The Morning After 2

Yu Baixi seemed more than pleased that her son had come to pay his respects. And had pulled him up and set him in his usual chair before he could even complete his customary bow to her. Instead, she had pressed him into his seat and started questioning him about what had to be the hottest topic in the family estate at the moment:

"Who is the girl that you brought back? And why is there an injured fellow in your courtyard as well. I heard that you got Protector Ling dealing with his broken bones and such? While you are having a wild time with the girl?"

That was a little more than he had expected to face, that morning. But he could not help but sense an anticipation in the way that Huang Fuyun's mother was eagerly waiting for his answer. A positive answer!

As if she was so pleased to have a daughter-in-law? Was that the proper term for her son's concubine? Or was it simply relief, that her fat son had managed to snag a woman for himself?

So he sighed, as he decided to play it up. It was the sort of thing that would make for good theatre, after all. And he had had lots of experience dealing with those women who lived in the Rear Court of the Nine Mountains Kingdom's Royal Palace, back in his other life. Who needed some excitement since they never got to leave the Palace themselves, to see the world.

"That is a long and complicated story, mother. And it would take a bit of telling. Perhaps you should sit down first? It would be more comfortable for you," he said, as he got up and guided her to her usual chair. That much he was able to draw from Huang Fuyun's memories.

Then he returned to his seat, and with a grin, began:

"Well, she is Yang Xiaoli. She and her brothers are children of an Army Veteran who passed away in the last war, and her mother was the only one taking care of them after that. But she fell ill and passed away recently, and her oldest brother joined the Army that is heading out to fight the Lei Kingdom now."

He took off at once, and gave Yu Baixi all of the basic facts. Huang Fuyun's mother should be able to fill in the blanks herself, if she wished to. For now, he just needed to establish the basics, especially the bit about taking Yang Xiaoli as a concubine.

"Go on. What about the girl?"

Huangfu Yun hid a laugh. It seemed like the lady was more interested in her son's infatuation, rather than the background of the family she was from. "That's a bit of a longer story. I have been ... interested in her for a long time. You know, since I caught sight of her at the Training Field. She accompanies her brother there almost every day. So when I heard that her other brother, her younger brother, was hurt, I jumped in and promised her that I would help.

"But I couldn't resist, and insisted on snatching her up as my concubine. The rest ... I think mother knows what happened after that."

Instead of a violent scolding, or even a mild word of censure, what Huangfu Yun received was a soft pat on his cheek. "Ah! That is good. That is good. I am pleased that you have found a woman to take care of you. She didn't kick up that much of a fuss then? She was fine with your arrangement?"

Huang Fuyun's mother was more doting on her son than Huangfu Yun had expected her to be! To think that she had simply dismissed his snatching up a concubine like that! It was certainly not something that he had expected! To think that he had bothered to come up with a perfect story, to explain why he had done such a ridiculous thing!

Of course, there was also the issue regarding the difference in their social status. Between his place in society and the strata that the Yang Family occupied, that is. The latter had been started by nothing more soldiers, mostly non-commissioned officers, who had served in the Lu Kingdom armies for three generations. Which was how it had managed to win a small plot of land, there at the outskirts of the City proper, rather than outside its walls.

The Huang Family, miniscule as it may be, was, however, the family of a rare talent! Huang Fuyun's father, Huang Tiancheng, was a rare creature - an Fourth Ranked Alchemist! And added to that was the fact that Huang Fuyun had won himself an accreditation as a Ninth Rank Alchemist himself. But it was mostly because of his father's high rank as one that allowed the family to gain premises far closer to the heart of Tangling City. And to the Royal Prince's, the Governor's, Palace.

Thus, Huangfu Yun was not in the least worried that there would be any repercussions from the Yang Family's friends and relatives, out there at the rural regions. Instead, he might come across a few biting remarks, now and again, from the more wealthy, more reputation-conscious folk, closer to the City's Heart. About his marrying beneath his station.

Something that his mother was quick to warn him about, after more reassurances and warnings to take good care of his new woman.

"You have your father's bad temper, so it is likely that you will come to blows because of their filthy mouths. But you have to remember that you are your father's son, and that you have the protection of the Royal Prince here and Crown Prince in the Capital himself. That will only work if the Magistrate finds in favour of you, though. So you will have to remember not to strike the first blow."

Again, Huangfu Yun was surprised to hear that sort of advice from Huang Fuyun's mother. From what he had managed to dredge out of the idiot's memories, his mother was from the infamous Bei Family, which had won its fortune and its status serving as minor generals in the Imperial Lu Army. Apparently, his mother had inherited the gruff temper that came with that bloodline.

Which made Huangfu Yun wonder just what sort of man Master Alchemist Huang Tiancheng was, to have attracted and married such a woman.

Nevertheless, he thought he saw something in the woman's expression, that hinted at something more than just pride in her son's taking a concubine. Something that most families would be a little ambivalent about, seeing as to how he did not even have a proper wife yet.

So he had asked, in a quiet voice, if his decision to bring the girl into the family, and to house her and her injured brother, was acceptable to the lady.

To his surprise, it was his mother's maid - the handmaiden who had accompanied her mother into House Huang during her wedding, the same one who had been grinning at the side of the room, who answered with a laugh:

"Oh, you do not have to worry about that, Young Master! Your mother has been waiting for a day like this for years! Don't you know that she has been aching to throw a shoe into that no-good Sima Leibing's face? For refusing to let his daughter marry you time and time again? This should be enough to give him a good tight slap!"

"Lian'er! Don't teach my son such bad things! You would give him the impression that he should go about repeating that story everywhere! And what would that gain us? Don't forget that your Old Master is still away at the Capital, and that we need to live quietly here."

The wide, evil-looking grin on her lips, on the other hand, told Huangfu Yun just how pleased she really was, despite her chiding words. And from the wide smile that her maid shot back at her, the latter was more than aware that she had not overstepped herself.

The quick exchange, however, triggered another memory of Huang Fuyun's, in his head. And he smiled back, as soon as he understood what was going on:

Huang Fuyun was engaged to marry the daughter of another ranking general, who was also in service of the same King! And Sima Leibing was the one who had been responsible for turning aside the attempts to formalize the marriage for the last three years!

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