Liu Xiyin slept soundly until broad daylight.
There were no mobile phones in this era, and there wasn’t even a clock in the room.
She had no idea what time it was.
However, the sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains was so bright that she instinctively thought it was already noon.
If it was already midday and the great villain still hadn’t found proof that she was a spy…
Did that mean she wasn’t going to die?
Could it be that Yan Changye planned to leave her here to fend for herself?
Sitting on the bed, Liu Xiyin absentmindedly chewed on her finger.
Actually… that wouldn’t be so bad.
“Young Madam, are you awake?”
Oh.
Apparently that wouldn’t work after all.
Liu Xiyin let out a long sigh before getting out of bed to open the door.
The maid from the previous night entered carrying a fresh set of clothes and began helping her wash and dress.
Once the curtains were pulled open, Liu Xiyin realized it had snowed outside.
The snow reflected so much light that the entire sky seemed brighter than usual.
So it wasn’t that she’d slept too late.
It was simply much brighter outside.
“What time is it?”
The maid, A Xiang, replied,
“It’s seven-thirty.”
“Breakfast is ready.”
“The Young Marshal said we’ll return to the Marshal’s Mansion to serve tea after you’ve finished eating.”
The great villain still had the appetite for breakfast.
That meant he probably no longer suspected her of being a spy.
Liu Xiyin secretly rejoiced.
Wonderful.
She’d get to stay alive a little longer.
She hurried through her morning wash.
A Xiang dressed her in a thick crimson qipao embroidered with golden floral vines and draped a warm silver fox fur over her shoulders.
Another maid, A Mei, arranged her hair into an elegant style and decorated it with several red plum blossom hairpins.
She looked graceful, refined, and charming.
Liu Xiyin touched the gold embroidery on her dress.
She gently shook the jade earrings hanging from her ears.
Then she nudged the embroidered shoes adorned with pearls.
She suddenly felt as though everything she was wearing was made of money.
A great warlord really is rich!
The dining room occupied the first floor of the main building.
Yan Changye was already there.
He had changed into another military uniform.
Gold plum blossoms and a single star adorned his collar insignia.
Liu Xiyin recognized it immediately.
Those were the rank insignia of a Republican-era general.
[I never imagined I’d one day become a general’s wife.]
His pocket watch rested to his left.
To his right lay a stack of photographs.
He was examining them one by one.
Most had clearly been taken secretly.
Some showed his little bride boarding a car.
Others captured her entering a hotel.
Still others showed her eating inside the hotel where she’d stayed.
Members of the Liu family accompanied her in every photograph.
It was obvious these had all been taken during her journey back to the Liu family.
Which meant…
After she had been found…
Someone besides the Liu family and the old bandit marshal had been watching her.
Yan Changye recalled the investigation he’d ordered.
After returning to the Liu family, the little bride had spent an entire month preparing for marriage.
During that single month…
The Liu family’s fake daughter had fallen into the water once.
Her jewelry had been stolen once.
She had supposedly been bullied in public by the real daughter once.
Every incident spread throughout the Liu family.
The upper-class social circles laughed endlessly at them.
Soon afterward…
The reputation that the real daughter was a vulgar country girl who constantly bullied the refined fake daughter had become firmly rooted in everyone’s minds.
If no one had been manipulating events behind the scenes…
Yan Changye refused to believe it.
His little bride claimed she was a “scientific genius.”
She could even create that miniature gramophone capable of recording voices.
She also kept talking about something called a “voice recorder.”
Would someone like that really fight over the fake daughter’s jewelry?
The one lacking refinement…
Was obviously whoever had deliberately ruined his little bride’s reputation.
People just like Song Shiyun and her aunt.
Perhaps…
The Song family was behind everything.
Yan Changye narrowed his eyes.
For the moment…
He temporarily set aside his suspicion that Liu Xiyin was a spy.
He would tentatively believe she truly came from the future.
Still…
She constantly talked about emperors, empresses, imperial consorts, and noble ladies.
He absolutely refused to believe the imperial dynasty would somehow return in the future.
Just then…
His little bride’s thoughts reached him once again.
She even recognizes military ranks?
Yan Changye set the photographs down and looked up.
At that exact moment, Liu Xiyin’s gaze shifted from the insignia on his collar to the items in his hands.
[The great villain isn’t carrying a gun today. He probably doesn’t suspect me anymore, right? If he planned to execute me at the breakfast table, wouldn’t that be terribly messy?]
[Wait… he didn’t even bathe before consummating the marriage. He’s already messy.]
[If he’s really not going to kill me and we’re actually eating together… if he doesn’t brush his teeth and starts chewing with his mouth open, can I shove a steamed bun into his mouth?]
“…”
Liu Xiyin was only sixteen in this lifetime.
Her voice was soft and sweet.
When her endless stream of thoughts poured into his ears, Yan Changye suddenly understood the saying about pearls of every size falling onto a jade plate.
Except…
Those “pearls” were currently making him laugh out of sheer irritation.
He looked toward A Xiang and A Mei beside her.
“Why are you still standing there?”
“Help Young Madam over for breakfast.”
The two maids immediately stepped forward and escorted Liu Xiyin to the dining table.
“Young Madam, please enjoy your meal.”
Liu Xiyin smiled awkwardly.
“Young Marshal… good morning.”
Yan Changye carefully studied the smile on her face.
Liu Xiyin glanced toward the stack of photographs beside him.
“So… Young Marshal… there wasn’t anything suspicious in those photos, right?”
A servant arrived carrying a tray.
On it were two neatly folded damp towels.
Yan Changye picked one up and carefully wiped his hands.
“If there had been…”
“You would’ve already been dragged away and fed to the fish.”
Good, good.
Hehe… I survived!
Then Liu Xiyin suddenly widened her eyes.
The great villain…
Was actually wiping his hands before eating!
Yan Changye couldn’t even be bothered to look at her.
Yet after recalling all the nonsense running through her mind, he couldn’t resist glaring at her.
“Young Madam doesn’t know that one washes one’s hands before and after meals and rinses one’s mouth afterward?”
Now I know…
Liu Xiyin suddenly remembered reading about exactly this etiquette in old novels.
So wealthy families really did have such customs.
Her laboratory-trained obsession with cleanliness was instantly satisfied.
Beaming happily, she picked up the remaining towel.
“I know now! Thank you for the reminder, Young Marshal!”
Yan Changye couldn’t even be bothered exposing her obvious act.
He set down his towel.
“Eat.”
Breakfast included Chinese dishes such as soy milk, steamed buns, fried eggs, and several small side dishes.
There were Western options as well—milk, bread, bacon…
Even coffee.
The previous day had been Liu Xiyin’s wedding.
According to custom, brides weren’t supposed to eat.
There hadn’t even been a single pastry available at the Marshal’s Mansion.
The reason she’d gone out that night had simply been to find something to eat.
Instead, she’d stumbled into an entirely unnecessary disaster.
Finally…
She could eat.
Without hesitation, she picked up a bowl of warm soy milk and drank more than half of it in large gulps.
Warmth spread through her body.
Then she grabbed a steamed bun.
She took one big bite—
And almost spat it right back out.