My Frail and Vicious Little Husband - Chapter 1

In the cold winter of the capital, the city was covered in white. Pedestrians on the streets were few and hurried.

In front of a newly opened Pear Garden in the north of the city, a crowd of curious onlookers had gathered. This was the newest troupe to arrive in the capital. A man dressed in plain clothing stood at the entrance, looking down at the crowd with a calm expression. He cleared his throat and said, “As a newcomer to the capital, I do not seek great wealth; I only hope to build good relationships. For the first week of the Pear Garden’s opening, all brothers and sisters are welcome to come and show your support.”

As soon as he finished speaking, several children rushed out from the courtyard, lighting the large red firecrackers hung at the gate. A thick, pungent white smoke billowed in all directions.

People surged inside like a school of fish, fearing they would be left behind and fail to find a seat.

“Master, will we really not lose money doing this?”

The man smiled faintly and said in a gentle tone, “This is not something a child like you should worry about. Go and prepare.”

In a private box on the second floor, the tea on Su Ce’s table had already been replaced with a fresh cup. Only then did he notice that the audience in front of the Pear Garden stage had begun to watch the play just as he had.

Before long, as a gong sounded, the scene gradually grew quiet.

On stage, a performance of Farewell My Concubine was underway. The Qingyi actor recited the lines with resonance, “…I was born a girl, not a young man. Why then am I wearing yellow ribbons and a scholar’s robe…”

Su Ce had seen this play many times, but every time he reached this part, he could not help but be filled with a thousand thoughts.

“My Lord?” Yushu, who was standing to the side, called out softly.

Seeing Su Ce return to his senses, Yushu continued, “My Lord, the tea has gone cold. Should I have them bring a new pot?”

Su Ce did not want to cause further trouble, so he simply waved his hand.

Du Bai sat on a wide bench on the first floor, looking around. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He nudged Qin Zijin next to him with his elbow, leaned slightly toward the direction of Su Ce, and whispered, “Zijin, look why is that man the only one sitting on the second floor while we are sitting here?”

Qin Zijin raised his eyes toward the half-open window of the second-floor box. Leaning by the window was a man with hair as dark as satin and skin as fair as snow. A pair of East Pearls hung from his ears. A slender wrist was exposed, propping up his cheek, with his palm covering most of his face. Yet, just by looking at those fox-like eyes, one could imagine what a heavenly beauty he was.

The man seemed to sense Qin Zijin’s look of assessment and inquiry. He lowered his gaze slightly, met Qin Zijin’s eyes in the air, and slowly revealed a smile.

Noticing that Qin Zijin had not moved for a long time, Du Bai looked up at the second floor again and couldn’t help but exclaim, “He looks so… No wonder the Pear Garden owner gave him a private box.”

The State of Jing was open-minded, and it was common for noble families in the capital to keep male concubines. Although Du Bai’s voice was not loud, it was still heard by others, and the implication was clear. Everyone looked up at where Su Ce was sitting.

Seeing more and more people watching, Yushu hurriedly closed the window, putting an end to their curiosity.

By the time the play ended, no one had seen that window open again. This small interlude did not last long, and everyone returned their attention to the stage.

With the window closed, Su Ce felt bored, yet he could not leave early. He muttered softly, “I shouldn’t have come to see the play.”

Seeing that Su Ce was in low spirits, Yushu comforted him, “My Lord, perhaps you should take a short nap. I will wake you when it is time to leave.”

When the theater returned to silence, Su Ce realized that the sky had been completely enveloped by a black curtain. Goose-down-like snowflakes drifted in the air, and the scattered, dim candlelight on the road served to remind him of the way home.

When the carriage pulled up steadily at the palace gate, Su Ce saw that Fu Ning, the thin and shrewd head eunuch, had been waiting for a long time.

He didn’t feel close to this head eunuch, as Fu Ning was known for having a loose tongue. However, because he was late returning today, he felt a bit guilty. He clutched the corner of his robe, glanced toward the sleeping quarters, and asked cautiously, “Has he arrived?”

Fu Ning shook his head. “The Emperor has instructed you to proceed to the Yuqing Palace immediately upon your return.”

Su Ce gave a low “oh” and pulled his thick fire-fox fur cloak tighter, leaving only his head exposed.

He followed behind Fu Ning, walking sluggishly toward the Yuqing Palace.

By the time the maidservant pushed open the palace doors for him, Xiao Huai seemed to have just finished bathing. His hair was still damp at the ends, and his slightly open sleeping robe revealed a sturdy, muscular chest. He was currently looking at Su Ce with a gloomy expression.

Seeing Su Ce’s body stiffen slightly and his head drop, while the small, nervous movements under his fur cloak betrayed his tension, Fu Ning sighed internally, turned, and left to close the door.

Su Ce gripped his hands tightly beneath the fur cloak until a pair of gold-threaded boots appeared before his eyes. Then, a pair of familiar hands reached out to him, and a voice asked in a gentle tone, “What play did you watch today? Why did you return so late?”

Su Ce looked up at Xiao Huai, as if the gloom he had just seen on his face were a mere illusion. He felt relieved and replied with a slightly louder voice, “I went to see Farewell My Concubine.” He paused, then added, “It was very good.”

Xiao Huai took his hand; his palm was still warm. “Are you hungry? Would you like me to have the servants bring dinner?”

Su Ce nodded.

Dishes were brought in like a flowing stream. The servants, knowing their place, quietly withdrew. Xiao Huai patted his thigh.

Su Ce looked up at Xiao Huai. “Today… is it possible to…”

Xiao Huai patted his thigh again, though his expression was now somewhat somber. Su Ce shuffled closer to Xiao Huai. The next moment, he was pulled into Xiao Huai’s arms and seated on his thick, sturdy thighs. Su Ce was still not accustomed to this seating position. After all, he was a man; in this state, he felt quite like the delicate little wives described in storybooks who were kept in the back courtyards.

Xiao Huai reached out and placed several of Su Ce’s favorite dishes into his bowl, feeding him mouthful by mouthful.

Su Ce could only lower his eyelids and accept Xiao Huai’s kindness.

Suddenly, Su Ce looked up, his eyes full of confusion and flickering with a trace of anticipation, and said, “Xiao Huai, do you think if he hadn’t married Juxian, he would have stayed with Xiaodouzi?”

Xiao Huai did not know what kind of madness had taken him today, but he still replied, “Yes.”

“Really?” A hint of joy appeared on Su Ce’s face, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at Xiao Huai.

Seeing that Xiao Huai had ladled him another bowl of sweet soup, he was already quite full, but because of what Xiao Huai said, he took it happily and drank it.

At night, Su Ce lay on his side beside Xiao Huai, his head resting on his arm. He was already drifting into sleep.

However, Xiao Huai’s hand began to wander over him, slipping into his nightclothes to stroke his smooth skin. He buried his face in the crook of Su Ce’s neck, which smelled of gardenias, and took a deep breath.

Su Ce seemed to guess what Xiao Huai was about to do. He grumbled while pushing at him, “Not tonight, I’m so tired.”

But Xiao Huai ignored him, pulled his arm away, and pressed his body over Su Ce. He lowered his head to capture his flushed lips, coaxing him, “Just sleep. I won’t let you move.”

Su Ce calculated the days; Xiao Huai had been busy with state affairs lately, and the two had indeed not been intimate for several days. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. With Xiao Huai’s method, how could he possibly sleep? In fact, he had secretly suspected that Xiao Huai was not a normal person. During the first few days of their marriage, Xiao Huai had kept him indoors for three days straight, until he had completely fainted, at which point Xiao Huai seemed to finally regain his conscience and let him go.

Xiao Huai seemed somewhat impatient. Before Su Ce’s body had fully adjusted, he was already preparing for the next step.

Su Ce gasped, his eyes hazy with desire. He placed his hands against Xiao Huai’s chest and cried out, “It hurts…”

Xiao Huai looked at his small, somewhat contorted face, with fine beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He tried his best to restrain the beastliness within him, stroked his cheek to wipe away his tears, and softened his movements, saying with some helplessness, “You are so delicate and afraid of pain, when will you ever get used to it?”

But Xiao Huai’s consideration only lasted a moment. As time passed, Xiao Huai became increasingly ferocious. Su Ce could not take it and tried to struggle to escape, only to be pulled back into Xiao Huai’s side. Their bodies were pressed so closely together that the sound of their breathing echoed in his ears, scorching his earlobes until they turned deep red.

“No… no more…” Su Ce’s body trembled as he issued a humble plea.

But Xiao Huai, behind him, seemed not to hear, opening his mouth to bite his ear.

Su Ce only felt that his body was soaking wet, unable to distinguish whether it was tears or something else.

“Xiao Huai… mmph.” Su Ce turned his head with a tearful voice, kissing Xiao Huai in an attempt to please him.

Xiao Huai knew that he was begging for mercy. Every time Su Ce could no longer bear it, he would use this method to appease him. On the surface, Xiao Huai remained unmoved, but in reality, he gradually slowed his pace, giving Su Ce a chance to catch his breath.

Not until the sky began to turn white did Xiao Huai finally pick up Su Ce, who had long since fainted from exhaustion, and place him in the bath.

When Su Ce woke up again, it was already noon the next day. As he tried to get up, he felt a sharp pain throughout his body. He assumed Xiao Huai had been ruthless last night and had no choice but to pound his waist. Perhaps this movement alerted Fu Ning, who was waiting outside.

Fu Ning pushed the door open to enter. Su Ce quickly covered himself with the quilt, but Fu Ning still saw the red and purple marks on his body. Fu Ning asked respectfully, “Shall I have the meal served?”

Although he said to serve a meal, in the end, it was Yushu who brought over white porridge and side dishes. Su Ce lay on the bed, letting Yushu feed him mouthful by mouthful.

In the afternoon, when Su Ce felt a bit more relaxed, he immediately changed his clothes and left the sleeping quarters.

He knew he couldn’t leave the palace gate today, but that didn’t stop him from taking a walk in the Imperial Garden.

The heavy snow that had fallen all night had turned the world into a single color, but the palace servants had already swept the snow to the sides of the paths, leaving behind slightly slippery trails.

Unexpectedly, a strange figure appeared in the usually empty Imperial Garden.

This made Su Ce curious. He crept closer to the figure, wanting to see the person’s face, but his foot slipped, and he fell to the ground, gasping in surprise.

“My Lord!” Yushu was shocked and hurried forward to help Su Ce up.

As he supported himself with one hand on Yushu and rubbed his backside with the other while rising, he even threatened, “Don’t tell Xiao Huai about this, and don’t tell Fu Ning!” Su Ce added, still worried, “Especially not Fu Ning, do you hear me?”

Yushu nodded vigorously.

Only then did Su Ce turn his attention back to the figure that had just been sitting by the stone table. He saw that the person had already turned around to look at him. As their eyes met, Su Ce’s expression became quite strange, and he said, “So, it was you…”