Married First, Love Later with the Love-Brained Regent - Chapter 2

Bai Yingying and Ning Huanyi were both taken aback. It was just a helping hand—did this person really expect a reward?

Ning Huanyi didn’t know the identity of the woman before her. She bit her lower lip, her almond-shaped eyes flickering with thought before she tilted her head and spoke: “The locust blossoms in my home have bloomed. If you don’t mind, I’ll pick them myself and make some pastries for you as a gift. How does that sound?”

Ning Huanyi was already one of the most beautiful young ladies in the capital, and now, with her head slightly tilted and an unintentionally coquettish tone in her voice, even Xiao Ning’an, who had initially intended to decline, found herself nodding.

“Tomorrow at noon, I’ll be waiting here.” With that, Xiao Ning’an tightened her grip on the sword at her waist and descended the stairs. Her slender yet strong waistline was accentuated by the weapon.

After she left, Bai Yingying turned a suspicious gaze toward Ning Huanyi. “I’ve never even had the chance to taste pastries made by your own hands, and now you’re giving them to her?”

Ning Huanyi’s cheeks still felt slightly warm. At Bai Yingying’s question, her eyes darted away before she simply played coy. “She helped me just now. It’s only right to thank her properly.”

Bai Yingying poked Ning Huanyi’s forehead with a finger, thinking to herself how naive her silly Huanyan was. A woman dressed in military attire appearing in the capital with an unknown identity—what if she was being deceived?

Ning Huanyi returned home with her thoughts preoccupied, carelessly piling the jewelry she had bought onto the table in the courtyard. Rolling up her wide sleeves, she set about picking locust blossoms.

Qingdai brought over an exquisitely woven bamboo basket, carefully collecting the delicate white flowers her young lady had plucked. The jade-white blossoms lay quietly in the basket, complementing Ning Huanyi’s pale yellow dress perfectly. Qingdai couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

Her young lady was as lovely as a lotus emerging from water—how could the Liu family be so blind?

“Miss, do you even know how to make pastries?” Qingdai was still puzzled. Given how frail Ning Huanyi was, she wasn’t even allowed near the kitchen fumes, let alone stand outside on windy days.

So when Ning Huanyi declared she would personally make pastries, Qingdai was utterly baffled.

Ning Huanyi took the half-filled basket of locust blossoms and, hearing Qingdai’s question, looked even more bewildered than her maid. “Of course! I picked the blossoms myself, I’ll deliver them to the kitchen myself, and I’ll personally oversee their preparation. Doesn’t that count as making them myself?”

Qingdai: …You’re pretty, so whatever you say goes.

Ning Huanyi didn’t see anything wrong with her logic. Carrying the basket, she walked to the kitchen door. The cooks inside had never seen the pampered young mistress step foot in the kitchen before and hurried to greet her, fearing they had done something wrong.

To their surprise, Ning Huanyi set down the small basket of locust blossoms, her almond eyes brimming with anticipation. “You’ve all worked hard. Please turn these into filling—but not too sweet. Have them wrapped and sent to Qiyan Pavilion by noon tomorrow, packed in an elegant food box.”

Ning Huanyi gave her instructions earnestly, her fair fingers a lovely contrast against the white petals.

The cooks didn’t dare disobey. They quickly took the basket from her hands, carefully noting the deadline before respectfully seeing her off.

The next morning, Ning Huanyi, who was usually prone to lingering in bed, found herself tossing and turning restlessly at an early hour. The commotion woke Qingdai, who had been keeping watch by the bedside, and she quickly stood up to draw aside the bed curtains.

“Young miss, young miss! Are you feeling unwell? This servant will go prepare medicine right away!” It had happened before, usually when her autumn cough flared up, leaving Ning Huanyi sleepless for entire nights. For this reason, the Marquis of Yongchang’s household had specially sought medicine from the Imperial Physician, which provided immediate relief but failed to address the root cause.

Realizing Qingdai had misunderstood, Ning Huanyi hastily pulled her back. Her ink-black hair cascaded down as she stammered, “Qingdai, did you notice that woman in military attire at Ruyi Pavilion yesterday?”

At the time, Qingdai had only been waiting by the stairs while Ning Huanyi went upstairs with Bai Yingying, but she had indeed seen the striking woman in armor descending. Her beauty had been breathtaking at first glance.

So Qingdai nodded. “I remember… Young miss, could it be that you’ve taken a liking to—”

Before she could finish, Ning Huanyi immediately covered her mouth.

Though the dynasty had strict laws, its customs were open and lively, tolerant and liberal.

The law permitting same-sex marriage, enacted by the late Empress fifty years ago, remained unstable, with very few such unions taking place.

The late Empress’s wish for all lovers to find happiness remained unfulfilled, its realization uncertain.

At this thought, Ning Huanyi suddenly felt that perhaps loving a woman wasn’t such a sin—or even…

Wait! What was she thinking? Her delicate, palm-sized face flushed crimson instantly. Feigning anger, she glared at Qingdai and picked up a soft jade-filled pillow, pretending to throw it at her.

Qingdai dodged with a laugh. Seeing her young mistress in better spirits than the melancholy of the previous day, her lingering worries finally eased.

The sun had risen at last, its warm rays gradually spilling through the window lattice onto Ning Huanyi’s cheeks. The early summer morning still carried a slight chill. Qingdai beckoned the other maids to enter quietly, carrying a rosewood tray laden with toiletries and jewelry.

A fine linen cloth was soaked in the basin, then carefully wrung out to wipe Ning Huanyi’s face. Years of illness and confinement to Qiyan Pavilion had left her skin pale and luminous, though a faint sickly pallor lingered between her brows.

Otherwise, Ning Huanyi would have been a radiant beauty. After finishing her ablutions, Qingdai took a silver comb from the tray and began gently smoothing her long hair.

The cascading dark tresses soon yielded to Qingdai’s skilled hands, styled into a delicate “weeping horse” bun, with a few strands left loose to sway in the breeze. The garnet tassels adorning the bun added the perfect finishing touch.

Satisfied, Ning Huanyi nodded at her reflection in the bronze mirror—a vision of loveliness. As her lips curved into a smile, a sudden fit of coughing wracked her chest. Qingdai abandoned admiration of her handiwork at once, rushing to bring tea to soothe her.

The tea contained medicinal properties to suppress Ning Huanyi’s cough. Drinking it first thing in the morning ensured she would hardly cough all day.

But today, Ning Huanyi had drunk a bit late, which triggered a violent coughing fit.

“Young lady, would you like some breakfast?” Qingdai asked as she draped the final aqua-blue outer garment over Ning Huanyi. Meanwhile, the kitchen maids filed in carrying food boxes, arranging a dazzling array of breakfast dishes across the round table.