The muzzle was removed in the middle of the night, but Jiang Wu did not bite her last night.
When she woke up, finding no tooth marks or hickey-like marks on her body, she was actually somewhat unaccustomed to it for a moment.
When getting up, she spotted a small hole chewed through her pillow by a certain puppy. Staring at the damage for a few seconds, she turned her head to look at the person nearby who was lowering her head with a guilty conscience.
Why didn’t she bite her?
Did she get tired of biting that fast, scoundrel A?
Watching Pei Yu’s gaze grow increasingly cold, Jiang Wu hesitantly and reluctantly pulled a bundle of cloth from her bosom, unwrapped it layer by layer, and took out the half-liang of loose silver wrapped inside.
“Your Majesty. I only have that much.”
That definitely wouldn’t be enough to pay for the pillow. Every single item on Pei Yu’s bed was made of tribute silk, worth a thousand gold pieces, very soft and very easy to bite through.
She remembered when she was little, she loved chewing on things and often chewed her quilt into a fuzzy, messy state. Fearing she might swallow something dirty, her sister would frequently wash and dry the bedding.
Whenever she bit a hole through it, her sister would sew cute little patterns over it the next day.
Clearly she hadn’t chewed on things for a long time, so why was she suddenly starting up again, and always picking the expensive ones to bite.
Fortunately, she hadn’t bitten anything even more expensive. Jiang Wu secretly glanced at Pei Yu and felt relieved upon seeing no tooth marks on her body.
Before her, the woman lowered her light amber eyes, staring at the loose silver Jiang Wu handed over. A few seconds later, she reached out, took it, and closed her palm around it.
She knew alphas were fiercely proud creatures who seemed to subconsciously feel they should support their wives and children.
So, was Jiang Wu giving her allowance money?
She really should find a chance to tell Jiang Wu that she was the wife-lord and the sovereign, and that she didn’t care about this bit of loose silver. But spinning in her mind even faster than these thoughts was the warmth of receiving the allowance money right in the palm of her hand.
Giving it all to her? Well, of course. With that jade pendant, Jiang Wu could take whatever she wanted in the palace; she didn’t need to keep any private savings.
She only needed to carry the little puppy tag she gave her, and she would never run into trouble.
Looking at Pei Yu’s lowered eyelashes, Jiang Wu couldn’t quite figure what she was thinking. After pondering for a few seconds, she decisively decided to rely on her partner for a living.
“If it is not enough, Your Majesty can ask the chancellor. She should have money.”
I am sorry, Mom.
Things in the palace were too expensive, and her world kept making her pay money. With a monthly salary of two thousand five, she simply couldn’t handle this.
Recalling the salary docked from the chancellor last month, Pei Yu felt the corners of her lips curl up involuntarily.
“Mm.”
A waste-dog like Jiang Wu wouldn’t even earn enough to feed herself and the child for three days, even if she went out to work a full month-long job.
She remembered that the inner palace used to hold a talent competition every half year; some female emperors loved watching others meticulously prepare things for them, but after ascending the throne, she never held one again.
Though it was an entertainment tournament, the rewards were substantial.
She decided to satisfy the puppy’s rare ambition to support her, and had the people in the inner palace rearrange these events.
Talents. She didn’t recall Jiang Wu being particularly skilled at any. She only heard a few years ago that the chancellor’s alpha suddenly became very fond of archery and cuju, so she should excel at those.
Since the people in the inner palace couldn’t gather enough for a full cuju team, they could just pair up in twos for goal-shooting, and set up an obstacle course for archery and riding outside the hunting grounds.
With silver coins practically being delivered right into her palm, that foolish dog should be able to win them.
Inside the bedchamber, as she softly arranged these plans, the puppy sitting beside her grinding ink blocks raised her head to look at her.
The group of As in the inner palace would probably start fighting for favor again; she decided to steer clear of the spotlight for now.
Besides, she happened to be terrible at both archery and cuju.
Until the woman looked at her, smiling sweetly as she spoke, “The winner will be rewarded with ten liang of gold.”
How much?!
Converted according to her previous world’s rates, that was roughly twenty-nine thousand. With her two-thousand-five monthly salary, it would take her well over a hundred months, more than a decade, to save that up.
Fine, now she decided to give it a shot.
She couldn’t ride horses or do archery, but she could practice temporarily. Cuju should follow the same logic as soccer, and her college physical education elective happened to be soccer. Though she mostly coasted through it, her theoretical knowledge was solid.
With the female emperor holding an event in the inner palace for the first time, those few thatched huts in the paramour quarters became inexplicably lively these past few days.
Even though there were only five people total.
On the first day, Jiang Wu handcrafted a soccer ball for herself, only to turn around and see the three raven-black alphas each leading a tall, majestic horse that looked exceptionally precious.
On the second day, while Pei Yu was reviewing memorials, Jiang Wu searched everywhere in her bookcase until she flipped open an equestrian book, only to remember upon opening it that she couldn’t read ancient characters.
The other few As were already riding horses through obstacle courses and spinning around in circles.
On the third day, Cheng Jin received a letter from her daughter in the palace. Inside the envelope were a few scrawled, barely recognizable, and extremely ugly characters.
“Mom. Help, horses.”
She silently folded the letter away and placed it into a drawer.
Inside sat several categorized stacks of Jiang Wu’s childhood masterpieces, including those leaked works that could easily turn her into a laughingstock.
Like that rabbit huddled inside a bedding quilt, dreaming of a giant carrot.
Its drawing style was so scribbly, its creation so minimalist, and its intent so straightforward that every single item danced right on the baseline of contemporary public aesthetic standards.
Yet she kept them carefully stored away.
Flipping through them felt like leafing through a childhood that had flashed past in the blink of an eye.
That afternoon, Jiang Wu was leading a purebred horse and nearly tripped to her death along the path.
Squatting at the entrance, she locked eyes with the pretty, light-golden horse and helplessly opened her mouth.
“Be a good girl, okay? Once I win the competition and get money, I will definitely buy you good feed.”
“If I have no money, you will only get to eat the scallions by the door.”
The horse snorted a breath from its nostrils, turned its head away, and aimed its backside squarely at Jiang Wu.
Well, different species were truly difficult to communicate with.
She fished the glowing orb off the top of her head and cradled it in her arms. “1008, is there any skill that can instantly make me proficient in cuju and equestrianism?”
“None.”
“Proficiency in any technique requires day-and-night practice to form a dual profound memory in both limbs and brain.”
“Please, Host, practice diligently and do not harbor such crooked thoughts.”
Jiang Wu obediently nodded, then flicked the glowing orb away.
Right now, the greatest use of this thing was illumination; at critical moments, it still only shone right above her head.
These days, Jiang Wu went out in the morning and came back by herself around dinnertime, always returning covered in dirt with the scent of grass, wood, and dust clinging all over her.
She truly gave off the vibe of someone working outside to support the family.
Though she was so poor that even ice cubes, water, and pastries had to be quietly pilfered from Pei Yu at home every morning and smuggled out.
Pei Yu saw it every single time. She didn’t mind at all, and even felt a trace of secret, hidden delight.
A puppy of Jiang Wu’s age was far too easily tempted by the outside world; she ought to be just like this, with all her freedom laid out right before her eyes, completely and utterly.
She wanted her to belong to her entirely.