Chapter 6: Unknowingly Stirring the Heart
Ordinary women, upon marrying, would rise early the next day to greet their in-laws. However, a princess was different; her in-laws would come to greet her instead. Fortunately, Mo Shuihan had no living elders, so neither of them needed to wake up early.
The previous night, they had a quarrel, and Mo Shuihan harbored a secret, causing him to fall asleep only in the late hours of the night. Several maids waited outside the door for a long time that morning. By the time the princess’s maids and Mo Shuihan’s original maids had become friendly, the new bridal chamber door remained tightly shut.
Chunlan, one of Princess Jiu’s maids, covered her mouth and giggled, “They must have been up very late last night and are just sleeping in now.”
Qiujing quickly chided her, “Don’t make fun of the princess.”
Chunlan rolled her eyes, about to retort, when the princess’s governess, Madam Shen, approached. The maids quickly curtsied, “Madam Shen!”
Madam Shen frowned, her tone stern, “The princess hasn’t woken up yet?”
The maids nodded respectfully, and Madam Shen’s expression grew even more serious, “Even without in-laws, you can’t be so lax. Go and knock on the door.”
The four maids serving the princess were afraid of her and were about to knock when Shiyu and Shiyue, Mo Shuihan’s maids, stopped them, “Our master is not feeling well and needs more rest. Please show some consideration, Madam.”
Madam Shen frowned, her gaze sharp as she looked at them. Although the two maids were respectful, they remained firm. The princess’s maids quietly tugged at them, whispering, “Madam Shen has been teaching the princess since she was young, and she’s highly respected even in the palace. You shouldn’t confront her.”
Shiyu and Shiyue remained unmoved, “In our hearts, our master is our lord. Without his orders, we would rather die than disobey.”
Madam Shen’s breathing became heavier. Chunlan and the other three maids shrank back in fear, but Shiyu and Shiyue remained fearless. Just as the tension reached its peak, Mo Shuihan’s voice came from inside, “Shiyu, Shiyue, don’t be disrespectful.”
Mo Shuihan had woken up during the confrontation. He had intended to open the door, but Princess Jiu, who had also woken up, held him back, whispering, “Madam Shen is definitely here to check on us. Are you trying to get us killed?”
Mo Shuihan was taken aback, then reacted, “What should we do now?”
Princess Jiu folded her arms, her chin raised, and smirked triumphantly, “Now you’re worried? Weren’t you very impressive last night?”
Mo Shuihan didn’t argue with her, complying with her wishes, “Please, Princess, guide me.” There were things Princess Jiu could do that he absolutely could not suggest.
Princess Jiu, pleased by his submission, said, “That’s better. Hold out your arm.”
Mo Shuihan obediently extended his arm. Unexpectedly, Princess Jiu lifted his sleeve and used a hairpin to lightly scratch his arm. Mo Shuihan frowned and hissed in pain.
Princess Jiu then took a clean white handkerchief to wipe away the blood, triumphantly raising her hand. “There, that’s done.”
Mo Shuihan retracted his arm, applying ointment from the table while muttering, “Why didn’t you just scratch yourself?”
Princess Jiu’s eyes twinkled. She argued reasonably, “I’m helping you, you ungrateful man! Besides, what’s a little scratch for a grown man? You’re so petty, are you even a man?”
Mo Shuihan angrily lowered his sleeve, “If I weren’t a man, would you have married me?”
“This princess is happy to, and it’s none of your business!” Princess Jiu put her hands on her hips, ready to argue with Mo Shuihan, but the commotion outside diverted her attention, “If you don’t do something, they’re going to start fighting out there.”
Mo Shuihan finally called a halt to the dispute and opened the door to let them in.
A group of people filed in, neatly placing their things down and attending to the couple’s washing. Others made the bed. Dongmei touched the bed and found a handkerchief with bloodstains on it. A big smile spread across her face as she rushed to Madam Shen, handing her the handkerchief, “Madam, look at this!”
Madam Shen examined it carefully. The stern expression she had maintained finally softened into a satisfied smile. Princess Jiu nudged Mo Shuihan, who was wiping his face, raising her eyebrows triumphantly, her face clearly saying, Aren’t you going to thank this princess for her great kindness?
Mo Shuihan sighed, putting down his towel and whispering in Princess Jiu’s ear, “This princess’s great kindness, I will never forget.”
The warm breath on Princess Jiu’s ear, carrying Mo Shuihan’s unique, clear, cool scent like melting ice and snow, made her heart throb, and her face flushed instantly.
Mo Shuihan straightened up. Seeing Princess Jiu’s crimson face, he touched her forehead in confusion, “What’s wrong? Your face is so hot. Did you catch a cold last night?”
Princess Jiu swatted his hand away, shouting in embarrassment, “Mind your own business! Go change your clothes!”
Mo Shuihan was even more puzzled, “Are you really alright?”
Princess Jiu pushed him away angrily, “You insensitive blockhead!”
The maids giggled, and Princess Jiu glared at them before shooing away the still bewildered Mo Shuihan.
After washing, Mo Shuihan summoned the main servants of his household and had Yu Guan and Yu Qi introduce them to Princess Jiu and her entourage. He then introduced the princess’s household staff. After exchanging gifts, they arranged for the meal.
It was their first day as husband and wife, and without elders in the house, Mo Shuihan took Princess Jiu on a tour of the household. Although it was the princess’s residence, she had never been here before the wedding. Mo Shuihan had moved in earlier.
Because of Mo Shuihan’s aloofness, Princess Jiu was suspicious. Seeing that Shiyu and Shiyue were quite attractive, she wondered if one of them might be Mo Shuihan’s lover.
Shiyu and Shiyue were made uneasy by Princess Jiu’s strange gaze and cautiously asked, “Princess, is there something wrong with our appearance?”
Princess Jiu quickly looked away, “No!”
Then, her eyes twinkled, and she leaned close to them and whispered, “Your master lived in Haizhou before. That’s the most prosperous place in our Great Jing Dynasty, and they say there are many beauties. Does your master have any hidden lovers?”
The two quickly waved their hands, “Princess, please don’t misunderstand. Our master has always been virtuous. Besides the two of us, there aren’t even any young maids in the household. He wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Princess Jiu straightened up, disdainfully rolling her eyes, then suspiciously eyed them, “Then why did he keep you two? Could it be…”
“Princess, please don’t overthink it. We two were saved by the master. We had a great vengeance to take and faced a calamity, so the master had no choice but to keep us,” Shiyu and Shiyue knelt down, explaining anxiously, “The master saw that we were honest, without other thoughts, and allowed us to follow him for so long. Princess, our master is like the moon in the sky, and we are just dust on the ground. We would never dare to defile the master.”
Princess Jiu was satisfied and helped them up, patting the dust from their knees, “It was just a joke. Why take it so seriously?”
Seeing that Princess Jiu seemed reassured, they breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her repeatedly.
Princess Jiu then asked, “Does your master really have no close female relationships?”
Their hearts, which had only just calmed down, rose again. They quickly swore, “Absolutely not. Our master is not that kind of person.”
Princess Jiu felt much better, but she tapped her chin and muttered to herself, “Then who is the lover in his heart?”
Mo Shuihan was unaware of Princess Jiu’s current worries. He was meeting with Wang Zhao and Ling Shi, who had just arrived in the capital, “Brother Wang, Brother Ling, you’ve worked hard.”
Wang Zhao and Ling Shi bowed respectfully, “Master, you’re too kind.”
Mo Shuihan smiled and waved his hand, “I’ve told you so many times, Brother Wang and Brother Ling are not my subordinates, no need to be so formal.”
Wang Zhao and Ling Shi remained unchanged in their attitude, “From the moment we entered the master’s service, we are the same as everyone else.”
This issue had been debated many times before, without conclusion. Mo Shuihan didn’t bother arguing with them again, directly skipping the matter, “How’s the investigation going?”
Wang Zhao nodded, pulling out a piece of white cotton cloth, with blood-written characters on it, “Master, your guess was correct.”
Mo Shuihan took the cloth and examined it carefully, a relieved smile appearing on his face. Then he looked up, “Have you brought the person back?”
Ling Shi shook his head, “He only gave us this, unwilling to return to testify. But master, don’t worry. I told him the secret has been revealed, and someone will surely come to kill him. That old man is cunning, and he understood this himself. So on the second day after we visited him, he secretly hid in the mountains. I’ve arranged for He Laojiu and Shisan to follow him closely, protecting him without leaving his side.”
Mo Shuihan was relieved, “You’ve worked hard this time. Go back and rest.”
Wang Zhao and Ling Shi hesitated before asking, “Master, why did you marry the princess? What if she discovers your identity…”
Mo Shuihan interrupted them with a wave of his hand, “It’s too late to talk about this now. She’s not important. Let’s focus on our task.”
Wang Zhao and Ling Shi knew Mo Shuihan was stubborn. Seeing his firm attitude, they didn’t persuade him further, only asking, “In that case, should we pay our respects to the princess before we return?”
Mo Shuihan shook his head, “Another time. You’ll be in the capital from now on; it’s not urgent.”