Pure: Thank you so much for reading to the end~ If you enjoyed this novel, please don’t forget to leave leave a 5 star rating on Novelupdates! Love you all 🤞

Translated by Pure

Novel Extra: To Strive for Favor

Tan Lingyin married into the Tang Residence for three months. The young couple lived a sweet, honey-filled life. It goes without saying that the Young Official, the Tan Hua, Tang Tangyuan had a smooth road in officialdom. 

His rich and beautiful career made others jealous. They wanted to find something, something unseemly to break his seemingly perfect life, so that they could feel more at ease.

And then, they really found something:

Lord Tang was henpecked!

No one was sure who the rumors came about, but everyone from officials down to ordinary people knew a thing or two about Tang Tianyuan's private life. For example, he did not dare raise his voice at the Commandery Princess and had to obey the Commandery Princess’s every word... He even had to wash the feet of the Commandery Princess at night! Ha!

In order to exaggerate the rumor further, people would often portray Tan Lingyin as a tigress-like woman.

Some people worshiped Tan Lingyin's ability to control her husband, while others scoffed at her actions. After all as a woman, Tan Lingyin should regard her husband as the sky, otherwise she will be disgusted by her husband's family sooner or later.

So what was the truth of the matter?

Before going to bed at night, the maids prepared the Young Lady's foot-washing water. Without waiting for the Young Master's order, they automatically withdrew and closed the door.

Tang Tianyuan had already washed himself, so he moved a small stool and sat in front of the tub. Washing the feet of his wife was his entertainment every night, no one could deprive him of it.

In fact, Tan Lingyin did not like to let him wait on her. The main reason was that every time he washed her feet, it was because of that... Yes, because of that. She held her chin in thought. How many days in a row has this occurred already?

To her, washing her feet was just washing her feet, but to him it was the prelude to something.

Thinking of this, Tan Lingyin became somewhat embarrassed.

As if he had felt her feelings, Tang Tianyuan suddenly raised his head to look at her, his expression provoked her.

Since the two were husband and wife, there was no need to be hypocritical. Tan Lingyin moved her right foot, put her toes under his jaw, and lifted his chin slightly.

Tang Tianyuan's heart skipped a beat, his throat moved slightly, and he squinted at her. Seeing that she didn't move further, he suddenly smiled and said in a low voice, "Wife, what do you want to do?"

Tan Lingyin's face suddenly changed. She quickly covered her mouth and retched.

Tang Tianyuan: "..." Was he so ugly that it made people want to vomit?

Tan Lingyin didn't have time to pay attention to him. She ran to the spittoon with her shoes on, vomited profusely.

Tang Tianyuan was taken aback. While patting her on the back, he asked with concern, "Yinyin, what's going on? Did you eat something bad?"

Tan Lingyin shook her head, but said nothing.

Tang Tianyuan raised his voice, "Xueli, call the doctor!"

When the doctor came to make the diagnosis, he smiled and told the couple, "Congratulations, Young Lady! This is a pregnancy pulse!"

—

The Young Lady's pregnancy was one of the happiest events for the Tang Residence. The Tang Residence was not very prosperous in terms of descendants. Tang Ge Lao had two half-brothers born from his father’s concubines, they were still in their hometown. It was the same in Tang Tianyuan’s generation, he was the only legitimate son in their family. Therefore, Tan Lingyin's stomach was being meticulously taken care of. Madam Tang would personally oversee her daily diet and exercise, and the servants are even more cautious. Not to mention the personal servants, even the servants guarding the gates would often pray for the Young Lady to be healthy and she would have a safe delivery. This way, everyone would benefit.

As far as Tan Lingyin was concerned, she didn't feel any major changes, she just felt that she would eat and sleep more.

For Tang Tianyuan, there were two changes. First, Yinyin was more beautiful when she was pregnant. Second, they had to abstain from intercourse...

Unfortunately for Lord Tang, a man in the prime of his life, had only indulged for three months when it was suddenly cut off. The amount of resentment this concurred was unimaginable. Although the restriction was lifted after two months, he was still warned not to be too ‘reckless’. In short, for the little life in her stomach, he had already sacrificed too much...

No matter how smooth a ten month pregnancy was, it was still a very difficult task. Seeing his petite wife being tortured by that little guy, Tang Tianyuan was very distressed and a little guilty, after all, he was the one who planted the seeds...

In short, he had already felt that this unborn little guy was a bit of an eyesore.

The delivery process went smoothly and Tan Lingyin gave birth to a fat boy. Although exhausted, she cradled her son in her hands. The newborn was a black, red, wrinkly, looking very similar to a monkey. So ugly...

She turned her face away sadly. The midwife took the baby out to show the Master and Madam. The husband and wife were elated to see their new grandson.

Tang Tianyuan was very tense. He didn’t bother with his son as he rushed into the room to see his wife.

Seeing his wife’s head covered in sweat and her face pale, Tang Tianyuan silently noted another grudge onto the little scoundrel.

The baby's nickname was given by Tan Lingyin. Xiao Hei, because of his dark complexion [1]. Tan Lingyin also questioned Tang Tianyuan as to why their son was so dark even though she and he were of fairer skin tone.

After a few months though, Xiao Hei’s darkness gradually faded.

He became fair and tender, with big eyes like black grapes. The corners of his mouth were naturally upturned, and he liked to laugh when he was not sleeping. He could be compared to a soft and squishy laughing dumpling; everyone who saw him loved him.

Tan Lingyin naturally loved him too. Her strong feeling was hard to describe, Xiao Hei was conceived by her. This kind of connection was innate, as if nothing could cut it off; he was a part of her.

A woman could only truly understand what motherly love was after giving birth to a child herself.

With a big fat son on top of his smooth career, in the eyes of others, Tang Tianyuan was simply a winner in life.

Only he himself knows, his vague misgiving had evolved into depression.

——His Yinyin doesn't love him anymore.

Well, it's not that she didn't love him at all, it just felt like she's getting less and less attentive of him. In the past, she only had him in her eyes, but now, Xiao Hei has taken away a part of her attention, and this part was ever so expanding.

For example, she always stuck with him before, but now she always hoped to see Xiao Hei, coax Xiao Hei, and tease Xiao Hei. His presence now seemed to be irrelevant. When he went out to socialize before, she would tell him not to drink too much wine, not to flirt with women, and to come back early. Now, she forgot to remind him of these things, she didn't even complain when he came back later. And that was because she has Xiao Hei to keep her company...

There were also times when she was reluctant to let the nanny take Xiao He away at night, and insisted on sleeping with Xiao Hei. Tang Tianyuan was fine sleeping all together, but she was afraid that he would squish Xiao Hei in his sleep, so she asked him to sleep elsewhere...to sleep elsewhere...

As her husband, his presence seemed oh-so weak.

How does one increase their sense of presence in front of their wife? Lord Tang fell into deep thought.

After a few days, rumors spread throughout the mansion: the Young Master is going to take a concubine. The other party was a famous courtesan from a brothel in the capital, Miss Biyu.

His wife had yet to respond when the master of the house, Tang Ge Lao, had caught the news. He called his son over to give him a good lecture, criticizing him for being addicted to beauty and neglecting his proper duties.

After his father was done, it became his mother’s turn. In Madam Tang's eyes, Tan Lingyin was a very good child, she was beautiful, sensible, and pure. She had also just added a child to the Tang Residence. This was already a great feat. If her son wanted to take a concubine at this time, wouldn’t he be slapping his wife in the face? Not only Tan Lingyin, but the Emperor, the Empress, and her brother, what would they think of the Tang Residence? Impudent child, how come the older you get, the less sensible you become!

After accepting the scolding from his parents, Tang Tianyuan returned to his courtyard in disgrace.

Tan Lingyin sat in their bedroom with a gloomy expression. When she saw Tang Tianyuan come in, she remained in her seat and remained silent.

Tang Tianyuan became a little panicked, he hurried over to explain, "Yinyin, trust me! I never thought of taking a concubine!"

Tan Lingyin didn't want to believe it either, the corners of her eyes turned red. "There is no smoke without fire, why would people talk if you never did anything with her?"

"I made them say it!"

"..." Tan Lingyin gave him a quick glance. "Are you sick in the head?"

Tang Tianyuan felt aggrieved. "I just wanted to make you jealous, you've been ignoring me these days."

Tan Lingyin was in disbelief. "How could I be ignoring you?"

"If you don't believe me, ask Xueli!"

After being called in to answer their question, Xueli answered with a smile, "Young Lady, you have indeed been neglecting the Young Master recently, even the servants have noticed it."

"See?" Tang Tianyuan gained some confidence, "Since you had Xiao Hei, you’ve only had him in your mind and eyes. This husband of yours has been pushed off the pedestal. I... just got angry and thought of this bad idea."

Tan Lingyin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Aren’t you ashamed to be competing with a child?"

Tang Tianyuan sat beside her and looked at her seriously. "Yinyin, you love me and care for me and I will never take a concubine in my life, okay?"

Tan Lingyin asked back, "What counts as caring for you?"

"Go, let’s go to bed and I'll teach you."

Tan Lingyin remained seated, "Enough. It's still daytime, you..."

"What? Where is your mind at? What a hooligan!"

Tan Lingyin's face turned red when he said that.

That afternoon, the Young Master and his young wife of the Tang Residence had a cordial and friendly exchange on how to ‘love and care for your husband’. The conversation between the two parties was very pleasant and reached several consensuses. Of course, becoming a ‘hooligan’ inevitably happened in the end.

The end

.

.

.

Footnote:

[1] Xiao Hei- Literally means little black. Or blackie.

Pure: Again thank you for reading this novel! If you want to support me, I’ve compiled this whole book into a PDF. You can get it HERE

I also have a ko-fi in case anyone wants to treat me 😳

Back Index

Please turn off adblock to support our work, thank you!