The wind at the end of February was still bitingly cold. Blowing in from the end of the alley, it carried the chill of unmelted ice and snow.
However, the three people on the wall didn't feel cold at all. They were still having a heated discussion.
Lu Ping: "The prince and princess have come a long way from Langya. The Li family will surely invite them to stay, but we can't stay at the Li family. Otherwise, we'll easily be exposed if we stay there for too long."
Wu Yao: "But we can't stay in an inn either, because the prince has no money."
Lu Ping: "Maybe we can make an excuse that we have relatives doing business in the capital. Then we can stay at their place without arousing suspicion."
Wu Yao: "But they can't be close relatives. Otherwise, how can the young master explain why he came to the capital but didn't go to his relatives and instead clung to Miss Li?"
Lu Ping: "Yes, they have to be distant relatives."
Xiao Jingnan: "That's easy. Just let Uncle Zhong and Nanny Yu act as my distant cousins. Then you two can act as my younger cousins."
Uncle Zhong was the head steward of the prince's mansion, and Nanny Yu was the personal maid of the Princess of Ning. These two people had watched him grow up and were the trusted aides of the Prince of Ning's mansion.
Wu Yao: "They have to be third or fourth cousins. And we're third or fourth cousins too." He pointed at himself and then at Lu Ping.
Lu Ping ignored him and continued thoughtfully, "We may still need to find a house in case the Li family comes to visit. It should be shabby and in a remote area... I'll ask Uncle Zhong to rent one in Pingkangfang tomorrow."
Pingkangfang was the slum area of the capital.
Xiao Jingnan nodded and said, "We don't have to worry about the accent and customs of Langya. My mother is from Langya. She's very familiar with the local customs."
The three of them discussed for a while longer. After finalizing some details, Lu Ping and Wu Yao took their orders and left.
It only took seven or eight days to travel from Langya to the capital. They didn't have much time to prepare.
Xiao Jingnan watched the figures on the wall disappear. He smiled faintly and then turned around to walk towards the Snow - Listening Pavilion.
However, as soon as he stepped into the gate of the Snow - Listening Pavilion, he saw Li Wanming sitting on the steps with one leg crossed, staring intently at him.
Xiao Jingnan paused for a moment, then walked in calmly. "The moonlight is nice tonight. Did you come out to watch the stars, my lady?"
"Where did you go?" Li Wanming asked straightforwardly.
"I went to the toilet." Xiao Jingnan replied without changing his expression.
"For so long?"
"Yes. I drank a bit too much wine last night. I wasn't feeling well."
"Not feeling well? Do you need me to call a doctor?"
"No, thank you for your concern, my lady. It's getting late. I'll go to bed first. It's cold at night. You should go back to your room quickly. Don't catch a cold."
After saying that, he walked straight into his room and closed the door without looking back.
"You..."
Li Wanming gritted her teeth but had no other way.
After a while, she stood in front of Xiao Jingnan's door and knocked on it forcefully.
"I don't care what you're up to or what your purpose is! But I need to make it clear to you. Although you're my husband, you can't control where I go or what I do every day! Don't interfere with me! Do you hear me?"
Although he had said he would help her, they had an agreement. The rules still needed to be clarified in advance.
Xiao Jingnan's smiling voice came from inside the room. "Yes, yes, yes. My lady is so beautiful and kind. How could I possibly interfere with you? Go to sleep quickly."
In the following days, things really became a bit calmer.
Li Rusong got up early the next morning and returned to the military camp. He only gave Li Wanming a few more instructions at the door.
"Your two grandmothers lost face yesterday. They shouldn't cause you any trouble in the next few days. Since the deed is already done regarding your husband, it's not a bad thing for us to accept him. I think he looks very handsome, and you seem quite willing..."
Finally, he said, "With your stubborn and unyielding personality, I believe no one in the Li family can do anything to you!"
After saying that, he couldn't wait to ride away on his horse to go find his wife in the military camp!
Li Rusong's judgment was correct. After being frustrated that day, Li's mother and Mrs. He really behaved themselves for a few days. Except for Sun Miaoqing coming over to say a few sarcastic words every day, things were quite peaceful.
On the contrary, Xiao Jingnan was a bit strange.
As a scholar who had passed the provincial and metropolitan examinations, he spent his days arranging flowers, drinking tea, tasting wine, and basking in the sun... but never read books.
Li Wanming: "Don't you need to prepare for the exam?"
"There's still three years. Why rush?"
Xiao Jingnan was lying in a rocking chair under the sun, squinting comfortably.
Looking at his leisurely and comfortable posture, Li Wanming had an idea and asked, "Is it because your knowledge is not good enough? Are you afraid you won't pass this time, so you deliberately pretended to be sick to avoid the exam this spring?"
Xiao Jingnan couldn't help laughing. "My lady is so eager to learn. Do you want to be a champion's wife? How about I get you a championship title in the next spring exam?"
Humph, how boastful!
Li Wanming scoffed. "Do you think the championship title belongs to your family? You can just get it whenever you want? Forget it, forget it. You can rest if you want. I never had high hopes for you anyway!"
After saying that, she threw the curtain aside and went back into the room.
Xiao Jingnan lay in the rocking chair and let out a very comfortable sigh. "With my lady's words, I can rest in peace now~~"
Li Wanming angrily closed the door.
After drinking a cup of tea, she finally felt a bit better. She asked Chuntao, "How many days until Yiyi arrives in the capital?"
Chuntao counted on her fingers for a while. "Probably in the next day or two."
Liu Yiyi was Li Wanming's good friend. She was from Fujian. The two had grown up together, so they were like childhood sweethearts.
Uncle Liu was in the raw silk business. He also had a silk shop in the capital and often traveled between the two places. Liu Yiyi had been traveling around with her father since she was a child and often told Li Wanming about her experiences outside.
Li Wanming needed Liu Yiyi's help for her next plan.
Early the next morning, Chuntao happily reported to Li Wanming, "Miss, Miss Liu has arrived in the capital! She invited you to Hongbinlou today."
"Quick, help me get dressed!" Li Wanming's voice was full of surprise.
In the past two years, she had been in the capital while Liu Yiyi had been in Fujian. They had only met once and missed each other very much.
After getting dressed and ready, when she was about to go out, she saw Xiao Jingnan pruning the plum blossoms in the yard.
He used a small pair of scissors to cut off the long plum branches. Then he found a green - glazed willow - leaf vase with bat patterns from somewhere and inserted the plum blossoms into it.
He had chosen the branches very well. There were already blooming ones, ones about to bloom, and some were just flower buds.
Under his skillful hands, the small willow - leaf vase actually became a bit fragrant.
It was a pity that Li Wanming couldn't appreciate such elegant things.
In her eyes, this was all a waste of time.
She frowned and asked, "Don't you need to read books today?"
Xiao Jingnan glanced at her. "Freedom is mutual."
??
"It means that I won't interfere with you, and I hope you won't interfere with me either."
"Understood."
Li Wanming nodded and then turned to say, "Chuntao, stop the young master's allowance tomorrow. From now on, only set the table for me when having meals."
Freedom?
Now he relied on her for everything. Was he talking about freedom with his financial backer?
Was he still dreaming?
Xiao Jingnan's attitude softened immediately. "That won't do. My lady promised to feed me before..."
"That was before. This is now! Can the present be the same as the past?" Li Wanming said fiercely. "Let me ask you, what's our relationship now?"
Xiao Jingnan tried to answer. "...... Husband - wife relationship?"
"Pfft!" Li Wanming said. "I'll tell you. Now our relationship is purely monetary!"
"Understand this clearly. Now I'm spending money to support you, so you have to play the role of a husband well! Outside, I'm your wife. At home, I'm your financial backer!"
In the past two days, Li Wanming felt that this husband of hers was getting a bit too arrogant. Not only did he not tell the truth, but he even dared to talk back!
"From now on, at home, if I say one, you can't say two. If I go east, you can't go west! You have to be virtuous and fulfill your duties as a husband!"
Humph, if she didn't discipline him strictly, he might think she couldn't maintain her authority as a wife.
Xiao Jingnan lowered his eyes. There seemed to be a moist sheen in his dark pupils. "Oh..."
His voice was very dejected, like a curly - haired puppy soaked in the rain, looking pitiful and sad.
Li Wanming suddenly felt that her words had been a bit too harsh.
"Um, you don't have to worry. As long as you're obedient..."
Just as Li Wanming was thinking about how to comfort him, she heard the man in front of her ask, "If I'm obedient to my lady, can I have something to eat?"
Li Wanming looked up and saw the uncontrollable smile in his eyes.
...
This damned man was teasing her again!
Li Wanming got angry. "You can only eat one bowl per meal. If you want more, you have to pay for it yourself!"