Chapter 188: What It Truly Means to Share a Husband
Chapter 188: Chapter 188: What It Truly Means to Share a Husband
The night passed in silence.
When Cui Lingyao awoke, the man who had been sleeping beside her was gone.
Bright daylight streamed through the window. The rain, which had fallen for many days, had finally stopped.
The dark clouds had scattered, revealing a clear, blue sky.
But the relatively warm autumn days were gone for good.
She slowly sat up. Without calling for anyone, she dressed herself.
She pushed open the door and walked out.
A blast of cold wind hit her, the chill seeping into her very bones.
Cui Lingyao shivered.
"My lady, why did you come out by yourself?"
Xia Zhi emerged from the small kitchen and saw her mistress standing in the doorway in thin clothes. She hurried forward to help her back inside, saying, "It may look sunny today, but it’s actually much colder than yesterday. What will we do if you catch a chill standing out here in the wind?"
Behind her were two maids ready to attend to Cui Lingyao’s morning routine.
Both carried washbasins and other utensils.
Cui Lingyao said nothing, allowing them to get her ready for the day.
Once the young maids had left to set out breakfast, she finally asked Xia Zhi, "When did the Prince leave?"
"He left at the crack of dawn. We servants weren’t even awake yet. Wang Pozi, who was on night watch, opened the door for him."
Ever since Cui Lingyao had moved into the rear study to live, Xie Jinbai’s personal guards rarely patrolled inside. The night watch duty was now assigned to the servant women of the rear courtyard.
He was too busy.
He left early and returned late every day, yet still had to find time in his hectic schedule to sleep with her.
The men of ordinary noble houses, upon returning home after a busy day, might not always be greeted by a perfectly considerate and understanding wife, but at least their wives wouldn’t add to their troubles.
And yet she...
She recalled last night, when he had mockingly called himself a buffoon.
A heavy weight settled in Cui Lingyao’s chest.
Had she... done something wrong?
’Where did I go wrong...?’
’Should I just ignore the system’s fate? Should I completely give up my chance to go home, and instead embrace Xie Jinbai’s rare and genuine heart, choosing to stay in this world and spend the rest of my life with him?’
’...Is that what I should do?’
The moment this thought appeared in her mind, it was like a maggot clinging to bone—impossible to shake off.
She thought about it while eating breakfast.
She thought about it while strolling in the courtyard.
She thought about it while organizing the account books.
Eventually, Cui Lingyao even began to feel a thread of fear growing from this thought.
She couldn’t believe that her resolve to return home was actually wavering.
The desire to stay in Great Yue for the rest of her life.
She set down the bamboo brush in her hand, covered her eyes, and remained silent for a long time.
KNOCK KNOCK...
"Princess Consort, Li Yong requests an audience."
The door was knocked, and Xia Zhi’s voice came from outside.
Cui Lingyao took out a handkerchief, wiped her tears, and called for him to enter.
The door was pushed open from the outside. Li Yong entered, holding several painted scrolls with both hands. He bowed and said, "These are the six candidates the Prince has chosen for his concubines. His Highness instructed this subordinate to bring them for your review. He said... he said..."
It was the first time he had ever been given such an errand, and the voice of the Prince Mansion’s Chief of Internal Guards faltered.
Cui Lingyao’s expression froze. She looked up. "Said what?"
Li Yong shut his eyes and rushed out, "He said for you to pick an auspicious day to have them all brought into the mansion. If there are any you find pleasing to the eye, you may grant them the status of concubine as you see fit. It is all up to you. The ceremony for taking concubines need not be a grand affair; you may handle it however is most convenient."
As his words fell, the room descended into silence.
Xia Zhi, still standing at the door, looked over in astonishment.
She couldn’t believe it. Her Princess Consort had been awake for less than a month, and the Prince was already planning to bring new women into the mansion.
Six of them, at that!
What was the meaning of this?
When his wife was in a coma, he was a model of devotion, faithfully watching over a living corpse for three years. His love was so profound it could move the heavens.
But now that she had finally woken up, the deep love was gone, and so was the devotion...
How could one not be surprised?
As for the person at the center of it all, Cui Lingyao sat ramrod straight in her chair, staring at the scrolls, and said nothing for a long time.
She had known about this since last night, but now that she was truly facing it, she still couldn’t handle it with composure.
Li Yong, of course, did not dare to rush her.
In fact, as a close attendant, no one knew better than him just how mad Xie Jinbai had been these past few years.
It would be no exaggeration to say that such devotion was unmatched in all the world.
Forget the fact that she had woken up—even if she had never regained consciousness, his master would never have transferred his affections.
And now he was suddenly taking concubines?
It was utterly ridiculous.
Even Li Yong himself couldn’t make heads or tails of this errand.
He stood stiffly, holding the scrolls, for several breaths before Cui Lingyao’s voice came from above him. "Put them on the side table. Go back and report to your Prince that I will look at them when I have the time. I will be sure to pick an auspicious day to welcome the young ladies into the mansion for him."
Her tone was light, betraying no hint of joy or anger.
Li Yong was speechless.
’When gods fight, mortals suffer.’ He didn’t dare make a sound.
He did as she said, placing the scrolls on the side table. As he was about to leave, he wanted to say a few words in his master’s defense, but after a long hesitation, he said nothing at all. He stamped his foot in frustration and retreated.
"Princess Consort..."
Cui Lingyao glanced to the side and saw the worry in Xia Zhi’s eyes. She shook her head gently. "I’m fine. You may leave."
"...Yes."
"Wait," Cui Lingyao stopped her. "Send a formal invitation to the Duke Zhao Mansion."
...
「The Front Courtyard. The Study.」
Xie Jinbai was seated at the head of the room, listening to several Household Ministers discuss important matters. The moment Li Yong entered, Xie Jinbai’s gaze flickered toward him. Seeing that he had returned empty-handed, his eyes darkened slightly.
"She accepted them?"
Li Yong bowed his head. "She did."
Xie Jinbai leaned back in his chair, his gaze dropping to the ministers discussing matters below. His voice was soft and calm. "Did she say anything?"
"...She did." Steeling himself, Li Yong repeated what Cui Lingyao had said about accepting the scrolls and picking an auspicious day.
Xie Jinbai’s jaw suddenly clenched. His knuckles slowly tightened on the armrest, nearly crushing the exquisitely carved animal head.
Li Yong quickly added, "From the Princess Consort’s expression, your subordinate could tell she was not entirely indifferent."
Xie Jinbai turned his head to look at him.
The look in his eyes made Li Yong’s scalp tingle.
He cursed himself for speaking out of turn, then quickly recounted how Cui Lingyao had remained silent for a long time when he presented the scrolls.
In Li Yong’s view, this was simply the most normal reaction for a wife whose husband was about to take concubines.
Reporting this was, in his opinion, just making small talk to fill the silence.
But he saw his master’s expression visibly improve.
Xie Jinbai did indeed feel a bit better.
’So, she does mind.’
His brother-in-law had told him that the more a woman cared about such a matter, the more deeply she was emotionally invested.
When her own interests were at stake, even an ordinary wife who only cared about keeping up appearances would mind her husband taking concubines.
But that small bit of resentment would be trivial, not enough to truly trouble her heart.
According to Cui Mingrui’s understanding of his sister, his Yaoyao could feign complete indifference about him taking concubines.
This was because she was full of confidence.
Subconsciously, his Yaoyao didn’t believe he would actually go through with it.
Even three years ago, when he brought Li Wanrong into the mansion, she had likely long since seen that there were ulterior motives.
It was just that her heart was cold enough back then, and she was so desperate to return home, that she forced herself to ignore everything he did.
And where did that confidence come from?
In Cui Mingrui’s words, it was entirely because he had yielded and bowed to her time and time again, feeding her confidence.
His love had always been hers and hers alone, from beginning to end.
She was spoiled.
She had never truly suffered the bitterness of love, so she had no idea what it really meant to share her husband with another woman.
And now, what they had to do was make her experience it firsthand.