Free Web NovelChapter 229: Chapter 229: Playing the Fool, Everyone Goes Home
Madam Wei had been waiting for her grandson in the carriage outside the gate, worried he had gotten into an argument with the Emperor.
But after waiting for several hours, she still hadn’t seen Wei Ting emerge.
She sent someone to ask and learned he was drunk at a table, refusing to leave for anyone.
At an empty table, Wei Ting mournfully poured himself a cup. He faced the thousand-year-old orchid, which he found rather unattractive, and downed the drink in one gulp.
Before the wine could even begin to drown his sorrows...
...he was struck hard on the back.
"Hiss!"
Wei Ting whirled around, his eyes sharp, and met the cold, stern gaze of Madam Wei.
The old woman’s voice was even fiercer. "You little rascal, what kind of trouble are you causing here? We’re going home!"
The blow seemed to knock all the sorrow right out of Wei Ting. He stood up and followed Madam Wei out.
Dressed in his red wedding robe, Li Chengxun should have been basking in a day of triumph. Instead, he looked as if he had aged a year. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
But Wei Ting had only taken a few steps before he strode back.
Li Chengxun’s brow furrowed again. "General Wei."
Wei Ting ignored him and went straight to the miniature landscape in front of the table. He squatted down, picked up the pot with the thousand-year-old orchid, and carried it away.
Only then did a sense of peace finally settle over the front hall of the Princess Mansion.
But one person remained, sitting alone in the moonlight, gazing toward the main gate. Zhao Minghong had practically become a statue, waiting for his wife.
Princess Qingyun said to her maid, "Go to the gate and see if Princess Yong has arrived. If not, send someone to hurry her along."
Zhao Minghong wasn’t crying anymore, but he had grown listless, his face a mask of utter dejection.
It was clear he couldn’t function without Tao Wanxin. Princess Qingyun found her third brother’s state utterly baffling.
She tried to console him. "Third Brother, your wife will be here soon. Just hang in there."
Everyone was saying that Prince Yong disliked the eldest daughter of Mr. Tao’s family and had only married her because he couldn’t refuse a decree from the Emperor, leaving her as a mere ornament in his home.
Princess Qingyun was one of the few who knew the inside story. She knew it wasn’t that her third brother didn’t love her.
In the beginning, the Empress Dowager had favored a young lady from another family. It was Zhao Minghong who had gone to plead with Emperor Wu Su to intervene, and only then did he win the beauty for his bride.
But for some reason, the two had grown completely estranged.
"Did you have a fight with her?"
Princess Qingyun couldn’t think of any other reason that could turn Prince Yong into such a resentful husband.
Zhao Minghong replied, "She’s never willing to argue with me."
Princess Qingyun said, "Isn’t that a good thing? Arguments affect a couple’s feelings for each other."
Zhao Minghong sneered. "Feelings?"
’That wedding night,’ he thought, ’was the greatest irony of all.’
’Everyone in Lin’an City knew the Tao family had the strictest rules. Tao Wanxin was famous for being a "wooden beauty," renowned for her prim and proper demeanor, never casually interacting with men outside her family.’
’His own personality had been wild and unrestrained since childhood, yet he had somehow gradually fallen for this serious, stern-talking little prude.’
’On their wedding night, he discovered that Tao Wanxin was not a virgin. This sudden cuckolding nearly drove him mad with rage.’
’For the next half a month, he frantically investigated who Tao Wanxin could have been with, but he found nothing.’
’After half a month of cooling down, he saw the soups and pastries delivered daily to his study in the Prince Mansion.’
’He accepted this peace offering.’
’After all, this was the Princess Consort he had obtained only by kneeling before Emperor Wu Su for days. He couldn’t bear to let her go so easily.’
’He could forgive what happened before their marriage.’
’Zhao Minghong stepped into their bridal chamber again. But Tao Wanxin, incredibly, didn’t appreciate his forgiveness and still wanted to keep her body for that other man.’
’Her body’s reaction couldn’t be faked. Tao Wanxin threw up all over him, her face as white as a paper effigy.’
’Did he disgust her that much? Then why was she trying to make peace?’
’Why was it that if she had someone else in her heart, he couldn’t have others as well?’
’It was laughable, really. Every concubine in his mansion bore some resemblance to her—the eyes, the mouth, the ears, the nose. He had practically assembled a collection of women who looked like every part of her.’
’The more he tried to forget, the more he couldn’t.’
’After that, she’d use the same trick again, and he’d still fall for it...’
At this thought, Zhao Minghong couldn’t contain his anger and thumped his own chest hard.
"She has someone else in her heart, so of course she’s not willing to argue with me."
Zhao Minghong’s resentment was palpable.
"What wife is indifferent to her husband taking concubines? She puts on that magnanimous act every day. Even if the rear courtyard of the Prince Mansion ran out of space, she’d probably give up her own courtyard for the concubines to live in."
He continued sarcastically, "Having a mistress like that is truly a blessing for the concubines."
Princess Qingyun, who had been listening silently, summarized.
"Well, you haven’t lost out, Third Brother. Your wife has someone else in her heart, and you have other people in your bed."
Zhao Minghong was speechless. "...Whose side are you on, anyway?"
A maid came running over, panting as she spoke. "Princess, she’s here! She’s here! The carriage from Prince Yong’s Mansion has stopped at the gate. The Princess Consort will be inside shortly."
Princess Qingyun nodded. "Third Brother, you’ve finally gotten your wife."
Zhao Minghong said dismissively, "Who cares about her? Who was waiting for her!"
But what he said and what he did were two different things.
Princess Qingyun was stunned. The man before her, her third brother, seemed like a complete stranger.
Under the hazy moonlight, Prince Yong raised his head to gaze at the sky.
Zhao Minghong had already shed his dejected demeanor. Even the wrinkles on his robe seemed to have miraculously vanished.
His profile was sharp, his gaze deep and profound. He looked as if he were about to be struck by poetic inspiration and start reciting verses at any moment.
Princess Qingyun asked, "Is this how you act in front of your wife?" ’That face is quite deceptive when he’s not talking,’ she thought.
Zhao Minghong’s lips barely moved as he squeezed the words through his teeth.
"What do you know? Her type—those bookish prudes—they love this kind of pretentious act."
When Princess Yong entered, she was greeted by the sight of Prince Yong posing as a gentlemanly poet under the moon.
Upon seeing Tao Wanxin, Princess Qingyun actively took a few steps to greet her, as if she were seeing her savior.
She said hurriedly, "Sister-in-law, you’re finally here! I’ll leave my brother in your hands."
Tao Wanxin looked at Qingyun in her wedding attire and said apologetically, "I’m sorry the Prince has caused you trouble, Princess. I’m here now. You should hurry back to your bridal chamber."
After Princess Qingyun and her maid hurried away, Tao Wanxin walked over to Prince Yong’s side.
"Prince."
Zhao Minghong said, "What are you doing back here?"
Tao Wanxin replied calmly, "I came to escort the Prince back to the mansion."
She explained, "Concubine Du sent someone to say she was having terrible stomach pains. Eunuch Changlu asked for the Prince’s permission, and I went back first to get a doctor to see her."
Zhao Minghong retorted, "So you just abandoned me here for her?"
’What does he mean, "for her"?’ she thought. ’Wasn’t it for the sake of his heir?’
’Still, it was true that for every palace banquet before, Prince Yong had insisted they arrive and leave together.’
Tao Wanxin said, "This is the Princess Mansion. I knew the Prince would be safe here."
Smelling the heavy scent of alcohol on him, she said, "The Prince is drunk. Let’s go back first, shall we?"
Zhao Minghong turned to look into her eyes, which were as placid as an old well, revealing not a hint of affection for him.
Emboldened by the alcohol, Zhao Minghong became unreasonable. "You just wish something would happen to me! Then you could fly away with your beloved!"
