Chapter 5

Ning Yuan once thought he had heard wrong.

When he heard that Ah Qiao wanted to make peace, he felt like his dream had come true. He also admitted that he had never been a gentleman about this matter.

“Cough cough cough…”

He was too excited and forgot to swallow the last bit of water in his mouth.

Feeling uncomfortable, Xu Lianqiao turned her back to the bed and began coughing. 

After being in bed for three months, her body was still very weak.

Ning Yuan’s joy wasn’t completely gone, but he started to feel uneasy. If the body wasn’t his, he would have been truly happy.

But since the body was his, agreeing to a divorce would mean he’d never see Ah Qiao again.

It had been so long since he had seen her so close, and he often saw her smile only in his dreams.

But if this is what Ah Qiao truly wants…

How could he hold her back because of his own selfishness? He thought Ah Qiao probably wanted to make peace because life in the Jiang Mansion was hard for her.

However, even though Ning Yuan had been stationed in the northwest for a long time, he knew that Jiang Huai, from a powerful family like the Xuanwu Marquis Mansion, wouldn’t easily agree to reconcile with Ah Qiao.

The coughing slowly stopped, and Ning Yuan felt Ah Qiao might be testing him, so he looked at her and asked, “Did I say that I wanted to reconcile?”

To hide his true feelings, he spoke in a low voice, making it sound like he was upset. 

But he forgot that his voice was dry now, and lowering it made him sound harsh instead.

Xu Lianqiao thought about it and remembered that Jiang Huai hadn’t promised to reconcile with her. In fact, their argument that day had been very ugly.

Over the past three months, she had thought about many possibilities for when Jiang Huai woke up.

She had even prepared for the worst, but she never expected him to say what he just did.

She had been planning to deceive him when he woke up, thinking he wouldn’t be able to think clearly after being in a coma for so long.

It’s better to say “divorce” than to be “divorced.”

But sure enough…

How could someone like Jiang Huai let her take advantage of him?

Xu Lianqiao felt discouraged and didn’t know what to say next. She could only lower her eyes and nervously pinch the sides of her clothes to calm down.

She realized she was quite timid.

If she could, she wouldn’t want to feel this way. She wanted to shut people up when they argued with her. She also wanted to slap Jiang Huai when he was rude and mocking her.

But…

She had a stupid mouth. By the time she thought of a good comeback, it was too late.

As for taking action… she was no match for Jiang Huai, so she could only think about it herself.

The room became quiet again. The setting sun cast long shadows through the window.

A black-and-white magpie landed on the window and chirped twice.

Xu Lianqiao’s sigh was almost covered by the sound.

But Ning Yuan still noticed. In fact, his eyes hadn’t left Xu Lianqiao.

“Ahem.”

Another cough, which he covered with his hand, caught Xu Lianqiao’s attention. She raised her head, expecting Jiang Huai to say something rude again.

To her surprise, she heard Jiang Huai lower his head and say slowly:

“I haven’t recovered yet. Let’s talk about this later.”

Then, as if to comfort her, he added:

“You should go rest first.”

He said all of this with a slight smile.

This was the first time Jiang Huai had ever been gentle with her since they got married.

Xu Lianqiao was confused, but she could only respond with a soft “okay.”

She felt uncomfortable being around Jiang Huai and wanted to leave quickly.

She turned around and walked out the door without looking back.

As soon as the door closed, she felt a sense of relief.

Although she didn’t know Jiang Huai well, today he was different from the man she knew. He was much kinder than usual.

He didn’t threaten her or say harsh words. Instead, his eyes were no longer full of disgust.

Could it be…

That it’s true what older people say—that sometimes people change completely after experiencing something like coming back from death?

But if that’s the case, this change was too much.

_

Ning Yuan felt mixed emotions when he saw Ah Qiao run out quickly.

He was glad that Ah Qiao didn’t like Jiang Huai, but more than that, he felt sad.

The Ah Qiao he remembered used to be careful because her parents weren’t around, but she wasn’t as sensitive and cautious as she is now.

She would laugh, get angry, take him to the creek behind the mountain to fish, beg him to teach her how to ride a horse, and even say she wanted to find a husband like him.

He remembered the way the moonlight once shone in her eyes.

So, what had happened to her in these years?

He would rather Ah Qiao find a husband who truly loved her than one who made her feel afraid.

He would rather never have a chance with her, as long as Ah Qiao could be happy.

After finishing his water and thinking for a moment, he decided he knew what to do next.

_ 

At sunset, the red sun finally set behind the Western Mountains, and a cool breeze blew through the door, making the bell in the hallway ring.

While Ning Yuan was resting with his eyes closed, he heard a voice from a young man outside the door:

“Your Majesty, the old lady invites you to dinner.”

Ning Yuan opened his eyes when he heard this.

Actually, since he didn’t know much about the Xuanwu Marquis Mansion and Jiang Huai, he should have declined because he wasn’t feeling well.

But…

“I know, you go back to the old lady first and tell her I will be there in a minute.”

However, Ning Yuan had never been one to follow rules.

Once the young man returned to the others, Ning Yuan started preparing himself.

Everything went smoothly except when changing out of his pajamas. Although they were both men, it still felt strange because it was someone else’s body.

He glanced at himself briefly but didn’t look longer.

It seemed that Jiang Huai was still a bit behind in comparison.

After quickly putting on a coat, Ning Yuan let the young man guide him to the dining room.

But when he entered, the people in the room surprised him.

He could understand why Ah Qiao wasn’t there, since the old man didn’t seem to like her.

But besides Mrs. Jiang, Ning Yuan noticed another woman.

He remembered vaguely that she was one of Jiang Huai’s concubines.

He hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but today she was standing quietly in the corner, unlike the pregnant concubine from earlier.

So…

The Xuanwu Marquis Mansion seemed to be quite messy.

Ning Yuan couldn’t help but sneer to himself.

_

T/L Notes

~Notice: The chapter will now be unlocked on Sunday and Tuesday.~

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