154 Epilogue

As Mu Zhijin stepped into the kitchen, Zhu Xishi was busy chopping minced meat, planning to make a baby cabbage and meatball soup.

Hearing the door open behind her, Zhu Xishi didn't need to turn around to guess who it was. Without pausing her rhythmic chopping, she said, "Why did you come in? Hurry up and go outside. There's too much smoke in the kitchen; it'll choke you."

"Oh." Mu Zhijin gave a noncommittal response, yet instead of leaving, he walked over and leaned against the edge of Zhu Xishi's cutting board.

His robe today was pitch black. Since he no longer needed to maintain his disguise as a seductive courtesan, the bright golden sunflower pattern was gone, yet outlines of sunflowers were still traced in thread that matched the fabric of the robe. From a distance, it was barely noticeable, but up close, one could feel a more mysterious and magnificent allure emanating from the dark sunflowers.

Zhu Xishi involuntarily slowed down her chopping, afraid that bits of meat might splatter and stain those gorgeous sunflowers.

"What is it? Looking for me?" Seeing that Mu Zhijin remained silent, Zhu Xishi, feeling the awkwardness first, took the initiative to speak.

"Oh." Came that same lifeless reply.

The five fingers holding the kitchen knife tightened, and Zhu Xishi ultimately decided to let it slide.

"Then spit it out."

"It's a long story."

"Then make a long story short."

"Oh."

"Well? Go on."

"I'm done."

"You!" Did she tell him to make it short, and he literally shortened it to a single word?

With a fierce thwack, Zhu Xishi drove her chopper half an inch deep into the cutting board, sending a shower of minced meat flying across Mu Zhijin's entire back.

The bright red meat instantly filled the dark outlines of the sunflower petals. At a glance, it carried a bloody, visceral aesthetic; upon closer inspection, it was rather repulsive.

An untimely wave of retaliatory satisfaction suddenly surged within Zhu Xishi, quickly neutralizing her previous anger.

Since she was no longer angry, she might as well continue chopping the meat.

Zhu Xishi yanked the knife out of the board and resumed chopping.

Mu Zhijin felt a wave of sullen frustration. Wasn't she just angry? Shouldn't she have grabbed him by the collar with one hand, held the cleaver to his throat with the other, and started a furious shouting match? How on earth did her anger vanish in the blink of an eye?

Having had a bit to drink and with his mind entirely occupied by Zhu Xishi, Mu Zhijin naturally had no spare attention to notice the strange state of his back.

Seeing that he neither spoke nor left, Zhu Xishi decided she wouldn't bother with him this time either. Finishing the meat and putting down the cleaver, she went to check on the water. The water wasn't boiling yet, so she bent down to check the fire. Noticing the firewood was running low, she fed a few more logs into the stove. As she shoved the wood in, thick smoke billowed out. Turning her head and closing her eyes, Zhu Xishi let out a few muffled coughs.

Mu Zhijin's voice rang out from directly above her. "In three days, we set off for Pingcheng."

He used the word "we," naturally referring to himself and Zhu Xishi.

Squatting by the stove mouth with her head turned and eyes closed, Zhu Xishi didn't get up. "Isn't the grand wedding arranged for you by Aunt Xiu half a month from now? After the wedding, there's also the homecoming visit seven days later. By my count, you'd better postpone your trip to Pingcheng until a month from now."

Mu Zhijin fell silent. He could suppress the anger threatening to burst from his lips, but he couldn't stop his brow from twitching with restless agitation. Unfortunately, Zhu Xishi, squatting down there, couldn't see it. Even if she had seen it, she probably wouldn't have bothered to soothe him.

The situation was simple. Once he finally shed his identity as a male courtesan and overnight transformed into a favored court official in the eyes of the new emperor, this pig-slaughtering widow felt she was no longer worthy of him. Therefore, she collaborated with Aunt Xiu to arrange for a young lady from a prestigious family to marry him first, just to keep up appearances.

He understood her intentions, yet he had no intention of accepting them. The experiences of his birth mother, Aunt Xiu, and even his own experiences made him understand better than anyone that while falling in love is easy, growing old together is not—and the person right before his eyes was the one most worth cherishing.

He cherished her, yet she refused to cherish his cherishing!

Mu Zhijin darkened his gaze and spoke, "Ah, I actually forgot about that. Let's depart a month from now, then."

Zhu Xishi's motion of adding more wood paused, and she tossed the log directly into the stove fire. Thick smoke billowed out with a whoosh. This time she didn't close her eyes, and she was instantly choked by a simultaneous combination of tears and coughing.

Only then did Mu Zhijin feel the restless throbbing between his brows subside slightly.

Zhu Xishi stood up with an "Oh." "The wedding is in half a month, so time is indeed quite tight. You should hurry back and make preparations."

"Aren't I making preparations right now?"

"Huh?"

"Aunt Xiu said she wants you to enter the household alongside her. What do you think?"

When Zhu Xishi heard these words, she was in the midst of lifting the pot lid to check if the water was boiling. As bubbling water droplets came into view, Mu Zhijin's words reached her ears as well.

The rising steam instantly dampened her eyes. Blinking rapidly, Zhu Xishi replied, "That won't do. After all, she is a lady of noble status. How can you make her lose face on her wedding day? How about this—I think we'd better meet in Pingcheng."

"You want to go to Pingcheng by yourself?"

"Oh, I've been there before, and I know the way. Don't worry, I'll arrive safely."

"What if I can't arrive safely?"

"Huh?"

"Haven't you heard that many bridegrooms might not survive their wedding night?"

Clatter—Zhu Xishi let go of the pot lid. It dropped sharply, slamming against the rim of the iron pot with a deafening crash.

Annoyed and embarrassed, Zhu Xishi turned her head to glare at Mu Zhijin. What kind of bizarre plot development was this?

Mu Zhijin lowered his gaze by forty-and-five degrees, his voice remaining deep and low. "A woman I've never even met, a complete stranger—you expect me to share a bed with her the very first time we lay eyes on each other? I won't do it, and I can't do it."

At that moment, Zhu Xishi wished she could take the pot lid and bash Mu Zhijin over the head. After all the hugging, kissing, and touching that practically left only the final step undone, he was standing here pretending to be innocent now? Under the circumstances, she really could only respond with a line she had learned from Fang Rulai. Namely: "Screw it, get lost!"

She didn't even bother to pick up the pot lid that had crashed beside the stove; instead, she reached out and pushed it even further away. Reaching out once more, she scooped up a handful of minced meat. With her fingers clenched tight, a meatball squeezed out between them. With a flick and a toss of her other hand, the meatball landed cleanly in the pot.

Discussing the marriage affairs of her own man and another woman was truly far less comforting than making and eating meatball soup.

Zhu Xishi took a jab at Mu Zhijin. "I heard Mother Mu sent a copy of *The Eighteen Amorous Desires* to Guan Shiyin. Would you like to borrow it from your brother and take a look? With your talent, you're bound to be a self-taught master."

Mu Zhijin twitched his ears, entirely certain that the last few words were absolutely laced with gritted teeth.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough yet.

Mu Zhijin edged along the side of the cutting board right up to Zhu Xishi's side. "I've already learned the theory, but unfortunately I lack practical application and can't accumulate experience."

So all those times he came over to steal kisses, hugs, and touches were for nothing? Screw it again. Zhu Xishi raised her elbow, preparing to jab Guan Shiyin to express her utter contempt for his running wild at the mouth.

Mu Zhijin caught her elbow a step ahead. "With the grand wedding approaching, even Fang Rulai could panic and flee out of nervousness. Surely it's perfectly reasonable for me to be too nervous to summon any passion for a certain young lady, right?"

Hearing the deeper meaning in his words, Zhu Xishi's earlobes flushed red while a wave of annoyance rose in her heart. Had he already thought about things on such a deep level?

Taking in that flush of peach blossom red, Mu Zhijin slowly pressed closer, wrapping both arms around Zhu Xishi's waist from behind. "You'll help me, won't you?" After all, she was the one who helped him select the principal wife, wasn't she?

Zhu Xishi's nose stung. Without breaking free from Mu Zhijin's back-hug, she dropped another meatball into the pot and said in a clear voice, "Alright, speak. How do you want me to help you?" After all, since she had even helped him choose his principal wife, a little more wouldn't hurt.

Mu Zhijin's warm breath blew directly into Zhu Xishi's ear. "Help me gain hands-on practice and accumulate experience. That's the principal wife you chose, after all. For your sake, I certainly can't let her be wronged, can I?"

Zhu Xishi froze, the meatball she had squeezed out completely forgotten as she failed to pinch it off into the pot.

Mu Zhijin nudged her shoulder with his snout. "Keep making your meatball soup. Once I'm done practicing, I'll have an appetite to satisfy."

Done practicing? Hungry? Zhu Xishi's brain instantly turned to mush. Had she unwittingly sold herself out again?

The thought flashed through her mind, but her attention was quickly hijacked by a pair of hands creeping up behind her ears.

"On the wedding night, should I first help the young lady take off her phoenix crown and hairpins?" Though he said this, Mu Zhijin gave Zhu Xishi no time to answer. As soon as the words left his mouth, he reached out and pulled every single hairpin and clasp holding up Zhu Xishi's hair.

A waterfall of hair instantly cascaded down, blocking Zhu Xishi's view as she was about to drop more meatballs into the water.

Before Zhu Xishi could voice her angry reprimand, Mu Zhijin apologized first. "Ah, my apologies. Did I interrupt your meatball-making? No matter, I'll tuck it behind your ear for you."

He hooked her long hair with his index finger, looped it past her ear, and gently tucked it behind.

His movements were light and tender, but precisely because they were so light and tender, they raised a delicate layer of goosebumps on the skin behind Zhu Xishi's ear.

She hated herself for reacting so easily to his touch, and she hated even more that while her heart kept telling her to stay away, stay away, she couldn't help lingering in the indulgence.

Would the tenderness of pinning up her hair in the future be shared with another woman as well?

Uncomfortable, Zhu Xishi tilted her head and pulled back slightly. "Alright, no need to tuck it. It's not in the way."

"No way! Who says this was done just to keep it out of your way? Isn't this for advance practice? Come back here!" Pulling her by the arm, Zhu Xishi was once again drawn into Mu Zhijin's embrace.

Zhu Xishi closed her eyes and endured. When she opened them again, her expression had been forced back into calmness. Lowering her head, she continued dropping meatballs. "Go on." Things like this would only happen more often in the future; if she couldn't even stomach the fake stuff, how would she live out the rest of her life?

She would endure it! Turning her hand to grab another handful of meat, Zhu Xishi continued making meatballs. "You were a bit too fast just now; you'll startle the principal wife. Be a bit gentler next time."

"Gentler, huh? Very good." Mu Zhijin once again hooked the long hair hanging down her other side, this time moving even slower and softer than before. He even leaned down to whisper by her ear, "Is this alright?"

The ambiguous breath directly assaulted her sensitive earlobe. With a start, Zhu Xishi's hand shook, sending another misshapen lump of meat plumping into the pot. When she spoke again, her voice was trembling. "Alright. Continue."

Mu Zhijin frowned almost imperceptibly before smoothing his expression out again. *Heh, quite good at putting up a front, aren't we? Let's just see how far you can keep this up!*

Lowering his head, he kissed her earlobe. "To avoid scaring the principal wife, shouldn't I start by kissing her earlobe from behind?"

"...Continue." Some things wouldn't stop happening just because she didn't want them to.

Mu Zhijin's kisses trailed from her earlobe to her cheek, pausing after a few lingering, damp kisses. "What's next? Shall we continue?"

A bead of sweat from her forehead dripped into the pot. Zhu Xishi's trembling hands could barely clench into fists. Right now, she bore the identity of the principal wife, she was the person she had personally delivered to him. "...Con—tinue!"

That young lady was the prime minister's granddaughter—young, beautiful, and of dignified temperament. If she could marry him as his principal wife, it would undoubtedly be a great help to his future official career.

And as for herself? She was merely a widow who made a living slaughtering pigs. Being able to enter his household was a blessing cultivated in her past life; she ought to be content.

She was doing the right thing. She would endure.

A sudden tiny flame flickered in the depths of Mu Zhijin's eyes. Reaching out a large hand to grab Zhu Xishi's chin, he stretched out his neck and kissed her lips directly.

Zhu Xishi let out a soft, instinctive gasp, and just as she was about to respond, she heard Mu Zhijin ask, "Is this angle, this pressure, this kissing technique alright?"

Zhu Xishi instantly felt as though a basin of ice water had been dumped over her from head to toe. That's right—she was merely his advance "practice." Right now, she was standing in for the principal wife she had personally delivered, not herself!

"Mmm-mmm-mm!" Let go!

Zhu Xishi shoved hard against Mu Zhijin. Bracing his knee forward, Mu Zhijin half-propped, half-supported her, blocking her against the edge of the stove. Wanting to beg for mercy now? Too late!

Holding Zhu Xishi tightly in his arms, Mu Zhijin refused to let go. He leaned in closer to her ear. "Right now, you're inhabiting the body of my principal wife. The final moment of consummation hasn't arrived yet, and you want to stop here? Do you want to get me hunted down by Lord Prime Minister?"

Zhu Xishi had intended to pry away the hands wrapped around her waist, but upon hearing those words, she suddenly lost all strength. Bright red minced meat smeared from between her fingers onto his hands, slid downward, and smeared across both his sleeves and hers.

Mu Zhijin's voice and actions continued.

"Shall we continue kissing next? Should I keep the same pressure as before? I heard she's only fifteen years old; her body should be a bit more tender and unripe than yours. Should I go even lighter than this so I don't scare her away?"

Zhu Xishi's body burned with heat, while her heart turned ice-cold. Closing her eyes, a tear slipped down, evaporating from the rising steam before it could even fall into the pot.

Mu Zhijin paused his movements, reached out, and turned Zhu Xishi around to face him.

Ignoring the tear tracks on her face, Mu Zhijin grabbed Zhu Xishi's hand and shoved it inside his robe.

"After I marry her, I'll soon take you as a concubine as well. Don't you want to rehearse the wedding night in advance so you won't perform worse than the principal wife when the time comes? Go on, touch carefully now—this body now belongs partly to the principal wife as well. If you damage it and they decide not to have you attend to me in bed later, you'll have ruined it. Don't beg me either; you understand better than I do, how can a man offend his principal wife for the sake of a concubine? Especially when this principal wife has deep ties to the powerful and influential prime minister. Considering we've shared hard times together, let me offer a piece of advice: do you want to make love with me before I marry the principal wife? Ideally, you'll bear a son in one go, and then—Ouch!"

The outcome she had acknowledged in her own mind, pointed out so ruthlessly by the man she had acknowledged, made Zhu Xishi finally realize: she couldn't take it!

While she was losing sleep over him night after night, he would be tossing and turning in bed with another woman? The hands she loved, the lips she loved—would they caress another woman's body in the exact same way? And this body she had touched and kissed—would it be touched and kissed by another woman in turn?

No, she wouldn't allow it!

Standing on tiptoe, Zhu Xishi lunged forward and bit down on Mu Zhijin. She didn't want him to say another word of those things she thought she could endure, only to find when the moment arrived that she couldn't even bear to hear him speak them.

Mu Zhijin took a step back, covering his mouth with his hand. "Don't, if you bite it and leave a scar, the principal wife will be hurt when she sees it during the wedding..."

Zhu Xishi lunged forward again, batted his hand away, and bit his lips instead. "To hell with her! I want to be the principal wife!"

Raising an eyebrow, Mu Zhijin took another step back. "Wouldn't it be bad to make a young lady from a prestigious family act as a concubine?"

Zhu Xishi lunged again and bit him once more. "Even a concubine is mine!"

Mu Zhijin stopped retreating, but still twisted his neck to dodge her bites. "Holding two positions at once—won't you be too exhausted?"

Unable to catch him with her bites after so long, Zhu Xishi finally snapped. Grabbing Mu Zhijin by the shoulders, she vaulted upward. To keep her from falling, Mu Zhijin had to reach out and support her legs. Zhu Xishi immediately wrapped herself around his waist. There was no running away this time.

Seizing his ears in both hands, she forced his head straight, finally recovering the霸气 (overlord dominance) of her former pig-slaughtering queen self. "This old lady has thick skin and calloused flesh; I was born with a hard-working fate! Mu Zhijin, you might as well accept your lot in this lifetime!"

With that, she planted a fiery, passionate kiss. Mu Zhijin accepted it with absolute willingness, though he didn't forget to discreetly gesture toward the outside of the window: *Anyone watching the show, get lost! Clear the area for the upcoming scene!*

Outside the window, Fang Rulai stared longingly at the pot of meatball soup that had long been ready, unwilling to leave. "Go on, you go sneak that pot of soup out before leaving."

Guan Shiyin rolled his eyes. "When I went to Fahua Temple to look for you earlier, I actually brought some blood tofu with me."

Turning on his heel, Fang Rulai bolted. "You didn't say so earlier!"

Guan Shiyin thoughtfully closed the window for the pair of brothers inside who were already stripping off their clothes, then dashed after Fang Rulai. "If you marry me, I'll have someone make the best blood tofu for you every day."

Without looking back, Fang Rulai retorted, "Is that any different from right now?"

"Urgh!" Guan Shiyin choked slightly. Fine. Even though she hadn't officially married him, he was already trotting over to deliver blood tofu to her every single day.

Chasing after her again, he recalled the trick Mu Zhijin had just used. Striking a seductive pose, he blocked Fang Rulai's path. "Abbot, this humble maid's market value is exceptionally good! You really aren't going to marry me?"

Having changed back into men's clothing, Guan Shiyin performing feminine gestures still possessed a mesmerizing, eye-catching charm.

With a green, avaricious gleam in her eyes, Fang Rulai approached and reached out to stroke his face. "Marry you? Of course I'll marry you."

"Then when?"

"Amitabha. When this poor monk's hair grows down to her feet."

Fang Rulai strode away unhurriedly. Guan Shiyin stood frozen in place. Ever since he met this little bald monk, not a single hair had ever sprouted on the top of her head. Judging by the current situation, she probably wouldn't grow any in the future either. That meant he was basically...

Unreconciled! Chasing after her once more, he called out, "Abbot, aren't those who donate incense money considered one's financial patrons?"

"Amitabha, the almsgiver speaks the truth."

"Then these patrons are ordering you to take me as your wife—why won't you listen to your patrons?"

"Amitabha, parents who indulge in such incestuous behavior ought to die early and be reincarnated!"

"Fang! Ru! Lai!" Guan Shiyin shrieked in fury, startling all the resting birds out of the trees.

Walking away with her hands clasped behind her back, Fang Rulai didn't care at all.

She was only eighteen, alright? She wasn't in any rush to get married. In her view, going through that ceremony didn't really change a thing. Kisses? Still kissed. Touches? Still touched. Sleep together? Still slept together! Not a single perk had been shortchanged, so why should she rush to shoulder the title of some princess consort? *Hehe, if we end up having a little bald baby, I'll just raise it right here in the temple. The air here is much better than in the city, heehee!*

---End of User Note---

The entire text of this novel is now concluded! There are no side stories~

Thank you to all the dear readers who followed this story along! What you have gifted me is definitely far more than what I put in! Thank you so much, and may we meet again in the next book! Writing stories is something that makes days immensely fulfilling, and I suspect I'm still addicted to it. So, how about we schedule our next book meeting for sometime after May Day and before June 1st? Well, hopefully I won't break my promise.

P.S.: No gifts upon the conclusion of the story! Especially from the tycoon squad represented by Da Kuihua, Manman, and Haha! Qingye has securely stored everyone's kind intentions deep in her heart! I shall not forget it for a lifetime! Therefore, discard those superficial material things; let's play the high-end, intangible game instead. Isn't this idea magnificent? Those who like it, please reply!

Another P.S.: I'm so happy the story is finished! Just as happy as when the book first started! I'm going to sleep off a few days of natural awakenings first! See you in the next book! Muah~