Chapter 2: Have You Grown Tired of Me?

The winters in Ning Prefecture were bitterly cold.

As soon as night fell, the crows would not stop cawing, their shrill cries carried on the cold wind, making people shudder involuntarily.

The carriage slowly made its way through the streets and alleys, only coming to a stop in front of the Wu Mansion close to midnight.

The coachman spotted someone waiting outside the gate from a distance. He hurriedly and carefully jumped down from the carriage and whispered, “Housekeeper Rong, my lord seems to have fallen asleep.”

Rong Tan stepped forward and gently lifted the carriage curtain.

Wu Ciyun, who had been leaning against the wall of the carriage with her eyes closed, immediately opened her eyes sharply.

A faint trace of displeasure could be seen on her face as she frowned and said, “Why are you here?”

Rong Tan was still dressed in white in the middle of the night.

When she opened her eyes and saw him, she almost thought he was some wandering ghost.

Except this ghost could barely be considered a beautiful one.

Rong Tan’s looks were striking, and he had a pair of exceptionally alluring, peach blossom eyes. By rights, such features should be seductive, but he always favored plain colors, his temperament gentle, and his every move carried the grace and dignity of an aristocratic young master.

Even others, upon meeting him, would only praise him as a rare talent.

He wasn’t hurt by Wu Ciyun’s cold words. He simply reached out, intending to help her down from the carriage, and said softly, “My lord, the wind is bitter outside. Let’s return to the mansion and settle in.”

“Don’t come out to wait for me again next time.”

Wu Ciyun accidentally brushed against his cold fingertips and casually said, “If I didn’t come back tonight, would you have waited all night?”

At her words, Rong Tan lowered his eyes and remained silent.

He had been anxious all night, and only now that he saw Wu Ciyun safe and sound did he finally feel at ease.

If Wu Ciyun hadn’t returned, even if it meant waiting until dawn, he would have waited.

Seeing how persistent Rong Tan was, Wu Ciyun simply gave up on trying to persuade him, and instead asked about her younger siblings at home.

“How were Mingzhu and Liangyu today?”

“Everything was well. They finished their lessons, too.”

Rong Tan answered gently, “At dinner, they waited for you but you hadn’t returned, so they clamored to play with firecrackers. I played with them for a while.”

The two children had just turned seven and were at their most mischievous.

Wu Ciyun was busy with official duties and hardly had time to spare, so Rong Tan usually took care of them.

Thinking of her younger siblings’ innocent smiles, the nerves that had been taut all night finally relaxed a little.

Inside, the brazier was burning bright and hot. The moment Wu Ciyun pushed open the door and entered, the rich fragrance of flowers from the jade platform and golden lamp, wrapped in a wave of warmth, rushed to greet her. Outside, the wind was icy, but inside, it was as if spring had arrived.

Rong Tan helped Wu Ciyun remove her heavy cloak and caught a faint whiff of alcohol on her, speaking softly, “I’ll go prepare some sobering soup for you…”

“No need.”

Wu Ciyun listlessly interrupted Rong Tan, feeling annoyed just thinking about that absurd banquet.

If she hadn’t been worried that the Prince of Pingnan was plotting something, she wouldn’t have rashly brought up the matter of the rebels today.

Luckily, Xiao Boming had forced the Prince of Pingnan onto Fufeng to handle, or she’d have even more trouble on her hands.

Wu Ciyun was a bit of a clean freak and didn’t like others touching her at will.

Tonight, both Xiao Boming—who had been eager to kiss her—and Fufeng—who had all but clung to her—made her feel sick.

Thinking of this, Wu Ciyun could no longer bear it.

She ordered someone to bring in hot water, then began to remove her outer garments, preparing to bathe.

Rong Tan noticed her unhappy expression and knew something must have happened tonight.

He didn’t ask any questions, just quietly picked up the clothes she’d thrown on the floor.

Wu Ciyun didn’t bother hiding her female identity in front of Rong Tan.

Other than the System, Rong Tan was the only one who knew her secret of disguising herself as a man.

Years ago, after being framed and nearly losing her life, it was Rong Tan who happened to save her as he passed by.

Wu Ciyun had originally intended to kill him to silence him, but the System had stopped her at every turn, so she could only keep Rong Tan in the mansion as the housekeeper, helping to manage affairs.

She had investigated Rong Tan’s background, but all she could find was that he was from a fallen official’s family, his parents had died young, and he had no siblings—he was utterly alone.

For this reason, Wu Ciyun had even suspected at one point that Rong Tan was a spy sent by the System, but after the System repeatedly denied it, she finally let go of the idea.

Wu Ciyun slowly immersed herself in the warm water, finally feeling some relief from her discomfort.

She was pondering whether, after the affairs in Ning Prefecture were settled, she should keep Rong Tan around.

[During the day, Rong Tan manages your household and raises the children for you. At night, he even warms your bed and serves your daily needs.]

The System felt wronged by Wu Ciyun’s groundless suspicions and couldn’t help but speak up: [You’re going to kick him out after using him up? Do you know that’s capitalist behavior? Paying so little and making him do so much.]

[I didn’t. He volunteered.]

Wu Ciyun paused and added in a lukewarm tone: [Besides, I never paid him.]

System: [……]

Working for free! Isn’t that even worse?!

Wu Ciyun couldn’t be bothered to argue with the System.

She closed her eyes and went over her plan in her mind, even preparing for possible accidents and solutions.

After a long while, she opened her eyes and called out, “Rong Tan, come in.”

Rong Tan had been quietly waiting outside. Hearing Wu Ciyun’s voice, he finally moved and walked in slowly.

Wu Ciyun gazed at him calmly. The scene beneath the water was blurred by mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

To be cautious, she always bound her chest except when sleeping.

The cloth left glaring red marks on her body, like a crimson snake spitting its tongue in the snow.

Rong Tan was momentarily dazed, even feeling as if that snake had burrowed into his flesh and bitten hard at his heart, sending a numbness through every inch of his veins.

He lowered his lashes, not daring to meet Wu Ciyun’s eyes, afraid she’d see the darkness in his own.

“Why are you standing so far away? Come closer.”

Wu Ciyun suddenly spoke again.

Rong Tan obediently lowered his gaze and walked to her side. Before he could ask why she’d called him in, Wu Ciyun wrapped around him like a soft vine.

Rong Tan’s heart skipped a beat. Fearing Wu Ciyun might slip, he instinctively held her tight, but her skin was still slick with water—wherever his fingers touched, it was slippery, like holding a fish.

He staggered back a few steps, fumbling for a silk cloth to wrap around Wu Ciyun, preparing to carry her back to bed.

Wu Ciyun, lying in Rong Tan’s arms, was still restless.

Her fingers trailed downward, slowly undoing Rong Tan’s sash.

“A-Yun, what’s gotten into you today…”

Wu Ciyun had been cold to him lately, so Rong Tan felt uneasy, his pale face tinged with a faint blush.

He gently kissed Wu Ciyun’s earlobe, but her gaze fell on his collarbone.

There was a glaring whip mark there, stretching down to his chest—a wound from last month, when Xiao Boming, jealous, had barged into the mansion and struck him.

It still hadn’t healed.

Wu Ciyun’s brows knitted slightly. She gently touched the scar and asked softly, “Does it still hurt?”

“It hurts a lot.”

Rong Tan took her hand and guided it inside his robe, his eyes glimmering as he murmured, “A-Yun, take a good look at it for me.”

“…I’m a bit tired.”

Wu Ciyun’s movements suddenly stopped. She pushed Rong Tan away and quietly put on her soft nightclothes, saying blandly, “Let’s just sleep.”

Rong Tan didn’t understand why Wu Ciyun’s attitude had suddenly changed.

He stood there for a while, ultimately saying nothing, only quietly pulling his own clothes back together.

The candlelight in the room was extinguished, plunging everything into darkness.

Rong Tan lay quietly beside Wu Ciyun, barely able to make out her outline beneath the quilt.

He tentatively reached out, wanting to pull her into his arms from behind.

But before he could, Wu Ciyun, as if she’d known in advance, spoke up first, “Don’t mess around. Go to sleep.”

Rong Tan’s hand froze in mid-air. He bit his lower lip hard and, after a long moment, asked in a small voice, “…Are you disgusted with me?”

“No, I’m just too tired today.”

“Then… can I just use my mouth?”

Rong Tan pressed on, anxiety gnawing at him.

Overwhelmed by fear, he reached again for Wu Ciyun’s sash, his voice soft, “I’ll make you feel good…”

“Another day.”

Wu Ciyun brushed Rong Tan’s hand away without hesitation, her mood clearly growing impatient.

Though Rong Tan was obedient in all things, he was truly too clingy in bed. Right now, with storm clouds gathering over Ning Prefecture, anything could happen at any moment.

Wu Ciyun wasn’t particularly lustful, but given the choice between being interrupted in the middle of pleasure and being woken from sleep, she’d much rather choose the latter.

Rong Tan didn’t say another word. He tentatively embraced Wu Ciyun, his palm measuring her waist through her nightclothes, his heart unable to calm.

Wu Ciyun had been so busy lately that she’d grown even thinner. Affairs between men and women were exhausting—this really shouldn’t happen so often.

Rong Tan tried to convince himself with this reasoning.

But it wasn’t like this before…

Rong Tan’s mind was in turmoil, and he could only think of two possibilities.

Either she had lost her appetite for such things at a young age, or she’d already had her fill elsewhere.

But Xiao Boming was already tainted—Wu Ciyun couldn’t possibly like someone like that…

Maybe, as she said, she was simply tired today.

Rong Tan felt his head was about to explode.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, but it was all in vain.

Outside, silent snow began to fall, and the whole world seemed to grow still.

With so much on his mind, Rong Tan couldn’t sleep.

He vaguely heard a commotion outside and was about to get up to check when a sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

“My lord! My lord…”

“…What’s happened?”

Wu Ciyun was awakened by the noise outside. She instinctively reached for the dagger under her pillow, but found nothing.

Only then did she remember she’d given it away as a birthday gift to Xiao Boming when he’d asked for it some days ago.

She wanted to get up, but Rong Tan pressed her back down, tucking the quilt around her and saying softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll go see.”

He got up, lit a candle, put on his clothes, and opened the door.

The young servant hurriedly explained the situation in a few words.

Rong Tan looked somewhat surprised, but remained calm as he returned to the room. Meeting Wu Ciyun’s questioning gaze, he said softly, “A-Yun, the Ruijing Army has entered the city.”