Chapter 140: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 140: 

 

Because they had taken a nap during the day, neither of them felt sleepy at night. They ended up tossing and turning until the sky began to lighten at dawn.

After a satisfying meal, Cui Xingzhou held the fragrant and soft Mian Tang in his arms, feeling content.

Liu Mian Tang let out a slow breath and decided to retract her earlier words. A man with the appearance of a celestial being was already good-looking enough; on top of that, he had such ambition, constantly honing his skills. Each day seemed to bring a new experience, and at this moment, she felt she wouldn’t tire of him so easily...

However, she wouldn’t praise the prince to his face. After all, he was already a hungry wolf, and if she flattered him into a fierce tiger, who could withstand that?

Just when she was about to drift off to sleep, the man, who she thought had already fallen asleep, suddenly spoke up. “If one day you remember everything from your past, will you forget about me...?”

His voice was very soft, so soft that one might mistake it for a murmur in his dreams. Mian Tang was taken aback and turned to look at him. His eyes were still tightly shut, but she reached out to gently stroke his face and noticed that his eyelids were twitching restlessly.

All along, Mian Tang had been anxiously worried that her secret would be discovered by him. She had never considered that the seemingly lofty Prince Huaiyang harbored his own unsettling thoughts.

He... was afraid that she would remember her past, which was why he didn’t want her to come into contact with people and things from before?

As this thought crossed her mind, Mian Tang felt a wave of softness in her heart and genuinely felt a bit apologetic for being upset with him.

She rested her chin on his shoulder and spoke softly, “If I forget, don’t be alarmed. Our house on North Street in Lingquan Town is still there. When that time comes, you can take me back there. You can pretend to be my husband, Cui Jiu, and I’ll still be your wife. We can start all over again, little by little, okay?”

Cui Xingzhou turned his head to look at her and lightly pecked at the corner of her mouth. “Are you trying to trick me into going to North Street to eat pickled vegetables with you again?”

Mian Tang giggled and whispered to him, “Who said there’s nothing good in that courtyard! Let me tell you, there’s a money box hidden in the west wing of the North Street courtyard! When I chased after you to the Northwest, I was afraid something might happen halfway, and that we would get separated. So, when you returned from the military with no money to buy rice, I specifically left a money box for you. I even left a hidden acrostic poem on the pillar in the house for you. In the future, if the prince is ever short on cash, he can go there to dig up some money!”

Cui Xingzhou felt that this didn’t sound like the words of a virtuous wife wishing her husband success; he couldn’t help but cover the mouth of his mischievous wife, preparing to give her a good lesson. Laughter filled the bedroom for a while.

With the prince and princess reconciled, the maids and attendants in the courtyard all let out a sigh of relief.

Since he had already promised to bring back Mian Tang's people from the Yangshan gang, Cui Xingzhou naturally wouldn’t go back on his word. The next day, he sent someone to search for those who had been driven away.

However, while it had been easy to send them away, it proved much more difficult to retrieve them. The guards he dispatched returned empty-handed, reporting that those people were nowhere to be found.

Cui Xingzhou had been very busy with official matters these days. He couldn't believe that those bandits were causing him more trouble! If he couldn’t find them, wouldn’t Mian Tang think he had killed them and wiped them out completely?

With a cold expression, Prince Huaiyang reprimanded the guards and instructed them to send more men to investigate thoroughly, ensuring that those “loyal and righteous” individuals were gathered together.

He thought Mian Tang would cause a scene if she didn’t see her people soon, but after listening to him explain with a serious look on his face, she merely lowered her head and fell silent.

Cui Xingzhou, despite feeling a little milk splatter from the baby on his shoulder, gently patted the soft little infant's back and then asked solemnly, “Do you not trust me?”

Mian Tang finally snapped back to attention and replied, “It’s not that. I was thinking they should... have returned to Yangshan by now.”

Cui Xingzhou raised an eyebrow, not understanding why Mian Tang would make such a guess.

Mian Tang spoke earnestly, “Your subordinates are like bandits; they drove people away without letting them take enough gold and silver. They now have families to support, and without money, they can’t come to the city to see me again, especially since you all chased them away. Naturally, they must be looking for some funds to survive. I once heard them mention that before leaving Yangshan, they had hidden away some money in the mountains. They’re probably going back to dig it up for expenses now.”

When Liu Mian Tang mentioned that the "Four Loyal Brothers" were people she had brought up, Cui Xingzhou had been somewhat skeptical. However, upon witnessing their skill in digging holes to hide silver, he realized that the talent had indeed been passed down.

Now that Mian Tang had provided him with a lead, Cui Xingzhou could send people to search for them.

Previously, he would have welcomed any mishaps befalling those troublemakers, hoping they would never return. But now, while managing state affairs, he found himself worried that these brothers might neglect their own well-being. If something were to happen to them while they were out wandering, Mian Tang might suffer deeply, and his own son would end up hungry!

Having recovered from her confinement, Mian Tang could finally relax a bit and occasionally accompany the Old Princess Consort and Cui Fu, to social events.

Since they had managed to topple Prince Sui, the gates of the Huaiyang Prince's residence had become bustling with visitors. The Old Princess Consort and Cui Fu's circle of close friends had suddenly expanded significantly.

However, in the past few days, Mian Tang had organized several gatherings in the residence, each one featuring stories of misguided matriarchs who had befriended ill-intentioned individuals, leading to the ruin of their families.

The Old Princess Consort watched these tales unfold with a shiver, questioning whether Mian Tang had skimped on the envelopes for the theater troupes, as they kept performing such tragic dramas of family destruction.

On the side, Cui Fu, understanding the situation, smiled and said to her mother, “Mother, this is your daughter-in-law advising you. In the capital, it’s best to keep relationships with those outside the household as superficial as possible. It’s not like in Zhenzhou, where we could speak freely. Now that Xingzhou has many political rivals in court, a careless remark could lead to chaos in our household.”

The Old Princess Consort shot a disapproving glance at Liu Mian Tang, who was munching on melon seeds, and said, “Do you think I’m an uneducated peasant from the countryside? I was mingling in the capital with your father-in-law when you were just a little baby!”

Mian Tang laughed as she grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, roasted with sheep’s milk cheese, and handed them to her mother-in-law. “Don’t listen to my sister’s nonsense. It’s just that these few plays are new and meant to be fresh and exciting. Since you don’t enjoy watching them, we can switch to something more festive. Let’s have them change to that one where the talented scholar and the beauty have their secret rendezvous. That would be much more entertaining!”

Upon hearing this, Cui Fu couldn’t help but give Mian Tang a scrutinizing glance, suspecting that the play was a veiled reference to her own situation.

Recently, Lord Li had been inviting her to go boating on the lake. Unfortunately, despite his exceptional talent and careful consideration in governance, he was somewhat lacking in the art of social interaction between men and women.

The weather had just begun to warm, and the ice and snow on the lake were only recently melting. Standing on the boat, even with several charcoal braziers added for warmth, there was still a chill blowing from all directions.

She had accepted his invitation once, and it felt as if the heavens were warning her that this relationship was ill-fated. After returning home, she caught a cold and was ill for over seven days.

In fact, Mian Tang had later learned about Lord Li’s invitation through Cui Fu’s lips.

She was surprised that Lord Li would arrange such a clumsy rendezvous.

Weren’t the plum blossoms still blooming beautifully in the courtyards throughout the capital? Wouldn’t it be delightful to visit one of the private kitchens in the suburbs for a meal? With so many lovely places available, he had chosen to go out on the lake, braving the chilly northern wind, and causing the beauty to fall ill—truly lamentable!

However, when she briefly mentioned this to Cui Xingzhou, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Boating isn’t suitable? When Guangcai asked me about it, I told him my sister enjoys boating…”

Mian Tang hadn’t expected the crux of the issue to lie with her husband, so she patiently asked, “Does your sister also go boating in this cold wind?”

Cui Xingzhou pondered for a moment and suddenly recalled that the weather in the south was different from that in the north. At this time of year in the capital, it was indeed not suitable for boating. No wonder Guangcai had been looking sour whenever he saw him these past few days.

At this point, Mian Tang felt she had completely seen through her husband. Despite his handsome appearance, if it weren't for his illustrious family background, given his lack of concern for women, he would likely be just as slow to marry as Lord Li Guangcai.

Hearing Mian Tang's teasing, Prince Huaiyang remained unfazed. “Who says? I still managed to cleverly trick a delicate wife into giving me a child, didn’t I?”

This left Mian Tang momentarily speechless. It occurred to her that her life with Cui Xingzhou had begun with them jumping straight into domestic life, with no memories of the elegant lady and gentleman courtship she had once expected.

Thinking about it this way, it turned out that the biggest fool was actually herself!

While Cui Xingzhou could ignore his friend’s sour face, he still felt the need to address his wife’s mournful expression. He said, “If you think about it again, there were indeed some thoughtful moments. Didn’t I specifically take you to soak in the hot springs back then?”

Mian Tang huffed lightly, “Just one soak, and you ended up sleeping with me…”

Cui Xingzhou paused, a smile creeping onto his face as he recalled that it was indeed true.

Since the process of the princess's private appointments and pleas had been cut short, it was only fitting to make up for it during their leisure time. Coincidentally, he also felt guilty towards Master Guangcai, so the four of them agreed to go hunting at the hunting grounds east of the capital.

Mian Tang had been feeling cooped up in the royal residence for too long. When she heard that the prince was taking her hunting, she was excited all night.

The next morning, the princess rose early and instructed her maidservants to dress her in a complete set of black hunting attire. A headband adorned with tourmaline was tied across her forehead, her thick long hair was styled into a high ponytail, and her long legs were accentuated by tall leather boots. A wide belt cinched her waist, and two short daggers were tucked into the back.

When the princess, clad in her military outfit, leaped down from the carriage without assistance, she was striking enough to make one reluctant to blink.

However, as Mian Tang excitedly surveyed her surroundings, she found herself momentarily stunned and asked the prince, “Didn’t you say you were going to take me hunting?”

Cui Xingzhou had not changed into hunting attire at all; he still wore his loose robe and jade crown. He pointed to the plump rabbits hopping around the grounds and said, “Aren’t these enough for you to hunt?”

At this time of early spring, if they encountered hungry bears or other wild animals that had awakened from their winter slumber in the wilderness, it wouldn't be a lighthearted matter.

Thus, the hunting ground in the eastern suburbs was different from the west, which was teeming with fierce beasts. Instead, it catered to the aristocracy with a more relaxed and enjoyable hunting experience.

There were silly rabbits with their hind legs bound everywhere, as well as herds of sika deer for the rotund gentlemen to showcase their prowess with bows.

For Cui Xingzhou, who was accustomed to using a powerful bow, these silly game animals naturally held little interest, so he couldn’t be bothered to change into hunting attire. However, the nearby restaurant served excellent roasted dishes, making it a perfect opportunity to bring Mian Tang and her sister along to lighten their spirits.

Mian Tang looked at the four of them, realizing she was the only one fully equipped, and her enthusiasm waned considerably.

In her heart, she reaffirmed her belief: if it weren’t for his clever tricks, her husband would definitely never have been able to marry!

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