Chapter 44
When Xie Yao learned that a purchasing agent was refusing to leave Huayan Fang, he was preparing to leave the palace. But just then, the two defeated generals from the northern border came for an audience. He had intended to deal with them quickly, but then he learned that Yuli had not only met the purchasing agent but had also gone to his home to apologize.
He didn’t delay for another moment. He just changed his outer robe and galloped here. When he entered the door and saw the gauze curtain that had not yet been hung properly, his heart tightened.
The guards came up to him, and only then did he learn about the troublemaking customer. When he entered the door, the composure he had had, with everything under control, disappeared the moment he saw Yuli’s slightly red eyes.
Xie Yao’s brow twitched, and a murderous intent surged in his heart, but the pain in his eyes overshadowed his hostility.
Xie Yao strode to her side. Yuli wanted to stand up, but Xie Yao bent down and held her shoulder, half-squatting to be at eye level with her.
His body heat passed through the fabric, from her shoulder to her heart. Yuli couldn’t hold back anymore. Her eyes stung, and tears instantly filled her eyes.
Xie Yao stiffened for a moment, then pressed her into his arms. “I’m late. Yuli.”
Yuli’s face was pressed against the side of his neck, and large teardrops fell.
She wanted to say it was nothing, but her throat was tight, and she couldn’t speak.
Feeling Yuli’s tears drip onto the side of his neck, turning from hot to cold, Xie Yao closed his eyes, suppressing the impulse to kill those people immediately.
After a moment of helplessness, he patted Yuli’s back and said gently, “I’ll take you home now. You can play with your cat for a while, have Old Hu make you some delicious food, and then walk around the residence and look at the flowers in the garden. How about it?”
Yuli was silent for a while before speaking. “Let me hold you for a while first.”
Yuli’s voice was heavy with a nasal tone. Xie Yao’s heart felt as if it were being pricked by needles. He could only hold her tightly.
Xie Yao squatted by the chair, holding Yuli in an embrace, their robes overlapping. A few figures flashed in the courtyard. Yuli didn’t care, until Song He came silently and closed the door.
Most of the people outside the courtyard had already avoided them. Only Ye Weiqing, who was stunned in place, saw the two of them embracing, one in moon-white and one in lacquer-black, holding each other tightly, inseparable.
“Good Yuli, from now on, I will handle the affairs of this shop for you. If you still want to make flowers, after I have sorted things out, you can take over again,” Xie Yao said, caressing the back of Yuli’s neck.
Yuli rubbed against his shoulder and said nothing.
Xie Yao seemed to have a sudden idea and said, “How about I have them come and apologize to you, kowtow three times, and slap their own faces? How about it?”
His tone was normal, without a smile. He was genuinely asking for her consent, not trying to make her happy.
Yuli had no doubt that as long as she nodded, all the people who had appeared today—Chu Hong, the purchasing agent, the matriarch, the woman, and the others—would be kneeling in front of her, slapping their own faces, within half an hour.
And then? Would he kill them immediately or kill them behind her back?
Yuli’s tears immediately stopped.
It seemed that she was not that wronged. The shop was not in a hurry to be sold. She seemed to be able to hold on.
Yuli: “No. With you here, these are nothing.”
Xie Yao said with a faint smile, “I am here to do these things for you. Do you really not want it?”
Yuli suddenly felt that if she really agreed, and they knelt in front of her, she would have to face Xie Yao’s true face, his true identity, and everything she had now would undergo a earth-shattering change.
Yuli came out of his embrace and looked at him. “Really no need. It’s just that a lot has happened today. Actually, I haven’t suffered any damage. After today, my mind will be stronger, and Lizhen and the others will also be more meticulous in their work. Although we have encountered difficulties, as long as I think of Husband supporting me from behind, I am not afraid of anything. If I get through this, I will have grown.”
Yuli’s mood changed too quickly. Xie Yao’s smile faded a little. He held her face, gently kissed her tearstains, and wiped them with his thumb before looking at her slightly apprehensive eyes. “You have been wronged, yet you don’t want me to vent your anger for you?”
The corners of his lips were still curled, and his eyes were still gentle, but there was a faint chill in the depths of his eyes.
Yuli paid attention to his subtle emotions. Her heart sank. She hugged him again, pressed her face against his, and carefully chose her words. “Husband has comforted me for so long. I’m not angry anymore. When you are out and about, and want to achieve something, you will suffer all kinds of grievances. Just like my shopkeeper, who has to endure the dissatisfaction of customers every day. But I have never seen her family come to me to demand an explanation. How lucky I am that I have only suffered this once, and you have come to my side. I am already very satisfied and happy.”
After Yuli finished speaking, Xie Yao did not respond. She retreated a little and looked at Xie Yao’s expression. He was not moved at all.
Xie Yao looked at her. “You are different from them. You have me. I will give you the best of everything.”
Yuli sighed in her heart. She was both moved and helpless, and there was also some inexplicable resistance.
Yuli lowered her head and kissed him, saying softly, “Husband, just indulge me this once. I promise I won’t go to the front hall to greet guests next time. If anyone causes trouble again, I will have the two guards you gave me beat them out.”
Xie Yao’s expression loosened a little. Yuli smiled. “Do you still remember the self-actualization I told you about? I feel it’s coming soon. If I hold on for a little longer, I will succeed. Just three months, okay?”
Xie Yao looked at Yuli, his heart filled with dark clouds, but his face was calm, and the cold darkness was hidden in the depths of his eyes. He held her shoulder tightly and agreed.
Yuli secretly let out a sigh of relief and lay on the side of Xie Yao’s neck. Xie Yao gently caressed her back. His palm was scorching hot, and his strokes were heavy and slow. A trace of unease flashed in Yuli’s heart for no reason.
Yuli and Xie Yao squeezed into the usual blue-curtained carriage to return to the residence. The usually bustling streets were very quiet. Yuli wanted to lift the curtain to have a look but was held by Xie Yao’s wrist.
Yuli looked at him. He said nothing. She wanted to break free, but she only moved a little, and his grip tightened. “It’s noisy outside. It’s better not to show your face.”
His tone was flat, not an order, but also not to be refused.
Yuli guessed that he must be unhappy because she had refused to let him vent her anger for her. But she had said everything she could and really had no way to coax him.
After returning to Mingyue Residence, Xie Yao had his meal with her as usual. Today, the kitchen had added a few more dishes, all of which were Yuli’s favorites. It was unclear if he had sent someone back to the residence to order them in advance.
Yuli concentrated on her meal. After the meal, just as Xie Yao had suggested, she first went to play with Xuemi for a while, then went to the courtyard to loosen the soil for the camellia tree. The camellia flowers had already budded. When the weather warmed up, they would bloom.
After doing these things, Yuli’s mood relaxed a lot.
She had wanted to go for a walk in the garden, but she was really tired. She put away the flower hoe and was about to go back to her room when she found Xie Yao standing inside the door, his eyes lowered, looking at her.
Seeing her look over, he turned and went back into the room.
Yuli was a little helpless, but she couldn’t just leave him alone. She planned to coax him when she had bathed and was about to go to bed.
Yuli went into the bathroom. Xiyun had already arranged for hot water. She took off her clothes and was about to get into the bathtub when the candlelight suddenly flickered for a moment, and a warm skin wrapped tightly around her.
Yuli was startled.
“I’ll help you wash,” Xie Yao’s voice sounded from above her head. Yuli let out a huge breath. “You scared me.”
Xie Yao chuckled, picked her up, and strode into the bathtub.
Not long after, Yuli was lying on the edge of the tub, biting her lip and panting.
Xie Yao was really helping her wash, but he was washing her meticulously, carefully opening every part to wash. His fingers had thin calluses, and he would caress her, sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily. Even the lightest touch would make Yuli tremble.
And his face was normal, his breathing calm, as if he were just concentrating on helping her bathe.
Yuli’s back was to him. After he had washed her back, it was about to be over. Yuli was about to get up, but he pressed her back down. “Won’t you help me wash?”
He had taken the initiative to ask. It seemed he was not angry anymore. Yuli sincerely satisfied him.
“Turn your back,” Yuli directed him.
Xie Yao chuckled and did not move. He held her hand and pressed it against his chest. “Like how I washed you.”
Yuli’s face flushed. The force on her wrist did not decrease at all. He was determined.
She had seen it countless times. What was there to be shy about? Yuli encouraged herself, went to get a cloth, but Xie Yao snatched it and threw it outside the bathtub.
Xie Yao leaned against the bathtub and pulled her closer, so close that their bodies were almost touching.
He held her hands, one on his shoulder, and one on his chest. “It’s not dirty. Use your hands.”
Yuli’s whole body went soft. Her hands had no strength, and her mind was floating. She could only listen to his command, from his shoulder downwards. It was less like washing and more like caressing.
Yuli’s gaze was focused on her fingertips, sliding over his well-defined skin, from the surface of the water to under the water. She didn’t dare to look at Xie Yao, but she could feel his gaze on her face all the time.
Yuli felt her face grow hot, and her breathing was not very smooth. But Xie Yao’s chest only heaved slightly, and he seemed not to be moved.
But the further down she went, the more his chest heaved, which made her less embarrassed.
Xie Yao suddenly grabbed her hand. “Alright,” he said, his voice hoarse, his lust deep.
The water was getting cold. Xie Yao hooked Yuli’s legs, stood up, stepped out of the bathtub, and put her down steadily. He wrapped her in a cloth, dried her, pulled her over, and kissed her. “Go out first.”
Yuli obediently turned around. The nightgown she had brought in just now had fallen in the bathroom. She got into the quilt like this.
Xie Yao didn’t bring a nightgown either. He came out of the bathroom and walked straight to the bed. He held Yuli in his arms.
He held her tightly, not letting her have any gap.
Her wrists were held by his one hand above her head. Yuli turned her head to free her lips and panted, “Don’t tie me.”
Xie Yao kissed her neck vein lightly. “Is there a need?”
He paused. “Yuli, you can’t leave me.”
Yuli felt a chill, but he smiled gently again. “We are husband and wife. It’s normal to do anything, right?”
A cold sweat broke out on Yuli’s back. She was stiff and didn’t dare to move. Xie Yao bit her lightly. “Yes. Just like this. Don’t move.”
The waves surged, and the world turned upside down. Yuli cried uncontrollably. She wanted him to stop, but she couldn’t make a sound. Just as she was about to suffocate, he stopped.
He looked down at her, submerged in the waves, his eyes a mixture of dark currents and pain, waiting for her to cry for help.
Yuli’s reason didn’t want him to hold her, but her reason had already drowned.
“Husband… Mingyan, hold me,” she murmured his name, wanting him to hold her.
The dark currents in his eyes disappeared, and his heart was filled with pain. Xie Yao bent down and held her tightly.
Yuli only felt that she was being pressed so hard she couldn’t breathe, but she also felt satisfied. She whimpered, and her tears never stopped.
Gradually, she calmed down. A wave of resentment and anger arose in Yuli. She bit his shoulder. “Xie Mingyan, you big villain.”
Xie Yao smiled. “I am.”
*
At the beginning of the third lunar month, at the beginning of late spring, the weather was suddenly warm and then cold.
On the first day of the third lunar month, Yuli slept so soundly that she lost track of time.
The sparrows were chirping outside the window. When she woke up, the warm spring sun was already high in the sky.
The events of yesterday daytime first flooded into her mind. She sighed, a little reluctant to go to Huayan Fang. A trace of dejection flashed through her, but thinking of last night, her thoughts were complicated again.
Last night, Xie Yao had made her unable to resist. He had been gentle and had not hurt her, and his tone was gentle, without any coldness. But it had made her feel a sense of confinement, as if he had woven an invisible net in her body and built a transparent wall around her, firmly controlling her body and mind, holding her from the inside out.
Yuli lazed in the quilt and thought deeply for a long time.
Xie Yao had rushed over yesterday. She was moved, but what he wanted seemed to be more than just being moved. He wanted her to completely accept him solving all her problems for her and venting her anger for her.
Yuli knew he was doing it for her good, but she felt it was not necessary to go that far. But on second thought, he was the regent, decisive in killing. Perhaps in his view, power and force were the best way to solve problems.
But she was not the regent. She had no intention of being greedy for power. She was just a commoner, a commoner who couldn’t even pass the civil service exam.
When she encountered a problem she couldn’t solve, the first thing she thought of was to find the police, use the law, and solve it in a fair way.
In her past life, although she had encountered many frustrations, she knew in her heart, and had no doubt, that the law was the final weapon. Whether in the workplace or in the whole society, when oppressed by human relationships, the way to flip the table was to tear off all pretenses and file a lawsuit.
So she was not afraid of going to court at all. It was the same for normal people in this time and place. They did not treat the law as nothing.
And what Xie Yao thought was probably completely different from her. Although Yuli knew that the essence of power came from force, the use of power should not be like this.
As the regent, how could he treat the law as nothing and just use force to coerce people?
If he was like this, could he sit on his position steadily…
At this thought, Yuli suspected that she was worrying for nothing. In the original novel, he was invincible. Even if his hair turned white overnight and he was sad at the end, he had never been down and out.
Yuli recalled the history of the feudal era she had learned in her past life. The struggle for power was indeed full of blood and cruelty. The famous emperors in the history of her past life could even kill their own brothers to seize the throne. For him to have risen from an unknown to the position of regent, he must have been a master of power struggles.
And in front of her, he had pretended to be a gentle husband for a year. At the beginning, he was gloomy and imposing, but he had never hurt her. Most of the time, he was meticulous and considerate, and could also listen to her reasoning.
The him she had felt last night was a little different, as if his patience had run out, and he had briefly shown some of his true face, but had then suppressed it.
Yuli couldn’t imagine what his true self was like, or how he had been created.
She didn’t dare to imagine either.
At this thought, she felt that the matter of Huayan Fang was really insignificant.
The business war initiated by Chu Hong was, after all, legal and compliant. He had the power to threaten her with a supply cut-off. It was her own skills that were not good enough, which was why she was being choked.
If Huayan Fang’s own skills were strong enough, how could it have come to this?
Wasn’t it just developing new colors? She was a modern intellectual who had studied hard for sixteen years, knew Newton’s three laws, and the redox reaction, from the origin of the universe to Mendel’s laws of inheritance. She had evaluated, analyzed the significance and impact of major historical events from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad. Although she was not an expert, she knew a little about everything.
It was impossible for her not to be able to beat a feudal rich man’s son who didn’t even know that the earth was round.
*
Yuli only arrived at Huayan Fang in the afternoon. Unlike the chaos of yesterday, the shop was very quiet today.
There were a few customers in the shop, looking at her flowers and smiling and talking. Lizhen was talking to them, sometimes holding a flower to the customer’s chignon or collar to compare.
After seeing the customers off, Lizhen came to find Yuli and talked about adding a column to the delivery voucher, a column for the explanation of the changed color, to prevent what had happened yesterday from happening again.
Yuli smiled with great satisfaction. “Yesterday’s incident was an outbreak of accumulated contradictions. We have already done our best. In the future, if anyone causes trouble again, just have the guards drive them out. We don’t have to be afraid even if they want to go to court.”
Lizhen looked at Yuli, her eyes sparkling.
Yuli asked her if everything had gone smoothly today. Lizhen smiled. “Actually, in the more than half a month of being out of stock, yesterday was the most chaotic. In fact, the color changes and refunds in the past few days have been quite smooth. Today was also normal. Although the customers were disappointed, no one caused trouble.”
Yuli looked through the recent account books. “The business has indeed declined a lot.”
Lizhen: “Mm, there are imitations on the market, and the spring flowers are in full bloom recently, which has had a great impact.”
Yuli closed the account books and said to Lizhen, “I will not sit and wait for death. Lizhen, from today on, please take more care of all the major and minor matters in the shop. I’m going to the dyeing workshop to dye silk threads.”
Lizhen paused, with some doubts.
“The ‘Ronghua Lihua’ is a lost cause. I’m going to make a flower that is more beautiful than the ‘Ronghua Lihua,’ more beautiful than all the thousands of flowers in the world,” Yuli said.
Yuli had a faint smile on her face and was not very excited, but Lizhen inexplicably believed that she could do it.
“No matter where the Mistress takes Huayan Fang, Lizhen will follow to the end.”
Yuli’s heart softened. Even for Lizhen and the others, she would not easily retreat.
Yuli went to the east room dyeing workshop. To avoid suspicion from Xie Yao, she brought two guards, and Jingyu and Xiyun.
Walking into the door, the two old dyers and Ye Weiqing all looked over. Seeing this formation, the three of them stopped their work to greet her.
Yuli spoke first. “I have come today to ask for your guidance on the art of weaving and dyeing. I want to learn to dye silk threads and make the most eye-catching velvet flowers. Please do not hesitate to teach me.”
As Yuli spoke, she bowed her head and bowed to the two old dyers one by one.
“The Mistress is too polite. This is our duty,” the old dyer replied respectfully.
Finally, she also bowed to Ye Weiqing.
Yuli looked up. The setting sun was just passing through the window lattice and landing on her cheek, illuminating half the color of her lips.
Yuli’s lips had been kissed, bitten, and sucked last night. At this moment, they were still red and gorgeous. The half illuminated by the setting sun seemed to be plated with gold, making the other half a dark, unclear red.
Ye Weiqing lowered his eyes, slowly returned the bow to Yuli, and said nothing.
_
Imperial Palace, Zichen Hall, Imperial Study.
The Southern Garrison’s northern expedition had ended in a great defeat. General Wei Chuan had escaped with his life and was escorted back to the capital by his personal attendants. Du Ling, on the other hand, had fought to the death with the Shenwu Army, was seriously injured, and had survived.
Now, both of them were in the Imperial Study, kneeling before the desk, waiting for the regent to pass judgment.
The military report had been sent to the capital half a month ago. The two of them had only returned yesterday and had been waiting at home for a summons, but no one had come from the palace.
The two of them had been left hanging for more than half a day, and their fear gradually deepened. At this moment, the person at the head of the table was silent, flipping through their memorials.
Half a quarter of an hour passed. The only sound in the hall was the slight rustle of pages being turned.