Chapter 558: A Fairy Wife at Home

After dinner, Rushi and Wuyi were exhausted and were taken to their rooms by Ruhua to rest. Gao Wu was also given a room, and they all went there together. Li Qing’an returned to his study. He still hadn’t sorted out some of his thoughts regarding the Battle of Hanzhong from that day in the carriage; he needed to calm down and think things through more carefully.

The study was very quiet, with fragrant smoke rising from the incense burner. Li Qing’an sat at his desk, deep in thought before a map. He was still considering Cui Guangyuan’s situation. In history, Cui Guangyuan had once been the military governor of Jiannan, so he must have had some talent. More importantly, Cui Guangyuan was a member of the Cui family. Employing him could elevate the status of the Cui family and help balance the power of the Pei family to some extent.

Since Li Qing’an replaced Pei Min with Pei Zunqing, although Pei Zunqing was far inferior to Pei Min in handling government affairs, he was much more adept at guessing Li Qing’an’s intentions. Without Li Qing’an having to say anything, Pei Zunqing would take care of everything—such as arranging personnel in Luoyang and transferring Yan Zhenqing to the capital. These were all Li Qing’an’s ideas, and Pei Zunqing had handled them all properly. It could be said that, at this stage, Pei Zunqing was the most suitable candidate for prime minister.

However, in terms of the expansion of the family’s influence, Pei Zunqing was extremely aggressive, which was concerning. In just two months, three key members of the Pei family who served as governors in various regions were transferred to the imperial court as high-ranking officials. Pei Ju, the governor of Jingzhou, became the Right Minister of the Secretariat; Pei Xu, the governor of Puzhou, became the Minister of the Imperial Household; and Pei Ji, the governor of Mingzhou, became the Deputy Minister of Rites. Although these three had good reputations in their respective regions—especially Pei Ju, whom Li Qing’an also intended to employ—such aggressive expansion by the family made Li Qing’an wary. Moreover, there were rumors that the Pei and Lu families had secretly formed a political alliance, which worried Li Qing’an even more. Although Li Qing’an still needed the support of established families, if the Pei family’s expansion wasn’t curbed soon, it might become uncontrollable in the future.

Using the Cui and Wei families to balance the Pei family’s power was undoubtedly a good strategy, but he needed an opportunity, and employing Cui Guangyuan was one such opportunity.

Li Qing’an sat at his desk, lost in thought. At that moment, his wife Mingyue entered, carrying a cup of ginseng tea. Her gentle steps didn’t disturb him. After stopping for a moment, she quietly placed the tea beside him.

Li Qing’an noticed her and turned to see it was his wife. He smiled and took her hand, which she had placed on his shoulder. “Thank you!”

“There’s no need to thank me. Once Rushi arrives, I won’t have to bring you tea anymore.”

Moonlight’s tone carried a hint of petulance and a trace of resentment. Li Qing’an sensed that she was emotionally upset, so he wrapped his arms around her waist and said with a smile, “You’re pregnant again. Why not ask Ru Shi to help you?”
“I’ll take care of that. There’s no need for you to worry!”
Moonlight seemed genuinely angry. She pulled away from Li Qing’an, sat down beside him with a stern face, turned her body away, and said nothing. Seeing his wife acting like a child, Li Qing’an turned her back toward him and said with a smile, “What’s wrong? Are you angry with me?”
Moonlight sneered and said, “How dare I get angry with Prince Zhao? Who is Prince Zhao? He holds supreme power in the world. Whatever woman he wants, he can have her. Morality and ethics mean nothing in his eyes.”
Li Qing’an was surprised. In all these years since they married, he had never seen her so angry. He wondered silently: Could it be because of Lady Wu?
“Honey, explain clearly. What’s going on? You’re confusing me.”
“Hmph! You’re just pretending to be clueless.”
Moonlight gritted her teeth in anger and decided to speak plainly. “Fine, then I’ll make it clear. Tell me, what’s the deal with Yang Yuhuan?”
A cold sweat broke out on Li Qing’an’s back. Oh no! That matter might have been exposed. He felt his hair stand on end and forced a laugh, saying, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand!”
“You don’t understand? Hmph! So you really don’t get it.”
Seeing her husband acting foolish, Moonlight became even more upset and said angrily, “Well then! Since that woman has nothing to do with you, I’ll send her away tomorrow so she can remarry. After all, she wants to.”
“You…”
Li Qing’an was furious. He suppressed his anger and said coldly, “I think I’ve already considered your feelings enough. Do you know how many women my generals have? Li Feiyuanli has thirty-seven wives and concubines. Even Li Siyeh, who claims to not be interested in women, has sixteen. What about Guo Ziyi? Despite being so old, he still has hundreds of wives and concubines. Not to mention your father—you know best how many women he has, both public and secret. And how many do I have? Only four. Back when Yu Nu from the dance troupe wanted to marry me, you forced her to marry Lei Wanchun. That’s one thing. Now I’m a prince, and not only that, I can appoint female officials according to the rituals of the Eastern Palace. But have I done that? I only have one son. Do you know how much pressure I’m under? As the queen, don’t you feel ashamed of this?”
Li Qing’an spoke very harshly. This was the strictest he had ever been to his wife since they married.

“You, what are you talking about?”
Tears streamed from Mingyue’s eyes as she felt utterly wronged. Sobbing, she said, “How could I not have thought of it? If I hadn’t considered it, would I have agreed to let Wan’er marry you?”
“That’s because you want to protect the Pei family’s interests. What else is there in your eyes but interests?”
Li Qing’an’s neck turned red with anger. For the first time, he was losing his temper. Without waiting for Mingyue to say anything else, he snorted angrily, grabbed his clothes, and hurriedly left the study.
“Erlang, did you hear what I said? Erlang…”
Mingyue called after him a few times, but Li Qing’an was already far away. Tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls falling from a broken string. Her heart ached terribly. Her good intentions were not only misunderstood by her husband but also deeply hurt him. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the soft couch, covering her mouth and sobbing to hold back her cries…
Li Qing’an rushed out of the mansion in a fit of anger, mounted his horse, whipped it sharply, and galloped toward Huaiyuan Fang. He was indeed very angry today. Yang Yuhuan had always been his dream—a man’s dream of becoming an imperial concubine. That dream had taken root in his heart since the first time he entered the palace to teach her how to play quoit. Over the years, that seed had grown into a towering tree, and that woman had become something sacred and off-limits to him.
But today, his wife had bluntly exposed him and even threatened to marry Yang Yuhuan to someone else, which undoubtedly touched Li Qing’an’s most sensitive point.
Li Qing’an spurred his horse at full speed, with his 300 personal guards closely following. No one dared say a word. These guards, who had followed Li Qing’an for years, could see the fury in his eyes and could only protect him warily.
He rushed into Huaiyuan Fang like a bolt of lightning. The gate had just closed. Before Li Qing’an could speak, a few of his guards rushed forward and shouted, “Open the gate quickly!”
“Sir, it’s past closing time,” came a fearful voice from inside.
The guards flew into rage, drew their swords, and began slashing at the gate, shouting, “Prince Zhao has urgent military matters! If you dare delay again, I’ll execute your entire family!”

The gate opened, and an old gatekeeper, seeing it was Li Qing’an, was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize. Li Qing’an’s expression remained grim as he spurred his horse and rushed into the district. Huaiyuan District was in darkness; most households had already gone to bed. He arrived at a small alley in the southwest corner of Huaiyuan District, dismounted quickly, and strode into the alley. His bodyguards dared not follow and only kept watch around. In fact, there was no danger—seven female guards were stationed around the alley, so any outsider would be detected.

The alley was about twenty zhang deep, and inside was a separate courtyard where Yang Yuhuan was secretly kept by Li Qing’an. Li Qing’an went up and knocked on the door. After a while, light shone through the crack, and footsteps could be heard.

“Who is it?” It was Xue Niang, Yang Yuhuan’s maid.

“It’s me, Li Qing’an!”

The footsteps inside quickened suddenly. With a creak, the door opened slightly. Xue Niang peeked out and recognized Li Qing’an. She quickly opened the door and asked nervously, “Your Highness, how… how did you come here?”

“Hmm! Has your mistress gone to bed?”

“She was weaving silk just now; I don’t know now.”

“Xue Niang, who is it?” Yang Yuhuan’s voice came from inside the house.

“Sister, it’s Prince Zhao.”

“Ah!” A soft gasp came from inside. Yang Yuhuan rushed out like the wind, wearing a nightgown with her hair loose, her face filled with excitement. Li Qing’an felt a sweet emotion arise in his heart. From her reactions, he knew Yang Yuhuan truly loved him—she had been looking forward to seeing him. She threw herself into Li Qing’an’s arms. Yearning had consumed her; she no longer cared about the maid standing by.

Xue Niang’s face turned red. She quickly closed the door and rushed inside in a panic. Li Qing’an held the beauty in his arms, lifted her chin, and kissed her lips. Their lips met, their tongues touched—for a moment, it seemed they had forgotten where they were.

After what seemed like a long time, Yang Yuhuan snapped back to reality with a “Hmm!”. Her face was flushed, and she lowered her head, but her eyes were filled with happiness and joy.

“How… how did you come here?”

Li Qing’an’s passion burned fiercely. Without saying a word, he lifted Yang Yuhuan and strode into the room. Yang Yuhuan’s heart pounded—she was both eager and a little afraid.

Entering the inner room, Li Qing’an gently laid her down on the bed, bent down to kiss her, and began to touch her delicate body. Yang Yuhuan’s desire was gradually stirred by him, but she still had a clear mind. Suddenly, she remembered—wasn’t it today that Li Qing’an’s two wives returned from Anxi? Why had he come to find her? She immediately realized that something must have happened.

“No! Qi Lang, not now!”

She struggled to push away Li Qing’an’s hands, but he roughly grabbed hers, tearing open her nightgown. Her snow-white, flawless body was revealed before him—full of curves, breathtakingly beautiful. He was instantly intoxicated. At that moment, Yang Yuhuan wrapped herself in her nightgown and turned away from him.

Li Qing’an remained motionless for a while before coldly saying, “Won’t you give yourself to me?”

At that moment, Yang Yuhuan sat in front of him, stroking his face, and shook her head gently. “Qi Lang, I’m willing to give myself to you. My heart already belongs to you. It’s just not now. I don’t want to be the object of your anger. I want you to love me properly.”

Li Qing’an sighed deeply, his passion subsiding. He slumped into a chair and asked after a while, “Has Mingyue come to see you?”

“Mingyue?”

Yang Yuhuan was puzzled. “No! When has she ever come to see me?”

Li Qing’an was also confused. What was going on? Hadn’t Mingyue clearly told him that she had already talked to Yang Yuhuan?

“Are you not lying to me?” he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

“How could I lie to you? She really hasn’t come to see me.”

Yang Yuhuan also sensed something was off. She asked nervously, “Qi Lang, does Mingyue know about our relationship?”

Li Qing’an nodded. “I don’t know who leaked it. She questioned me tonight.”

“What did she say?”

“She didn’t say much. But we argued. I scolded her for interfering too much and for being too selfish, which is why I now only have one son.”

Yang Yuhuan was a clever woman. She immediately understood. She stepped forward, gently wrapped her arms around Li Qing’an’s neck from behind, and whispered in his ear, “You big fool. She’s doing this for your own good, understand? She’s afraid that the fact that you’re keeping me secret will harm your reputation. If she were truly jealous, she would have sent me away quietly without telling you at all.”

At this moment, Li Qing’an also gradually calmed down. It seemed he had misunderstood his wife—leaving in anger before she could finish speaking. He nodded silently and asked, “What about you? Will you leave me out of fear it will harm my reputation?”
Yang Yuhuan slowly walked up to Li Qing’an, took his hands in hers, and looked into his eyes. “I’ve told you—Yang Guifei is dead, killed in the fire at Huaqing Palace. I am now just an ordinary woman who happens to resemble her a bit. I won’t leave you, nor will I ever harm your reputation. Qilang, I’ve changed my name to Bingniang now.”
“But…”
“No buts!”
Yang Yuhuan covered Li Qing’an’s lips with her index finger. “Yesterday, when I went to sell silk, I saw my third sister. Her carriage passed by me slowly, but I didn’t call out to her. Do you know? I even ignored her—this proves I’m truly dead now. Only you know where I am.”
Li Qing’an said nothing more. Instead, he reached out and held her full, round breasts, gently stroking them. “Bingniang, I’ll sleep with you tonight.”
“No!”
Yang Yuhuan struggled to control her rising desire and persuaded him, “Qilang, you must go back right now and clear up the misunderstanding with Mingyue. Even for my sake—otherwise, she won’t tolerate me in the future. There’s also Wuyi and Rushi; you should spend the night with them.”
Li Qing’an realized it was unlikely he could do that tonight, so he didn’t press her further. After spending a moment affectionately with her, he left the courtyard and stepped out of the alley. His bodyguards immediately brought his horse. It seemed Li Qing’an thought of something as he turned back and waved his hand into the air. A woman in black immediately jumped down from the wall—slim and clearly young.
“Saluting the General!” The female guard knelt on one knee to greet Li Qing’an.
“Guard her well. If she shows any signs of leaving, inform me immediately!”
“Yes! I understand.”
Li Qing’an said no more. He mounted his horse and rode away from Huaiyuan Fang, returning to the royal mansion.
…
“The prince has returned!”
As soon as Li Qing’an entered the inner palace, a maid exclaimed in delight. Li Qing’an gave a muffled reply and headed straight to the inner study. Mingyue had already left. Li Qing’an sat down in the armchair, feeling empty inside. Then he noticed that the ginseng tea on the table was still steaming. He tested it with the back of his hand—it was still hot, meaning it had just been refilled. Li Qing’an sighed. His wife’s thoughtfulness filled him with a sense of guilt.

He wanted to go apologize to Mingyue, but he was too proud to do so. Just then, the door opened, and Mingyue’s slender figure appeared on the floor. She gazed at her husband with a deep look in her eyes.
“Come in!”
Li Qing’an forced a wry smile. “I was out of line just now. I’m sorry.”
“Did you… see her?”
Mingyue stepped in and sat down across from him. Her heart was as clear as a mirror—if her husband hadn’t gone to see her, given his temperament, he would never have apologized to her.
“Yes! I went to see her. You didn’t go after her, did you?”
Mingyue nodded and said softly, “Dalang, I was too selfish. I didn’t consider your descendants. From now on, I won’t restrict you anymore. You can take concubines according to the palace rules and have more children.”
“Stop talking nonsense. I already have enough women. If Pei Wan’er weren’t related to the Pei family, I wouldn’t have married her either. I was wrong to blame you. I spoke rashly about you and the Pei family in my anger. I’m sorry.”
Hearing her husband apologize, Mingyue felt aggrieved. Her eyes reddened, and tears threatened to fall. Li Qing’an took her hand, pulled her into his arms, sat her on his lap, and wiped away her tears. He smiled and said, “Don’t be upset. Crying will harm the baby in your womb.”
It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything. Now, Mingyue’s tears fell like pearls spilling from a broken string. She leaned on her husband’s shoulder and sobbed.
Li Qing’an held his wife in his arms, letting her cry. After a while, Mingyue wiped away her tears and tapped his forehead with her index finger, scolding playfully, “You reckless man! You don’t even let me finish speaking.”
Realizing his wife’s anger had passed, Li Qing’an grinned and said, “Go ahead! I’ll listen carefully.”
Mingyue sat back down and slowly said, “Do you know how I found out about you and Yu Huan?”
“Some gossiping fool must have told you!”
Li Qing’an assumed it was one of his guards who had spilled the secret. But Mingyue shook her head and took out a silk embroidered money bag, saying with a smile, “It was this thing that revealed your secret.”
Li Qing’an suddenly remembered—it was given to him by Yang Yu Huan at the night market that day. He must have forgotten where he put it later.
“Dalang, her name is even embroidered on it. You can’t deny it, can you?”
Only then did Li Qing’an realize he had fallen for his wife’s trick. In fact, Mingyue wasn’t even sure. She had tested him when he returned, and he had admitted it right away. What cunning women are!

Li Qing’an slapped his forehead and helplessly said, “I already admitted it just now—when I first entered the palace in the sixth year of Tianbao to teach her how to play quoit, I fell in love with her.”
“Hmph! Falling in love with the Imperial Concubine? You really are shameless!”
Li Qing’an dismissed it with disdain, “What’s there to be ashamed of? Even if I fell in love with the Queen Mother, I would still take her away. Besides, she’s no longer an imperial concubine—Yang Guifei died in the great fire at Huaqing Palace, as clearly recorded in official archives.”
“Sigh! You really are impossible. If someone finds out about this and spreads the word, and everyone learns that you’re hiding the imperial concubine, it will severely damage your reputation. Don’t you understand?”
“Of course I do. That’s why I’m very careful—I’ll never let anyone discover it. Besides, there’s no evidence. Whoever dares spread rumors will be killed by me!”
After a pause, Li Qing’an suddenly asked, “You don’t plan to bring her to your residence, do you?”
“No!” Mingyue refused firmly. “I don’t care how you raise her outside, and I’ll pretend not to know. But one thing is clear—she must never enter my home. That’s my principle.”
“What about Misty Lady?”
Li Qing’an asked tentatively again, “Will you let her in?”
Mingyue shook her head irritably. “She’s waited for you for ten years. Do you think I’d let you take her as your sister?”
Li Qing’an felt a sudden sense of relief.