Chapter 287: Xiao She 1

Chapter 287: Xiao She 1

In the second year of Yongan, on the twenty-fourth day of the second month, the day before Grand Princess Liu Chu was to be married.

Lu Qiu had already entered with Lady Lu and Madam Lu, but Xiao She was still dazed at the door.

The doorman waved a hand in front of Prince Xiao She.

Snapping out of it, Xiao She saw the doorman’s oddly grinning face and instinctively glared at him.

The doorman at the residence of the Grand Princess was formerly a steward at the Xiao Family, well-versed in the temperaments of several masters of the Xiao Family. He knew that although Prince Xiao She looked formidable, he was actually the easiest to serve among the Xiao Family.

So, the doorman dared to smile back even after receiving the glare. "Prince, are you leaving the residence or staying here for some tea? It's not right to just stand here like this."

Thinking of the sisters-in-law inside, Xiao She touched his arm and turned to leave, heading straight for the Sun residence in Fushan Ward.

Tomorrow was the big wedding, but today the groom's family also had to entertain guests. Xiao Yan, Xiao Ye, Qiao Changan, and Tong Gui were all there.

When men gathered, they drank, and Xiao She was a lover of wine. Once he started drinking, he forgot everything else around him.

It wasn't until Qiao Changan teased, "Fifth Younger Brother, Sun Dian has finally settled down. Among our brothers, only you and Qi Yun are left. Qi Yun has both good looks and brains, and many young ladies have asked matchmakers to propose marriage to him. He's just too picky to accept any. And what about our Fifth Younger Brother? What are we going to do with you?"

Qi Yun, who was mentioned, shook his head with a smile.

Xiao She stared at Qiao Changan and said, "Are you mocking me? Who lacks looks and brains?"

The brothers loved teasing, and sometimes Xiao She didn’t get their jokes, but this time he did!

Sitting next to Xiao She, Xiao Ye chimed in, "Exactly. Our Fifth Younger Brother is even more handsome than Qi Yun. It's just that ordinary young ladies can't appreciate our Fifth Younger Brother's heroic aura. They prefer pretty boys like Qi Yun."

Jiang Tiankuo interjected, "Hey, hey, hey, just because Marquis Jiang is honest doesn't mean you can bully him."

Xiao Yan said, "How is that bullying? Look for yourself. Isn't his face the fairest here? I don't understand. We brothers used to farm and hunt, and our faces got tanned. You, who dance with lions, also get exposed to the sun. How come Qi Yun never gets tanned?"

Jiang Tiankuo replied, "The Marquis is naturally fair-skinned. He gets tanned in the summer and returns to being fair in the winter."

Xiao Ye said, "In any case, he's a pretty boy."

Sun Dian said, "Forget it, forget it. No matter how fair he is, it's us darker-skinned ones who can get wives."

The brothers collectively fell silent.

They drank until dusk before finally heading home.

Nowadays, Xiao Yan lives with his parents in the Jing Prince's residence, Xiao Ye lives in his Ning Prince's residence, and Xiao She has his own Prince's residence. Among them, the Jing Prince's residence is in Jingshan Ward in the south of Luo, close to the Lin residence, while the Ning Prince's residence and the Prince of Wu Commandery's residence are in the north of Luo.

Xiao Ye asked Xiao She, "Tonight, our fourth sister-in-law is staying with our eldest sister. Do you want to come back with me and stay with your brother?"

Xiao Yan said, "I also..."

Xiao Ye interrupted, "What do you mean 'also'? With Huai Zu at home, how can you, as a father, mess around outside?"

Xiao Yan retorted, "Hey, if Second Brother isn't here, are you, Fourth Son, trying to boss me around?"

Riding his horse to the other side of Xiao She, Xiao Ye asked, "Fifth Younger Brother, do you think I can boss him around?"

Xiao She said, "You can. Second Brother, go home and accompany Huai Zu."

And so, Xiao Yan was sent packing by his two younger brothers.

Upon arriving at the Ning Mansion, Xiao Ye led Xiao She into the main courtyard of the front residence. He rarely stayed in the front residence, only being punished to sleep alone when he had offended Yan Mingxiu.

Xiao She took off his outer robe and was about to lie down on the bed.

Xiao Ye grabbed him and said, "How come you're still so unrefined, just like when we were back home? You've been drinking all day, reeking of alcohol. Wash up before you sleep."

Xiao She replied, "Are you fed up with me? Then I'll head back to my quarters!"

Xiao Ye stood in front of him, cutting off the brute before he could act, and said, "Who's fed up with you? I'm thinking of your well-being. If you start being more refined now, you'll face less disdain from your future wife. Let me tell you, when your brother teases you, it's just idle talk, and you don't feel embarrassed. But when your wife does it, it'll feel entirely different."

In the past, the mention of a wife wouldn't have mattered to Xiao She, as he had never planned to marry. But tonight, when Fourth Brother brought it up, a little girl's image appeared in Xiao She's mind, from the moment she stepped out of the carriage to when she entered the Grand Princess's residence with the elders. Each scene seemed etched into his brain.

Xiao She froze again.

Xiao Ye stared at him in silence.

He moved to his left, but Fifth Younger Brother's eyes stayed fixed ahead; he moved to his right, but Fifth Younger Brother's gaze remained unwavering.

Xiao Ye suddenly slapped Xiao She on the shoulder and said, "Who are you thinking about?"

Xiao She remained silent.

He slapped back!

Xiao Ye fell silent again.

At that moment, a servant from the front courtyard arrived, carrying a bucket of warm water in each hand, interrupting the brothers' standoff.

The two brothers went to the west side room to wash up. Being brothers who had swum in the Lingshui River together since childhood, they knew each other so well that there was no need for modesty as they undressed and washed themselves.

This year, Xiao She had turned twenty-four. Xiao Ye glanced at his younger brother, half joking and half serious, and asked, "Fifth Younger Brother, have you ever thought about women?"

Knowing that his fifth younger brother wasn't foolish but seemed to lack the same understanding as ordinary people, Xiao Ye, as his older brother, wanted to know if Xiao She was truly not yet enlightened in this area or if there was some issue.

Xiao She replied, "Why would I think about women? I've only thought about my mother and..."

Xiao Ye interrupted, "Hold it! The kind of thinking I'm talking about isn't about relatives. It's the kind of thinking a man has for his own wife!"

Xiao She looked at him as if he were a fool and said, "I don't have a wife, so how can I think about one?"

Xiao Ye looked back at him like he was an idiot and said, "Before I married your Fourth Sister-in-law, I sometimes fantasized about having a wife. While imagining it, I'd take care of myself. Have you ever done that?"

Without any subtlety, he glanced at his fifth younger brother again.

The year they enlisted in the army, the fifth younger brother was still young. When they returned, although the fifth younger brother had grown up, Second Brother and Second Brother had already married, and Xiao Ye himself couldn't casually talk about such things with Xiao She. Thus, tonight was the first time Xiao Ye had ever discussed this matter alone with Fifth Younger Brother.

Over the past five years, Xiao She had often stayed in the military camp, where he had heard plenty from the soldiers, enough to understand what was what. But he disliked the tone and smiles of the soldiers when they talked about it.

Excluding the Fourth Sister-in-law, who had married into the family most recently, the elder sisters-in-law Xiao She had been familiar with before—such as the eldest sister-in-law, who was timid; the second sister-in-law, who sometimes frightened him; and his own sister, who was lazy—were all like flowers in Xiao She's eyes, to be respected and protected.

The same went for other women. Even if the soldiers talked about their wives or lovers, which girl would be happy to be used as a topic of conversation?

The elder brothers—First Brother, Second Brother, and Fourth Brother—had never spoken about their wives.

Thinking that Fourth Brother was going to talk about this because he was drunk, Xiao She glared and said, "If you dare say anything inappropriate, I'll tell Fourth Sister-in-law."

Xiao Ye: "...No, I'm concerned about you. What does it have to do with your fourth sister-in-law?"

Xiao She: "Anyway, I don't want to hear your nonsense."

Xiao Ye: "Alright, alright, I won't talk nonsense. But you aren't allowed to gossip in front of your fourth sister-in-law."

Xiao She snorted: "You must have done something behind her back."

Xiao Ye really wanted to kick him. What wrong had he done? Wasn't it normal to take care of things before getting a wife?

With the conversation going nowhere, that night Xiao She slept on the bed in the inner room, while Xiao Ye slept on the cot in the secondary room. As the older brother, Xiao Ye always had to give in to his younger brother.

But the more Xiao She avoided this topic, the more Xiao Ye worried, fearing that the honest Fifth Younger Brother might really have a problem.

Before dawn the next day, Xiao Ye woke up, tiptoed off the cot, walked barefoot to the inner room, and sneaked behind the screen, arriving by the bedside.

Xiao She hadn't lowered the bed curtain, and despite his large and sturdy frame, his sleeping posture was quite proper, with the quilt neatly covering him.

Xiao Ye quietly lifted the quilt.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol he drank last night, or maybe because he felt at ease sleeping next to his fourth brother, Xiao She continued to sleep even when Xiao Ye had lifted half of the quilt.

In the dim light, Xiao Ye could clearly see the noticeable change in Xiao She's pants.

Xiao Ye sighed deeply in relief.

Xiao She suddenly opened his eyes. Unlike his two older brothers who had phoenix eyes, Xiao She had peach blossom eyes, which looked much larger when glaring.

Woken by the sigh, Xiao She glanced at his fourth brother standing by the bed and then at the quilt he was holding.

Xiao Ye blinked and sighed again: "You're already in your twenties, and yet you still kick off the quilt while sleeping. It's still February, make sure you don’t catch a cold."

As he spoke, he carefully covered Xiao She with the quilt, tucked in the corners, and gently patted it.

Xiao She threw the quilt off again.

Just as Xiao Ye feared that the Fifth Younger Brother might have noticed, Xiao She rubbed his eyes, yawned, and said, "I have to go to Sun Dian's place to be the best man. I can't be late."

Xiao Ye: "Yes, yes, go ahead and leave early."

After Xiao She went to the Sun residence, Xiao Ye also headed to the Grand Princess’s residence early.

Xiao She was afraid of staying among women, but Xiao Ye wasn't, because the ladies had already started eating, and there were no seats left for him. Xiao Ye asked a maid for a bowl and chopsticks and stood behind Yan Mingxiu to eat.

Xiao Yuchan: "You don’t act like a prince at all."

Xiao Ye: "Should I put on a prince's airs in front of you?"

Tong Sui: "How much did you drink last night? You look like you didn't sleep well."

Xiao Yuchan: "Do you think he snored?"

Xiao Ye: "Be quiet! I brought the Fifth Younger Brother back to the prince's mansion last night. He snored so loudly that it kept me awake."

Madam He raised an eyebrow: "I might have believed you if you hadn't mentioned the snoring. Except for those few days when he was exhausted from farming, the Fifth Younger Brother never snores."

Yan Mingxiu turned around and gave her husband a faint glance.

Xiao Ye: "...Let's eat first. After we finish, I'll talk to you alone."

"Let me explain, but I swear, if I wasn’t with Fifth Younger Brother last night, may I be struck by lightning!"

Aunt: "Jokes aside, Mingxiu, rest assured, Fourth Son isn't that kind of person."

Xiao Yuchan: "Still, Aunt treats me the best."

Aunt: "Mingxiu is only three months pregnant; if you hurt her now, I’ll skin you alive myself."

Liu Chu: "Enough teasing him. Fourth Younger Brother, did Fifth Younger Brother say anything when he came by yesterday?"

Xiao Ye: "Say what? He was just drinking."

Xiao Yuchan excitedly: "He’s finally catching on! The gatekeeper told Eldest Sister that when Fifth Younger Brother left yesterday, he was so mesmerized by Miss Lu that he almost forgot how to walk!"

Xiao Ye: "Miss Lu? Daughter of Lu Gong?"

Xiao Yuchan: "Yes, her name is Qiu'er, and she's very beautiful!"

Xiao Ye slammed his bowl down: "I knew it! He was acting weird last night, and I couldn’t figure it out no matter how much I thought about it!"

Tong Sui: "We can joke about Fifth Younger Brother all we want in private, but don’t mention Qiu'er in front of others—it could damage her reputation."

Yan Mingxiu: "Watch your mouths—don’t scare Qiu'er."

Xiao Ye: "……"

Ever since the brothers showed they hated studying, their wives have gotten more and more ruthless in teasing them.

After breakfast, Xiao Yan arrived with Huai Zu, and Qi Yao, Tong Gui, Zhang Wengong, and others also came with their families. The brothers would have lunch at the Grand Princess's residence and then accompany the Grand Princess to the Sun family's wedding banquet as her escorting brothers.

Xiao Ye was worried that their crude remarks might scare Lu Qiu, so he held back from saying anything, and Xiao Yuchan was too busy managing the feast to discuss their Fifth Younger Brother.

Xiao Ye volunteered to greet the guests at the main gate.

Before the Lu family's carriage even stopped, Xiao Ye recognized it. Today, the Lu family came in two groups; the women came to the Grand Princess's residence to see off the bride, while Lu Gong and his son went to the Sun family.

When the carriage stopped, Lu Qiu was the first to step out of the carriage.

Seeing Xiao Ye standing outside with his sly grin, Lu Qiu quickly looked away.

Madame Lu was flattered: "How could I possibly trouble Your Highness?"

Xiao Ye: "The Emperor ordered me to learn skills from Duke, so Duke is my master, and you are my master’s wife. It’s the least I can do."

His words were so sweet, combined with Xiao Ye’s charming face, that Madame Lu’s smile outshone the sun itself.

Once she was steady, Xiao Ye helped Madame Lu's daughter-in-law, Lady Lu, out of the carriage.

As the three of them walked inside, they successively saw Xiao Yan, Tong Gui, Zhang Wengong, and others, but they didn’t see Xiao She.

Lu Qiu felt oddly disappointed. She had expected the naive Prince, as the Grand Princess’s brother, to be here as well.

When it was time, Sun Dian arrived to welcome the bride. The young girls wanted to go to the front yard to watch the excitement, and even Xiao Yuchan went, but Lu Qiu stayed put. She didn’t like crowded places.

Xiao She, serving as Sun Dian’s groomsman, instinctively searched among the crowd of young girls, hoping to find the peony flower, but instead, he caught his nephew Qi Yao spitting on Qi Yun.

Xiao She shook his head helplessly. Only Qi Yun had such a good temper; if it were him, he would have already punched his nephew.

After the midday feast, Sun Dian took away the bride, and Xiao Yan and his brothers tagged along, but Xiao She stayed behind, waiting to see off his second sister-in-law back to the palace.

Instead of going inside, he stood guard outside, wearing his deep red attendant's outfit.

The female guests gradually took their leave, and Xiao She finally saw Miss Lu, who was behind Lady Lu and her daughter-in-law.

The Prince of Wu's gaze locked onto her once more.

Amidst the crowd of female guests, Miss Lu shot him a quick glare before swiftly boarding the carriage.

Once she left, Xiao She suddenly felt the afternoon sun was too harsh. Just as he was about to go inside, he turned around and unexpectedly saw his fourth brother.

Xiao She looked confused. "Weren’t you heading to the Sun family?"

Xiao Ye replied, "Just finished watching the show, I’m heading there now."

Xiao She asked, "What show?"

Xiao Ye said, "Our little brother pining for his wife."

Xiao She responded, "I wasn’t thinking about any wife."

Xiao Ye asked, "Then why were you staring at her?"

Xiao She opened his mouth, but he didn’t know why he couldn’t help but stare at Miss Lu.

Xiao Ye poked his forehead. "Dude, that’s what we call being smitten!"

Xiao She fell silent.

He did want to see her every day; whether she became his wife didn’t really matter.