Knowing she might incite her anger, he also knew that such rumors were not necessarily a bad thing—it would decrease the number of men who fantasized about her.
They were married now, but this small woman seemed unfettered, her ambition had never waned, something he supported. His woman should be strong!
But going forward, she would inevitably become more public. Who knows how many men that would attract? He did not want another Duan Lan. His wishes were one thing, the ability to stop it was another. He was well aware of the attractively of his wife, who had once been small and skinny and easy to overlook. But after a year of good eating, she looked plump and fair, her facial features growing softer. Her figure was becoming more pronounced.
From that one night at Wanhua Tower, when he saw her instruct Ah Lian to dance "Drunken Concubine," he realised the charm and elegance his little woman had. His woman had truly grown up.
Given her current form, how could he put her to ease his mind?
Letting people know she was his woman and how much she cared for him would scare off those opportunistic men, wouldn’t it?
That’s what Marquis Mu thought, with a deeper smile on his face.
Although he didn’t show it when he said: "Personally, I don’t think there’s anything to explain about this matter. After all, our first marriage was quite unusual, with a lot of complexities involved. We can’t talk about everything that happened, especially the reasons behind my departure and yours. To avoid any misunderstanding, it’s best to create a new narrative. Since everyone has already created the narrative for us, we have no need to explain anything further."
Xin He didn’t notice anything amiss, and merely uttered a small sound of displeasure, deciding not to argue about it further: "But I guess the villagers will all despise me, thinking I have no shame."
With an indulgent look in his eyes, Marquis Mu reached out and touched her head, "Who dares to say that? I’ll rip their tongues out."
Xin He finally let out a sigh of relief, eager to share her achievements of the day with him.
She shared what Shopkeeper Wu had said, as well as her ambitions for Flower House.
Perhaps because everything had gone so well today, she was barely able to contain her happiness. She even quickly pushed aside her anger from earlier.
Marquis Mu furrowed his brows slightly when he heard about it: "Flower House?"
Xin He tugged at his sleeve and said, "I’ll be the mystery boss behind the scenes and won’t show my face, so don’t worry!"
She knew the concerns of this jealous man. He could get angry if anyone looked at her, let alone anyone related to Flower House. After all, there were many men in such places, many with lecherous gazes.
"You think not appearing means I won’t come into contact with anyone?" Marquis Mu replied frostily.
"Of course not! All I’ll do is help out behind the scenes, training the girls. How will I come into contact with any men?" Xin He hurriedly responded.
"You can train dancing girls now? I didn’t realize you had such abilities." Marquis Mu said with a vague smile.
Xin He quickly changed the subject, "If the Flower House really gets up and running, it’s sure to be a roaring success. Your intelligence network in Yu State could entirely rely on it. Even our future endeavors could be carried out from there. It’s such a great opportunity, it would be a shame to pass it up!"
Marquis Mu’s arm tightened around her waist. He lowered his voice and said in her ear, "I don’t care if it turns a huge profit or not, but I have to see how well you can train tonight."
Xin He blushed, knowing that this man would not miss any chance he got. She pushed him away, attempting to climb off him, "Leave me alone!"
But Marquis Mu wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back. He looked at her steadily and asked, "You said you let that little ... that boy go and find out what’s going on?"
"He wanted to go. I figure he probably just wanted to prove himself. I feel quite sorry for him, being an orphan and having to live a lowly existence in the princess’ mansion. He’s probably afraid I’ll abandon him, which is why he’s eager to prove himself. The boy lacks a sense of security. The job wasn’t that hard, so I let him try. If he does well, it just goes to show he’s worth something." Xin He spoke carelessly.
Marquis Mu raised his eyebrows in consternation and pinched her waist: "Why is it that other orphans get your concern, but I had to wait until I was twenty-four to meet you?"
Xin He couldn’t help laughing at his absurd complaint, "What kind of twisted logic is this? Marquis Mu, haven’t you noticed you’ve been getting more unreasonable?"
"I’m just a little envious looking at him," said Marquis Mu in a melancholic tone.
Xin He was suddenly reminded of his stories about his childhood and felt a touch of emotion. She couldn’t help asking, "Why did you have to grow up under someone like Old Man Chen?"
Given his past experiences and the fact that Chen was so malicious to him, even going so far as inserting a drug into him, his childhood must have been very painful.
With a casual tone and eyes filled with depths unreadable, Marquis Mu said, "I was once alone too. Then eighteen years ago, our city was invaded by enemy forces, who broke through our defensive lines and wreaked havoc on the kingdom. The royal family had fled, leaving the rest of its’ citizens in disaster."
At those words, Xin He’s heart gave a slight shudder. She knew Lian’s biological mother had died while fleeing with her unborn child.
"At that time, death was everywhere. People were starving to death and being killed by invading enemies. I was very young then and had nothing. I hated having nothing. If I had, I could possibly save my most trusted servant. But I had no money, no power, and no way out."
"So you found Old Man Chen?" Xin He looked at him. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"Old Man Chen’s rank wasn’t very high back then, but I knew he was devoted to a particular black magic and had been experimenting with some drugs. He also had his own underground organization, recruiting children to groom. I knew he was cruel and cunning, but I had nowhere else to go."
Marquis Mu’s voice remained calm throughout. It might not seem like he was talking about himself, but Xin He knew how much bitterness he’d buried in his heart.
"How did you find out about all of his underground activities?" asked Xin He.
Marquis Mu’s gaze flickered slightly. Of course, he knew; he used to be the eldest legitimate son of the crown prince. His trusted old servant used to know everything happening in the court, whether public or private.
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