The Slender Waist

"My son is a man of great talent and should be matched with a lady from a reputable family. Marrying a songstress is truly beneath him..."

"Mother!" He Chuandong protested.

Lady He’s faced darkened, "I am asking you, if I were to step in and arrange a marriage with the third lady as your secondary wife, would you be willing or not?"

He Chuandong’s face changed, "Mother, what are you thinking?"

Lady He said, "I am also thinking of your best interest. Nowadays, taking a secondary wife isn’t something extraordinary. We cannot embarrass the Princess of Yonghuai, nor can we wrong the third lady. A secondary wife is the best solution..."

"I do not agree." He Chuandong frowned, then suddenly straightened his expression, turning to He Qia with a voice even lower.

"Father, this Mrs. Yang choosing to come to us now is certainly not with good intentions..."

When he returned to the He Residence, He Chuandong had seen Xiaoman who came from Huaxi.

Xiaoman told her that the Princess had received news that Mrs. Yang was a spy from Yecheng.

Her purpose for coming to the Governor’s Office at this time was twofold: first, to probe into the extent of Prince Yonghuai’s injuries, and second, to stir up trouble between the Governor and Prince Yonghuai, aiming to destabilize Andu and disrupt the situation in Xijing.

He Chuandong had known Mrs. Yang since childhood.

If it were someone else, he might believe it.

But claiming that Mrs. Yang was a spy from Yecheng, he was actually skeptical...

Without expectation, while he was still outside, he overheard his parents arguing over the Princess of Yonghuai, and Mrs. Yang was lingering in the corridor, possibly eavesdropping.

He began to believe it.

He Qia and Lady He, however, did not believe it.

"Nonsense!" Lady He was so agitated she almost jumped up, but seeing He Qia’s cold stare and his gesture that walls have ears, she lowered her voice again.

"I may not be clear about others, but do I not know the third lady? With her gentle and weak appearance, she a spy, do you take me for a fool?"

"Believe it or not, that’s up to you." He Chuandong warned Lady He with a cold face and a low voice.

"The He family has finally found peace. If Mother has had enough, you can certainly make the decision for me, marry Mrs. Yang as my secondary wife. After all, my life and future are not important, what is most important is Mother’s desire to receive the dignity of marrying a highborn lady into the family as your daughter-in-law."

Having said that, he turned and strode out.

After a few steps, he suddenly turned back, staring at Lady He.

"If you disregard my wishes, then Mother and Father, you had better start preparing, raise another dutiful son."

"You..."

Lady He’s eyes widened, watching her son leave resolutely, and she was left dumbfounded.

"Look at that, your fine son, is that how a son speaks to his mother? Where did he pick up such bad habits? Yutangchun is not a good place, my well-behaved son, my dutiful son, before even marrying a wife, he dares to argue with his mother..."

"Spare me a few words!" He Qia scolded coldly.

He slowly stood up, pacing with his hands behind his back in the room.

"What the boy said might not be to deceive you and me."

Lady He: "What do you mean by that, my lord?"

He Qia gave her a cold glance, "As a woman, how could you understand the perils of the situation? The King is seriously injured, and from the south, east, and north, who isn’t coveting our position? Mrs. Yang didn’t seek our help even in her most difficult times, yet she chooses to come right before our son’s wedding, tell me, if that isn’t courting trouble, what is it?"

Lady He: "Back in Central Capital, I was very close to the third lady. She was my chosen daughter-in-law, no one else would be a regret in my heart. My lord, this is our son’s last chance to marry a lady of a noble house, the opportunity has come knocking, we cannot reject her at our doorstep; I can explain to the Princess as well..."

"Foolish!"

He Qia suddenly turned around.

He wanted to say something but finally swallowed his words, leaving only a sigh.

The lady is but a mere woman, seeing only the affairs within the household. The Feng Yun she believes she knows is the same as she, always occupied with trivialities within the inner courtyard. However, the Feng Yun in He Qia’s eyes is a woman of spirit, one who repays kindness and ensures vengeance is served.

The He family has failed Wen Hui.

They have not only wronged a songstress.

They have greatly offended Feng Yun.

"If you are fond of the third lady, then go and live with her. I’m tired of arguing with you," He Qia shook his head, saying in a low voice:

"But let me warn you, if you dare to spout nonsense in front of Mrs. Yang, saying what should not be said, don’t blame me for not cherishing husband and wife sentiments."

He strode away.

Lady He opened her mouth but was unable to speak for a long while.

"What could I say?"

She was completely unaware of political affairs.

Even if Mrs. Yang was a spy, what could she possibly find out?

She still did not believe it.

-

The news from the He Residence quickly spread to Huaxi Village.

It was He Qia who had come in person.

For caution’s sake, Pei Jue did not meet him and still used the excuse of recuperating from an illness, quietly lying in the inner room.

Feng Yun received him with a full-faced smile.

The two of them beat around the bush and chatted about this and that, then He Qia excused himself and left.

They didn’t talk much, but the intended messages were all made clear.

Feng Yun smiled as she saw him out.

When she returned to the room, she saw Pei Jue sitting up straight and scrutinizing her.

"Did you tell the He Family that Madam Yang is a spy?"

"Hmm?" Feng Yun lifted her chin lazily, "Is the great king interrogating me?"

Pei Jue sighed, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead, "Without solid evidence, one must not speak carelessly."

"Who says I don’t have solid evidence?" Feng Yun glanced at him, thought for a moment, then looked away and said indifferently, "Right now, I don’t, but I will have it soon. I’ve sent someone to investigate. Just wait and see, my king."

Pei Jue turned her face towards him, dead serious.

"Lady Yun, be careful, as disaster comes from the mouth."

The situation in Andu changes with each passing day.

Ever since Pei Jue came to recover from his injuries, an increasing number of people settled in Andu. As Feng Yun had predicted, the land and housing prices soared...

Many things were also changing without making a sound.

Various factions were subtly contending with each other.

The complexity of the situation could not be summed up in a few words.

Pei Jue was in a conspicuous position, like a target for all. That’s why he treated his minor injury as a serious one, hiding behind the scenes in order to see exactly how many turtles were lurking in the muddy waters.

"Is the king afraid I’ll startle the snake in the grass?"

Feng Yun quickly sensed something from Pei Jue’s grave expression.

"Are you pretending to be sick to lure the snake out of its hole?"

Pei Jue held her hand and placed it on his shoulder wound.

"When have I ever pretended to be ill?"

Feng Yun raised her eyebrows slightly, "Then you won’t be able to attend the wedding the day after tomorrow."

Pei Jue hummed in agreement, afraid she would think too much of it, and then added another explanation.

"I’m not blaming you. Lady Yun, the way you probed was excellent."

"Then what do you mean by your peculiar tone?"

Where was there any in a peculiar tone?

Pei Jue sighed softly, "I’m worried about you."

Trouble comes from seeking to stand out.

Being too conspicuous is not a good thing for an individual.

He had many concerns, but looking at the beautiful young lady in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to voice them.

"Never mind, whatever you want to do, just do it."

Feng Yun pouted playfully, "That’s more like it! I have no wish to bear the unfounded accusation of a seductive troublemaker."

Pei Jue: ...

He held her close and was about to kiss her again when Feng Yun pushed him away with distaste.

"Your hands are so rough, and so is your face, it’s scratching me."

Pei Jue looked seriously at his own hands, then took her soft, white hands into his palm, rubbing gently, without a word for a moment.

Feng Yun said, "I’ve prepared some face cream for you. When you recover at the villa, use it every day, and soon you will have smooth and clean skin."

Pei Jue frowned, "What kind of talk is that?"

Feng Yun looked at him askance, "What’s wrong with that? Can’t a general have fair skin? A fair-skinned general is so alluring."

Pei Jue was speechless. He let her fuss over him, applying the face cream all over his face. Just as his thoughts began to run wild, and he was thinking about pressing her into his arms for a thorough handling, someone suddenly came to report from outside.

"Crown Prince Chunyu has returned and wishes to see the lady. He says he has good news to share."

Feng Yun was startled and sat up abruptly from the couch.

What good news could that deadbeat bring back after two months away?

She hurriedly put on her clothes, "Let the Princely Heir wait in the guest hall, I’ll be there immediately."

Pei Jue watched her rush off, and his eyes narrowed slightly, a dark shadow flickering in the depths of his pupils.

If he remembered correctly, that Chunyu Yan was indeed a fair-skinned one...

Hands fair, face fair, everything fair...