Your Majesty, Please Be Obedient - Chapter 17

“Are you satisfied now?” Pu Tingsong asked in a low voice, his emotions difficult to discern. “You will not keep crying this time, will you?”

Just as Pu Tingsong was about to remove the bridal veil and set it aside, something soft pressed against him. His fingers paused for a moment before he finally lifted the veil.

Jiang Qiyan was hugging Pu Tingsong’s calf. He looked up slightly to see his Master extending a finger to poke the center of his forehead.

“If you keep troubling Master like this, Master will certainly not let you off.”

Jiang Qiyan dodged the finger and buried his face against Pu Tingsong’s leg. “Qiyan is already married to Master. Brother Fang said that I can be intimate with Master.”

Pu Tingsong stiffened. He let out two dry coughs and spoke as softly as possible. “Master will explain the matter of intimacy to you later. For now, please let go of Master. How can I walk like this?”

Fang Wuming again. Such a nuisance should be kicked out of the estate as soon as possible.

Jiang Qiyan had no idea what his Master was thinking. He released his Master’s leg and was quickly picked up and carried to the dining hall.

The sky darkened early in the twelfth lunar month. By this time, lamps were lit throughout the estate. Because they were preparing to welcome the New Year, the lanterns were different from usual, all a festive bright red. The dishes on the table remained the same: a balanced mix of meat and vegetables with no signs of extravagance. Was it because they were used to a frugal life, or was it because Master was going through difficult times?

Jiang Qiyan bit his finger. The Imperial Preceptor’s estate was so large, representing the dignity of his Master’s family, which could not be easily cast aside. Master must have found it very difficult to support it alone for so long.

“It was Master’s oversight,” a hand suddenly ruffled his hair. “The New Year is approaching, and Qiyan must be tired of these ordinary dishes. What would Qiyan like to eat? Master will give the orders tomorrow.”

“This is fine,” Jiang Qiyan shook his head. “As long as I am with Master, it is the same no matter what I eat. Moreover, I am already married to Master. As the mistress of the house, I must care for Master and manage the household for him.”

Halfway through his sentence, a finger pressed against his lips. The pad of the finger applied a slight pressure, preventing him from continuing. Large teardrops immediately began to fall.

“Master does not allow me to manage the household because you want me to be a concubine?”

“Sigh,” Pu Tingsong used his sleeve to wipe away the tears. “Where did you hear such nonsense? Being the mistress involves many worries. Qiyan, you are too young right now. Besides, Master has not had the chance to teach you how to use an abacus. You do not need to worry about the household; is it alright if Master handles it for you for now?”

“I am not small. After the New Year, I will be five years old,” Jiang Qiyan whispered. “I will start learning tomorrow. If Master does not teach me, I will go ask Brother Fang.”

“Did Master say I would not teach you?” Pu Tingsong withdrew his finger, his tone suddenly becoming indifferent. “Was Qiyan just threatening Master?”

“No,” Jiang Qiyan blinked, feeling a bit intimidated. Had he gone too far and upset his Master? He should not have asked for power right after getting married. But Brother Fang said.

“Then it is fine,” Master’s tone still sounded somewhat displeased. “What would you like to eat? Master will serve it to you.”

Beside them, Fang Wuming kept his head down and ate his rice, not daring to look up. He felt as though the Imperial Preceptor’s anger was directed right at him. After finishing his meal, Fang Wuming rose with a smile, bowed in farewell, and quickly fled.

Just as he ran into the corridor and finally got out of Pu Tingsong’s sight, his feet suddenly left the ground. He flailed for a moment due to momentum before realizing he was being held up by someone.

“Pavilion Master Qin,” Fang Wuming did not need to look back to know which boring bastard it was. He gave a fake smile. “Are you ill?”

“Master Fang’s skills are extraordinary, and this Pavilion Master cannot forget them. You see, I will be busy again after the New Year, so I wanted to relax one more time before then.”

“Would Master Fang do me the honor?”

“Well, perhaps another day. Another day.”

“Master Fang, tell me, what if this Pavilion Master told the little Head of the House that there is a fish that slipped through the net in the estate?”

“I have just thought about it carefully, and there are no urgent matters tonight. Since the Pavilion Master favors me, Wuming shall naturally accompany you.”

“Very good,” Qin Shizhi took two steps forward, fanning himself. Fang Wuming stared at the words “Carpe Diem” written on the fan and cursed inwardly. In the middle of winter, this man was dressed so flashily and fanning himself with such a provocative fan; it was a wonder he did not freeze to death.

“Are you not coming? Are you waiting for this Pavilion Master to invite you?” Qin Shizhi stood not far away and laughed softly. “Master Fang, this way please.”

Jiang Qiyan felt that something was wrong with his Master. The chopsticks had been set down for a long time, but Master remained still, only tapping his knuckles against the table.

Tap. Tap, tap.

Jiang Qiyan’s heart trembled along with the sound. “Master.”

The pressure was so heavy that he could hardly bear it. Jiang Qiyan carefully leaned his head against his Master’s shoulder and spoke softly. “I was wrong, Master. I should not have made those demands.”

Pu Tingsong let him lean there. “Master just feels a bit of frustration.”

So, Master was not angry because he wanted to be the mistress?

“I did not know that I was such a failure as a Master that little Qiyan would want to ask others to teach him what he wants to learn.”

“No, it is not like that,” Jiang Qiyan lowered his head, tugging at his hair until it almost snapped. “I just saw that Master was too busy.”

His fingers were pried open one by one, and the hair tangled around his fingertips was rescued. The look in Master’s eyes as he looked down at him made him feel a chill. “Do you not know pain? Little Qiyan, Master is a bit upset.”

Jiang Qiyan’s pupils dilated slightly. He could see that Master was unhappy, but he did not expect Master to say it so bluntly. He was at a loss. Master had worked hard all day, and as Master’s spouse, he could not even be considerate and instead made Master sad. It was truly wrong of him.

“Then I.”

“Well,” Pu Tingsong thought for a moment and looked down at the well-behaved child in his arms. “I am always seeing you cry. Why does little Qiyan not give Master a smile to coax me?”

Jiang Qiyan forced a somewhat stiff smile despite his worries.

“It looks quite good,” Master touched his small face. “Smile more. You will look even better as you smile in the future.”

For some reason, that smile became much more natural under Master’s praise.

“Qiyan, tell Master, do you still want to test your friend?”

Actually, he did not want to anymore. After spending time together lately, he had been quite happy. Brother Fang was a humorous person who knew a lot and was very considerate of him. Pu Tingsong’s eyes darkened, but under the deep night and flickering shadows of the lamps, Jiang Qiyan did not see it clearly.

“So you do not want to?” Pu Tingsong took two pouches from his sleeve and placed them on the table. “That is a pity; I prepared for so long in vain.”

Jiang Qiyan looked at the two pouches on the table, one large and one small, and felt touched. Master had prepared them very carefully. Master always seemed to care a lot about his affairs. And he was the one who asked for the test; if he backed out now, would he not be playing with Master?

“No,” Jiang Qiyan looked up at Pu Tingsong, the light in his eyes becoming firmer. “I want to test him.”

What was the harm in trying? He believed Brother Fang would not let him down. If he were deceived by his only friend, Jiang Qiyan thought he would be very sad and would certainly be unable to stop himself from crying. But Master had said that he must bear the consequences of his own choices, and this time Master would not coax him if he cried. If Master truly did not coax him, he would definitely feel very miserable. What if he could not stop crying and ran out of breath?

Jiang Qiyan felt an uneasy sensation in his heart that lasted until bedtime. He tossed and turned from time to time. Late into the night, the steady breathing beside him suddenly grew heavier. Just as he froze, not daring to move, a pair of large hands pulled him into a hug and held him firmly. “If you keep moving like this, it will be dawn soon.”

The voice sounded a bit helpless. “Do you want to be punished? Master has a terrible temper when woken up. You would not want to try it.”

That was not true. Master had always been very gentle; even his anger was gentle. How bad could his temper be?

However, Jiang Qiyan did not move again. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and there would be guests at the house. If his Imperial Father did not hold a palace banquet this year, he might come as well. Master would be busy receiving guests and would surely be very tired. He could not cause any more trouble.

Jiang Qiyan took a deep breath, and his nose was filled with the scent of pine resin. It was too close; everything smelled like Master, and he could not even smell the air. He had intended to take a deep breath to calm his mind and force himself to sleep, but instead, his mind was filled even more with Master, making it harder to clear his thoughts.

After much tossing, he finally fell asleep from exhaustion and had a dream. In the dream, a very large, fat, bright red carp was floating in the sky. He was sitting on top of the carp’s head, looking down at the entire Imperial Preceptor’s estate. A very large peach blossom tree was growing in the estate. The branches of the tree suddenly stretched out very long and wrapped around the carp and him, tying him up like a zongzi and hanging him high in the air. Suddenly, the branches let go of him. The terrifying sensation of falling scared him so much that he could not even scream; he could only sob.

Once he recovered a bit, he realized he was still falling. Falling from such a height would surely result in him being shattered to pieces.

“Master! Master, save me! Master!”

Pu Tingsong sat up and looked at the dim dawn light with an expression that was hard to describe. He pulled the wailing child into his arms and sighed. “How can you be such a handful?”

He gently rocked the small body in his arms. “Alright, alright. Wake up, please. What did you dream about to make you cry like this?”

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