Chapter 239
Plot (2)
When Mu Mingtang was an eleven-year-old child, Xie Xuanchen, who was a fifteen-year-old teen, was already an extraordinary military leader. But when he gave it more thought, he felt that something was off again. Mu Mingtang, who was closely paying attention to Xie Xuanchen, lightly touched his hand as she said: “Well, the current arrangement is still the best. Also, I don’t think you’re that old.”
“You still dared to mention that?” Xie Xuanchen snorted and led Mu Mingtang towards the bed. “What kind of husband did your parents prefer for you?” Xie Xuanchen questioned after the two of them had properly settled down on the bed.
“Of course, the kind of person I will like.”
Xie Xuanchen rolled his eyes and asked more clearly: “I’m asking what your parents wanted in their son-in-law.”
“Oh! You mean that, I see. My father had prepared a long list for that. He was very particular about my future husband. He said that I must never marry a person who always tells sweet nothings, has a bad family reputation, or the one with little white face. Well my mother didn’t care much, but father had a lot of conditions.”
Xie Xuanchen was still very calm when he heard the first two conditions, but he couldn’t control himself after hearing the last condition and asked: “Why?”
“My father thought that a man with a little white face couldn’t be trusted in the future.”
In fact, Xie Xuanchen did not clearly specify the “why”, when he had asked but Mu Mingtang had replied without a need for clarification. Unfortunately, neither of them paid attention to it.
Trying not to sound too obvious, Xie Xuanchen carefully refuted, “You see, he was clearly judging people by their looks. What does a person’s appearance have anything to do with whether or not they can be trusted? There are also many bad looking people in this world with ugly hearts. So you should never just look at a person’s appearance only. So pay attention, there are many gook-looking people who are reliable and trustworthy.”
After Xie Xuanchen was done speaking, he had the feeling that something was off.
“No, since when do I look like a little white face?”
“I didn’t say anything, and this is what you said yourself,” Mu Mingtang hurriedly denied while trying to hold back her laughter. “You brought it up on your own, so what does it have anything to do with me?”
From time to time, bursts of laughter could be heard from the insides, followed with Mu Mingtang out of breath and hearty voice: “I don’t want to play with you anymore, it’s getting late, you let go. I want to sleep!”
…
The second day of the New Year
That day, all the servants in the Jiang family could be seen bustling and busily doing their chores, especially the maids assigned to the main hall.
In her room, Jiang Mingwei was complaining to Mrs. Jiang. While in tears, she vented her pent up resentment to Madam Jiang “That woman is definitely a reincarnation of fox spirit with hidden intentions, but to him, she is always right, he even let her mistreat me. Yesterday, on the first day of the new year, he listened to what that wicked woman said, and even told me that I am full of anger!”
‘This…’ Mrs. Jiang could only listen but did not know how to respond. The majority of young couples have never met before getting married. Two strangers had tied a knot of marriage because of some fateful encounter.
It was normal to have some minor clashes between husband and wife in their married life. But sometimes these clashes would become more frequent, which would cause the feelings between husband and wife to disperse leaving behind a loveless marriage.
Mrs. Jiang was fully aware of how things worked, so she couldn’t bear to let her daughter fall into such a mess. That was why she decided to marry Jiang Mingwei to Xie Xuanji, who had been each other’s childhood sweetheart.
Jiang Mingwei and Xie Xuanji grew up together, and the Jiang family had watched Xie Xuanji grow from a little boy to the refined man he was today. But when it came to affection, Mrs. Jiang didn’t know how stronger their understanding was than other loving couples. She had always known that Xie Xuanji loved her daughter.
‘So why did things turn out like this?’
After merely being married for six months, Xie Xuanji had already reared some concubines. According to (ancient) rules, noble men could generally have three wives and four concubines. And since Xie Xuanji was a prince, having multiple women in his harem was already given. Although having concubines was normal, to force a main wife to give in to a mere concubine was another thing.
“Why did Prince Jin suddenly decide to divide household management? He is not a man to make such a low level mistake. He should not have done such a thing as favouring a concubine while neglecting his main wife.” Mrs.Jiang became doubtful.
Jiang Mingwei was at a loss for words. She didn’t know how to answer her mother’s question. She was suspicious that something had happened at the New Year banquet. Xie Xuanji had grown distant from her since that banquet, but she didn’t have any leads about what happened to Xie Xuanji or who he had met there. There was no way to go anywhere without any hints and Jiang Mingwei didn’t dare to inquire about it.
However, how could Jiang Mingwei tell Mrs. Jiang about it, so she said in an aggrieved tone with tears in her eyes, “I don’t know anything! He has known me for many years and treated me so well after we got married. But when the novelty of the marriage started fading, he went looking for young and beautiful concubines. Feeling? I don’t understand him anymore. I am aware that as a virtuous wife, I should open heartedly welcome his concubines, but how can I allow those vixens to step all over my head and snatch my rights? By doing so, are they not trying to humiliate me?”