Synopsis
He was always teasing her. Eventually he teased her into anger, and then he panicked.
A scheming, gloomy, unhinged and shameless regent with a hundred tricks up his sleeve * a guileless, impulsive, sweet little ray of sunshine
When the emperor issued an edict arranging a marriage, the Marquis's heir went to his younger half-brother Murong Qi in the middle of the night and begged him to use every trick he knew to charm away his future sister-in-law, Yue Zhaozhao.
Murong Qi glanced sideways at his elder brother, sneered, and agreed.
Who could have guessed that on her first day at the Imperial Academy, his future sister-in-law Yue Zhaozhao would fall for the aloof Gu Nian'an?
She performed a spear routine in front of everyone, scaring Gu Nian'an into fleeing.
Murong Qi's temple throbbed as he watched her noisy, painfully oblivious antics.
From then on, Murong Qi called her "sister-in-law" in public and "disciple" in private. He poured his heart and soul into helping her win a handsome man, swearing she would bring one home.
But after a month of coaching her in courtship, Murong Qi was turning livid every day: What a blockhead!
After two months, Murong Qi wore a knowing smile: I knew she'd do this.
After three months, Murong Qi put on a sorrowful expression, but broke character in a second. He hurriedly looked away, trying to keep a straight face.
At last, Yue Zhaozhao realized something was off. "You... have you been treating me like a joke?"
Murong Qi quietly turned away, forcing down the corners of his mouth.
But why did the slap from his disciple feel so good?
*
Yue Zhaozhao was never afraid when the emperor arranged her marriage, but she really was afraid when it came to Murong Qi.
At first, he was always scowling, scolding her for being hopelessly naive like some grim god of death.
Later, whenever he taught her, he would watch her with a smile playing on his lips. It made her uneasy.
Now he had risen to power and become the regent, whose influence reached across the court. He looked respectable enough, but inside he was rotten to the core.
He was always clinging to her, repeating, "There's another plan, another plan."
He made Zhaozhao's fists clench with every word.
But then he sidled up to her, beaming. "Disciple, the slaps you give your master are especially sweet."
Seeing how pleased he looked, Zhaozhao quietly lowered her hand and snorted. "What master? You trick me every time. Only a fool would call you their master."
Murong Qi was delighted. "Then, sister-in-law, from now on you may only hit me. If your eyes so much as glance at anyone else, I'll get jealous."
Yue Zhaozhao had spent years in military camps, and had seen all kinds of underhanded ways officials used to control their generals. But she had never encountered someone this maddeningly persistent.
If she couldn't beat him, she could avoid him. No matter how he teased her after that, she stopped taking the bait.
Who knew that the scheming minister, who always had a playful look on his face, would suddenly panic...
Bonus scene:
In a fit of anger, Yue Zhaozhao snatched up her red-tasseled spear and swung it with a howl of wind. Petals scattered across the ground, but not one touched the hem of her flying skirt.
The regent, normally ruthless, clutched his chest and cried out in anguish. "Zhaozhao, it's all my fault. I only wanted to repay your kindness, but I never meant to upset you. If that's how it is, I'd rather die beneath your red-tasseled spear."
The treacherous man spoke as he edged toward her spear technique. He seemed to be rushing headlong into danger, but every step brought him just short of the blade.
As he shamelessly prepared to fall against her, Yue Zhaozhao angrily threw down her spear with a clatter.
The regent happily hurried over to wipe away her sweat. Yue Zhaozhao shouted with all her strength, "Murong Qi! I've told you ten thousand times, it wasn't me! I wasn't the one who saved you back then!"
Murong Qi seemed not to hear. His eyes were full of adoration: adoration for the sweat on her brow, the calluses on her hands, the smack of her lips when she ate meat, the tremendous force of her kick...
On a beautiful day, with love in the air, Murong Qi thought: It's working, it's working. She's blushing and out of breath. She must have changed her mind and fallen for me.
In the damp plum-rain season, with fallen petals clinging wetly to the ground, Yue Zhaozhao thought: It's done, it's done. My peerless spear skills must have scared him witless. He'll mend his ways and stop bothering me.
Gu Nian'an awkwardly broke the lovely mood with a few words. "A-Qi... Actually, the person who saved you back then..."
The rest was swept away by the wind. Yue Zhaozhao reacted in an instant, stepping forward and grabbing Murong Qi by the collar. "Did you hear that? Did you hear? I wasn't the one who saved you. It was him!"
Murong Qi turned his head and nonchalantly picked at his ear. "What? I didn't hear anything. Zhaozhao, you tore my collar, so you'll have to take responsibility for me. A man's reputation is very important."
"You!" Yue Zhaozhao raised a hand to hit him. He hurriedly leaned his face into her palm, but Gu Nian'an gently stopped her by the wrist.
Just that gentle touch to her wrist was enough to make Yue Zhaozhao blush. Murong Qi immediately snapped, "Let go of her!"
Yue Zhaozhao quickly released Murong Qi's collar, then shoved him away in disgust and turned to speak to Gu Nian'an.
Unexpectedly, Gu Nian'an reached out to help Murong Qi. Murong Qi reacted as if someone had stepped on his tail, yanking his arm back so quickly that Gu Nian'an couldn't touch him at all. He looked at Gu Nian'an with utter suspicion. "Don't touch me!"
Theme: A big heart can't fit everything into one pot
