Perhaps due to their bickering, their relationship seemed to grow stronger after the incident with Mei Niang.
Regarding where Mei Niang should go, Yan Mu still carefully asked Mei Niang personally.
Mei Niang had no feelings for Yu Yuan, and she was even slightly afraid of him.
Besides that, Mei Niang admired Yan Mu’s way of life and wished to support herself1自食其力 (zìshí-qílì) – lit. to eat off one’s own strength (idiom); fig. to stand on one’s own feet too, rather than being confined in the harem just like her other sisters to become a source of entertainment for others.
Coincidentally, Yan Mu’s Pear Blossom Pavilion was still getting set up. Since Mei Niang wanted to try experiencing self-reliance, Yan Mu thought it would be a good idea to let her become a trainee shopkeeper there.
Of course, Mei Niang had no experience as a shopkeeper, so Yan Mu specifically asked Xiao Qing to go along with her to prevent any mishaps.
In the midst of the swirling snow, Mei Niang happily boarded the horse carriage wearing Yan Mu’s fox fur coat.
“Mei Niang,” Yan Mu lifted the curtain and pondered for a moment before she continued, “If you have feelings for someone, you can let me know too.”
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
“Xjyu.” Ylk Lkydt dseele hktsaswpzu, “Zsw xwpv alxlxcla vs hkpkv xl sqvld.”
Ylk Lkydt zssjle yaswde. Slzklhle vbyv Zw Zwyd oyp dsoblal kd pktbv, pbl alvaynvle bla tygl yde obkprlale, “Rv oswze cl clvvla kq usw esd’v cakdt Nsae Zw yzsdt.”
Gqvla prlyjkdt, pbl blze sdvs Zyd Yw yde vyzjle qsa y obkzl zsdtla clqsal qkdyzzu ldvlakdt vbl nyaakytl ytykd yv vbl watkdt sq Dkys Ckdt.
Mbl nsadlap sq Zyd Yw’p xswvb pzktbvzu vokvnble yp pbl oyvnble vbl nyaakytl eakhl yoyu.
Fbl alvwadle vs vbl nswavuyae yde pyo Zw Zwyd zlkpwalzu rawdkdt rzwx czsppsxp kd y hypl.
“Rv’p ds osdela R eked’v pll usw lyazkla.” Zyd Yw pyv esod clpkel Zw Zwyd.
G qykdv rzwx qaytaydnl zkdtlale kd vbl yka, pollv yp y uswdt tkaz’p ealyx.
“Fbl zlqv?” Zw Zwyd ypjle.
“Mmm,” Yan Mu nodded.
Right after she replied, Yu Yuan suddenly embraced her.
“What are you doing?” Yan Mu shyly pushed Yu Yuan away, “We’re in the courtyard.”
The courtyard was open to the public, so the shopkeepers could come by anytime.
“Then let’s go into the room.” Yu Yuan carried Yan Mu in his arms, heading towards the room.
“W-what for?” Yan Mu’s cheeks were flushed.
“Sleep,” Yu Yuan said shortly2言简意赅 (yánjiǎn-yìgāi) – lit. concise and comprehensive. an idiom; compendious; pithy.
This……
Just for sleeping, or something else?
Yan Mu covered her face.
During the past few days, Mei Niang had insisted on sleeping together with Yan Mu.
So, Yan Mu had no choice but to send the dark-faced Yu Yuan to sleep in the wide bed next door.
Now that she thought about it, it had been several days since she and Yu Yuan had last shared a bed.
As Yan Mu was thinking, Yu Yuan gently placed her on the bed.
The teenager skillfully took off his coat, revealing his strong and slender waist.
Recalling the fine muscles underneath his clothes, Yan Mu couldn’t help but gulp.
She quietly covered her head with the quilt, then opened a narrow slit to peep through.
Yu Yuan naturally knew that Yan Mu was peeping on him.
He suppressed the rising corners of his mouth and chose not to expose her little schemes.
After lifting the quilt, instead of hurrying to hug Yan Mu, Yu Yuan shrunk into the corner.
Yan Mu quietly moved over, but Yu Yuan gently pushed her away.
“My body is cold, wait until it’s warmer,” Yu Yuan said helplessly.
He also really wanted to feel a warm and fragrant body in his arms, but Yan Mu was extremely sensitive to cold, so he was afraid she’d get sick.
“Oh.” Yan Mu was wrapped up like a silkworm in a cocoon, obediently waiting by the side.
The young girl’s eyes were clear and pure, as if reflecting all the beauty in the world.
Yu Yuan suppressed the restlessness in his heart and waited for his body to warm up before pulling her closer and kissing her.
“……I really want to get married quickly,” Yu Yuan murmured vaguely.
“Soon,” Yan Mu gasped.
Gentle kisses continued down Yan Mu’s cheeks, finally stopping at her delicate neck, then repeatedly kissing and caressing it.
His tongue lightly grazed her skin, and he could feel the young girl’s suppressed trembling.
“Wuu……” Her bright eyes began to water.
The skin on her neck was delicate and tender, and seemed like it would leave an ambiguous mark if Yu Yuan were to kiss any harder.
That way, everyone would know— that Yan Mu was his wife.
Yu Yuan’s gaze darkened. He resisted and resisted, and in the end, he only placed a gentle kiss.
He tightly wrapped Yan Mu in his arms, as if wanting to merge her into his flesh and blood.
“The Emperor’s health hasn’t been good recently,” Yu Yuan suddenly said.
His voice was a little husky, and his eyes were filled with intense desire.
Yu Yuan’s lips grew redder and redder, like camellias blooming in the snow3
.
“So, I’ll be busy again soon,” Yu Yuan softly sighed as he spoke.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself.” Yan Mu nestled against Yu Yuan’s chest, recalling the plot from the book.
The old Emperor had been forcibly prolonging his life, but this time, he really couldn’t hold on any longer.
The Eldest Prince seized this opportunity to force the Emperor to abdicate the throne.
Of course, his actions were discovered by Yu Yuan and Chu Cong, and he was completely defeated.
Chu Cong successfully ascended to the throne.
That same year, Yu Yuan, at the young age of sixteen, became the Prime Minister of the new dynasty due to his outstanding achievements.
Before she knew it, the plot had almost reached its end.
Yan Mu felt a little melancholy.
She pondered for a while, then said to Yu Yuan, “I think I should close the bookstore for a few days. Once things settle down, I’ll open it again.”
Yan Mu was worried that the abnormal Eldest Prince would use her as leverage against Yu Yuan.
Anyway, the first edition of her new book, “Dining Partners”, had already sold out, so she could take this time to observe the readers’ responses.
At her words, Yu Yuan was silent for a while before saying, “That’s a good idea.”
He hugged Yan Mu, as if holding a most precious treasure.
The Emperor’s death was an important matter, and Yu Yuan knew how unstable the political situation would become.
Despite all the hardships he had overcome, he still felt uncertain.
Although Chu Cong was the son of the Empress and had the support of his mother’s clan, the Eldest Prince was still about twenty years older than him.
He had held power for an extra twenty years. With the addition of his unscrupulous and vicious personality……
This would be a tough battle, and losing would be consigning oneself to eternal damnation.
Yu Yuan got out of bed as he thought things over.
He took out a stack of papers from inside his clothes and handed them to Yan Mu.
Yan Mu took the papers and saw that they were actually a stack of silver drafts and land deeds.
Not only that but all the land deeds were written under her name!
Yan Mu was momentarily speechless.
After a brief silence, she softly asked, “Why are you giving these to me?”
“In case I……” Yu Yuan paused for a while, trying to sound relaxed. “You can take these things and conceal your identity, then find a good husband to marry.”
As long as Yan Mu held onto these things tightly, her future in-laws would surely treat her courteously.
As Yu Yuan thought about this, a tinge of bitterness filled his heart.
In the past, he might’ve wished for Yan Mu to accompany him in death, but now, all he wanted was for her to live a good life.
If something really happened to him……
His biggest hope would be for Yan Mu to forget him.
Yu Yuan lowered his eyes, not daring to look at Yan Mu.
Although this was just a precautionary measure, his heart still felt extremely bitter.
It felt even more sour than the wild fruits he had eaten as a child just to fill his stomach.
Yu Yuan gritted his teeth.
“Yu Yuan.” Yan Mu’s voice came from beside him, “When did you prepare all these things?”
“…… A long time ago,” Yu Yuan answered truthfully.
In the beginning, it was because the missions he carried out were too dangerous, so every month he converted his earnings into silver drafts. Later, he realized that although he was skillful4游刃有余 (yóurèn-yǒuyú) – handling a butcher’s cleaver with ease (idiom); to do something skillfully and easily, he’d also gradually come into contact with the Eldest Prince. He understood that there would inevitably be a fierce battle between the two princes, so he still continued to save money every month.
“Anyways, these are all yours. Hold onto them properly.” Yu Yuan turned his face away, refusing to look at Yan Mu.
Yan Mu’s hands that held the papers trembled slightly.
“Nothing will happen to you,” Yan Mu said.
Yu Yuan didn’t speak.
Yan Mu put the papers down and leaned forward to kiss Yu Yuan fiercely.
“If something happens to you, the one I kiss will be someone else,” Yan Mu said as she panted.
“Absolutely not!” Yu Yuan quickly responded this time, “You can’t kiss anyone else.”
Yu Yuan’s water-stained lips were slightly pursed, and his face was filled with jealousy.
“Not only will I kiss someone else, but I’ll also……” Yan Mu paused for a while, and then continued nonchalantly, “I’ll also have a child with them.”
Hearing these words, Yu Yuan’s body immediately froze.
Then he pressed Yan Mu down onto the bed and showered her with kisses, leaving her breathless.
In a trance, she seemed to hear Yu Yuan mumble, “I’ll come back alive to marry you, you aren’t allowed…… aren’t allowed to have a child with anyone else!”
The corners of Yan Mu’s mouth slightly curved up.
She hugged Yu Yuan’s neck and kissed him even deeper.
Edited by: Gaze
Not allowed!! 😆