing down at her. Xue Mingyao was not sleeping soundly; occasionally, her lips would move, uttering a few indistinct murmurs that he couldn't understand. Her delicate nose twitched slightly, as if she had been upset in her dream.
Xie Zhuo watched her without moving, from the third watch of the night until the fourth watch, until the moonlight faded and the red candle burned out.
Xue Mingyao finally changed her position, released him, turned over and lay down to sleep peacefully. Xie Zhuo then sat up to look at her. A moment later, the bed curtains fluttered quietly, and Xie Zhuo got off the bed and found a small, exquisite pair of scissors on the table.
He cut off a small lock of Xue Mingyao's hair and put it into the mandarin duck pouch prepared in the wedding tray, and then hid the pouch.
After finishing this task, Xie Zhuo went into the washroom. The water that Lvzhi had sent was already cold, but it was enough to relieve his discomfort. He took a cold shower.
......
Xie Zhuo was woken up by A Lian the next day.
"General, it's past Chenshi (7-9 AM), do you want to get up?" Ah Lian asked him through the tent.
Xie Zhuo has three days of wedding leave and doesn't need to go to the garrison for the time being. He looked at the pillow beside him; it was empty, but the pillow was still slightly warm to the touch.
"Is the Lady...awake?" he asked.
"Yes, Madam has finished washing up and is preparing for breakfast," Ah Lian replied.
It was highly unusual for a newlywed to leave her husband to eat alone. But the princess herself was not one to follow the rules, and the general marrying her was an even more incomprehensible matter. Liu Quan and A Lian had no choice but to swallow their surprise as usual. One of them went to ask the seemingly easy-going Sister Lü Zhi by the lady's side to ask the lady to wait for the general, while the other went to wake up the general who was inexplicably sleepy.
Xie Zhuo entered the side room just in time to have breakfast with Xue Mingyao.
She was wearing a pale yellow dress, and glanced up at him. "Even the general is lazy, getting up so late."
Before speaking to her, Xie Zhuo dismissed the servants in the room.
Xue Mingyao came from a noble family and was used to being served by others since childhood. He was different. He didn't want anyone watching when he was with Xue Mingyao before, and he still couldn't adapt now that he was a general.
"I don't have your good fortune; you fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow," Xie Zhuo said calmly.
"You're still unsatisfied, aren't you?" Xue Mingyao scooped up a spoonful of cool, moist pastry and put it in her mouth, smiling as she said, "Serves you right!"
It's his fault for being out socializing for so long last night.
Who told him to mess with her first?
Xie Zhuo didn't respond. After eating for a while, he asked, "Did you have a dream last night?"
Xue Mingyao was taken aback. "How did you know?"
You were talking in your sleep.
"What did I say?" Xue Mingyao was on high alert. She really didn't want him to know that she had dreamed about him.
Xie Zhuo glanced at her expression and said slowly, "Your words were vague; I couldn't hear you clearly. Who did you dream about?"
Xue Mingyao breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled, "Who could I dream about? Of course, I'd dream about men."
Which man?
Xue Mingyao blinked. "Chen Hanlin."
Xie Zhuo remained expressionless, sipping his tea as if he had nothing more to say.
Xue Mingyao was somewhat disappointed. Wasn't he the one who disliked her getting close to Chen Liangqing the most? Why was he not reacting at all now?
"I dreamt that we were in our wedding night," she said, disregarding everything else.
Xie Zhuo responded with an "oh" and continued drinking his tea.
"You have no objections?" Xue Mingyao couldn't help but ask.
"I'm not so concerned with what you dream about," Xie Zhuo smiled. "You and he have no chance in reality, so you can only use your dreams to annoy me."
"Who wants to upset you?" Xue Mingyao raised her eyebrows, annoyed that he saw through her. "Don't think you can control me. I don't play the wife-and-husband game. If you push me too far, I won't let you off easy."
Xie Zhuo glanced at her sideways, "Saying such things on the first day of your marriage, you really can't shake off your domineering nature."
Xue Mingyao tapped the porcelain cup with her silver spoon to show her dissatisfaction.
Xie Zhuo's gaze swept over the tall, syrup-covered mountain of pastries. "The cooks in your household worked hard all day yesterday and probably didn't get much sleep. You expect someone to go to such lengths to prepare such a cold dish for your breakfast? Don't you have any consideration at all?"
Xue Mingyao took a big bite and said, "Your cooks here don't know how to make this. I had my cook make it for me."
"...You brought a cook with you?"
“Yes,” Xue Mingyao said casually. “Your cook is good at hot dishes, but not so good at other things. I have to go outside to buy a crispy mountain when I want to eat it, so naturally I have to bring my cook with me.”
Xie Zhuo frowned. "Extravagant."
"I thought you were stingy," Xue Mingyao said, pointing to the Pinellia tea in front of him. "What is this you're drinking? It smells so bitter."
"Bitter tea is good for your health, but what you're eating is sweet, which is a pity as it harms your health and stomach."
"......"
The two bickered but didn't stop eating. After breakfast, Xie Zhuo asked Xue Mingyao to go with him to pay respects to his parents. Since both his parents were deceased, they could only pay respects to their memorial tablets.
Xue Mingyao refused to budge; she still had half of the crispy mountain in her hand. "What's the rush? I haven't finished eating yet."
"Did I marry you so you could be my ancestor? Come with me now, don't keep them waiting." Xie Zhuo snatched her porcelain cup and poured the remaining crispy cake into the empty porridge bowl.
Given Xue Mingyao's picky nature, this contaminated crispy mountain is definitely not edible.
She angrily slammed the silver spoon down, saying, "The person is already dead, what can't wait?"
She eventually followed him out of the house.
Upon arriving at their destination and stepping over the threshold, Xie Zhuo heard Xue Mingyao whisper, "Who knows why you married me?"
He paused, then heard her mutter to herself, "Oh, I remember now, you said you were going to get back at me."
Xie Zhuo lowered his eyes, lit incense and placed wine before the memorial tablet, and knelt down with Xue Mingyao.
"Father, Mother, your son has brought his wife."
After saying this, Xie Zhuo didn't know what else to say. Marrying Xue Mingyao was not something that would allow him to appear upright in front of his parents. Upon closer examination, his behavior had completely deviated from his father's expectations of him since childhood after he met her.
During those years of hardship, his father would give him even the smallest piece of bread. He would beg for help so that his son could go to school, and he would do any kind of hard work. When he was forty, he fell ill and died. He held his son's hand and shed tears, unable to close his eyes in peace.
His father would not rest in peace if he did not witness his son's success in the imperial examination.
Although he didn't achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations, being appointed a general or a marquis would undoubtedly bring glory to his ancestors. In the months since he returned to the capital, some people, hearing that he was all alone, came to claim kinship with him. After being exposed, they wanted to become godparents. Even the Xie family, a prestigious clan with no connection to him, sent people to add him to their family genealogy, hoping for mutual benefit.
But Xie Zhuo still felt it was difficult to face his father.
He even changed his name, which carried his father's high hopes. Qinglang was taken from Qinglanggan, a name symbolizing flawless jade and upright bamboo. His father hoped he would become a person of noble character, but he...
Xie Zhuo couldn't help but look at the instigator.
Xue Mingyao stared at the memorial tablet, cleared her throat, and said directly, "Lord Xie, I am Princess Yongning, and I have come to offer you incense today. Many years ago, I took a fancy to your son in Xichuan and used some dishonorable means to kidnap him, and he has hated me ever since. Now he has risen above his station and come to settle scores with me, forcing me to remarry him. Other couples live in harmony and love, but your son is so unreasonable that he insists on being my sworn enemy. What do you think of this?"
Xie Zhuo chased Xue Mingyao out with a dark expression.
After closing the door, Xie Zhuo spilled the wine on the table onto the floor and said, "Father, please forgive your unfilial son. Marriage is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly. My decision is the result of careful consideration and not an impulsive one. Even if I am to be a miserable couple with her, I will be willing."
After the worship ceremony, the two walked back to the main courtyard one after the other. Xue Mingyao had been to the Xie residence twice and knew the way well. She didn't need anyone to lead the way and walked through the corridors and pavilions without hesitation. Xie Zhuo looked at her back and thought to himself, "On her first day of marriage with Cen Zongjing, she certainly wouldn't be so composed and shy."
Newlyweds, newlyweds.
He showed absolutely no signs of being newlywed.
No matter how you look at it, this day seemed more like an ordinary one for Xue Mingyao. She calmly left him and got out of bed, eating the sweets that the cook at her parents' house often made. She walked briskly back to her room, bypassed him, and went straight to summon Steward Liu, instructing him to hand over the household's account books—account books?
"What do you need the ledger for?" Xie Zhuo asked.
"Let me check the accounts." Xue Mingyao sensed the skepticism in his tone and became wary. "What, you won't let me see them? You won't let me spend your money?"
Xie Zhuo realized, a beat late, that Xue Mingyao, now his wife, was entitled to spend his money and manage his accounts.
But what's with her acting like she's the rightful mistress of the house? She's all high and mighty in the Xue family, but here she is, and she doesn't hold back at all.
"The accounts are simple, nothing to see," Xie Zhuo said curtly. "Don't worry, you won't lack food or clothing."
Xue Mingyao breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment just now, she was really worried that Xie Zhuo would control her and restrict her spending. Fortunately, he wasn't that despicable.
She softened her tone, "Don't worry, I have no interest in such mundane tasks as managing accounts. I just need to see how much money you have, and whether it's enough for me to spend."
In humble households with limited means, the mistress of the house needs to meticulously oversee every penny of the money. This is unnecessary in wealthy families—a pampered young lady raised in her chambers shouldn't be expected to live like a housekeeper after marriage. Being able to read the accounts and having a few shrewd rules to prevent subordinates from cheating is enough.
Xue Mingyao's main reason for demanding payment was to get a sense of Xie Zhuo's financial situation.
He lived a very frugal life, keeping the furniture and belongings in his own room as simple as possible. The new house in the main courtyard had been specially decorated and was presentable. However, Xue Mingyao still planned to add some things. How much she added depended on how rich Xie Zhuo's secret stash was.
Xie Zhuo still had reservations about her statement, questioning what she meant by "enough for her to spend," as if she were treating him like a sucker to be taken advantage of.
Manager Liu brought the accounts.
"Just one book?" Xue Mingyao asked.
Manager Liu nodded in agreement.
Xue Mingyao didn't say anything more, sipped her tea, and carefully examined the bill spread out in front of her.
Xie Zhuo was used to her carefree and uninhibited manner, so seeing her doing something serious was quite a novelty. However, seeing her turning the pages, her delicate brows sometimes relaxed and sometimes furrowed, he couldn't help but think that the reason she was so skilled was because she had experienced it when she was married to Cen Zongjing.
Xue Mingyao closed the ledger, instructed Liu Guan to leave first, and then turned to Xie Zhuo and said, "Tell me about the assets you have hidden that are not recorded in this ledger."
"What do you mean? Everything is here."
"You don't need to hide it from me," Xue Mingyao said impatiently. "I can't access your private funds, just tell me a rough estimate."
Xie Zhuo crossed his arms. "I'm not hiding anything from you. I have nothing to hide."
"Really?" Xue Mingyao asked in disbelief. "Your entire fortune is just this?"
“Not bad,” Xie Zhuo said. “Do you think it’s not enough?”
"Is it not enough?" Xue Mingyao exclaimed. "Xie Zhuo, General Xie, do you know how poor you are? The wealth in this ledger is not even as much as my dowry!"
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