5
I’d barely gotten home yesterday when I received an invitation from the chancellor’s residence. Tống Liễu’s coming-of-age ceremony would take place in five days.
On the day of the banquet, Xiao Hezhong had to accompany me as my wife.
At home, I never let him put on makeup or wear women’s clothes.
In the carriage, looking at the earrings and hairpin Xiao Hezhong wore, I suddenly felt a surge of irritation.
These things shouldn’t have been on him.
Xiao Hezhong turned to me and asked gently, “Lord Marquis, are you unhappy?”
I frowned. “Those earrings don’t look good on you.”
Xiao Hezhong raised a hand to his ear and said softly, “If you don’t like them, Lord Marquis, I’ll take them off.”
I grabbed his wrist and snapped, “That hairpin bothers me too.”
Xiao Hezhong didn’t get angry. He set the earrings down and started to remove the elaborate hairpin from his head.
It was as if someone had poured oil on the fire of my anger.
I went on, “What would you do if I told you I couldn’t stand the clothes you’re wearing either?”
Xiao Hezhong looked at me in silence. He had no idea what he’d done to anger me.
He merely lowered his eyes and used his slender fingers to undo the belt at his waist.
Realizing what I’d said, my heart clenched. I couldn’t help cursing myself. What a bastard I was!
I wanted to see him fight back.
But I’d forgotten: if he could fight back, how could he have ended up in my bed?
I grabbed his hand and said remorsefully, “I was wrong. I must’ve been crazy to think of forcing you.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a sigh.
“Lord Marquis, I chose all of this willingly.”
I looked up in astonishment.
Before I could say another word, a horse neighed loudly, and a page announced:
“The Marquis of the Black Robe and his wife have arrived!”
Xiao Hezhong straightened his clothes. His gaze was deep as still water as he hurriedly said, “Lord Marquis, don’t be upset. I’m willing.”
The earrings stayed on the table. In the end, he didn’t put them back on.
The women’s quarters were separate from the men’s. As soon as we entered the residence, Xiao Hezhong and I parted ways.
I wasn’t good at socializing. I didn’t have a mind full of twists and turns, and I couldn’t outmaneuver those old foxes. After a few drinks, I made an excuse to leave and went looking for a quiet corner to get some air.
I rubbed my temples wearily. I wondered how Xiao Hezhong was doing over there. I’d heard the women’s backstabbing was every bit as bad as the men’s.
I figured he was having a hard time too.
Something clung tightly to my leg. I looked down and saw someone’s child hugging it, gazing up at me fearfully.
I crouched down, gently pinched the child’s soft cheek, and asked, “Can’t you find your parents?”
Tears welled in tiểu đậu đen’s eyes.
“No. Mommy went to buy me candy.”
My mind was addled, and the words slipped out: “Candy? Ha! Your mother doesn’t want you anymore.”
Tiểu đậu đen tried to hold back the tears, but finally burst into sobs, his face turning purple-red. “That’s not true! You’re lying!”
My eyes widened in alarm.
Did those words really hit that hard? Maybe I should go shout them on the battlefield sometime and see if I could scare off a few enemy soldiers.
A figure approached and picked tiểu đậu đen up.
I looked up and saw Xiao Hezhong gently patting the child’s back and soothing him in a soft voice.
I stood up, feeling a little embarrassed.
Before long, a servant hurried over. She looked like tiểu đậu đen’s governess, and she carried the child away.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Xiao Hezhong sighed softly. “Lord Marquis, you don’t know how to soothe children. What will you do if you have one someday?”
I folded my arms and leaned against a pillar. “What do you mean, what will I do? You can’t give birth.”
This man’s outfit was made from the blood and flesh of the 317 members of the Ôn family. I had to wear it for the rest of my life.
Whether Xiao Hezhong or I could give birth would be a momentous matter.
I had to uphold the Ôn family and protect Đại Yến. I’d never thought about having children.
Xiao Hezhong was so choked up by my words that he couldn’t speak for a long while.
I rarely saw him at a loss for words. Raising an eyebrow, I teased him on purpose. “If you really could give me a child, I’d pluck the stars from the sky for you.”
I put on a disappointed voice. “Oh, what a pity. I won’t get to enjoy a house full of children and grandchildren.”
Xiao Hezhong laughed and shook his head. “If there really were something in this world that could let a man bear a child, I’d be the first to try it. No matter the cost, I’d make sure Lord Marquis got to enjoy having children and grandchildren gathered around your knees.”
I hadn’t expected him to say something so daring. Now I was the one gaping, at a loss for what to do.
In the end, I simply ran away.
I went to the main hall, but didn’t stay long before seeking out Xiao Hezhong to take him home.
As we headed for the door, Tống Liễu, the guest of honor, suddenly blocked our way with two cups of wine.
“Young Lord Ôn, would you honor me with a cup?”
I wanted to say, No, I wouldn’t.
But all the guests were still standing there watching. Even I knew better than to say something that shameless.
I could count the times I’d met Tống Liễu on one hand and still have fingers left over. I didn’t know why she kept showing up in front of me.
When something seemed off, I grew wary. I glanced at the cup she held out, pressed my lips together, and didn’t take it.
Just then, a foppish young man reeking of money came over and edged up to Tống Liễu, pretending it was accidental.
“My father is the newly appointed Minister of War. For my sake, Lord Marquis, please accept Sister Liễu’s wine.”
When he spotted Xiao Hezhong behind me, his eyes visibly lit up.
Sure enough, a calf doesn’t fear a tiger.
I clenched my fist and stepped into his line of sight, saying coldly, “Is your face made of gold? What makes it so precious that you expect this marquis to honor you? Even your father wouldn’t dare say that to me.”
I stepped closer and spoke viciously, low enough for only a few of us to hear. “And if you keep looking at my wife, you won’t need those eyes anymore.”
He looked like a foppish young man whose wits had been swept away by beauty.
The main hall had been noisy, but at some point it fell quiet. Everyone turned their backs, holding wine cups or melon seeds, waiting for a good show.
Seeing the ugly look on Tống Liễu’s face, I said coldly, “I’m afraid I’m not worthy of Miss Tống’s wine. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Not far away, Chancellor Tống could no longer keep the smile on his face.
Tống Liễu gritted her teeth and didn’t budge. Her expression said, If I don’t drink this, this isn’t over.
I took a deep breath. My last shred of patience was gone, and I was about to reach out and push her away.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and took the wine cup.
Xiao Hezhong tipped his head back and drained the cup.
“Lord Marquis has had too much to drink today. What he said just now was all drunken nonsense. I hope neither of you will take offense. They say husband and wife are one, so I’ll drink this cup for Lord Marquis.”
When Tống Liễu saw Xiao Hezhong drink the wine, alarm flashed across her face.
I had a bad feeling. I dragged Xiao Hezhong out and into the carriage.
As soon as the carriage started moving, I threw myself at Xiao Hezhong and pried his mouth open.
“Spit it out! There’s definitely something wrong with that wine.”
For some reason, Xiao Hezhong’s body went limp. He pulled me down with him onto the low couch.
His breath against my hand grew scorching hot. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and the clarity in his eyes all but vanished.
His voice was hoarse. “Lord Marquis… You should… You should get up first.”
Even I could figure out what was in that wine.
That wine had been meant for me. Judging by how quickly the drug took effect, Tống Liễu had never intended to let me leave the Chancellor’s residence.
Xiao Hezhong gripped the low couch beneath him, struggling to hold himself back. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide, groaned, and rolled over to lie face down on the couch.
I shouted toward the carriage curtains, “Hurry up and drive! I want to get back to the residence as fast as possible!”
I was sweating with worry too. No one could find out about this. What could I do? Throw him into ice water? That would surely leave him with lasting damage.
When we got home, I sent all the servants away before helping him into the room.
I braced myself against the door and shouted into the courtyard, “Even if the Jade Emperor himself shows up, don’t come bother me!”
The door slammed shut. When I turned around, Xiao Hezhong was on the bed, so uncomfortable that he’d stripped off his outer robe, yet he still clutched the sash of his inner robe.
Using the last of his reason, he rasped, “Lord Marquis… Hurry and tie me up…”
I wiped my face, removed the bracer from my wrist, and went to the bedside. Looking into Xiao Hezhong’s hazy eyes, I leaned down.
Just one fleeting kiss was enough to make Xiao Hezhong lose control in an instant.
He rolled over, grabbed my hand, and pinned me beneath him.
Pain filled Xiao Hezhong’s eyes. The veins in his forehead twitched, and the frantic pounding of his heart reached my ears, leaving me flustered.
He let go of my wrist and drew back, still murmuring:
“Chiếu Khanh… I don’t want to… I can’t…”
I held the back of his neck and pushed him down.
“Stop talking nonsense. I want this!”
We hadn’t consummated our marriage on our wedding night. Tonight, we’d see it through.