With food to eat, Si Huahuan was in high spirits. She picked up her chopsticks and made a few motions in the air as if pinching something, and for a rare time, she actually gave him a smile.
“Considering you prepared dinner for me, I’ll refrain from scolding you for today.”
Xie Yun sat down beside her, took the chopsticks from her hand, and mimicked her action, pinching at the air right in front of her eyes.
“Who said I prepared this for you? This is all for myself.”
Si Huahuan fell silent.
That tiny shred of goodwill she had just started to feel toward him shattered into pieces instantly.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared angrily at the spread of food on the table, looking exactly like a little cat with its fur all puffed up.
A soft smile appeared in Xie Yun’s eyes. He placed her chopsticks on the rest before him, picked up another pair, and served several dishes onto her plate.
Si Huahuan watched him warily, confused by his actions. Xie Yun spoke calmly.
“I am serving you food. Eat quickly.”
Si Huahuan snorted. “A gentleman refuses food handed out in contempt.”
“Just eat, Your Highness. I certainly don’t want tomorrow morning for the news to spread through every street and alley that ‘Princess Kangle fainted from hunger on her wedding night’.”
“If you don’t tell anyone, who else would know?”
“Oh, you have a point,” Xie Yun replied thoughtfully. “Then tomorrow I’ll have them say ‘Princess Kangle collapsed from exhaustion on her wedding night’. How does that sound?”
“You—!”
Blood rushed to Si Huahuan’s head. If such a story got out, people would surely let their imaginations run wild and ruin her reputation for no reason!
She absolutely could not give him that chance. She picked up her chopsticks again and angrily ate every bit of food he had placed on her plate.
Wait… why does this taste so familiar?
“This is…”
Xie Yun continued serving her food without changing his expression.
“I asked His Majesty to assign Imperial Chef Sun to you. You always liked his cooking best.”
Si Huahuan glanced at him suspiciously.
This is like a weasel paying his respects to a chicken — he has no good intentions.
He must be plotting something devious again. Like… fattening her up so he can annoy her for a longer time.
Wait a minute — he’s only serving food to me, but he’s not eating a single bite himself. Could he have tampered with the food?
She swallowed the food in her mouth and asked guardedly, “Why aren’t you eating?”
“One shouldn’t eat too much late at night. You’ll gain weight.”
Si Huahuan choked on her next breath, seized by a violent fit of coughing. Xie Yun placed his left hand on her back, gently rubbing it to help her breathe.
“Eat slowly. No one is fighting you for it.”
Her face turned bright red from choking. It took her quite a while to recover. She glared at him furiously.
“You know it makes you gain weight, yet you deliberately made me eat so much!”
Xie Yun looked at her. Even beneath the layers and layers of formal wedding robes, it was obvious that her shoulders were delicate as if carved from jade, and her waist slender and soft as silk. She was far too thin.
She had been weak and frail since birth, and never gained weight no matter how much she ate.
“Even if you ate like this every night, you’d never get fat.”
Si Huahuan didn’t believe him. She put down her chopsticks and narrowed her eyes.
“Did you add something to the food?”
Xie Yun replied calmly, “Yes, I did.”
Si Huahuan was shocked. He actually admitted it!
“What did you add?”
“Pig feed.”
Si Huahuan fell silent again.
“Is… is that true?” she asked cautiously, still uneasy. After all, this was Xie Yun — there was no limit to the things he was capable of doing.
“It’s a lie,” Xie Yun answered helplessly. He picked up a bowl of fish fillet porridge from the side and set it before her. “All the bones have been removed.”
“And what did you add to this bowl?”
Xie Yun closed his eyes for a moment, speaking through gritted teeth.
“Add whatever you want yourself.”
Seeing that he truly had run out of tricks, Si Huahuan felt triumphant, having finally gained the upper hand. She smiled happily and scooped up a spoonful of porridge. It was fresh, delicious, and incredibly tender — truly worthy of Imperial Chef Sun’s skills!
With Xie Yun attending to her needs, Si Huahuan stopped eating once she was about seventy percent full and ordered the food cleared away.
As soon as the door was shut, only the two of them remained in the room.
Si Huahuan stood up, walked over to Xie Yun, and stopped right in front of him. There was barely a step’s distance between them.
Only then did she realize that even standing at her full height, her line of sight barely reached his chin. Unwilling to accept this, she stood on her tiptoes and strained to look up, yet she still couldn’t meet his eyes at eye level.
She deflated, lowering her heels back to the floor. She cleared her throat and deliberately flattened the tone of her voice, trying to regain her momentum.
“Ahem. Xie Yun.”
“Yes?” Xie Yun responded, lifting an eyebrow, looking amused and curious to see what kind of new scheme she was about to come up with.
Si Huahuan put on a stern expression, speaking seriously.
“Today’s wedding was performed for the whole capital to see. But there are some things we need to make clear right now. I have three rules for our relationship.”
Xie Yun crossed his arms, looking ready to listen attentively.
“First,” Si Huahuan raised one slender finger. “From now on, whatever I do, wherever I go, and whoever I meet — you are absolutely forbidden to question me about it. And you definitely cannot send people to spy on me.”
Xie Yun said nothing, only signaled with his eyes for her to continue.
“Second,” she quickly raised a second finger, speaking faster. “The people I brought with me — how I use them and how I arrange them is my business. You are not to interfere.”
Xie Yun remained silent, his amber eyes fixed intently on her.
“Third!” She straightened her back, her tone laced with indifference. “I don’t care if you carry on passionate affairs with other women outside. But there is one condition: you are forbidden from bringing any of them back to this residence. And don’t let any idle gossip spread about you.”
“Likewise, you are not allowed to interfere if I seek out…”
She never got to finish her sentence. Suddenly, a large shadow fell over her, blocking the light before her eyes.
The next moment, she felt a warm sensation press against her lips.
This strange touch came completely out of nowhere, and was gone in a flash.
It was warm, soft, and carried the clean, cool scent of white orchid that lingered on him. It was like a feather brushing gently across the surface of water, then drifting away swiftly.
For a second, the room was terrifyingly quiet.
Si Huahuan froze where she stood, her mind going completely blank.
She could clearly feel the heat rising rapidly in her cheeks, and blood rushing loudly to the top of her head.
Xie Yun took half a step back, as if what he had just done was nothing more than brushing a speck of dust off her face.
He looked down at her, his eyes darker than before, swirling with emotions that she couldn’t begin to understand — and frankly, didn’t want to understand.
Then, a faint, elusive smile spread across his face, part triumphant, part tender.
His lips seemed a shade redder than usual, and the corners of his mouth were turned up, revealing his excellent mood.
Si Huahuan covered her mouth with her hand, staring at him in disbelief. It took her quite a while to snap back to her senses.
Xie Yun raised one eyebrow slightly.
“You were speaking quite enthusiastically just now. Why did you stop?”
There was no trace of regret on his face, only pure enjoyment of the moment.
“Xie Yun!!! Are you insane?!”
Si Huahuan was seized by shock and rage. She felt heat surge from the soles of her feet all the way to the crown of her head. Shock, humiliation, anger, and a chaotic tangle of emotions she couldn’t name all exploded within her.
Three rules? Live separate lives without interfering with each other? Forget that! She was going to kill him right now!
She quickly scanned her surroundings, eyes darting urgently in search of anything in the room that could serve as a weapon.
Her gaze swept over the antiques on the display shelf — vases were too fragile, not enough damage power. The brass candlestick holding the wedding candles was no good either; it was too heavy for her to lift.
Wait — why is there a sword stand over there?
Perfect! A sword is the handiest weapon, and it has enough weight!
She stormed over there in a few strides and pulled out the top sword. It turned out to be a flexible blade, much lighter than a regular iron sword — just what she needed!
The relaxed ease that had surrounded Xie Yun instantly vanished, replaced by utter shock. He had expected her to just plant her hands on her hips and shout at him in humiliation and anger, but never in a million years did he expect her to react this strongly.
Wait a minute — why was that sword stand placed inside the bedroom anyway?!
“You… you scoundrel! You jerk!”
Si Huahuan’s voice shook with fury. She raised the flexible sword high with both hands, aimed straight at Xie Yun, who was still standing in the same spot, and swung it down with all her strength.
Seeing her charging at him with the sword raised high, Xie Yun reacted instantly — his body moved faster than his mind could think. He sidestepped, shifted his footing, and shot out of the room toward the outer hall like an arrow leaving the bow.
Anger unlocks endless potential. Xie Yun dared not underestimate Si Huahuan right now; she was absolutely the type of person who was capable of doing anything!
“Si Huahuan! Have you lost your mind?!” He sprinted away while turning back to roar at her, his voice carrying a rare note of genuine panic. “Put that sword down first and let’s talk this out!”
“Talk my foot! I’m going to chop you dead today, and then you’ll never have to talk again!”
Si Huahuan chased after him a few steps, but seeing him running so fast, she knew she couldn’t catch up. Her rage grew so great she felt like stamping her feet. She simply gripped the sword tightly and hurled it with all her might at his fleeing back.
The sword clattered loudly as it fell just two steps away from her, while Xie Yun’s figure had long vanished out the door.
Si Huahuan’s chest heaved violently. She stared at the empty doorway, feeling a heavy ball of anger stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down. Her cheeks burned as if they were about to catch fire.
Outside, under the corridor.
Chief Steward Tao, having seen off all the guests, was walking happily back toward his quarters. Just as he turned the corner of the veranda, he saw his master — the Marquis, who was always calm and composed — rushing out of the main courtyard looking somewhat disheveled, as if chased by a ghost.
Chief Steward Tao stopped dead in his tracks, stunned.
Immediately afterward, the sound of clattering and crashing echoed from the main hall, followed by Princess Kangle’s furious shout, loud enough to shake the very clouds.
Xie Yun came to a halt under the corridor. Meeting Chief Steward Tao’s shocked yet inquisitive gaze, he looked down and smoothed out his rumpled robes, trying to regain his usual unhurried and composed demeanor.
But the lingering traces of embarrassment on his face, and the suspicious flush high on his ears, gave him away completely.
Chief Steward Tao looked at the flexible sword that had been thrown out of the main courtyard, then looked at his master’s unusually flustered face. The corners of his mouth twitched upward bit by bit, finally breaking into a teasing, amused grin.
He cleared his throat, speaking neither loudly nor softly, his voice dripping with amusement as if enjoying a spectacle, drifting slowly into Xie Yun’s ears.
“Well now, Marquis. I’ve lived half my life, but today I’ve truly seen something new. You are absolutely the very first groom in history to get chased out of the bridal chamber with a sword on his wedding night!
“Tut-tut-tut. This… distinction of yours — I reckon there has never been anyone like you before, and surely there never will be anyone like you ever again!”
Xie Yun’s face turned completely dark.
“Marquis, what exactly did you do to make the Princess so angry?”
Xie Yun unconsciously licked his lips. That soft, warm sensation from a moment ago seemed to still linger there. Then the tips of his ears turned bright red. Smiles could not be hidden in the corners of his eyes or the curve of his lips.
At that moment, he had been watching her non-stop chattering away with those rosy lips of hers, saying all sorts of things he hated hearing. But when she spoke that last rule — that she didn’t care if he had other women, and that she herself intended to keep male lovers…
His mind had gone blank. He just wanted to find a way to shut her mouth quickly. Before his brain could even process what he was doing, he had done exactly that.
I was too rash. She has every right to be angry.
Chief Steward Tao watched him looking like this, shaking his head and sighing helplessly.
“I must be getting old. I honestly can’t understand the ways of you young people and your… romance anymore.”
Xie Yun offered no comment. Chief Steward Tao continued slowly.
“Marquis, the Princess is angry. Just go back and coax her. Between husband and wife, it’s always been that you fight at the head of the bed, but make up at the foot of it.”
Xie Yun shook his head helplessly.
“She is in the heat of her anger right now. If I went back in, I’m afraid this entire residence would be flipped upside down tonight.”
“Then what do you plan to do, Marquis? You surely can’t sleep in separate quarters on your wedding night. It wouldn’t look good if word of this got out.”
“Everyone in this household is one of us. Naturally, they won’t speak a word of it. And as long as no one from inside the residence spreads rumors, how would people outside ever find out?”
Chief Steward Tao sighed. “Then where will you rest tonight, Marquis?”
“Have someone prepare the courtyard of the West Wing. I’ll stay there for the time being.”
Chief Steward Tao turned the words ‘for the time being’ over in his mind. So the Marquis was using a roundabout strategy.
“Very well. I shall send people to prepare the West Wing immediately.”
The Chief Steward turned to leave, but couldn’t help looking back. For the sake of his master’s happiness, he decided to ask one last probing question.
“Marquis… are you sure you won’t go back and try to soothe her?”
“There is no rush. Let her calm down first.”
Aside from Emperor Jiaping and the Empress, there was probably no one else in this world who understood the Princess better than his master.
Seeing him looking so confident and assured, Chief Steward Tao couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking. He just shook his head and turned away to arrange for the West Wing quarters.
Xie Yun stood there alone. The night breeze was cool, fluttering the hem of his robe. Suddenly, his nose itched, and he couldn’t help but sneeze.
He turned to look in the direction of the bridal chamber, the smile in his eyes deepening.
Right now, she must be cursing him. The thought of her cheeks all puffed up in anger gave him a sudden strong urge to walk right in there and squeeze that soft face of hers.
Ah well. I can wait a little longer.
After all, we have a long future ahead of us.
Meanwhile, back in the room.
Si Huahuan sat before her dressing table while her attendants undid her hair and removed her makeup. The more she thought about what happened, the angrier she became. She slammed her fist hard onto the table.
“You absolute scoundrel!”
Xie Yun really went to extreme lengths just to disgust her! Every time it got worse than the last, and admittedly, every time he succeeded in making her furious.
She had to stand her ground. She was absolutely going to think of a way to disgust him right back, good and proper.
At the sound of her fist hitting the table, all the maids except for Yaohuang and Weizi fell to their knees, terrified they had done something wrong to upset the Princess. They quickly spoke in unison.
“Please forgive us, Your Highness!”
Si Huahuan was still lost in fantasies of chasing down and killing Xie Yun, and completely failed to notice their presence.
Wei Zi glanced at the Princess in the bronze mirror, who was still fuming in deep concentration, yet never paused in what she was doing. She said to the others, “Go and fetch water, and be ready to attend to Her Highness’s washing and grooming shortly.”
As night fell, Si Huahuan, having suddenly changed her sleeping quarters, found herself unaccustomed to the new environment. She slept fitfully, and without warning, her dreams returned to her past life.
She did not know how much time had passed since her death back then.
When she opened her eyes, she was floating in mid-air once again, having turned into that wandering spirit who could not even hear a sound.
The first time she had this dream, she had been filled with rage. But as time passed and it happened repeatedly, by the third time, she had grown somewhat accustomed to it.
Still, she was puzzled. She had not died from having her ears pierced or injured, so why was she unable to hear anything?
Below, a troop of cavalry passed by at a fast gallop. The man at the front wore a black riding cloak that fluttered violently and snapped loudly in the wind. It was Xie Yun.
Just as expected. She was nothing more than a wronged spirit lingering behind him.
Folktales and plays often told stories of ghosts terrifying the living. If only she could make herself visible, she would give Xie Yun a good fright tonight.
She followed them as they rode hard, not knowing how much time had passed, until finally they stopped before a dilapidated residence.
The place looked as though it had been left unattended for a very long time; it was crumbling and in a terrible state. Wild grass grew thickly at the corners of the walls, the wooden gate hung crookedly on its hinges, and cobwebs draped from the eaves.
She floated ahead of them, drifting down from above into the courtyard. She saw guards standing in formation everywhere, their armor gleaming with a cold, hard sheen in the dim light.
Surrounded by them was a man sitting in a wheelchair.
His back was turned toward the gate. Hearing the commotion, he gripped the wheels of his chair and slowly turned himself around.
She did not know this person.
He was pale, gaunt, and had high cheekbones that made his cheeks look somewhat sunken. His lips were thin, pressed together in a flat, rigid line.
But the most striking feature was his eyes. They were long and narrow, tilting slightly upward at the corners, with pupils so dark they seemed bottomless. Like a venomous snake coiled in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment, he gazed silently at the intruders.
Even though his gaze did not fall upon her, she inexplicably felt a sticky, icy chill creep slowly up her spine.
Xie Yun walked into the courtyard, backlit by the sky, casting a long shadow across the ground. He stopped before the man in the wheelchair, drew his sword, and held it steadily sideways against the man’s neck, the blade pressed flush against the skin where veins were visible.
Xie Yun parted his thin lips and said something, but she could not hear it, nor could she read his lips. She only saw the tight, rigid line of his jaw, radiating intense killing intent.
The muscles in the man’s face twitched. His sinister eyes remained fixed on Xie Yun. Far from showing fear, the corners of his mouth slowly stretched upward into a strangely twisted smile.
It was not a smile of pleasure, but one of mockery.
His lips moved again as he spoke a few words with vicious hatred, then threw his head back and burst into wild, hysterical laughter.
Even without hearing the sound, Si Huahuan could tell from his expression and mannerisms just how arrogant and unruly he was. There was no fear of impending death in him, only triumph.
She couldn’t help but frown. Just watching from the sidelines made her burn with anger. If she had been the one holding the sword, she would have slit his throat without a moment’s hesitation.
She looked toward Xie Yun. His face remained expressionless, cold and hard.
Ever since she first had these dreams, he had always looked this way — still as stagnant water, unrippled by anything. Whether happy or enraged, every human emotion seemed to have been stripped away from him.
Unable to understand it, she turned her attention back to the man in the wheelchair.
If she accepted that Lin Heng might have been connected to what happened to her, surely this stranger had nothing to do with her?
He must be someone Xie Yun knew. But she knew almost everyone close to Xie Yun, or those he employed, or those he held grudges against. She had definitely never seen this man before, nor had she ever heard of anyone confined to a wheelchair.
And yet, she had known nothing about his secret plans to stage a rebellion. Clearly, she had not understood him as well as she had thought.
Judging by how he had chased this man across a thousand li to this remote, crumbling courtyard, the man must have been a trusted advisor secretly kept by Xie Yun. For some reason, he had betrayed his master and fled, and Xie Yun had come here to settle the score.
She rested her chin in her hand and nodded slowly, pleased with her own deduction. She was truly too clever.
As she was thinking, Xie Yun moved — and did exactly what she had just imagined doing.
His wrist flicked. With a light, swift, fluid motion, he drew the blade from left to right across the man’s neck.
The instant the sword left the skin, blood spurted out in a gush. Fortunately, she had no physical form at that moment; the stream of blood passed right through her intangible body and splashed onto the ground, staining a large area of the courtyard red.
Xie Yun, being closest to the victim, bore the brunt of it. His black riding cloak was splattered with large, flower-like patches of blood, and his right cheek was not spared either. Droplets of blood ran down his hard, firm jawline and fell to the ground.
Si Huahuan had never witnessed such a gory scene. She froze in place, stunned.
What exactly… had happened to him?
Ever since the moment of her death, the Xie Yun she saw had been constantly killing people. Whether dealing with her, or Lin Heng, or this man in the wheelchair, his methods were cruel and ruthless, leaving no room for mercy.
He had never been like this before. Although he held the power of life and death in his hands, he had always acted with justice and principle. He had never been filled with such ferocity, sinking deep into an endless cycle of slaughter.
Du Feng stepped forward quickly and respectfully presented a plain white silk handkerchief with both hands.
Xie Yun instinctively reached out to take it. He lowered his eyes and stared at the cloth, but did not immediately wipe the blood from his cheek. He just looked at it.
Si Huahuan floated closer, curiously trying to see what was so special about that handkerchief.
In the lower right corner, embroidered with very fine, tight stitches, was a fully bloomed peony flower, elegant in posture and vividly lifelike.
Oh! Wasn’t this her handkerchief?
How did it end up in his hands? Had she lost it, or had he taken it? As some kind of… trophy?
Si Huahuan looked him up and down, her feelings too complex to put into words.
Wow. He was a total maniac.
She watched him staring at the blood-stained peony. Slowly, his fingers curled inward, tightening bit by bit, until he gripped the soft silk cloth tightly in his palm.
At the very moment his fingers closed, she felt as though she shared a connection with that handkerchief; a crushing, painful sensation seized her heart.
Her eyes flew open. She stared blankly at the deep red bed curtains, breathing slowly as she tried to calm her pounding heart.
Outside the window, the sky in the east was turning pale grey with the coming dawn. Wei Zi, who was keeping watch, was startled awake. She stepped forward and asked, “Did you have a nightmare again, Your Highness?”
“Wei Zi, shortly, send people to quietly investigate the capital for a man who is around twenty or thirty years old. He is thin, has long narrow eyes, high cheekbones, and uses a wheelchair.
“Do not bother with ordinary households. Focus your search on scholars from poor families. And… do not breathe a word of this to anyone else.”
Wei Zi was thoroughly confused. They had only just had the wedding yesterday, and suddenly the Princess wanted to find some unknown man?
She did not understand, but she obeyed, nodding in agreement. The Princess surely had her reasons.
Si Huahuan sat on the bed, deep in thought.
Why did she keep dreaming about her past life? These dreams followed no pattern at all, and what triggered them?
The first dream occurred during the Spring Outing Banquet, on the very night she had kicked Changning into the water. The second was the day she had been knocked over by Jiao Jiao. The third — this one — was on her wedding night.
There seemed to be no connection between those events. Was it truly just random?
Could it be… because of that kiss?
Si Huahuan shivered violently, breaking out in goosebumps all over her body. She quickly shook her head, trying to erase the memory of yesterday from her mind.
That couldn’t even be called a kiss. It was just a peck… no… it was just an accidental touch.
Yes. An accidental touch. As ordinary as accidentally bumping into the corner of a table.
She closed her eyes and repeated this to herself silently over and over. But the more she repeated it, the redder her cheeks became. She clenched her fists and, in a mix of shame and anger, pounded them into the soft silk duvet.
Damned Xie Yun! She would never let him get away with this!
*****
Xie Yun returned to the residence after the morning court assembly. Judging the time to be around when Si Huahuan would be getting up, he went straight to the main courtyard without even changing out of his official robes.
But before he even reached the gate, the sight before him brought him to an abrupt halt.
Standing on either side of the entrance were two tall, imposing guards. Judging by the style of their armor, they were members of the Imperial Guard. Inside the courtyard, figures moved busily; a rough count suggested there were thirty to forty people, all dressed in the attire of palace servants.
Working in an organized manner, they carried wooden chests, moved potted plants and trees, and held various vessels and utensils. They went in and out, working with great fervor and activity.
Chief Steward Tao, notified that the Marquis had returned, hurried over. He looked at the bustling scene, then at Xie Yun, and they both stood in silence, speechless.
After a long pause, Chief Steward Tao asked, his voice trembling slightly, “Are… are we being invaded from the palace?”
Xie Yun’s gaze swept over the unfamiliar faces, finally settling on the most conspicuous figure in the center of the courtyard.
Si Huahuan, who should have just gotten out of bed, stood with her hands planted firmly on her hips right in the middle of the yard. Sunlight streamed down upon her crimson dress, making her look vibrant and radiant.
She pointed at several young eunuchs clumsily moving large porcelain objects, her clear voice rising in urgency and cutting through the noise in the yard.
“Hey, put it over there, not that side! Too far, too far! A bit to the left… so clumsy! Step aside! Xiao Xia, Xiao Xia, you come arrange this… yes, yes, right there!”
She directed everyone with great spirit and enthusiasm, behaving exactly as if she were in her own Yong’an Palace.
Xie Yun watched her cheeks, slightly flushed from all the activity, and listened to her energetic voice. He couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn upward.
Chief Steward Tao turned and saw his strange smile. He was stunned. “Marquis, how can you still smile at a time like this? Look at this commotion! These are all people brought by the Princess. She has completely taken over your main courtyard. If word of this gets out, people will say you have no status in your own home and brand you as a man terrified of his wife…”
Xie Yun never took his eyes off her in the courtyard, letting the Chief Steward’s words go in one ear and out the other. Filled with the sound of her somewhat spoiled and willful voice, he replied casually and dismissively, “Oh? And so what if they do?”
Chief Steward Tao was left breathless by his nonchalant attitude. He stared at him wide-eyed for a long moment, finally letting out a long sigh of frustration. “Alas! Does this fear of one’s wife really pass down through three generations?”
And this was only the first day. What would the future hold… Sigh!
He shook his head repeatedly, as if foreseeing a future of chaos and uproar in the Marquis’s residence. Yet, at the same time, a sense of relief welled up within him.
At the very least, the Marquis would no longer be all alone from now on.
Just then, a loud crash echoed, followed immediately by the jarring sound of shattering glass.
A young maid carrying a colored glaze vase had stumbled over something on the ground. She lost her balance, and the brilliantly shining vase — clearly of great value — slipped from her hands, flew through the air, and smashed into countless pieces on the stone pavement.
Si Huahuan turned around at the sound and saw the fragments of multi-colored glass scattered across the ground. If she was not mistaken, that was her favorite colored glaze vase!
Her eyebrows shot up in fury. She stamped her foot in rage. “Ugh! Every single one of you is so clumsy and useless!”
Xie Yun looked at the messy scene all around, a clear trace of displeasure flashing across his handsome face.
Was there no one left in the Palace Attendant Service? Where did they find such a group of clumsy oafs? With skills like these, how could they ever serve a princess who was not only delicate and pampered but also had a fiery temper?
He was about to step into the courtyard, but after taking just a few paces, he was stopped by two guards who stepped forward and raised their arms to block his path.
Xie Yun glanced down at his deep purple official robe, then pointed to his own face and said to the two men, “Don’t you recognize me?”
The two guards stood sternly, staring straight ahead, and replied in loud, firm voices, “We only follow the orders of His Highness. His Highness has decreed—idlers and dogs are not allowed inside.”
Xie Yun found this rather amusing. “This is my Marquis’s residence. Who exactly are the idlers you speak of?”
“We never said you were an idler.”
Si Hua Huan walked over and stopped right inside the threshold. She planted her hands on her hips, tilted her chin slightly upward, and stared directly at him with those beautiful cat-like eyes, still burning with the anger that had lingered since the previous day.
She looked straight at him and spoke slowly and distinctly, emphasizing every word. “You are the dog.”
The two guards remained standing straight and tall like pine trees, yet the muscles at the corners of their eyes twitched uncontrollably.
Xie Yun was stunned for a moment, before a low laugh rumbled up from his chest. There was no anger in it; instead, it held a sense of amused resignation, as if he had encountered something novel.
He pushed aside the arms the two guards had placed across the path, and took a step forward, closing the distance between them. His tall frame cast a shadow that nearly enveloped Si Hua Huan entirely, forcing her to crane her neck back just to look him in the eye.
Xie Yun drew out his words slowly. “Oh? There is an old saying: marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. If I am a dog, then what does that make you? Hmm?”
Si Hua Huan fell momentarily lost for words. But even if she could not win the argument, she refused to back down. She stuck out her neck and raised her voice. “Who says I have to follow anything you do, be it chicken or dog? Xie Yun, we already set down ground rules yesterday. This courtyard is my territory now. Without my permission, do not even think about taking one step inside.”
She let out a cold huff, then added, “You’d better know your place. I haven’t even settled the score with you for what happened yesterday yet!”
“Yesterday?” Xie Yun raised an eyebrow, his face showing an expression of feigned innocence and exasperating confusion. “What happened yesterday?”
“You… stop playing dumb!”
“What did I do?” Xie Yun pressed on at his leisure. He even leaned slightly closer, so that his warm breath fanned lightly against the hair on her forehead, teasing her. “Why don’t you make yourself clear? If you don’t explain it properly, how can we settle the score?”
Si Hua Huan reacted just like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She was about to flare up, when she saw his gaze drop lower and settle intently on her lips.
Instinctively, she raised her hands to cover her mouth and took a step back, her expression wary. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Xie Yun was amused by her reaction. “Nothing at all.”
Si Hua Huan rolled her eyes as an idea came to mind. “Come inside. I have something to say to you.”
“Didn’t you just strictly forbid me from entering?”
Si Hua Huan ignored his question and turned to walk toward the reception hall on her own.
She knew Xie Yun all too well. If she kept bickering with him right now, he would do exactly the opposite of what she wanted and simply linger at the entrance, refusing to come in. But if she paid him no mind at all, he would end up following her in, eager and curious.
Just as she expected, he was already trailing along behind her, following her inside.
Once they were in the hall, Si Hua Huan dismissed all the servants. Then, turning to Xie Yun, who was about to pull out a chair and sit down, she said, “No need to sit. I’ll keep this brief.”
Xie Yun paused mid-action. He turned around and faced her, waiting for her to speak.
“After some time, I will find an excuse to ask the Emperor for a divorce,” Si Hua Huan said. She almost laughed at the thought of what she was about to say, but managed to hold it back. “I will tell him… that you are impotent, and that it has become impossible to sustain our marital relationship.”
“A divorce? Me being impotent?” Xie Yun chuckled softly. “You have never even tested that, so how can you claim I am?”
Si Hua Huan began to stammer. “Test… test what exactly? What is there to test? If I say you are impotent, then you are. Is there anyone else who can provide proof otherwise?”
She took two steps backward, watching him cautiously, afraid that he might catch her off guard again.
From what she knew, Xie Yun had never been close to any noble young lady over the years, nor did he have any concubines or maids in his chambers. Matters of such an intimate nature were things only she would be in a position to know. That meant she could say whatever she wanted about him—black was black and white was white, just as she pleased.
Most men valued their dignity in such matters more than anything else. After hearing this, Xie Yun was bound to feel as miserable as if he had swallowed a fly. As she finished speaking, she felt some of the resentment from the previous night drain away, and her mood instantly lifted.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Xie Yun’s eyes gleamed thoughtfully. “And you think I would agree to this?”
Getting a divorce was never her main goal. She only wanted to annoy him and make him uncomfortable for a while.
Right now, she was full of curiosity about what had happened in her past life. What was the meaning of all those dreams? And more importantly, she desperately wanted to know why Xie Yun had turned out the way he did back then.
Staying close to him would make it much easier for her to find out the truth.
As for the divorce or anything else, she would wait until she understood everything clearly before deciding what to do.
“I am here to inform you of my plan, not to discuss it with you,” Si Hua Huan said. “I’ve said all I needed to. Now, get out.”
Woof! Woof!
Two sharp, loud barks rang out, drawing closer from a distance. A fluffy white ball of fur came sprinting over at full speed.
The two guards at the entrance hurried to block it, but the white figure was surprisingly agile. It slipped smoothly right under their outstretched arms and charged straight toward the reception hall.
How could she have forgotten about that big, fat dog?
Strangely enough, the creature was incredibly affectionate toward her, even more so than it was toward its own master.
She still remembered clearly the last time it had pounced on her. Her body reacted faster than her mind; instinctively, she shrank behind Xie Yun, grabbing the fabric of his robe at the waist with both hands and using him as a shield.
Xie Yun felt a sudden tightness around his waist, which made his body sway almost imperceptibly for a moment. He turned his head slightly and looked down, his gaze falling on his waist.
A slender, fair-skinned hand was gripping his robe tightly. At the same time, he felt a warm pressure against his back—Si Hua Huan’s chest was pressed right up against him.
He did not care whether Si Hua Huan trusted him or was simply using him as a shield. All he knew was that such a reaction of seeking protection was something she did instinctively.
With that thought, the corners of Xie Yun’s mouth lifted up silently, though he quickly forced the smile back down.
He looked toward the entrance of the courtyard. Steward Tao was peeking inside stealthily from the doorway, wearing a mysterious grin. When he noticed Xie Yun looking over, the man waved his hand in a gesture that clearly meant you are welcome, then turned and left with a swish of his sleeves, as if he had done a great deed that required no credit.
Si Hua Huan stayed pressed closely against Xie Yun’s back. Still shaken, she poked her head out cautiously from behind him and glanced down at his feet. The spot was empty—there was no sign of Jiao Jiao anywhere.
She turned around to look beside her, and saw the snow-white, fluffy dog sitting obediently by her skirt. It held its head high, two round eyes shining brightly, while its big bushy tail swept happily from side to side across the ground.
Xie Yun spoke up. “Tsk, so even the actual dog wasn’t stopped. You might as well withdraw your decree, Your Highness.”
Embarrassment washed over her, coming a little too late. Si Hua Huan immediately let go of the fabric she had been clutching and gave Xie Yun a hard smack on the back.
“Can’t you keep your dog under control? It always rushes around wildly like this, with absolutely no sense of manners.”
The slap had not hurt him at all. It felt more like a spoiled, playful little tap, a soft push against his back. His heart felt light and stirred, though he kept his expression somewhat composed and said in a low voice, “Jiao Jiao, come here.”
Jiao Jiao merely tilted its fluffy big head to one side. Its eyes were wide and full of innocence, looking as if it understood absolutely nothing.
“In the past, it was just me and this dog living alone in the residence,” he said, then paused for a moment. “Its nature is part of who it is, so I never really disciplined it much.”
His words were spoken casually, but to Si Hua Huan’s ears, they carried an unexpected weight. For a brief moment, a thought flickered in her mind that he seemed a bit lonely and pitiful.
But the very next second, she quickly snapped herself out of it. This man was a master at retreating in order to advance, and he was extremely good at pretending to be weak or pitiful to get his way.
Hmph, there was no way she was going to fall for that.
“Perfect. Then take it and leave right now. Take it back and teach it proper manners,” Si Hua Huan said. “The first rule: it is never allowed to pounce on me again.”
“It seems to be very fond of you. Whatever you say will probably work much better than anything I tell it. Why don’t you two have a good talk? I’ll be on my way first.”
Si Hua Huan stared at him in disbelief. “?”
“It can’t speak human language, nor does it understand it. What on earth is there for me to talk about with it?” She almost wondered if she had heard him wrong.
“It is very smart, it just chooses not to listen. You can give it a try,” Xie Yun said with complete seriousness.
Si Hua Huan fell silent.
Was that even a sensible thing to say? He himself just said it doesn’t listen, so what was the point of trying to say anything?
She looked down at Jiao Jiao beside her with suspicion. After a while, she decided to give it a try and asked, “Can you understand what I am saying?”
The woman and the dog stared at each other, wide-eyed. Si Hua Huan grew a little impatient waiting for a response and blurted out, “Speak.” The moment the words left her mouth, she felt awkward for having given such a ridiculous command.
Xie Yun could not help but chuckle at the sight. Her cheeks burned, and she felt even more embarrassed and humiliated.
An idea flashed through her mind, and she thought of a clever solution.
She stretched out her left hand in front of Jiao Jiao. “Understands.” Then she stretched out her right hand. “Does not understand.”
Jiao Jiao tilted its head, as if thinking very carefully. Then it gently rested its chin on the palm of her outstretched left hand and looked up at her with a blank, cute expression.
Si Hua Huan gasped in surprise. Her eyes went wide, and she became as excited as a child. She looked up at Xie Yun and said, “It really can understand me!”
Xie Yun simply hummed in acknowledgement.
“From now on, you are not allowed to pounce on me anymore. Do you hear me?” She spread out both hands before Jiao Jiao once again. “Heard you clearly. Heard you with both ears.”
Faced with two exactly identical choices, Jiao Jiao simply tilted its head back and stared blankly up at the sky.
Si Hua Huan fell silent again.
It was exactly the same stubborn, annoying attitude as its master.
The more she looked at it, the less she liked it. She stood up in frustration, grabbing the leather collar around Jiao Jiao’s neck with one hand and yanking at the sleeve of Xie Yun’s robe with the other. Without any explanation, she pushed the man and the dog both toward the door. “Go! Both of you, get out of here!”
In the blink of an eye, the heavy courtyard door slammed shut right in front of them.
Xie Yun rubbed the fluffy top of the dog’s head. “Thanks a lot.”
The dog had helped share some of the heat, saving him from being scolded even more.
By now… she probably wasn’t quite so angry anymore, was she?