CH 20

Pei Xuan, the top scholar in Xijing and the chief editor of the Imperial Academy, had a natural tendency to please others.

Cui Ti knew this from her unique treatment as her wife, and seeing the crowds of people with admiring gazes towards them.

As she began wondering, Pei Xuan grabbed her wrist and used her chopsticks to pick up a shelled shrimp, dipping it lightly in the sauce dish. 

Feeling her husband's warm touch, Cui Ti's fair face flushed with embarrassment, like a blooming red flower, since Pei Xuan was daring in showing their intimacy at the dining table.

Bai Tang, who sat beside them, couldn't help but stare in amazement, while Mrs. Pei, instead of being displeased, watched the couple with the same enthusiasm as Bai Tang.

She pitied her daughter for having to put on a masculine facade due to societal pressures and for being unable to show any teenage impulsiveness, but now it seems Pei Xuan had taught herself to be courteous and feed her wife shelled shrimps.

Dou Qingyue, feeling lonely, opened her mouth to speak but instead ate dog food instead of shrimp. She smiled and remarked, "My cousin treats his wife very intimately.”

(T/L: Dog food usually refers to people who are surrounded by couple(s) who display affection to each other.)

Pei Xuan's countenance remained unfazed at her cousin's remark, while Cui Ti, who was still hesitant to engage with her, pretended not to hear and relished the taste of the shrimp in her mouth.

As a family of officials and eunuchs, the Dou family held themselves to high standards of etiquette and propriety. Besides Dou Qingyue, being a lady of the household, staring intently at the plate of shrimp on the dinner table was not in accordance with proper decorum.

Noticing the desire in Dou Qingyue’s eyes, Mrs. Pei playfully teased her, "Xuan'er, peel a shrimp for your cousin too." 

"Mother, men and women can't be so casual with each other unless they are in a relationship," Pei Xuan remarked as she wiped her hands with a handkerchief, then took Bait Tang's last peeled shrimp and put them in Dou Qingyue's hand, speaking with a sincere expression: "Cousin, you can eat this."

This is incomprehensible!. Dou Qingyue was so angry that she almost couldn't hold back her pitiful expression—did she really look that greedy for a shelled shrimp!?.

Her mood dropped visibly.

In order to cheer her up, Mrs. Pei offered her half of a plate of peeled shrimp to her, but Dou Qingyue only ate a few before waving her hand and saying that she couldn't eat anymore because she was feeling unwell.

Having expected this outcome, after having dinner, Pei Xuan was asked by her mother to take her cousin to the garden.

In May, the weather was fine, and Cui Ti was taken for a walk in the back garden earlier, and it was refreshing to walk with Pei Xuan, but there was now a sickly woman named Dou Qingyue between the two, and the atmosphere was very strange.

It's not that Pei Xuan deliberately neglected her cousin, it's that she always remembers her "male body" and abides by "masculine virtue", and she doesn't want to be intimate with other women, especially considering she recently got married.

Dou Qingyue, with a playful tone, said to Pei Xuan, "Cousin, you stand out a bit too much. it's not convenient for me to talk with your wife.”

Pei Xuan replied, "You can say whatever you want, but I won't listen."

"Husband." Cui Ti shook her hand: "I also want to say a few words to Qingyue."

Pei Xuan looked embarrassed, and finally compromised: "Then, I will come to you later?.”

Bai Tang who was behind her suppressed her laughter when she heard her defeated sigh. 

Dou Qingyue watched Pei Xuan leave, feeling a little irritated. She covered her mouth and coughed a few times, her face turning pale, and said, "Sister-in-law, sometimes I envy you. Pei Xuan is a level above everyone and it is no exaggeration to call him a bright phoenix. Every girl in Xijing dreams of asking him to be their daughter-in-law, yet he fell in love with you. How did you do it?.”

Cui Ti couldn't grasp Dou Qingyue's intentions, so she was cautious in her response. 

She gave an overview of how she and Pei Xuan met, and Dou Qingyue suddenly asked, "Did my cousin fall in love with my sister-in-law at first sight?.”

"Maybe so."

"What about my sister-in-law?" Dou Qingyue was momentarily embarrassed for being direct before adding, "Please don't blame me, I'm too curious.”

As long as the topic wasn’t about Pei Xuan, Cui Ti spoke comfortably about love with ease, as she responded softly, "He's a wonderful person. I believe everyone who meets him will eventually like him."

Bai Tang supported Cui Ti and secretly nodded, imagining how she would also be smitten with a man who didn't judge her for her blindness or low status, and instead wholeheartedly cared for her.

"Hah, it seems like this is it,” Dou Qingyue remarked before smiling.

Cui Ti paused, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

Maybe, with a ‘How are you?’.

Nonetheless, with Pei Xuan around, her life did turn for the better.

But Pei Xuan only appeared in her life when she was already eighteen. Prior to that, she lived in hardship, lacking food and clothing, and enduring the ridicule and mistreatment of her servants.

To ease the awkwardness in the air, Cui Ti replied with a smile, "Meeting Husband has truly been a blessing."

Pei Xuan was excluded from the women's conversation and grew bored sitting in the gazebo. She watched as the sun descended towards the west and disappeared behind the clouds, then stood up and asked herself, "Is there really so much to talk about?.”

Soon, Dou Qingyue, Bai Tang, and Cui Ti emerged from the corner of the garden. With their arrival, the dreary and oppressive atmosphere Pei Xuan felt lifted, and Cui Ti's heart, which had been beating slowly, filled with joy and vitality upon seeing her husband walking towards her.

"Okay, cousin, I'll leave you two to talk," Dou Qingyue took the initiative.

Pei Xuan adored her cousin and never spoke harshly to her, but as she waited for Cui Ti in the gazebo, she kept an eye on her as if she was going to be harsh towards her wife. 

She had no intention of coddling Dou Qingyue, who she regarded as a fragile girl, and instead suggested, "You can go play with Auntie. She's been looking forward to seeing you again since last time."

Dou Qingyue bid her farewell, "Then I will take my leave first, cousin, sister-in-law."

"Go ahead."

As night had fallen, Pei Xuan felt pity seeing her cough from time to time as it wafted into her ears, and the fragments of getting along with her cousin flashed in Pei Xuan's mind, but these fragments began to change into wonderful memories thanks to the person in front of her,  "I thought Qingyue wanted to keep you all to herself.”‘

Hearing the playful tone in her words, Cui Ti lowered her head and said angrily: "Husband thinks I’m an easy woman?.”

"No, my wife. You are as radiant as the moon and as precious as jade," Pei Xuan replied, taking her hand as they walked together in the twilight, exchanging laughter and conversation

Bai Tang watched them with emotion, happy to see her mistress finally free from her hardships. 

In the evening, someone from the Dou family came to pick up Dou Qingyue and left. As soon as she left, the big stone pressing on Cui Ti's heart was removed, and she realized that she unconsciously treated Dou Qingyue as a threat.

“What are you laughing at?" Pei Xuan asked, noticing her sudden change in mood.

Cui Ti smiled sheepishly, "I'm laughing at myself for being a coward."

"There's no shame in being afraid. Fear is a natural response to the unknown. But if you face it head-on, the fear will dissipate," she said as she dried her hair with a towel. 

Cui Ti couldn't help but steal glances at her and asked, "Is there anything you're afraid of, husband?.”

Pei Xuan sat on the wooden bench with her hair cascading down her shoulders, her typically masculine temperament softening into a tender and gentle one. Anyone who saw her in this state would hardly believe that she was a man. 

She did not ignore Cui Ti's question and knew that her wife was shy and reserved, unlikely to take the initiative, so she spoke reassuringly, "There are many things that I fear. As a child, I was afraid of mice and snakes, and as a youth, I feared my master's strictness. Fear is natural and can spur growth because it motivates us to overcome it."

Cui Ti sat across from her, gazing at Pei Xuan with admiration, and felt compelled to reveal her insecurities, "I fear that people will dislike me because I'm blind and you won't want me."

Pei Xuan slowed down as she wiped her hair and looked at Cui Ti attentively, "Wife?.”

"Pei Xuan." She said softly, "I, I'm really happy that you married me."

The stubborn and reserved wife of hers had spoken with such heartfelt emotions that it made Pei Xuan extremely happy. Besides, why is she not happy to marry Cui Ti as her wife? In this world, how many people are fortunate enough to wed the person they love?. 

Pei Xuan adjusted her jacket, ensuring that her chest appeared flat and that no flaws were visible, and then stood up, walking towards Cui Ti. "Wife, your blindness is not your fault, so don't punish yourself for it. We are husband and wife now, and we will spend the rest of our lives together. Why don't we talk about it?.”

She was still too afraid to tell Cui Ti the truth, fearing that her wife might ignore her if she knew. She felt like a coward for not being brave enough to share her secret.

Cui Ti continued, "However, it's common in Xijing for men to have multiple wives and concubines. Some start off rebellious and eventually abandon them, while others make sweet promises but fail to keep them in the end. You're a handsome young man from the Pei family, and I'm a blind girl who's not liked by my own family. If it weren’t for you then I don't know how long it would have taken to escape from that small courtyard. The fate of a poor girl like me is not in my own hands..."

"The men you mentioned are not me," Pei Xuan patiently reassured her, calming her emotions. "All I need is one wife. I will keep my word and never let you down."

Cui Ti leaned against her, feeling happy and relieved, but still holding back her laughter and remaining silent. 

The inner room was quiet, and only the sound of the couple’s heart beating was there.

After a while, Pei Xuan, who branded herself as a 'man', boldly suggested in a low voice, "Wife, it's getting late!. Let's retire to bed."