Chapter 573: Chapter 562: This Little Face Looks So Familiar
Madam Cui Xuan has such a good temperament, respectful to her parents-in-law and considerate of the younger generation, gentle and mild-mannered. Yet Cui Yang could still reach this point with her.
Prince Gong couldn’t help but think of another person.
Cui Yang’s first wife.
"Initially, you were fairly considerate and caring towards the former one, but I could tell that it wasn’t wholehearted. It was merely fulfilling a husband’s duties. Later, when you married Miss Xuan, I thought you had come to your senses, managing to handle the situation with agility. Had I known you would delay and waste her time like this, there were many noble families wanting to marry their daughters to your younger brother at that time. I should have helped them instead; it would have been better than committing such sins."
As a result, every time he saw Madam Cui Xuan, he felt indebted.
Cui Yang wanted to say it wasn’t like that.
But what was it like then?
To say he has never liked someone this much? Liked to the extent of daring not to reveal his feelings,
Not daring to let her know how base his desire for her really was.
He clearly couldn’t wait to be entangled with her at all times, pounding her fiercely when she begged for mercy.
But every time, he would carefully time it, not daring to stay inside her too long before withdrawing.
Even so, she would end up crying, unable to take it.
He learned to be, in her presence, like those refined and literate men, who are not calculating about gains or losses and considerate only for the sake of others, that she liked.
For a while, he actually succeeded. Madam Cui Xuan’s smile became more evident when she was discussing poetry and writings with him.
Once on a rainy day, he waded through the mud on the mountain trails, yet steadily carried her, who had long since lost her strength, all the way into the Daoist School on his back.
That night, Xuan Shuyu showed rare dependence on him, even enduring the embarrassment and placing her hand around his neck without letting go: "Young man, do not leave."
But where did it go wrong?
It seems that some things, the more he tries to learn from the books, the more confused he gets, to the point of ending up in such a situation.
Later on, seeing the disappointment in Madam Cui Xuan’s eyes, he chose to escape.
In fact, it was all mistakes.
Now not in the barracks, seeing her every day is excruciating.
Prince Gong saw him distracted: "What’s wrong, is your girl not getting along with you?"
That remark earned him a solid punch.
"Cui Yang!"
"It’s you who’s asking for a beating."
When he staggered back to the main courtyard, his steps unsure,
The lights in the main courtyard were still on.
Cui Yang stood in place for a long time, then turned and walked towards another place.
Perhaps because he had drunk tonight, all his emotions surged uncontrollably. He had not walked far when he suddenly turned around and strode back in large steps.
"Marquis, no, Madam is bathing."
The old woman guarding the night outside hastily spoke up.
With a ’bang’, the door was kicked open.
The noise outside had long been heard by Xuan Shuyu; she furrowed her brows, quickly dried off her body, reached for her nightgown, barely draped it on without getting the chance to fasten the buttons when he barged in.
The room was filled with mist.
The washroom was filled with a familiar light fragrance.
Madam Cui Xuan looked graceful and willowy. You couldn’t tell from her baby face that she had already given birth to two sons, with curves in all the right places becoming plumper.
She seemed slightly startled and quickly turned her back to properly tidy herself up.
Cui Yang’s eyes were piercing, watching intently without blinking.
A voice inside him was telling him.
To leave.
She does not like this.
There must be a sense of propriety and distance maintained between husband and wife.
But he hadn’t.
He didn’t want to leave.
Xuan Shuyu was embraced from behind, her eyes pausing slightly, while the hand on her waist tightened greedily.
In her petite frame, wrapped in the arms of the burly Cui Yang, she was inconsequential.
"Let go!"
——How about you show some weakness appropriately? Your girl has a soft heart; she won’t always kick you out.
Prince Gong’s words echoed in his ear.
"I’m drunk."
"Go crazy somewhere else."
Xuan Shuyu said coldly.
Cui Yang’s hands were not very honest either, again and again, they ventured to touch her waist.
It dawned on her belatedly that she and Cui Yang had maintained a relationship in name only for many years. She had long passed the age of jealousy.
"If the Marquis is interested, I will arrange for a few sisters to serve you."
Cui Yang’s burning breath gradually cooled down with that statement.
"Shuyu."
Hoarse and husky.
"Am I wrong?"
Hence, I don’t deserve forgiveness.
"You worry too much, Marquis."
Her eyes showed detachment, and this time she gently pushed him away. She turned around and started to leave. She walked very slowly, with the poise of a commanded woman of Shengjing, dignified and graceful.
After years of sharing a bed without sharing dreams, Cui Yang was no longer allowed to set foot in this room.
Seeing her walking away, about to go behind the screen, he was engulfed by a suffocating panic.
He came forward, gripping Xuan Shuyu’s hand tightly, refusing to let her go.
Under the influence of alcohol, all pretenses he had in front of Xuan Shuyu were gone. He was ferocious, like a wolf.
His profound eyes overflowed with an insatiable desire for possession that drowned all reason.
"Don’t you want it even a little?"
"Was it because I hurt you before? Or do you dislike the way I treat you?"
"I know you had someone in your heart before you married, but what of it? I thought I wasn’t so bad either."
He lowered his head to kiss her.
But his voice became fragile.
"If I say I actually love you to the bone, would you be less cruel to me?"
Xuan Shuyu listened quietly.
"There’s no need to mention other things between us, I do not wish to believe or to hear. Actually, things are quite alright now."
"Cui Yang, you hurt me thus, why should I care about you?"
He was never good with words. He could only press down and clumsily kiss her.
Xuan Shuyu did not move, letting him kiss her. Like an emotionless paper doll, her unresisting and non-cooperative attitude was like pouring cold water over Cui Yang.
He slowly drew back.
Meeting Xuan Shuyu’s lucid gaze.
"Do you still remember, on the day you married me, what promises you made in front of my parents?"
Cui Yang’s fingertips trembled.
He said he would treat Shuyu well, so her parents need not worry.
Xuan Shuyu smiled and said, "But you didn’t do it; you broke your promise."
————
Cui Yun hurried to Fengzhou, heading straight for the Shen Family.
Shen Hua recuperated well; her injuries weren’t serious, and she was rushing outside energetically.
"I told you not to follow me. Look at our statuses. What’s mine and what’s yours."
"I, a concubine daughter, will definitely not take you out with me."
Despite her harsh words, her footsteps involuntarily slowed down.
Sweating, Shen Zhui followed eagerly behind, eventually wrapping his arms around the girl’s arm, rubbing gently.
"Elder sister."
Shen Hua scoffed, "That won’t work on me."
After about 15 minutes, she, with her unapproachable and terrible expression, passed by Cui Yun who was holding a horse.
Suddenly, the girl stepped back a few paces.
"Elder sister, do you know him?"
Shen Hua held herself high and mighty, sweeping a casual glance, her mind buffering.
Over the year, Cui Yun had in fact changed a great deal.
He silently stared at her, hearing her say.
"Look, this little face seems quite familiar."
Her voice was soft and delicate, characteristic of the Fengzhou local accent.
For some reason, Shen Hua felt an inexplicable panic. She felt the same unease when she awoke from a nightmare a few days ago. She did not hesitate to pull Shen Zhui and leave.
"Elder sister?"
Shen Hua’s tone was heavy: "Hurry, let’s go. Surely this person resembles the madman in my dreams."
