The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband

The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband – Chapter 33

Translated by: Oinkoink

Chapter 33 – Thoughts

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“Young Miss, just try on the phoenix coronet (bride’s headdress) and the embroidered wedding dress. Tomorrow is the wedding day, what’s to be done if it doesn’t fit?”

Gazing at the soaring phoenix embroidered wedding dress for a moment, Ye Huaiyang finally spoke, “Bring it over.”

This set of wedding dress and that piece of lotus-leaf double carp sapphire pendant were things that her parents put aside for her before they left. Their natural dispositions were sanguine that they yearned for the mountains and rivers. Not knowing when they would return, both husband and wife had prepared her dowry in advance. So, even if they couldn’t be there when she gets married, she could at least be touched with their keepsake. 

All these things were originally kept in the clan family home. Seeing that she had moved here, Ye Huaixin sent everything over. Yue’ya had first sorted out the wedding dress and jewelry before placing all out for almost a month, yet Ye Huaiyang didn’t glance at them even once which was truly worrisome. She didn’t know what had happened. Now that she was willing to try them on, Yue’ya was able to release a breath of relief.

The moment Ye Huaiyang walked out from behind the screen after changing her clothes, all the maidservants in the room were rendered speechless.

Such a beautiful woman was capable of causing the down-fall of a country*.

[T/N: 倾国倾城 (Qīng guó qīngchéng) – all over the country which also mean devastatingly beautiful. Ancient scholars analysed through history that such women were disasters whose beauties were enough to overwhelm the country or allure the country which also meant overthrowing the state. Later, people agreed to use it to describe a woman with a beautiful appearance. This idiom has been used as a compliment for the stunning beauty, and has no derogatory meaning. The inclination here is not meant to be overturned, but should be understood as admiration.]

Restraining her exclamation of astonishment, Yue’ya was thinking about what sort of makeup to match this gorgeous attire when Ci Yuan suddenly knocked on the door from outside and said, “Young Miss, Elder master is here.”

There was a moment of silence behind the door before the almost inaudible soft voice of Ye Huaiyang resounded, “Got it.”

All the servants in Ye manor were most afraid of Ye Huaili and if possible they would wish to hide from him, so who would dare stop him from going towards Ye Huaiyang’s room? He proceeded without hindrance and halted for a few seconds when he passed by Lingyun Pavilion before walking to her bed chamber. Once he pushed the door open, Ye Huaiyang in a bright red wedding dress barged into his line of vision.

As far as he could remember, Ye Huaiyang was fond of light-colored dresses and had never been so dazzling as she was at this moment. The hanging golden silk beads along with the soaring phoenix, set off her loveliness and femininity vividly.

She deserved to marry someone better.

Thinking of this, Ye Huaili’s heart turned hardened again. He grabbed Ye Huaiyang’s arm and asked coldly, “Are you bent on marrying Chu Jinglan?”

“Elder Brother doesn’t even compliment me when you are here. Don’t I not look good in this?” Perking her pink lips, she casually walked in circles which obviously was not taking his chastisement seriously.

Ye Huaili simply couldn’t get angry facing her delicate and soft look. He took a deep breath as he suppressed the stuffiness and contained the temper within his chest when he urged her, “Yang’er, listen to Elder Brother, he is not suitable for you.”

Lowering her head, Ye Huaiyang fiddled with the fringes on the hem, exposing the glowing pinkish neck which looked extremely lovely and cute. However, who knew she would suddenly spat out these words that almost infuriated Ye Huaili to death, “But I just like him.”

“There are so many talented and handsome youths in Wangdu, why can’t you like anyone else!”

“He’s tall and handsome with both ability as well as integrity. In terms of military merit, he is even slightly superior than you and in terms of status, he is peerlessly noble, so what’s not good about him?”

“You know perfectly well that I’m not talking about this!” Ye Huaili gnashed his teeth and roared. His hands tightened more as he wished he could press her on his knees and beat her up for her deliberate antics.

“Then what do you want to say? Rebel? I’ve already said the one who rebelled is me or are you going to slap me again?”

Ye Huaiyang looked at him. There was a flash of imperceptible grievance and dejected light reflected in her eyes. Ye Huaili could see it clearly and felt something stabbing his heart that the spreading dull pain could not be ceased.

“It’s Elder Brother’s fault. I shouldn’t have lost my control and slapped you.” He apologized hoarsely and extended both hands to grip her shoulders, drawing her closer. “Yang’er, Elder Brother merely hopes you can marry someone who loves and values you, regardless of his distinguished family background or his outstanding capabilities. But seeing Chu Jinglan, his thoughts are deep with indifference disposition. Not only he can’t give you a peaceful livelihood, there are also many women around him. How can you let Elder Brother feel at ease letting you marry him?”

Ye Huaiyang refuted subconsciously, “He didn’t….”

“If he didn’t, what did you see from Lingyun Pavilion the day before yesterday?”

Every word that Ye Huaili spoke was compelling yet he actually knew very clearly of the situation here. With eyes wide opened, Ye Huaiyang stared at him faintly before she immediately turned and looked at Ci Yuan by the door. Not daring to look straight into her eyes, Ci Yuan lowered his head. Taking advantage of her slow response, Ye Huaili added more fire seemingly not giving up until the obsessions in her heart burnt out.

“He has an ambiguous relationship with other women and even broke the jade pendant that you gave him. If you are confident, why didn’t you question him, instead ordered Ci Yuan to remove the horizontal beam? You are afraid of the uncertainties of his thoughts and scared he has never truly taken you to his heart. But have you ever thought you are also the apple of father, mother and Elder Brother’s eyes, so why are you disparaging yourself for him?”

Not wanting to listen to his words anymore, Ye Huaiyang stretched out her hand to push him away which caused him to tighten his grip. Under such struggling, the sound of tearing resonated which both froze in an instant.

A small tear appeared on the wedding dress.

Ye Huaiyang closed her eyes as a slight chill spread from her palms to her chest.

“Elder Brother is right. I am afraid that after making so much effort for so long, his heart still doesn’t have me. But you’ve underestimated your younger sister. It’s simply because there is needless to act secretly in the future that I dismantle the horizontal beam. Regardless if it’s King Lan mansion or Chu Jinglan, it will all be mine after the marriage tomorrow and only mine in this lifetime!”

After saying that, she resolutely turned and entered the inner room where she closed the door in the presence of everybody.

Standing stiffly at the same spot, Ye Huaili was unable to tell what he actually felt. There was helplessness and bewilderment as well as some melancholy, a complex of emotions.

It was him who had underestimated Ye Huaiyang, thinking he had found a breakthrough, instead she was merely dispirited but once she overcame this period, she was still the perseverance and tenacious Ye Huaiyang who refused to give up easily.

Well, it’s hard to tell who is the impenetrably thickheaded.

After departing from Ye manor, Ye Huaili set off and returned to Guanzhong that afternoon. He simply walked away unreservedly without leaving a word. Ye Huaixin rushed to chase after him when he heard the news but when there wasn’t even a hint of his shadow, he stood and stomped his foot angrily on the official road.

That night.

By the end of summer, the wind blowing from the waterside was rather chilling. Noises of insects within the shadows of the flowers and trees were much subtle but the moon suspended above the pine branches was as bright as ever.

Ye Huaiyang was sleepless.

Tomorrow was her big day, yet she didn’t have the least bit of excitement or nervousness that a bride should have. Since she didn’t care about the wedding ritual, she was also not concerned about how Chu Jinglan would treat her. It was an inexplicable sense of loss.

It was such a damn low point….

Draping her clothes, she got up and strolled along the corridor to the backyard in her slippers. The loose long hairs behind her ears were fluttering disorderly by the wind which she ignored unrestrainedly with languidness.

Everyone in Ye manor was busy as if they were at war over her wedding these days, particularly Yue’ya. They were so conscientious and attentive that they would even re-paste the word ‘celebration’  on the window if it was missing a part. After working round the clock for several days, they perhaps were all deeply asleep at this moment that nobody was aware she had left the room.

She went to find Lan-lan.

Knowing her way, she fumbled to its lair. Before she could catch sight of it, she heard its thunderous snore. Ye Huaiyang couldn’t help laughing and retracted to hold its hand silently. She then sat on the haystack by its side. 

“You are truly a good sleeper. Is it because you know King Lan mansion didn’t build you a lair, so you simply slept enough before moving over?” 

Seemingly sensing something, Lan-lan slowly and leisurely rolled over before falling into Ye Huaiyang’s arms. Rubbing against her soft palm, it fell back to sleep. Ye Huaiyang embraced it gently then spoke in a very soft voice as if to her own child.

“How I wish I could be like you.”

A faint sigh escaped from her lips which was blown towards the treetops by the night wind and drifted over to the other side of the wall.

“The jade pendant that was set aside by my parents before they left was broken by Wangye and the wedding dress was torn by my elder brother, don’t you think they are just too much? Come to speak of it, they must have communicated in advance that one doesn’t want me to marry while the other isn’t willing to marry me. I really don’t know what evil deeds I had done in my previous life that I came upon these two men.”

She pursed her lips, seemingly a little angry. She then simply laid down on the haystack and slept with Lan-lan. Rubbing its soft belly and listening to its somewhat grunt, she didn’t notice movements behind her back.

“Elder Brother always says that Wangye is not good but he doesn’t know that Wangye is actually very gentle. After the injury on my shoulder healed during the Spring Festive, I was acting in front of him yet he still yielded to me even though he had long seen through my tricks. He obviously had left the Imperial Palace when I fell into the lake and was far ahead of me, yet he was still in the carriage when I got there. I knew he was waiting for me, but since he didn’t talk about it, I didn’t expose him.”

She laughed softly, as clear and pleasant as a wind chime.

“I just kissed him.”

Thinking about the events of that day, her gloomy mood unknowingly turned clear. Dropping her long lashes, she didn’t notice the unusual noise next door.

The sough of wind gradually rose while clusters of clouds drifted and obstructed the moon. The dim light causes sleepiness. Raising its butt, Lan-lan’s plump leg pressed directly onto her knees. She felt rather exhausted, in addition to Lan-lan gaining a lot of weight within these past six months, she was too disinclined to care even though the pressure restrained her movement when she just closed her eyes and slept.

Not knowing how long had passed when clothes fluttering could be heard from the back which followed closely with subtle noise of the slabstone beneath the wall, like someone had landed and walked towards her. Catching sight of her bundling and sleeping with the panda, the corner of the person’s eyes twitched before that plump leg was lifted and she got carried away.

Lan-lan was awakened by this movement that its glazed bead-like eyes blinked several times before it started screaming at him. The further he walked away with Ye Huaiyang in his arms, the more ferocious it cried. Seeing that Ye Huaiyang would be awakened by its noise, he struck Lan-lan with his palm before knocking it unconscious. 

The owner is restless while the pet is also not an easy thing to deal with. Truly the top is not straight hence the bottom is crooked*!

[T/N: 上梁不正下梁歪 (Shàng liáng bùzhèng xià liáng wāi) – When those above behave unworthily, those below will do the same.]

He snorted coldly as he turned and walked towards the bedroom. When he passed the corridor where two rows of hollowed lotus lanterns were embedded, the vague bright light was blinding to the eyes. Ye Huaiyang unconsciously curled towards his shoulder where those red lips were just within his reach if he merely tilted his head.

It was only a moment ago that this small soft lips triumphantly declared she had kissed him as if she had gained a huge bargain.

Did she like him that much?

No wonder her elder brother couldn’t comprehend as he himself also couldn’t understand what made her to be so perseverance.