My Husband Can't Possibly Be a Tyrant Emperor! - Chapter 3

Upon returning home, Kuang Xuexian immediately set about tidying up his small courtyard.

His residence was located in the western part of the city. Since it wasn’t in a bustling area, it was somewhat distant from Shuangluan City’s two main commercial districts—the Night less City and Golden Crow Street. The downside was its relative remoteness, but the advantages were its peaceful environment and affordable rent. He had spent a little over ten gold coins to purchase this small three-sided courtyard. The west wing had already been converted into a storage room, so he focused on cleaning up the east wing.

In truth, he was merely going through the motions. Having already participated in the embroidered ball toss to find a spouse, he had prepared himself for a blind marriage, much like the ancient traditions.

By the time he finished tidying up, the sun had already set. Reflecting on the day’s events, it all felt like a dream. He wondered whether that handsome man named Zhang Ji would come as promised, and when. He also worried about what he would do if the other party turned out to have ill intentions or questionable character. After pondering for a while, he realized that since the other party would be coming to his territory, not the other way around, it was the other person who should be worried.

Could it be that the other party had already grown anxious and regretted the arrangement?

Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a knock at the door. He hurried to open it and saw the plump young servant who had been accompanying Zhang Ji earlier that day.

“Greetings, sir,” the servant said with a smile, bowing respectfully.

Kuang Xuexian was both surprised and delighted. He glanced behind the servant but only saw a cart loaded with goods.

“My master has some personal matters to attend to today, so he sent me ahead to deliver the betrothal gifts and some daily necessities.”

Kuang Xuexian was speechless. It hadn’t even occurred to him that the other party would send such things. Indeed, this was a man of tradition and meticulousness.

The value of the betrothal gifts was secondary; what mattered was the sincerity and seriousness behind them. Even daily necessities were included, which made the gesture feel even more genuine. So genuine that it left him feeling somewhat ashamed.

“Please, come inside,” Kuang Xuexian said, opening the gate wide.

“You’re too kind, sir. From now on, you can just call me Li Qing,” the servant replied, then instructed the cart driver to unload the items one by one.

It seemed as though the other party had moved his entire household belongings. There were bedding, pillows, and mats for sleeping, as well as cups, plates, basins, and bowls for dining. Bundles and boxes filled the east wing almost to the brim.

Li Qing chuckled and said, “My master doesn’t have much, but he’s quite particular about daily necessities. I hope you won’t mind, sir.”

Kuang Xuexian thought this made perfect sense. After all, Zhang Ji was the son of a wealthy family. Even though he had fallen on hard times, old habits were hard to break. Besides, since he was moving in, it was only natural that he would bring his belongings along. These were likely most of his possessions.

Looking at the items, they all seemed quite ordinary, with nothing particularly valuable. For instance, the bedding covers were made of a cotton-silk blend. According to the “Records of Xijing Prefecture,” middle-class households in winter typically used bedding made of three parts silk and seven parts cotton, which wasn’t as good as the two silk quilts he himself used.

As for the clothes Zhang Ji had brought, the fabric was of good quality, but there was almost no embroidery. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, wealthy people valued “ornate attire,” considering intricate patterns more important than the fabric itself. When Kuang Xuexian had once delivered goods to the Chen family, the city’s wealthiest household, he had seen their seventh son wearing a spring robe made of kesi silk with gold-thread embroidery, adorned with gold and jade. Under the sunlight, the robe shimmered brilliantly, making its wearer look almost celestial.

But by that time, he had already grown tired of being a big shot—it just seemed glamorous on the surface. If we’re talking about true awe, that would have to be during his first transmigration. As a system intern who hadn’t seen much of the world back then, the raging fire had left him stunned. Setting aside the brilliantly adorned palace maids he rescued, what truly captivated him was a swaddling cloth. Under the firelight, its gold and silver threads shimmered and flowed like radiant clouds, delivering an immense shock to a modern-day laborer who had only seen ancient robes in museums.

As for this Mr. Zhang, his daily belongings all appeared refined yet not extravagant, fitting well with his past affluence and current decline.

After unloading the items, Li Qing took another look around the courtyard and said, “Then I shall take my leave now. My master will arrive tomorrow evening.”

Kuang Xuexian remarked, “Though we’ve only just met, it’s rare for your master to place such trust in me.”

Li Qing replied with a smile, “My master has always been a free spirit. Isn’t the gentleman also a free spirit, to have held a marriage lottery by tossing an embroidered ball? Besides, the gentleman’s home is right here—it’s not like you can run away.”

That was true—the monk might flee, but the temple remains.

Li Qing added, “Today, my master sent me to deliver some belongings to reassure the gentleman. After all, we are outsiders with unclear backgrounds, and we didn’t want the gentleman to worry.”

He had indeed found someone like himself—an outlier. For a moment, instead of fear, he felt exhilaration. Outliers should seek out other outliers. His intuition told him that this was likely the one!

Kuang Xuexian saw Li Qing out and didn’t close the gate until the carriage had disappeared from sight. Returning inside, he walked to the east wing and looked at the items laid out on the floor. Only then did it feel real to him. He marveled that such an absurd act as recruiting a son-in-law through a lottery could yield such a delightful outcome.

The other party’s delivery had dispelled his final doubts. Looking over the betrothal gifts again—though not excessively lavish, they included all the essentials like flower tea, fruits, and other items, along with a gold ingot and a jade ruyi scepter.

These two were indispensable in Great Zhou’s betrothal customs, symbolizing “certainty and fulfillment of wishes.” Ordinary families often couldn’t afford such expensive gifts and would substitute them with pastries shaped like ingots and ruyi scepters.

For Zhang Ji to send genuine gold ingots and jade ruyi scepters was an exceptionally solemn gesture. Having had no such high expectations initially, he now felt somewhat “overwhelmed by the favor.” He also reflected that Mr. Zhang appeared refined and scholarly, yet his temperament seemed as guileless as an unworldly scholar.

Evening clouds veiled the sun, and the sky darkened abruptly. Though this was a relatively dense residential area, it wasn’t in the bustling market district. Moreover, the spring weather was still chilly, and as dusk fell, a cold silence descended.

Li Qing carefully turned the carriage around and glanced at Kuang Xuexian’s house. Seeing the main gate tightly shut, he stealthily knocked on the neighbor’s door.

The neighbors were a newlywed couple who were also merchants. Wary of someone knocking so close to nightfall, they eyed him cautiously.

Li Qing smiled warmly and explained his purpose: “I apologize for the intrusion. It’s like this—my master has taken a liking to your house and wonders if you might be willing to sell it.”

The couple thought he was out of his mind. “No, we’re not selling!”

With a wave of his hand, Li Qing signaled a young servant to step forward holding a wooden tray. “One hundred gold.”

The couple fell silent.  One hundred gold—enough to buy a tavern on Golden Crow Street or in the Night less City with plenty to spare.

Li Qing introduced the person behind him with a smile: “This is Zhang Xingren, who specializes in handling the rental and sale of estates in the northern part of the city. If you’re willing, we can sign the contract immediately.”

After finishing dinner, Kuang Xuexian tidied up the bathroom once more. What he loved most about ancient times was the tranquility, especially during the cold weather. Once night fell, no one would come to disturb him.

He washed up early and snuggled under the covers to read. Today, however, his mood was too buoyant to focus on the book. Instead, Zhang Ji’s face kept surfacing in his mind.

As dawn approached, a row of officials in embroidered robes hurried into the house to the left. A group of black-armored guards filed into the homes behind and to the right.

The rustling of robes and the clanking of armor, concealed by the night, quietly formed a new den for a fearsome dragon.

Gradually, the sky brightened. Thick, dark blue-black clouds surged from the direction of the imperial palace, resembling a majestic, undulating dragon pressing down upon the city. The cloud formations were eerie, exuding a strangely magnificent beauty.

Yawning, Li Qing made another round of inspections to the left and right. After a night of busy work, everything had finally quieted down.

This place was truly secluded. In the distance, he could even see the collapsed halls of the Phoenix Palace and the statue of a phoenix with a broken wing outside. The sky was caught between darkness and light, cold and desolate. He thought perhaps they didn’t need to be so cautious. After all, it might be hard for anyone to believe—absurdity had its limits—but their Majesty, for reasons unknown, had decided to come here and live with a man, simply because it was “interesting.”

“Interesting” was the Emperor’s assessment of this young master Kuang when they first went to Ruyi Tower to watch the spectacle two days ago.

At that time, they had watched from the opposite tavern, through the window, with Ying Qi and a few other imperial guards in the room. Back then, he too had found Kuang Xuexian, the one seeking a husband, quite intriguing. He had assumed he was the kind of flamboyant libertine who reveled in male affections for attention, but unexpectedly, the man himself was aloof, cold, and strikingly fair and handsome.

Of course, the act of throwing an embroidered ball to choose a spouse could also be considered interesting.

But when the Emperor insisted on going again the next day, he should have realized that the Emperor’s “interest” likely went far beyond “a little.”

The Emperor showed no expression, merely watching quietly from across the crowd. Perhaps the moment the embroidered ball was thrown toward him, it was destined that the Emperor would enter Kuang Xuexian’s small courtyard.

Li Qing had been assigned to serve the Emperor because of his elder brother. His brother, Li Bai, had once been the Emperor’s chief attendant. During the upheaval at Huanlong Hall, almost none of the Emperor’s attendants survived. After the Emperor ascended the throne, Li Qing was transferred from the imperial mausoleum to serve as the chief eunuch in the palace. Although the Emperor trusted him deeply, he never confided in him. Li Qing could neither fathom the Emperor’s thoughts nor offer advice. Now, all he could do was follow orders.

Imperial excursions required meticulous preparation, with inspections typically conducted days in advance, no matter the destination. Especially now, with the Emperor planning to reside in this chaotic, mixed neighborhood.

Their considerations extended far beyond the Emperor’s safety. It was no exaggeration to say that even the nearby chickens and dogs had been cleared away. Because the Emperor required absolute, profound silence to sleep. Disturbing him would have severe consequences.

The next morning, Kuang Xuexian got up early and went to Golden Crow Street to deliver the storybooks a customer had ordered some time ago.

Although his matchmaking wasn’t known to everyone, at least the shopkeepers and assistants around his store were aware of it. Whenever they saw him, they would tease him, saying, “Boss Kuang, when are you going to bring your groom for us to see?”

“Aren’t you going to give us some wedding sweets?”

In high spirits due to the joyous occasion, Kuang Xuexian actually bought a bag of osmanthus sugar and handed it out. Since the person was set to arrive that day, he closed his shop early in the afternoon and went to a large restaurant to buy some wine and dishes. He took this first meal at his home very seriously, striving to make it sumptuous and delicious.

Back home, he simply prepared a soup and waited for the other party to arrive. Pacing in the courtyard, he thought that even when he was surrounded by enemy troops as a general in the past, he hadn’t felt as nervous as he did now.

He waited until the sky had completely darkened before finally hearing a knock at the door.

“Coming!” he hurried over to open the door. As soon as it swung open, he saw a pitch-black carriage parked outside.

In ancient times, once night fell, the world truly became a sea of darkness—a darkness far beyond the imagination of modern people. It wasn’t just the absence of light; even sounds seemed swallowed by the night, leaving everything silent and still, with all sights extinguished, as if lost in an endless, boundless void. Only a slender crescent moon hung in the sky. Li Qing held a paper lantern in his hand, its faint light barely illuminating three steps ahead. Swaying in the cold wind, it resembled more a flickering ghostly flame. Zhang Ji stood beside him, tall and slender, with pitch-black eyes that, in the darkness of the night, appeared strikingly handsome yet eerie.

Out of nowhere, a crow flew over and cawed twice, circling before landing on the eaves above his door.

The other party smiled and said, “I’m here.”

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