Chapter 78.1 Fifteenth Kiss

Yan Mu was dumbfounded by this revelation.

“The Side Imperial Consort of the Eldest Prince……” Yan Mu carefully recalled what she knew about the Side Imperial Consort.

However, no matter how hard she thought about it, she had zero information about the Side Imperial Consort.

In other words, the Side Imperial Consort was also a derivation of this world.

“But, didn’t your mother pass away a long time ago?” Yan Mu couldn’t help but ask.

“I was sent to Hunter Zhang’s family when I was five, and all my mother left me was a string of beads. She would occasionally come by to see me, but later……” Yu Yuan paused for a while before he continued, “Later, she never visited me again.”

“So, Hunter Zhang told you that your mother had passed away?” Yan Mu was speechless.

“Mmm,” Yu Yuan nodded, his head throbbing even worse.

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“My goodness!” Yan Mu was also shocked after hearing Yu Yuan’s words. “I still thought Hunter Zhang liked his wife very much. I didn’t expect things to be like that.”

Remembering the limitations of this era, Yan Mu suddenly felt a little melancholy.

It wasn’t that she was worried about Yu Yuan laying a hand on her, as she still had confidence in him. 

But in this era, where having many wives and concubines was all too common, the future Yu Yuan would be a powerful prime minister, so there would surely be a lot of wild bees and butterflies²Think of Yu Yuan as a flower, then the women that will gather around him are like the bees and butterflies that would gather around a flower around him.

Yan Mu suddenly felt insecure.

She actually wouldn’t have been like this in the past. But ever since she became aware of her feelings towards Yu Yuan, added to the fact that they weren’t from the same time and space, Yan Mu had become insecure.

Turning his head and seeing Yan Mu’s worried expression, Yu Yuan asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“I-It’s nothing,” Yan Mu hurriedly shook her head to hide her embarrassment, “Did you find your string of beads?”

“No,” Yu Yuan sighed. “Let’s put that aside for now.”

If his mother wasn’t dead, but had abandoned him after faking her own death just to become the Eldest Prince’s Side Imperial Consort……

Then Yu Yuan felt like even if he did find that string of beads, he would be repulsed by the sight of them.

Yu Yuan finished eating and got up to clear the table while Yan Mu watched quietly from the side.

After washing the bowls and chopsticks, Yu Yuan sat on the rattan chair while hugging Yan Mu in his arms.

Warm sunlight shone down on them, making this moment feel precious and beautiful.

Yan Mu’s entire body was nestled in Yu Yuan’s arms, and he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

“Ah Mu,” Yu Yuan suddenly called.

“Mmm?” Yan Mu was drowsy from sun bathing.

“You’ll always be with me, right?” Yu Yuan asked.

“……” Yan Mu was silent.

“……Ah Mu?” Yu Yuan tightened his arms around Yan Mu.

“……Mmm,” Yan Mu answered softly.

Before the moment she had to make her fateful decision, she would always be by Yu Yuan’s side.

She would watch her teenager ascend to the pinnacle of power, arrogantly³不可一世 (bùkě-yīshì) – an idiom; consider oneself the best in the world; overweening (or insufferable) arrogance trodding on all those who had hurt him under his feet.

Yu Yuan was born to shine.

*******************

The weather was getting colder and colder. The withered leaves fell on the ground, layering into a thick carpet which rustled when walked upon.

Light yellow buds had begun to form on the wintersweet⁴ in the courtyard, so Yan Mu plucked some to infuse in water to drink.

Even though she could rely on Yu Yuan’s kisses to extend her lifespan from time to time, Yan Mu’s body was still extremely sensitive to cold.

It was just the beginning of winter, but Yan Mu was already wrapped in a thick fox-fur robe, looking like a glutinous rice ball dipped in white sugar.

Her hands and feet were cold, even though four charcoal braziers were placed around her.

Yan Mu’s left hand held a hand warmer while her right hand held a cup of tea.

The current situation in the court wasn’t good.

The old Emperor’s health was deteriorating. Although the Eldest Prince was still under house arrest, his subordinates were eager for action. They would occasionally clash with Chu Cong’s troops.

Yu Yuan was getting busier.

Gradually, Yan Mu also heard many rumors about Yu Yuan.

Some said that Yu Yuan was cold-blooded and ruthless, while others directly scolded him for being Chu Cong’s lapdog⁵狗腿子 (gǒutuǐzi) – dog’s leg; hired thug; henchman; (derog.) lapdog.

In short, there was every kind of ugly insult.

Some of the guards in the store gradually looked at her and Yu Yuan with a different look in their eyes.

But Yan Mu ignored them all and remained affectionate with Yu Yuan.

Over time, the other people in the store also let things go.

Today, Yu Yuan had a rare day off and sat beside her, rubbing her hands warm.

“Are you still cold?” Yu Yuan raised his head, his eyes filled with concern.

“I’m not cold,” Yan Mu smiled and said.

Yu Yuan stuffed Yan Mu’s hands into her sleeves and said, “I’ll be going out for a while this afternoon.”

“Where are you going?” Yan Mu casually asked. “I want to go too.”

Winter in this era got cold very quickly. A few days ago, heavy snowfall fell for three days straight.

Everyone in the store knew that Yan Mu had a weak body, and had a tacit agreement not to let her go out.

Yan Mu had no choice but to take this time to finish writing the book “Dining Partners”, which she was preparing to put on sale in the next few days to see how it sold.

She thought she’d captured the cute and exciting points of the story well, so sales shouldn’t be too bad. 

But after all, this era held prejudice towards eunuchs, and wasn’t as tolerant as modern times.

So Yan Mu was still a little nervous.

If “Dining Partners” didn’t sell well and was heavily criticized once it went on sale, then she would have to take it off the shelves and start a new one.

Yan Mu had been worrying about this for the past few days, so she was really stressed out.

She really wanted to go out for a walk.

“Actually, someone sent me a letter asking me to meet them at Restaurant Baoyue this afternoon,” Yu Yuan knew about Yan Mu’s troubles, so he reached out and gently patted her head.

Yan Mu immediately bounced up, “Is it a man or a woman? Will it be just you and her?”

Seeing Yan Mu’s expression, Yu Yuan could hardly suppress his smile.

“Woman, only me and her,” Yu Yuan replied honestly.

“Bring me along, bring me along!” Yan Mu was suddenly vigilant.

Yu Yuan’s little face was so good-looking, and he was still Chu Cong’s important right-hand man, so he was considered a “wealthy son-in-law” no matter how you looked at it.

Could it be one of Yu Yuan’s secret admirers……

The more she thought about it, the more unhappy she became.

Until Yu Yuan gave her a good thump on the head.

“What are you thinking about?” Yu Yuan’s face was filled with helplessness.

“I don’t care. You must bring me along,” Yan Mu began to pester⁶胡搅蛮缠 (hújiǎo-mánchán) – an idiom; argue tediously and vexatiously; plague sb. with unreasonable demands Yu Yuan.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Yu Yuan had always been helpless against Yan Mu.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry⁷啼笑皆非 (tíxiào-jiēfēi) – an idiom as he watched Yan Mu stride over to the wardrobe, then open the door and rummage through it.

“What are you doing?” Yu Yuan asked.

“I want to find prettier clothes to put on. I can’t dress worse than that woman,” Yan Mu said angrily.

“Actually, Ah Mu doesn’t need to do this,” Yu Yuan finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Yan Mu’s expression had successfully dispelled the haze in Yu Yuan’s heart.

Although he had never been in a relationship before, by watching Qi Er and Hua Ping’s interactions, he still knew that Yan Mu was jealous.

The feeling of being cared for was sweet and warm.

Yu Yuan felt like his heart was a little hot.

“You’re still laughing?” Yan Mu’s eyes widened, “Are you so happy that another woman is asking you to meet up?”

Yan Mu covered her heart sadly, looking like Xishi clasping at her heart⁸西子捧心 (Xīzǐpěngxīn) – an idiom; Xishi (c. 450 BC), famous Chinese beauty, foremost of the four legendary beauties sìdàměinǚ [四大美女], given by King Gou Jian Gōu Jiàn [勾践] of Yue as concubine to King of Wu as part of a successful plan to destroy Wu. 

“It’s not another woman.”

Yu Yuan retracted his smile and handed Yan Mu an envelope with a string of beads in it.

This string of beads was exactly the same as the one Yu Yuan had lost.

“I suspect, it’s probably that Side Imperial Consort of the Eldest Prince.” Speaking of this, Yu Yuan’s face was covered with a trace of gloom.

“Ah Mu, come with me,” Yu Yuan asked sincerely.

“W-why?” Realizing that she’d overreacted just now, Yan Mu suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

She put her clothes down and moved towards Yu Yuan with small steps.

“My younger self would surely have gone to the appointment alone,” Yu Yuan pulled Yan Mu to his side, “But now, I don’t want to.”

“Ah Mu, if that person really is my mother, I really will be sad.”

Yu Yuan’s voice was as soft as the breeze through the fields, drifting into Yan Mu’s ears.

“Ah Mu, I get sad too,” Yu Yuan sighed and said.

How can someone who eats and drinks just like anyone else not have any emotions?⁹(五谷 (wǔgǔ) – five crops, e.g. millet sù [粟], soybean dòu [豆], sesame má [麻], barley mài [麦], rice dào [稻] or other variants);; 杂粮 (záliáng) – food grains other than wheat and rice; coarse cereals¹⁰ Implying that he’s just a mortal, as opposed to an immortal who fasts

Yan Mu felt depressed.

What would happen to Yu Yuan if she really left?

Yan Mu suddenly felt a little scared.

So, under Yu Yuan’s surprised gaze, Yan Mu lowered her head and planted a kiss on his lips.

Although I don’t know what the future holds.

But right now, I don’t want to see you looking lost and unhappy.

---

Edited by: Gaze