Ch 91: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

As they resumed their journey, Gao Yang joined the Qiu siblings in their carriage.

Upon boarding, he noticed the piles of luggage inside, emitting a somewhat complex mix of food aromas.

Gao Yang sniffed suspiciously and couldn’t help but ask, “Are all of these… food?”

Qiu Chuan, now aware that Uncle Gao would be working with them at the restaurant, didn’t see any harm in explaining.

“These are ingredients that Boss brought from Qinan. Since we can’t always reach a city in time, we set up a portable stove and cook along the way. We eat quite well. Oh, and there are plenty of spices that Boss has come up with himself—you can’t buy them anywhere else.”

Gao Yang nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, “That goose that boarded the front carriage earlier, is that the one owned by Master Qin?”

Qiu Yao nodded in response.

Gao Yang was grateful he had asked. If he had mistakenly referred to the goose as food in conversation, it would have been a huge embarrassment.

Since they had spent extra time in Rong County that morning, they didn’t stop for lunch. Instead, everyone nibbled on snacks while traveling.

By late afternoon, they finally arrived at the gates of Shengjing.

The grandeur of the capital, the mighty city of the Dayong Dynasty, was unmatched. The towering city walls and strict guards made the capital impenetrable.

No one, regardless of status, could enter or leave without their identity being verified by the gate officials.

However, when it was Qin Xia and his group’s turn, the stern-faced gate official didn’t even have time to speak before being confronted with the Jinyiwei’s identity token.

(T/N: It’s the Jinyiwei that has been acting as Qin family guards. The Jinyiwei or “Embroidered Uniform Guard,” was an elite military and secret police force established during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) by Emperor Hongwu, the dynasty’s founder. It served as both the emperor’s personal bodyguard and a covert investigative force responsible for maintaining imperial security and surveillance.)

“We’re on official business, make way!”

The gate official swallowed nervously and quickly bowed to the carriage, gesturing to his soldiers, “What are you standing around for? Clear the way!”

Through the gap in the carriage curtains, Qin Xia noticed that not only the gate official and soldiers but also the common folk entering the city had all shown fear upon learning they were associated with the Jinyiwei.

Indeed, the Jinyiwei had a notorious reputation.

But Qin Xia trusted that, under Yu Jiuque’s leadership, the Jinyiwei wouldn’t abuse their power. That was enough for him.

Whether it was the Eastern or Western Palace, both were, in the end, the emperor’s blade.

After a poor night’s sleep, Yu Jiuque had been sluggish all day. Even so, he managed to eat eight pieces of cloud leg pastries at lunch.

Now, upon arriving at Shengjing, he perked up, eager to see Qin Xia’s reaction to the emperor’s bestowed mansion.

The journey had been long, and along the way, Yu Jiuque had shared quite a bit about Shengjing with Qin Xia.

For example, Shengjing was divided into the inner and outer city, though this division wasn’t marked by a physical gate. It was more of a colloquial distinction.

The inner city itself was split into the northern and southern parts. The north was home to prominent figures, with some family estates taking up half a street.

The southern part, while not as prestigious as the north, housed the city’s most upscale entertainment venues.

The “Three Great Buildings” of Shengjing, which Yu Jiuque had once mentioned, were all located in the southern part.

The capital’s prosperity was evident from the congested roads.

Despite the wide streets, large enough to accommodate four horse-drawn carriages side by side, the closer they got to the northern city, the slower their progress became—due to the sheer number of sedan chairs, carriages, and pedestrians.

In such a situation, unless the emperor himself was passing through, Yu Jiuque couldn’t exactly order the Jinyiwei to clear the way on horseback.

After crawling along for nearly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the carriage finally entered Sanhe Lane in the northern city.

The mansion was, as Yu Jiuque had described, incredibly large—so large that it was almost absurd.

After walking for a quarter of an hour and still not reaching the courtyard where he and Yu Jiuque would reside, Qin Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that he was on a sightseeing tour, reminiscent of visiting scenic spots in his past life.

“With just the two of us living here, don’t you think it’s a bit of a waste?”

It wasn’t that he lacked experience, but he had never lived in such grandeur before. A mansion of this size was usually reserved for large families spanning three or four generations, with many brothers and a whole host of children and grandchildren living together. For just the two of them, it felt somewhat empty.

“It’s only the two of us for now,” Yu Jiuque corrected seriously.

They were still young. Who’s to say they wouldn’t have a large family one day? By then, they might even find this place too small.

The courtyard they were to stay in was called “He Guang Courtyard,” the main courtyard of the mansion. The household servants were well-trained and had already tidied up the interior.

The stewardess, Madam Xu, was a former palace servant, and her every movement exuded discipline and decorum.

Yu Jiuque knew that neither he nor Qin Xia had the time to manage household affairs, so he had invited this trustworthy former female official to take charge. That way, the two of them could focus on their work without distraction.

Yu Jiuque was familiar with Madam Xu’s character; she had looked after him when he first entered the palace. He had even pulled some strings to help secure her release from palace service.

For a retired palace official, serving in this household was an excellent opportunity—an easy and luxurious way to spend her later years. Thus, Madam Xu took her responsibilities seriously.

By the time they entered the city, it was late afternoon, and by the time they entered the house, dusk had fallen. Clouds rolled across the sky, painted with the golden hues of sunset.

The two washed their hands and faces. The maids brought in house robes and soft-soled shoes for Qin Xia to change into, while Yu Jiuque, after freshening up, donned a gold-threaded python robe, the ceremonial garment for entering the palace.

The robe, with its four-clawed python embroidery, was a first-class gift bestowed upon him after his promotion to head of the Directorate of Ceremonies.

“At this hour, are you still going to the palace?” Qin Xia asked.

Yu Jiuque nodded. “There’s still time. I must go to the palace to report to the emperor. Besides, there are matters I need to personally address.”

He glanced at Qin Xia apologetically. “Entering the palace at this hour, I’ll likely be asked to stay for dinner, so I won’t be able to join you for the evening meal.”

Qin Xia reassured him, “We’ll be together every day from now on. What difference does one meal make? If you need to go, you should go early. What time do you think you’ll be back tonight?”

Yu Jiuque replied, “After I see the emperor, I’ll need to stop by the Directorate of Ceremonies, so it won’t be very early when I return.”

Qin Xia understood well. Yu Jiuque was essentially like a hardworking employee returning from a business trip, with the emperor waiting in the palace for him to report on his “projects.”

After escorting Yu Jiuque to the courtyard gate, Qin Xia couldn’t help but admire the back view of his little husband.

He had to admit, that python robe was stunning.

With a smile on his lips, Qin Xia turned and went back inside.

The mansion was so large that he didn’t rush to explore it. After counting the number of rooms in He Guang Courtyard, he sent for Qiu Chuan and Qiu Yao.

The Qiu siblings, carrying Da Fu, almost got lost on their way over.

They had been settled in a separate courtyard with four rooms—one for each of them.

Gao Yang hadn’t returned with them to the mansion, as they weren’t yet familiar enough with him.

When they had passed a guesthouse on their way into Shengjing, Qin Xia had given him a pouch of silver and told him to settle in there.

“I’ll come find you once things are settled at home,” he had promised.

Gao Yang gratefully accepted the pouch of money, deeply appreciative, and showed complete obedience to Qin Xia’s instructions.

As for Qiu Chuan and Qiu Yao, since their indenture papers were still in Qin Xia’s possession, he took the opportunity, now that they were in Shengjing, to reveal Yu Jiuque’s true identity to them.

Once he finished explaining, the two siblings looked utterly bewildered, as if their minds had drifted off into the clouds.

Qiu Chuan, in particular, started stammering, still processing the news. Back in Qinan County, the highest-ranking official he had ever seen was the county magistrate. To him, a seventh-rank official was someone high and unattainable, but now the head manager had just told him that the young master was a powerful official in the palace—a whole third rank!

“Then, from now on, how should we address the little—uh, the lord?” Qiu Chuan asked nervously.

Qin Xia replied, “No need to complicate things. I’ve already asked your little boss, and he said you can address him and treat him just as you did back in Qinan County. No need to change your manners or titles.”

The siblings quickly nodded in agreement.

Qin Xia also reminded them that they didn’t need to be overly formal or cautious here and that if they needed anything, they should speak to the household servants.

By this time, Da Fu had grown impatient. It waddled over and tugged at Qin Xia’s clothes as if to say, You’ve taken care of them, but what about me?

Soon after, Qin Xia led Da Fu to the large pond in the back garden, just as Yu Jiuque had mentioned.

Looking at the pond, Qin Xia realized it was almost as big as the entire Qin family courtyard.

“Go on, this whole pond is yours now,” Qin Xia said, nudging Da Fu toward the water. But before the goose even reached the water’s edge, it let out a series of loud honks and scurried back toward him.

Qin Xia tried to entice it with some dried worms, but Da Fu wasn’t interested.

Left with no choice, man and goose returned to He Guang Courtyard.

Realizing that Da Fu hadn’t had a swim in a while, Qin Xia ordered the servants to fetch a large wooden tub filled with water.

As soon as the tub arrived, Da Fu flapped its wings enthusiastically and jumped right in, happily swimming around.

Qin Xia chuckled, realizing that this county goose just wasn’t used to such luxury.

“Mark this tub for Da Fu. From now on, it’s his,” he instructed.

Madam Xu, upon hearing about the matter, specially assigned one girl and one boy servant solely to look after Da Fu. She sternly instructed them, “This goose is the beloved pet of both the master and the lord. If anything happens to it, you can imagine the consequences.”

The two servants quickly and obediently agreed.

Meanwhile, Yu Jiuque was summoned to appear before the emperor.

He meticulously reported the matter regarding the remaining supporters of the Second Prince. After speaking, he lowered his head and awaited the emperor’s response.

The Second Prince had not been convicted of treason, but the evidence of his other crimes was enough to seal his fate. His title had been stripped, and he was demoted to commoner status, sentenced to lifelong house arrest.

In the end, he met the same fate as his elder brother, the deposed Crown Prince.

But while the former Crown Prince had once been destined for the throne, the Second Prince was nothing more than a malicious dragon.

Now that all of the Second Prince’s remaining followers had been dealt with, there was no longer any threat. The other princes were still too young, and the families backing them were wise enough to take turns demonstrating their loyalty.

The emperor’s position was now more secure than ever.

In a good mood, and with his trusted confidant Yu Jiuque by his side, the emperor responded swiftly when an inner attendant came to report that the young Crown Prince had requested an audience.

“Let him in. His Grand attendent is here as well, and hasn’t he been asking for him constantly?” the emperor said with a smile.

At the mention of the Crown Prince, Yu Jiuque instinctively reached for his waist.

Oh no, he thought, realizing what he had forgotten.

…

The Crown Prince, at the tender age of five, was born during the time when the emperor was still the deposed Crown Prince. Due to the turmoil in the Eastern Palace, the current Empress had suffered in health, and their legitimate son had always been somewhat frail, not as robust as other boys his age outside the palace.

Both the emperor and the empress were deeply concerned, constantly thinking of ways to get him to eat more and grow stronger.

“Your son greets Your Majesty! Long live the emperor!” the little Crown Prince exclaimed as he ran into the room, stopping to give a proper, albeit childish, bow to his father.

He was the only child in the imperial household, receiving immense love and attention.

Though the emperor held the highest position in the land, before his son, he immediately transformed into a doting father.

“Come, come to your father,” the emperor said, lifting the boy onto his lap with ease.

Yu Jiuque was soon called over to stand close by the emperor and the young Crown Prince.

The boy, without hesitation, reached out his small hand toward Yu Jiuque right in front of his father.

“Did you bring the candies I asked for last time, grand attendant?”