After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 2

“Young Master An, cough, cough.”

Lu Shiyan watched as An Yu stared at him blankly, seemingly not having heard a word he said. Finally hearing Lu Shiyan call his name, An Yu snapped back to reality. Now was not the time for wallowing in pity.

“It’s nothing, nothing. Thank you, Crown Prince.”

“And thank you, Young Master An, for your understanding.”

“Your Highness does not need to keep calling me ‘Young Master’ this and ‘Young Master’ that. Just call me An Yu.”

“An Yu. It is a very beautiful name.”

An Yu looked at the “White Moonlight” Crown Prince staring back at him and felt inexplicably shy. It was all because this prince was simply too handsome.

“Then tonight will be an inconvenience for Little Yu. We must still go through the motions for our wedding night.”

Hearing those words, a few… indescribable scenes flashed through An Yu’s mind. After a moment of thought, An Yu spoke up:

“Is Your Highness saying we are to sleep together tonight?”

“Is Little Yu willing?”

“Mm.”

On the table sat the nuptial wine—the Hejin—which the two had ignored for quite some time. Lu Shiyan turned his wheelchair and sat at the table. Though his arms were somewhat weak due to his long illness, he still steadily poured two cups of wine.

Seeing An Yu’s eyes flicker toward him, Lu Shiyan spoke slowly:

“Both of us understand that we cannot be a true husband and wife. However, is Little Yu willing to share a cup of nuptial wine with me? This may be the only time I have in this life.”

The loneliness and self-deprecation in his voice were entirely unconcealed. In an instant, An Yu’s pity for Lu Shiyan reached its peak, and tears immediately began to fall. Even his voice carried a sob:

“Your Highness, rest assured. A person as good as you will surely live a long life of a hundred years.”

Lu Shiyan had never encountered someone so delicate and prone to crying. When he was a child, his younger siblings were still small; later, he went to the army. Those he dealt with were either calculating schemers or rough men. Even the servants who attended to him were former soldiers.

These tears that fell so easily caused Lu Shiyan to falter for a moment. However, he didn’t pay it much mind; if the intelligence from Moying was correct, then this Young Master An’s acting skills could be described as nothing short of divine.

An Yu first sniffed the wine, then extended the tip of his tongue to taste it. The alcohol content seemed low, but given the Prince’s physical condition, it was probably something to be cautious about.

“With Your Highness’s body, is it alright to drink?”

An Yu’s words interrupted Lu Shiyan’s thoughts. He picked up the wine cup and said, “It is no matter.”

With that, he raised his cup and looked at An Yu. Two pairs of hands, both draped in the red sleeves of wedding robes, held identical festive wine cups. Their arms intertwined, and they each drank the wine in their cups, not stopping until the bottoms were empty.

Despite the low alcohol content, An Yu felt a burning sensation from his throat down to his stomach after drinking it. Could this be the ‘strong liquor’ of ancient times?

An Yu felt so unsteady that he swayed as he walked toward the bed to sit down. He figured he had just drunk too fast; if he sat and cleared his head for a moment, he would be fine.

A light night breeze blew through the room, making the lanterns flicker. Lu Shiyan rose slightly to reach the window and closed it. When he turned back around, An Yu’s face was already flushed red as he leaned against the headboard, seemingly lost in space.

“Little Yu?”

Lu Shiyan called out softly while moving toward him, eventually sitting down beside An Yu.

It was unclear if An Yu was still conscious; perhaps even he didn’t know. Seeing Lu Shiyan suddenly so close, he wasn’t panicked at all; it felt as if the “screen” had suddenly been zoomed in.

“Your Highness?”

“Is Little Yu truly willing to marry me? Or is there something you wish to obtain from this Prince?”

The suddenly enlarged, handsome face made An Yu sink into an immediate daze. He reached out to touch the other’s cheek; it was the same temperature as his hands. As if he hadn’t heard the question, he began to mutter to himself.

“Your Highness, don’t worry. In the future, you will have me. I will always stand by your side. Little Yu has… admired Your Highness for a long time. Jumping into the lake before was just an act for the outside world. I had already swallowed a Breath-Holding Pill; I wouldn’t have died.”

By the last few words, his voice had dropped to a tiny, airy whisper. After finishing, regardless of whether the other had heard or understood, his head tilted back and he fell straight into a deep sleep.

Lu Shiyan, however, did not find it so easy to fall asleep.

“Admired… for a long time?”

His brows furrowed slightly as he pondered how much of that sentence was true. Breath-Holding Pills did indeed exist; though rare, it wouldn’t be surprising if a man as wealthy as An Qishan could obtain one.

“And where exactly did Young Master An’s so-called admiration come from?”

Lu Shiyan didn’t linger too long. After settling An Yu onto the bed, he wheeled himself out. It wasn’t until the sky began to turn grey at dawn that he silently reappeared in the wedding chamber, changed into his wedding robes, and lay down beside An Yu, feigning sleep.

“Little Yu, are you awake?”

An Yu had slept in his wedding robes all night and now felt sore all over. He gave a light stretch to relieve the tension and noticed Lu Shiyan had already finished washing up. He had changed into a crescent-white robe and was sitting in his wheelchair reading a book.

“Your Highness, good morning.”

It was the first time Lu Shiyan had heard this phrase, but the meaning was simple and clear. He replied directly, “Good morning.”

Emperor Hongchang, considering Lu Shiyan’s special circumstances and the inconvenience of traveling from his private manor to the palace, had canceled the usual morning ritual, allowing the two of them to skip it.

Lu Shiyan maintained a calm expression and even smiled faintly, saying, “Imperial Father is being considerate of my body. If we do not go to the palace, Little Yu will also have an easier time.”

An Yu pouted inwardly: This Emperor clearly dislikes the Crown Prince. He didn’t even show up for the wedding, and now he doesn’t want to see this son at all. He’s likely calculating how to ‘process’ him gracefully so he can pick a new Crown Prince.

“That’s for the best. How does Your Highness feel? After I drank that cup of wine last night, I lost consciousness. I’ve inconvenienced Your Highness.”

As he spoke, he hurriedly changed his clothes. He had to admit, this was indeed a General’s manor; the servants who came in to attend were all burly, powerful men. They were called servants, but they were more like guards dressed as servants.

After some tossing and turning, An Yu finally sat down at the table feeling refreshed. An exquisite yet simple breakfast was laid out neatly, and the servants closed the door and retreated.

An Yu had been the youngest son in his family, and his older brother had handled all the company affairs. From the time he was old enough to understand, he had lived a life where food and clothing were provided without effort. However, his education had not been neglected—he was well-versed in etiquette, culture, and the four arts of the scholar.

Seeing that Lu Shiyan didn’t seem inclined to start eating, An Yu sat at the table and stared at him piteously. Lu Shiyan, who was passing the time reading, eventually felt an intense gaze fixed on him. When he looked back, he understood.

The man smiled like a spring breeze and said, “My apologies, Little Yu. Quick, try some. The chef was brought back from the Western regions; his skills are unique. I don’t know if Little Yu will be used to the taste.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m not a picky eater.”

Hardly had the words left his mouth when An Yu picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Though he had been hungry for a day, the dining etiquette cultivated since childhood was etched into his bones. He ate quickly, yet his appearance remained impeccable.

However, An Yu’s brows soon furrowed once, then again. Finally, he placed the piece of pastry he had just bitten back into his bowl and tried another dish. As expected, one chef couldn’t make two different flavors for different dishes.

“Your Highness, has this Western chef always been responsible for your meals?”

Seeing the other man silently eat two pieces of pastry with a normal expression, An Yu couldn’t help but speak up.

“Mm. Is something wrong? Can Little Yu not get used to it?”

An Yu shook his head and took another bite of the milk cake. It was still not good. It wasn’t that An Yu couldn’t get used to it—when he was a child, he often went to the grasslands with his family and had tasted milk, yogurt, and various dairy products from all over. An Yu was extremely passionate about dairy and praised all kinds of delicious food. Later, after returning home, he often talked about it, until the family cook, unable to stand the “pitiful” look of the young master, went to learn how to make milk cakes.

“Your Highness fought in the Western regions for four years. Did the milk cakes you ate there always taste like this?”

“I won’t hide it from Little Yu; I have never actually tasted true Xiliang milk cakes.”

“This chef is not actually a native of Xiliang. He is an ordinary citizen from a small border town. If I hadn’t failed to protect his home, he wouldn’t have ended up with the enemy forces. It was thanks to his cleverness that he secured a job with the enemy army. Now that he has returned to the capital with me, he serves as a chef. Naturally, what he makes is not authentic.”

Blame that brain-dead author, An Yu thought. If it weren’t for that damned plot, Lu Shiyan would have been the heir to the throne, second to none. He could have anything he wanted to eat; he wouldn’t have to settle for these imitations.

After a moment’s thought, seeing Lu Shiyan continue to swallow the bland, unpalatable milk cake without a change in expression, An Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Your Highness, why don’t you let me try? I’ll let Your Highness taste real milk cakes.”

“Little Yu even knows how to cook?”

“Naturally, I do. Then, Your Highness, wait for me.”

Seeing the man nod slightly in agreement, An Yu was led to the kitchen by a servant.

“Moying.”

“Present.”

Lu Shiyan’s brows were tightly knit as his eyes fixed on the milk cake in An Yu’s bowl, of which only two bites had been taken.

“This subordinate has learned that although An Qishan’s shops are spread across Great Shang, it is difficult for him to trade in the Western regions. Furthermore, An Qishan himself has never set foot in the West, making it even more impossible for Young Master An to have encountered authentic Xiliang milk cakes.”

“Mm.”

“Per Master’s instructions, I re-investigated Young Master An last night. His words are not impossible, but they are full of suspicious points.”

Lu Shiyan was well aware of those suspicious points without Moying having to say them. An Yu was seventeen now, three years younger than himself. After he went to war, there could have been no intersection between them. The only possible connection would have been six years ago, when An Yu was eleven. Even with a timeline overlap, a meeting was highly unlikely.

If what An Yu said was true—that jumping into the lake was a cover for his true intentions—then it seemed Lu Youqi had truly been fooled by him. An Yu was originally just a tool used by Lu Youqi to humiliate Lu Shiyan and seize the An family’s fortune. And now…

After Moying retreated, Lu Shiyan continued to sit at the table reading to pass the time. After an unknown amount of time, An Yu entered the room carrying a plate of freshly made milk cakes. He placed them on the table with excitement, looking at Lu Shiyan with an expectant face.

“Your Highness, try one.”

He had already smelled the fragrant aroma. In appearance, these milk cakes weren’t much different from the ones made by the chef—both were soft, waxy, milk-white blocks. Lu Shiyan picked one up and sniffed it; the rich aroma of milk instantly filled his senses.

Moying, hidden in the shadows, watched as his master prepared to eat the cake without hesitation and was so anxious he nearly exposed his position.

“Little Yu, it is very delicious.”

Lu Shiyan felt the sweetness fill his mouth and finally understood how it felt to eat the ones the chef had made earlier.

“Does Your Highness like them?”

An Yu believed his culinary skills had received the true inheritance of his family cook, and with the ingredients in this manor being so pure, the taste was bound to be excellent.

“I like them.”

Before long, the two of them had finished the entire plate of milk cakes. Looking at the remaining breakfast on the table, Lu Shiyan’s expression couldn’t help but turn solemn.

After the meal, Lu Shiyan had the butler show An Yu around the General’s manor, using his leg injury as an excuse to stay in the study and read. After reading for a while, Lu Shiyan spoke with a complex expression:

“Tell Mohan to return to the army. There is no need for him to stay in the kitchen anymore. Bring the original chef back.”

“Yes.”

As Moying walked out, he recalled the fragrant aroma he had just smelled and couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for the General. Mohan had been undercover in the enemy camp for two years and returned claiming to have mastered a set of specialty dishes. When he didn’t have undercover missions, he loved staying in the manor to cook Western dishes for the General. Originally, no one thought much of it, but now, compared to the authentic version, it was indeed a bit difficult to swallow.

It seemed Mohan’s hobby no longer had a place to be exercised.