Having a Baby Before Marrying a Wicked Husband - Chapter 75

During the days when the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince were both under house arrest, the Emperor drank tea with Yan Cai every day.

Drinking tea was just an excuse; the main purpose was to enjoy the few things the Emperor had previously tasted at Yan Cai’s house.

They were all excellent items, one could serve as a meal, and the other was a very useful seasoning. Emperor Taifeng didn’t want to miss out on any of them.

What was most feared in dealing with the Emperor?

It was making losses.

Once the Emperor knew, whether you wanted to or not, you have to hand it over.

You couldn’t twist the Emperor’s arm, so you had to offer it up. Fortunately, the Emperor wasn’t too stingy and rewarded them with some items.

They were all antiques from the Emperor’s private collection. They were valuable, but they couldn’t be spent; they could only be kept as decorations in the room.

These items couldn’t be sold. Things bestowed by the Emperor couldn’t be sold.

Yan Cai looked at the perfectly placed black jade Vajra on the desk with some helplessness. This thing couldn’t be eaten, couldn’t be used, and couldn’t be sold.

Even when wiping the table, Hong Yu must be careful not to break it. He spent half the day arranging such decorations. He couldn’t even put them away, as it wouldn’t look good if the Emperor noticed the disturbance.

Such a loss.

Indeed, doing business with the royal family was always the most unprofitable.

Speaking of which, why did the Emperor keep visiting his home? Even if their food was delicious, the Emperor shouldn’t be that greedy. Considering his lavish lifestyle, moreover, many of their delicious recipes had been sent to the Emperor.

However, the Emperor finally stopped visiting his home these two days. Calculating the time, it coincided with the imperial examination. Shortly before the exam, Yan Cai heard that there was a temple outside the city where making wishes was very effective. Early in the morning, he went up the mountain to draw lots for divination.

The sun had not yet risen when Yan Cai left. Jiang Manyue was still under the influence of the calming medicine he had given him and hadn’t woken up. However, his son was immediately awakened.

The calming medicine had no effect on his son at all. As soon as his son woke up, he wanted to come out with Yan Cai, but Yan Cai gently pressed him back with just one finger.

“Be good, Father is going out for a while and will bring you delicious food back at noon. Behave and watch over your father.”

The little one pouted, glanced at Yan Cai, then at the sleeping Jiang Manyue, yawned, and leaned against Jiang Manyue to continue sleeping. Alright, Father asked him to watch over Father, he’s a good boy, he’ll definitely watch over him well.

Yan Cai thought he had woken up very early, but when he reached the foot of the mountain, many people had already started climbing. Upon inquiry, he found out that many of them were there to pray for their family members who were taking exams.

An old lady nearly slipped, and Yan Cai helped her up. Then, he easily snapped a branch, about the thickness of a child’s arm, from the roadside, offering it to her as a makeshift cane.

“Young man, you have a kind heart. This old lady thanks you. Hey, young man, why don’t you draw a divination lot too?”

“Yes, yes.” He was here to ask for a good fortune for his husband and his son, However, the other only mentioned her son.

“I’m praying for my son too.”

“Very well. The Bodhisattva here is very effective. As long as you’re sincere, you will surely be blessed.”

“This is my first time climbing. I don’t know how high this temple is. How long will it take to get there?”

Yan Cai climbed for a while, but couldn’t see any shadow of the temple. When he looked up, there were only lush woods and a mountain road paved with bluestones as far as the eye could see.

“It’s still early.” The old lady walked slowly and needed to rest after a short while. “Young man, you go ahead, this old lady’s pace is slow, don’t wait for me.”

Yan Cai scratched his head, feeling that it wasn’t quite right to go ahead.

“Today there are many people. If we wait too long, we won’t catch the earliest group. They say the earlier, the more effective it is. This Old lady will take it slow.”

“Alright then.”

Indeed, more and more people crowded the road, making it congested. Without walking with the old lady, Yan Cai’s pace quickened considerably, and in no time, he had overtaken a group of people.

After more than half an hour, he finally saw the ancient temple halfway up the mountain. With green walls, blue tiles, and moss-covered stone steps, a bald monk was sweeping the fallen leaves at the mountain gate.

The serenity was like an ancient painting. When people arrived in such a place, they felt as though they had been purified. The temperature on the mountain was much lower than at the foot of the mountain, where flowers bloomed profusely, but only hints of new colors could be seen on the mountain.

Yan Cai stepped onto the stone steps. There were only monks in the ancient temple, not a single pilgrim. He was the first person to climb up. Normally, even for those with good stamina, it would take more than an hour to climb to the mountainside, and for those with slower pace, it would take until midday.

Yan Cai initially walked slowly with the old lady, but later he continuously overtook many people. It was said that the first person to offer incense would have the best luck with the protective amulet.

Though Yan Cai wasn’t superstitious, he couldn’t help but feel happy with such a good omen. When he descended the mountain with two protective amulets, others were just starting to climb.

On the way, he even saw two sedan chairs being carried up the mountain. Sedan chairs? What a luxury. But it wouldn’t be easy to walk on this road with sedan chairs. The bearers were all sweating profusely.

The road was rather narrow, so Yan Cai quickly stepped aside, letting them go first. Unexpectedly, the sedan chair bearer ahead stepped on a round stone, slipped, and fell down suddenly, causing the sedan chair to tilt and almost topple over.

Yan Cai acted quickly, reaching out to grab the person who fell from the sedan chair with swift hands. Simultaneously, he extended a branch from his sleeve to discreetly hold the sedan chair, preventing it from falling down the hill while nobody was paying attention. As a result, the talisman he had drawn fell unnoticed in the process.

Sitting in the sedan chair was a gorgeously dressed woman, who immediately began to complain with a few “aiyo” sounds. Yan Cai released her immediately after saving her. The woman was about to thank him when she looked up.

Yan Cai squinted his eyes, wondering why this woman looked oddly familiar.

The woman, holding her handkerchief, pointed at Yan Cai in astonishment, “How is it you!? You’re from that little beast’s family…”

“Little beast?” Yan Cai repeated the woman’s words coldly, finally recalling who she was. Isn’t she Jiang Manyue’s stepmother?

The sedan chair behind also stopped, and a gentle voice came out. A teenage girl got off. It seemed to be the stepmother’s daughter.

“Mother, what happened? Are you okay?”

As soon as the woman’s daughter got out of the sedan chair, the woman hastily urged her to go back up, saying, “Quick, go back up! You’re just a girl, why did you come out? There are unfamiliar men here, who knows what they are… Ah!”

The woman screamed as the sedan chair suddenly slipped and fell down the cliff, landing in the dense forest below.

“It’s you! It must be you who did this, right?” The woman stepped back a few steps, feeling somewhat afraid of Yan Cai, but her inherent pride and disdain remained unchanged. She continued to speak despite her fear.

Seeing the bright yellow protective amulet at Yan Cai’s feet, she guessed his intention.

“You’re here to seek blessings too? Oh, it’s for that unfilial brat, isn’t it? Don’t dream… how could he pass the exam? My son…”

“Shut up.” Yan Cai picked up the dusty amulet from the ground and blew off the dust. “Stop deceiving yourself. Whether you believe it or not, my man is superior to your son.”

“You… have no shame.” The Jiang family stepmother was stunned.

She was a noblewoman’s daughter after all. Even if her words were sharp, she had never heard anyone openly use ‘my man’ in such a manner, which was an insult to decency of a family’s reputation. Her daughter’s face turned red.

“It’s said your son is still locked up at home, isn’t he? Karma is watching. Be careful, he might be locked up for life.” Yan Cai didn’t mind cursing a bit more.

“How do you know…” Not many people knew that her son was locked up at home.

“Of course, I know. I’m warning you to be careful.”

“Nonsense. My son is studying diligently at home. When the time comes for the exam, he will definitely outperform that little beast.”

“Oh? We’ll see about that. Don’t be too confident. If he fails, you’ll lose face. Also, don’t bother seeking protective amulets. Someone like you won’t be blessed by any deity.”

Feeling frustrated, Yan Cai walked down the mountain quickly, leaving the Jiang family stepmother fuming. She wanted to stop Yan Cai, but he walked too fast, and she couldn’t catch up.

However, after returning home, the momentum of arguing with the Jiang family stepmother dissipated instantly.

He had talked big; what if Jiang Manyue failed the exam? His bragging would fall flat.

However, he didn’t tell Jiang Manyue about this incident. What if it added pressure to him? When he sent Jiang Manyue to the exam room, Yan Cai’s brow furrowed as if he were a parent sending his own child to the college entrance examination.

“Darling, do your best.” Don’t let my bragging burst!

The author has something to say:

Yan Cai: Just because you think so doesn’t mean I have to agree. My man is excellent!