Chapter 293: Xiaos.h.i.+’s Pure Husband (II)

Xiaos.h.i.+'s only desire was to serve her mistress well. So, generally, she was so busy that she didn't think of other things. This lasted right until Ah Song gave her a hairpin before he departed with Prince Li to Tranquil City. This was clearly not related to the medicine. This was definitely a token of illicit relations! Xiaos.h.i.+'s heart began to feel unstable. Surprisingly, her mistress immediately guessed that Ah Song was responsible and said that he treated her differently from the others. Xiaos.h.i.+ wasn't sure how differently Ah Song treated her, but she definitely knew that her heart was in disarray. She actually prayed that he would return safely and hurry back from Tranquil City.

She waited for a very long time to finally see Prince Li and Ah Song return. But the moment he saw her, his face reddened and he ran off. Xiaos.h.i.+ was depressed. At least say a few words before running away, why don't you? Why does he always run away with a red face?

Later that night when she and her mistress were about to set out somewhere, something flew through her window and landed on her foot. It didn't hurt all that much, but it certainly surprised her. Xiaos.h.i.+ hurriedly picked it up and realized it was a strange piece of jewelry. The next day, she found out from the princess consort that it was an item women in Tranquil City wore around their ankle. It signified that she would follow the man who gave her the item, never to leave his side.

Xiaos.h.i.+ stomped her feet. How could Ah Song give me something like this? It's too….

Too laden with meaning!? Xiaos.h.i.+ agreed with the princess consort's a.n.a.lysis. But who knew that an element of waiting would appear in Xiaos.h.i.+'s life? By the time Prince Li returned, the princess consort was in the process of giving birth. Xiaos.h.i.+ didn't have time to think of anything else as she waited for the child's birth. Xiaos.h.i.+'s next encounter with Ah Song was in early spring.

He still blushed very easily; so much that his eyes would wander in all four directions whenever he saw her. It was as if he was prepared to escape at any moment. Yet, Xiaos.h.i.+ actually smiled at him. She was quite happy to see that he had safely returned without missing an arm or a leg.  For some reason, Ah Song was so stunned by the smile that he could no longer stand properly. He tensed and turned, ready to run. If not, he was afraid he would do something he couldn't control.  

"Stay where you are!" Xiaos.h.i.+ was flabbergasted. Why was he running off again? At least make things clear first!

Ah Song instantly halted his steps, but didn't dare to turn around.

"Come back. You're too far. Can you hear what I am saying?"

"Y-yes….. I can. Regardless of how low your voice is, I can hear you."

"Well, I still want you to come back. If you're not coming back, I'm leaving. I'm never going to see you again…. You… why did you come back so fast!?" Ah Song was in front of her in the blink of an eye. He almost scared her to death!

"I…..I….."

"Go and mention our situation to the princess consort soon!"  Xiaos.h.i.+ sighed again. If she didn't speak up, the two of them would probably remain in this agonizing state forever.

Surprisingly, Ah Song appeared very ecstatic. He reached his hand out and took it back.  Then, he lowered his head and stated, "Umm.. Prince Li has already promised to betroth you to me. I… can remain in the manor and y-you….don't have to leave as well."

Xiaos.h.i.+'s face flushed. He's already mentioned it to the prince?! For a man who turns red as easily as he does, he must really want to be with me, right?!

"Then, remember to hire a matchmaker."

"Alright."

"Then I'll be going now."

"B-big s-sister Xiaoxiaoxiaoxiaoxiaos.h.i.+.."

"….sister your head! I told you to call me that before because I thought you were a woman. But now, you're actually a man. Not only that, you're older than me!"

"Mm. Then, Xiaos.h.i.+, look forward to the day I take you as my wife." Ah Song disappeared right before her eyes again after this statement. Xiaos.h.i.+ felt that she was destined to marry a man who was way too similar to a ghost in this lifetime. What was with this ability to vanish whenever he wanted to, anyway?    

The two of them waited until after the princess consort was finished with the traditional one month confinement period following childbirth. But before Ah Song could see the princess consort, his master became the emperor, and the princess consort became the empress. All of a sudden, the two were very busy and had other priorities.  

Xiaos.h.i.+ was fine, but Ah Song was beginning to feel inferior. Xiaos.h.i.+ had been promoted to a senior position in the palace, and her monthly salary was now much higher than his. Furthermore, men weren't allowed to live in the chambers of imperial concubines. So, he had to be squished in a room filled with other hidden guards. Now that Xiaos.h.i.+'s position was much higher than before, it wouldn't be surprising if she were to marry a minor male official.

Furthermore, Ah Song hadn't seen her in a very long time. He missed her. Hence, one fine day when Xiaos.h.i.+ was carrying tea out of a building, Ah Song swept past and abducted her, taking her behind an artificial mountain. It was the first time he had kidnapped someone before. Then, he surrept.i.tiously inserted a lovely headband into her hands as he smiled slightly. She could marry whoever she wanted. Or she could continue being a palace maid. He would always remain by her side to guard and protect her.

But Xiaos.h.i.+ suddenly pulled away and stopped him, "You idiot, fool, Ah Song… If someone sees us, we will be severely punished."

A hidden guard engaging in an illicit relations.h.i.+p with a palace maid. That was a capital offense!

"Don't worry. If someone discovers us, run. Tell them I forced you." Ah Song rushed through his explanation. He was worried she would be negatively affected by his actions.  

Xiaos.h.i.+ was touched. "The empress said I could marry you at the end of the month. As long as you buy a house, we'll be ready."

"Really? Really?" Ah Song was so excited that he began to jump up and down. He leaped to the top of the artificial mountain, but then came back down because he felt it was inappropriate. Then, he awkwardly rubbed his head.

Xiaos.h.i.+ was happy to see him acting so giddy, "Oh yeah, do you have money?"

"Yes I do. Prince Li… I mean, the emperor often rewards us. I have acc.u.mulated four to five hundred taels. It is enough to buy a house. You can keep the rest and buy whatever you want with it."

"Silly, what else do I need?" As a palace maid living in the palace, she wasn't lacking anything. Her secret stash of money was more than five hundred taels, but she felt very warm when Ah Song told her about his savings. It seemed her courage in raising that issue with the empress hadn’t been in vain. Although she'd miss her mistress after marrying out of the palace, having her own home was also something she very much looked forward to. So just like that, Xiaos.h.i.+ was married half a month later. The empress was very generous to her servants and gave Xiaos.h.i.+ quite a lot of dowry.

But no one knew how stressful Xiaos.h.i.+'s bridal night was. It turned out that Ah Song didn't know how to take off a woman's clothing; especially the bridal gown. He'd spent nearly an hour trying to take it off. By then, Xiaos.h.i.+'s face was practically green.

"Quit trembling. Why don't I just do it myself?"

"No! Today, I must be the one to serve my wife."

"Are you sure you can do so!?"

"Yes. I am positive!" After that particular exchange, the two of them turned red. Why did it seem like there were hidden meanings behind those words?

Eventually, the clothes came off. The next day, Xiaos.h.i.+ understood why her mistress had always walked around rubbing her sore lower back. She would complain and say men who knew martial arts were all wolves. That day, Xiaos.h.i.+ finally understood what her mistress had meant. Ah Song was truly a wolf. And he was definitely very capable. She honestly shouldn't have said those words to him last night. She had ended up digging a deep hole for herself.

See, she had dug such a deep hole for herself that she couldn't even move to make breakfast. It was Ah Song who had gone to cook her breakfast in the end. However, when Xiaos.h.i.+ saw Ah Song's bashful smile as he looked at her, she felt like her life was perfect.