The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 93
What sort of scheme the young lady was playing at, could he possibly not know? Nothing more than wanting to tell him that having a wife with ten thousand strings of wealth was something he ought to be happy about, rather than settling accounts with her.
Unfortunately, his little wife had deceived him far too miserably. He couldn’t bring himself to feel pleased.
Seeing that he would not take the bait, Wen Shuse could only speak honestly. “Husband is so clever. Even if I spun the most magnificent tale, you still wouldn’t believe me. But I truly had good intentions. I was thinking that your circumstances were not ideal, and I didn’t want to add more pressure on you, so I could only hide it from you for the time being.”
What pressure did he have? He did not quite understand her reasoning.
With an expression as though she had endured great hardship, the young lady explained, “Husband was so poor we could barely keep the pot boiling. If I told you my father had a great deal of money and could support us, would you have been willing to accept that?”
Without waiting for him to answer, the young lady answered for him. “Husband has always been proud. Wouldn’t that have left you without a face? You were once a noble young master whose wealth dominated a region, so impressive in your day. If people pointed behind your back and said that you were living off your wife, what would you have felt?”
Xie Shao silently lifted the gold cup made of actual gold and said nothing.
“Besides, this restaurant isn’t truly mine either. Second Master Wen’s surname is Wen, but mine is not.”
Was she not surnamed Wen? Now that was strange.
The young lady gently leaned closer, tilted her head to look at her husband, and smiled with curved lips. “My surname is Xie. I am Young Madam Xie.”
Whenever the young lady smiled, she always possessed the ability to melt glaciers. He had still wanted to wait for her to explain, but what was there to explain? In the end, she had outmaneuvered him.
Xie Shao leaned back, bitterness spreading across his tongue. “Tell me honestly. How much money does Wen… my father-in-law actually have?”
How much money? That was hard to calculate.
She had never calculated it either. Aside from the restaurant, the young lady slowly confessed to him, “Husband, do you still remember the bundle I brought from Fengcheng?”
Of course, Xie Shao remembered. She had guarded it like treasure the entire journey, never even letting go of it when she slept. Could it be that it had been filled with gold?
The young lady gave him the answer, nodding. “Inside were banknotes from the Eastern Capital’s banks. Altogether, one hundred and eighty thousand taels. Father gave them to me before I left, for me to spend in the Eastern Capital.”
Although strictly speaking, she had forcibly taken them, it was all the same.
Xie Shao took another sip of tea. He could not taste anything; he only drank to wet his mouth. The young lady was already the young lady boss of Mixian Tower. What else could possibly surprise him?
The young lady continued, “There are also two grain shops, fifty mu of fertile land, and three residences…” She paused, then looked carefully at her husband. “The residence we’re living in now is one of them, too.”
Sure enough, her husband could no longer remain calm.
The teacup in his hand swayed, and he quickly set it down on the table. Turning to stare at his little wife, his mind buzzed. He took a deep breath.
Seeing this, the young lady hurriedly said, “Husband, don’t worry. The thirty taels of rent you gave me, I’ve kept all of it. I haven’t touched a single coin. Although my surname is not Wen, living in one of Second Master Wen’s residences is still acceptable.”
He truly ought to thank her for her generosity.
The young lady continued, “Husband, you mustn’t feel pressured…”
What pressure? Was that even the point? Shouldn’t he be angry? She clearly had money hidden away, yet insisted on pretending she was penniless and accompanied him through hard days.
And she had acted so convincingly. How difficult it must have been for her, staying with him at a cheap inn, then shamelessly claiming that the residence belonged to her aunt’s nephew. Just how foolish had he been to be deceived by her?
She had even put on that whole performance of making lanterns to sell, nearly stabbing his heart full of holes with a few words…
This Second Wen was utterly heartless. He was so angry that he did not want to pay attention to her.
Yet the young lady only strayed further and further from the point. “Husband is now a third-rank official, and your future prospects are limitless. Besides, how can a mere merchant household compare with an official of the court? Didn’t you say that in the future, you would earn me a titled rank? I am the one marrying above myself. No matter how much money my maiden family has, it cannot give me such dignity and honor.”
The young lady was not trying to excuse herself. She was plainly and clearly exploiting him.
“Don’t worry, Husband. I’ve never paid for anything from Mixian Tower. We can eat for free, drink for free, and even live for free. Anything we want…”
Wen Shuse chuckled twice, as though she had taken advantage of some enormous bargain. She separated herself entirely from the wealthy merchant Second Master Wen and insisted on tying herself to the man beside her.
Whether she was poor or wealthy did not depend on her father or her maiden family. It depended on the husband before her.
When he thought again of what she had said that night, that she was willing to endure hardship with him, but did not like it, the meaning became entirely different. It was as though a wealthy young lady, for the sake of her beloved, had willingly given up a comfortable and luxurious life to suffer together with him, a poor young man.
The anger in his heart instantly leaked away by more than half. What was there for him to be angry about? The young lady’s words were not unreasonable. The silver belonged to the Wen family. Even if the young lady had a share, it had nothing to do with him. And if today’s seafood meal was included, he was still penniless.
Seeing that his expression gradually calmed, Wen Shuse secretly let out a breath of relief. Her fingers quietly hooked onto his sleeve. “It’s getting late. Husband, let’s go home.”
He allowed his little wife to lead him out. When they reached the carriage in front of the restaurant, Xie Shao turned back and looked once more at the three-story building before him. A flood of glittering lanterns dazzled the eyes, voices surged everywhere, and all he saw was a world of luxury and gold.
The young lady’s words just now had been wrong. It should be he who sighed, with a celestial wife at home who was rich beyond measure. How could he possibly not work hard?
One meal had revealed a young, wealthy merchant lady. The boldness he had shown before her earlier now seemed like showing off before a master, and he no longer had the slightest confidence.
His little wife had already said it clearly. Her surname was not Wen. She was Young Madam Xie. Then he could not let her live worse than she had in the Wen family.
This morning, he still wanted to be content with the present and spend two leisurely days with the young lady. Now, he no longer had the mood. As soon as he sat in the carriage, he began planning in his heart. The moment they returned to the residence, he immediately instructed Minzhang, “Make preparations. Tomorrow, we enter the palace.”
—
After all the delays, by the time they finished bathing, it was already past the hour of Hai.
Seeing Xie Shao occasionally fall into a daze, Wen Shuse knew he was trying hard to digest everything and did her best not to disturb him.
He hadn’t snapped at her, hadn’t given her any attitude. He had even helped her into the carriage as always, and on the ride home, he hadn’t let go of her hand, holding it the entire way. To do all that was already a rare and remarkable quality in a husband.
Lying in bed and seeing that her husband’s eyes were still open, she turned onto her side of her own accord and hugged him, asking softly, “Husband, are you angry?”
She might still have something she was hiding from him.
But the Xie family’s matters were not hers to speak of. Old Madam Xie would arrive in the Eastern Capital in a few days, and by then, she would surely tell her husband.
Neither of their families had gone bankrupt. Her husband not only had power but money as well. He was handsome, talented, and accomplished in both civil and military matters. There was no more perfect husband under heaven.
Which young lady could see him and not be moved?
Yet he was hers. A swell of pride rose in her heart. She was grateful that the person she had met on the wedding night had been him, and also felt a trace of lingering fear. If the one she had truly married had been Eldest Young Master, and not the husband before her, what would she have done?
She had been wrong. She had wronged the Bodhisattva. She should not have scraped the gold from the Bodhisattva’s statue. When she returned to Fengcheng someday, she would definitely go to the estate and have Xiangyun gild the Bodhisattva anew, then light several sticks of incense and apologize.
Xie Shao looked at the young lady’s face, which seemed to be asking forgiveness for having done wrong. The last bit of awkwardness in his heart vanished completely. He reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, saying gently, “No. I married a wealthy merchant’s daughter. I should be happy.”
The moment his words fell, his little wife in his arms suddenly lifted her head and kissed his jaw. Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at him. “Husband is truly good. I thought that once you found out, you’d skin me alive.”
At least she had some self-awareness.
Xie Shao smiled. His palm gently stroked her shoulder as he said in a low voice, “Wife would rather give up good days and follow me through hardship. Since you treat me with such sincerity, how could I let you down?”
He lowered his head and looked at her upturned red lips, their faint outline, and the subtle fragrance drifting from her. Beneath the hazy night, every bit of her stirred boundless imagination.
Whether he was angry or not, no longer mattered. His thoughts had already turned in another direction.
“This husband is still working hard on everything else, but there is one thing I can manage.”
The young lady had no idea danger was near. She asked blankly, “Manage what?”
Her husband did not answer. He pressed his lips down over hers, tracing them for a while, his kiss leaving his little wife dizzy and disoriented. Only then did he move to her earlobe, biting it lightly as he said hoarsely, “To give my wife pleasure.”
His lips wandered along her neck. Wen Shuse had no strength left to resist. She was simply stunned at what sort of twisted logic this was. “Husband, do you have no shame…”
Before she could finish, his hand brushed the bud he had just plucked the night before, and the young lady cried out softly, every scattered sound swallowed by him.
—
The next morning, the young lady bore new marks atop old ones. In the night, her husband had applied the same wound powder he used for his shoulder injury onto her. A cool sensation had briefly covered the burning soreness, but once the medicine wore off, it returned to the same feeling as yesterday, sore and swollen.
Her husband had entered the palace early to receive his orders and report for duty. Before leaving, he had planted a firm kiss on the back of her neck. “Wife should rest properly at home. I’m going to work hard.”
Yesterday, Aunt Qing had even told her, “At Young Master’s age, he is at the height of strength and vigor. Once he breaks restraint, Young Lady will have to suffer.”
At the time, she had not understood what those words meant. Today, she finally knew.
Where was he merely strong and vigorous? He was a donkey.
He had not been angry, nor had he skinned her alive. He had simply vented all that breath of frustration elsewhere. Looking at the marks on her neck and shoulders in the bronze mirror, she gritted her teeth and cursed, “Beast!”
How was she supposed to go out now?
Since she could not go out, Uncle Wen came to see her instead. Seeing Wen Shuse, his whole face was bright with energy. “I followed Second Young Lady’s instructions and delivered that contract to Minister Jiang last night. Early this morning, Minister Jiang sent someone over with it.”
As he spoke, he took the contract from his sleeve and handed it to Wen Shuse.
Wen Shuse accepted it and unfolded it. At once, she saw that Minister Jiang’s fingerprint had already been pressed onto the contract.
Then it was done.
Wen Shuse let out a breath of relief and returned the contract to Uncle Wen. “Officials’ minds have eighteen twists and turns inside them. Whoever guesses the trick within becomes the winner. Uncle Wen, just go back and prepare the silver.”
Two days later, while the other three restaurants were still probing one another over the prices they had offered, Mixian Tower suddenly withdrew from the bidding and stopped pursuing the Jiang family heirloom.
Since a purchase contract had already been signed with Minister Jiang beforehand, Uncle Wen was considered to have breached the agreement. According to the compensation price written in the clauses, he paid Minister Jiang every coin owed, not one coin less.
Minister Jiang sighed and said that the whole matter had spoiled his mood. Since this must be Heaven’s will, he would continue keeping the family heirloom and no longer intended to sell it.
The other three restaurants still had not understood what was going on. Two days later, the restaurant chosen to present dishes at the crown prince’s banquet was set as Mixian Tower.
Uncle Wen was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground. Wen Shuse also went to the restaurant to help. After confirming the wine and dishes to be presented with Uncle Wen, she had just stepped out the door when she saw Eldest Madam Wen standing outside.
After several days without seeing her, Eldest Madam looked much more haggard.
Ever since Eldest Young Master Wen and Third Young Lady had gone to the Xie residence last time and returned, Eldest Madam had been unable to sleep. Regret was useless. She could only blame herself for burning her bridges.
They had agreed to have nothing to do with each other. Now, no matter how well the other side lived, she had no face to come knocking. That is, until today, when the Countess came to find her.
The moment the Countess entered, she smiled and complained, “I have truly regarded Eldest Madam Wen as a sister, yet Eldest Madam still does not trust me. You kept things hidden and tucked away, making me suffer so much from being kept in the dark.”
The Eldest Madam was completely bewildered, her heart thudding uneasily. “Ever since my Wen family came to the Eastern Capital, we have been fortunate to receive the Countess’s regard. I am already deeply grateful that you treat me as a sister. How would I dare conceal anything from you? I wonder what matter Madam is referring to?”
The Countess smiled. “Eldest Madam is still pretending with me? If not for Sixth Young Lady Yang’s coming-of-age ceremony a few days ago, when the Second Princess held a banquet for her at Mixian Tower, I would not even have known that the owner of Mixian Tower was actually Second Master Wen. This time, for the crown prince’s congratulatory banquet, Mixian Tower was chosen to present dishes. Such a wonderful matter, yet I had never heard Eldest Madam mention it before. If this isn’t concealment, then what is?”
Eldest Madam’s mind buzzed loudly. Her expression was shocked and dazed, and for a long while, she could not react at all.
Only then did the Countess realize something was off. Puzzled, she asked, “Could it be that Eldest Madam Wen did not know either?”
If she had known, would she have done such foolish things?
Second Master Wen… Wen Shuse… That wretched girl had actually hidden such a huge matter from her. What was her intention?
Eldest Madam’s face turned pale. Just a few days ago, in front of the Countess, she had still been belittling the second branch for being useless and unambitious, saying they had survived entirely by relying on the eldest branch’s support. Yet only a few days had passed…
They were all one family, yet the second branch had not gone bankrupt at all. They had even bought such a large restaurant in the Eastern Capital and kept the eldest branch completely in the dark. Outsiders had learned of it before she did.
The Countess’s puzzled gaze was like needles and a branding iron. The Eldest Madam was so ashamed that her face nearly burned away. She opened her mouth and forced out a smile. “What is Countess saying? I only learned of this matter a few days ago as well. Madam may not know, but the Second Young Lady Wen was spoiled rotten by her grandmother since childhood. She spends money with a lavish hand. In order to preserve the family fortune, Second Master took great pains and even kept it hidden from us…”
“I do believe that,” the Countess said. “Second Young Lady is indeed generous. I heard she even sent fireworks to enliven Sixth Lady Yang’s birthday.”
Eldest Madam did not even know how she managed to see the Countess off. Once the carriage left the alley, she turned back and cried out, “Heavens above! That spendthrift girl kept me in the dark so cruelly!”
Mixian Tower. Even Eldest Master had only gone there once or twice.
On ordinary days, if she ate even one dish from that place, she felt it gave her tremendous face. Yet now, she was being told that the restaurant had been owned by Second Master Wen.
What face? What dignity? How could she still care about those things?
She immediately had someone prepare a carriage and hurried to the restaurant. When she reached the entrance, she stopped and lifted her head to look at the grand building before her, feeling as though blood were dripping from her heart with regret.