Chapter 9

Anan hated Prince Su to death for making her fall and get injured!

What she hated even more was that just after they had rolled in the sheets last night, today she was being stared at solemnly by her own husband, who then wore a "why are you so troublesome" expression, making Anan so angry she nearly bit someone.

Her dowry maid, Rulan, desperately signaled Anan with her eyes and restrained a certain other maid who was too dense to read the room, until Steward Qin escorted Prince Su out of the bridal chamber. Only then did Anan bite her handkerchief, silently enduring the aftereffects of the wedding night combined with the aftereffects of her fall.

Anan felt that ancient marriage was purely about tormenting underage girls. Her little body hadn't even fully developed yet, and she had to endure *ooxx*. On top of that, she had fallen and sprained her ankle this morning, making her feel like all her bones had fallen apart. Once things settled down, she started feeling aches here and pains there.

"Rucui, Rulan, go prepare hot water, I want to bathe!" Anan sat on the bed, feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over. She only just remembered that she had been too exhausted after *ooxx* last night and had fallen straight asleep without washing up… Thinking about a certain place still retaining a man's *fluids*, goosebumps rose all over Anan's body.

Rucui blinked: "Miss, His Highness said you should lie down properly."

Rulan was expressionless: "Wangfei, the Imperial Physician said your foot cannot touch water."

Anan bit her handkerchief and blamed Prince Su again. Men really were unreliable; he just finished enjoying himself and didn't even help clean her up… Even if he was a Prince and unwilling to lower himself, he could have called a servant to help clean her, but he just left her there like that.

After a while, Prince Su came in again, followed by several *mamas*, each holding trays laden with food.

Anan peeked secretly and discovered that Prince Su's Manor wasn't devoid of women as outsiders claimed, but rather all the servants were older *mamas*; there wasn't a single young maid. Anan found this strange. If Prince Su preferred men and disliked women, his behavior last night didn't quite support that. But if he didn't dislike women, why were there no young maids in the manor besides the few beautiful ones she brought with her?

"Your Highness, Wangfei, please have breakfast!" Nanny An directed the *mamas* to set out the food, bowed to Prince Su and Anan, and respectfully withdrew to the side.

It had been chaotic since early morning, and now the sun was already up. Anan's stomach was growling with hunger, but since she was married now, even if she was starving, she couldn't look greedy and lose face. She could only wait reservedly to be served.

Just as Rucui and Rulan stepped forward to help Anan sit up for the meal, Prince Su walked over directly and lifted Anan straight to the table. Rucui and Rulan looked at each other in dismay, realizing Prince Su didn't seem to like them getting close. They could only lower their eyes and retreat to the side to await orders.

Anan looked miserable as she stared at Prince Su. She would have preferred Rucui and Rulan to gently support her to the table rather than have this man carry her over like a cat. Wasn't this just tormenting her? Sure enough, one couldn't trust a man's nature; consideration and such were completely impossible.

A bowl of lotus seed porridge was placed directly in front of Anan by Prince Su.

Anan looked up at him, said "Thank you, Your Highness," and picked up the spoon to eat slowly. The lotus seed porridge was very authentic; the rice grains were soft and glutinous, the lotus seeds fragrant, refreshing on the palate, and perfectly suited her appetite.

Anan's eyes lit up, and she sped up her eating slightly.

After the two finished breakfast and rinsed their mouths, the *mamas* cleared the table without giving the maids a chance to intervene. Anan was once again lifted by Prince Su and deposited on the bed to rest. Anan's face was full of grievance; she really wanted to struggle. From the corner of her eye, she saw a room full of maids and *mamas* all with heads bowed in silence, very professional.

Anan: =口= Does this man think she's a feline?

"Rest well. Wait until you're healed before entering the palace to see Mother Empress." Prince Su said in a very formulaic manner.

The marriage between Prince Su and Anan was personally decreed by the Emperor. By custom, on the second day of marriage, they had to enter the palace to kowtow in gratitude and pay respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Moreover, Prince Su was the Empress Dowager's youngest son. By marrying Prince Su, Anan gained the most noble mother-in-law in the world; no matter what, she had to enter the palace to serve tea to the Empress Dowager.

Unfortunately, fate was unpredictable. Anan had injured her leg and could not enter the palace.

Anan maintained a peaceful smile, trying to look neither angry nor resentful. "Mmm, this subject-wife listens to Your Highness."

Prince Su nodded, lifted his robe, and walked out the door, presumably entering the palace alone.

Once Prince Su left, Anan dismissed the *mamas*, keeping only Rucui. Her face finally fell, and she flopped backward, her lower back aching terribly after holding it straight all morning. Although ancient boudoir misses had strict deportment standards, and Anan tried her best to be a qualified concubine-born daughter of the Prime Minister, compared to the model-standard Prince Su who sat with a rigidly straight and serious posture, Anan would subconsciously straighten her own spine, only causing herself suffering.

Although they had interacted for a short time, Anan had already gotten a slight grasp of Prince Su's personality. She sighed inwardly; no wonder he was titled Prince Su—he was truly a serious man in all aspects, strict with himself and even harsher on others.

Thinking that there was no concept of divorce in ancient times, and that she would have to spend her whole life with such a serious man, Anan felt a bit bitter inside.

"Miss, you really are silly. Which bride falls and injures herself on her very first wedding day?" Rucui considerately brought hot water, wet and wrung out a towel, and handed it to Anan behind the screen to wipe her body, laughing as she spoke.

Although the Imperial Physician said she couldn't touch water, he didn't say she couldn't wipe her body, right? Anan exploited the loophole and insisted Rucui bring hot water to wipe her down. Anan was a patient now; not only did her lower back ache and her back hurt, but that hidden place down below also ached faintly, making her seriously doubt Prince Su's technique—how did he feel so much like a novice, an inexperienced brat? Because her body was too tired, Anan originally wanted Rucui to help wipe her, but thinking of the remaining traces on her body, to avoid embarrassment, she decided to do it herself.

Anan gave her a sidelong glance but didn't make a sound. Such a humiliating thing—being scared by her new husband into falling off the bed on their wedding night—one person knowing was enough; she couldn't let a second person know.

After wiping herself clean, Anan lay back on the bed with the help of Rucui and Rulan.

At this moment, Anan's other dowry maid, Rubi, lifted the curtain and entered, her expression a bit strange.

"Miss, this servant has returned!" Rubi bowed to Anan.

Rucui asked excitedly, "Sister Rubi, how is it? Any news from outside? Are the waters in Prince Su's Manor deep?"

Rubi was sweet and pretty, with a honeyed tongue. She was well-informed and moved easily among the servants. Any news, as long as she went out, she could ferret out. She was the type of maid a head wife liked best, and also the one Madam Prime Minister specially sent for Anan to gain a foothold in Prince Su's Manor. Anan felt Rubi was a talent, a senior gossip; she was a talent wherever she went. To gain a foothold in Prince Su's Manor and understand the situation, she still had to rely on these maids.

Anan also widened her eyes looking at Rubi, her face full of anticipation, hoping Rubi's intelligence was up to par. However, Rubi's expression was a bit strange, making her heart uneasy.

To live well in this world, Anan had set a goal long ago: to be a standard ancient woman, from daughter to wife to mother to mother-in-law. No matter how her identity changed, she insisted on going with the flow, and her role model was Madam Prime Minister.

The news Rubi brought back included outside news and manor news.

When Anan heard Rubi say that because Prince Su's Manor had summoned a female physician into the palace early this morning, many people outside believed that Anan, the lucky bride who had survived the wedding ceremony, still couldn't survive the wedding night. In the hearts of those outside who didn't know the truth, the newly appointed Princess Su was already dead; even if not dead, she should be half-dead. Right now, in the civilian gambling dens, the odds on Anan dying had dropped several points early this morning. Many people were rubbing their hands in anticipation, craning their necks to watch, just waiting for the Princess to die so they could make a fortune…

Anan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, while Rucui was already looking unhappy, grumbling that Anan absolutely had to pull through, just to bankrupt those gambling ghosts…

Anan's face twitched, leaving her speechless.

Then came the news from inside the manor.

There were no wild guesses inside Prince Su's Manor. After all, Prince Su was such a serious person, and his demands on the manor's servants and guards were extremely strict. No one dared question Anan's life before she was actually dying; on the contrary, they all hoped Anan would live a long time. After all, a Prince Su's Manor with a mistress was a proper manor, preventing certain people from coming and going as they pleased and mocking them. Rubi told Anan the personnel structure of Prince Su's Manor that she had investigated early this morning and collected previously, so Anan could be mentally prepared.

Finally, Rubi leaned close to Anan, lowering her voice and hesitating: "...Miss, I heard... His Highness doesn't like being close to people..."

Anan nodded, understanding: "He is a Prince~" She had heard the palace was the darkest place with the most intrigue since ancient times. Prince Su grew up in the palace and had noble status; not being close to people was normal.

However, that wasn't what Rubi meant. Seeing her miss misunderstand, she could only be more explicit: "Miss, this servant heard His Highness... has mysophobia. Not only does he not get close to others, he doesn't even like getting close to the Empress Dowager..."

Anan's expression went blank for an instant, then she stared dead at Rubi.

Rubi hurriedly knelt down, pressing her head low: "Miss, please rest assured. This is something this servant spent great effort to uncover; no one else knows."

Rucui also knelt down, whispering: "Miss, Rucui didn't hear anything."

Anan tugged at the quilt covering her. After a long while, she let the two maids rise.

After sending the two maids out, Anan curled up under the covers, pulling them over her head. Her temples throbbed with a headache, and she was irritable beyond measure. She couldn't help biting the quilt and complaining about a certain Prince: You jerk, if you have mysophobia, why did you roll in the sheets with her? Don't you know tormenting an underage girl is illegal?

The most, most important thing is: if he doesn't like people getting close, how is she supposed to be a virtuous wife and good mother and arrange concubines for him in the future?