24
Ruan An’s expression flickered with hesitation. Naturally, she didn’t know how to respond to his words.
Help him? How?
Huo Pingxiao didn’t rush her for an answer.
The man remained silent, his cool brows and eyes slightly lowered. He continued using his long fingers to unfasten the clasps for her. Though his movements appeared slow and deliberate, he was in fact steadily pressing closer to her. His figure and aura carried a faint hint of possessiveness.
The soft silk fabric gradually slipped from Ruan An’s shoulders. Her cheeks suddenly flushed. She quickly used her small hands to pull up the edge of her bodice, trying to stop his movements.
Seeing her resistance, Huo Pingxiao withdrew his hands in time and did not press further.
Ruan An turned around, her small face red, not daring to look him in the eyes. She replied in a mumbling voice, “N-no need to trouble the Marquis. I’ll just have Baiwei and the others help me change.”
Having said that, she finally understood what Huo Pingxiao had meant by his words.
As a wife, she shouldn’t leave the task of changing her husband’s clothes to the maids.
Of course, she also had her own selfish reasons for not wanting to leave such matters to others.
Perhaps sensing her shyness and unease, Huo Pingxiao no longer stood behind the screen watching her change.
Ruan An finally breathed a sigh of relief. She heard the man standing outside the screen raise his voice and summon Fuling and Zelan.
Soon, Fuling and Zelan arrived and helped Ruan An change into a plain white nightgown.
The finely textured pale yellow sheer screen reflected the flickering flames of the red candles.
Ruan An was about to walk to the dressing table to remove the hair ornaments from her coiled bun when she suddenly noticed that the tall shadow Huo Pingxiao cast on the screen was growing larger, approaching from afar.
He was slowly walking toward her again. In an instant, the distance between them suddenly closed.
Her heartbeat abruptly stopped. Huo Pingxiao, however, instructed Zelan to bring a small folding stool and place it before Ruan An’s small feet, which were clad in lotus-embroidered shoes.
“Step onto it.”
He spoke the command in a light tone, pressing his lips together as he watched the timid, delicate young woman.
With the maid’s assistance, Ruan An stepped onto the small ebony stool. Worried she might not stand steady, Huo Pingxiao still supported her slender, fragile arm to prevent her from falling.
The two maids knew that the Marquis wished to be alone with his wife, so they both withdrew to the side, not daring to disturb.
Though Ruan An was now much taller, Huo Pingxiao’s voice still brushed past from above her hair bun.
In a low voice, he asked, “Back in Xinghua Village, didn’t you ever change my clothes for me?”
Ruan An shook her head and replied, looking down, “Sun Ye always changed them for you… I never did.”
“Do you know how to undo a man’s waist belt?”
He asked as he suddenly moved his large hand, which had been gripping her slender arm, downward. Before Ruan An could withdraw her hand, he again grasped her delicate, jade-like small hand.
Huo Pingxiao guided it toward his dark-colored waist belt, his tone languid and casual as he asked again, “If you don’t know how, I’ll teach you.”
The tender skin of Ruan An’s hand was already held by his large hand with its rough palm lines, carrying warmth. But as her fingertips touched his waist belt, they felt a slight coolness.
As he spoke, Huo Pingxiao even gently squeezed her with his fingertip. His stern, handsome face gradually drew closer, and Ruan An couldn’t evade him.
She finally realized that since their wedding, Huo Pingxiao had been deliberately trying to stir her emotions.
Huo Pingxiao appeared cold and unruly to the outside world, making him seem unapproachable. Yet when Ruan An spent time with him in private, the way he treated her was proactive and unrestrained.
For a man like Huo Pingxiao to treat a young woman this way, even if her heart were made of ice, he could melt it.
If this continued, she would eventually reveal her true feelings.
As she thought this, Huo Pingxiao leaned down slightly until only two fingers’ width remained between their noses.
Realizing he was about to kiss her, Ruan An finally turned her small face aside and, rather dampening the mood, brought up: “I… I went with Third Brother to Tongjian Garden yesterday to see Father. Father said he wants to raise Huo Xi personally. Given the circumstances at the time, I had no choice but to agree to it in his presence…”
At this point, Huo Pingxiao slowly straightened up.
Remembering that Ruan An hadn’t seen Huo Xi for several days, and that he himself had neglected to address this matter promptly, the hard, cold lines of the man’s jaw gradually tightened, and a darker, colder hue settled in his dark pupils.
Ruan An looked at him and continued, “But Huo Xi is, after all, our child. So, I still think this is something the Marquis and I should discuss together.”
“What do you think, Marquis?” Ruan An asked again.
“Absolutely not.”
Huo Pingxiao released Ruan An’s small hand, though the warmth of her skin still lingered in his palm.
His voice was faint as he added, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll first talk with that little rascal Huo Xi and have him come straight to the courtyard to stay with you. Then, after I return from the military camp in the evening, I’ll have a proper discussion with my father about this matter.”
The next morning, Huo Pingxiao went directly to Tongjian Garden.
When Steward Su heard that Huo Pingxiao had come to take Huo Xi back, his expression grew uneasy. He respectfully explained to him, “The Prime Minister was unwell last night. He needs to rest during the day and has not yet risen. This old servant… this old servant cannot make this decision…”
Though Steward Su was the head steward of the Prime Minister’s residence, ever since Huo Pingxiao had also been granted a noble title by His Majesty, he felt as though he were walking a tightrope. Caught between this father and son, both with strong personalities, he dared not offend either.
From this, one could also see that the one sitting on the dragon throne was truly harboring ulterior motives.
Given Huo Pingxiao’s illustrious military achievements in recent years, he certainly deserved the title of marquis. To outsiders, the distinction of having two marquises in one family brought unparalleled glory to a noble house.
But those like Steward Su, who lived within this gilded cage, understood deeply: the Emperor, knowing Huo Pingxiao’s temperament well, had made this move precisely to stir discord within the Huo family, to create strife between father and son, and to sow internal conflict.
In recent years, due to lingering old illnesses, the Prime Minister’s external style had become less ruthless and iron-fisted than before. Yet he remained like a sleeping tiger—at critical moments, he could still command the entire court situation with the power to stir storms.
His attitude toward the young Marquis Huo, however, had become less severe than before, almost as if he were allowing things to take their own course.
Huo Pingxiao gave Steward Su a cold, hard stare and said in a deep voice, “Just bring Huo Xi out. I will explain the rest to the Prime Minister myself.”
Having said this, the man, his face dark, prepared to storm into the hall of Tongjian Garden.
Most of the attendants stationed at Tongjian Garden were Huo Lang’s trusted confidants, answering only to him. Thus, even though they feared Huo Pingxiao’s formidable presence and strength, they still moved to block him.
Seeing this, Huo Pingxiao narrowed his eyes.
Since enlisting in the army at fifteen, he had tempered some of his wilder nature. After entering officialdom in Jiannan, his temperament had become much more composed than before.
It had already been ten years since the days when he used to clash head-on with Huo Lang.
In these ten years, he had mostly been away fighting battles, seeing Huo Lang no more than two or three times a year. Even when he did return to the Prime Minister’s residence, he typically stayed within his own courtyard and rarely took the initiative to see him.
Moreover, in recent years, Huo Lang had seldom attended court. When the Emperor had important matters to discuss with Huo Lang, he would even personally travel by imperial carriage to the Prime Minister’s residence to consult Huo Lang, accommodating his inconvenience walking.
As he thought this, Huo Pingxiao once again cast a cold glare at the sword-bearing attendants.
The old man hadn’t slept well last night. Well then, tonight, he’d sleep even less.
It had been a long time since he had last caused a disturbance outside the old man’s courtyard. He was curious to see how skilled the new batch of guards Huo Lang had acquired in recent years actually were.
Though the man’s expression appeared somewhat languid and casual, a faint trace of subdued violence lurked between his brows and the corners of his eyes — enough to send chills down one’s spine.
He would treat this as a warm-up for his fists and feet. He would try not to seriously injure or cripple anyone.
A gentle breeze rose, carrying the damaged flower petals scattered on the flagstones up into the air.
“Zhongxun.”
Just as Huo Pingxiao was about to come to blows with these attendants, Huo Lang’s deep voice rang out from within the hall.
“Starting a brawl at my place so early in the morning? Aren’t the tens of thousands of soldiers in the Wolf Cavalry enough to serve as your sparring partners?”
“Now that you’re a father yourself, still resorting to violence at the drop of a hat as before, what kind of example is that?”
As Huo Lang’s cold, deep voice sounded, attendants pushed his wheelchair out of the hall.
Little Huo Xi trotted along on his short legs beside Huo Lang’s wheelchair.
Huo Pingxiao saw that the boy’s expression was well-behaved. In just a few days, he had already become very familiar with Huo Lang.
Huo Lang was a deep, powerful old man, yet Huo Xi showed no fear of him whatsoever.
When Huo Lang’s wheelchair came to a stop, Huo Xi also stopped beside it. The boy raised his chubby little face, looking at Huo Lang and then at Huo Pingxiao.
Huo Lang extended his hand, adorned with a jade thumb ring, and very naturally patted Huo Xi’s little head.
Seeing this, a flicker of surprise passed through Huo Pingxiao’s eyes.
So, this was the legendary affection across generations. He lowered his gaze helplessly. Without speaking to Huo Lang, he directly gestured for the little boy to come over, signaling him with a low command: “Huo Xi, I’ve come to take you back.”
Huo Xi hesitated for a moment, then replied in his babyish voice, “No. I want to stay here and learn things from Grandfather.”
“Anything your grandfather can teach you, your father can teach too. There’s no need to learn specifically from him.”
As soon as Huo Xi heard Huo Pingxiao refer to himself as “your father,” his little brows furrowed immediately. He replied in his milky voice, “No! You only know how to fight. You have nothing but brute courage. Grandfather is a civil official, and what I want to become in the future is also a civil official~”
Huo Pingxiao was actually amused into a laugh by Huo Xi’s words.
Huo Pingxiao had attained his current position not, as Huo Xi seemed to think, as a mere brute with nothing but military might.
“Then what about your mother? Don’t you miss her?”
Huo Pingxiao lifted his eyelids, gave the boy a sidelong glance, and delivered these piercing words.
As soon as Huo Pingxiao mentioned Ruan An, Huo Xi’s chubby little face immediately fell. The boy clasped his hands behind his back.
In his heart, he thought: Only under Grandfather’s guidance could he become an official faster. For the sake of his mother’s future happiness, perhaps he had no choice but to sacrifice the chance to see her.
But he missed his mother so, so much.
Huo Xi’s little face grew more and more dejected.
Seeing this, Huo Pingxiao prepared to say a few more piercing words to the little boy.
Just then, Huo Lang spun the jade thumb ring on his finger and finally spoke: “Steward Su, escort the young heir to Madam Fang’s courtyard and let him see his mother.”
Steward Su immediately replied, “Yes.”
Steward Su took Huo Xi’s small hand and had a serving woman escort the child to Ruan An’s residence.
Huo Pingxiao had not expected Huo Lang to soften his stance so quickly. He was about to take his leave from Tongjian Garden to head to the military camp when, unexpectedly, Huo Lang proposed that they have a proper discussion regarding the matter of raising Huo Xi.
After entering the hall and taking his seat, Huo Pingxiao did not stand on ceremony with Huo Lang. His voice deep, he got straight to the point: “The child is still young; he cannot be separated from his mother. Besides, he is not yet four years old. There’s no need for such study.”
As he spoke, he looked directly at Huo Lang, his tone resolute: “This matter is not up for discussion.”
Steward Su stood to the side with his head lowered, yet both ears were pricked up, unwilling to miss a single word of the conversation between father and son.
He felt that the current tone and expression of the Marquis of Dingbei were exactly as they had been when Huo Pingxiao was in his teens—unruly and untamed.
Though the Marquis of Dingbei was now a father himself, he was still a son in front of Huo Lang.
It had been a long time since Huo Pingxiao had spoken to Huo Lang with such open hostility.
Strangely, Steward Su found himself missing those chaotic, tumultuous days of the past.
“Your son is a prodigy of rare talent,” Huo Lang said in a flat tone, resting his arms on the armrests of his wheelchair. He continued in a low voice, “With a little cultivation, he could surpass both you and me. Are you certain you want to waste such a promising sprout, letting him grow up like an ordinary child, knowing nothing but how to chase cats and tease dogs?”
A look of surprise crossed Steward Su’s face.
The Prime Minister rarely praised anyone, yet his tone just now was so assured.
He himself had thought the young heir was somewhat cleverer than ordinary children, but whether he was truly a prodigy—Steward Su could not tell.
But if the Prime Minister said so, then it must be true.
Not to mention the unparalleled accuracy of the Prime Minister’s ability to recognize and judge talent—even if the young heir were not a prodigy, if he were merely somewhat brighter than other children and cultivated day by day by the Prime Minister, he would still become a figure not to be underestimated in the future.
Outsiders all said that the Huo family had reached its peak with Huo Pingxiao’s generation, and that thereafter, the family would inevitably decline.
Steward Su naturally felt both worry and indignation about these claims.
Yet he also felt that what these people said was not without reason.
The father and son—Huo Lang and Huo Pingxiao—one had reached the pinnacle of civil officialdom, holding the highest office and wielding influence over the court and the realm.
The other had reached the pinnacle of military officialdom, earning a marquis title in a single campaign and commanding the forces of the four directions.
For the younger generation to surpass them, perhaps the only path would be one of treason and rebellion…
Upon hearing these words from Huo Lang, a subtle change flickered in Huo Pingxiao’s eyes.
Huo Lang continued, “It’s not as if Huo Xi will never see his mother again. Why are you so worked up? I am not in good health, and I occasionally have court affairs to attend to. I cannot possibly keep Huo Xi by my side every single day. Of course, within each ten-day period, I will also let him stay with his mother for a few days.”
Huo Pingxiao’s brows furrowed slightly in perplexity; he did not reply immediately.
Steward Su, however, blinked quietly. He remembered quite clearly that yesterday, Huo Lang had said something very different.
What Huo Lang had said was: he wanted to raise Huo Xi by his side.
The Fang family cousin, intimidated by his authority and, given her timid nature, had not dared to argue in his presence. These past few days, Huo Lang had also not sent servants to take Huo Xi to the Fang family cousin’s courtyard.
Suddenly, Steward Su grasped the deep, subtle intentions behind Huo Lang’s actions.
He guessed that the Prime Minister had staged this whole affair precisely to get the Marquis of Dingbei to come to him willingly. Through this dispute over Huo Xi’s custody, the Marquis of Dingbei would naturally have to speak several more sentences with him.
Their Prime Minister’s way of doing things was indeed as always—full of twists and turns.
Meanwhile, Huo Pingxiao finally spoke. In a light tone, he replied, “Understood. I’ll discuss it with Madam Fang when I return, and then give you an answer.”
He had also just figured out why Huo Xi had suddenly developed the idea of entering official service.
That little rascal must have eavesdropped on the conversation between him and Ruan An at the Duke of Pei’s mansion, and now wanted to become an official as soon as possible so that he could write the divorce letter.
But no matter how clever Huo Xi was, he would still have to wait until he was over ten to formally participate in the imperial examinations. The positions granted through the Children’s Examination were supplementary titles similar to academicians—impressive-sounding, but essentially sinecures.
Even if Huo Xi passed the Children’s Examination, he would have plenty of excuses to brush him off.
And no matter how bright he was, he needed to be over ten to sit for the exams. Huo Xi was only three and a half—at that age, he couldn’t even enter the National University.
If the old man wanted to raise him, let him. It would give him and Ruan An some time alone together.
But as for letting him write the divorce letter? That was impossible.
That morning, Ruan An spent several hours with her child.
Huo Xi was neatly and smartly dressed. His dark eyes, when looking at her, remained bright and clear.
When Steward Su came to take Huo Xi back to Tongjian Garden, he told her, “The Prime Minister has assigned four maidservants, two serving women, and two book boys to care for the young heir in Tongjian Garden—eight servants in total, rotating shifts. Please rest assured, Madam.”
Huo Lang had also ordered a separate small courtyard to be prepared for the child, complete with a bedroom, study, bath chamber, and all other necessary rooms.
Steward Su, knowing the child was still very young, had specifically asked permission from Huo Lang to have the young heir’s meals prepared separately. Some foods suitable for adults could make a child unwell, so a separate kitchen should be designated for him.
Huo Lang had approved this and also had Madam Gao send several cooks.
Steward Su also informed Ruan An in advance about the morning’s conversation between father and son.
Hearing that within each ten-day period, Huo Xi could return to stay with her for several days, the weight finally lifted from Ruan An’s heart.
All of this was far better than in her previous life.
When she had first entered the Eastern Palace, Li Shuying had immediately ordered someone to take Huo Xi and keep him confined. At that time, for the sake of her child’s safety, Ruan An had not immediately broken ties with her.
In the beginning, Li Shuying did not know Ruan An’s true appearance. Before the favored Consort Hua entered the Eastern Palace, Li Shuying also had not forced her to concoct any harmful medicinal formulas.
Thus, like all the other palace attendants in the Forbidden Court, Ruan An was only granted leave on festivals such as the Winter Solstice and Cold Food Festival.
But while other palace attendants could meet with their parents and children on those days, she could not.
Now, not only was Huo Xi receiving such excellent care and being taught by a grandparent as distinguished as Huo Lang, but she could also see him regularly. Naturally, Ruan An was satisfied—indeed, filled with joy.
In truth, this arrangement also gave her more time to focus on her own matters.
After marrying Huo Pingxiao under the identity of the Fang family cousin, she still had not quite adapted to life in the Prime Minister’s residence.
Every day, she tried to get along with him while also striving to appear natural, careful not to let him detect the admiration she harbored for him.
You hour (5–7 PM).
That evening, Huo Pingxiao returned to the residence from the suburban military camp earlier than before.
Late spring was drawing to a close, and summer was approaching. The sky was just beginning to darken.
Wanting to return home early that day, he had ridden Jinwu to the military camp. The western side gate of the Prime Minister’s residence was closer to the stables, though it was the passage used by servants and attendants to enter and exit the residence.
But most stable boys could not control Jinwu, this fierce horse. Previously, Jinwu had kicked out on the road, injuring at least five stable boys and three servants.
Therefore, when Huo Pingxiao rode Jinwu out, he personally led the horse back in through the western side gate upon his return.
During the evening meal, Ruan An learned that the meals she had been eating these past few days had all been specially ordered by Huo Pingxiao from restaurants outside the residence, sent by servants.
Since they would be moving out in a while, there was no need to go through the trouble of building a small kitchen in this temporary courtyard.
Ruan An heard from Baiwei that the dishes prepared in the Prime Minister’s communal kitchen were not particularly good. Neither Madam Zhang’s nor Madam Jiang’s courtyards had small kitchens, so their servants had to fetch meals from the communal kitchen at mealtimes.
As for the second son of the Huo family, Huo Changjue, in the years when he was preparing for the imperial examinations and studying diligently, Madam Gao had pleaded with Huo Lang to give him a separate courtyard.
As his biological mother, she had naturally also set up a small kitchen in her son’s courtyard, so Huo Changjue did not need to fetch meals from the communal kitchen.
After Huo Leshi turned sixteen, he moved into Wangzhu Pavilion in the Prime Minister’s residence. As an illegitimate child, and with Madam Gao deliberately treating him harshly, he also had to fetch his meals from the communal kitchen.
Madam Gao, who was most particular about food and had always looked down on the dishes from the communal kitchen, found that even the several cooks in her own small kitchen could not satisfy her palate. She often sent serving women to various wine shops and food stalls outside the residence to procure new and interesting delicacies for her.
After Baiwei finished telling Ruan An these trivial matters regarding the management of the Prime Minister’s household, she added, “Madam, the Marquis truly dotes on you. He was afraid you wouldn’t like the communal kitchen’s food, so he specifically sent servants outside the residence to buy these for you. Just this single table of dishes cost one hundred taels of silver.”
As she spoke, Baiwei pointed to a dish on the table and introduced it to Ruan An: “This dish of flat garfish roe is something that even some wealthy and noble officials cannot eat even if they have the money. Madam, you are truly fortunate.”
Baiwei then went on to explain the preparation method, saying that flat garfish roe resembles golden chestnuts in shape. It is made by pounding fresh fish roe into a paste, then coating and deep-frying it. The high cost comes from the fact that a single plate of this dish requires dozens of fresh fish.
One hundred taels of silver?!
Ruan An’s almond-shaped eyes widened in shock.
She silently counted the dishes on the eight-immortal table. Though the dishes were very delicate, even including the two cold dishes, there were only ten plates in total…
On average, each dish cost ten taels of silver.
The meal she and Huo Xi had at noon had been just as sumptuous as this dinner, so that must have also cost one hundred taels of silver.
Perhaps because on the day father and son first met, Huo Pingxiao had knocked the child’s cherry pastry to the ground, the young servant had specially prepared that very dessert at noon. Huo Xi had eaten it with great joy, though Ruan An had cautioned him not to overindulge.
Ruan An knew that Huo Pingxiao came from a prestigious noble family and, as a marquis himself, his standard of living in terms of food, clothing, and other necessities would naturally be more extravagant than that of commoners.
But she had never imagined that after marrying him, the cost of a single bite of food would be enough to feed her for several days in Jiazhou—and those several days would include both meat and fish.
Just then, Huo Pingxiao finished washing his hands.
The man took his seat at the eight-immortal table. Seeing his young wife across from him with her long lashes lowered, her watery almond eyes fixed intently on the dishes, yet her slender white hands not picking up her chopsticks, he asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you eating? Waiting for me?”
Ruan An withdrew her gaze from the food and replied with gentle helplessness, “While we’re staying at the Prime Minister’s residence, let’s just eat from the communal kitchen. Don’t have people buy from outside anymore… it’s too expensive…”
“Just eat.”
Huo Pingxiao said casually, then suddenly leaned toward her. He took his wife’s slender white hand, which had been resting beside her chopstick rest, in his grip, and asked with leisurely composure, “Afraid of eating your husband into poverty?”
Ruan An nodded instinctively. Even if one had money, this was no way to spend it—one hundred taels of silver for a single meal.
But as a wife, she really shouldn’t doubt her husband’s capabilities in front of Huo Pingxiao. So Ruan An quickly shook her head.
Before she could respond, she heard Huo Pingxiao say lazily, “I can certainly afford to support you alone.”
Her small hand still held in the man’s grip, Ruan An gradually sensed that something was amiss.
That morning when she had risen, Huo Pingxiao had pinched her waist and said she was too thin and should remember to eat more.
Every day, the man had such delicious food prepared to feed her. Could it be that he was trying to fatten her up?
Huo Pingxiao lifted his eyes, silently watching Ruan An’s fair little face. With his rough thumb, he slowly, deliberately, stroked the faint bluish-purple marks on her wrist, again and again, with an air of control.
“If I don’t fatten you up a bit, can you withstand me?”
Hearing this, Ruan An pressed her soft lips together slightly, feeling both shy and a little annoyed.
So, this was indeed his intention!
This man was just as calculating as before. The morning after their wedding, she had also seen Baiwei and Fuling cleaning the ash out of the censer.
Ruan An had specifically asked about it, and as she had guessed, the incense inside had been lit by Huo Pingxiao on purpose before he had consummated the marriage with her.
This meant he still remembered what she had said that day about him only lasting as long as it takes to burn two sticks of incense.
Huo Pingxiao was still the same as before—vengeful and petty!
At this thought, Ruan An’s gentle features showed a rare trace of displeasure, which in Huo Pingxiao’s eyes made her look like an exasperated rabbit.
But rabbits can bite; Ruan An would not bite.
Seeing his young wife annoyed, the man merely glanced away slightly and changed the subject, bringing up Huo Xi: “Did Steward Su tell you about Huo Xi? I think my father—”
Before he could finish, a servant’s announcement came from outside the hall—
“Marquis, Madam, someone has come from the principal wife’s courtyard. It seems the principal wife has something to discuss with Madam and requests that Madam come to the Laundry Court immediately.”
The Laundry Court was where the servants of the Prime Minister’s residence washed clothes. Upon hearing this, Ruan An fell into thought.
Huo Pingxiao’s stern, handsome face showed a trace of displeasure.
A hint of menace lurked beneath his sharp brows. In a deep voice, he raised his tone and commanded, “Tell the person from the principal wife’s courtyard to go back. Say that this marquis has returned, and his wife is accompanying him. She has no time to go to any damn Laundry Court.”
That morning, Ruan An had still followed the rule of paying respects to elders in the morning and evening and had gone to Madam Gao’s courtyard to offer her greetings. She felt that as long as she was still in the Prime Minister’s residence, she should observe these customs.
Huo Pingxiao’s attitude toward his stepmother Madam Gao was indeed somewhat disrespectful, but given the man’s power and influence in the Li Kingdom, outsiders were not qualified to criticize his behavior.
In Ruan An’s view, Madam Gao harbored some dissatisfaction with her stepson Huo Pingxiao.
In her approach to Madam Gao, her husband was overbearing. At such times, it would not be appropriate for her to simply echo her husband. To avoid family discord, she naturally needed to be more obedient toward her mother-in-law Madam Gao during their temporary stay at the Prime Minister’s residence.
Though these actions might not necessarily win her and Huo Pingxiao any favor with Madam Gao, they could at least give Huo Pingxiao less ammunition to outsiders.
This was one of the few things she could do for Huo Pingxiao and Huo Xi.
Moreover, that morning, Madam Gao had said that since Ruan An was from Shu and had never trained in a deep, sprawling household, she would find it difficult to manage household affairs on her own once they established their own residence.
Madam Gao had put it nicely, saying that during Ruan An’s stay at the Prime Minister’s residence, she would teach her some household management skills, lest she be ridiculed by noble ladies from other families.
Though Ruan An understood medicine, she truly knew nothing of household management. At the Duke of Pei’s mansion, she had learned only the etiquette of noble families.
Concubine Fang’s birth mother had been a servant girl of the ducal mansion. After marrying into the He family, she had mostly stayed in her own courtyard. And her future sister-in-law, He Xinruo, who had not yet entered the household, had a mother with a strong personality. As a result, Concubine Fang did not know much about such matters either; in the He family, she had essentially no involvement in household affairs.
Since Madam Gao was willing to teach her, Ruan An was genuinely eager to learn.
With this in mind, Ruan An spoke in a soft, gentle voice to the man before her: “Husband, Mother said this morning that she would teach me household affairs. You have returned after her dinner time; she probably doesn’t know you’re here. I’m not hungry anyway. Please go ahead and eat without me. I’ll go to the Laundry Court first, so as not to waste Mother’s time.”
Huo Pingxiao gave her a faint, indifferent glance but said nothing.
Ruan An took this as silent acquiescence. After a quick tidy of her clothes and hair, she took Fuling and Zelan and left the courtyard.
By the time she arrived at the Laundry Court, the entire Prime Minister’s residence was shrouded in deep, dark night.
Madam Gao and Madam Zhang, accompanied by their maidservants, stood outside the Moon-Arch Gate of the Laundry Court.
Seeing Ruan An arriving late in the distance, hurrying toward them in small, quick steps, her arm supported by a maid, stumbling as she walked, Madam Gao’s expression showed a hint of displeasure. She said to Madam Zhang beside her, “Once a person has someone to back them up, even if they are weak and easy to bully by nature, their behavior will carry some arrogance.”
Madam Zhang, echoing her former mistress, nodded and said, “Indeed. The principal wife kindly offered to teach her household affairs, yet she deliberately kept us waiting. After all, she and the young Marquis Huo are your juniors. If this young cousin of the Fang family had any sense, she should have arrived earlier and not kept the principal wife waiting so long.”
Madam Gao did not notice that Madam Zhang’s expression was somewhat distracted as she spoke.
Ruan An finally reached Madam Gao and Madam Zhang. Though the maids on both sides carried bright night lanterns, her night vision was poor, and she could only vaguely make out two blurry figures before her.
She performed a respectful bow to Madam Gao and said apologetically, “Mother, I have come late. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Madam Gao took advantage of the night to scrutinize Ruan An.
Because of her hurried walk, a few strands of fine dark hair had come loose from Ruan An’s bun, swaying gently by her ears with her uneven breathing.
Today, the living devil’s young, delicate wife was wearing a light yellow contrasting-colored ruqun—a color that only looked good on someone with fair skin.
A thin sheen of sweat had formed on her, which somehow accentuated her gentle, fragrant, soft, and delicate temperament.
Madam Gao admired the beauty in the lamplight, but her tone toward Ruan An was stern: “Why are you so late? This is only the first time, and you’re already late. Are you getting cold feet? You’ve kept me and your Madam Zhang waiting.”
Hearing this, Ruan An merely blinked her lashes.
She knew very well that Madam Gao’s words were unfair. Madam Gao’s courtyard was much closer to the western Laundry Court, while her and Huo Pingxiao’s residence was much farther away.
Moreover, her maids had come with her from the Duke of Pei’s mansion. The Prime Minister’s residence was vast, and they had only been in the residence for a few days. At this hour, most servants had returned to their quarters, and few were out and about. Finding their way took considerable time.
Ruan An had initially thought that Madam Gao, having been steeped in the inner household since childhood, would have broad vision and perspective, and that in teaching her household affairs, she would be considering the interests of the entire Huo family from the position of a matriarch.
But her thinking had been somewhat naive.
She truly hadn’t expected that Madam Gao, her stepmother-in-law, would be so short-sighted and lacking in a sense of the bigger picture.
If this had been her previous life, thrust into such an environment, she would never have seen through these hidden intricacies.
Because Xinghua Village had simple, honest customs. The villagers dealt with each other directly, without guile. She had never encountered complex interpersonal relationships.
But after arriving at the Eastern Palace, she had witnessed countless instances of Li Shuying’s tactics against the various consorts.
Those same tactics could be applied just as easily in a noble household’s inner quarters.
When it came down to it, both Gao and Li Shuying held positions above Ruan An and those concubines.
Only, Ruan An had a husband like Huo Pingxiao with his arrogant temperament, while the concubines had the Crown Prince’s favor.
To better employ their tactics of suppression, those in positions like Madam Gao and Li Shuying naturally needed to find leverage over them, or deliberately set traps to put them at a disadvantage.
Madam Gao had intentionally chosen this remote Laundry Court and had deliberately arrived early with Madam Zhang, precisely to make Ruan An come late.
Through the hazy moonlight, Ruan An could not clearly see the displeasure on Madam Gao’s face.
But she felt that since Madam Gao intended to embarrass her and assert control over her the moment she stepped through the door, she probably wouldn’t learn anything genuine from Madam Gao anyway.
Since she was already here, she would follow them inside for now. After returning home, she would discuss the matter with Huo Pingxiao and figure out how to get along with this mother-in-law in the future.
With this in mind, Ruan An replied with neither humility nor arrogance: “Please forgive me, Mother-in-law. I have just entered the residence and am still unfamiliar with the paths here.”
Madam Gao then shot a meaningful glance at Madam Zhang.
As Madam Gao’s former trusted servant, Madam Zhang naturally had to act as her mouthpiece and weapon on such occasions. Her words represented Madam Gao’s intentions. In an unfriendly tone, she said, “Can a mere ‘unfamiliar with the paths’ excuse away your disrespect toward the principal wife? Isn’t Madam Fang’s attitude a bit too perfunctory—”
Before she could finish, Madam Zhang saw a tall figure striding boldly toward them from ahead. Her expression suddenly changed drastically.
Ruan An was just feeling puzzled when her hand was suddenly taken. Though she could not see, she caught the man’s warm, deep, pine-like amber scent, and the familiar warmth of his body temperature seeped onto the back of her hand—it was Huo Pingxiao. He had followed her here.
“She came late because she was accompanying me. Does Concubine Zhang have a problem with that?”
Madam Zhang was so terrified that she frantically shook her head, not daring to breathe. Yet inwardly, she was puzzled. Madam Gao had previously sent someone to the main gate to inquire, and the attendants stationed there had said they had not seen the Marquis of Dingbei return home.
Upon hearing Huo Pingxiao’s cold, deep voice, Madam Gao was so frightened she nearly jumped.
Heavens! The living devil had returned early and had come so quickly to back up his little cousin!
**