After Disguising As A Woman To Marry The Foolish Prince, I Became Pregnant - Chapter 2

Zhu Man was a person who placed an extreme value on appearance, specifically when it came to handsome men. His condition was so severe that he would freeze in his tracks the moment he spotted a good-looking man, a trait his younger sister had criticized many times.

And now, his heart was racing at a traitorous speed upon seeing He Tianyun. It was beating so fast that it hindered his ability to think; he even entertained the thought of simply staying in the Prince’s Manor for good.

After all, handsome men were common, but handsome men that one could touch as they pleased were rare.

If he stayed in the manor, “she” would be He Tianyun’s Princess Consort. Not only could he touch him, but he could also touch him as much as he wanted. Since He Tianyun was a simpleton, he probably wouldn’t even understand what was happening. Wasn’t this a stroke of luck from the heavens?

But this notion quickly vanished amidst the “thump-thump” sounds; he had no desire to be treated like a wooden fish.

The ceremonial scale used for lifting the bridal veil was light, so it didn’t hurt much when used as a weapon, but the person holding it had no sense of moderation. After several forceful raps, the wedding matron’s head was ringing. However, since the person hitting her was the Prince, she didn’t dare resist and could only wail and beg for mercy.

Zhu Man sat to the side with his arms crossed, watching the scene with total satisfaction, the smile at the corners of his mouth impossible to suppress.

This wedding matron was quite famous in the capital—not because of how many successful matches she had arranged, but because she knew exactly how to make a “difficult” bride or groom “behave.”

From minor cases of unwilling participants in arranged marriages to major cases of kidnapping women into marriage, as long as there was money, this matron would take the job. His father had sought her out specifically after hearing about this.

This woman had been at the Zhu household ever since the imperial decree was issued. She had been busy helping his father, teaching him how to watch over his sister, how to catch someone who tried to run away, and even how to keep an eye on him—the meddling older brother. She was disgustingly experienced at it. He had wanted to hit her for a long time but had never found the right opportunity.

He Tianyun had only hit her a few times and she was already in this state; what if it had been his sister instead?

The matron cried out a few more times, and seeing that Zhu Man had no intention of helping, she began to back away, seemingly preparing to flee.

Seeing this, Zhu Man spoke up to remind her, “If someone asks me about tonight’s events tomorrow, I’ll tell them you ran away.”

The matron froze instantly.

Zhu Man continued, “My father paid you to ensure this wedding concludes properly. If you don’t do your job well, do you still want the silver?”

The matron immediately fell into a state of internal conflict.

Zhu Man wanted to say more, but he felt a tug on his hair.

He turned around to see that He Tianyun had already walked over. Propping his face in his hand, He Tianyun squatted beside him and looked at him curiously, his eyes sparkling, looking strangely like a puppy.

A hint of wariness rose in Zhu Man’s heart as he asked hesitantly, “What’s wrong?”

He Tianyun didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out and gave Zhu Man’s hair another tug.

It was roughly the same strength as before—not heavy, as if he were just trying to get his attention.

Zhu Man asked again, “What’s wrong?”

He Tianyun still didn’t respond. He only let out a silly giggle and tugged his hair once more.

Had it been anyone else, Zhu Man would likely have been angry by now. But He Tianyun was a simpleton, and he was so handsome when he smiled that Zhu Man was willing to give him a bit more patience. He asked softly one more time, “What is it?”

He thought He Tianyun would tug his hair again, but instead, He Tianyun placed the golden scale into his hand.

Zhu Man was stunned. “For me?”

He Tianyun giggled as he pressed the golden scale into his hand, stopping only when Zhu Man gripped it firmly. Then, he turned his attention back to the matron standing nearby, pointed at her, and said, “You go.”

The matron stiffened, her legs trembling uncontrollably. But remembering Zhu Man’s words, she forced herself to stay. She had to finish the task quickly so she could leave.

She was about to try and persuade the Princess Consort when she heard the “Consort” ask in surprise, “Do you mean you want me to hit her?”

The matron’s expression instantly soured. She hurriedly said, “Princess, please don’t speak nonsense. What does the Prince understand?”

“Is that so? But I feel like that is exactly what he means.” Zhu Man weighed the golden scale in his hand and smiled at the matron. “Don’t worry, I’m just a girl; my strength isn’t that great.”

His tone was gentle, as if saying “I’ll just tap you twice,” but his expression clearly screamed “I’m going to beat you to death.”

Seeing this, the matron was truly terrified. She immediately called out to the people in the room, “What are you all just standing there for? Quickly, stop the Princess!”

The servants in the room ignored her, looking at her with expressionless faces like puppets placed in the chamber.

The oppressive and eerie feeling Zhu Man had felt earlier now surged over the matron. Forgetting all about the silver, she turned to run.

Zhu Man reminded her, “If not for my father, there is still Her Imperial Concubine.”

The matron stopped dead in her tracks.

She had never met the Imperial Concubine, but someone from the palace had indeed found her, demanding that she guide the Prince well and ensure the wedding was completed perfectly. Although that person hadn’t said anything else, if the Imperial Concubine found out she had been negligent, would she be spared?

Looking at her worsening complexion, Zhu Man’s mood improved. He smiled and said, “They won’t get any answers out of the Prince, so they will surely come to ask me. When that time comes, I’ll say you…”

The matron was forced to turn back. Gnashing her teeth, she prepared to finish the remaining steps quickly so she could escape.

She immediately forced a flattering smile, went to the table to pick up the wine cups, and walked over to He Tianyun. She spoke in a thin, high-pitched voice: “Your Highness, how about drinking the nuptial wine with the Princess?”

He Tianyun looked at the wine held out before him, blinked, and slowly repeated her words: “Nuptial wine?”

The matron’s smile became even more sycophantic, as if coaxing a child. “Yes, the nuptial wine. Just one sip, and you can go play after you drink it.”

“One sip.” He Tianyun took the cup and looked at it. Then, amidst the matron’s joyful expression, he smashed the cup against her head. “Don’t want it!”

The matron was hit on the forehead. She let out an “Ouch” and ducked away, but before she could regain her footing, more things were thrown at her face—the longans and peanuts that were supposed to be scattered on the bed later.

Seeing this, Zhu Man immediately handed the golden scale back to He Tianyun, encouraging him to give her another beating.

This farce was finally interrupted by a fourth person entering from outside.

The person was Du Pingniang, the wet nurse responsible for looking after He Tianyun. Perhaps due to their familiar relationship, He Tianyun stopped his actions immediately upon seeing her. He ran up to her with a giggle and happily called out, “Nanny.”

The matron breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to complain.

But Nanny Du’s expression didn’t change as she listened to her. Instead, she said, “Since you took the money, do what you are supposed to do.”

The matron’s face stiffened.

Du Pingniang then turned her gaze toward Zhu Man. Her expression softened as she bowed to him. “Princess.”

Zhu Man followed He Tianyun’s lead and called her “Nanny.”

Du Pingniang walked over and said softly, “The Prince is not sensible; the Princess has been wronged.”

Zhu Man hadn’t expected her attitude to be so good. He was a bit surprised and shook his head slightly.

Seeing this, Du Pingniang smiled. She looked at the table and saw the wine flagon was broken, so she ordered someone to bring a new one. She poured a cup for each of them and said, “This is light plum wine; it won’t get you drunk easily.”

Zhu Man took the cup. Seeing that He Tianyun also received one, he asked curiously, “Can the Prince drink?”

Du Pingniang nodded with a smile. “The Prince is merely not sensible; his body is healthy.”

Zhu Man understood. He glanced at He Tianyun again, only to see him stick out his tongue to take a quick lick of the wine. Immediately, He Tianyun made a disgusted face and threw the cup away.

The cup landed on the soft carpet and didn’t break, but the wine inside spilled everywhere.

Du Pingniang was already used to his sudden temper. Still smiling, she said to Zhu Man, “This counts as the Prince having drunk it. Princess, please have a sip as well. May the two of you live in harmony from now on.”

Zhu Man felt that there was probably no chance of him and He Tianyun living “in harmony,” but since Du Pingniang was kind to him, he didn’t want to refuse her goodwill. He tilted his head back and drank the wine. Then, he lowered his voice and asked her, “Do I have to sleep with him tonight?”

Du Pingniang nodded. “Since you are married, you naturally have to sleep together.”

Zhu Man’s heart immediately sank.

Before the wedding, the royal family had sent someone to the Zhu residence to teach his sister how to serve a husband. His sister had cried for a long time after returning to her room. At the time, he thought it was just a formality. Now, it seemed it was for real?

Du Pingniang saw the change in his expression and explained in a low voice, “The Prince is not sensible. If you sleep in separate rooms on the wedding night, it wouldn’t be good. The Imperial Concubine is a bit superstitious about such things. Tomorrow, the Princess can move to her own courtyard. Usually, the Prince won’t go there if there is nothing pressing.”

Hearing that he would have his own courtyard and wouldn’t actually have to consummate the marriage, Zhu Man breathed a sigh of relief. He asked further, “Does the Prince behave while sleeping?”

Du Pingniang laughed at this. “Rest assured, Princess. The Prince is very well-behaved when he sleeps.”

Zhu Man was completely relieved.

Du Pingniang had originally worried that the Princess would be unwilling and make a scene, which would anger the Imperial Concubine. Seeing now that she was adapting quite well, though she was a bit puzzled, she felt at ease. She had the matron finish the auspicious ritual speeches and then called for servants to attend to their sleep.

More accurately, they were attending to He Tianyun’s sleep.

He didn’t want to sleep, so Nanny Du had someone light calming incense and brought out toys. If He Tianyun wanted to leave, they used things to attract his attention and keep him in the room until he grew tired.

Zhu Man had been through a lot today and was actually quite exhausted. Once the calming incense took effect, his eyelids began to feel heavy. Before He Tianyun even fell asleep, Zhu Man had already drifted off.

By the time Du Pingniang coaxed He Tianyun to sleep, Zhu Man was completely dead to the world. Du Pingniang extinguished the lights and led the servants out.

The room fell into silence until the middle of the night, when a series of faint tapping sounds came from the window, like a hard object being blown against the frame by the wind.

In his sleep, Zhu Man frowned, seemingly about to wake up. But He Tianyun, lying beside him, opened his eyes even faster. He got up to open the window.

A man stood outside the window, his features hidden in the darkness. Seeing He Tianyun, he waved and whispered, “Your Highness.”

He Tianyun frowned. The foolishness he had displayed in front of Du Pingniang and Zhu Man was gone from his face, replaced by a look of sheer exasperation. He also lowered his voice and asked, “Didn’t I tell you not to come today?”

The man shrugged. “I intended not to, but there is one thing I must tell you.”

He Tianyun looked at him in confusion.

The man tilted his chin toward the bed, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. “The one who married in today is your brother-in-law.”

He Tianyun raised an eyebrow at the news. “Zhu Man?”

The man nodded. “Should I send people to watch his sister?”

He Tianyun shook his head. “Anything else?”

The man also shook his head. “I was afraid you’d be at a disadvantage, so I came specifically to tell you. Can’t you feel…”

Before he could finish, He Tianyun had already shut the window and turned back to the bed.

The person on the bed was still fast asleep, seemingly having a nightmare as his breathing was somewhat rapid.

He Tianyun pulled aside the bed curtains. Following the sound, he reached out, precisely touching the tip of Zhu Man’s nose before sliding his hand down his face. When he touched the throat, he paused.

After a moment’s hesitation, he shifted his hand, sliding from the shoulder down to the arm. He pulled Zhu Man’s hand out from under the quilt and placed his fingers on the wrist.

The pulse was a bit weaker than an average man’s, but he was indeed male.

He Tianyun suddenly smiled.

He tucked the hand back into the quilt and reached toward the breathing face again, giving the cheek a pinch that wasn’t too light or too heavy.

It was very soft and tender, like some kind of pastry.

As if sensing something in his sleep, Zhu Man frowned and let out a very soft whimper.

Only then did He Tianyun withdraw his hand and lie down beside Zhu Man again, closing his eyes to re-enter the world of dreams.

Zhu Man had nightmares all night. He dreamed that he hadn’t married in his sister’s place, he dreamed the Prince Zhao Manor was a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair, and he dreamed his sister suffered endless torment in the manor until she couldn’t take the humiliation and chose the path of no return. He was startled awake by the sheer terror.

When he opened his eyes, Zhu Man’s heart was beating extremely fast. At the same time, he was very angry—even if it was just a dream, he was furious, so much so that his head ached.

However, all that anger vanished the moment he saw the face of the person beside him.

He Tianyun had a straight bridge of the nose and full lips. From Zhu Man’s perspective, his profile was a very beautiful, undulating line. Since he was asleep, his foolishness wasn’t apparent, making that already handsome face look even more striking.

Zhu Man’s “obsession with looks” flared up again. He couldn’t resist reaching out to touch him.

Perfect lines, excellent skin texture; the Goddess Nuwa must have been truly biased when she molded this person.

Let’s touch a bit more.

Just as he was getting into it, a sudden, sweet “Young Master” startled him so much that he jerked. His finger accidentally poked a shallow dimple into He Tianyun’s face.

The person who spoke was Hua Jian, his sister’s personal maid who had come as part of the dowry. She was also the only person in this manor who knew his true identity.

Zhu Man hurriedly pulled the bed curtains aside and scolded her, “Don’t call me that!”

Fearful of being discovered, he still pinched his voice. Combined with having just woken up, his voice sounded very weak and fearful. Consequently, Hua Jian also nervously changed her address: “Don’t worry, Miss. I checked just now; there’s no one outside.”

Zhu Man felt a bit more at ease but still warned her, “This manor is full of people. There’s no guarantee nothing will go wrong. It’s better to be careful.”

Hua Jian nodded and lowered her voice even further, asking softly, “Then when are we leaving? The… Young Master must be waiting anxiously.”

Zhu Man practically wanted to knock on her head to see if it was filled with water. He said, “I just told you to be careful, yet here you are talking about this? It’s still too early; we have to at least wait until we return from the palace.”

Hua Jian curled her lip. “I’m just worried. Rest assured, we are speaking so quietly that others can’t hear us.”

Zhu Man truly had a headache because of this girl. “There is still a Prince in this room; how can you say there’s no one else?”

Hua Jian said, “The Prince surely wouldn’t understand what we are talking about anyway. Besides, he is still sleeping; he can’t hear a thing.”

Zhu Man said helplessly, “Just because he doesn’t understand doesn’t mean he won’t mention it to others. Once he mentions it, if someone asks or investigates, won’t the secret be out? Besides, what if he’s sleeping? He could wake up at any time.”

As he spoke, he glanced back, only to meet a pair of eyes staring straight at him. He had no idea how long he had been watched.