She had done this kind of thing quite a bit since she first married into the household. In Pei Qing's eyes, his wife had always been well-behaved—until she fell ill for the first time after marrying into the Marquis's estate. A cold that lingered, tossing and turning without improvement. Pei Qing was frantic with worry, yet utterly helpless.
It wasn't until a servant carried out the withered flowers from the room that Pei Qing finally sensed something amiss. It turned out that while he was away, his wife had been feeding all her medicinal soup to the plants by the window. That was why the cold had dragged on and on without getting better. Having learned his lesson from that experience, Pei Qing was relieved that today his wife was being very obedient and hadn't done anything childish.
"Did you drink tonight's medicine?" Pei Qing sat down by the bedside, his handsome features unusually gentle, and asked.
Li Wan obediently shook her head.
Pei Qing shot a glance at Tao'er, who quickly bowed and withdrew, leaving only the couple in the room. Pei Qing's large hand wound a strand of his wife's dark hair around his finger. "Mother came by today?"
"Yes."
Li Wan knew that nothing in the household could be hidden from him, and she hadn't intended to hide it anyway.
"Then doesn't Wanwan have anything to say?" The motion of him stroking her hair grew even gentler, a faint smile curving at the corners of his lips.
Li Wan couldn't quite read his intentions and asked in return, "Does my husband wish to take a concubine?"
Pei Qing answered her question with another: "What does Wanwan think?"
How was she supposed to answer that…
Li Wan furrowed her brows slightly and said, "If my husband wishes it, I can make the arrangements for him."
The pupils of Pei Qing's eyes darkened, though the smile still hung at the corners of his mouth. "Then I am truly a fortunate husband. How would Wanwan arrange it for me?"
Seeing that he was taking it seriously, Li Wan's brows knitted slightly—not because she was angry that he had thoughts of taking a concubine, but because their son and daughter had reached the age of marriage. At such a critical juncture, if he were to take a concubine, what would others think of their Yongkang Marquis household?
Pei Qing had originally been suppressing a fire of anger in his chest, but seeing her frown in silence, that blaze of irritation dissipated considerably. If she truly intended to help him take a concubine, then she would bear the consequences herself—he would not go easy on her.
"Marquis, the medicinal soup is here." When Tao'er entered, she could clearly feel the strange atmosphere in the room. She lowered her head slightly and walked in.
"Give the medicine to me." Pei Qing reached out his hand toward her.
Tao'er immediately handed the medicinal soup to her master and went down to prepare candied fruit. Tao'er deeply envied their mistress—not merely because the Marquis held high position and great power, but because he had given all his tenderness to her. How enviable.
After the cold had passed, Li Wan's voice was still hoarse, and she felt utterly drained of energy. So for the next few days, she didn't leave her room. She lay in bed for several days, and Pei Qing stayed by her side for those same days. Once Li Wan had fully recovered, she finally realized something was off.
Seeing his wife looking dazed and distracted, Pei Qing felt a stir of unease and asked, "What is Wanwan thinking about?"
Li Wan answered instinctively, "I haven't seen Yan'er and Zhaozhao for a few days."
She realized belatedly that these past few days, apart from the servants who attended the main quarters and Pei Qing himself, she hadn't seen anyone else.
"They're probably afraid you might pass your illness on to them, so they didn't come to pay their respects. How heartless of them. I'll have them come tomorrow to greet you." Pei Qing's hand paused briefly, making no mention of the fact that he was the one who had forbidden anyone from visiting.
"Then never mind—better not pass the illness on to them." Li Wan immediately dropped the idea upon hearing that.
"Wanwan makes a good point. I recall that your menses have already ended." The corners of Pei Qing's lips lifted slightly, his brow radiating charm.
Li Wan's sense of alarm kicked in, and she spoke in a dry tone: "But my cold hasn't fully recovered yet. I'm afraid I might pass it on to my husband."
"What's so difficult about that? You and I are husband and wife—we should share hardships together. I'm not as heartless as Yan'er and Zhaozhao." Pei Qing didn't mind in the slightest, speaking with a smile.
On ordinary days, Pei Qing was undoubtedly indulgent toward Li Wan, willing to tolerate many of her little temperaments—but in bed, he was extremely dominant and never allowed Li Wan to shy away.
"I'll be gentle tonight. Wanwan only needs to enjoy herself." Pei Qing's large palm parted her legs, and his wife's soft silk gown was reduced to a tattered rag.
When he said gentle, he truly was gentle. First he kissed Li Wan's round, full forehead, then her beautiful eyes, then the tip of her small nose, and her delicate pink ears.
Pei Qing loved kissing his wife's eyes, because when she was stirred with desire, her apricot-shaped eyes turned watery and bright, giving him the feeling that she was utterly dependent on him.
Further down was her snow-white chest, and her flat stomach. When she saw that he intended to keep kissing lower, Li Wan was no longer willing. She reached out and tugged at Pei Qing's sturdy arm.
Pei Qing let out a soft laugh and soothingly squeezed her tender little hand, then continued to savor every inch of her body.
His wife—her skin was impossibly white, like fresh snow in early winter. And her figure was not of the bony, skeletal sort; she was perfectly proportioned, every inch of her satisfying Pei Qing immensely.
Pei Qing's brows carried a look of satiated contentment as he let out a sigh. At that moment, Li Wan was already stirred, her brows soft as spring water, her cheeks flushed red.
The man caressed his wife's sweat-dampened hair, beginning to move slowly and deliberately.
When he did such things, he loved watching Li Wan, as if he wanted to etch her firmly into his memory. Pei Qing had always known that from the very first moment he laid eyes on Li Wan, he was done for.
Speaking of it, his encounter with Li Wan was quite clichéd. He had been carrying out a task for the late emperor when he was unexpectedly ambushed. Li Wan, who had gone with her brother to pay respects at her parents' graves, came across him. Despite Li Qingchen's desperate attempts to stop her, she still chose to save him.
His first impression of this young woman was that she was indeed very beautiful, but not too bright. She had no idea whether he was a good man or a bad one, yet she dared to save him.
To conceal his identity, Pei Qing took the opportunity to stay at the Li residence. It was then that he discovered these two were not actually siblings at all—that Li Qingchen was the prized disciple of the girl's father. Before his death, her father, worried that she would have no one to care for her as a young woman alone, had taken this disciple as his adopted son, hoping he would look after Li Wan well.
At the time, Pei Qing found it rather absurd. He now knew where the girl's innocence and naivety came from—her father. She wasn't even afraid that a grown man might devour his daughter whole. Though he had to admit, entrusting his academy to his daughter and leaving her a safeguard was a clever move.
When did he realize he loved Li Wan? It was when he noticed that the relationship between this "brother and sister" was far too close.
Pei Qing lowered his head and kissed his wife's watery, glistening eyes. She was clearly dazed, her gaze unfocused, only knowing to cling tightly to him, relying on him. Pei Qing loved the way his wife depended on him.
To ascertain whether his wife was comfortable, he would even probe and feel for himself.
But with that single probe, his wife's body trembled again, which pleased Pei Qing greatly. This was his wife—her joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures could only be given by him.
After much tossing and turning, Li Wan's lower belly had already swelled slightly, as if she were pregnant. Pei Qing stroked her belly, then stirred things up once more, forcing a cry from Li Wan's lips.
The woman shot him a fierce glare, lightly biting her lip. Her lips were as delicate as rose petals, and the slightest bite left marks behind. Pei Qing reached out and gently scraped a finger across her pink lips, not letting her bite them.
He said, "Wanwan need not hold back. I very much enjoy hearing Wanwan's voice."
But Li Wan was unwilling. Staring at her stubborn little face, Pei Qing smiled. His wife was as resilient as ever—both heartbreaking and endearingly innocent.
Under Pei Qing's fierce assault, Li Wan couldn't help but let out soft moans from her throat. Her voice, like her person, was very gentle, and to Pei Qing's ears it was no less than a soul-summoning melody. He had to restrain himself again and again to maintain the gentleness a husband ought to have.
…
When the lovemaking came to an end, Li Wan's throat was already hoarse, unable to speak. Her whole body drooped like a wilted crabapple blossom. Pei Qing rubbed the tip of his nose and got out of bed to pour her some water.
While his wife sipped her water in small mouthfuls, Pei Qing spoke up: "Oh, right, Wanwan, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Don't get worked up when you hear it."
Li Wan's heart gave a violent tremble, and she looked at him nervously. "Tell me."
Pei Qing let out a light sigh and said, "His Majesty has taken a new noble consort—the youngest daughter of Duke Cheng'en."
Li Wan could hardly believe her ears. "But when His Majesty married Her Majesty the Empress, he swore he would never take other consorts for life! Has His Majesty forgotten the promise he made three years ago?"
The current emperor and Empress Xu Ning'er had known each other since youth—childhood sweethearts. Xu Ning'er was the niece of the Empress Dowager's natal family and the legitimate granddaughter of Grand Tutor Xu. She had grown up in the imperial palace. Because his family had produced an empress, Grand Tutor Xu chose to retire and return to his hometown after the emperor ascended the throne. To not let Xu Ning'er down, and to allow Grand Tutor Xu to leave the capital with peace of mind, the emperor established Xu Ning'er as Empress and announced at the morning court that he would never take other consorts in his lifetime, swearing that if he broke this vow, he would be struck down by heaven's thunder.
When the emperor had made that promise back then, Li Wan had been deeply moved. Yet only a few years had passed, and the emperor had completely forgotten his vow. Li Wan felt it was unfair to Xu Ning'er, and she was disgusted by the emperor's actions.
If you couldn't keep a promise, why make it at all?
Li Wan was furious.
Pei Qing could understand his wife's agitation. He patiently explained to her, "Wanwan, His Majesty has his own difficulties."
When the two disagreed, Pei Qing would patiently analyze the pros and cons for Li Wan. He told her that in the early years of the emperor's reign, the court situation had been unstable. Duke Cheng'en, as the head of the capital's most prominent family, held the reins of government tightly and refused to let go. If the emperor wanted to firmly grasp power in his own hands, he had to win over Duke Cheng'en.
Of course, the ultimate goal was to catch them all in one net.
But Pei Qing did not say the rest. First, because this was the emperor's scheme and the greatest secret of the imperial palace; second, because he wanted his wife to know that there were not that many good men in this world, and she should not think of leaving him.