Chapter 9 – The Two Brothers Are Back, and They’re Seriously Handsome~

As soon as Yun Ruoxi got on the carriage, she glanced at her elder brother’s handsome face and asked curiously, “Big Brother, what brings you here today?”

Yun Ruoyang was about to say something, but when he saw Mu Ruxue beside her, he changed his tone and said, “Just came to check on you.”

Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue instantly understood what he meant.

“Big Brother, your timing is perfect. I actually need a favor from you,” Yun Ruoxi said.

“What is it?”

“I need a lot of supplies. Here’s a list—just follow it and buy everything written on it.”

Yun Ruoyang took the list and glanced at it, surprised by how detailed it was. It basically covered everything one would need for daily life.

“Xixi’s list is thorough. Big Brother will get it all ready for you.”

Of course it was! After all, it was backed by their twenty years of stockpiling experience—no wonder it was so comprehensive.

Although they had hoarded plenty of modern supplies, most of it was too futuristic to be brought out openly.

Items that already existed in the Daye Dynasty could be used as cover.

While Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue still found modern goods more convenient, it wasn’t like they could do without the local ones.

Once everything was settled, Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue got off the carriage. Yun Ruoyang had come to the Marquis of Wu’an’s estate today specifically to help her stockpile supplies.

This was also under the directive of their grandfather. Now that Yun Ruoxi was a married woman, she didn’t have the same freedom she did before marriage.

But that worked out just right—it solved her immediate problem.

The two walked back to the courtyard, chatting and laughing. But before they even reached the door, they saw two men in brocade robes sitting inside, drinking tea.

Mu Ruxue, being the fiery type, instantly flared up. “What the heck? We’re not even home and they just waltz in for tea?”

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to throw hands.

Yun Ruoxi had intended to stop her. After all, if these men could enter the inner courtyard of the Marquis estate so freely, they were clearly no ordinary visitors.

A guess flashed through her mind—could these two be… their husbands?

In that split second of hesitation, Mu Ruxue had already charged forward.

“What’s wrong with you two? How can you just come and go from a woman’s rooms as you please?” she scolded.

Xiao Jingrui raised an eyebrow slightly. “If I’m not mistaken, this is my bridal chamber.”

Bridal chamber?

Mu Ruxue froze. “You two are…”

Xiao Jingxuan slowly stood up and said, “Yes, I’m your husband.”

Yun Ruoxi quickly stepped forward, asking, “You’ve returned safely? Did you encounter any danger?”

Only then did Xiao Jingrui turn his gaze toward Yun Ruoxi’s face, clearly stunned by how beautiful she was.

He was momentarily dazed. He had heard before that the Duke of England’s granddaughter was both talented and beautiful. Had it not been for the childhood betrothal, he couldn’t imagine how the Marquis of Wu’an’s family could’ve landed such a match.

He had assumed someone raised so delicately would be pampered and fragile, but she didn’t seem that way at all.

“This time, we really owe it to the Duke of England’s household. Without their help, we might not have made it back.”

Yun Ruoxi thought back to her uncle’s reaction yesterday—he must’ve entered the palace the moment she left.

“We’re all family. Uncle was just concerned about the Marquis household.”

Xiao Jingrui turned to the maids nearby and said coldly, “You’re all dismissed. We don’t need your service here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the maids had left, only the four of them remained in the room.

Xiao Jingrui said, “Early spring is still chilly. Let’s talk inside.”

Yun Ruoxi nodded. Beside her, Mu Ruxue clutched her sleeve tightly, clearly nervous.

To be honest, Yun Ruoxi felt a little nervous too. But after seeing Xiao Jingrui in person today, she was quite satisfied with his looks.

She just wondered about his physique…

No, no, what was she even thinking? Her mind was a mess. She felt ashamed of her indecent thoughts and couldn’t help blushing.

Walking ahead, Xiao Jingrui could clearly feel the gaze on his back.

He didn’t even need to guess—it had to be from his wife.

On their wedding night, they’d barely finished the cross-cupped wine before he was summoned to the palace. He hadn’t even made it back for the formal post-wedding visit, and he felt deeply guilty about it.

Once they reached the main hall, everyone sat down. Even Mu Ruxue didn’t just flop onto the couch in a lounging sprawl like she usually would.

It once made Yun Ruoxi feel like there was no one left in the world for her to care about.

But now, seeing Mu Ruxue’s reaction—and the way she kept sneaking glances at Xiao Jingxuan—it was obvious this girl had taken a liking to his handsome face.

To be fair, the Xiao family’s genes were excellent. The two brothers each had their own charms, but their eyes and facial features were quite similar—undeniably real brothers.

Most of the time, Xiao Jingrui wore a cold expression that gave off an unapproachable vibe.

But Xiao Jingxuan was the opposite. Dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, he gave off a warm, gentle presence, like a spring breeze.

As she was thinking this, Xiao Jingxuan was the first to speak. “Although we made it back safely this time, I doubt the Emperor has truly let the Marquis of Wu’an’s household off the hook. This disaster relief silver was just the fuse. The Emperor likely wants our family to completely withdraw from the capital.”

Xiao Jingrui added, “No matter his intentions, we can’t just sit around and wait. We should start making preparations early.”

Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue exchanged glances but said nothing. In their hearts, they were quite satisfied with their future husbands.

At the very least, they weren’t blindly loyal. If they had been, the two women would have run far, far away and never looked back.

Though dragging their families along made things more complicated, at least they didn’t have to suffer endlessly with foolishly loyal men.

With that thought, Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue both felt much more at ease.

While the two best friends were lost in thought, they didn’t notice the subtle glances and silent communication happening between the two brothers.

“Since it’s getting late, I’ll take Xiao Xue back now. Big Brother and Sister-in-law, you should rest early too.”

Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue were still dazed and didn’t even realize he was referring to them.

Xiao Jingxuan looked at the blank-faced Mu Ruxue and said gently, “Xiao Xue, let’s go.”

Mu Ruxue finally snapped out of it. “You mean me?”

Yun Ruoxi couldn’t help but palm her forehead. She could clearly see that Mu Ruxue really didn’t want to go back with Xiao Jingxuan.

Seeing this, Xiao Jingxuan had no choice but to step forward and take Mu Ruxue’s hand, leading her outside.

Originally, Mu Ruxue had wanted to resist. But having been single for 25 years, this was the first time she had held hands with a man. She immediately forgot everything she had planned to say or do.

She could only let herself be led by Xiao Jingxuan, cheeks flushed red, trailing behind him. In no time, the two of them disappeared from sight.

With only the two of them left in the room, Yun Ruoxi suddenly felt awkward. Her eyes darted around, clearly avoiding Xiao Jingrui’s gaze.

Xiao Jingrui quickly noticed her discomfort. “Are you afraid of me?”

Yun Ruoxi hadn’t expected to be called out so directly and stammered, “N-no, not at all.”

She had hoped to brush things off casually, but Xiao Jingrui clearly had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily.

He stood up and slowly walked over to her, stopping right by her side.

Leaning down to meet her eyes, he said, “Then why won’t my wife look me in the eyes?”

At such a close distance, Yun Ruoxi blushed even harder. “It’s just so sudden… I’m not used to it yet.”

She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze out of embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Jingrui suddenly picked her up in a bridal carry and strode toward the bed in the inner room.

Yun Ruoxi stared blankly at his bold move and stammered, “W-what are you doing?”

“You said we’re not familiar enough. Naturally, I should help my wife get familiar with me… and maybe… test the goods.”

Yun Ruoxi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw his Adam’s apple bob slightly when he said that, hinting at another meaning entirely.

“Huh? That’s not urgent, right? We can take it slow, slowly…”

The moment she said that, she regretted it. She immediately heard Xiao Jingrui chuckle lowly. “Wife, what exactly are you imagining?”

“I didn’t think anything! It’s late—I’m going to sleep!”

Without another word, she ignored the hairpins still stuck in her head, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over herself in one swift motion, not giving Xiao Jingrui any chance to respond.

Xiao Jingrui shook his head helplessly. Seeing that it really was late, he headed into the bathing room to wash up.

Only after hearing him leave did Yun Ruoxi dare to peek out from under the blanket and quietly remove all the hair accessories from her hair.

Still, she kept her clothes on neatly and laid down fully dressed.

She had been worrying about how awkward it would be to share a bed with him.

But thinking and thinking… she ended up falling asleep without even realizing it.

It was a dreamless night…