Chapter 18
Candlelight flickered. Brushes and ink were laid out. He Xiu wiped the red inkpad stain from her fingers, her gaze falling on the two signed and fingerprinted marriage contracts. She still felt that it was far too simple and muttered, “Sister Zhuo, I heard that marriage requires choosing an auspicious date and going through the three letters and six rites. If we do it this hastily, won’t your mother be even angrier?”
After all, He Xiu felt that Madam Zhuo did not look like an enlightened mother who would allow her daughter to fall freely in love. Instead, she seemed to have a bit of a violent streak.
Zhuo Mingke looked at the still-wet ink on the marriage contract. The handwriting on the two names was clearly completely different. In a gentle voice, she said, “It does not matter. I do not need Mother’s approval. Besides, you have given me a silver ingot.”
“One silver ingot is too little as a betrothal gift. I plan to make more wooden dolls. If I save up a betrothal gift that way, it’ll seem more sincere, and maybe your mother won’t be so angry that she cuts ties with you.” He Xiu felt that the beautiful older sister was a little too easy to deceive. If the person she had met was not He Xiu, she might very well have run into some scumbag man committing marriage fraud.
“Mother is not cutting ties with me solely because of you, so it has nothing to do with how much betrothal gift you send. Don’t think too much. Rest early.” As she spoke, Zhuo Mingke used the candle flame to dry the ink on the marriage contract. A dim light surfaced in the depths of her calm eyes. Thinking of the earlier scene, her expression turned slightly gloomy.
Seeing that the beautiful older sister did not want to talk too much about her mother, He Xiu could only cooperate and answer, “Then Sister Zhuo should also go back and rest early.”
“From today onward, we have to live together. Only then will Mother not suspect anything.” Zhuo Mingke dried the ink on the marriage contract, tidied everything up, and spoke thoughtfully.
“All right. My bed is very big. Even two people sleeping together won’t be a problem!” He Xiu invited her very amicably, completely unaware that there was anything wrong with her words.
After all, good friends sleeping together was usually an extremely normal thing!
However, what Zhuo Mingke had originally been thinking of was separate beds. But when she met the young girl’s sincere, eager gaze, and her eyes fell on the gauze wrapped around He Xiu’s forehead, she found it hard to refuse her goodwill for a moment.
Deep into the night, as the moon shifted and the stars turned, rosy light slowly appeared in the sky. At the beginning of the hour of the rabbit, the maids in the main courtyard served Madam Zhuo as she washed and dressed, all silent and speechless.
Madam Zhuo tied a silk scarf around her neck to cover the hideous scar there, frowning as she asked, “Did she truly share a room with the Da Liang hostage prince last night?”
Feng Sanniang brought the meal inside and hesitated before replying, “Yes. This was my negligence. Please punish me!”
If she had known this would happen, she should have refused firmly when He Xiu first entered the Zhuo residence. She should never have let Miss Zhuo keep that person at her side and forget the proper boundaries between men and women. Feng Sanniang truly regretted it.
That He Xiu had always been very good at sweet talk. And because Madam Zhuo forbade Miss Zhuo from marrying out and choosing a husband freely, perhaps He Xiu had truly taken advantage of proximity and gotten the moon first by standing near the water.
“You should indeed be punished. However, her thoughts and methods now are hidden even from me, so it cannot entirely be blamed on you.”
“Madam Zhuo, I do not understand what you mean.”
Madam Zhuo rose from the dressing table and slowly took her seat at the desk. After thinking through the night, she had discovered many suspicious points. She said, “Do you truly think Da Liang’s envoy came to Da Yue to receive the hostage prince by such coincidence?”
Feng Sanniang stood to the side and served the soup. Thinking it over, she said, “You mean Miss Zhuo has always been in contact with people from Da Liang’s court?”
“I am afraid she has long wanted to use the Da Liang hostage prince to break free from my control. This marriage is nothing more than a bargaining chip.”
“A powerless Da Liang hostage prince with no influence—I do not know what kind of bargaining chip could exist there.”
Madam Zhuo tasted the soup. Her anger from yesterday had already calmed. Unhurriedly, she said, “Right now, if the Da Liang hostage prince wants to shake off the status of captive, only then can he leave Da Yue openly and properly. By rights, Da Liang’s envoy should have requested this directly from Da Yue’s imperial family, not come to the Zhuo residence. So she must have made other moves.”
It seemed this daughter of hers was not foolish. On the contrary, she was too clever. So clever that it was very possible for her to do anything in order to achieve her goal.
The Zhuo clan had been trading closely with Da Yue’s nobles over these years. Now, Zhuo Mingke wanted to form a marriage alliance with Da Liang’s hostage prince. Without question, this directly placed the Zhuo clan over the fire to be roasted. Combined with Da Yue’s recent unrest, it was terrifying to think about in detail.
“Have people spread the news that Zhuo Mingke has given up her status as the Zhuo clan’s daughter. Also, I want every business document and contract Zhuo Mingke has handled between Da Liang and Da Yue in recent years. They must all be complete.”
“Are you truly going to sever ties with Miss Zhuo?”
Madam Zhuo’s expression was serious. “Feng San, I have a feeling that whatever Zhuo Mingke has been doing in secret may drag the entire Zhuo clan into the water. If one fails to cut off what should be cut, one will suffer chaos from it. Do you understand?”
Now, she had to clearly understand Zhuo Mingke’s intentions and restrain the situation in time. Otherwise, she would truly become lawless.
Feng Sanniang rarely saw Madam Zhuo with such a solemn expression, so she could only hurriedly act.
Outside the hall, the red sun rose, casting down brilliant rosy light. When it slowly spilled into the little room in the east courtyard, a sudden bang sounded, extremely abrupt.
Outside, several of Zhuo Mingke’s personal maids blushed with embarrassment, not knowing what to do. They could only pretend nothing had happened and quietly wait for instructions.
On ordinary days, Miss Zhuo would wake at the hour of the rabbit. Now it was already the hour of the dragon, and with the sun climbing high, she still had not called anyone in to serve her. It truly invited the imagination.
When He Xiu climbed up from the floor beside the bed, she was a little dazed. With such a large bed, how had she fallen off?
Then He Xiu’s gaze landed on the beautiful older sister lying on the bed with her clothes slightly disheveled. Her plain inner robe faintly outlined her graceful figure, and black hair spilled like a waterfall at her side, setting off skin as cold and white as jade. Misty eyes, red lips—there was a trace of allure within her coolness. He Xiu came back to herself with a warm face and said, “Sorry, Sister Zhuo. When I sleep, I’m used to hugging a pillow. I definitely didn’t mean to disturb you!”
Zhuo Mingke lowered her eyes. Her slender jade-like hand smoothed down her loose collar, covering that glimpse of fair skin. Her gaze slowly fell on the young girl’s bright, clear eyes. Her thick lashes fluttered, and she looked entirely obedient, as if she had done something wrong. Zhuo Mingke softened her tone. “It’s fine. Get up.”
Although Zhuo Mingke did not like being restrained by others, as it felt as if she were being clamped down and made her uncomfortable.
But the young girl was actually more like a soft, light cloud. It could not really be called restraint. She was only a little too clingy.
“That’s good.” He Xiu awkwardly climbed up, planning to continue sleeping to calm her shock.
“You still want to keep sleeping at this hour?” Zhuo Mingke raised a hand and lifted the gauze curtain, turning her head to look at the young girl tiptoeing back to lie beside the pillow, like a little cat.
He Xiu yawned, tears misting at the corners of her eyes, making them look even brighter and more watery. Her head moved closer to the person beside her as she asked in confusion, “Sister Zhuo, is there something to do today?”
Zhuo Mingke lightly tapped her with one finger, stopping the young girl from moving closer, lest she forget the wound on her forehead. She explained, “This time, Da Liang’s envoy has come to Da Yue’s imperial capital, so naturally, you must meet them. You need to understand the situation, especially the left prime minister. This person will be extremely helpful for your return to Da Liang. The envoy this time is also one of his people.”
“Okay, I understand. Anything else?” Hearing that it was serious business, He Xiu asked earnestly.
“Also, you may take the initiative to mention our marriage to the envoy and let them know. This matter cannot go wrong,” Zhuo Mingke instructed carefully.
He Xiu answered seriously, “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely take Sister Zhuo away from Da Yue. Even if I lost my memory, I wouldn’t forget this.”
Seeing that the young girl did not understand the reason behind it, Zhuo Mingke did not explain further. Her fingertip lightly rubbed the sleep mark on He Xiu’s cheek as she said, “Since we have signed a marriage contract, the way we address each other should change.”
“All right. Will Sister Zhuo also change how you address me and call me Ah Xiu?”
“…”
He Xiu’s eyes shone brightly, filled with unconcealable anticipation.
Seeing this, Zhuo Mingke could only nod, inwardly sighing that the young girl was sometimes unexpectedly persistent.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!