Zhao Huanxi was not comforted. Storybooks always say that harmony between husband and wife is essential for a good relationship. Those lacking harmony end up having affairs.

If he truly couldn’t do it, what right did he have to cling to Dong Jiejie and refuse to let go?

Xu Nian’an saw him out, and Yin Luochen and Fu Yunjin were already waiting outside.

The two of them, of course, could tell that Zhao Huanxi was in a bad mood. When they asked him, he merely said he hadn’t slept well.

He certainly wouldn’t tell his big-mouthed cousin about something like this!

Upon arriving at the Imperial Academy, he weighed his options and decided that finding Qian Ming was the most reliable choice. Firstly, Qian Ming had experience both at home and outside. Secondly, Zhao Huanxi still owed him a favour (dressing as a nandan), which made him easier to handle.

After class, seeing He Lun, Huo Qingzhe, and the others head to the outhouse, Zhao Huanxi secretly pulled Qian Ming into an empty corner outside the classroom. With a tense expression, he said, “I have something I want to ask you, but you must promise not to laugh.”

Qian Ming, seeing his serious look, already felt the urge to laugh. He forced himself to keep a straight face and nodded.

Zhao Huanxi hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, leaned in, and whispered something in Qian Ming’s ear. Then he looked at him expectantly.

The veins on Qian Ming’s forehead bulged as his expression twisted. He opened his mouth and said, “So your situation HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—” He couldn’t hold it in, and after a few words, he clutched his stomach and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Zhao Huanxi’s face darkened. Furious and humiliated, he turned around and walked away.

Qian Ming tried hard to suppress his laughter and reached out to pull him back. Gasping between chuckles, he said, “Don’t go! I won’t laugh anymore. Let’s talk seriously.”

Zhao Huanxi stood there angrily, refusing to look at him.

Qian Ming forced himself not to recall Zhao Huanxi’s words and finally managed to suppress his laughter. Leaning closer, he said softly, “Actually, this is quite normal.”

Hearing this, Zhao Huanxi was slightly moved and finally turned his face to look at him.

With their heads close together, Qian Ming whispered, “For us men, first time experiencing such things, who can fully control themselves? But generally, it only happens after… you know, getting it in. You didn’t even get your pants off and already…” At this point, he almost burst out laughing again but held it in with great effort. “How excited were you at the time?”

Zhao Huanxi replied woodenly, “I don’t know. I just felt like my body was burning, and my mind was completely blank.”

Qian Ming rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, “I reckon you were too caught up in the moment. Here’s an idea. Next time, think about something else. Don’t get so carried away, and you’ll be fine.”

Zhao Huanxi, recalling the way Dong Jiejie looked beneath him at that moment, felt his chest heat up again. His mind was a tangled mess, unable to think clearly. Think about something else? Could he even manage that?

“Isn’t there another way?” he asked.

Qian Ming thought for a moment and said, “How about this. Before you start next time, you, uh, use your hand as your wife first. That should help solve the problem.”

Zhao Huanxi: “……”

Today was Zhao Shuxian’s san chao hui men. Zhao Huanxu had specially requested a day off from the academy to stay home and await his brother-in-law, He Xuning.

He had also received the notification for this spring’s entrance exam for Canglan Academy and wanted to gather some useful information from his brother-in-law, who was studying there.

In front of others, Zhao Shuxian still maintained a composed appearance, but when she was alone in the room with Wu Taitai, she couldn’t hold back and started crying.

“My mother-in-law makes me stand and serve her every meal, plating dishes and pouring soup. I’ve stood until my feet are sore and burned my hands several times. It’s not as if there aren’t servants in the house! I asked He Xuning to tell his mother not to make me stand and serve her during meals anymore, and he actually said that his mother raised him with great difficulty, and now that he has a wife, she deserves to enjoy the blessings of being a mother-in-law. Mother, listen to that, does that even sound human?” Zhao Shuxian cried as she spoke.

Wu Taitai frowned deeply, the lines on her forehead forming a “川” character. She said to Zhao Shuxian, “And what are you saying? What daughter-in-law doesn’t serve her mother-in-law? Your Saozi is the legitimate daughter of a marquis’s family. When she first married in, didn’t she still serve me properly?”

“That’s different! You are the legitimate daughter-in-law of a Guogong Family, so of course, it’s proper for a marquis’s daughter to serve you. But what gives my mother-in-law the right? She’s from a small and insignificant family. Even Yin Furen doesn’t make Xu Nian’an serve her!” Zhao Shuxian retorted indignantly.

“Hold your tongue! You’ve married into He Family, and yet you dare to call your mother-in-law ‘small and insignificant’. If one day you slip and say something like that aloud, and she makes life difficult for you, who will help you? Yin Furen doesn’t make Xu Nian’an serve her because Huanxi is useless, and Yin Furen needs her to manage him. Your husband is capable and doesn’t need you to take care of him. If you don’t serve your mother-in-law, what else will you do?” Wu Taitai countered disapprovingly.

Zhao Shuxian grew agitated and exclaimed, “Mom, why are you always siding with outsiders?”

Wu Taitai sighed and said, “I’m not siding with outsiders. It’s just that now you’ve married into the He Family and are a daughter-in-law there, you must do your best to win your mother-in-law’s favour. Stop thinking of yourself as a noble lady from a Guogong Family and looking down on your mother-in-law. Filial piety comes first. A daughter-in-law who clashes with her mother-in-law, can she ever have a good outcome?”

Zhao Shuxian tugged her handkerchief angrily and complained, “The He Family’s house is so small. Even after marrying, He Xuning and I can only live in a side room. If we speak a little louder, He Furen can hear everything. I want to buy a new house and move out with him.”

Wu Taitai, feeling a headache coming on, said, “What nonsense are you talking about now? With both parents still alive, how can a son and daughter-in-law move out and live on their own?”

Hearing that this wasn’t allowed either, Zhao Shuxian started crying again. “Then what should I do? How long do I have to endure this kind of life? Mom, I regret marrying into the He Family.”

Seeing her daughter crying so sorrowfully, Wu Taitai couldn’t help but feel a faint resentment toward Lao Taitai. If not for her terrible idea, Guogong Yé wouldn’t have annulled the engagement between Shuxian and the Lu Family. If Shuxian had married into the Lu Family, where there was no mother-in-law to manage her, she certainly wouldn’t be suffering like this.

After finishing the day’s classes, Zhao Huanxi mulled over things on his way back: thinking about something else wasn’t possible for him, and using his hand to act as a wife wasn’t either. Dong Jiejie was so clever. What if she figured it out? How could he still face her?

Anyway, Qian Ming had said it was normal, so it was just that… he was perhaps slightly more excited than others, that’s all.

Thinking back to last night, when he cried and told Dong Jiejie that he wasn’t capable after that happened, he felt utterly humiliated. He had to properly explain himself to Dong Jiejie today.

After having dinner at Yin Furen’s place, the young couple returned to Shenhui Courtyard.

When Zhao Huanxi saw Xu Nian’an washing her hands behind the screen, he dismissed the maids in the room, walked to the side of the screen, and said to her, “Dong Jiejie, I’ve asked Qian Ming about it.”

“Oh? And what did he say?” Xu Nian’an asked while drying her hands.

“Qian Ming said it’s normal. It’s like this for everyone the first time,” Zhao Huanxi said loudly, making an effort to keep his expression in check. After finishing, he couldn’t help but nervously emphasise, “Really!”

Xu Nian’an smiled, her cheeks tinged with red, and said, “That’s good, then. You don’t need to worry anymore, right?”

Zhao Huanxi quickly nodded, stealing a glance at Xu Nian’an. Seeing that she didn’t seem suspicious, he felt slightly relieved and said, “Dong Jiejie, I’m going to Zufu’s courtyard to practise with the sword.”

Xu Nian’an replied, “Be careful. The wound you got last night hasn’t healed yet.”

Zhao Huanxi didn’t want to think about last night’s events, gave a vague response, and fled in embarrassment.

Next door, in Shenhui Courtyard, Qin Shi was sent back to her family. Her three children; Zhao Yujie, who was eleven, Zhao Yanjun, who was eight, and Zhao Yucheng, who was only two, had to be looked after by Wei Shi (Zhao Huanyang’s wife).

Wei Shi herself had two children, one five years old and the other three. After just three days of helping, Wei Shi was exhausted and asked Zhao Huanyang in the evening, “Is it true that Da Sao was really divorced?”

The mention of this matter made Zhao Huanyang angry. He said, “That venomous woman Yin Furen forced Da Ge to divorce his wife. Just wait, Da Ge will call Father back to handle this.”

However, Wei Shi was not as naive. She said, “Gongdiē is in Pingliang Prefecture working as an official, how could he return easily? Also, I heard that Da Ge went to Dunyi Hall that night, but Da Sao was still divorced. Perhaps Zufu is also in agreement with this. What can Gongdiē do?”

Zhao Huanyang turned around and looked at Wei Shi. He asked “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Wei Shi thought for a moment and said, “Because Gongdiē hit Yin Furen, Zufu actually drove him out of the residence, which clearly shows he’s biased in Yin Furen’s favour. And since the first branch has already offended Yin Furen because of Pang Daixue, with Gongdiē not around, Yin Furen will want to settle scores with the first branch. Making Da Ge divorce Da Sao might just be the first step. Now that we’re helping take care of the children of the first branch, might Yin Furen turn her resentment towards us?”

Zhao Huanyang raised an eyebrow, holding back his anger. “What do you mean by that? Are you saying you want to surrender to Yin Furen?”

Wei Shi looked at him fearfully, then, with a hint of grievance, began to cry, “What else can we do if we don’t surrender? We’re just shu son and daughter-in-law, and she’s the legitimate mother. If she wants to punish us, withGongdiē not here, do you have a way to resist? What if one day she makes up some excuse to make you divorce me? Would you do it?” She sobbed, “Gongdiē won’t be back for years. Yiniang follows him over there, always getting sick, and every time Gongdiē writes asking for this or that, Yin Furen always asks us to take care of it. Whether we can afford it is another thing. Before, when Da Sao was around, she would make Da Sao do it, but now that Da Sao isn’t here, doesn’t that mean she’ll make me do it? One day, if she doesn’t like me, she’ll either scold or punish me, and I’ll have to put up with it. If I don’t please her, I’ll end up like Da Sao! You brothers will be left without wives!”

Zhao Huanyang, feeling restless and irritated, stood up without saying another word and walked out to find his elder brother.

Zhao Huanchao was also feeling overwhelmed. Every day after his shift, he returned home to a cold, empty house, only to be bothered by various trivial matters from the maids and nannies attending to the children. The money he had invested in the Ni Family’s Biao cousin’s gambling den had been largely lost, saying that it was to make up for the betrothal gift. He was furious, but had no outlet for his anger, his frustration manifesting as a large sore on his lip.

The two brothers sat in silence for a while, and then Zhao Huanyang spoke, “What should we do now? We can’t just sit back and let Yin Furen squeeze us dry.”

Zhao Huanchao obviously wanted to resist, but as a concubine-born on dealing with the legitimate mother, he had to consider his reputation and future, which meant he couldn’t act recklessly.

Releasing the tight grip of his clenched fists, he said, “The only thing we can do now is find a way to bring Father back. Then we must wait. Since last year, there have been rumors that the internal turmoil in Tiele will soon be resolved, and they should be able to complete the unification soon. Once Tiele is unified under Gu Desiqin (a name), the northeast will likely experience another round of turmoil. As a former general of Liaodong, Zufu will probably be sent by the court to fight against Tiele. When that happens, we can make Father divorce Yin Furen.”

Tiele is a name used for a nomadic people who lived in the northern parts of China, around the area of the Ordos Plateau and the steppes.

Zhao Huanyang thought this plan was feasible, but there was a dilemma: “But how do we bring Father back?”

⟡ Aewoo’s Ramble ⟡

Tsk tsk. Look at the Fifth Branch's pair of insufferable mother and daughter blaming everyone for the terrible marriage THEY CHOSE.

Btw, this chapter felt rather short 🤔?