Chapter 47: Mid-Autumn Feast

Shen Qiuyu watched in frustration as Chang Yuan and Chun Tao each carried out a box of jewelry. Although Yu Gui Fang had good business, a generous customer like Wei Xun was rare. The shopkeeper, beaming, personally saw them off.

The two returned to the carriage with the boxes in hand. The carriage curtain was only half-open, but the scene inside fell into Shen Qiuyu's eyes.

Wei Xun's arms tightly embraced A Yuan, his typically cold face now softened with tenderness.

"Snap!"

Shen Qiuyu's well-maintained nail suddenly broke. She quickly dropped the carriage curtain and hissed out two words through clenched teeth.

"Take me home!" She feared that if she continued to watch, she would lose control of her hatred.

A Yuan, she would take care of her in due time.

The Shen family's carriage quietly departed, while A Yuan and Wei Xun also returned to the Marquis's residence.

Despite going out to relax, A Yuan still felt uneasy. Her chest felt heavy, suffocating her with discomfort.

Wei Xun, on the other hand, was in high spirits, leading her to carefully pick out the newly purchased jewelry.

Chang Yuan wasn't familiar with women's accessories, so most of the jewelry was chosen by Chun Tao and the shopkeeper of Yu Gui Fang.

Wei Xun selected a jade hairpin, removed all the hairpins from A Yuan's bun, and with his fingers tangled in her black hair, he planned to redo her hair.

"My lord?"

A Yuan didn't dare let him do it and quickly turned her head to refuse.

The man pressed her shoulders, his warm breath brushing against her ear, "Don't move."

A Yuan's ears heated up, and her body stiffened, but she didn't dare move.

Wei Xun's hands were accustomed to holding a brush, having penned countless elegant works. But with a woman's hair, he was out of his depth.

A Yuan held still, letting him fumble with her hair as if she were a doll in his hands.

"What do you think?"

After a long time, the man's hands left, and Wei Xun led her to the bronze mirror. A Yuan looked up at the reflection in the mirror.

Wei Xun's hairstyling skills were naturally average, but the beauty of the woman in the mirror was undeniable. Her dark hair was loosely gathered at the back, held up only by the jade hairpin.

The man stood behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder. They stood so close that A Yuan could see his gentle eyes reflected in the bronze mirror.

Her lashes fluttered, and the corners of her lips lifted softly, "It looks good."

"Is that so?"

He whispered, pulling her close and turning her to press her against the dressing table.

"If A Yuan likes it, I will do your hair every day."

"No..." A Yuan's smile stiffened, "My lord is busy with official duties, A Yuan dare not disturb."

The man was angered by her deliberately distant attitude and lowered his head to lightly bite her red lips, "No matter how busy... I will always have time to accompany you."

Ungrateful girl, he had gone out of his way to spend time with her, and yet she still pushed him away.

Wei Xun's malicious nature took over as his fingertips trailed from her chin down to her neck.

A Yuan, being ticklish, turned her head to avoid his touch.

The man sneered coldly, his fingers undoing the buttons of her collar.

Autumn had just begun in the capital, and the nights were chilly. Nanny Zheng, fearing the masters might get cold, had placed a charcoal brazier in the room.

A Yuan's water-red dress slipped from her shoulders and pooled at her waist, the jade hairpin falling, her black hair cascading down her back, the bronze mirror reflected her voluptuous, snow-white figure.

Wei Xun compelled her to turn her head, making her look at their tightly embraced figures in the mirror.

"A Yuan, open your eyes."

The man bit her earlobe, his deep voice brooking no refusal.

But A Yuan clenched her lips, shaking her head in panic, tears trembling from her thick lashes.

The man held her, and the sudden feeling of weightlessness made A Yuan gasp, her eyes forced open.

In the mirror, her snow-white, voluptuous skin was tinged with a rosy hue, layers of her dress piled beneath her, the water's waves creating a dazzling pattern.

The man pressed closely against her back, his deep eyes like spilled ink, dark enough to swallow one whole.

A Yuan quickly averted her gaze, not daring to look more, but the man had no intention of letting her go.

The lights outside the courtyard and the candles inside the room intertwined, illuminating the intimate scene of the man and woman in the mirror.

That night, A Yuan cried herself hoarse in front of the bronze mirror.

......

True to his word, the man would wake up every day and first style A Yuan's hair.

Those in the outer courtyard, witnessing this, were astonished at the young master's favoritism towards A Yuan, even as A Yuan nearly drowned in his tenderness.

Madam Shen, overwhelmed with anxiety, fell ill, and Shen Qiuyu, busy attending to her, had not visited these days.

The Mid-Autumn Festival arrived in the blink of an eye, and Zhao Wan, along with the maids and matrons of the household, had the courtyard cleaned anew.

A basket of fat crabs was sent from the estate. Madam Wei had a small appetite, but Marquis Wei loved crabs. The couple had been living separately for years, and every Mid-Autumn Festival, Madam Wei would eat a couple more crabs, as if this way she could reunite with her husband.

At the Mid-Autumn family banquet, Wei Cong was present as well. He sat with Zhao Wan, his sickly face wearing a flirtatious smile, his slender phoenix eyes occasionally glancing towards A Yuan.

A Yuan stood behind Madam Wei, serving her meal, feeling Wei Cong's lecherous gaze, a cold sweat broke out on her back.

But Madam Wei was chatting with Wei Xun and didn't notice this.

"Your father sent a letter the day before yesterday, saying the barbarians at the border have retreated, and he might return to the capital next year."

With Marquis Wei's return imminent, Madam Wei's smile widened a bit.

"Your father also mentioned arranging a marriage for you, with the sister of one of his junior officers. Hmph! This old fool, usually pays no attention to you, but now he wants to meddle in your marriage. The border is desolate and poor, what good woman could come from there? Luckily, you're already engaged to A Yu. Once you two marry after the new year, even your father won't be able to interfere."

Madam Wei cherished her third son the most and couldn't bear the thought of him marrying the sister of a junior officer.

Wei Xun's mind was elsewhere, only responding perfunctorily.

However, upon hearing that he was to marry after the new year, A Yuan's heart suddenly ached.

"Mother is right, the women from our capital and Jiangnan are indeed more beautiful. Once Third Brother marries, he can take in a few beautiful concubines, and then life will be truly comfortable."

Wei Cong’s gaze lingered on A Yuan before he reluctantly looked away. If she hadn’t become his third brother’s wife, he would’ve made a move to claim her for himself.

Now, he could only get his fix by stealing glances.

Wei Xun put down his chopsticks, placed the picked crab meat on a plate, and glanced up at Wei Cong.

"Second Brother, your health is fragile; you need to take better care of yourself. Taking on so many concubines hasn’t done you any good—it’s only wrecked your health and upset Mother."

Although he spoke out of concern, his words almost directly accused Wei Cong of excessive indulgence.

Wei Cong’s face twisted into an ugly scowl, as if someone had spilled paint on it. But Madam Wei and Zhao Wan felt that Wei Xun was right.

"Yes, Second Son, your health is frail. From now on, you’re not to mess around with those temptresses."

Even though the marquis’s residence was divided into separate courtyards, Madam Wei kept tabs on everyone’s business. She felt sorry for her second son’s frail health and let him have his fun, but she wouldn’t stand for it if it hurt him.

"Second Daughter-in-law, you need to toughen up. Don’t let those concubines walk all over you. And when Second Son gets out of line, you’ve got to rein him in."

Zhao Wan felt wronged but kept it to herself, nodding meekly in agreement.

Wei Xun, the instigator, had already handed the plate of crab meat to A Yuan. She had been serving Madam Wei all this time and hadn’t eaten yet.

"Sit down—today’s family dinner isn’t so formal."