Heat rushed to her head. Zhao Wan Niang trembled with anger. She couldn't believe such a thing could happen to her.
How long had they been married?! Had he already changed his heart? Right in front of her, in her own courtyard, he couldn't wait.
Zhao Wan Niang panted, her face burning, her heart pounding so hard she could barely breathe.
She rushed inside, pulled down the curtains and scrolls that hid the view, and searched for their figures in the darkness.
The sound of rain outside was completely drowned out by the gasps of that adulterous couple.
She finally understood why Gu Lang wouldn't touch her.
And why he had moved to a separate room so early.
He had pretended so well, but in truth, he had hidden a mistress. So intense now, he probably already had a child with her, all kept from her...
She clutched her head, tears streaming down uncontrollably. She walked forward step by step.
Wan Niang still held a sliver of hope, until she actually saw that face. Then she broke down.
Thunder and lightning flashed. On the messy bed, Gu Lang's face was flushed, his hands still gripping that woman tightly. His eyes were dazed, and even when they met her face, he didn't stop.
The woman held in his arms was indistinct, but her figure was excellent, and the marks on her body were shockingly vivid. Wan Niang's eyes reddened, and her throat felt blocked.
"How could you do this?"
She clutched her chest and threw the clothes in her hand at him!
The questions that had puzzled her finally became clear.
"You just don't want to have a child with me. You married me only to give yourself a cover. For a worthless wild woman, how long will you deceive me?"
"Where is your bastard? Surely you've already given birth..."
Zhao Wan Niang couldn't see the path clearly. After a few steps, she fell.
No one came to help her. Behind her, those shameful sounds continued. She covered her face and wanted to go home.
Stumbling all the way, covered in mud, she finally saw her home. But as she drew near, it was nothing but ruins and a mound of earth.
She awoke with a start.
The candle in the room was still burning, the room warm. The charcoal fire had made her face and body sweat.
Her heart was pounding, and the feeling of falling lingered. She could only lie in bed, staring desperately at the embroidered pattern of a hundred children, unable to calm down.
Was it a dream? Why dream such a scene?
She covered her face. The moment she closed her eyes, she saw Gu Lang's lascivious expression.
How could he be like that?
Gu Lang had always been proper. Even as husband and wife, he treasured and respected her, at most teasing her with words.
They say what you think by day, you dream by night. Had she been thinking about men?
At that thought, she couldn't help crying again.
Now her eyes were slightly swollen.
That morning, when Gu Lang asked, she said it was because she missed home.
Seeing his face, Wan Niang couldn't help feeling distressed, unable to control the chaotic thoughts in her head. So they took two carriages.
Now Bao Niang was with her. They had grown up together, and Bao Niang keenly noticed her mistress's distress.
Remembering the crying she had heard during the night watch, she tentatively said, "Miss, it's not just that you miss your parents, is it? Is there something else? Can't you even tell me? As the saying goes, 'Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang.' If you speak up, we can think it over together. Maybe we can come up with an idea."
Wan Niang's face was full of worry. Bao Niang took her hand and whispered, "I may have a sweet tooth, but my lips are sealed. I haven't said a word to the master and mistress about you and the young master."
Wan Niang frowned, hesitated, and her face turned red.
Bao Niang tilted her head, studying her expression, then slowly broke into a mischievous smile: "Did you cry for the young master?"
She put on the air of someone experienced, lowering her voice, and whispered in her ear, "I told you before, how can a married couple sleep apart for so long?"
"Isn't that like making you a widow!"
As she spoke, Bao Niang's hands wandered.
Pinching her mistress, she continued coaxing, "We're both women, why can't we talk about it? Besides, I'm your confidante."
Wan Niang covered her face with her handkerchief: "It's so embarrassing."
"Men and women's affairs are a bit embarrassing, but if you don't do anything, how do you have children?" Bao Niang giggled. "Even the most serious old gentleman turns into a scoundrel in bed. Men are all the same, and moreover..."
Wan Niang urged her, "Don't keep me in suspense. Moreover what?"
"They like to marry a proper wife like you for show, but deep down, they prefer those loose women," Bao Niang said disdainfully. "Men are all like that. Everyone in the family has been keeping it from you, but who doesn't know that the master has a mistress outside? They're just afraid of hurting you and the mistress."
Wan Niang never expected to hear such news from her mouth.
"Father only has me as his child. Has he ever fooled around outside all these years? You're not lying to me, are you?"
Bao Niang sighed, "Everyone in the family knows, only the mistress and you are still in the dark. Now that we're both married, I'm willing to tell you. Maybe when you return to your maiden home in the future, you'll have a little brother or sister."
Wan Niang was stunned, as if seeing Bao Niang for the first time.
"So your lips are really sealed."