Song Jiaren's Dark History

Seeing Li Nuo wasn't interested, Song Yu could only shake his head regretfully and say, "That's a real shame."

Zhou Yu feigned regret, but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had prepared himself, the thought of Miss Yuanyang eventually pleasing other men still made him feel quite uncomfortable.

Li Nuo, however, was now somewhat curious and asked, "What kind of woman is she, to have you two so smitten?"

Song Yu and Zhou Yu, being from the upper echelons of Chang'an's elite families, could have countless beauties flocking to them with just a word, including ladies from respectable households and renowned clans. For such backgrounds to be fighting tooth and nail, even resorting to public brawls, over a woman from a brothel, this Miss Yuanyang must have some exceptional qualities.

Song Yu sighed, "Brother-in-law, you don't know. Although Miss Yuanyang comes from a brothel, she remains untainted by the mud. She has always maintained her integrity. Not only is she proficient in all the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—but she has also studied military treatises and possesses profound insights into strategy. She is a rare and remarkable woman..."

Zhou Yu chimed in, "Yes, in Chang'an, there are many women whose looks and figures surpass Miss Yuanyang, and many whose talents do too. But when it comes to understanding military strategy, among women from brothels, no one can match Miss Yuanyang..."

Li Nuo understood. The reason the two were so infatuated with Miss Yuanyang wasn't her good figure or beauty, nor her talents, but primarily because she understood military strategy.

For a woman from a brothel, this was indeed rare.

Both Song Yu and Zhou Yu came from military families and had studied military strategy since childhood. In a den of seductive women from a brothel, encountering someone with whom they shared common ground and who maintained her virtue was hardly surprising.

If there were women in brothels who maintained their integrity and were also well-versed in law, Li Nuo would also give them a second glance.

Song Yu was somewhat displeased with Zhou Yu's words and added, "What do you mean, 'among women from brothels'? Even outside of brothels, there are few women in all of Chang'an who have such insights into military strategy. Take Jiaren, for example. Despite her beauty, she knows nothing of music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. She doesn't even recognize all the characters, let alone read military treatises. She only knows how to fight..."

Hey, hey, hey, why is she bringing up my wife in the conversation?

In front of outsiders, he still had to defend his wife. Li Nuo glanced at him and said, "I think Jiaren is quite good."

Song Yu patted Li Nuo's shoulder sympathetically and said, "It's only you, brother-in-law. Ask any young and promising man in Chang'an if they'd be willing to marry Jiaren. Zhou Yu, would you?"

Although he was Jiaren's brother, his brother-in-law treated him so well that he couldn't speak against his conscience.

Zhou Yu repeatedly shook his head.

Song Yu then glanced at Zhou Tao and asked, "Zhou Tao, what about you?"

Zhou Tao shook his head even faster.

Song Jiaren was notorious among the younger generation of military families. She had beaten up almost everyone as a child. They had all grown up in her shadow. Who would dare to marry her, unless they had a death wish?

Song Yu, having started the topic, began to talk incessantly to Li Nuo about Song Jiaren.

This was the first time Li Nuo was hearing about her childhood. For instance, she didn't study properly, skipped classes, didn't do her homework, and spent her days fighting with the children of military families. She would take on a whole group by herself, beat them all down without sustaining a scratch, and then have the elders of over a dozen families chasing her to the Song Manor to demand an explanation...

Li Nuo listened to her past misdeeds with great interest.

He secretly marveled, As expected of my wife. Naughty Song Ninger is practically a model child compared to her...

"Are you done?"

Just as Song Yu was enthusiastically recounting Song Jiaren's glorious deeds to Li Nuo, a cold voice suddenly came from behind them.

Upon hearing this voice, the Zhou brothers turned pale, their heads bowed low, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Li Nuo could even feel the table shaking.

Song Yu's expression froze. The next moment, he tremblingly picked up his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and then slumped onto the dining table, mumbling indistinctly, "This wine is so strong, I'm going to sleep for a bit..."

It wasn't until Song Jiaren had been gone for a long time that Song Yu managed to get up from the table.

He removed a vegetable leaf stuck to his face and looked back. Seeing that she had truly left, he patted his chest with lingering fear.

Li Nuo glanced at him and asked, "Is my wife that scary?"

Song Yu shook his head and said, "You didn't know Jiaren when you were little. Even though I'm her brother, she beat me up quite a bit when we were kids..."

Zhou Yu nodded in agreement, "Scary? She's terrifying! Which one of us wasn't beaten by her as a child? Pei Jun pulled her braid and she kicked him three feet away, breaking two ribs. He was bedridden for a month. Du Yong said she didn't have a mother, and she broke his leg. He still limps when he walks..."

Listening to his wife's heroic deeds, Li Nuo felt a pain in his chest again.

Song Yu waved his hand, picked up his wine cup again, and said, "Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about Jiaren. Brother-in-law, I'll toast you. To my previous offenses, I apologize. I'll drink this one dry, you can have yours however you like..."

Li Nuo had no choice but to pick up his wine cup. Since the other party had said so, if he didn't reciprocate, it would seem disrespectful.

Unexpectedly, after finishing one cup, Song Yu poured another. "This cup is for thanking you, brother-in-law, for getting me out of trouble today..."

"After this cup, we'll be family!"

"This cup... who cares! Let's drink to our heart's content today, we won't go home until we're drunk!"

Initially, it was Song Yu toasting, and then the Zhou brothers joined in the fun. Li Nuo had an average alcohol tolerance. After a few drinks, he started feeling dizzy. He didn't know when he left the table, nor how he ended up in his wife's bed.

The next time he opened his eyes, the stars were twinkling outside the window. The surroundings were silent, punctuated only by the occasional chirping of insects.

Before opening his eyes, Li Nuo was certain he was in his wife's bed because the quilt was filled with her scent. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to sleep hugging such a fragrant wife.

Of course, such thoughts only existed in his imagination.

He looked at the night sky outside. It was late, likely past curfew. He figured he'd have to stay another night at the Song Manor.

Li Nuo sat up in bed. The figure sitting at the table also stood up, poured a cup of tea, walked to the bedside, and silently handed it to him.

Li Nuo, having sobered up, felt thirsty. He took the teacup and drank it down in one go, then returned the cup to her, saying, "Thank you."

Song Jiaren said nothing. She placed the teacup back on the table, then walked back and lay down on the bedding prepared by the bedside.

Li Nuo's heart stirred slightly. Was she waiting for him to wake up?

Having gotten used to being alone, this was the first time Li Nuo felt that having a wife was quite a happy thing.

Even if she just poured him a cup of tea to quench his thirst when he woke up drunk, it was an experience Li Nuo had never had before.

He had just woken up and wasn't sleepy, so he leaned against the headboard and read a book. After flipping through a few pages, Li Nuo suddenly said, "Actually, you don't need to take what Song Yu said to heart. Everyone is unique from birth. Not all women need to understand music, chess, calligraphy, and painting..."

Li Nuo had been reading extensively lately. The requirements for women in Great Xia were similar to ancient China, likely involving the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues," assisting the husband, raising children, needlework, handicrafts, and cooking as basics. Literacy was a bonus, and on top of that, having talents in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting made one an exemplary model for all women and the ideal partner for most men.

If he were to measure his own wife by these standards, she wouldn't qualify in any aspect.

But what the majority believed wasn't necessarily correct.

Song Yu spoke carelessly, and Li Nuo didn't want her to overthink it after hearing it.

After a brief silence, Song Jiaren calmly replied, "I didn't take it to heart."

"That's good."

Li Nuo didn't say anything else and continued reading his book quietly.

Another period of silence passed before Song Jiaren suddenly asked, "Do all men like that kind of woman?"

"What kind?"

"One who can play music, play chess, write poetry, and paint..."

Li Nuo said while reading, "Not necessarily. Just like with cabbage and bok choy, everyone has their preferences. For example, with a woman's figure, some like them thin, some like them plump, some like them tall and proud, and some like them petite and dependent. It depends on each person's preference. Song Yu and the others like gentle women, but I think it's better to understand martial arts..."

It wasn't that Li Nuo disliked gentle girls; such girls could indeed stir a man's protective instincts more.

But what Li Nuo wanted wasn't just protective instincts; he wanted actual protection.

This world was one where martial arts flourished, and all schools of thought contended. With True Qi, righteous qi, the power of laws... anyone, ghost or human, could show off. Before officially entering the Legalist school, he was just an ordinary person, the one who needed protection the most.

Song Jiaren didn't speak again. Li Nuo read for a while longer until drowsiness returned.

Normally, when he slept alone, he worried if a maid might rush in and stab him in the middle of the night. But with his wife beside him, he felt completely secure. He closed his book, put it aside, and soon fell asleep in the fragrant warmth of the bedding.

On the floor by the bed, Song Jiaren rested her hands behind her head, gazing at the ceiling. Her expression was as calm as ever.

At a certain moment, like a ripple suddenly appearing on a calm lake, the corner of her mouth curved into a slight arc. In the darkness, it was as if flowers were quietly blooming, but the sleeping Li Nuo didn't see it