Chapter 4: Wedding Day, Early Bathing

Chapter 4: Wedding Day, Morning Bath

It was actually quite easy to distinguish which faction these spies belonged to.

Ning Xishi thought idly, the one hiding in the locust tree outside the right window, who spent all day recording his every word and action like an imperial chronicler recording the emperor's daily life—sometimes the smell of ink even drifted his way.

—That one was definitely from his never-met future husband's family.

After all, marriage was a major event; the two would bow to each other in front of everyone as husband and—wait, husband and husband—then be led to the bridal chamber.

So the one keeping tabs on him in such detail had to be from the General of the Western Expedition's estate.

As for the one on the back wall, who loafed around all day and was always hitting up the patrol guards for a drink, he was definitely one of them—the Imperial City Bureau, or even those legendary Imperial Guards.

Finally, there was the one on the rooftop, who barely made a peep all day and stayed hidden like a ghost. But sometimes, in the dead of night, Ning Xishi could swear he heard the guy sharpening his knife.

Sharpening a blade—was he getting ready to kill him?

That scared Ning Xishi half to death. His once-solid deep sleep was totally wrecked; for days he slept so lightly that the faintest rustle of leaves would jolt him awake.

That was exactly why Ning Xishi was so desperate to show his loyalty to the General's estate. He hoped they'd remember he was supposed to be their future head of household and save his sorry ass first.

But Ning Xishi had been locked up for almost half a month now, and he'd started to feel a weird sense of kinship with these three spies, like they were neighbors.

—Even if the feeling was totally one-sided.

With a face full of that neighborly warmth from his three "neighbors," Ning Xishi glanced at the sun and thought, "It's been so many days—enough to go from Jiangnan to the capital and back twice. News should be here by now."

Sure enough, the sound of 'Dongshuang' arguing with the gate guard echoed from outside the courtyard.

"This silk quilt is cool and breathable—why won't you let me bring it in? Our Second Young Master's still using the spring goose-down quilt—what if he gets heat rash?!"

The soldier couldn't stand these young masters who were more high-maintenance than a lady. "Who swaps quilts every season? Such a prima donna. Orders say you can only bring meals and take care of him—nothing else goes in."

These people watched Ning Xishi like he was a convict.

Even the food had to be checked by the guards first—anything like steamed buns that could hide a note was a hard no.

So aside from the occasional scraps of household gossip Dongshuang passed along, Ning Xishi was totally cut off from the outside world.

Plus, according to the original plot, marrying into the General's estate would put his life on the line, so of course Ning Xishi wanted to gather as much intel as possible before the wedding—be ready for anything.

And so, 'Dongshuang' had finally made it back from Jiangnan, dusty and exhausted, loaded with news.

"Someone, call the imperial doctor! I've got heat rash from all this sweating—I need to see a physician!"

Just as the guard was dealing with that pain-in-the-ass servant, Ning Xishi's voice rang out from inside again.

The soldier's head was spinning, and then Ning Xishi's voice came again: "If I get any bumps on my body and the General stops liking me, I'll have him chop your heads off and turn them into wine jugs."

The soldier: "..."

Damn, was this Second Young Master Ning into dudes too? Marrying the General was exactly what he wanted?

"Alright, alright—shake out the quilt. No hiding anything in there."

'Dongshuang' puffed out his chest like a winning rooster, strutting past the guard with the silk quilt.

Ning Xishi had seen him the second he stepped into the yard—the kid had lost weight. Only fourteen, and his cheeks had hollowed out, showing just how rough the trip had been.

This 'Dongshuang' wasn't the usual one—the two were twin brothers.

The 'Dongshuang' here now was the one who'd grown up with Ning Xishi; the one at the estate before was his older brother. Only when 'Dongshuang' was off running errands for Ning Xishi would his brother come and play his part at the estate.

The rest of the time, he stayed home looking after their old grandma.

'Dongshuang's' family was dirt poor. Ten years back, both parents died of consumption, leaving the four-year-old twins to be raised by their sickly grandma.

The grandma couldn't feed both kids, so she decided to sell one off to a rich family as a servant.

As it happened, Ning Xishi was just starting his schooling and needed a study boy, so the steward had a broker bring over a bunch of kids for him to pick from.

It was fate, and the two became master and servant.

Ning Xishi named his study boy Dongshuang.

Dongshuang was still a kid and couldn't hide his emotions. Whenever he thought of his grandma and brother, he'd sneak off to a corner and cry. Eventually, Ning Xishi found out about Dongshuang's family and even sent folks to check on them a few times.

The idea of having the twins swap places at the estate only came up three years later.

Back then, Ning Xishi spent six months every year at his grandpa's place in Shaozhou. His grandpa, Qin Du, had once worked for the Directorate of Ceremonies and had connections everywhere—both official and shady.

To help Ning Xishi get stronger, he brought in an old friend to teach him how to regulate his inner energy.

That's how Ning Xishi started learning martial arts—though he was pretty lazy and couldn't handle much pain.

Over the years, the only thing he'd truly mastered was his lightness skill.

—Well, duh. With Second Young Master Ning's temper, he'd pissed off a ton of people. To avoid getting jumped and beaten, of course he needed to be able to bolt fast.

After learning martial arts himself, Ning Xishi came back and taught Dongshuang. The bond between master and servant grew deeper day by day.

Later, when Ning Xishi was thirteen, his master's time was near. The only disciple left by his side was his final closed-door student, Ning Xishi.

The master thought, this child is young and playful, but kind-hearted, with eyes both proud and clear. He has arrogance, yet still shows compassion for the world—truly the best successor to carry on his legacy.

"Heaven has willed it so," the master sighed.

And so, Ning Xishi received the inheritance on his master's deathbed, taking over an entire martial arts sect.

Ning Xishi felt the immense pressure and picked up the staff techniques he had abandoned, practicing diligently once more.

Of course, Gang Leader Ning couldn't show his true face to the sect members. It was his grandfather Qin Du who taught him disguise techniques, allowing him to truly walk the martial arts world.

It could be said that the happiest, most anticipated time of Ning Xishi's year was those few months back in Jiangnan.

When facing the sect disciples, Ning Xishi knew he couldn't win them over with martial prowess—his skills were truly lacking, which was a major taboo in the martial arts world.

After all, everyone there had become friends through fighting. A pretty-faced pillow like him who only knew how to run would naturally not be accepted as their leader.

If Ning Xishi had been just an ordinary thirteen-year-old, he wouldn't have known what to do, and the sect might have even fallen apart.

But Ning Xishi was a transmigrated adult—though he had only just finished the college entrance exam, he had a thorough understanding of how to win people's loyalty through the highly developed internet, having studied the techniques of several major e-commerce tycoons.

—Money.

Ning Xishi first distributed money to everyone, then led them in making more.

Now, four years later, Ning Xishi's position as gang leader was as solid as could be.

Having a sect and followers comes with a great many advantages.

This time, Ning Xishi had just cast himself into the role of the vicious cannon-fodder villain when he hurriedly sent Dongshuang to investigate the General's Mansion. He needed to know why he was being married off to the general, and also learn the general's preferences, in order to do whatever it took to survive.

Of course, for now, only his maternal grandfather and Dongshuang knew of Ning Xishi's identity as the sect leader; no one else had a clue.

After all, if Minister Ning were to learn that his second son was fraternizing with a bunch of jianghu (martial arts world) ruffians, he wouldn't hesitate to turn him in—personally reporting this big illegal gang to the court, and then dispatching troops to wipe it out.

Dongshuang was clever—he stitched the message into the embroidery on a silk quilt. When Ning Xishi covered himself with it, he could make out most of the writing.

"So that's it. The emperor married me off to Xie Jingxing to humiliate him and destroy any chance he had of inheriting the throne. After all, a prince who marries a man is against all rites and laws."

Ning Xishi checked against the original story; in that version, the timeline was set later, and the emperor at that time was the current crown prince.

Indeed, Xie Jingxing didn't play any part in it.

It was unclear whether the emperor's scheme had worked, or if Xie Jingxing had just never planned to rebel.

But Xie Jingxing didn't exactly end up well either.

Once the real Dongshuang came back, Ning Xishi wasn't alone and defenseless anymore, and he felt a little more at ease.

Now, with Dongshuang keeping watch while he slept, Ning Xishi could finally get a good night's rest again.

Soon, a month passed, and the day of the wedding arrived.

Ning Xishi was woken up by the noise. Watching the matchmaker and maids file in carrying trays, it suddenly hit him—he was getting married today.

Dongshuang stood in front of him, trying to stop the matchmaker from grabbing Ning Xishi's hand.

Ning Xishi shook his head. "Dongshuang, it's fine."

The matchmaker's face lit up with a smile: "Ah, our lady is so sensible! Come on, let me get you ready for your bath."

Ning Xishi: "?"

Startled, Ning Xishi scrambled backward on the bed—wait, a bath?!

The matchmaker hastily said, "My lady, this is the first step of the wedding ceremony; you must bathe."

The matchmaker tried several times to persuade him, but seeing he was dead set against it, she made to go fetch someone.

As if Ning Xishi would let her go get someone! He said, "Just get the water ready, and I'll wash myself."

The matchmaker seemed hesitant.

Ning Xishi added, "Otherwise, we can just stall. There are still many steps in the ceremony, and if we miss the auspicious hour, the emperor will have your head."

The matchmaker quickly put on a fawning smile: "My lady, what are you saying? The bathwater is already prepared, just behind the screen. Your new clothes are also hung on the screen—be sure to put them on after your bath."

The room was crowded, and the candlelight wasn't very bright. It wasn't until Ning Xishi was soaking in the tub that he could clearly see the clothes on the screen.

The topmost garment... it looked like a bellyband!!!

He hadn't worn one of those since he was three!

Ning Xishi's ears burned instantly, and only then did he truly realize what 'marriage' meant.

But there was no turning back now.

He bathed hastily, dried himself off, and put on the bright red undergarments one by one. Only after he had donned the middle robe did he step out from behind the screen.

The matchmaker saw that all the clothes on the screen had been taken, then went around to the bath area behind the screen and even glanced into the water. Not seeing the bellyband, she confirmed it must be on Ning Xishi, and then came over with a beaming smile to help him put on the formal green outer robe.

==========Author's Note:==========

Updates usually happen before 11 PM. Goodnight, my dears.