Chapter 172: Chapter 91: The Inner Courtyard Settles, the Brush Paints Illusions
Although Wei Yao was angry, she still came down and said, "But seeing the new smile, where does one hear the old weep, sir..."
Before she finished speaking, Li Xuan lifted her and placed her in front of him.
He pressed close from behind, their bodies touching.
Li Xuan whispered in Wei Yao’s ear, "Where are you crying?"
Wei Yao angrily nudged her elbow back but only felt it hit something as hard as steel.
She pouted, letting out a soft hum, but said nothing more.
Li Xuan said, "I’ve just returned, so haven’t I attended to anything yet? Now, I’ll go find Tian Yuan."
Only then did Wei Yao say, "Well, it shows you have some conscience."
Li Xuan curiously asked, "Are you so close to Tian Yuan now?"
Wei Yao replied, "You don’t know what the lady has done for this family."
As she spoke, she suddenly felt something, and her face turned crimson, even her body tingled slightly.
However... she didn’t shy away, instead cautiously moving her hips back, her breath becoming rapid.
Suddenly, Wei Yao seemed to realize something, and exclaimed, "You... how are you..."
She knew Li Xuan’s body well, so being this close, she felt incredibly surprised.
If before, in this position, she felt a strong man behind her, now she felt like it was a monster, a mountain.
She seemed like a little rabbit snuggling with a tiger, like a fish napping at a crocodile’s mouth, feeling a primal fear.
Feeling the stiffness of the woman’s soft body in front of him, Li Xuan said, "Did you think being the first in all of Great Yin was just for show?"
Although Wei Yao was scared, she still humph’d softly out of stubbornness.
...
...
When Li Xuan found Tian Yuan, she was still busy in the fabric shop.
Li Xuan stood at the door watching her busy figure, his eyes showing warmth.
He may not owe this woman, but... he owes his wife.
As a woman from the Tian family, Tian Yuan could be said to have reached success and glory, her life completely changed.
But as Li Xuan’s wife, she spent more time apart from her husband, numbing herself with busyness.
A brocade-weaving girl next to Tian Yuan was the first to notice Li Xuan’s arrival. She looked towards the lady and softly said, "President, Prince Qing is here..."
Tian Yuan’s delicate body stiffened, she set down her work and turned around slowly.
Li Xuan called out, "Sister Yuan."
Tian Yuan had a thousand words to say, but was dumbfounded by her husband’s sudden strange address, only managing to utter, "Husband..."
Li Xuan said, "Today is the day of my return, why did you leave after greeting me at the county gate?"
Tian Yuan brushed her hands and walked to his side, both leaving the room.
Inside, the brocade-weaving girls secretly laughed, whispering about how tall and mighty Prince Qing was.
Many of these brocade-weaving girls had never met Li Xuan, and were completely summoned by Tian Yuan for their skill and dexterity.
Due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, some had lost their husbands, others faced economic difficulties.
Tian Yuan summoned them, settled them down, and treated them well. So, in their hearts, Tian Yuan was not just the lady of the Li family, the president of the Li family business, but also a benefactor.
Outside, Tian Yuan bowed her head and softly said, "I don’t know what kind of person the princess is, afraid of causing trouble at Prince Qing’s Mansion.
And these days, many visitors have been coming and going.
If any incidents occur, it would be others laughing at the Li family.
I know leaving after greeting wasn’t quite right, but for the bigger picture...
Before she finished, Li Xuan gently lifted her chin and softly said, "Sister Yuan, you’ve worked hard."
Tian Yuan showed a warm and pure smile, "Not hard."
Li Xuan said, "Prepare sedan chairs and people. Zhao Qingxue brought four hundred and thirty-one people into Prince Qing’s Mansion, you bring the same amount."
Tian Yuan let out a small laugh and said, "I have no intention of competing with her."
Li Xuan said, "Can’t find that many people?"
Tian Yuan shook her head.
Can’t find them?
How could that be possible?
If she wanted, she could mobilize the entire Xiongshan County.
However, most outsiders only recognized Prince Qing and the princess, rarely acknowledging her.
This is the "natives" vs "settlers" dynamic, the "local tyrants" versus "newcomers."
Usually, "local tyrants" would try to suppress "newcomers," but she wanted to focus on the big picture and avoid such conflicts.
Moreover... she was just a girl from a small county family, carrying a rustic air, how could she compare to a princess of noble birth?
Li Xuan said, "If you can find them, then go."
Tian Yuan said, "I don’t want to."
Li Xuan looked at her stubbornness, thought for a moment, and said, "Of the four hundred and thirty-one people she brought, none are her own, among them are spies sent by the Sovereign to monitor me.
If Sister Yuan doesn’t bring people to help me squeeze these people out, it would be a headache for me."
Tian Yuan grumbled, "I..."
Li Xuan pulled her and said, "Let’s go, Sister Yuan. These are small matters."
Tian Yuan, letting him pull her along, smiled and asked, "Then what is a big matter?"
Li Xuan softly replied, "Having children, after that, I need to continue cultivating."
Tian Yuan put herself in his shoes and thought, saying, "That’s true, it’s time to have children."
After speaking, she continued, "Why did husband suddenly call me Sister Yuan?"
Li Xuan said, "Seeing you so busy, so earnest, supporting a part of the sky for the Li family... calling you sister seems appropriate."
Tian Yuan showed her girlish side and playfully hummed, "Then I should call you Brother Xuan."
Li Xuan laughed and said, "Then let’s each call the other."
...
...
On that day, Li Xuan accompanied Tian Yuan, leading four hundred and thirty-one followers of the Li family, including Tian Yuan’s confidants, into Prince Qing’s Mansion for the second time. Wei Yao, and Rose who had disguised herself, were also among them.
As a result, the back courtyard of Prince Qing’s Mansion was divided into two, becoming the eastern and western courtyards.
