Huo Ci sat opposite Jiang Xingyan, idly poking at the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks.
Why couldn’t he sit next to A-Yan?
Fine, the two maids on her left were one thing. A-Yan was as close as sisters with them, with no strict distinction between master and servant, so it made sense for them to eat together.
But why was Yun Chunfeng sitting on her right!
Wasn’t he the one who should rightfully be in the guest’s seat?
So, in his own home, he was the guest?
Even though Jiang Xingyan and Yun Chunfeng weren’t physically touching, Huo Ci just felt that their souls were closer. If his own body wasn’t sitting between them, perhaps they would have—
Huo Ci’s heart jolted.
No! He couldn’t just sit here and do nothing.
“Husband, shall your wife serve you some dishes?” he offered. “Husband is holding Little Ya and can’t move easily. You haven’t touched any of these dishes over here.”
His words successfully made Jiang Xingyan frown.
Qiu Yan and Chun Xue beside her wore complicated expressions and kept their heads down, focusing on their food. The young mistress hadn’t spoken such considerate words in a long time. Remembering that it was actually the young master inside made them deeply uncomfortable. It felt as if their perfectly good young mistress was being degraded into subservience.
Yun Chunfeng looked at him with amusement and actively suggested changing seats: “Perhaps your esteemed wife should sit next to the General instead?”
Jiang Xingyan refused flatly, her voice low. “No need.” She lifted her head and cast an indifferent glance at Huo Ci, saying coldly, “Just eat properly.”
Huo Ci felt utterly wronged, on the verge of tears. He had never felt this way before. Only after their positions were reversed did he understand what it meant to be constrained by circumstances. In the inner chambers and deep palaces, weren’t all women confined there, living at the mercy of their husband’s family? If they received a bit more favor, their lives were slightly easier. That’s why they fought so desperately for that favor.
Such a simple concept, yet Huo Ci had never understood it before. He had thought they were naturally prone to jealousy and didn’t engage in proper business. Now he realized, if you put a man in a woman’s position, he would become like a woman too. Wasn’t he now racking his brains to attract A-Yan’s attention?
He lowered his head, ashamed of his past ignorance and deeply repentant for his arrogance.
Jiang Xingyan disliked nothing more than seeing Huo Ci use her body to put on the demeanor of a neglected, resentful wife. “If you don’t want to eat, then go back and rest,” she said, her displeased tone making Huo Ci’s heart clench.
He suddenly remembered Xin Zhui’s scolding: “Don’t make such a weak expression! She won’t like it!” That was right. A-Yan had endured his mother’s harsh treatment for three whole years. He had only suffered for a few days, and here he was, looking like a wreck. What right did he have to complain?
Huo Ci sobered up instantly, pulled himself together, and started eating properly. If he wanted to make it up to A-Yan, he should start by taking good care of her body.
Jiang Xingyan hadn’t expected Huo Ci to change so quickly. One moment he was dejected, the next he was picking up his bowl and eating heartily. She felt a faint trace of admiration inwardly. This kind of self-rectifying thought process wasn’t something just anyone could manage.
The physical pain transferred between their bodies, but the nutrition didn’t. If he could treat her body well, perhaps when they separated, she could give him some silver. As compensation for his efforts.
This slight shift in her attitude towards Huo Ci put Yun Chunfeng on high alert. The young mistress must not develop feelings for that man again! Even if the young mistress didn’t choose him and favored someone else, he could accept it. But Huo Ci was absolutely unacceptable!
He gripped his chopsticks tightly, those bloodthirsty thoughts surfacing once more. If he hadn’t successfully rescued the young mistress back then, he would have already fallen into demonic ways. Now, his cultivation was weakening daily, making it harder to suppress his inner demons. He was truly afraid that one day his cruel, slaughterous true nature would show itself and frighten the young mistress.
Yun Chunfeng lowered his head, enduring. The cold, sharp aura he emitted made Huo Ci shudder inexplicably. In a fleeting moment, countless bloody images flashed past. Huo Ci instinctively closed his eyes, riding out the sudden dizziness.
He had grown up on battlefields and witnessed countless scenes of corpses littering the plains and rivers of blood. But those fleeting traces didn’t belong to his memories. He tried hard to grasp them, to recall them carefully, but a sharp, unbearable pain instantly stabbed through his mind. When everything returned to normal, nothing remained.
Huo Ci found it strange for only a moment before dismissing it.
The meal concluded relatively harmoniously.
Qiu Yan took Yun Chunfeng to the prepared side room. Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Xingyan briefly mentioned the events of the day to Huo Ci. Since he would temporarily be managing the household affairs, it was better he didn’t remain completely in the dark.
When Huo Ci heard that his mother had actually caused a scene at the imperial court, he felt deeply ashamed. If not for the Emperor’s wisdom, how many heads did the Huo family have to lose? He bowed sincerely to Jiang Xingyan from the bottom of his heart. “A-Yan, it’s all thanks to you.”
Jiang Xingyan sidestepped the bow. “Don’t use my body to bow to you!”
“A-Yan, when we switch back, I will definitely kneel to thank you.”
Jiang Xingyan gave him a strange look. What was wrong with this man? He used to always say that a real man has gold under his knees, that he could only kneel to heaven, earth, parents, and the sovereign. How could he bear to kneel to her now?
She scoffed coldly. “Who wants it!” Then she turned and walked into the main room.
Huo Ci stood frozen in place. That tone! That coquettish tone! His heart started pounding, beating rapidly. Had A-Yan just acted coy with him? Like she used to?
A chill swept over him, and Huo Ci shuddered again, instinctively turning to look. It was Yun Chunfeng, standing at the door of the side room, staring coldly at him.
Huo Ci felt a slight sense of satisfaction. It seemed he had managed to provoke the State Preceptor somewhat. Did this count as scoring a point for himself? In high spirits, even the fact that he had to sleep in the side room became a little more acceptable.
Huo Ci had just narrowly escaped death the day before. Although Imperial Physician Sun had miraculously saved his life, his body was still weak. He lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep soon after.
BANG!
A loud noise startled Huo Ci awake. Muscle memory made him sit up abruptly.
Opening his eyes, he saw it wasn’t the side room. It looked more like the main room. And it was decorated so festively, as if for a recent wedding.
Where was A-Yan?
He looked down and was shocked to realize he was back in his own body.
A sudden, miserable scream from outside cut short his stupor. His heart clenched. Grabbing the treasured sword by the bed, he pushed the door open and went out.
A servant, his head covered in blood, stumbled through the moon gate. The moment he saw Huo Ci, it was as if he had seen a savior. “Young General, save me! He’s killed his way in! He’s killed his way in!”
Huo Ci’s heart leaped into his throat. He had no time to care about who had killed their way in; he only wanted to know where Jiang Xingyan was. “Where is the Young Mistress?!”
The servant stared at him with an expression of extreme, incomprehensible terror. Huo Ci grew frantic, grabbing the servant’s shoulders and shaking him violently. “Speak!”
The servant stammered several times before finally forcing out the words with difficulty: “The Young Mistress… hasn’t she already… died?”