After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 44
After returning to the Marquis’s residence from the herb garden, the first thing Ruan An did was naturally to sprinkle the medicine powder into the clear water and wash off the makeup on her face.
Pretending to be old when going out was actually quite troublesome; it required not only washing her cheeks but also cleaning her hands and neck.
This technique of disguise was taught to her by a person skilled in illusion. Those skilled in illusion are usually called sorcerers, and people like Ruan An, who practice medicine with bells, are often mistaken for witch doctors.
Finally having cleaned her face, Ruan An closed her eyes and tried to reach for the towel hanging over the copper basin with her small hands, but after groping for a while, her fingertips only touched the clear water.
Feeling puzzled, she suddenly heard a deep and slightly casual voice coming from above her hair—
“Did the little doctor finish planting the herbs?”
A soft towel covered her cheeks, and Huo Pingxiao, standing behind her at an unknown time, used his distinctively knuckled hands to wipe her cheeks. Ruan An let the man move, only softly replying with a word: “Mhm.”
After replying to him, Ruan An suddenly realized that, as a husband, Huo Pingxiao was very accustomed to making intimate gestures with her, without any awkwardness.
Yet, as his wife, despite having been with him for several months, she still couldn’t quite open up in front of Huo Pingxiao.
Always too nervous and shy, hesitantly warm.
The girl couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened.
It seemed to her that there was no woman in the world more boring than herself.
Ruan An held back for a while, wanting to say something more, but only asked, “Why did the Marquis return to the residence so early?”
As soon as the words were spoken, she suddenly felt her slender shoulders weighed down, as the man’s broad and large hands rested on her shoulders.
Huo Pingxiao twisted her around and pushed her towards the inner room, also ordering Ze Lan beside them: “Help the lady change her clothes quickly. I want to take her out of the residence.”
Ruan An was somewhat confused, but under the man’s silent gaze and with the help of a few maids, she changed into a light apricot-colored dress with osmanthus and cassia folds. There wasn’t enough time to do a new hairstyle, so she unraveled the coarse cloth wrapped around her hair and pinned a few silk flowers that matched the color of her dress.
The osmanthus and kumquat trees in the Marquis of Dingbei’s residence were blooming in clusters, and it was currently a beautiful autumn scene with the fragrance of sweet osmanthus and the forests dyed crimson.
At the horse track outside the main gate, Huo Pingxiao, without the help of a horse servant, supported Ruan An’s arm and helped her onto the carriage.
Ruan An’s fingertips accidentally touched the leather gloves he wore on his right hand, feeling slightly cool, and her heart was also filled with a faint tremor.
After she settled into the carriage and turned back, she saw Huo Pingxiao’s ink-black hair tied up high with a bronze beast crown, and the long tassel tied to it fluttering in the autumn wind, falling in front of his broad shoulders as he neatly got into the carriage.
The man’s handsome and profound facial features carried the unrestrained and proud demeanor of a youth, spirited and imposing, completely belying the fact that he was already the father of a four-year-old child.
Once Huo Pingxiao sat beside her, his luxurious official robe and Ruan An’s luxurious dress overlapped and rubbed against each other, intensifying the palpitations in Ruan An’s heart, making her instinctively want to pull her dress away.
But then she suddenly thought, what about it?
Right now, it was just their clothes rubbing together, and it’s not like she hadn’t done more intimate things with Huo Pingxiao…
Actually, the interior of the carriage was spacious enough, but Ruan An clearly felt that Huo Pingxiao deliberately sat very close to her, as if from the moment they met, he didn’t care much about the proprieties between men and women, always aggressively closing in on her, and even flirting with her.
“Coachman, to Pingkang District.”
Huo Pingxiao said, naturally taking Ruan An’s hand, his body carrying the warm and intense scent of amber, slowly enveloping her, even entwining around her.
Ruan An steadied her somewhat chaotic heartbeat, recalling that this was the first time she had wandered the streets of Chang’an City at night with him since their marriage. The experience was both novel and exciting.
Suddenly, Ruan An came to a realization.
Pingkang District?!
What was Huo Pingxiao taking her to Pingkang District for?
Huo Pingxiao glanced at her, noticing his petite and delicately beautiful wife looking puzzled. He leaned closer to her ear and explained, “Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of person like Li Yifang.”
Mid-sentence, the man wrapped his strong arms around her slender waist and lowered his voice with a seductive tone, “I only touch my wife.”
The warm breath in her ear tickled her, and Ruan An, enduring the itch, gently pushed him away and asked softly, “Then what are we going to Pingkang District for?”
Knowing Ruan An was easily teased, Huo Pingxiao slightly reined in his smile, yet did not let go of her soft waist.
He drawled lazily, “You’ll know when we get there.”
The autumn wind swirled, and the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments were unending.
The courtesans of Pingkang District, with their heavy makeup and fragrance, and the air mixed with the scent of fine wine, intoxicated without drinking.
This was Ruan An’s first foray into such a pleasure district, and she found everything around her imbued with an exotic beauty and flamboyance, warm and ambiguously inviting.
Holding her hand, Huo Pingxiao led her up the steps, drawing sidelong glances from the beautiful courtesans of Pingkang with their elegant hair and fragrant clothes.
“This gentleman looks quite handsome. But why bring a young lady here if he’s looking for pleasure?”
“Who knows? They look wealthy, but I find the lady beside him equally striking.”
Curious whispers arose among a few courtesans, and some even boldly flirted with Huo Pingxiao.
However, the man remained indifferent, his gaze fixed forward, steadily leading his delicate companion by hand, followed by several daunting bodyguards with swords.
The courtesans, frustrated by his cold demeanor, realized this group might be seeking Wan Niang.
Who was Wan Niang?
She was among the top beauties of Pingkang and had once been the most sought-after courtesan in the Xueyu Tower before taking over the business there.
Wan Niang was renowned for her makeup skills, and the popular Ten Eyebrows style in Chang’an originated from her.
There was nothing related to makeup and attire she wasn’t skilled at.
Many ladies of high birth, though not naturally beautiful, were transformed under Wan Niang’s guidance, adjusting their makeup according to their facial features and dressing appropriately, appearing entirely different.
Huo Pingxiao led Ruan An into Wan Niang’s elegant room.
Wan Niang, observing the bashful young lady, remarked in amazement, “Madam is naturally beautiful, but the clothes you wear do not match your temperament.”
Wan Niang had been reluctant to deal with the nobility in recent years, given their strict standards and disdain for her background. Yet, she aimed to run Xueyu Tower peacefully until the steward from Duke Dingbei’s mansion offered her a significant sum to make autumn clothes and accessories for his lady, insisting they be modest.
If the lady was satisfied, more payment would follow.
Seeing the opportunity, Wan Niang accepted the job.
“Don’t shape your eyebrows this way; willow eyebrows are too common. Your facial structure is superior, suited for crescent eyebrows.”
“You don’t need powder; your skin is naturally fair and soft. However, use some lip rouge to enhance your complexion. Your lips are perfect for Tian Gong Qiao and Sheng Tan Xin rouge.”
“Considering your complexion, you should wear more light indigo to complement your pure aura.”
“Here are designs for dozens of floral hairpins. Pick a few you like, and I’ll have them made for you tonight.”
Ruan An took the paper handed to her by Wan Niang, almost confused by what she heard.
She couldn’t help but feel that the matters of women’s makeup and attire were more complex than the pharmacology she knew, with the various types of cosmetics almost matching the hundred-plus names of medicines.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was the Qianqiu Festival, and the court commanded that the ladies and daughters of noble families gradually enter the forbidden palace.
The Empress and the legitimate princess, Xiao Yan, were sitting next to the flourishing autumn chrysanthemums. Xiao Yan had been in low spirits for months, losing interest in food and drink, visibly losing weight from her originally plump and petite figure.
The Empress advised, “Yan’er, today is my birthday, as well as the day your brother takes a side concubine. Don’t be so gloomy. In time, your father the Emperor and I will have the Ministry of Rites officials collect portraits of young men. Whoever you fancy, I will make him your consort.”
Xiao Yan looked downcast and whispered, “I don’t want a consort.”
The Empress understood her daughter’s feelings and scolded, “The Marquis of Dingbei is already married, and even his child Huo Xi is your schoolmate at the Imperial Academy. Why are you still thinking about him?”
Xiao Yan bit her lip and said no more.
She had met the young Huo Xi at the Guangwen Pavilion; he was adorable and resembled his father.
Every sighting of Huo Xi reminded her that Huo Pingxiao was someone else’s husband.
Yet, feelings are hard to control.
Xiao Yan felt that, although Huo Pingxiao had a family and children, nobody could deny her the right to like him.
His wife, Lady Fang, rose in status through her son, and their marital foundation might not be solid. Xiao Yan also learned from noblewomen who attended banquets at the Marquis Wenchang’s residence that Lady Fang was passable in looks but dressed too plainly.
Xiao Yan twisted the handkerchief in her hands, thinking that Lady Fang, a cousin from the Fang family in Shu, was in any case not a match for Huo Pingxiao.
“Who is that lady? She looks somewhat familiar. Which family does she belong to?”
The Empress’s question abruptly interrupted Xiao Yan’s thoughts, and she followed her mother’s gaze.
Indeed, there was an unfamiliar face sitting at a distance.
The woman likely did not have a noble title, as she wasn’t dressed in the official attire. Her black hair was tied high, resembling a cloud-like jade hairpin, and she wore a light purplish-blue robe embroidered with lotus flowers, making her fair skin appear as soft and smooth as warm jade.
The beauty’s features were extremely delicate, with almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, her eyebrows and eyes like paintings, and her nose slightly upturned, giving her an air of both sweetness and an ethereal purity untouched by dust.
Appreciating beauty is a human instinct, and such stunning beauty and unique aura made it impossible to look away.
Not only the Empress and Xiao Yan were watching her, but all the women present were quietly observing her attire and makeup, with some even thinking her beauty surpassed that of the Crown Prince’s wife, Li Shuying.
But what was her identity?
Looking at her hairstyle, she must be married.
Xiao Yan also speculated about the woman’s identity, and when she saw an older woman next to her, her expression slightly changed.
The mother of the Xiang Mansion, Lady Gao, seemed to be eagerly conversing with her. Reading their lips, the unfamiliar beauty seemed to call out, “Mother?”
Could it be…
Huo Pingxiao’s wife, Lady Fang?!
Xiao Yan’s heart was immediately enveloped in an indescribable bitterness. Why had no one told her before that Lady Fang was such a stunning beauty?
She had thought Lady Fang would be somewhat attractive but with a demeanor not suited for high society, a mere country bumpkin.
“I’ve recently brewed some osmanthus honey in the garden. I remember you liked the osmanthus cakes I made when you first married into the family. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send a box to Marquis Dingbei’s mansion. You’ve lost quite a bit of weight recently; you must take good care of your health.”
The matter with He Xingruo ended without further ado. Madam Gao was also worried that Huo Pingxiao and Ruan An would harbor resentment towards her and the people of the second house, so she naturally wanted to get closer to Ruan An when she finally saw her.
Ruan An replied softly, “Thank you, mother.”
Meanwhile, Li Shuying, sitting with the Crown Prince, also noticed Madam Gao sitting with Mrs. Fang.
Seeing the Crown Prince, Xiao Chong, looking at Ruan An with a blatant covetousness, Li Shuying couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.
She had heard from He Xingruo not long ago that the relationship between Mrs. Fang and Madam Gao was extremely tense, but in just a few months, how had it become so harmonious between Mrs. Fang and Madam Gao?
Such harmony couldn’t be faked.
It seems that Mrs. Fang really had a way with things, even managing to deal with a difficult mother-in-law like Madam Gao.