Mu Qingyao felt a mixture of surprise and doubt but still tried to maintain her smile.
She asked Wen Qize, “Why does the young lord think that?”
Wen Qize pinched her chin and replied, “Gu Er told me you like cleanliness. But even if I touch you with dirty hands, you won’t say it out loud—you’ll just curse me in your heart.”
Mu Qingyao understood now. No wonder everything had gone so perfectly as she wished last night.
She lowered her gaze, her lips still holding a faint smile, making her appear particularly gentle. “Ah Fu was just speaking nonsense; you don’t need to take it to heart, young lord.”
“But I think she’s right,” Wen Qize said in a low voice. Perhaps he felt that discussing this in broad daylight wasn’t appropriate, but he still wanted to tell Mu Qingyao, “Last night, when I bathed you, you looked very happy.”
Mu Qingyao had been too sleepy to put up any defenses last night, so she had honestly expressed her delight at being able to bathe before sleeping.
Her smile faded slightly, and she asked, “Would that make the young lord unhappy?”
Would he be unhappy because she was overly particular about cleanliness and couldn’t control her likes and dislikes?
Wen Qize gave a small nod.
Mu Qingyao didn’t understand. If it would make him unhappy, then wouldn’t it be better not to bring it up? After all, she could keep up the act, and whether he came to her covered in sweat or even mud, she could still put on a gentle facade. Why did he have to point it out? Did the young lord even want to control her private thoughts?
As Mu Qingyao’s mind filled with confusion, feeling that Wen Qize was truly impossible to understand, he spoke again: “I don’t want you to hide things from me. If you want to curse me, just do it.”
Mu Qingyao froze, realizing that they had misunderstood each other’s intentions.
Wen Qize’s “unhappiness” wasn’t about her cleanliness quirk; it was about his dissatisfaction with her hiding her true feelings from him.
The smile completely faded from Mu Qingyao’s face, her emotions harder to conceal.
Calming herself, she realized that even if Gu Fu had spoken to Wen Qize, he could have easily disregarded it. After all, now that she was married into the An family, if they were to wear her down, no one would criticize the An family. At most, it would anger the Gu family enough to stand up for her.
But ultimately, whether it ended in a divorce or a letter of dismissal, it was the An family that wouldn’t be impacted.
However, Wen Qize had listened to Gu Fu’s words and kept them in mind. On their wedding night, he had gone to great lengths to consider her perspective, and now, right in front of her, he was telling her that if she felt dissatisfied or wanted to curse him, she could just say it out loud.
—What kind of person was he?
As Mu Qingyao grappled with this confusion, Wen Qize took her hand and added, “If you can’t say it out loud, you can even hit me. My mother consort loves pinching my father behind closed doors.”
Mu Qingyao understood now—it was a family tradition.
“It’s getting late. I’ll go change first, and then take a bath when I come back. Alright?” Wen Qize asked for her opinion.
Mu Qingyao slowly nodded.
On the way to the main hall with Wen Qize, Mu Qingyao had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to hide behind a facade in front of him, at least not for now. How long “for now” would last would depend on how long Wen Qize’s patience held.
This wasn’t so bad, Mu Qingyao thought. While he treated her with honesty, she would meet him with honesty, until the day he grew weary and found someone else he cherished. Then she could put on the familiar mask again and play the role of the understanding and generous wife.
…
In the main hall, Mu Qingyao, as the new bride, served tea to her parents-in-law, Prince An and Princess An.
Prince An’s stern expression was as she expected, but Princess An, smiling warmly, seemed just as fond of her as before, which surprised her.
They didn’t make things difficult for her. After drinking the tea, they handed her a red envelope they’d prepared beforehand. When she received it with both hands, they gave her some advice—nothing more than hoping for a harmonious marriage between her and Wen Qize.
During this, Mu Qingyao made an important discovery: Wen Qize’s courtesy name was “Huizhi.”
Prince An and Princess An both called him that.
Afterward, Prince An dismissed them, saying that the old princess had been more sleepy lately and they could greet her in the afternoon.
Following Wen Qize out of the main hall, Mu Qingyao pondered over which characters made up the name “Huizhi.”
Suddenly, Wen Qize pulled her aside, hiding behind some bushes by the path.
Mu Qingyao looked at him in confusion, and Wen Qize gestured for her to keep quiet.
Moments later, Prince An and Princess An emerged from the hall, and Mu Qingyao overheard them talking.
The most surprising thing was that their tone and the way they interacted with each other were completely different from the impression she had of them.
It turned out that Prince An wasn’t as serious and silent as he appeared, and Princess An didn’t merely address him as “Your Highness” with constant respect. In private, their conversation resembled that of an ordinary married couple—bickering and teasing each other, yet with a clear warmth and intimacy unique to them.
“Look how exhausted that child is, her face is pale. I should have sent word for them to sleep in a bit longer,” said Princess An.
“I told you, but you wouldn’t listen,” replied Prince An.
“I was just worried that Qingyao might think we lack propriety. And Huizhi too, showing no care for his wife—clearly learned from you.”
“Why don’t you check your conscience when you say that? Didn’t you praise me yesterday for bringing you that gold hairpin? How did I go from caring to uncaring overnight?”
“…Then it’s Huizhi’s own fault. He didn’t learn properly.”
“Hmph, always running around outside. What good could he learn?”
As they walked away, Wen Qize, overhearing his parents’ playful criticism, turned to Mu Qingyao and explained, “They’re not displeased with you; they just saw how tired you were and wanted you to rest sooner.”
Wen Qize seemed slightly embarrassed as he said this, knowing that his eagerness had worn Mu Qingyao out.
Mu Qingyao hesitantly nodded, only to realize once she returned to her courtyard that she had been so absorbed in figuring out the characters of Wen Qize’s courtesy name when leaving the main hall that she was unusually quiet. This must have led him to think she’d misunderstood Prince An and Princess An’s intentions when they quickly sent them off.
What a strange series of events, Mu Qingyao thought with a headache. She realized she and the young prince seemed to constantly misunderstand each other in peculiar ways.
Back in her courtyard, Wen Qize called for hot water, just as he had promised, to take a bath.
As her husband bathed, Mu Qingyao, as his wife, couldn’t just go back to bed, so she picked up a cloth to help him wipe down. Yet, as she cleaned, Wen Qize pulled her into the tub, claiming that since they had embraced multiple times just now, she needed a wash, too.
Mu Qingyao: “…”
I don’t believe a word you say.
After being lifted out of the tub, Mu Qingyao didn’t even need to work up her sleepiness again. The moment she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.
The servants quietly entered the room to tidy up. Some of the shyer maids, seeing water spilled all over the floor and the floating garment of their mistress in the tub, blushed as if their faces had been boiled, turning bright red and burning hot.
…
The *sanhui huimen* tradition—referring to the third day after marriage when a new bride returns to her parents’ home—usually involves her husband accompanying her. If the husband is especially fond of his wife, they might even stay a few days at her family’s home.
When Mu Qingyao saw Wen Qize instructing the servants to pack extra clothes, she felt as though he were sent to challenge her heart, as every little thing he did seemed to hit her softest spot. The troubling part was, she still hadn’t even remembered his personal name, only his courtesy name.
Back at the Gu family residence, Wen Qize was promptly invited for tea by his father-in-law, Gu Qizheng, while Mu Qingyao was taken aside by her mother, Mrs. Li, for some private conversation. Mrs. Li asked her several questions to make sure Mu Qingyao was doing well in the Prince An household, finally setting her mind at ease.
Gu Xiaowu, seeing his sister back home, clung to Mu Qingyao’s leg and refused to let go. If she weren’t going to share a room with Wen Qize at night, he would have likely insisted on sleeping in her room.
Since they weren’t in Prince An’s residence, Wen Qize uncharacteristically refrained from any intimate advances; he simply held her as they went to sleep. Before drifting off, they chatted a bit about the Gu family, the Mu family, and the Prince An household.
Holding her close, Wen Qize shared, “My mother has always been sensitive about her background, fearing it might cause people to look down on the Prince An household. But to my father and me, she’s truly wonderful. The late emperor never favored my father, so it was my mother who helped him let go of resentment and find a more fulfilling life. For me, my mother is the one who raised me with her own hands. People may criticize her humble origins and lack of polish, but I never feel ashamed. It’s just their unwelcome opinions that irritate me…”
Mu Qingyao listened quietly until Wen Qize’s voice faded, and she thought he had fallen asleep. She gently called, “Your Highness?”
Eyes closed, Wen Qize nuzzled her cheek and replied, “I don’t like it when you call me that, like everyone else.”
Mu Qingyao adapted smoothly, “Husband.”
Wen Qize persisted, “Call me by my name.”
Mu Qingyao paused, then said softly, “…Huizhi.”
…
The day Mu Qingyao was set to leave the Gu family, a small incident occurred.
A former maidservant of Mu Qingyao’s knelt down, begging her to take her along to Prince An’s residence. This maid had been reassigned to work in the kitchen after Mu Qingyao’s marriage, rather than following her as a dowry servant.
However, the maid apparently didn’t realize that it wasn’t Mrs. Li but Mu Qingyao herself who had decided to remove her from the list. Mu Qingyao wasn’t naive enough to let potential trouble into her home, so she directly refused the maid’s pleas and instructed the guards to keep her out.
But when Mu Qingyao was looking for Wen Qize in the garden on her way to see Gu Qizheng, she saw the maidservant kneeling and pleading to Wen Qize, performing the same tearful act she had put on for her.
Mu Qingyao had read enough stories where a dowry maid struggles through hardships, only to end up as the mistress of the household. She wondered if Wen Qize would be inclined to take that route.
The moment Wen Qize saw Mu Qingyao, he ignored the kneeling maid and walked toward her. Today, he wore a dark purple robe, his hair tied with a silver crown, and a plump little pigeon perched on his shoulder.
The pigeon, also left at the Gu residence by Mu Qingyao, seemed to be a favorite of Wen Qize’s, who had been feeding it and letting it perch on his shoulder during their stay, seemingly unbothered by its weight.
When he reached her, Wen Qize said, “I wanted to discuss something with you.”
Mu Qingyao glanced at the weeping maid, then turned to him. “Go ahead.”
Aware that his request might be a bit unreasonable, Wen Qize hesitated and tried to preface his words, though not very effectively. “I remember you didn’t bring many familiar servants with you when you got married, and my mother was worried that you’d struggle in the household without people you’re accustomed to. So…”
Mu Qingyao watched him calmly, feeling her fingertips grow cold.
“I’d like to bring it back with us, if that’s alright?” Wen Qize held the plump pigeon from his shoulder in both hands and said, “After all, it’s the pigeon you raised, so bringing it back would give you a bit of company.”
Mu Qingyao: “…”
Author’s note:
Side Story – The Dowry Pigeon
Wen Qize: It’s not about whether the pigeon is cute or not; I just want it to keep you company.
Mu Qingyao: Before you say that, stop feeding it! If you keep this up, it really won’t be able to fly anymore.
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