As long as he was not seriously ill and had not already set one foot through the gates of death, wrapping himself up like this during the scorching autumn heat would surely bring him dangerously close to heatstroke.
Even this overwhelming display of affection was more than he could bear. Without showing his discomfort, he shifted the thin quilt away from himself a little and spoke gently.
“My health is poor, so there are certain things I must be careful about when it comes to marital relations. But that does not mean I have no desire to be close to you. In my younger days, I spent years fighting battles far from home, surviving one life-threatening situation after another. I became accustomed to keeping my distance from others. Now that we are newly married, I still do not quite know how to behave around you. Only when we are alone do I dare draw closer.”
His words were so sincere and heartfelt that Xi Cai felt obliged to respond in kind.
“As long as I have a place in your heart, that is enough for me, my lord. They say that a husband and wife are intimate in bed but should behave like gentlemen once they get up. You hold such a high position, my lord. If you are too affectionate with me in front of others, people might laugh at us.”
He smiled. “Would you be willing to come a little closer?”
Xi Cai blinked shyly. Gritting her teeth, she moved a little nearer to him.
He reached out and put his arm around her. That familiar medicinal fragrance surrounded him, mixed with a faint scent of lindera.
There were some questions she had to ask even though she already knew the answers.
Nestling against his chest, Xi Cai lowered her voice. “My lord, why did you marry me? My father and you have always disagreed on political matters. Why not marry a noblewoman from a family on friendly terms with yours? Wouldn’t that have been a much better arrangement?”
“Are we not happy as we are now?” he asked slowly. His chest moved slightly as he spoke. “Our political disagreements belong to the imperial court. My father-in-law and I have no personal enmity outside it. Besides, marrying a young lady from the Xi family, whose reputation for virtue is widely known, is a perfectly sensible choice.”
What an outrageous lie! He could say that with a straight face.
He claimed they had no personal enmity when their relationship was already so hostile that they were practically at each other’s throats. They were only one step away from trying to destroy each other.
Still, if he could twist the truth so shamelessly, she could not afford to be any more honest than him.
Xi Cai pressed herself a little closer. “My lord, you didn’t decide to marry me simply because of my father, did you?”
She stopped halfway through the question, leaving the rest unsaid. With just a hint of grievance in her voice, she managed to create the impression of a woman who did not know where her husband’s true affections lay.
Yang Xun gently stroked her back. Her back was so slender that he could cover it completely by spreading his fingers.
Since she had asked, he did not bother to deny it.
“That was certainly one of the reasons. I wanted to improve my relationship with the Censorate, and becoming the son-in-law of the Vice Censor-in-Chief was the best way to begin. After spending time with you, I am even more grateful that I made this decision. However, your father probably resents me even more now. I took the Xi family’s precious daughter away from him. The old grudge has not faded, and now I have given him another reason to hate me.”
Xi Cai immediately laughed.
“My lord, you are truly amusing. You praise me so highly that I hardly know what to say.”
Inwardly, however, she was cursing him.
Hadn’t he just claimed that there was no personal enmity between them? If there was no personal enmity, where had this so-called old grudge come from?
Yang Xun continued praising her without hesitation.
“Of all the young ladies I have met, you have the best temperament. No matter how great the storms you encounter in the future, I believe you will face them calmly.”
Xi Cai shyly brushed aside his compliments a few times.
Go ahead and flatter me as much as you like, she thought. When the day comes that we become sworn enemies, you’ll find out for yourself whether my temperament is really as good as you claim.
For now, however, she still had to maintain appearances. Even though every hair on her body seemed to be standing on end and sweat was trickling down her back, she could not afford to retreat.
Yang Xun asked a question he already knew the answer to.
“Are you feeling hot, my lady? Your sleeping clothes are almost soaked through.”
She played along. “We have only just married, my lord, and we are not yet familiar with each other. I feel a little nervous. Please forgive me for making a fool of myself.”
“It’s all right,” he reassured her calmly, without the slightest impatience. He sounded like an experienced elder comforting a younger person. “Once we have spent night after night sleeping in each other’s arms, you will soon grow accustomed to married life. Although we have temporarily set aside some of the formal wedding rituals, we should still observe the smaller courtesies. I do not want us to appear like strangers in front of others and cause you embarrassment.”
Xi Cai cursed him inwardly for his cunning, but she nodded obediently.
“My lord has considered everything so carefully. I shall do as you wish.”
The smile never left his lips. His gaze drifted downward, and his fingers settled against her neck, gently rubbing a small patch of skin twice.
Xi Cai was puzzled.
“What is it? Is there something on my neck?”
Last night, he had lightly nipped her with his teeth, leaving a faint mark. It was so subtle that it was almost impossible to notice unless one looked closely.
He answered as casually as if he were discussing the weather.
“I lost myself in the moment last night and did not realize you hadn’t noticed. Tomorrow, have a metalworker come and polish the bronze mirror on your dressing table.”
Xi Cai stared at him in surprise before remembering that it had indeed happened.
She had been careless and forgotten to check herself properly. She had even gone to the palace today without noticing the mark!
It seemed that Yang Xun had already achieved what he wanted. This man was meticulous in everything he did. The mark was in a place that her collar could not cover. He had deliberately left it there.
But what could she do about it now?
From this day forward, she would have to guard herself against him as if he were a thief.
She swallowed her anger and endured the situation. Before going to sleep, they had a little physical contact, but when it was finally time to sleep, they went their separate ways.
Yang Xun’s arm certainly could not withstand being used as her pillow. If she rested her head on it all night, it would probably be useless the next morning.
And so, without any further trouble, they passed the night peacefully.
The next morning, when Xi Cai got up for breakfast, she found a few dishes on the dining table: pickled Chinese chives and eggplant, some leafy greens, and chopped pickled cucumbers.
She stared at the food in a daze.
Why were there pickled vegetables again? There wasn’t even a trace of meat!
Yang Xun arrived a little later and sat down as if everything were perfectly normal. Seeing her still standing beside the table, he asked in surprise, “What’s wrong, my lady? Don’t you want to eat?”
Xi Cai said that was not the case. She gathered her skirt and sat down, but when she picked up her chopsticks, she had no idea what to eat first.
The man sitting across from her had just taken his medicine. A faint medicinal scent still lingered in his sleeves.
“In the mornings, I usually don’t eat much,” he explained mildly. “After drinking a bowl of medicine, a few pastries are more than enough. I only asked the kitchen to prepare these dishes because you have come to live here. It’s better to eat something light and refreshing in the morning so that your stomach won’t have to work too hard for the rest of the day.”
Xi Cai swallowed and smiled.
“Yes, my lord. My parents have always taught me that frugality is a virtue. This is exactly how a household should be managed.”
Inwardly, she was suffering.
She had planned to make him eat vegetarian food all year long, hoping the bland diet would eventually wear him down. Now, he had turned the tables on her.
He had always lived this way. No wonder he had made himself look so frail and sickly. Now that she had married him, he was going to drag her into the same miserable life!
Was it normal for a noble household to serve only one meat dish at midday?
She pushed the question aside for the moment and finished her meal in silence. There was barely any flavor in her mouth.
Yang Xun had business to attend to that day. Surrounded by his attendants, he was escorted to his carriage and left for the military camp to discuss military affairs.
After seeing him off, Xi Cai returned to the residence with a firm plan in mind. She was going to inspect the kitchen.
The food prepared there would determine what she ate at the next meal, so she followed the corridors all the way to the back courtyard.
Normally, the kitchen should have been the busiest place in a household. Steam ought to rise from the pots all day long, with cooks preparing food from early morning until night.
But in the Marquis of Yanling’s residence, there were only three or five female servants. They stood around with their hands tucked into their sleeves, chatting beneath the covered walkway. None of them looked particularly busy.
When Xi Cai approached, the servants hurriedly bowed and addressed her as the mistress of the household before stepping aside.
She entered the kitchen and looked around.
The pots were cold, the stove was empty, and a few bowls that had not yet been washed were still soaking in a pot.
There were fresh vegetables and fruits, but when it came to meat, all she could see was half a pig carcass hanging from a beam and two chickens in a cage outside the door.
Xi Cai felt her vision darken.
What kind of place had she wandered into? Was this really the residence of a marquis?
The head cook approached her, rubbing her hands together respectfully.
“If my lady needs anything, she only has to send someone to give us instructions. This place is rather untidy, and we wouldn’t want to dirty your skirt.”
Xi Cai slowly surveyed the kitchen before speaking in a calm voice.
“This is where the food is prepared. It is unacceptable for it to be so untidy. In the past, the master probably had no time to manage the household affairs. Now that I have entered the residence, everyone from top to bottom must become more attentive. The master is in poor health, so everything he uses must be handled with care. It need not be luxurious, but it must at least be clean, orderly, and of clear origin.”
As she spoke, she casually asked, “It’s so hot these days. Won’t the pork hanging there spoil and attract flies? How much ice is brought into the residence from the ice cellar each day? How much is generally used to keep the fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables chilled?”
The cook’s answers made Xi Cai feel as if the road ahead of her had suddenly become bleak and endless.
“Your Ladyship, this half a pig is only hanging here temporarily. It will all be used by lunchtime. There are many people in the residence, so we need a great deal of pork. The master is a frugal man, but he is also considerate toward his servants. Every day, the household servants are given meat with their meals. Otherwise, those who do hard physical labor wouldn’t have the strength to work.”
The cook explained everything in detail.
“As for the ice in the cellar, we never manage to use it all each year. The master doesn’t eat cold food. Occasionally, he has a little raw fish or chilled fruit, but two bowls of ice are enough for that.”
Xi Cai was confused.
“What about the chicken, duck, fish, and meat that cannot be cooked immediately? Does the entire residence really make do with just that half a pig?”
The cook blinked twice.
“Yes, Your Ladyship. The servants’ meals are stir-fried in large pots. The master’s and mistress’s meals are prepared separately according to their tastes, carefully cooked, and then sent to the main residence. Our master dislikes extravagance and strictly forbids waste, so the daily food supplies are carefully calculated. That way, we can also ensure that the fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat are as fresh as possible.”
Xi Cai was deeply shaken by what she heard.
Still, she did not forget the dignity expected of the mistress of the household. She nodded and said, “The master has to deal with government affairs and manage the household as well. It must be exhausting for him. I share his views on household management. We should be frugal and avoid excessive luxury, lest we waste our blessings. However, I have noticed several problems while inspecting the back courtyard. We can gradually improve those later. For now, the most urgent matter is to clean the kitchen. Choose a few people to scrub the stove, the floor, and every utensil thoroughly. Anything that cannot be cleaned properly should be washed with boiling water or scalded. I will come back to inspect everything the day after tomorrow.”
The cook agreed and bowed as she escorted Xi Cai out of the back courtyard.
Xi Cai walked through the corridors with her back straight and her steps steady.
But as soon as she returned to her room, she nearly collapsed. Her face filled with sorrow as she exclaimed, “What am I supposed to do? The Marquis of Yanling looks like a perfectly respectable man, so why is he so miserly?”
Yu Wu and Gong Xi were equally distressed.
Yesterday, they had eaten chicken. Today, they were eating pork. Under normal circumstances, a household of this standing should not be so poorly provided for.
Even the Xi family, without being a noble house of the highest rank, paid considerable attention to its food and drink. The maids’ names were even derived from different kinds of tea.
Their young mistress had been so shocked that she was practically on the verge of fainting. The two maids could only do their best to comfort her.
“Miss, you are the mistress of this residence. As long as you give the order, the household can be reorganized. If necessary, we can prepare special meals for ourselves, buy food from restaurants, or set up a stove in the side courtyard and cook for ourselves.”
Xi Cai shook her head.
“That won’t do. People will say I’m greedy for comfort and accuse me of ruining my reputation.”
Gong Xi was at a loss as well.
“But surely we can’t go on suffering like this. We eat vegetarian food most of the time and get only one meat dish at midday.”
Yu Wu suggested, “Why don’t I go back to Yangshu Street every day? I can ask the family to prepare some dishes and bring them back for you to eat in secret.”
“How would that look?” Xi Cai shook her head again. “We’re here to serve this household, yet we’re eating food from our own family. That would make us look utterly pathetic.”
Nothing was acceptable, yet nothing could remain as it was.
At this rate, before long, Yang Xun would not be the only one who looked half-dead. She would be reduced to half her strength too.
The three of them rested their chins in their hands and tried to think of a solution. After a long while, Xi Cai finally said, “I’ll discuss it with him tonight. If he wants to die, that’s his business. I still want to live!”
All she could do now was wait for the Marquis of Yanling to return.
Normally, a sick person should not remain outside for too long, since his body would not be able to withstand the strain.
Yet she waited until midday. The kitchen sent up a plate of braised pork belly, a dish of pickled ginger, and two steamed buns filled with raw meat.
She ate everything in a fit of anger, then continued waiting.
She waited until the sky began to darken, but Yang Xun still had not returned.
Could something have happened to him? Perhaps life still has a few surprises in store for me.
After washing up and changing, she paced around the room in circles. She waited until the hour of the Dog, around seven to nine in the evening, but there was still no sign of him.
Sleepiness gradually overwhelmed her, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She desperately wanted to return to bed, but she still had to play the part of a virtuous wife. Her husband had not returned home, so she could not remove her hairpins and go to sleep.
Grinding her teeth, she sat in the outer room and forced herself to stay awake. Eventually, she could no longer resist and rested her head on the table for a nap.
She had experienced the same thing before, back when she was learning embroidery in the women’s quarters.
She had no idea how much time had passed when she suddenly felt a chill moving behind her.
She woke with a start and turned around.
Yang Xun was standing there, his head tilted slightly as he studied her.
She did not know whether the chill came from his gaze or from the unnatural feeling of being near someone who seemed to belong more to the world of ghosts than the living. Either way, it seemed to seep straight into her flesh.
She studied his face. It was always pale, but perhaps because it was late and he was tired, the skin around his eyes was slightly red. He looked almost demonic.
She needed to confirm whether he was still alive or whether his spirit had returned from the underworld.
So she stood up and hurried forward to welcome him.
“My lord, why have you returned so late? You’ve kept me worried all this time.”
She took his hand.
It was warm.
He was still alive.
Xi Cai felt a little disappointed. Heaven had not granted her wish.
Yang Xun spoke in his usual calm tone.
“I used to command the Huben Battalion, but I haven’t concerned myself with its affairs for a long time. Two months’ worth of military matters have piled up. Every time I go there to handle them, it takes the entire day. If I return late in the future, you needn’t wait up for me. Go to bed and rest first.”
Xi Cai answered obediently, “How could I fall asleep when you haven’t returned, my lord? I was only pretending to doze earlier.”
“Oh?” Yang Xun replied. “I’ve been back for quite some time. I watched you lying there without moving and thought you had fallen asleep.”
So this man did not understand the principle of sparing someone’s feelings by not pointing out their embarrassment. No wonder he had so many enemies.
Xi Cai endured the urge to snap at him and finally managed a smile.
“I was thinking about something and didn’t hear your footsteps, my lord.”
Putting that aside, she asked whether he had eaten. There were new dishes in the kitchen.
Would you like to guess what they were?
Pickled qiongzhi.
Yang Xun covered his mouth and coughed lightly.
“I ate at the military camp. My lady, you should get ready for bed first. I’ll wash up and join you shortly.”
Xi Cai watched him walk toward the washroom, his sleeves flowing loosely with every movement. In a show of consideration, she casually asked, “Would you like me to attend to you, my lord?”
He had been walking quite normally, but the moment he heard her words, he turned around and looked at her.
Xi Cai immediately felt awkward.
“…I’ll go prepare the bed first.”
She climbed onto the bed and lowered the curtain. Then she sighed quietly.
It was only the second day of their marriage, yet life was already much more difficult than she had imagined.
They had to eat together and live together, and she had to handle every interaction with him carefully. Most importantly, Yang Xun seemed unfathomable. On the surface, he treated her with courtesy and respect, but who knew what he was planning behind her back? Perhaps he was already secretly making arrangements to eliminate everyone who opposed him—including her.
Thinking of this, she reminded herself to act cautiously. She had to gain his trust first before deciding what to do next.
When he climbed onto the bed, she moved a soft pillow aside to make room for him.
“My lord, you must be exhausted after such a long day. You’ve worked hard. Come and lie down.”
He had changed into his sleeping clothes and let his hair down. It hung loosely over his chest, making him look completely different from the sickly man who had surveyed everyone from above earlier that day.
He slowly lay down. His thin frame made even this simple movement seem gentle and effortless.
The vivid patterns on the pillow brought out the features of his face. Although he was already twenty-eight, he did not look old at all. Instead, there was a sense of maturity about him, as if he had seen through the ways of the world.
“My lord, are you going to sleep?” Xi Cai turned onto her side to face him. “There is something I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have the strength to listen?”
He gave a slight nod, indicating that he was willing to listen, though perhaps only barely.
But then his gaze hooked toward her, giving her a subtle hint.
She understood immediately.
He wanted her to snuggle up against him.
She could not help wondering whether he was using this as an excuse to make up for something he lacked. Perhaps he was trying to absorb her vital energy.
It probably would not be drained away all at once, and she was not particularly worried about it anyway. Her mind was entirely occupied with the conversation she intended to have with him about managing the household.
But before she could even open her mouth, he seemed deeply touched by her obedience. His voice softened with gratitude.
“I am full of illness, yet you do not dislike me at all, my lady. The more considerate you are toward me, the more difficult it becomes for me to let you go. Even if I must one day descend into the underworld, I’m afraid I’ll have to take you with me.”