Chapter 30: I Won

The lamplight fell on his handsome face, casting a hint of laziness; his amorous, slightly flirtatious peach‑blossom eyes made people's hearts flutter. Gu Jiu Ling's heart pounded nonstop—this was the first time she had handled some private matters using his status while he was absent. When they married, they had already been clear: profit above all, a marriage of convenience. With such an arrangement, they must not interfere with each other. Could it be that today, by blowing this matter out of proportion, she had caused some ill effect on Xiao Yin? Yet Xiao Yin hid his emotions deeply; at this moment Gu Jiu Ling could not discern his joy or anger. He just smiled at her, teasingly asking without propriety whether her father's things were easy to use. As she chewed over the words, she detected a hint of ambiguity. She hurriedly laughed: "It's fine! My lord the Prince's fame resounds throughout the world; none are unaware, none uninformed. My admiration for the Prince is like an endless river."

A flicker of smile crossed Xiao Yin's eyes as he turned over the characters Gu Jiu Ling had written on the table, raising his brows and picking them up. Gu Jiu Ling wanted to snatch them back, but it was already too late; she had been practicing her writing lately. The original host was truly a good‑for‑nothing, yet still the eldest daughter of the Gu family—her handwriting looked like a dog paddling; even if you caught an ant, dipped it in ink, and let it crawl on white paper, it would trace something prettier than her scrawl. Handwriting is one's calling card; if Gu Jiu Ling ever left the Rui Wang Fu to go solo, she'd have to deal with outsiders, and writing like this is simply pathetic. "My lord, don't look—my writing is truly ugly, I'd sully the Prince's eyes."

Xiao Yin didn't mind; he set down the blank paper and looked at her, saying: "Didn't the Gu family hire a female tutor to teach you reading and writing?"

Gu Jiu Ling gave a bitter smile: "No. Lady Lin said girls don't need too much talent, lest they seem stiff; just dress beautifully and then marry."

A hint of mockery flickered in Xiao Yin's eyes: "Heh! You actually believe that nonsense?"

Gu Jiu Ling opened her mouth but found no words; the original host's simple‑minded self had actually believed that, and what could she do? In this world, love and marriage are matches—if the original host were nothing, how could she catch the prince's eye? Seeing Gu Jiu Ling silent, Xiao Yin thought she was angry and waved at her: "Come over!"

Gu Jiu Ling startled, yet still walked obediently to Xiao Yin's front. Unexpectedly, Xiao Yin rose, pressed her onto a chair, went around to her back, leaned over and encircled her entirely in his arms. Gu Jiu Ling instantly felt a sense of pressure—his tall frame enclosed her petite body, the scent of dragon's saliva incense wafted over her, and her breath stalled a little. "Practicing calligraphy has no tricks; it's just hard work," Xiao Yin said slowly, his long fingers gripping Gu Jiu Ling's hand, "It boils down to five principles: squareness and roundness, straightness and curve, orientation, weight, and motion…" His voice sounded mellow, like aged wine poured into the ears, somewhat intoxicating. Gu Jiu Ling only felt her heart beating a little irregularly; earlier Xiao Yin's kindness toward her had been an act for outsiders, and now, alone together, what was he performing? Perhaps Xiao Yin harbored feelings for her, then she quickly shook her head—even if Xiao Yin were a impotent eunuch, he wouldn't be interested in a woman with two children, would he? But if he weren't interested, why would he be holding her hand and teaching her to write stroke by stroke? That's just bewildering! There had been rumors that the more openly Xiao Yin laughed, the more he wanted to kill. Gu Jiu Ling's scalp began to tingle, yet she didn't expect to hear his low, slightly reproachful laugh from beside her ear: "Princess Consort, focus a little; I rarely have this leisurely mood to teach you calligraphy."

"From now on, write three practice sheets each day; I'll come by to inspect."

Gu Jiu Ling's face fell a little—did she have to come every day? … She actually wanted her own personal space! Xiao Yin glanced at the somewhat dull‑witted woman in his arms, a flicker of mischief crossing his eyes; he supposed he needed a reason to come sit here anyway. Gu Jiu Ling dared not think further, she moved her brush according to his method, and couldn't help but feel a flash of surprise—this method actually had some effect on her handwriting. She suddenly realized how little she knew about Xiao Yin as a man. She had thought he was merely a warrior, yet his writing was this good. Xiao Yin demonstrated by writing a few characters beside her, surpassing the practice sheets sold at the outside bookshop. "Master! The meal is ready; shall we eat now?"

Jiu Yue waited outside cautiously. Only then did Xiao Yin loosen his hold on Gu Jiu Ling; Gu Jiu Ling was already drenched in cold sweat, she quickly coughed to signal Jiu Yue to bring the food in. Jiu Yue, with the maidservants, laid out the dishes on the table and then withdrew. A few simple side dishes, all prepared by the kitchen at Gu Jiu Ling's request—especially the eight‑treasure porridge, which Gu Jiu Ling had served Xiao Yin a bowl of, adding several spoonfuls of honey. "My lord, try this porridge; it's delicious, simmered over low fire for almost two shichen."

Xiao Yin took it, ate a mouthful, his brows slightly furrowed, and gently pushed the bowl away: "I don't eat sweet."

Gu Jiu Ling blinked, a hint of apology crossing her face: "My lord, wait a moment; I'll be right back."

Xiao Yin watched her slip off the bed and hurry out, couldn't help but chuckle softly, then turned his gaze to the bowl of porridge before him. Seven years ago he had loved sweets, but after returning from Qi Sha Gu he could no longer stomach anything sweet—the cloying, bloody taste made him want to vomit. His brothers were all dead; the living endured each day as if in hell. The wronged spirits wandered above Qi Sha Gu, howling and screaming—what entitled him to remain unscathed? "My lord," Gu Jiu Ling said, placing a plate of small dishes before him. Fresh cucumber tossed with homemade white tofu dry, scattered with bright red chili flakes—just looking at it whetted the appetite. The tofu dry was made by Gu Jiu Ling herself; likely no one in the whole Southern Qi had ever eaten it. In this era tofu had not yet been invented, and sure enough Xiao Yin's eyes lit up as he picked up a piece of tofu dry and looked at Gu Jiu Ling. "You made this?"

Gu Jiu Ling's old face flushed as she answered; a flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Yin's eyes—what else about this woman did he not know? He lowered his head and began to eat, increasingly fond of the refreshing flavor; he finished the whole plate, had some buns, and drank a bowl of unsweetened porridge. Then he leaned back against the bed, utterly content. Gu Jiu Ling silently amused—indeed, to capture a man you must first capture his stomach. Yet outside the sky grew ever darker, and this fellow leaned on her bed with no intention of leaving. Previously they had shared a room on their wedding night for appearances' sake; now he lingered here, leaving Gu Jiu Ling unsure of his thoughts. Her Peach Blossom Pavilion was much smaller than the warm chamber where Xiao Yin resided; staying here, his two long legs felt cramped. Gu Jiu Ling was truly exhausted, so she had to tell Xiao Yin: "My lord, I'll have Jiu Yue hold the lamp for you; be careful on your way back."

Xiao Yin lowered his gaze to the storybooks Gu Jiu Ling had bought from the street, his thumb slowly tracing the strange titles. 《The Ninth‑Rank Official's Three Tricks with a Lovely Flower Girl》《The Monk‑Flower's Night Hiding a Soft Beauty》…… "The books here…" Gu Jiu Ling wished she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into, lest Xiao Yin dig these out from under her pillow. Xiao Yin laughed: "These pieces actually have quite a bit of flavor."

"My lord…" Gu Jiu Ling wanted to lunge forward to grab them, but Xiao Yin set the book down, lifted his eyes and fixedly stared at Gu Jiu Ling: "I won't return tonight; I'll stay here and rest."