When Mu Jinyu woke up the next morning, he remained angry for a long time.
He was uncontrollably livid. He had only just married and had not even consummated the union with Ning Huan; he had no desire to head out to fight some war. If he died before even touching his own wife, she might very well end up becoming someone else’s wife.
Mu Jinyu detested being controlled—whether he was controlled into marrying Ning Huan or controlled into going to war.
Ning Huan was still asleep, facing Mu Jinyu as he rested. He was naturally languid and never willing to move; he could fall asleep as long as he was given a pillow. Mu Jinyu reached out to touch Ning Huan’s face. The other man gave a low murmur, gently pushed Mu Jinyu’s hand away, and rolled over to lie on his back.
Mu Jinyu saw that the clothing on Ning Huan’s front had fallen open, revealing a patch of delicate skin as pure as fresh snow. Thin muscles covered a slender and graceful frame. The youth’s figure was lean and clean, carrying a hint of temptation.
Even though Mu Jinyu had never touched a woman or seen a woman’s body, he knew the difference between the two.
He instinctively wanted to touch that snowy white skin—it looked as though it would feel excellent to the touch—but he stopped himself after a moment of silence. He had personally said back then that even if he died, he would not touch a single finger of Ning Huan’s. He didn’t know what had been wrong with his brain to say such a thing.
Mu Jinyu’s mind was a mess. When he closed his eyes, he saw Ning Huan’s icy skin and jade-like bones; when he opened them, hallucinations appeared, and he felt as though Ning Huan were swaying before him. He walked out, feeling lost and despondent. Fortunately, there was no morning court session today. A-Xi gave a “hehe” laugh and said, “Your Highness, have a cup of tea to refresh your spirit.”
Mu Jinyu frowned and took it, only to find that A-Xi had given him a wooden bowl.
A-Xi explained, “This was ordered by the Crown Princess. He said that from now on, Your Highness must use wooden bowls to eat and drink.”
Mu Jinyu’s anger flared up. “On what grounds must I listen to him? Bring me porcelain!”
They had slept together for so many days, yet even now, he did not know Ning Huan’s true identity. Whether the other was friend or foe, or why he stayed by his side—he knew none of it.
A-Xi replied, “If you break the Crown Princess’s things again, the Crown Princess will surely have someone beat my mouth until it’s mangled.”
Mu Jinyu had a significant temper. Over the past few days, he had broken quite a few of Ning Huan’s belongings. Some were smashed on a whim when he remembered something unpleasant; others were broken by accident. Ordinarily, if something broke, it was just broken, but Ning Huan liked to use complete sets. If a single spoon or plate was missing, the set was considered flawed, and Ning Huan would no longer like it.
A-Xi reminded Mu Jinyu again, “The morning before yesterday, you were scalded by porridge and smashed a blue-and-white Chilong bowl. At noon, you accidentally threw the Crown Princess’s cloisonné sleeve-warmer into the water vat. Yesterday, for some unknown reason, you suddenly got angry while eating and snapped a pair of ivory chopsticks. The Crown Princess’s eyes at that moment…”
Mu Jinyu grew even angrier.
He was the Crown Prince, and A-Xi was his primary lackey. For as much blood as Mu Jinyu had spilled, A-Xi had just as many lives on his hands. Although A-Xi looked unremarkable and even a bit timid and ugly, he was actually a skilled expert with some real ability.
Now, A-Xi actually dared to tell him that he was afraid the Crown Princess would have someone beat his mouth? Just because he had broken a few of the Crown Princess’s bowls? Where was A-Xi’s backbone?
Mu Jinyu said, “He wants to beat your mouth, not mine. What does that have to do with me?”
A-Xi fell silent for a moment. “You might never get to eat the food here again. All the Crown Princess’s bowls have been broken by you; how will you eat? He won’t give you any food.”
Mu Jinyu thought about it and realized this was logical. He let out a cold snort. “We’re going out.”
A-Xi was confused. “Breakfast hasn’t been served yet. Where are you going?”
“To a brothel,” Mu Jinyu said through gritted teeth. “This lord wants to visit a brothel and smash all their bowls.”
A-Xi said, “Then you should still eat breakfast. I just heard Sister Die Qing say they made something particularly delicious this morning.”
Mu Jinyu snorted. “It’s too early to go out anyway; they likely aren’t even open. Fine, this lord will go after breakfast.”
Over here, Die Qing was carrying a basin of water inside. Two maids were talking and didn’t notice the Crown Prince was there.
Die Qing said in surprise, “Has our Miss not had her monthly cycle for these past two months?”
Another maid replied, “I’m not sure about that. Isn’t Sister Die Qing the one who knows Miss best?”
Die Qing sighed. “Miss doesn’t like others being close to attend her. However, the Crown Prince sleeps here in Lixue Hall every day; Miss might ‘have’ something.”
Mu Jinyu was dumbfounded. Have something? Have what?
The maid and Die Qing disappeared together, leaving only one sentence behind: “Both the Crown Prince and Miss are good-looking; the child they have will surely be beautiful as well.”
Mu Jinyu remained silent for a long time.
He did sleep with Ning Huan every day, but he was a gentleman of integrity who kept his promises; so far, he had not touched a single finger of Ning Huan’s.
Afterward, he asked A-Xi, “What is a ‘monthly cycle’?”
A-Xi didn’t know either. A-Xi had been castrated since entering the palace as a child and knew nothing about women. Furthermore, many married men didn’t necessarily know about such things either.
A-Xi said blankly, “This servant will investigate later. At the moment, I reckon it has something to do with pregnancy.”
Mu Jinyu waved his hand and dismissed A-Xi.
During the meal, Mu Jinyu realized that all the utensils Ning Huan provided today were made of bamboo.
He ate a few bites of a flower-patterned steamed bun and drank a bowl of plain millet porridge before quickly standing up. “I have some matters to attend to and will leave first. I’ll be back tonight; remember to leave the door unbolted for me and don’t go to sleep alone.”
When he left, Mu Jinyu didn’t even look at Ning Huan once.
Whenever he saw Ning Huan, he couldn’t stop thinking about the patch of snowy white skin revealed while Ning Huan was sleeping in the early morning. The more he thought about it, the more irritable and restless he felt, and his whole being became uncomfortable.
Dammit, why was Ning Huan so white?
Ning Huan drank a cup of tea. He sat by the window flipping through account books, then suddenly said to Die Qing, “I’m going out today. Find a set of men’s clothing to wear.”
Die Qing hurried away.
Several sets of clothes made by Nanny Li were pressed at the bottom of a chest, and Ning Huan changed into one. When Die Qing came back in, she was startled. She had been afraid of not looking enough like a man, so she had used plant ash to blacken her hands and face. But the moment she looked at Ning Huan, Die Qing couldn’t say a single word.
The youth in white slowly turned his head. His dark hair was fully bound, and his snowy jade-like face was as exquisite as a fine-line painting. There was no emotion in his pale, cold eyes, and his chin was slightly tilted, giving an air of haughty nobility that was impossible to approach. With just this one glance, the beauty was boundless.
Looking down, subtle silver patterns flowed across Ning Huan’s plain white silk robe. A jade belt bound his slender waist. Even though it was freezing outside and winter was a scene of desolation everywhere, Die Qing felt as though she saw pear blossoms blooming on every tree.
Miss was still Miss; her features and appearance hadn’t changed at all, and even her temperament hadn’t changed. Yet, for some reason, Die Qing felt that Miss looked like a young master.
And a world-toppling young master at that.
Ning Huan unfurled a folding fan in his hand. The ribs of the fan were made of white jade, but his hand was even more lustrous than the jade. On the fan’s leaf was an ink-wash painting of lotus leaves, and a small, translucent jade stone hung from the guard, giving off a refined and scholarly air.
“Let’s go,” Ning Huan said. “I want to inspect a few shops in the capital.”
Die Qing was so nervous she couldn’t speak and hurried to follow behind Ning Huan.
Ning Huan was sensitive to the cold, but his cloaks were almost all in feminine styles, so he didn’t wear one out. The fan in winter was naturally just for show, so Ning Huan hid it back in his sleeve. In his hand, he held a bronze hand-warmer with a relief of pines and cranes, because the cloisonné hand-warmer he usually used had been ruined by Mu Jinyu.
Previously, Ning Huan didn’t care about the family industries or matters of the officialdom, but that didn’t mean he understood nothing.
Ning Huan was born with everything; glory, wealth, power, and status were all within reach. As soon as he was born, he was held in the Emperor’s arms. To win over Ning Huan’s father, the Emperor even said he would take Ning Huan as his godson. Because he lacked nothing, his greatest pleasure was resting quietly alone.
Now, his living situation was far inferior to before, and Ning Huan could no longer be as detached from the world as he used to be. After all, he no longer had his grandmother and elder brothers by his side, and he was accompanied by a violent and sickly Crown Prince who would suddenly smash bowls during meals.
In Ning Huan’s eyes, these shops were very unsatisfactory and all needed to be reorganized.
After flipping through the account books and emerging from the last pawnshop, Ning Huan saw a restaurant not far ahead. He narrowed his eyes.
Die Qing had been out a few times and knew a bit about these places. She said to Ning Huan, “This is Yikang Building, one of the largest restaurants in the capital. I heard the tea and snacks inside are good, and the storyteller is quite skilled. Would you like to go in and sit for a while?”
The name of this restaurant was not unfamiliar. This belonged to Mu Jinyu. Behind many industries in the capital were nobles acting as backers, and many people knew this was Mu Jinyu’s restaurant. Many officials or profligate sons would have a drink inside to discuss matters; it was very convenient to gather or spread news here.
Additionally, there were some other places that belonged to Mu Jinyu, but very few people knew about them—mostly just Mu Jinyu’s trusted confidants.
One was Chunfeng Pavilion, and the other was Zuihua Building. Just by the names, one could tell they were entertainment venues. Chunfeng Pavilion was filled almost entirely with male courtiers (xiaoguan), while Zuihua Building was filled with women.
There were many brothels and tea houses in the capital. The reason these two held a place was because the people inside only sold their talents, not their bodies, and the prices were extraordinarily high; just listening to a single tune cost two or three taels of silver. It was said that the owner behind the two houses was the same—a martial artist with sect affiliations. If enough money was given, one could even see these courtiers or ladies perform sword dances.
Ning Huan, however, knew that the owner behind the scenes answered to Mu Jinyu. This was also the place where Mu Jinyu would discuss matters with his subordinates when they plotted rebellion in the later stages.
“I won’t go there.” Ning Huan had no interest in storytellers. He said calmly, “Let’s go to Zuihua Building. I’ll have a cup of tea and rest for a bit.”
Die Qing: “Alright.”
After walking for a while, Die Qing finally reacted. She stammered, “Zui… Zui… Zuihua Building? Isn’t that a place for men to seek pleasure?”
“Everyone there only sells their talents, not their bodies, yet they can hold a place in the capital. The ladies must be proficient in the four arts of the scholar, as well as song and dance.”
Ning Huan also enjoyed listening to music. In the past, his family kept a group of performers, and the top courtesan of Mingyue Building frequently went to the Ning Manor to play the zither for the Young Master of the Ning family. Initially, Ning Huan’s elder brothers worried that his body would be made even weaker by their presence, but once they learned that Ning Huan wouldn’t even touch their hands and was a true gentleman, they lamented over their younger brother’s lack of desire.
Fifteen minutes later, the most expensive Lady Yingying of Zuihua Building sat opposite Ning Huan. Because she had never seen such a refined and ethereal gentleman, she couldn’t help but steal another glance at Ning Huan—such beauty was truly rare.
Ning Huan gazed at the bare phoenix tree outside the warm pavilion and poured a cup of tea. “Play a tune of ‘Ode to a Spring Morning’ (Chunxiao Yin).”
Lady Yingying replied, “Yes.”
This was the best private room, but the rooms were not soundproof. The room next door was likely also a top-tier private room, but the sound of things being smashed came from within. It seemed a vase or something similar had been broken, and then a crowd of people came out in a swarm.
A-Xi’s voice could be heard indistinctly: “Everyone leave, everyone leave! The Crown Prince is unhappy!”