After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 40

“…I’m already twenty-three years old. It’s strange enough that I haven’t taken a princess as my wife; surely, it wouldn’t be possible for me not to have even a concubine,” Xiao Qizhen said helplessly. “Xiaoxiao, I’m not making excuses for myself. I know this might be different from the customs of your wolf clan. But here, it’s completely normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao, lying on the table listlessly, said, “I know.”

 

Xiao Qizhen continued, “How about this, after we get married, I’ll dismiss those other women. How does that sound?”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao lifted her eyelids to glance at him and asked, “Really?”

 

Xiao Qizhen smiled and said, “Absolutely, as true as my love for you.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao snorted but finally smiled a little.

 

She cleared her throat and then pretended to be fierce, “No concubines in the future either! Or I’ll break your legs!”

 

“Alright, alright,” Xiao Qizhen raised his hands in surrender and pulled her into his arms, saying, “From now on, I’ll only have Princess Xiaoxiao.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao glared at him for a while before breaking into a smile.

 

In just half a month, Lang Xiaoxiao had already changed out of her wolf clan princess attire—Xiao Qizhen said that her appearance was too exotic and could cause trouble.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao didn’t want to wear the clothes of Central Plains women. Those women were indeed dignified and ladylike, but Lang Xiaoxiao only liked watching others dress like that. She was not willing to wear those clothes herself.

 

“What trouble? I can handle it myself,” Lang Xiaoxiao said.

 

“It’s not about your troubles; it’s about mine,” Xiao Qizhen replied. “Others might not know you, but they know me—everyone knows I’m the eldest prince of Bianyang Kingdom, with countless eyes watching me.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao still didn’t understand. She couldn’t fathom how her identity as a wolf clan princess could bring trouble to Xiao Qizhen. But since he said so, she listened.

 

After a short embrace, Lang Xiaoxiao asked, “When are you going to the grasslands to propose?”

 

Xiao Qizhen said, “We can leave anytime.”

 

“Then let’s go tomorrow.”

 

“No problem.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, showing a rare bit of shyness. She nodded and said, “Alright.”

 

…The wolf clan princess didn’t understand the customs of the Central Plains. She didn’t know that when a man goes to propose, he should prepare some gifts, whether valuable or not, and certainly shouldn’t go empty-handed. She also didn’t know that dismissing those women was tantamount to divorce. In Bianyang, a feudal society, divorce was a serious matter for a married woman.

 

Moreover, she didn’t know that Xiao Qizhen’s promises were nothing but easily exposed lies.

 

In her view, as long as two people were in love, everything would be fine.

 

On their way back to the grasslands, they encountered Tannis.

 

From afar, Tannis started spinning happily. Lang Xiaoxiao thought it missed her too much, but upon getting closer, she realized that wasn’t the case.

 

She squatted down to get close to Tannis, her face suddenly filled with joy.

 

She quickly stood up, stunned, and said, “Xiaoqing is pregnant? Xiaoqing is pregnant?!”

 

She blinked her eyes, so happy that she spun around several times.

 

“Brother Qi, Brother Qi!” She ran a few steps and jumped on Xiao Qizhen’s back, happily saying, “Sister-in-law is pregnant! I’m going to be an elder!”

 

Xiao Qizhen let out an “ouch,” quickly catching her, and said, “Alright, alright, I got it.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao danced with joy and said, “I’ve never been an elder before! Brother Qi, do you have younger siblings?”

 

After walking a few steps with her on his back, Xiao Qizhen put her down, smiling, “Yes, my younger siblings each have a child.”

 

He stroked his chin and smiled, “To think of it, among us brothers, I, the eldest, am the only one without children. Xiaoxiao, in the future…”

 

He wrapped an arm around Lang Xiaoxiao’s shoulder and said, “In the future, we’ll have our own children too.”

 

“…Get lost!” Lang Xiaoxiao elbowed his chest and ran off, making a face.

 

On the day Lang Xiaoxiao returned, Xie Zhiqing was taking a walk outside—Lang Sa had gone out early in the morning, saying a wolf had caused some trouble that couldn’t be resolved, and he was going to see what was going on. He left Artes to help take care of things and strolled out.

 

Xie Zhiqing was wandering aimlessly when Artes suddenly stopped and looked into the distance.

 

“Artes, what’s wrong?” Xie Zhiqing stopped as well and asked, “Is Lang Sa back? So early? I remember he said he might not be back until evening.”

 

He looked up at the sky and said, “It’s just past noon; it probably won’t be so soon.”

 

Artes shook his head, then lowered it to bite his pant leg, trying to drag him in a certain direction.

 

Xie Zhiqing followed behind, puzzled, until he saw Tannis in the distance and suddenly understood.

 

“Oh! It’s Xiaoxiao coming back!”

 

Before long, he indeed saw Lang Xiaoxiao.

 

…And then, he saw a rather handsome stranger by her side.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao waved at him from afar, insisting that he stay put. She ran up to him and stopped in front of him, beaming.

 

“Xiaoxiao, long time no see!” Xie Zhiqing smiled warmly.

 

He pulled Lang Xiaoxiao over and examined her closely. “You look great!”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao had changed into clothes favored by girls from the Central Plains, and her braids were now styled into a soft bun.

 

Jokingly, Xie Zhiqing said, “I almost didn’t recognize you!”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao touched her nose and laughed.

 

“Xiaoqing, I heard—” Lang Xiaoxiao said happily, “I heard you’re expecting a baby!”

 

Xie Zhiqing’s face warmed, and he nodded shyly.

 

“That’s wonderful!” Lang Xiaoxiao was overjoyed, wanting to spin around with him in delight, but remembering that Xie Zhiqing couldn’t engage in vigorous activity, she restrained herself.

 

Looking around, she asked, “Where’s Lang Sa?”

 

“He had some matters to attend to and went out. He’ll be back by evening.”

 

“Pfft, never mind him.” Lang Xiaoxiao pouted and continued to fuss over Xie Zhiqing and the baby. “Is it a boy or a girl? Xiaoqing’s baby must be very beautiful!”

 

“Oh, well…” Xie Zhiqing turned away bashfully, speaking softly, “Let’s not talk about this…”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao teased him for a long time until the stranger behind her finally intervened.

 

“Alright, Xiaoxiao.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao huffed, then grabbed Xie Zhiqing’s arm and pointed to the man behind her, introducing, “Xiaoqing, let me introduce you. This is Xiao Qizhen, the eldest prince of Bianyang Kingdom.”

 

She then introduced Xie Zhiqing to Xiao Qizhen, “This is Xie Zhiqing, a prince of Anyu Kingdom and my sister-in-law, the princess consort of our wolf clan.”

 

Xie Zhiqing politely nodded to the man, saying, “So it’s Young Master Xiao.”

 

But Xiao Qizhen didn’t respond.

 

Xie Zhiqing tilted his head in confusion.

 

It might have been his imagination, but the prince seemed to be scrutinizing him with an indescribable expression.

 

Xie Zhiqing frowned slightly and raised his voice a bit, asking again, “Young Master Xiao?”

 

“Oh! Sorry!” Xiao Qizhen quickly cupped his hands in apology, sounding very sincere. “Princess Consort, I apologize! I was momentarily stunned by how much you resemble your sister. Please don’t hold it against me.”

 

“You’ve met my sister?” Xie Zhiqing asked, puzzled.

 

“I had the honor of meeting her once,” Xiao Qizhen smiled. “Xiaoxiao was with her at the time.”

 

Xie Zhiqing was still confused—something felt off.

 

The way this prince looked at him made him feel as if he were being undressed and scrutinized, an invasive sensation.

 

Xie Zhiqing felt a bit displeased, but being naturally gentle, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh, merely harboring silent discontent.

 

At that moment, Lang Xiaoxiao interjected, “Oh, right! That’s true! Brother Qi met Xiaoyue! At that time, I was traveling with your brother and sister back to Anyu. Xiaoyue’s hairpin broke, and we went to buy a new one. That’s where I met Brother Qi.”

 

Xiao Qizhen agreed, “Indeed, the Princess Consort and their sister are such identical beauties that one can easily tell they’re siblings.”

 

That explanation seemed reasonable.

 

“Oh… I see,” Xie Zhiqing nodded, recalling the incident. “Tannis did mention it before; I remember now.”

 

He didn’t have time to think further as Lang Xiaoxiao pushed him towards the house.

 

“Xiaoqing, it’s so cold outside. Can you really stand being in the wind like this?” Lang Xiaoxiao said earnestly.

 

Xie Zhiqing chuckled and said, “Xiaoxiao!”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao leaned on his shoulder, smiling.

 

With Lang Xiaoxiao’s interruption, much of Xie Zhiqing’s inexplicable displeasure dissipated.

 

On the way, he observed closely. The prince seemed attentive, speaking politely and treating Lang Xiaoxiao with care.

 

“The maids in the mansion all like Xiaoxiao very much.”

 

On the way, Xiao Qizhen recounted various amusing stories about Lang Xiaoxiao in Bianyang. “I have a jujube tree in my mansion that the maids couldn’t reach, so Xiaoxiao climbed up and picked the jujubes herself, leaving them all stunned.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao scowled, “Stop talking about these embarrassing things!”

 

“What’s embarrassing about it?” Xiao Qizhen laughed. “I love such a lively girl.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao glared at him, but there was a clear smile on her face.

 

Xie Zhiqing listened quietly on the side.

 

It seemed that Lang Xiaoxiao’s marriage was indeed on the agenda, he thought. He planned to discuss the matter with Lang Sa when he returned in the evening and secretly observed the prince named Xiao.

 

Although the first impression wasn’t great, hearing these stories about his interactions with Lang Xiaoxiao made things seem not as bad…

 

Currently, Xie Zhiqing was concerned about another matter. What was the deal with Xiao Qizhen’s three mysteriously deceased concubines, and did Lang Xiaoxiao know about it?

 

He planned to ask Lang Xiaoxiao privately when she wasn’t around, but who knew that his secret glance would be caught by Xiao Qizhen.

 

Never having done anything wrong, Xie Zhiqing felt immediately guilty. He quickly looked away, his face turning slightly red from embarrassment.

 

“What’s the matter, Princess Consort?” Xiao Qizhen asked with a bright smile.

 

“…Nothing, nothing,” Xie Zhiqing said awkwardly.

 

Xiao Qizhen didn’t press further and started a new topic. He asked about Lang Sa.

 

“The Princess Consort looks so young. I remember Xiaoxiao said you are the same age,” Xiao Qizhen said. “I wonder how old the Wolf King is, and how should I address him?”

 

This question hit a sore spot for Xie Zhiqing.

 

He found it odd. In Anyu, there was no custom against asking a man’s age; it was a perfectly normal question, yet…

 

Xie Zhiqing couldn’t quite describe it, but when Xiao Qizhen asked, it made him feel very uncomfortable.

 

“…” Xie Zhiqing thought for a moment and said, “The Wolf King is a few years older than me, probably around your age. The wolf clan doesn’t place much importance on these things. You can just call him by his name.”

 

Xiao Qizhen nodded, “Alright.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao didn’t notice the undercurrents in their conversation or Xie Zhiqing’s discomfort. She was just puzzled why they cared about such a trivial matter.

 

“Let’s go!” She pulled Xiao Qizhen’s arm, dragging him aside, “You’re so long-winded!”

 

“Alright, alright, let’s go!” Xiao Qizhen wasn’t annoyed and walked alongside Lang Xiaoxiao.

 

After a few steps, he turned back to Xie Zhiqing and complimented, “Princess Consort, red suits you well.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao also looked back, “Oh, is it red? What a pity, I’m colorblind and can’t tell colors apart.”

 

“No problem, don’t worry,” Xiao Qizhen touched her hand, “I can tell you.”

 

They walked away, laughing, leaving Xie Zhiqing and Artes behind.

 

That feeling came again, Xie Zhiqing frowned.

 

That feeling of being scrutinized from head to toe inch by inch came again.