"Brother Xiaobei, let's rest. I'm a bit tired," said Liu Rumei as she began to undress. Chen Xiaobei quickly stepped forward and extinguished the oil lamp.
Chen Xiaobei sat there quietly until Liu Rumei stopped moving, and he estimated she had already gone to bed. He then slowly walked to the edge of the bed and reached for his own quilt.
Suddenly, his hand was caught by Liu Rumei. "Brother Xiaobei, just sleep here. Besides, we are already husband and wife. What are you afraid of?"
Chen Xiaobei hesitated. He didn't know if this was fair to Liu Rumei. As a man who already had two wives, he felt it was nothing.
Seemingly sensing Chen Xiaobei's hesitation, Liu Rumei added, "Lie down. I want to hear you tell me about your story with Huang Ying."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei felt relieved. Liu Rumei saying this meant she wouldn't do anything excessive if he lay down.
With a sudden thought, Chen Xiaobei felt as if he had misjudged the situation. Shouldn't Liu Rumei be the one worried about him being excessive? Why was he the one feeling apprehensive?
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei removed his outer clothes and lay down close to the edge of the bed.
As soon as he lay down, he felt the quilt move, and a warmth pressed against his back. Chen Xiaobei was startled and dared not move. "Rumei, don't. I, I haven't thought it through yet."
Seeing that Chen Xiaobei showed no reaction, Liu Rumei behind him sighed softly and retracted her body. "Brother Xiaobei, I was presumptuous just now. I won't do that again. Sleep peacefully."
Only then did Chen Xiaobei realize that Liu Rumei had also been testing him. Of course, if he had seized the opportunity to turn around and engage her in a conversation, Liu Rumei might not have refused. However, he had just said he couldn't let go of Huang Ying. Doing so would be a contradiction.
With this thought, he spoke first, "Rumei, actually, I regret it deeply. I shouldn't have married Huang Ying in the first place. If I hadn't married her, she wouldn't have come to Wannian City with me, and perhaps the outcome wouldn't be like this."
Hearing this, Liu Rumei reached out and gently stroked Chen Xiaobei's cheek, saying emotionally, "Brother Xiaobei, don't blame yourself. My master said that everything in the world is predetermined. Perhaps sister Huang Ying came to your side just to have this brief encounter with you."
Chen Xiaobei raised his hand to wipe the moisture from the corner of his eyes. "It's too cruel. Every time I think of Huang Ying's appearance and smile, my heart feels like it's being cut by a knife. If only I hadn't brought her here..."
Liu Rumei stepped forward and gently hugged Chen Xiaobei. They held each other quietly, and neither spoke again.
...
The next day, as the sky began to lighten, Chen Xiaobei opened his eyes. He looked at Liu Rumei, who was still sleeping soundly beside him. He quietly got up, dressed, and left the room, heading into the courtyard.
The courtyard was silent. A few servants were quietly tidying up the tables and chairs left from the night before, moving with great care to make almost no sound.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei emerge, several servants quickly put down their work and greeted him. Chen Xiaobei waved his hand, signaling them to continue. He then went around the front hall and into the back garden.
He had been here for two days and hadn't had a chance to properly see Fang Zheng's grand mansion. Since he would be leaving soon, he wanted to get a good look before departing, so it wouldn't be a wasted stay.
The back garden was desolate. After all, it was early winter. The flowers and grass in the flowerbeds had all withered. A faint layer of ice had formed on the fish pond.
Looking at everything before him, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but sigh. It was so much like life. After the glorious summer, a period of desolation and decline always followed.
Just then, he heard footsteps. Turning his head, he saw Yang Chun approaching. Seeing Yang Chun, Chen Xiaobei waved.
Yang Chun hurried forward. "Brother, before Liu Yuanwen left last night, he specifically told me to remind you to go and express your gratitude to the Emperor as soon as possible. This way, we can leave Wannian City today."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. Princess Zhaoning had also reminded him before they came not to forget this matter. Of course, he understood that this was the most important step to appease the Emperor. Once this was done, the Emperor would be at ease.
"Brother Yang, you're right. Let's get this done quickly, and then we can leave this place of trouble. I'll talk to Rumei later."
They looked at the rockery for a while. At this moment, Xiao Qing arrived and bowed to Chen Xiaobei. "Master, the young lady asks you to come and discuss something."
Chen Xiaobei agreed and quickly returned to the makeshift bridal chamber. Liu Rumei had already tidied herself up. Seeing Chen Xiaobei enter, she gave a slightly shy smile. "Brother Xiaobei, where did you go this morning?"
"I saw you were still asleep, so I went out for a bit."
"Brother Xiaobei, we don't have any other arrangements this morning. We must first go to the palace to thank the Emperor. After that, we can leave Wannian City."
This coincided with his own thoughts. Chen Xiaobei nodded. "In that case, let's go quickly. By the way, let's pack our things. We'll leave here when we return."
Just then, footsteps approached, and a young girl's voice was heard outside the window. "Brother Xiaobei, Sister Rumei, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence."
Hearing this, they exchanged glances. Liu Rumei looked surprised. "What does the Crown Prince want? He visited me two days ago, and Zhou Quan came yesterday."
Chen Xiaobei frowned. "It must not be related to our marriage. Let's go see the Crown Prince first, and then we can go to the Emperor."
They changed out of their red wedding attire into ordinary clothes and packed the wedding clothes in a bundle to be placed in the sedan chair. Liu Rumei, as the bride, had to travel by sedan chair, while he could ride his horse.
Indeed, when they changed into normal clothes and walked on the street, they didn't attract much attention. Most importantly, Chen Xiaobei was too unfamiliar. Even those who had seen him in his wedding attire yesterday would hardly connect him with his plain appearance today.
Upon arriving at the Crown Prince's mansion and announcing their presence, Zhou Quan came out to greet them on behalf of the Crown Prince. After meeting, there was no lengthy greeting. Zhou Quan simply said, "Please follow me. The Crown Prince has been waiting."
With that, he turned and led them directly to the Crown Prince's study. Seeing that they were brought to the study, Chen Xiaobei's heart tightened. Matters discussed in a study must be important, otherwise, they would have been taken to the reception hall.