Second Marriage

Old Madam Ye’s high profile return to the capital to preside over Ye Shen’s marriage caused an uproar in the capital several days. It even made Madam Li repeatedly visit her maternal home to figure out what was going on.

“Eldest Brother, Mother is being mysterious. What kind of young lady did she speak to Fifth Youngest Brother about?” Madam Li had been rejected by her mother several times at the gates of the courtyard and had no choice but to run and annoy her eldest brother.

How could Eldest Master Ye know that much about it? He knew no more than his younger sister. His mother had also not revealed a word to him. So he impatiently said, “I also want to know. You run home every day, but don’t you have a marriage to prepare for too?”

When he brought up the marriage to the Eldest Princess Residence, Madam Li’s smile froze on her face. She flung her handkerchief and coldly questioned, “Eldest Brother, do you mean to watch me be the center of gossip?”

He had touched on a sore spot. She was about to be ridiculed into embarrassment in the capital.

Eldest Master Ye finally knew what ‘a difficult woman to deal with’ was thanks to his younger sister. “How have you become more and more ungrateful?! I will not concern myself with you!” He brushed his sleeves and turned around to leave.

His intentions behind asking that question were good, but she made him lose his temper. If she has the courage, then she should go find her husband!

Madam Li knew that she was in the wrong, stomped her feet and asked again,  “Why did His Majesty unseal the Marquis Ningyuan Residence? Didn’t you hear anything at court?”

“How would I know when I lack Assistant Minister Li’s connections? Go home and ask your husband!” Eldest Master Ye didn’t not fall for her trap, and quickly left.

Madam Li’s face was the same as a vat used for dying clothes. It changed from red to blue. She could only go back to her husband’s house with red eyes. As soon as she entered the gates, she saw her drunk son in a corner.

“Qingzhi, why did you drink so much wine?”

She went forward to help him and frowned at the stench shrouding her son.

Li Qingzhi tried to focus his eyes a few times before he saw that the person in front of him was his mother. As soon as he shook her off, he held the gate and stood up. He shouted, “A bamboo basket was used to draw water1! Why did you let me give up my marriage and divorce my wife! Tell me! Your son will happily agree with you this time and will not let you be embarrassed!”

Ridiculed, Madam Li stepped back a few times. Li Qingzhi didn’t even look at her. He didn’t know what to say and staggered away. He left his mother standing in front of the gate feeling cold all over.

The news of Marquis Ningyuan’s Residence being unsealed reached Ye Shen four days later. It was while Xiao Youning was using him as a model to make clothes and measuring him with a ruler.

As soon as Jian Yin made his report, the ruler was dropped and she asked with pleasant surprise, “Is that true? Did His Majesty say why?!”

Ye Shen bent down to pick up the ruler she had dropped and put it back into her hand. You’ve been playing around with me all morning, and now you are going to give up halfway? Keep measuring.”

Xiao Youning wrinkled her nose at him. She held the ruler but did not move. Jian Yin shook his head and stated, “There is no reason, he just ordered it to be unsealed.”

“It doesn’t matter why, this is still a good thing!” Xiao Youning did not hear anything pertaining to her father and brother and was frustrated for a moment before she was smiling again.

She was already on her way to Datong. She was sure she would find something once she was there.

Ye Shen saw the smile on her face and motioned for Jian Yin to leave. He tapped her to continue measuring him.

It was only after a few taps that Xiao Youning’s thoughts returned to him and she worked earnestly.

By the time they were done taking the measurements, the ship landed. Their journey through the waters was complete, and next,  they had to journey over land by horse-drawn carriage.

The servants began to busily move the boxes and cages. There were storefronts with warehouses along the street where the ship docked. There were also all kinds of shops welcoming customers.

Xiao Youning thought of the measurements she had just taken and dragged Ye Shen to buy cloth first.

The businesses here did not have very good material, so she just chose what she could. She simply chose an ordinary silk material and was ready to work hard to make him an outergament.

She initially wanted to make him a robe, but it was too complicated.

Thus, Jian Yin was carrying two bolts of cloth on his shoulder as he followed them. They strolled through one store after another. From the beginning of the street to the end, the number of things he had to carry grew, and both hands were not enough.

He motioned to the empty-handed Yuan Guo, who was angry with him. She turned her head to the side as if she didn’t see him. It made him realize that women were not so easy to mess with.

When the pitiful Jian Yin reached the restaurant they were eating at, both his hands were almost numb.

When they sat down, he went to the window to look around. Then, he sat down in front of the small table and whispered, “Fifth Master, they have sent people to follow us the entire way.”

Ye Shen was pouring tea for Xiao Youning. “Just let them follow.”

As they spoke, there was the sound of crying in the corridor outside of their room. Someone swore something, and the door to their room was knocked open.

A girl with dishevelled hair rushed in and cried to Ye Shen for help.

But the fifth master did not so much as lift his eyes. Jian Yin stepped forward and kicked her out.

Xiao Youning too did not move when the girl screamed. Ye Shen smiled at her when he passed her the tea.

He had seen that she was calm and joked, “Ning’er2 is as ruthless as I am.”

“I’m not foolish.” She held the tea to her lips and sipped it with pleasure. “Someone is trying to throw themselves at my husband. Tell me, should I have jumped up from my chair to greet her? I am a jealous woman, and there is no room for a grain of sand in my eyes. If a certain person wants to take a concubine in the future, then between him and I, I am afraid I will have to become a poisonous woman.”

He was really astonished by her for a moment. Then, he broke out into a laugh and reached out to touch her hair. “You have already figured out how to murder your husband before you have even entered the household. This little wife is a little too good.”

“Where is my husband? Hm? I have one? There is only a hooligan in front of me right now.”

She had known him for so long that she was bolder in his presence and at times, could render him speechless.

Ye Shen heard that he was simply a hooligan, he pulled her into his arms and sat her on his lap. Without letting go of his arms, he left her blushing and struggling.

“You did say I am like this. But if you don’t sit still, then I will suffer.” He held her in an embrace like that and fed her some food.

Jian Yin and Yuan Guo were so embarrassed that they escaped this scene by going off to the side.

Ye Shen and Xiao Youning were sweet like honey-kissed.

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On the other side, the man who was ordered by Ye Shen to do an inventory count was meeting with his three comrades.

As soon as the goods were counted, they would start their journey.

In front of the strong man and the three comrades, someone came to report: “We have failed to stop Master Five. The guard next to him kicked her out and broke a rib. He does not have any tender feelings for fair women.”

One of them sneered. “I don’t trust him to be like that.”  When they went on a journey with their families, they still fondled the flowers and trampled the grass3. Most of them knew that they were being set up and had been deliberately shown the plan.

That being said, another person ran over gasping and said, “Madam Five gave the girl we sent over some money for medicine and left without saying anything.”

The three men looked at each other in distress. For a moment, they were uncertain of whether Ye Shen had discovered their thoughts, or whether his wife happened to be too kind-hearted.

The tallest man said, “Don’t worry about it. There are always a lot of unexpected things like this that happen on the road. When they get near Datong, their vigilance will have worn out. That will be our chance to make a move.”

Xiao Youning had already boarded the carriage and was asking Ye Shen something related to them. “Are they the mountain bandits of Datong? Or are you colluding with the mountain bandits over there?”

Ye Shen closed his eyes. He played with the string of beads she had once seen, and slowly stated, “Perhaps the mountain bandits in Datong have changed.”

She looked at him with doubt. He seemed to have noticed it and opened his eyes. They were fixed on her red lips, and he quickly closed them again.

“If you keep looking at me like that, then I might not be able to stop myself from becoming more of a hooligan.”

Xiao Youning was shocked for a moment before she reacted. She thought of how he had just looked at her lips and covered them in reflex.

His eyes were closed for a while and a daring idea came into her mind. Her hands trembled for a moment.

Ye Shen’s cheek was gently touched by her soft lips. Along with the delicate fragrance of a young lady, his heartstrings were pulled… It made him tense all over.

She is indeed very bold!

 

Footnotes

竹篮打水，一场空 (zhú​lán​dǎ​shuǐ​, yī​cháng​kōng) – idiom for wasted effortAdding “er” at the end of a name shows affection and a close relationship沾花惹草 (zhān​huā​rě​cǎo) – idiom for womanizer, going to brothels