Chapter 43 "If your mouth doesn't want to speak, then use..."
Xie Zhuo was restless and climbed through the window late at night, only to find Xue Mingyao awake.
She always falls asleep the moment her head hits the pillow and is rarely awake.
Xue Mingyao writhed restlessly in Xie Zhuo's palm, making muffled noises. Xie Zhuo withdrew his hand.
"How did you get in!" Xue Mingyao blurted out as soon as she was free.
"Go through the window."
"What are you doing here?" Xue Mingyao gripped the blanket tightly, her tone disgusted. "You reek of alcohol."
Xie Zhuo took off his outer robe and replied to her casually, "Come to sleep."
"I don't want to see you," Xue Mingyao said firmly. She had been sleeping in the middle of the bed, but she simply rolled up the blanket and moved to the edge of the bed, as if to prevent Xie Zhuo from getting into bed.
"Then just bear with it." Xie Zhuo said calmly, then lifted him up, blanket and all, and placed him on the inside of the bed to make room for him. He then got into bed himself.
Xue Mingyao wanted to kick him, but her body was weak and powerless. Knowing that kicking would be useless, she wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and rolled to the inside, turning her back to him.
Xie Zhuo went to get her blanket, but Xue Mingyao refused to share. Xie Zhuo didn't force her to take it, but instead opened the other blanket at the foot of the bed and covered himself with it.
A voice came from inside, "How dare you show your face here?"
Xie Zhuo retorted, "We're newlyweds, how could I be so shameless?"
Xue Mingyao snorted heavily and rolled further to the side.
On the wide bed, two vertical wedding quilts stood out clearly, and the silence made the two people seem even further apart, so much so that they could not even hear each other's breathing.
"Why did you suddenly get your period?" After a while, Xie Zhuo asked in a low voice.
"You're the one who made me angry," Xue Mingyao said coldly.
A rustling sound arose, and Xue Mingyao arched her body, curling into a small ball, holding the bulging quilt in front of her.
Xie Zhuo was familiar with her sleeping posture, which was wild and unrestrained. She would only curl up like that when she had her period and her lower back and abdomen ached.
He didn't know what menstruation was at that time, and he made a big fool of himself in front of her.
She laughed so hard her hairpins were askew. "How could you be so silly? You don't even know what menstruation is! Ouch, I can't laugh anymore, or my stomach will hurt even more."
She would cling to him more tightly in bed, saying that his body was hot and that being pressed close to him made her feel very comfortable.
He was forced to curl up and sleep as well, falling into a deep sleep in her soft embrace, forgetting to push her away.
Beside the pillow, Xue Mingyao curled up even more tightly.
"You shouldn't have eaten crispy mountain dessert this morning," Xie Zhuo said in a low voice.
He waited for a long time but Xue Mingyao ignored him, but she was clearly not asleep.
Xie Zhuo stopped speaking.
He reached his hand out from under the covers, moving it inwards, his fingertips rubbing against the soft, slippery mattress, feeling a slight tingling sensation. Finally, he paused an inch away from her back before pulling his hand back under the covers.
Xie Zhuo closed his eyes, rolled up the blanket, and turned his back to her.
......
Xue Mingyao's silence continued until the next day.
She didn't utter a word when she got up. While eating breakfast, she took a dish to the pond to feed the fish. After feeding the fish, she returned to her room and huddled with Green Branch to discuss her dowry. Her dowry list was very long, containing many items that needed to be stored in the mansion. After dealing with the dowry, she went to plan what to buy next, sending people to shops to invite people to come and inspect the goods for her.
If there is anything that needs to be communicated with Xie Zhuo, then let Lüzhi deliver the message, even if they are in the same room.
Half a morning passed, and she didn't say a word to Xie Zhuo.
Xue Mingyao's emotions are always very simple; she's either laughing or angry, and rarely indifferent.
But when a normally indifferent person becomes indifferent, it can chill you to the bone.
Xie Zhuo recalled that in the past, when he was bothered by Xue Mingyao's entanglement and teasing, he had also remained silent.
What did Xue Mingyao do back then?
She became even more persistent in her pursuit of him, whispering intimately in his ear, "Since you don't want to use your mouth for talking, then use it for something else!"
Soft lips covered mine, and the fragrance of a beautiful woman permeated my very being.
She broke his silence.
Xie Zhuo finally realized at this moment that even though their positions had been reversed, he still couldn't play back the way Xue Mingyao had played him. His retaliation seemed utterly ridiculous, as if it were merely a way to prove that he hadn't lost to her.
In reality, he had already lost.
He, now left out in the cold, is just as much a loser as Xie Qinglang, who was kicked out by her back then.
He became a general and married her, but that only made her victory less exhilarating.
The sounds of Xue Mingyao and her maids playing leaf games came from the inner room. Xie Zhuo listened quietly for a while, then left.
I strolled to the training ground and saw Qi Zhao there again.
Qi Zhao is instructing A Lianfa on archery.
"General, I've finished all my work, so I came to find Guard Qi to practice archery." A-Lian smiled, revealing a set of white teeth, when he saw Xie Zhuo.
Ah Lian had served in Xie Zhuo's army for several years and had some basic martial arts skills. Xie Zhuo would often give him pointers when he had time. However, Ah Lian considered himself a servant in the mansion and didn't want the general to think he was shirking his duties, so he always had to explain himself.
Xie Zhuo nodded and stood aside to watch Qi Zhao instruct him.
The key points and tips Qi Zhao mentioned sounded very familiar. A-Lian muttered to herself, "They're exactly the same as what the general taught."
He had no idea, of course, that his general had also learned archery from the Xue family.
Xie Zhuo glanced at Qi Zhao, just as Qi Zhao looked at him. His gaze was calm, revealing little emotion, and he did not show the awe that most people usually felt in front of Xie Zhuo. It was exactly the same as when he looked at Xie Qinglang at the Xichuan residence back then.
After practicing for a while, Ah Lian was called away by Steward Liu for some business, leaving only Xie Zhuo and Qi Zhao in the courtyard.
Xie Zhuo said, "Guard Qi seems to have plenty of free time; he's already instructing A-Lian."
Qi Zhao gathered up the scattered arrows and looked up, saying, "General, you seem to have some free time. On the second day of the wedding, you should be spending time with the princess."
Xie Zhuo sensed the sharpness in the words and frowned slightly.
Qi Zhao lowered his head again, preparing to leave, when he suddenly heard Xie Zhuo say, "Qi Zhao, since we are both free, why don't we have a friendly spar?"
Qi Zhao answered without hesitation.
"Please enlighten me, General!"
Since it was a friendly spar, neither side carried any weapons, engaging in combat purely with their fists and feet. Both used considerable force, and the force of their punches stirred up clouds of dust and caused branches and leaves to sway wildly.
Xie Zhuo's kung fu was not as good as Qi Zhao had expected. Xie Zhuo's response to some of Xie Zhuo's moves was not very skillful, and his attack patterns were also a bit chaotic, which showed that he had not received formal training.
Qi Zhao made up his mind. Xie Zhuo was a latecomer to martial arts; no matter how high his talent was, his ability was ultimately limited and couldn't compare to Qi Zhao's more than ten years of training. He judged that he could defeat him within twenty moves.
However, the thought had barely formed when a heavy punch landed on his waist from behind, and at the same time, his throat was grabbed, causing Qi Zhao's knees to buckle forward involuntarily. Just as he was about to kneel, Xie Zhuo released his grip, and Qi Zhao used the momentum to roll on the ground before finally standing up.
In that split second, his vital point was seized, and the outcome was decided.
Qi Zhao's usually expressionless face showed a rare look of surprise and doubt. "How did you do that?"
He didn't even know when Xie Zhuo had appeared behind him.
“He was taught by a fellow soldier; this was his unique skill for hunting wolves. But he has long since perished in the wolf's belly,” Xie Zhuo said.
Qi Zhao remained silent. "That's truly impressive."
Xie Zhuo said calmly, "You should practice more. Xue Mingyao values you so much, your abilities should match hers."
Qi Zhao remained expressionless. After Xie Zhuo turned and walked away, he suddenly turned to his retreating figure and asked, "General, why did you join the army in the first place?"
Xie Zhuo paused, his voice deep, "Because I don't want to be bullied anymore."
"But what the princess did wasn't bullying—"
Qi Zhao was speaking when Xie Zhuo suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze fixed on him, and Qi Zhao fell silent.
......
Main courtyard.
Xue Mingyao played with a newly added gilded duck-shaped incense burner and instructed Lüzhi, "Don't forget to have those boxes of paintings from the dowry moved to Tingzhu Pavilion by the water before tomorrow. I'll personally decorate it when I'm in a good mood."
When Xue Mingyao first visited the Xie residence, she immediately fell in love with its layout. Although she had various feelings about marrying Xie Zhuo, living in the Xie residence was undeniably a great benefit. She carefully selected a pavilion surrounded by bamboo groves by the water as her art collection. She could enjoy painting and appreciating the paintings while being bathed in the bamboo breeze, a truly delightful experience far superior to the dark and gloomy library in the Xue residence.
"When the princess told me this morning, I already had someone move it over there," Green Branch said with a smile.
"So proactive?"
There are many things to do after a wedding and moving to a new place. In the past half day, she has given Green Branch dozens of instructions.
"General Xie said it would rain in the afternoon, and we should move early so we wouldn't get wet on the way, so I moved quickly," Green Branch replied, glancing at Xue Mingyao's face. Princess, please don't blame her for listening to the general.
Xue Mingyao turned her head and looked out the window. The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.
"There's no sign of rain. He's just talking nonsense." She scoffed.
"He's a general, so it's not surprising that he can predict the weather."
"That's an exaggeration. Weather isn't that easy to predict; even the Astronomical Observatory isn't accurate."
Even though his own father was a general, he only knew some basic skills in reading clouds and predicting the weather, which were sometimes accurate and sometimes not, especially since there were no clouds visible outside.
However, after an incense stick's worth of conversation between master and servant, rain indeed began to fall silently outside. The fine rain continued to fall for quite some time before the sky gradually darkened.
Xue Mingyao was surprised. Could it be that Xie Zhuo was truly a born military genius who could accurately predict the weather during military campaigns?
The rain continued to fall steadily into the night.
After noon, Xue Mingyao didn't see Xie Zhuo again. It seems he was sensible and stopped trying to provoke her once she became distant.
Before going to bed, Xue Mingyao locked the door and the window.
The cold rain tapped on the window, and the empty bed and quilt created a desolate atmosphere, reminiscent of a woman alone in her boudoir. Xue Mingyao was very restless and rolled around on the bed a few times while hugging the quilt.
I managed to avoid insomnia, but I still had a dream.
It was raining in her dream, a long, lingering, and memorable drizzle. As a result, she slept exceptionally well during her afternoon nap. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was a young man sitting on a small couch opposite her, holding a book. His profile was elegant and picturesque.
She admired it for a while, then sat down and asked with a smile, "You missed me, so you came all the way to my room to keep me company?"
Xie Qinglang moved slightly to the side, glanced at her, and then lowered her head again. "No. The rain outside is too noisy; it's only quieter here."
"Is it quiet? I don't think so."
The boy fell silent.
Xue Mingyao yawned, raised her hand and placed it on his waist, stroking it back and forth.
"Move it away." Xie Qinglang moved it a little to the other side.
Xue Mingyao was displeased. "Why are you so shy? Haven't we already done it?"
He looked at her with annoyance.
Xue Mingyao laughed again, "If I were a man and you were a woman, it would be much simpler. I could openly take you as a concubine and give you a proper title. That way, it wouldn't be considered an illicit affair, and we could respect the rules of propriety."
"absurd......"
The rain grew louder. Xie Qinglang buried herself in her book, while she casually played with him. Suddenly, she heard him ask in a muffled voice, "Why is it 'taking a concubine' instead of 'marrying a wife'?"
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