25
“N-no objection.”
Glared at by Huo Pingxiao’s cold, eerie gaze, Madam Zhang barely dared to breathe. She immediately withdrew her earlier arrogant demeanor and resumed her usual timid, shrinking posture in front of Madam Gao.
Madam Gao shot Madam Zhang a look of frustrated disappointment. Secretly, she lamented that the woman was utterly useless.
Madam Zhang was no longer a servant but a proper mistress with her own small courtyard in the Prime Minister’s residence.
No matter how one looked at it, she was still the living devil’s stepmother. She shouldn’t grovel before him as if paying respects to an ancestor.
Seeing that Madam Zhang had lost her usefulness, Madam Gao had to defend herself.
Forcing herself to remain calm, she said, “What are you talking about? This morning, I clearly said I would teach your cousin household affairs. The servants at the Laundry Court usually wash clothes in the morning, sun-dry them in the afternoon, and take them in and inspect them for damage in the evening before delivering them to each master’s quarters. This is the perfect time to see everyone assembled, which is why I—”
Huo Pingxiao’s brows furrowed slightly as he cut off Madam Gao’s defense. In a sharp voice, he asked, “Does Madam usually go to the Laundry Court herself?”
Madam Gao was taken aback. Then the man asked coldly, “The Laundry Court is clearly not a place for a mistress. Though your courtyard is closer to here, you usually send your head maid. This marquis truly fails to understand what Madam’s intentions were in summoning my cousin here tonight.”
Under the barrage of Huo Pingxiao’s aggressive, rapid-fire words, Madam Gao’s heart pounded violently.
She had no room to talk back!
After the living devil announced he would marry, she had anticipated that he would protect his delicate wife. She had prepared herself for that. But she had never expected he would do so to this extent!
Madam Gao felt that she and Madam Zhang had hardly said anything harsh to the little cousin—merely chided her for being late.
After all, she was the little cousin’s elder and mother-in-law. Why was the living devil’s temper so fierce?
Madam Gao was indignant but dared not say anything further in front of Huo Pingxiao.
“This marquis’s cousin has been in poor health since she was in Shu. After we establish our own household, I do not expect her to manage household affairs. Besides, my steward Wei Yuan will handle things. There is no need for Madam to teach her.”
Having said this, Huo Pingxiao said nothing more to Madam Gao and Madam Zhang. The man took Ruan An’s small hand and led her straight away from the Laundry Court.
Only after the pair had left did Madam Gao dare to show her anger.
She trembled with rage and spat toward Madam Zhang. Through gritted teeth, she said, “What kind of noble household is this Huo family? Look at the eldest son of this family—just because His Majesty granted him a noble title, he dares to disrespect his own stepmother!”
Madam Zhang blinked several times. In her heart, she thought that even before the young Marquis Huo had been granted his title, you still wouldn’t have dared to cross him. But aloud, she said, “Madam, please calm down. This couple will be moving out soon. Out of sight, out of mind. Isn’t the eldest daughter of the He family about to marry in? She will be Madam’s own daughter-in-law. You truly need not waste any more thoughts on the Fang family cousin.”
Madam Zhang’s words finally soothed some of Madam Gao’s pent-up anger. Madam Gao let out a cold snort and recalled what Huo Pingxiao had just said.
The living devil had even said that he didn’t need his little cousin to manage household affairs.
In all of Chang’an, was there any noble house whose mistress did not know how to run her household? If outsiders found out about this, wouldn’t they be laughed to death?
Well, Huo Pingxiao was not her own son anyway. If he wanted to raise his little cousin as a parasitic flower or mismanage his marquis’s household, that was his business.
In the future, when Changjue inherited the Prime Minister’s title, perhaps the entire foundation of the Dingbei Marquis’s household would be squandered by the living devil and his little cousin.
Under the moonlight, Huo Pingxiao exuded a cold, oppressive aura. Ruan An tried her best to keep pace with the man beside her.
She couldn’t see well in the dark and couldn’t walk too quickly.
Sensing that Ruan An was looking at him, Huo Pingxiao turned his head toward her. His large, rough hand with distinct knuckles still held her small, delicate hand, but he stopped walking.
He looked down and asked in confusion, “What is it?”
Ruan An asked softly, “Has the Marquis… never once called the principal wife ‘Mother’?”
“She’s not my real mother.”
Having said this, Huo Pingxiao released her hand.
His tone toward her grew noticeably heavier: “Besides, why are you so naive? Madam Gao clearly wanted to use tactics to put you down. You believed her when she said she would teach you household affairs? Were you just going to let her bully you?”
Seeing his young wife blink in bewilderment, Huo Pingxiao didn’t want her to think he was scolding her. He was about to soften his tone and teach her some of the hidden intricacies of these noble households—
When Ruan An asked, “Husband, there’s one more thing I’ve never understood.”
“Ask.”
“Your courtesy name… why does it use ‘Zhong’? Aren’t you the eldest son? Logically, it should use ‘Bo’.”
Ruan An wasn’t trying to deliberately change the subject. It was simply that her mother-in-law Madam Gao wasn’t worth her attention. After what had happened today, Madam Gao wouldn’t dare cause her any more trouble.
During the few days she had lived in the Prime Minister’s residence, she had also roughly figured out Huo Pingxiao’s relationships with his family members. He got along very well with his younger brothers. Both Huo Changjue and Huo Leshi genuinely respected him as their elder brother. The three brothers seemed never to have had any conflicts.
It was only Huo Pingxiao’s relationship with his father and stepmother that was abnormally distant.
Huo Pingxiao’s strong facial contour gradually faded into the darkness of night. His tall shadow on the flagstones enveloped the young woman before him.
The man’s silence stretched on for quite a while this time. Ruan An thought that perhaps she shouldn’t have asked that question.
Then, Huo Pingxiao finally spoke. In a light tone, he said, “My mother was pregnant with twins. The one who came out before me was also a boy, but he died shortly after birth.”
He spoke of the past in a languid, weary voice, taking Ruan An’s hand again.
Then, Huo Pingxiao let out a self-deprecating laugh and added, “I’m tough. According to the servants, when I came out of my mother’s womb, my cry was loud and strong, and I was healthy. Some also said that I was the one who caused my elder brother’s death…”
“No. There’s no such thing as causing someone’s death.”
Ruan An softly interrupted the man. The more indifferent Huo Pingxiao’s tone was, the more her heart ached for him.
So, this was a part of his childhood. No doubt Huo Lang and Eldest Madam Fang had also grieved deeply for the child who left first. That was why they had preserved the character ‘Bo’ and named Huo Pingxiao, who should have been the second son, Zhongxun.
“When a pregnant woman carries twins, her pregnancy is inherently more difficult than that of ordinary mothers. When I practiced medicine in Guizhou, I also treated several women carrying twins. One woman lost the heartbeat of one of her fetuses at five months of pregnancy. This was due to constitutional insufficiency. But with proper care and specially formulated herbal remedies to stabilize the pregnancy, the other healthy child could be born safely.”
“So, it wasn’t you who caused your brother’s death.”
The moonlight was hazy. When Ruan An said this, her expression was focused, and her clear almond-shaped eyes carried the conviction and calmness of a healer.
Huo Pingxiao watched her face silently.
Suddenly, he felt that when the young woman softly and gently explained things to him, her appearance was extraordinarily sweet and adorable.
At this thought, a very faint smile appeared at the corners of the man’s thin, cool lips.
He leaned down slightly, gradually drawing closer to her face. Suddenly, he wanted to kiss her.
But this time, there was no deliberate intent to tease. Everything felt natural.
In fact, it was somewhat unstoppable.
Yet, unsurprisingly, as soon as he moved to kiss her, Ruan An, nervous, turned her small face aside.
Huo Pingxiao stopped and didn’t press further.
After slowly straightening up, he held down her small hand that had tried to pull away. But instead of being driven by instinct to force her, he simply tugged it, drawing her closer to him.
Then, in a low voice, he asked, “And what about you?”
Because she couldn’t see, Ruan An’s other senses became heightened in the darkness. Accompanied by the warm spring breeze, both her hearing and touch were amplified. She felt her thoughts muddled by his rarely gentle voice and his clear, crisp scent.
She didn’t quite understand what he meant and asked in confusion, “Hmm?”
“When you gave birth to Huo Xi, did it hurt?”
Hearing the man’s deep, low voice, Ruan An suddenly felt that the time when she unexpectedly learned she was pregnant with Huo Xi now seemed very distant.
She couldn’t elaborate on that experience and merely replied in a soft, husky voice, “Every woman who becomes a mother must go through that… how could it not hurt…”
“I’m sorry.”
Having said this, Huo Pingxiao gently placed his large hand over his young wife’s flat belly.
Through the several thin layers of fabric, the young woman’s soft stomach could clearly feel the warmth of the man’s palm.
Embarrassed, she lowered her lashes, unsure how to respond.
But the man’s next words took a less serious turn. He patted her belly with his large hand and said in a low voice, “When you get pregnant again, I’ll definitely stay by your side.”
At these words, Ruan An’s mind buzzed loudly, and her cheeks suddenly flushed several shades redder.
How could he say such embarrassing things again!
A month later, Huo Changjue and He Xinruo, the eldest daughter of the He family, were formally married. The beams and plaques throughout the Prime Minister’s residence were again wrapped by servants in festive red silk.
The morning after He Xinruo entered the household, Wei Yuan came to the courtyard and reported to Ruan An on the progress of the Marquis’s residence renovations.
He said that in no more than ten days, they would be able to move in. Moreover, she and Huo Pingxiao need not bring anything from the Prime Minister’s residence, as everything in the new residence was fully provisioned.
After Wei Yuan withdrew, Ruan An sat peacefully before her desk. She took several medical books from her bookcase and prepared to silently recite the medical principles and formulas within.
She did not possess Huo Xi’s photographic memory, and as a healer, it was essential to frequently review medical texts.
Seeing that the sky outside the latticed window was growing brighter, Ruan An finally set down the scroll in her hand.
Since the night Huo Pingxiao had clashed with Madam Gao outside the Laundry Court, Madam Gao had simply excused her from the daily morning and evening greetings.
For the past month, Ruan An had slept until she naturally woke and had not gone to Madam Gao’s courtyard to pay her respects.
But today was, after all, the day He Xinruo entered the household. As the eldest sister-in-law, she naturally could not neglect propriety.
Therefore, just after the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), Ruan An set out with several maids toward Madam Gao’s courtyard.
Along the way, the mistress and her servants walked with composed, rather leisurely steps.
Meanwhile, in Huo Changjue’s courtyard.
He Xinruo rose early on the morning after her wedding. Before the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), she was already seated at her dressing table, having her maidservants meticulously attend to her appearance. Her clothes, hair, and ornaments all had to be supremely exquisite and luxurious.
She thought that this morning would be her first formal meeting with her parents-in-law, and she absolutely could not embarrass the Huo family. Every move she made should reflect the dignified, cultivated demeanor of a noble lady.
Though Chang’an was approaching summer, He Xinruo, following her own request, had her maids dress her in a fragrant-hued, pearl-patterned brocade gown. The style was extremely ornate but far thicker than the fabrics women usually wore during this season.
However, He Xinruo was not afraid of heat. She was more afraid of being outshone by the Fang family cousin.
She even styled her hair in a rather exaggerated “startled swan” bun. When she finally finished dressing and walked with Huo Changjue toward Madam Gao’s courtyard, Huo Changjue couldn’t help glancing at the top of her head several times.
He Xinruo naturally noticed Huo Changjue’s gaze and asked, somewhat embarrassed, “Husband, what is it? Do you think this hairstyle doesn’t look good on me?”
Huo Changjue shook his head helplessly, attributing her behavior to first-day nerves and unfamiliarity with the new environment. He replied gently, “No, this hairstyle is quite pretty. But in the future when you see Mother, you needn’t dress so formally.”
He Xinruo nodded in agreement. When she and Huo Changjue arrived at the main hall of Madam Gao’s courtyard, she saw that a young woman was already seated in the armchair on the left. She guessed that this must be the Marquis of Dingbei’s wife, the cousin from the Fang family—Madam Fang.
Unlike He Xinruo’s meticulous grooming, Ruan An wore a light, pale green long jacket in a low-profile style. The fabric of the long jacket was extremely soft—both form-fitting and cool to wear in the summer.
The beauty’s thick, dark hair was simply held in place with a few white jade hairpins carved into magnolia flowers.
At first sight of Ruan An’s jade-like, snowy complexion, He Xinruo felt a surge of displeasure. She had known all along that the Marquis of Dingbei wouldn’t have married her for no reason.
Not only had this little cousin borne him a child, but she was also extraordinarily beautiful. And a beauty with such fine natural qualities naturally had little need to adorn herself with cosmetics and luxurious clothing. With just light, simple makeup, she possessed a natural, unadorned elegance.
Concealing her embarrassment, He Xinruo followed Huo Changjue and took her seat.
Seeing that Huo Lang was not present at the head of the hall, Huo Changjue asked Madam Gao, “Mother, why hasn’t Father arrived yet?”
Madam Gao replied helplessly, “Someone came from Tongjian Garden to say that the Prime Minister is unwell and won’t be coming this morning.”
The Prime Minister wasn’t coming?
He Xinruo concealed the displeasure in her expression, feeling even more unsettled.
On her very first day entering the household, she had already been outshone in appearance by that Fang family cousin from Shu. And now her father-in-law had shown her no respect by not even coming to receive the new daughter-in-law’s tea. Her start could hardly be worse.
But He Xinruo quickly consoled herself. At least Huo Changjue was Madam Gao’s biological son. That morning, Madam Gao had even sent a servant to deliver a bowl of snow fungus and bird’s nest soup to her courtyard.
By doing this, Madam Gao was signaling her intention to draw He Xinruo closer, indicating that as her own mother-in-law, she would naturally support her.
With this thought, He Xinruo felt somewhat more balanced. She lifted her eyes and looked at Ruan An across from her.
Surely this Fang family cousin had not received a bowl of bird’s nest soup from her mother-in-law. She had heard from servants that shortly after Ruan An had entered the household, she and the Marquis of Dingbei had quarreled with their mother-in-law.
He Xinruo decided to seize on this point and cozy up further to Madam Gao.
Once she and Madam Gao had a common enemy and united their front, they could even earn praise in the Prime Minister’s residence for harmonious mother-daughter-in-law relations.
Soon, He Xinruo had finished presenting tea to Madam Gao.
As a newlywed, Huo Changjue did not need to report for duty at the Jingzhao Prefecture that day.
Madam Gao deliberately showed Ruan An coldness in front of everyone, speaking only to He Xinruo.
The two chattered on, one after the other.
Gossiping about this family and that, they chatted merrily.
Ruan An, however, paid no attention to their conversation.
On the high table to her right were three white porcelain dishes containing hawthorn preserves, osmanthus cakes, and mare’s milk grapes.
During her several visits to Madam Gao’s courtyard, Ruan An had noticed that Madam Gao was extremely particular about food and also very concerned with face. Each time, she would arrange new fruits and pastries in different styles.
Ruan An had risen somewhat early, and studying her medical texts had been mentally taxing. Naturally, she was now a little hungry.
She felt that Madam Gao and He Xinruo would chatter on for quite some time, and she couldn’t conveniently leave before their conversation ended.
There was nothing interesting to do, and she didn’t enjoy listening to them gossip about noble families. So, she began to eat the snacks beside her.
The hawthorn preserves had a balanced sweet-sour flavor. The pits had been removed, and they were chewy and appetizing.
The osmanthus cakes were made from finely ground, delicate powder. Though plain in appearance, the secrets inside—filled with osmanthus honey that Madam Gao had had her servants brew in autumn. The texture was rich and layered.
Finding the osmanthus cakes a bit too sweet, Ruan An could barely taste the fruit flavor when she ate the mare’s milk grapes. But judging by their size, she knew these fresh grapes were extremely expensive—common people could not afford them, and even ordinary merchants had no way to purchase them.
Madam Gao chatted with He Xinruo for a while, occasionally glancing in Ruan An’s direction.
She had expected the Fang family cousin’s expression to show some hint of forlornness, but instead, she looked utterly relaxed and at ease—and on top of that, she was actually eating!
Of course, the refreshments laid out on the high table were meant for guests to eat. But in all her years, Madam Gao had attended many gatherings.
Every noble household’s host would certainly prepare snacks, tea, and fruits for their guests. Yet people typically didn’t actually eat much of them. Occasionally, if thirsty, they might drink some tea.
If truly hungry, they might take one or two pastries to tide them over.
She had never seen anyone eat as earnestly as Ruan An!
To be fair, the Fang family cousin wasn’t gorging herself. She still maintained an attentive listening expression, and her frequency in taking pastries from the dish was not high.
Madam Gao felt somewhat at a loss. She couldn’t tell whether this Fang family cousin was genuinely hungry or simply unfamiliar with high society.
But as her mother-in-law, if she criticized her eldest daughter-in-law for eating a few too of her pastries, she would easily earn a reputation for being mean-spirited.
Meanwhile, Ruan An, having found the osmanthus cake a bit dry, said to the maid attending behind her, “Bring me another cup of tea.”
“Yes, madam.”
Seeing her ask for more tea, Madam Gao blinked several times. She no longer deliberately ignored her eldest daughter-in-law, but rather asked her in bewilderment, “Madam Fang, did you not eat breakfast this morning?”
He Xinruo also looked at Ruan An in confusion.
Yet somehow, she felt a twinge of envy toward her.
Nervous herself and afraid of making a mistake when presenting tea to Madam Gao, He Xinruo had not dared to eat or drink much in the morning.
The elaborate high bun on her head made her neck ache. To maintain a dignified bearing, she forced a gentle smile to remain on her face. Early summer was somewhat hot, and it wasn’t yet time to bring ice up from the cellar. As soon as He Xinruo entered the main hall, she felt extremely hot and thirsty.
She also wanted a sip of tea, but fearing her lip color would smear, she could only endure.
In contrast, the Fang family cousin, dressed coolly and comfortably, sat there eating with ease while she and Madam Gao chatted—so carefree and content!
Ruan An gave Madam Gao an embarrassed smile. Without standing on ceremony, she replied warmly, “This daughter-in-law did have breakfast, but Mother’s pastries here are so delicious that I couldn’t help but have a few more.”
Hearing this, Madam Gao felt a complex mix of emotions. She took a closer look at the living devil’s delicate wife and then at her own son’s wife.
One had sweet, delicate features, a face fairer than snow.
The other, though elaborately dressed and possessing some beauty, carried an air of unnaturalness in every expression.
Of course, He Xinruo and Ruan An’s appearances were not even in the same league.
Though He Xinruo was her own daughter-in-law, in terms of looks alone, Madam Gao still found Ruan An more pleasing to the eye.
Since the little cousin had said her pastries were delicious, it probably meant she had never seen much of high society. And the living devil was also a brutish man, not particularly particular about food or clothing.
A faint sense of pride slowly rose in Madam Gao’s heart.
Indeed, among all the noble families in Chang’an, the cooks in her courtyard made the best pastries.
Madam Gao had always been someone who liked to show off. Having grown up in a high-ranking noble household, the young ladies in her circle were all very particular about food, clothing, and amenities. When they gathered, boasting was inevitable.
With this thought, Madam Gao decided to give Ruan An a taste of luxury.
She ordered a servant to brew a cup of Taiping Houkui tea, the first harvest of spring, for her. She specifically instructed that the gold-and-silver-threaded bamboo steaming basket be used to warm the tea leaves, and that her precious purple crackle glazed tea bowl, which she usually couldn’t bear to use, be used to serve the tea.
These precious tea wares must surely be something the little cousin from Shu had never seen before.
The tea-brewing maidservant soon presented everyone present with tea bowls containing Taiping Houkui. Ruan An took hers, simply blew on it to cool it, and drank it down.
Huo Changjue, noticing He Xinruo staring at Ruan An, asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you drinking?”
He Xinruo shook her head and replied, “This wife is not thirsty.”
She was certainly thirsty, but she refused to be like Madam Fang—eating and drinking so freely in front of her mother-in-law, showing no restraint at all.
After Ruan An finished her Taiping Houkui tea, Madam Gao gave He Xinruo a few more instructions.
He Xinruo noticed Ruan An eat another piece of hawthorn preserve and felt increasingly puzzled.
Why did she love sour things so much?
She had such a hearty appetite and was always thirsty—it seemed like…
He Xinruo quickly dismissed the thought. It couldn’t be. The Fang family cousin had only been married for just over a month. For her to get pregnant again so soon would be far too lucky.
Before long, Madam Gao finally dismissed Ruan An, He Xinruo, and the several concubines from the main hall.
After exchanging a level bow with He Xinruo, Ruan An left ahead of her.
Huo Changjue, planning to visit the Western Market Office in the afternoon, exchanged a few words with He Xinruo and then departed from outside Madam Gao’s courtyard.
Since the path to Ruan An’s courtyard and the path to He Xinruo’s courtyard shared the same small lane, He Xinruo had no sooner seen Ruan An leave than she followed close behind.
He Xinruo was hesitating whether to walk up and exchange a few insincere pleasantries with Ruan An when she saw her suddenly stop. Ruan An pinched her own waist with her slender white hand and asked the maid beside her, “Fuling, don’t you think I’ve gained a little weight recently?”
As she spoke, she touched her own belly and added helplessly, “It also seems my stomach has gotten a bit bigger than before.”
Fuling didn’t quite dare to tell the truth, but she felt that with the Marquis deliberately feeding his wife such expensive delicacies every day, it would be strange if she didn’t gain weight.
But what Ruan An called “gaining weight,” Fuling saw as merely adding a little fullness to a figure that had been too thin and bony before.
Fuling felt that when Madam first entered the household, she had been somewhat too thin, not even looking like someone who had borne a child. Now her figure was perfectly proportioned, soft and well-balanced.
Seeing that Fuling didn’t respond, Ruan An knew she had indeed gained weight.
This was all Huo Pingxiao’s fault!
The man had been feeding her as if she were a rabbit to be fattened up. It would be strange if she didn’t gain weight. Besides, once a person’s palate became accustomed to fine food, they simply couldn’t stop.
Huo Xi had inherited this trait from her to some extent; the boy sometimes struggled to control his own cravings.
Moreover, today was the first day of her monthly cycle. During their periods, women also tended to crave sweets and thirst easily.
After this passed, she must stop eating so much, no matter what.
After Ruan An and her party had walked far away, He Xinruo’s face suddenly turned pale with shock.
Craving sour foods.
Weight gain.
A bigger stomach…
It seemed that this Fang family cousin was pregnant again.
How could she be so lucky?
Before entering the household, He Xinruo had already learned that Huo Lang had taken the Fang family cousin’s child to raise by his side, showing him unusual closeness and affection.
Upon hearing this, a sense of crisis had risen in He Xinruo’s heart.
She gritted her teeth, feeling that this Fang family cousin was indeed resourceful—both good at having children and good at raising them.
This pregnancy was probably also something she had meticulously calculated.
The Huo family was different from other noble houses. It had two noble titles within one clan. Huo Changjue was not as outstanding as his elder brother, and she herself had not yet borne a Huo child.
What if Huo Lang, in a moment of joy and wanting the Dingbei Marquis’s household to continue the glory of two marquises in one family, decided to bestow the title directly upon Huo Xi?
The more He Xinruo thought about it, the more panicked she became. She resolved to discuss this matter properly with her mother, Madam Zhu, when she returned to the He Mansion three days from now for her visit.
Evening.
Huo Pingxiao rode back to the residence from the military camp.
The man led Jinwu into the stable by the western side gate and personally tied him up.
Several serving women outside did not notice that someone was in the stable. It was not their shift, and as they walked past the stable on their way back to their quarters, they happened to be discussing the affairs of the household.
“Yesterday the He girl formally entered the household. Madam Fang hasn’t left the residence either. I imagine the principal wife’s courtyard will be lively for a while.”
Huo Pingxiao, with his stern features and cool brows and eyes slightly lowered, was brushing Jinwu’s black mane with a horse brush, listening idly to the voices outside.
“Ah, but Madam Fang is truly a fortunate person.”
At these words, Huo Pingxiao stopped what he was doing and began to listen carefully to the conversation between the two serving women.
He heard the serving woman continue, “I heard from Old Woman Li that Madam Fang seems to be with child again.”
**