Wish You All the Best - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

"Eldest Cousin—"

After calling out to her husband, Jiafu saw him standing by the steps, looking at her without responding. Feeling slightly uneasy, she whispered "Eldest Cousin" once more.

The midsummer night breeze brushed past the railing, fluttering the hem of her skirt. She raised her wrist, gently smoothing a stray lock of hair that had been blown onto her cheek. A silver bracelet on her wrist caught the light, flashing before his eyes.

Pei You’an nodded, let out an "mm," stepped onto the threshold, and went inside.

Jiafu hurriedly followed.

This day had felt exceptionally long, and seeing him finally return brought her joy. However, remembering what he had done to her in the darkness of the previous night, she couldn't help but feel a flutter of bashfulness. She stood to the side, watching him silently. He went about removing his hat and clothes with a stiff, professional demeanor, his eyes never meeting hers. Biting her lip, she walked over and took his discarded garments from him.

Summer had arrived, and although his official robes had been changed to a lighter silk, they were still layered and worn tightly. Once the immaculate outer layers were removed, the inner layer clung to his back, damp with a thin sheen of sweat. The room was deathly quiet. Both remained silent, waiting for the servants to bring in water. Pei You’an seemed somewhat uncomfortable; he turned his face away slightly and caught sight of the book she had left behind earlier. Finally, he broke the silence: "You are still reading this?"

Jiafu nodded and whispered, "I was waiting for you, so I used it to pass the time. But it is quite abstruse, and I fear I’ve been reading it without truly digesting it; I don’t know if I understood much at all."

Pei You’an said, "If there is anything you don’t understand, you may ask me."

Jiafu replied, "Alright."

Once she spoke, silence fell between them again.

The matrons entered with water, and Pei You’an seemed to heave a sigh of relief. His gaze swept over the smooth, icy skin of her neck exposed by her collar, and he gave a light cough: "It is a bit warm. I am going to bathe first."

Jiafu said, "I have already placed clean clothes inside for you. If you need anything, just call me."

He nodded, turned, and entered the bathhouse. Naturally, he did not call for her. When he emerged, he had changed into light white undergarments and thrown on a casual gauze robe. As he dressed, he said, "I am going to the study first. If you are tired, go to sleep."

Jiafu let out an "oh." She watched him walk toward the tall, folding screen that separated the inner and outer areas of the room. His back hesitated for a moment before he stopped and turned: "If you aren't tired yet, you can come with me to the study and read if you like."

A look of joy appeared on Jiafu’s face. She nodded eagerly, immediately picked up the copy of Lunheng, and trotted quickly to his side, saying, "I will just read quietly. I promise not to disturb you, Eldest Cousin."

Pei You’an gave a faint smile.

The two arrived at the study. As soon as he sat down, he opened the official documents he had brought back from the ministry, burying his head in work, occasionally turning pages and picking up his brush.

The desk was quite large. Jiafu moved a small chair to the corner of the table, slanted opposite him, spread out her book, and sat there keeping him company.

The silver lamps glowed brightly. The study was silent, save for the rhythmic, faint dripping of the water clock.

At first, Jiafu read her book seriously. But after flipping a page, she slowly began to drift, her gaze inevitably wandering toward the man sitting opposite her.

He was truly a handsome man.

In Jiafu’s mind, the figure of the water god, White Stone Lord, from the Yuefu poetry she had read in the past, suddenly surfaced. He lived by the river; when he traveled, the River Earl led the way, and schools of fish followed closely behind. He was incomparable, elegant, and graceful, "accumulated stones like jade, ranked pines like emeralds. The Lord’s beauty is unique, unrivaled in this world."

Whenever she read that passage as a child, she would close the book and imagine the wind god’s grace as he walked upon the waves, his sleeves fluttering. What kind of youth could possibly live up to such a description? Suddenly, she felt that the man sitting before her, with his calm and steady features, was precisely that peerless river god, White Stone Lord.

Pei You’an reviewed the official documents. The language was often difficult or tedious, and he was accustomed to reading ten lines at a glance, resolving passages with ease. But at this moment, he found himself distracted. Usually, he would have finished this work by now, yet he wasn't even halfway through. Just moments ago, he had carelessly written a wrong character.

He finally set down his brush and lifted his eyes, looking toward the source of his distraction.

She was propping her chin on a jade-like wrist, her eyes fixed on him, looking slightly dazed. He didn't know what she was looking at or thinking. Her sleeve had slid down from her wrist and gathered at her elbow, and the silver bracelet engraved with delicate grape and cricket patterns had slid down the smooth skin, getting stuck in the middle of her lotus-root-like forearm. Unexpectedly catching his gaze, she seemed startled, immediately lowered her arm, sat up straight, cast her eyes down, and flipped a page of her book.

Pei You’an calmed his mind and forced the image of that lotus-root arm with the stuck bracelet out of his thoughts, lowering his head once more to attend to his work.

A moment later, he felt her looking at him again. He couldn't help but stop his brush once more, look up, and lightly tap the desk with his finger as a reminder.

Jiafu blushed and whispered, "I don't quite understand this part..."

Pei You’an felt a touch of regret that he had brought her to the study. Sighing inwardly, he simply set down his brush and smiled: "Which part don't you understand? I will explain it to you."

Jiafu nodded immediately, holding her book as she moved closer to him. She pulled her chair over, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and opened the book. A tender, white finger poked at the page as she said, "I don't understand this."

As soon as she sat close to him, Pei You’an smelled the scent of her hair and skin—faint and intoxicating. He was instantly reminded of the previous night, inside the silken canopy, where he had held her with unrestrained, wild passion.

When they first began last night, his original intention was the same as on their wedding night: purely to ensure her pleasure. But he had lost control; she hadn't found pleasure, and he had suffered a humiliating defeat—once, then twice. When she comforted him with gentle words and charming endearments, Pei You’an’s pride was shattered, and the inner despair he felt was indescribable. After the lamps were extinguished, she had clung to him tightly and fallen into a sound sleep. In the darkness, holding her soft, supple body, he slowly felt he could try again. Finally, unable to resist, he carried out the wicked urge that had surfaced on their wedding night. Throwing aside all pretense of gentlemanly virtue, he finally took action, crushing her until she completely surrendered beneath him. That final moment of ecstasy and fulfillment was something even a great military victory could not match; it made his blood boil until he felt as if his skin might burst. Even though a day and a night had passed, the memory still made his hair stand on end...

Pei You’an felt a wave of heat surge in his lower abdomen. Suddenly hearing her voice in his ear, he followed her finger to see that she was pointing to the thirteenth chapter of the Lunheng, "On Human Nature." He instantly steeled himself and said: "'Ritual is a defense, music is a regulation'—this perspective can be seen as early as the 'Theory of Virtues' in the Baihu Tong. It means that emotions and nature are the fundamental basis for governing people, and rituals and music are established for this purpose—to use ritual as a defense and music as a restraint."

Jiafu let out an "oh" and looked up at him: "Then, what is the whole chapter talking about?"

Pei You’an said, "The entire chapter expresses that human nature is neither evil nor good; hence the title 'Human Nature.' Whether it is Mencius’s theory of inherent goodness, Xunzi’s theory of inherent evil, Gaozi’s theory of nature having no good or evil, or Yang Xiong’s theory that nature contains both, all are merely one-sided. Humans are endowed with the nature of heaven and earth and possess the Five Constants, so human nature is often a mix of good and evil. Confucius once said that only the highly wise and the lowly stupid cannot be changed; those at the extremes of good or evil cannot be altered. I deeply agree. But for ordinary people, human nature often changes according to habit—that is to say, habitually doing good makes one good, habitually doing evil makes one evil..."

His voice was deep, mellow, and pleasant, flowing neither too fast nor too slow like a clear spring in a mountain stream, trickling over the stones in her ear. Jiafu slowly propped her chin again, watching him with an expression of admiration. Seeing that he had finished and glanced down at her, she finally snapped out of it, hurriedly lowered her head, and flipped a page: "What about this chapter? I read it two days ago, but I just skimmed over it and understood even less..."

When he had explained just now, Pei You’an had long since noticed her slightly tilting her head, propping her chin, and staring at him with unblinking, earnest, and purely innocent eyes. Yet, he was the one whose heart was shaken by her gaze. While his mouth spoke of ritual and music, his heart was filled with surging desire. Although he was wearing cool summer clothes, he felt waves of heat, and his back was already faintly damp with sweat. A sense of guilt washed over him. Hearing her finally flip the page, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked over.

"This is the chapter 'On the Tendencies of Things.'"

He exhaled, speaking in as steady a voice as he could manage.

"The opening says, 'Confucians argue that heaven and earth consciously created man. This statement is absurd.' It means that since the Han Dynasty, Confucians have believed that heaven and earth consciously created man, which is a ridiculous notion. The book refutes this, saying that because the Qi of heaven and earth combined, man was accidentally produced, just as when the Qi of a man and a woman combine, a child is naturally born..."

He paused and coughed. Keeping his eyes fixed on the book page, he forced himself to continue the explanation: "The chapter uses humans as an example, saying that when the Qi of man and woman combine, it is not because they consciously want to have a child, but because of desire. Since men and women do not consciously create a child, it follows that heaven and earth do not consciously create man. By extension, all things born between heaven and earth are the same as children born of the union of man and woman..."

He suddenly closed the book and tossed it to the side, saying: "The Lunheng is too esoteric; it is not suitable for you to read. When I have time, I will find you another book."

Jiafu couldn't help but steal a glance at his lower abdomen. Although it was hidden by the desk, she could vaguely see that he was already in an unspeakable state...

Jiafu recalled the events of the previous night, her heart hammering like a deer, and she whispered an "mm": "I will listen to you, Eldest Cousin. Then, you continue; I will go to the small kitchen to see if the snacks are ready..."

She stood up, but she hadn't expected that when she had moved her chair over, a corner of her skirt had been pinned under the chair leg. As she stood, she tugged at the chair, which scraped loudly. She lost her balance and tilted sideways. Pei You’an was quick-witted; he reached out to steady her, and Jiafu’s chest and abdomen brushed against his face. She tilted and sat right down on his lap. Her hips clearly pressed against a hard, alien object; her body stiffened, not daring to move.

Pei You’an felt his face pressed firmly against a soft, fragrant expanse of flesh. His breathing stalled. He closed his eyes, then slowly opened them. He was filled with her fragrance; although the source of his evil impulses was being pressed down by her, it was rising vigorously, and the desire to dominate was even more apparent.

It seemed like a long time passed before a "drip" sounded—a single drop of water fell from the water clock into the copper vessel, breaking the silence.

Jiafu twisted her waist uneasily and hurriedly stood up. Just as her hips left his lap, she felt her waist go heavy as she was firmly clamped by a pair of masculine hands. With a single downward press, she was helpless and fell right back onto his lap.

Her face was as red as a peach blossom, and she looked up at him with parted lips, unable to stop a soft, delicate pant: "Eldest Cousin..."

The man’s eyes were no longer like still water; they were like a deep pool over an abyss, dark and fathomless at the bottom.

"Let us return to the bedroom. It is time to sleep."

He said in a low voice, heavy and deep, like the boundless night outside the window.

...

Inside the Imperial Palace, Xiao Lie was half-drunk. Staggering in his gait, he was supported back to his sleeping quarters by the palace attendants.

Lady Zhou was waiting for him. Seeing his state, she hurried over to welcome him. After he was settled, Xiao Lie lay on his back with his eyes closed, as if fast asleep, not moving an inch.

Lady Zhou had taken special care with her appearance tonight. On the dragon bed, even with light cosmetics, though she was no longer young, under the glow of the palace lamps, her features remained alluring, possessing a unique charm.

She lay beside Xiao Lie and pressed close. A hand reached out from under the quilt toward the man beside her,探in and gently grasped him, slowly massaging and teasing.

Xiao Lie did not open his eyes. He turned over, faced inward, and said in a low voice: "Next time. I am exhausted today."

Since entering the capital, Xiao Lie had not touched her. Lady Zhou had been secretly watching and had not discovered him favoring any other young palace maids; he was either working on political affairs until dawn or returning to fall straight asleep.

Lady Zhou’s expression stiffened. Staring at Xiao Lie’s motionless back, she slowly withdrew her hand.

In the middle of the night, Xiao Lie had fallen asleep. Lady Zhou, unable to find rest, rose quietly and summoned her confidant, saying: "Go and investigate for me: on the night of the Crown Prince’s wedding, where did the Emperor go that he did not return for the entire night?”