Substitute Marriage

In the clear and bright August of Manjingdu, the autumn light illuminated, and the morning wind carried the warmth of the sun. The round jade pond of Yi Yuan emitted a number of dense green lotus with petals of pink and white blossoming gracefully as they emerged from the water.

“The gardens of Manjingdu boast the most beautiful scenery,” said Princess Dachang, her hand gently lowering as the sheer white veil hung from the waterside pavilion.

The clear breeze occasionally lifted a corner of the thin veil and then let it fall, as she strolled back to the stone table and took a seat, elegantly sipping tea with a smile.

“Charming but not enchanting, alluring yet not vulgar, it seems to match the owner quite well.” Having commented on the gardens, she further praised the person.

“If Aunt likes it, then you can stay here with me often,” said Xiaolan sincerely, “Having one more person here will make it livelier.”

Her long lashes trembled lightly in the scenic breeze, and Xiao Ming, for a moment, was captivated. Refreshments and fruits, arranged on plates, were brought by palace maids.

“I’d be happy to!” Xiao Ming said as she skewered a piece of fruit with a bamboo stick and delivered it to her mouth, teasing her, “But I’m afraid that after a while, my niece’s husband will find me troublesome.” The rising tone in her voice carried a meaningful smile.

Having stayed alone before the New Year, enduring more than half a year in Liangzhou before returning to Manjingdu, Xiao Ming set off for it without waiting a moment. Her luggage was still on the way in fact and should arrive tomorrow. Xiao Ming had always been outspoken in front of her niece.

Xiao Lan’s gesture of holding a cup froze for a moment. After a while, she brought the cup to her lips and drank slowly. Observing Xiao Lan’s silence, Xiao Ming sensed that something was amiss.

Unable to contain herself, she leaned closer, grasping Xiao Lan’s hand onto her knee. “Is he treating you well?”

With a light click, the glass cup gently rested on the stone table. During the thoughtful pause, Xiao Ming had guessed something, but upon closer inspection, she felt that it wasn’t that simple.

Women who had recently married would either blush and smile when others mentioned their husbands or show a mixture of reluctance and discontent. However, Xiao Lan’s peerless face was filled with confusion, leaving Xiao Ming puzzled. She tightened her grip on Xiao Lan’s hand, “With Aunt backing you, say whatever you want. Why should you be afraid?”

“Aunt, I just don’t know how to bring it up,” Xiao Lan’s apricot eyes, like flowing water, held a prolonged gaze with Xiao Ming. She slowly said, “He confuses and puzzles me, and there are some things that he does that make me unhappy.”

This made Xiao Ming even more suspicious. “Take your time and tell me.”

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Lan carefully chose her words, “He cares for me meticulously and courteously.”

“He remembers all my preferences and taboos, even the intimate matters related to women, like the Kui Water…,” feeling embarrassed to discuss privacy, Xiao Lan lowered her voice even further, “He doesn’t avoid it, willingly washing the clothes or bedding stained by that thing, and he even rinses them several times with hot water, claiming it’s good for women’s health.”

“Great!” Xiao Ming exclaimed as she excitedly stood up, but seeing Xiao Lan hesitate to speak, she sat back down slowly.

“He takes care of me in every detail, but…” Her words slowly trailed off, and Xiao Lan hesitated, unable to bring herself to say it.

Xiao Lan’s hesitation, like a fishbone stuck in her throat, thoroughly aroused Xiao Ming’s curiosity. She tightened her grip on Xiao Lan’s hand, “Oh, you’re making me anxious. What is it?”

“Sigh…Aunt, please don’t ask.” Xiao Lan turned around and sat with her back to Xiao Ming, hesitatingly saying, “He is courteous and considerate towards me, but not at all intimate.”

Xiao Lan had lost her parents at a young age and was raised by Xiao Ming. As her niece, Xiao Ming naturally understood her well. Seeing her niece struggling and unable to speak, Xiao Ming suddenly thought of something.

She pulled her back to face her and asked slowly, “Have you consummated the marriage?”

The autumn wind gently ruffled the lotus pond, causing ripples that reached the water pavilion. The white gauze fluttered like mist.

Biting her lip and avoiding Xiao Ming’s gaze by lowering her eyes, Xiao Lan fidgeted with her hands on her knees. The silent response seemed like a definite answer, and Xiao Ming understood instantly.

She paced around the octagonal water pavilion, sometimes hugging her arms in contemplation, sometimes staring into the distance, and sometimes shaking her head.

Xiao Lan quietly watched, unsure of what to say.

“Could your husband be hiding another woman outside?” Xiao Ming asked cautiously. After all, she had been married for twenty years so she understood the true nature of men.

Xiao Lan’s husband was a prestigious figure in the capital.

He entered the Duke Rong’s residence for study at the age of nine and was recognized as an adopted son by Duke Rong Qiuhe that same year. At the age of ten, he joined the battlefield and fought against the country’s enemies, and at fifteen, he single-handedly raided the enemy camp, capturing the enemy’s commanding general alive. In the following years, he continued to accumulate remarkable military achievements.

The marriage between the two was a match made in heaven.

However, before the wedding, Xiao Lan suddenly fell seriously ill, affecting her appearance. At that time, many people speculated that the husband might find a way to break off the engagement. Nevertheless, the husband married Xiao Lan as planned, and everyone praised him as a splendid and outstanding young man.

Now that Xiao Lan’s beauty had been restored, faced with such an exceptional young woman, would any passionate and vigorous man remain unmoved?

…………….

“But he practices in the military camp during the day and returns to the princess’s mansion at night. How can he be in two places at once?” Xiao Lan also doubted so she investigated personally but found no results.

Such actions would have been scoffed at by the previous Xiao Lan, but now she compromised her principles for him.

For this, she secretly tested her husband a few times. No matter how cold, sarcastic, or nitpicking she was, he remained undeterred, treating her with the same courtesy and thoughtfulness as always.

A fist slammed into the cotton-filled bedding, and naturally, she was not pleased!

“If a man wants to be unfaithful, he’ll use any means necessary. How could you easily detect it? Leave this to Aunt to investigate,” Xiao Ming brought up another point, “Starting tonight, no matter what, make him share the bed with you. If he refuses, use the princess’s authority to command him.”

Facing a beauty like Xiao Lan, he couldn’t resist, could he? Or was he incapable of doing the act?

“But,” Xiao Lan hesitated. She was thin-skinned and couldn’t do such things, “let’s go with the flow. Perhaps…”

“Silly niece!” Xiao Ming firmly held Xiao Lan’s hand, refraining from expressing her concerns, only saying, “What if he has another woman outside, and you end up with additional children? Listen to Aunt!”

If she could conceive, it was fine; if not, she could quickly divorce!

Seemingly gentle, Xiao Lan’s eyes blossomed with a determined radiance, like swaying magnolias in the wind, unafraid of storms.

Her voice, soft and calm, declared, “If he humiliates me like that, I’ll divorce him.”

Xiao Ming: “…”

Alright then, fair enough.

As night fell, the coolness deepened, and with the wind blowing, fallen leaves twirled and scattered, only to settle back down shortly after, their surfaces covered in silver frost.

After the evening meal, Xiao Lan instructed someone to deliver spare items to her aunt; a thin velvet cloak, silver charcoal, a herbal tea with scutellaria, osmanthus, red dates, and ginger, as well as a silk bedding.

As the busy maids rushed out, Xiao Lan heard several polite greetings, “Greetings to the prince consort—”

“Have you seen the princess—”