"What did you say to Shan'er?"
Xiao Chu had initially thought that when he spoke with Mi Yao alone, Xiao Shan would inevitably cry and fuss after being taken away from Mi Yao's side. Unexpectedly, after Mi Yao held Xiao Shan and said a few words, Xiao Shan quietly followed the maid away, only turning back at the doorway to glance reluctantly at Mi Yao.
Of course, she was only looking at Mi Yao.
From the moment he entered until she left, Xiao Shan hadn't cast a single glance in his direction.
It was as if he were the stranger who had just arrived at Xiao Manor and had only met her a few times.
"I told her to go play with her brothers for a while, and that I would bring her over to have dinner together in the evening."
"That's all?"
A flicker of doubt passed through Xiao Chu's brown eyes, and his gaze upon Mi Yao grew sharper.
"What else could it be?"
Meeting Xiao Chu's scrutinizing eyes, Mi Yao blinked and said coquettishly, "Xiao Lang wouldn't think that I frightened the young lady to make her obedient, would you?"
Xiao Chu observed her delicate and frail demeanor. If intimidation were effective, his threats should have worked better. Earlier that morning, he had even threatened to feed Xiao Shan to a tiger.
But it was utterly useless.
It made him wonder if Xiao Shan had grown even more foolish over the past few months, unable to understand his threats.
"In three days, we will be married. Regarding the wedding arrangements, feel free to withdraw funds from the accounts office for any arrangements you wish to make."
He hadn't uncovered the reason for Xiao Shan's attachment to Mi Yao.
But he didn't want to ask Mi Yao for the answer. There couldn't possibly be any supernatural art that made a child attached to a stranger. Knowing that their few meetings had been chaperoned, although it seemed absurd, the reality was likely that Mi Yao had simply caught Xiao Shan's fancy.
Even though Mi Yao hadn't been particularly warm to Xiao Shan during their encounters—only keeping her close to prevent her from crying uncontrollably—Xiao Shan seemed oblivious, repeatedly clinging to Mi Yao.
Unable to find an internal cause, Xiao Chu could only attribute it to Mi Yao's face.
Xiao Shan was a girl, and most girls loved beauty and elegance. Lady Yu's face, more radiant than summer flowers, naturally appealed to a young girl.
As long as Mi Yao knew her limits, could conceal her aversion to Xiao Shan, and showed a little patience to satisfy Xiao Shan's affection for her, he would consider it a merit and grant her more privileges, at least allowing her to live more comfortably than she had in Jiangnan.
"Xiao Lang, wait."
Seeing that Xiao Chu was about to leave after speaking, Mi Yao quickly called out to stop him.
"Is there something else?"
After a night's rest, the redness in Xiao Chu's eyes had faded considerably, but the cold, blade-like indifference in his gaze remained.
His eyes rested lightly on Mi Yao, from head to toe, not as if admiring a beauty, but rather as if observing some insignificant fixture.
Touched by Xiao Chu's aloofness, Mi Yao remained relatively at ease. She could sense that in Jingzhou, his intimacy had been a test.
Now that he understood her better and no longer needed to test her, he had reverted to his true nature.
She greatly appreciated his indifference to women and hoped he would maintain it.
As for stopping him, it was about his statement that she could freely withdraw funds from the accounts office.
Being able to withdraw funds freely was good, but doing so to arrange the wedding was not.
"Xiao Lang must be joking with me. How can an unmarried young lady be tasked with managing wedding preparations?"
"Is it not suitable for you to make the arrangements?"
Xiao Chu furrowed his brow slightly, not understanding Lady Yu's meaning. He had delegated authority to her, but her demeanor didn't seem like feigned apprehension or polite refusal—she genuinely believed this matter shouldn't be under her management.
"Of course it's inappropriate."
Xiao Chu was Zhao Tianhe's adopted son, holding the official rank of fourth-grade Town Envoy—a military officer with actual command over ten thousand soldiers.
Just imagining the arrangements for his wedding ceremony was enough to know it would be terribly troublesome.
Even if everything were simplified, deciding which dishes to serve at the wedding banquet alone would cause headaches.
Fearing that Xiao Chu might misunderstand her due to her treatment of the Ma family mother and daughter, Mi Yao felt some matters needed clarification upfront.
"Young master should find a capable steward to manage the household affairs. Beyond the wedding ceremony, while you're busy outside, the children and I will need someone to look after us. Without a central figure to oversee the residence, if you return from leading troops in battle only to have to comfort us, you'd be far too exhausted."
After hearing Mi Yao's words, the indifferent coldness in Xiao Chu's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by profound contemplation.
"So you're not willing to be this central figure?" Xiao Chu's lips curved slightly, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. "What do you think I married you for?"
"Naturally because of my beauty—beauty so captivating it inspires your desire to pamper me."
Regardless of Xiao Chu's expression, Mi Yao always responded with coquettish charm, her soft voice and spring-water bright eyes gazing at him with complete devotion.
"After marrying you, I'll devote all my energy to maintaining my appearance. I'll grow more beautiful with time. If by forty you find me no longer attractive, I'll retreat to the inner courtyard and live out my days quietly."
Xiao Chu had never met anyone quite like Mi Yao.
But having no basis for comparison, he couldn't tell whether all beautiful women were like her.
Her words placed herself in a humble position with apparent deference and caution, sounding pitiful and wronged, yet her posture subtly carried an air of superiority and stubbornness.
It was as if she was forcing him, the "master," to carefully tend to her like a delicate flower—or else he'd be unworthy as a person.
"Your energy is only for your face?"
"Didn't you say yourself that wealth and power are the best nourishment for a beauty?"
Having been repeatedly countered with his own words by Mi Yao, Xiao Chu had begun suspecting she was using sarcasm to mock him. Yet her expression remained utterly guileless, her eyes filled with nothing but trust.
"But you only want wealth, not power."
"What kind of power is being a steward?"
Mi Yao covered her mouth with a light laugh, almond-shaped eyes sparkling with beautiful fragments of light. "The power a beauty desires should be the privilege of enjoying comforts without effort, not the burden of working like an ox or horse."
Her tone was frank and serious. Recognizing this as her genuine perspective, Xiao Chu felt indifferent.
He had previously suspected she wasn't Yu Shaoyang's true blood sister and had investigated her.
His first step had been interrogating the carriage driver who transported her and Huan Guanbin. The weather being cold, the driver sat outside the carriage and hadn't heard their entire conversation clearly.
But the driver had distinctly heard the few words that made Huan Guanbin cry.
When Xiao Chu heard the driver's account, he had speculated further—wondering if Lady Yu knew dangers lay ahead and was using this method to drive away her lover.
Now he was certain: those words must have come from Lady Yu's true heart.
He had credited her with too much intelligence, too much conscience.
Women of noble families like her—no matter how many honors were bestowed upon them outwardly—were ultimately pleasure-seeking at their core, empty vessels concerned only with themselves.
Since Mi Yao had spoken so plainly, Xiao Chu naturally wouldn't bring up household management with her again.
The next day, he went to the Jiedushi Residence and borrowed a steward from his adoptive father Zhao Tianhe who could temporarily manage the affairs of the manor.
Seeing that Xiao Chu had come to his home to borrow personnel, Zhao Tianhe laughed and said, "Your marriage should have been arranged by me, your adoptive father. I had already prepared someone for you long ago. But what do you mean by borrowing someone for half a month? Do you think Lady Yu is unsuitable and fear she might abuse her authority to mistreat your children?"
"She is more pragmatic than I expected—unafraid of marrying far away and never once mentioned my humble origins."
Knowing that Lady Yu had a lover, he had originally planned to intimidate and threaten her several times to force her to sever ties with her lover and obediently remain in Xiao Manor. In this regard, Mi Yao was quite trouble-free. From that night until now, she had never inquired about Huan Guanbin's fate, and judging by her temperament, she likely wouldn't ask in the future.
He had married Lady Yu solely for Yu Shaoyang's sake. Now that he had established contact with Yu Shaoyang, and Yu Shaoyang had expressed intentions to resign from his official post and head to Shu, Lady Yu had already served her purpose.
Having realized this, he no longer minded Mi Yao's pursuit of pleasure.
If she considered managing the manor's affairs as slaving away for him, then he would follow her wishes and find a steward, allowing her to continue being the delicate flower who concerned herself with nothing.
"She doesn't look down on you, but how do you feel about her? Are you pleased to have won her heart?"
Zhao Tianhe studied his adoptive son's stern and rigid features and chuckled, "You're a lucky fellow. The Number One Beauty of Jiangnan, fought over for years by the Huainan Jiedushi and the Jiangning Junwang, and in the end, you emerged and snatched her away."
"Lady Yu is indeed beautiful."
Although his reasons for seeking Mi Yao's hand lay entirely with her elder brother, he did not deny that Mi Yao was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
After Xiao Chu finished speaking, he noticed Zhao Tianhe waiting for him to continue. He pondered the question and said, "The child is fortunate."
"You brat, giving such a beauty to you is a waste."
Zhao Tianhe laughed and scolded. When Xiao Chu was seventeen or eighteen, he had already considered finding him a wife to care for his children and elderly mother. Who would have thought that before a suitable match could be found, Xiao Chu's mother passed away. After the mourning period, Xiao Chu ended up with the Number One Beauty, which could be considered fortunate. But judging by Xiao Chu's unenlightened demeanor, he probably wouldn't enjoy much marital bliss and would remain as aloof as ever.
"Be more attentive to your future wife. If Lady Yu is unwilling to take charge and manage affairs, it's likely because she finds you too intimidating and fears you. Show her more gentleness and patience. With you being such a fine man, how could she not be soft, considerate, and live harmoniously with you?"
"The child understands."
Xiao Chu didn't think Mi Yao was lacking in softness toward him.
She wanted a good life, but only her own good life—not a life shared with him.
When he returned to the manor after handling his affairs, Xiao Chu dined with his brothers Xiao Yi and Xiao Liang.
During the meal, Xiao Liang stole several glances at Xiao Chu before mustering the courage to ask softly, "After Father and Mother hold the wedding ceremony, will we be able to dine with Shan'er and Mother together?"
Meeting the expectation in Xiao Liang's eyes, Xiao Chu frowned. He didn't understand why, despite Mi Yao's clear reluctance to become too involved with the children, they all seemed oblivious to her cues and eagerly anticipated affection from her as their mother.
He had no way to discipline Xiao Shan, that unreasonable girl who only knew how to cry and throw tantrums. As for his two sons…
Xiao Chu disliked their unnecessary expectations of Mi Yao and coldly reminded them, "Even if you call her mother, it doesn't mean you can trouble her like a birth mother. Everything remains as usual—with wet nurses and servants, you don't need another person to care for you."
After hearing his father's words, Xiao Liang understood that his father meant he couldn't share a room with Mi Yao like his younger sister could, nor would Mi Yao hold him or exchange affectionate words with him.
As he stood up from the stool, imitating his older brother by nodding in agreement, he couldn't stop his eyes from welling up with tears.
He realized that only Shan'er had gained a mother—not that they had all gained a mother's love.