Having not seen her wife for several months, Meng Fushang’s first reaction was to think she was experiencing a hallucination. Holding the hand of the maid beside her, her voice tightened, though her gaze had already softened. She tugged at her in urgency, “Look at the courtyard gate, is someone coming?”
The maid hastily looked over, her eyes brightening with joy upon seeing Jiang Ruotang’s figure. “Ah, it’s the Prince Consort! Your Highness, the Prince Consort has come to see you! This servant knew it; today is Your Highness’s birthday, so no matter how busy the Prince Consort is, she would never forget.”
Meng Fushang pinched a bit of her wide sleeve and gazed at her from afar. The corners of her lips curved up secretly and involuntarily, while the white jade tassel earrings beside her ears swayed gently, revealing the pure joy of their owner.
However, she soon remembered that the other person had not come to see her for several months, acting as though she had forgotten her entirely. Thus, her happiness vanished in an instant. Throwing back her sleeve, her lips pressed into a cold, tight line.
Heh, so you only come on my birthday? From now on, are we only to meet once a year?
Do you truly despise me so much and dislike seeing me that much?
Meng Fushang looked at her with eyes full of complex emotions, then lowered her head in disappointment, revealing her slender, snow-white neck. Her red lips were pressed tightly together, and she sat on the railing of the covered walkway without moving, making no move to greet her.
Jiang Ruotang paused in her long-legged stride, her refined brows rising slightly. Looking at her, she did not feel that the princess held any affection for her at all.
Seeing her did not bring much joy either; in the past, she would at least step forward to receive her to some extent.
Could I have been deceived?
Placing one hand behind her back, she lifted her legs and approached once more.
Only when she drew near did she soften her voice, calling out warmly, “Madam.”
She had once wondered why Madam grew weary of her, but she could not figure it out on her own. Only after receiving guidance from a close friend did she learn that her tone of voice naturally carried a hint of coldness and severity. As a princess of noble lineage who had been sent far away to another kingdom as a hostage in her early youth without family by her side, she had grown up with a sensitive and fragile temperament. How could she bear such a tone?
Thus, she gradually changed, doing her best to be gentler and more considerate toward her wife. However, Madam still did not like her. Whenever she saw her, she would put on a cold face, and when overcome with anger, she would smash things without a word for no apparent reason.
It truly left one at a loss, not knowing how to bring a smile to her face, leaving no choice but to keep her distance, so as not to be an eyesore before her.
She had thought that by meeting less often, Madam might be a bit happier.
Recalling the past, Jiang Ruotang kept one hand behind her back while raising the other to rub her temples helplessly. Even to this day, she still did not know how to coax her angry wife.
When Meng Fushang heard her calling her in that warm voice, she could no longer control her anger from dissipating. Her water-glistening, bright eyes looked at her obediently. When she caught sight of that slender, fair hand, her cheeks instantly blushed like fine jade stained with rosy sunset, pinking all the way to the roots of her ears.
“Wife, Wife.”
The princess sat on the covered walkway, tilting her small head up. The jeweled ornaments among her raven-black hair clinked softly with her movements, making a crisp sound.
The maid beside her could hardly bear to watch. Do you still remember how long you woke up before dawn, sitting here waiting in utter heartbreak?
How is it that the Prince Consort barely showed her face, and you are already coaxed back to good humor?
“Mm. The wind outside is strong. Madam, let us step inside to talk.”
She truly cared for her frail and sickly wife.
She had heard that Madam did not have a good life while in the State of Zhao, which had ruined her health, making her prone to headaches and fevers now.
However, when these words fell into the ears of Meng Fushang and the maid beside her, they did not sound particularly polite.
Meng Fushang thought she was once again dissatisfied with her. Her small head drooped instantly, the grievance and sadness in her heart nearly overflowing. Pressing her lips together and holding back tears, she still stood up obediently. In the next second, a warm hand rested on her wrist.
Jiang Ruotang gripped that extremely slender wrist, which felt as though it might snap at a touch, and led her inside the room.
Meng Fushang felt a touch of happiness again.
Lowering her eyelashes, she gazed unblinkingly at the place where their skin touched.
So, it was not that I made her unhappy, right?
She is just afraid that I will catch cold and is caring for me.
Feeling the chilly, fair wrist, Jiang Ruotang’s brows locked even tighter, feeling somewhat displeased that she always disregarded her own health.
Yet, remembering Madam’s sensitive and fragile thoughts, it was not appropriate to scold her aloud.
Although they had been married for three years, they had always treated each other with distant respect, interacting like gentlemen whose friendship was as light as water.
She was also deeply afraid that if her words were too harsh, she would unwittingly hurt her.
Ah, well.
Jiang Ruotang led her into the room. The fingers holding her wrist moved downward, reaching another delicate, jade-like hand and holding it in her palm.
“Spring days are chilly. You should pay more attention to your health as well. Do not stand in the wind for too long, lest you catch a cold.”
Her tone was not heavy, and she even considered it quite gentle and warm. Yet, the person opposite her still felt as though she was being reprimanded.
The princess pressed her moist, red lips together, the brightness in her eyes dimming along with it. She lowered her head and remained silent.
The maid beside her shared her master’s heart and felt deeply indignant for her princess. Her Highness had waited outside for the Prince Consort for so long; even if she fell ill, it was for the Prince Consort’s sake. The Prince Consort started lecturing Her Highness the moment she arrived; what was the meaning of this!
Just as she was about to speak up indignantly for her princess, the woman opposite turned the conversation around, directing it straight at her, “Madam craves the cool air, yet you all do not know to watch over her and add a layer of clothing for Madam?”
The maid stood speechless.
If the Prince Consort blames me, then I have nothing to say; we truly should have added a layer of clothing for Her Highness.
Biting her lip, she instantly felt a wave of self-blame.
Jiang Ruotang remembered this woman. She was the very person who had harbored intense hatred toward her after Madam’s death, later going to work in the Crown Prince’s palace.
The Crown Prince was Madam’s biological brother, and he was not on good terms with her.
Seeing that her warmth toward others was different from how she treated her, Meng Fushang felt her anger cool down a bit more, though her words remained cold. Still afraid that Jiang Ruotang might grow too angry, she hastily interceded for her maid, her voice soft, gentle, and obedient, “Wife, I was the one who wanted to go out and feel the wind. It has nothing to do with Xingyu, so please do not punish her.”
She only scolded me because she was worried about me falling ill. I cannot be so unreasonable and get angry with her just because she cares about me.
The Jiang family was a famous, century-old prestigious family in the State of Jin with strict rules, where people were frequently punished for committing errors.
However, when Jiang Ruotang married her wife, she had already decided that she would uniquely favor her wife, to the extent that she had never actively punished any of the servants in the entire courtyard.
“Mm, I did not say I would punish them. I am only afraid that if you treat them too well, they will fail to take careful care of you instead.”
Having been addressed this way, Xingyu lowered her head, feeling deeply sorry toward Her Highness.
Madam remained as she had always been: gentle, quiet, with features as exquisite as a painting. She showed not the slightest trace of a person who would set fire to herself in the latter half of the night simply because she had not visited the inner courtyard for a long time.
Her wife did not seem unable to go on without her in the way those people had described.
This caused Jiang Ruotang, who had rushed all the way here with a pent-up tightness in her heart wanting to question why she liked her yet never spoke up, to suddenly lose her momentum.
“They will not,” Meng Fushang said in a small voice, keeping her head down.
Yet in her heart, she began to feel gloomy and unhappy again. You only know to let others take care of me, but on normal days, you are unwilling to spare even fifteen minutes for me. Am I truly so unlikable to you?
Or is it true, as others say, that you have another woman you like, regarding her as the bright moon in the sky, which is why you are so distant from me?
Meng Fushang suddenly lost all her strength, unwilling to even steal a glance at her anymore.
Although during these three years of marriage, she had never seen Jiang Ruotang treat anyone particularly well, nor had she found the rumored woman who made her heart flutter, what if? What if that woman had married far away, following her husband to leave the capital?
A grand princess who disliked going out, staying cooped up alone in her courtyard on ordinary days, thought of nothing but these messy, chaotic ideas. She lacked the courage to ask, fearing Jiang Ruotang would be harsh with her, and fearing even more that Jiang Ruotang might admit it.
Since Madam said they would not, what else could she say? She had no choice but to drop the subject for the moment, handing over the box she had been gripping tightly and looking down at her, “Today is your birthday. I specially selected this for you; see if you like it.”
It was a birthday gift!
Meng Fushang’s eyes lit up once more, yet she still forced herself to act reserved, saying shyly in a small voice, “We have been married for many years. You did not need to give me gifts for every festival.”
Jiang Ruotang watched as that hibiscus face, fair as ice and pure as jade, quietly turned half red, her eyes clearly writing her desire even as her mouth said otherwise.
Shaking her head helplessly, “You are my wife. No matter how many years we have been married, whatever ought to be given to you, I shall give you.”
Respect, status, and affection: as long as she wanted them, she should naturally give them to her.
Meng Fushang felt sweet in her heart for only a brief moment before quickly returning to her senses. Thinking in disappointment: You say you will give me everything, yet you clearly have given me nothing. How long has it been since you last came to see me? You do not wish to see me at all; you hate me.