My Husband is a Flower

Chapter 58

The next day, when Su Mi woke up, she opened her eyes to find Qin Yan’s handsome face close by.

After getting married, it was rare for her to wake up and find Qin Yan still there.

His long and thick eyelashes, straight nose, and thin lips under a well-defined nose bridge were flawless, with porcelain-like skin. Even at such a close distance, there were no imperfections visible.

Such a beautiful person, yet carrying imperfections. Su Mi couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache, knowing that it must be difficult for the Lord to bear in his heart. She thought, “Lord, I feel like you haven’t lacked anything. I will do my best for you, okay?”

With that, Su Mi gently leaned into Qin Yan’s neck, her hands unfamiliarly circling his waist.

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Qin Yan opened his eyes and pulled her closer, a rare hint of gentleness flashing in his eyes.

***

Unlike the Western Hu region, the Ming Yin Dynasty had vast grasslands but more mountains, forests, and valleys.

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Sweat dripped from his forehead, his breathing became slightly labored, and his hands showed visible exertion.

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Finally, as he loosened his right hand, the arrow pierced through the “sun” hanging from the pillar.

After witnessing Zhu Jingyu’s “Golden Bow Shooting the Sun,” Lu Dehai smiled and shouted loudly, “The Spring Hunt begins!”

Meanwhile, Zhu Jingyu, supported by an eunuch, leaned on the desk, seemingly drained of strength, and walked towards the palace’s sleeping quarters.

It was quite peculiar that the Emperor did not participate in the Spring Hunt, but over the years, this had become a norm that the officials no longer found surprising.

It was well known that Emperor Ming Shun was frail and weak. Whether it was this year’s spring hunt or previous ones, he could only muster enough strength to shoot the first arrow and was unable to ride on horseback to hunt.

On the other hand, Crown Prince Qi, who was next in line, though only fifteen or sixteen years old, possessed a dignified bearing. Such a contrast was truly lamentable.

In fact, rumors had long circulated in the court that the Emperor wouldn’t live past two years, and after that, Crown Prince Qi would ascend to the throne. But now that Lady Shen was pregnant, the winds of change had finally begun to blow in court.

After all, Emperor Ming Shun was the legitimate imperial heir designated by the edict. Despite his frailty, he had managed to hold on for all these years. No one knew how much longer he could hold on.

Zhu Jingyu returned to the sleeping quarters, where a brown teacup was already placed on the table. The gentle warmth in his eyes faded away as he expressionlessly picked up the teacup and started drinking.

The bitter taste, unchanged for twenty years, had become a habit. Surprisingly, he could still discern a faint sweetness in the water boiled from the mountain springs.

Zhu Jingyu chuckled at himself, set the teacup down, and suddenly felt something soft and warm wrapped around his feet. He lifted the hem of his robe and was astonished to find a small, orange-colored lynx.

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“Your Majesty!” Lu Dehai hurried back and happened to see the small creature by Zhu Jingyu’s feet, exclaiming in surprise.

“Your Majesty, should I quickly throw it out?” Lu Dehai frowned as he looked at the lynx, concerned.

After all, this was in the mountains, and it was still early spring. There were many of these small wild animals, and it was likely that this young lynx had inadvertently wandered in.

Zhu Jingyu didn’t respond. Suddenly, he crouched down, startling Lu Dehai, who quickly knelt down as well. Zhu Jingyu pinched the back of the small lynx’s neck with two fingers and lifted it up to his eyes.

The young lynx seemed unbothered and even let out a little cry while flapping its four legs, looking incredibly adorable.

“What’s your name? Are you afraid that I’ll eat you?” Zhu Jingyu unexpectedly spoke while holding it, a mischievous smile appearing on his face.

“Miao.” The lynx let out a sound as if it wanted to reach Zhu Jingyu’s two fingers with its front legs but was too short, showing a pitiful expression.

Lu Dehai wiped away a cold sweat, thinking to himself, “Could His Majesty really be planning to eat this little creature?”

“Your Majesty… Should I take this young lynx away… and cook it?” he asked cautiously, lowering his head.

“Take it away,” Zhu Jingyu replied.

“Yes… Yes, Your Majesty,” Lu Dehai responded awkwardly, turning his head and remembering something. He turned back and asked with a lowered voice, “Your Majesty, which consort are you planning to invite to your chambers tonight?”

“The one surnamed Zhang that we mentioned last time,” Zhu Jingyu replied, placing the lynx on the ground and occasionally poking its fluffy head with his finger.

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“Surnamed Zhang?” Lu Dehai pondered for a while before recalling that the Emperor had mentioned it during their last conversation, which must have been about a year ago. It was someone from Jiaozhou, and her name was… yes, Zhang Yu’er!

“Yes, I will arrange it immediately, Your Majesty.”

***

On the hunting ground, with the Emperor absent, the spring hunt became even more relaxed.

The palace and residences were located at the mouth of Longhu Mountain. Although the entrance was not large, once inside, one would find dense forests. The civil officials were generally uninterested in hunting, opting to ride their horses a short distance away to shoot some grass deer and wild rabbits. They would then return after a few rounds. The deeper areas were favored by the military officers.

Women from the families of officials, including Su Mi and others, did not venture into the hunting area. Not only was it dangerous to encounter wild animals, but their attire was also not suitable for horseback riding.

At this time, most men were selecting horses at the stable, while the ladies rested under a large and wide cloth canopy, shielding them from the sun while allowing them to enjoy the surrounding scenery.

Su Mi sat quietly in a secluded corner with Chun Mei, eating wild fruits she had just picked and cleaned.

She was not talkative by nature, and she was aware of her merchant background, which made her look down upon by the scholarly families. To avoid any trouble, Su Mi focused on eating the fruits and observing her surroundings, waiting for Qin Yan to finish selecting his horse so that she could accompany him to the forest entrance.

Although Su Mi didn’t speak much, others still mentioned her.

“Isn’t that Lady Su, the wife of the Chief? Why is she sitting so far away from us?” said the wife of Fang Zuozheng, the Left Minister of Rites.

During last year’s palace banquet, Su Mi won the golden bean, and Qin Yan rejected the dancers, which led to some discussions, especially from those who couldn’t attend the banquet, who now looked in Su Mi’s direction.

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Before Su Mi could respond politely, the wife of Lu Wenguang, the Minister of Rites, sarcastically spoke with a tone that didn’t match her age.

“We’re just talking about mundane family matters. Lady Qin comes from a merchant background and is used to calculating accounts. How could she have time to bother with us?”

Although Su Mi hadn’t actively participated in their conversation earlier, she had listened attentively for a few sentences. From their discussion, she had a general idea of their identities. It seemed that this Lady Lu held the highest position among them, as several others were flattering her.

Although the tone was unpleasant, Su Mi didn’t want to cause trouble. She simply smiled gently and replied softly,

“It’s not that I don’t want to sit closer. I caught a chill last night and have a slight cold, so I’m afraid of passing it on to all of you, ladies.”

Su Mi’s response was tactful and friendly; her voice was soft and gentle. Coupled with her beautiful appearance and her fair skin, adorned in a pale pink silk dress with peach blossom patterns, she blended well with the lush green scenery.

The beauty of it is so captivating that one can’t get angry at all.

However, Lady Fang, noticing the glance from Lady Lu across the way, knew that she despised the chief of the Eastern Bureau for being demoted and directed her anger towards Su Mi as well.

As the wives of officials, they had to consider the higher authorities’ preferences, just like their husbands did.

Lady Fang’s eyes fell on the emerald hairpin on Lady Lu’s head, and she couldn’t help but praise: “Lady Lu, the emerald on your hairpin looks so radiant; it’s different from the usual gold-threaded bead ones.”

After saying that, she deliberately signaled for Lady Lu to take notice and glanced at Su Mi. As expected, Lady Lu turned her head, and a smirk appeared on her face.

Isn’t Su Mi wearing a gold-threaded beaded hairpin on her head?

Su Mi had randomly chosen this ornament in the morning, and Chun Mei had styled her hair into a bun. When she heard someone mention her mistress, Chun Mei felt uncomfortable as well, but she understood the boundaries in public and wouldn’t create any embarrassing disturbances.

Su Mi reached out and pulled Chun Mei’s hand, placing a wild fruit in it. She shook her head slightly, and the mistress and servant continued eating.

Seeing that Su Mi had no reaction, Lady Lu continued, “Really? My husband gave it to me. I don’t particularly like these expensive things, but I can’t resist when he enjoys giving them.”

Lady Fang secretly criticized her in her heart. If she didn’t like it, why did she wear it all the time? But on the surface, she chuckled and said, “Lady Lu, your husband has deep affection for you. I heard that he always presents you with the first catch during the hunt.”

“I can’t bear to look at those bloody wild animals.” Lady Lu paused and sighed. “Ordinary men like our husbands just don’t understand a woman’s heart. They can’t compare to the chief of the Eastern Bureau, who directly rejected the dancers at the palace banquet. He truly understands a woman’s sentiments.”

After speaking, she glanced at Su Mi.

Upon hearing these words, Su Mi, who was halfway through biting a fruit, suddenly couldn’t continue.

In the past, Su Mi might not have understood such harsh words, but now she definitely does. This Lady Lu was indirectly implying that Qin Yan, as an eunuch, was different from ordinary men and more like a woman.

Anger surged within Su Mi; who wouldn’t be provoked by such remarks!

She stood up and walked closer, her face wearing a faint smile. She spoke calmly: “There’s nothing unusual about it. Matters of the heart are only pondered by those who hold them dear. The chief of the Eastern Bureau rejected the dancers because he had me in his heart.”

“I am not as fortunate as Lady Lu. Managing more than a dozen people in the backyard, the chief said that from now on, only I would be in his residence. I’m afraid I won’t have much to do, not even the monthly account books of the mansion.”

Su Mi’s voice was neither light nor heavy, as if she hadn’t said anything significant. But it clearly mocked Lu Wenguang’s superficial treatment of her.

Lady Lu was momentarily speechless. She had already hinted at Qin Yan’s eunuch status, and she couldn’t be more explicit, as it would be undignified. The fact that there were so many concubines in her family was also a reality. She suddenly didn’t know how to refute Su Mi.

As for the surrounding people, they were taken aback by Su Mi’s previous gentle appearance and her sudden change. They could only silently admit that merchant women were indeed more fierce than them.

Su Mi rarely spoke such a long string of words to outsiders, and it felt satisfying in her heart while she said them. However, she soon realized that it didn’t bring her any relief. If it weren’t for the fear of causing trouble for Qin Yan, she really wanted to ignore the consequences and give her a good scolding.

Chun Mei knew Su Mi’s temperament, and it seemed that only when facing the young master could she be completely obedient. She gently tugged at Su Mi’s sleeve, and the two returned to their seats.

There was a moment of silence, but a clever person called out, “Let’s go and see the Lord. We should also choose the horses for the journey into the mountains.”

“Yes, let’s go have a look!”

Mentioning their own husbands, everyone’s expressions finally regained some brightness. Lady Lu snorted and walked out, followed by the other women except for Su Mi.

“Miss, should we go too?” Chun Mei asked quietly.

“Yes, of course.” Perhaps because of the words spoken earlier, Su Mi particularly wanted to see Qin Yan now.

***

Not far from the pavilion was the entrance to the mountains, and many people had already gathered there.

Although they were only going out for a whole day and had guards accompanying them, it was still the wilderness, so the ladies couldn’t help but worry about their own husbands, especially the older ones who had deeper emotional attachments and would repeatedly caution them.

Su Mi was worried that Qin Yan had entered without waiting for her, so she quickened her pace, with Chun Mei following behind.

“Miss, please walk slower. Don’t trip.”

Finally, when she saw Qin Yan’s familiar figure and the fluttering of his vermilion robes, Su Mi’s frustration dissipated instantly.

She ran up behind Qin Yan and called out, “Lord!”

Her voice carried a hint of breathlessness, clearly indicating that she had hurried.

Qin Yan turned around, his eyes looking down at Su Mi. Her face was flushed, with a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. Unconsciously, he straightened her slightly crooked golden hairpin and said with a slight frown, “Why are you running?”

He reached out and adjusted Su Mi’s slightly disheveled hair, saying, “Your hairpin is crooked; it looks unsightly.”

Embarrassed, Su Mi lowered her head and tugged at her clothes.

These natural actions, witnessed by those who had previously looked down on her appearance, suddenly evoked an inexplicable envy within them.

Qin Yan’s handsome appearance, his vermilion robes, and his tall figure . When he adjusted the hairpin for the woman in front of him, the unwavering doting in his eyes, which Su Mi couldn’t see as she lowered her head, was clearly visible to them.

Indeed, he held her in high regard. For some reason, even Lady Lu had suddenly lost her mocking thoughts.

Unaware of the thoughts running through everyone’s minds in those few moments, Su Mi felt a sense of reluctance. She raised her head and asked, “Lord, will you only be back around the hour of the pig today?”

“Yes, more or less.”

In the past, Qin Yan would be gone for over a month, but today, Su Mi felt a little reluctant. She had to find something to say, as if trying to delay a little longer.

“Lord, what will you hunt? Are there wild mountain cats here?”

“Do you use arrows? Also, will there be snakes in the woods?”

In the end, Su Mi herself didn’t know what she was saying anymore, and Qin Yan just smiled and looked at her without responding.

Su Mi whispered, “Lord, then you should go.”

She let out a sigh of relief, but in the next moment, Qin Yan suddenly lifted her up and placed her horizontally on the horse, looking puzzled.

“Lord…” Could it be that he wanted to take her with him? It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be. She was still wearing a dress.

Naturally, Qin Yan untied the dark, slender belt from his waist and wrapped it around Su Mi’s ankle. He tied it tightly, securing her dress, which was prone to fluttering.

Qin Yan mounted the horse, holding the reins with both hands, and Su Mi was snugly trapped in his embrace.

“Since you have seen hunting before, I’ll take you with me.”


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1 Comment

  1. SleepDeprivedKolehiyala

    Sometimes I wonder why I read romance novels cause it just makes me feel more single than ever. Then I realize, it because I don’t have a love life🤣
    Gusto ko mn ma kilig🥲