Chapter 247: Chapter 247
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Chu Qiao walked with him to the door. The winds were slightly strong as they blew at her white cloak. As she watched Zhuge Yue disappear in the darkness, she leaned on the door as she broke into a smile. Actually, Zhen Huang did not seem as scary as she had thought.
From afar, Jingjing’s and Pingan’s voices could be heard as they broke out in laughter. Chu Qiao could not help but smile as well, as she appreciated this moment. After she had dinner, she showered with the help of her maidservants.
Meixiang and the rest had been exhausted from the journey. As Rong’er needed someone to be by his side, Meixiang and two other nannies attended to him. The servants who were not aware of his ident.i.ty thought that he was the son of Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao. Hence, they treated him with extra care.
The shower room in Zhuge Yue’s house was big and made entirely of white jade, with hundreds of pearls embedded into the walls. With one candle, the room was able to be brightly lit. The water came from the underground hot springs in the Cang Mountains and contained elements of dewdrops and medicinal herbs, giving off a pleasant fragrance. Large roses were placed at the bottom of the pool, in order to prevent anyone from slipping. This was an extravagant sight.
Huan’er had mentioned that when the emperor gifted Zhuge Yue this mansion, Zhuge Yue had personally inspected it beforehand. After he was done, he had said, “After he dies, this place can fetch a good price.”
Chu Qiao smiled gently as she thought to herself Looks like you’re really a bloodsucker. After she was done with her shower, she put on a white outfit and made her way back to her room barefooted.
Huan’er was initially reserved at the start. However, when she saw that Chu Qiao was an amiable person, she started to open up and call her by her name, Xing’er. She told her about Zhuge Yue’s life these few years repeatedly, only mentioning the good things. She seemed to convey this message to Chu Qiao: Xing’er, luckily you knew how to turn back to our Young Master. That was a wise decision. Everyone will be jealous of you.
Chu Qiao smiled as she listened to Huan’er’s stories, about how Zhuge Yue did not involve himself with other women these few years, how he had broken other women’s hearts. She listened to the stories of how Zhuge Yue missed her every day, how happy he was whenever he heard news about her, how he could not fall asleep at night and drank more soup as a result. She also listened to the stories about how Zhuge Yue spent the past few years in a pathetic state, how he was trampled upon by others, how he was ravaged by sickness, and how he was treated by his family…
Slowly, the maidservant started to cry as she continued to say more good things about Zhuge Yue. “Xing’er, don’t leave Young Master anymore. He really loves you.”
The scent of a fine incense drifted around the room. Chu Qiao sat on a soft mat as she took a trip down memory lane, listening to numerous stories about what had happened in the past. Even a maidservant was aware of the love he had towards her. Only she required so many years to realize this fact.
A servant knocked on the door, saying that General Yue Qi’s wife had come to visit her. Huan’er jumped out and ran outside immediately. In a short while, a beautiful lady walked in, dressed in a plain but cla.s.sy yellow dress, holding the hand of a ten-year-old child. She had two dimples on her face when she smiled. As she saw Chu Qiao, she wanted to kneel down and greet her.
Chu Qiao stopped her as she laughed and said, “I didn’t think that Yue Qi was so lucky. His wife is so pretty.”
Xiaofei smiled as she revealed two teeth. She said to the child, “Mo’er, call her Mother.”
The child looked up at Chu Qiao and was stunned for a while. Suddenly, he opened up his arms and grabbed Chu Qiao’s legs, shouting, “Sister, you’re here to see me!”
Chu Qiao was stunned as well as she lowered her head to take a good look. The child was adorable, had bright eyes, and was dressed in green as he looked at her joyfully.
“Sister, don’t you recognize me anymore? I am Mo’er.”
Chu Qiao suddenly recalled that this was Ouyang Mo, the child that they had adopted while they were traveling to the Tang Capital together. It had been six years; the small boy back then had grown up.
She embraced the child and replied in surprise, “Mo’er, you’re so tall already! I almost couldn’t recognize you.”
Mo’er held her in an intimate embrace as he continued to say, “Sister, where have you been? Why haven’t you visited me in so many years? If Father didn’t mention you, I would have forgotten you.”
“Father?” Chu Qiao frowned and looked at the two people on the side in suspicion.
Xiaofei corrected the child, “Don’t say the wrong thing. Call her Mother.”
Mo’er looked at Chu Qiao and asked, “Sister, have you married my father yet?”
“Who’s your father?”
“He’s the Chief Marshal of Xia. Sister, don’t you know him?”
Huan’er explained as she stood by the side, “After Young Master came back, he adopted Mo’er as his foster son.”
It dawned on Chu Qiao that Xiaofei had already had two children with Yue Qi, after chatting with them for a while. The woman was shy but likable, as she blushed after barely speaking a few sentences.
As Chu Qiao had just gotten back to the house today, Xiaofei and Mo’er left after a short while. Before they left, Mo’er made Chu Qiao promise to visit him whenever she had time, as he was fearful of her leaving him again.
As Zhuge Yue was not back yet, Chu Qiao told the servants to take their leave so she could rest. She had not been in good health these few years. After traveling for the past few days, she felt immeasurably fatigued.
The bed was soft and warm. Chu Qiao lay there for not long before she drifted off into deep sleep. After an unknown period of time, she felt someone kiss her in a dreamy state, but she refused to wake up. She acknowledged it lazily and turned to the side of the bed.
A cold arm suddenly embraced her as a warm breath landed on her ear. She felt her neck itch. She frowned and opened her eyes to see Zhuge Yue lying next to her, dressed in a purple robe. He stared at her with his bright, black eyes, laughing as he said, “Are you still the Xing’er I know? Allowing people to take advantage of you so easily.”
Chu Qiao laughed as she wrapped her hand around his neck. “Someone’s too agile, able to disappear at will. I can’t find that person.”
Zhuge Yue smiled as he lowered his head to kiss her. “Did you sleep well?”
“Moderately well,” Chu Qiao leaned into his embrace as she continued in a playful tone, “If you didn’t come back, I’d sleep better.”
Zhuge Yue smiled as he pretended to chide, “You’re asking for it. Looks like I have to punish you.” As he finished his sentence, he lifted his arm. Chu Qiao closed her eyes in shock. However, after a while, she realized that he had not punished her. She opened her eyes and saw Zhuge Yue looking at her as per normal. She could not help but ask, “Aren’t you going to punish me? Why didn’t you strike out?”
Zhuge Yue held her once again, lowering his head to kiss her neck. With a slight movement of his arm, her robe was unfastened, exposing her fair skin. Zhuge Yue leaned forward as he used more strength in his arm. With a low voice, he said slowly, “How could I bear to?”
The flames of a pair of red candles flickered on quietly. The red lanterns covered up the flames slightly, causing a dim red glow to spread across the room. This was how Chu Qiao spent her first night back in Zhen Huang City, amidst a feeling of warmth.
She continued to experience many such days that autumn. Although the leaves had fallen from the trees, the golden chrysanthemum flowers were in full bloom, adding to the majesty of the mansion. The days were like the spring water in the third month, leaving behind pleasant, everlasting memories as they flowed by.
On the day of the autumn festival, Chu Qiao followed Zhuge Yue out of the mansion to Xiangzhi Mountains, located 15 kilometers away. They took the chance to visit Anyuan Temple, located atop the mountains.
Although Chu Qiao had spent seven to eight years in Zhen Huang City, she had not visited the various tourist attractions. Previously, her social status did not allow her to do so, nor did she have the mood to. However, presently, the tides had turned. Everything was different from before, hence she started to let loose.
The weather was good that day due to the refreshing winds. Chu Qiao was dressed in a crescent white long dress, adorned with a cloak. She brought a few attendants with her and set off on her journey.
Xiangzhi Mountains was located in the southern tip of Zhen Huang, standing tall over a patch of flat land. The peak of the mountain was snowy all year, making it appear desolate. Dense forests were visible at the mountainside. As today was the day of the autumn festival, the rich families in Zhen Huang ventured out of their houses. The mountain was packed with people as it bustled with life.
As they made their way up Xiangzhi Mountains, they were awed at the amazing sight of the beautiful forest. Jingjing and Pingan led the way in front as they chased after each other, with He Xiao and the guards of Yue by the left and right. Yue Qi brought Xiaofei along as well, allowing the virtuous lady to take a break.
Zhuge Yue held Chu Qiao’s hand as they made their way up while chatting with the others. When he was happy, the others were happy as well. The pa.s.sers-by who pa.s.sed their party all stared at them.
Zhuge Yue had always been busy. He was the chief marshal of the Xia army, and the ruler of Qinghai. Now, he had indirectly become the leader of the Zhuge family as well. With countless responsibilities on his shoulder, he had to defend against the internal threat of Zhao Yang and the external threat of Yan Bei. These days, although he made it back to the mansion on time to spend time with Chu Qiao, he often disappeared when Chu Qiao got to sleep. When she woke up, she realized that he was not by his side, but in the study instead.
She pretended not to know this as she continued to sleep. On the morning of the next day, she would often ask him if he had slept well. He would often say that he had slept well, with a smile on his face. However, he could not hide his ailing health. That year, he had suffered a heavy injury and was forced to spend prolonged periods of time in the water. He had been fortunate to survive. Presently, as the weather cooled, his ailments started to surface.
With every bout of bad weather, he started to turn pale and sickly. Sometimes, when she woke up in the middle of the night, she heard his suppressed breathing and saw the beads of cold sweat behind his neck, trickling down into his already drenched clothes. However, she was unable to voice out any of her thoughts. She opened her eyes wide in the darkness and looked at the dimly lit pearl ceiling as she clenched her fists tightly. She kept track of the time via the sand in the timekeeping pot as she awaited daybreak. The next day, she would carry numerous braziers into the room. She even ordered the artisans to make the bedroom permanently warm, over a period of ten days.
When they had breakfast the previous day, Jingjing and Pingan had talked about the liveliness of the autumn festival. She agreed with them casually, yet he took her remarks seriously. He did not say anything then. However, the next day, he shelved all his tasks aside and brought her out, on the grounds that they were going to worship the G.o.ds on top of the mountains.
All these years, he had always been a stubborn and arrogant atheist. Chu Qiao, knowing this, purposely mocked him for his change in religious views. However, he brushed it off with a laugh, insisting that there was one G.o.d that they had to worship regardless.