Chapter 15 : He Listens to Her

Even though he was dizzy from being shaken by Yang Hu, Huo Zhen still had a silly, happy grin on his face. “Hahaha, it was her first time. I’m the first person to make Song Ying lose her temper!”

Yang Hu and Mo Qi both let out a synchronized “Wow” and then walked alongside him, one on the left, one behind, shoulder to shoulder. “Brother, you’re really something. Tell us, how exactly did Miss Song get mad at you?”

Huo Zhen replied smugly, “She threw a teacup at me and told me to get lost. Her maid told me it was the first time she’d ever seen Aying like that, hehe.”

Mo Qi blinked. “So… you came home grinning like this after getting a teacup thrown at you?”

The moment he said that, the three men all fell silent.

After a long pause, Huo Zhen took a deep breath and admitted, “Ah, Aying… I messed up.”

Without waiting for Yang Hu or Mo Qi to say anything, Huo Zhen turned and dashed straight toward the backyard. He climbed over the wall in one swift motion and landed lightly on the ground.

By this time, Song Ying had already gone to sleep. Huo Zhen stood guard outside her room.

He was so giddy he wasn’t thinking straight. How could he go home and sleep at a time like this? He had to stay and make amends.

Yang Hu and Mo Qi climbed up to the top of the wall and looked down at Huo Zhen waiting quietly in the courtyard. They couldn’t help shaking their heads and sighing.

If the soldiers in their unit ever saw this, they’d probably laugh at him for the rest of his life.

That night, Song Ying had trouble sleeping. She tossed and turned and eventually woke up, only to hear deafening snoring.

Annoyed by the noise, she got up and quietly went to the window. Through the night shadows, she saw a dark figure curled up on a stone bench, leaning against the stone table.

The snoring was coming from that shadow.

Normally, Song Ying would’ve called a servant to drive the person away. But she knew that dark figure was none other than Huo Zhen.

She lit the oil lamp and opened the door.

As a trained soldier, Huo Zhen was immediately alert. His eyes flickered with a bit of sharpness as he snapped, “Who’s there?!”

Song Ying replied, “It’s me.”

Huo Zhen rubbed his eyes, then instantly broke into a smile. “Aying…”

“General Huo, mind your words.”

Huo Zhen had no choice but to correct himself. “Miss Song.”

Song Ying stood by the door, keeping her distance. In the dim light, her features looked soft and delicate.

The moment Huo Zhen saw her, his heart softened too.

“Miss Song, I was too reckless today. I don’t know how to make it up to you. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

Before he fell asleep earlier, Huo Zhen had already made up his mind: from now on, no more acting on his own, he’d listen to Song Ying.

She was only wearing a light outer robe. It was early autumn, still warm.

Huo Zhen stared at her in a daze, his thoughts drifting. He wanted Song Ying to be his wife but he was afraid that she might be truly angry, and never speak to him again.

Song Ying’s calm, unreadable expression made Huo Zhen even more nervous.

He licked his lips and asked weakly, “What’s wrong?”

Song Ying sighed. “Go home. Your snoring is keeping me up.”

Huo Zhen froze, then let out a dumb “Oh.” He turned and took a few steps before stopping again. Glancing back at her still standing in the doorway, he said, “I…”

Song Ying cut him off, “Go back.” Then she shut the door and blew out the lamp without sparing him another glance.

Huo Zhen slumped his shoulders. “Alas…”

—

The next day, Huo Zhen slept in until noon. When he climbed up the ladder to the top of the wall, he saw the door was shut. It seemed Song Ying wasn’t home.

Just then, a maid walked by, and Huo Zhen quickly called out, “Where’s your young lady?”

Everyone in the residence already knew General Huo next door loved to climb over the wall, so the maid wasn’t surprised at all. She even replied politely, “Miss left early this morning.”

“She went out? Where to?”

The maid shook her head. “I don’t know. She didn’t say, and we servants naturally wouldn’t dare to ask.”

With no other choice, Huo Zhen returned home, changed his clothes, and headed to the abandoned house in the alley.

That’s where yesterday’s troublemakers were being held.

When Yang Hu saw him arrive, he said, “Brother, Mo Qi used a few tricks and got one of them to talk.”

Huo Zhen asked, “What about the others?”

Mo Qi replied, “They were just tagging along for fun.”

Huo Zhen nodded. “Release everyone except the one who talked.”

Mo Qi. “Understood.”

After clearing out the idlers, Huo Zhen walked into the inner room and saw a thin man tied up and thrown in a corner.

His injuries were even worse than they had been the day before.

When he saw Huo Zhen enter, the man immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy, “Please, spare my life!”

Huo Zhen grabbed the man by the hair and said coldly, “Tell me everything you know, and I’ll let you go and even give you some money. How about it?”

The man had originally planned to make money by spreading stories. Now that he’d been beaten, the thought of getting paid at least gave him a bit of comfort.

“I—I’ll tell you everything, whatever you want to know.”

Huo Zhen. “Good. Who told you to spread the rumors?”

The Man. “It was…”

—

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Song Ying wore a veiled hat and went to a herbal medicine shop with Faer.

Han bought a lot of belongings during her lifetime, most of which she gave to the Marquis’ Mansion and a small part was left to Song Ying, all of which were regarded as her private property.

“Miss, here is the account book for last month and this month.”

In the past, it had been inconvenient for Song Ying to go out, both before and after her marriage. Now that she was single again and had moved out of the Marquis’ Mansion, she finally had true freedom and mobility.

After quickly scanning the account book, Song Ying handed it back to the shopkeeper. “There have been a lot of fire grass orders recently.”

The shopkeeper replied, “Miss, we can only source fire grass from Nanyue, but with the border conflict intensifying, many people in the capital need it. We’ve already raised the price significantly, but demand still hasn’t dropped.”

Song Ying frowned. “Don’t sell the remaining fire grass. Seal it all up and don’t let word get out.”

The shopkeeper immediately understood her intention and nodded quickly. “Understood.”

Song Ying added, “Also, take inventory of all the herbs carefully.”

Shopkeeper: “Yes, I’ll do that right away.”

After leaving the herbal shop, Song Ying visited an inn, a teahouse, a bookstore, and finally a jewelry shop.

“Miss, look over there.”

Song Ying lifted a corner of the curtain and saw Li Xingrou along with two young ladies from other official families picking out jewelry inside.

“Miss, are we still going in?”

Not wanting to stir up unnecessary conflict, Song Ying opted to wait across the street at a teahouse with Faer. They didn’t go in until after Li Xingrou and the others had left.

“My lady is here.” The jewelry shop owner, a charming woman, recognized Song Ying right away.

Song Ying asked, “Was that Minister Li’s daughter just now?”

The shopkeeper replied, “Yes, and the other two were from the Liu and Bai families. They heard we had new designs today and came to take a look.”

Song Ying. “Did they buy anything?”

The shopkeeper smiled and placed some freshly received silver in front of her. “They did. This just came in.”

Song Ying counted the money and smiled. “Miss Li has always been generous.”

After chatting briefly and reviewing the store’s account book, Song Ying left with Faer and returned by carriage.

“Miss, does Miss Li know you own the jewelry shop?”

Song Ying nodded lightly. “She does.”

“Huh?” Faer was surprised. “But doesn’t she dislike you? Why would she still shop here?”

Song Ying put on a mysterious air. “Take a guess.”

Faer actually managed to guess. “Miss Li is strange. Maybe she wants to use money to humiliate you, to make it clear she has more wealth than you could ever compete with.”

Song Ying laughed, amused by her reasoning, and bought a bunch of snacks for Faer on the way back.

When Song Ying and Faer returned home, Xiaomi immediately came forward to report. “Miss, Madam Hu came by earlier, but I sent her away.”