ITVCFITB CHAPTER 13

 Chapter 13 – Pre-Wedding Lessons

Who else could have been dining with Li Mingjin but Luo Shuyu? If Shen Mingyun had bothered to check Shuyu’s whereabouts, he wouldn’t have marched in to file that foolish “report.”

Shen’s attempt to sow discord was so blatant that it was hard not to see what he was up to, especially when Luo Shuyu already knew there was a system lodged who-knows-where in Shen’s head.

He was quite certain the book had no episode where Shen tried to sabotage his marriage to Li Mingjin. In fact, the wedding was what Shen himself was trying to wriggle out of. Helping Shuyu “escape” the match out of the goodness of his heart? Hardly. Shen had no sympathy for these so-called “ancients.” He treated them as NPCs who existed to earn him shop points.

Could it be that his rebirth had been detected by the system that it was now issuing tasks to have Shen erase him?

If so, his real opponent wasn’t merely Shen Mingyun, but Shen-plus-system. The system was the end boss.

The thought flipped his vigilance up another notch. Until now he hadn’t considered that the system might be able to detect his rebirth.

In the book, Shen never moved without the system’s prompts. They were bound; the tasks were compulsory. Shen had a natural bent toward it, even pride in it. From a reader’s distance the system hadn’t felt all that terrifying. But now, if it truly recognized him as a reborn anomaly whose presence skewed its objectives, it might assign Shen to “deal with” him. In that case, the system, not Shen, was the real enemy; Shen was only its tool. By that logic, the conclusion felt uncomfortably reasonable. But why had the system attached itself to Shen’s mind in the first place?

In short, if Luo Shuyu meant to live in peace, he had to make Shen Mingyun and the thing in his head disappear. Not only a man, but something neither god nor ghost, a tougher problem by far.

Even so, he feared nothing. Shen’s actions were predictable; as long as Shuyu tracked his moves, he could respond.

Besides, nowhere in the book had the system ever seized Shen’s body. It seemed it couldn’t puppeteer him outright.

For Luo Shuyu, that meant one more dossier to keep and one invisible foe to counter.

Right then, Shen, dissatisfied with the lack of reaction, said, “You’re not worried about your future?” He sneered at these ancients who “accepted fate.” If Shuyu wouldn’t budge, he’d go straight at the Third Prince.

After a round of reasoned inference, Luo Shuyu could see Shen’s aim. He played along: “I’m about to marry him. I’ll be the Third Prince’s legal spouse. He can take concubines, drink with his beauties, I can’t control that. The decree came from the Emperor; how could I change it? Even if you told me he spends his nights in brothels, so what?”

Hearing this, Shen actually felt a flicker of pity. Truly pitiful that he can’t even change his fate. But look, here he was to help!

“Don’t you want to change things?” he urged, determined not to let two hundred shop points slip away. He poured out “chicken soup” for the soul: “Marry a philanderer, and your life is ruined! You’re the legitimate son of the Minister of Rites with good looks and good reputation. Why shackle yourself to a decree? Think of yourself more. Or better make the Third Prince break the engagement.”

“Make him break it?” Luo Shuyu laughed coldly inside. Had Shen heard nothing of what “refusing a decree” meant? When eloping failed, he simply pivoted to Plan B, all in service of a task, scruples be damned. Did he take Shuyu for a fool?

Granted, with someone spineless, this might work. But Shen had no idea how much Shuyu had suffered last time because of him. The thought soured the whole day—then a neat idea clicked into place.

Shen wanted to wreck the wedding. Better to divert the flow than dam it. The more Shuyu refused, the harder Shen would push; better to keep him within sight, where his tricks could be seen. Cross him head-on again and again, and who knew how many messes he’d stir? Shen’s props didn’t only work on himself; he could use them on others too.

“Yes, make him break it,” Shen said, sensing “progress” and pressing his advantage. “If he ends it, there’s no dismissal for your uncle, no nine clans executed. It becomes a tug-of-war between the prince and the Emperor, it has nothing to do with you. Then you can live free and easy, find a family without royal trouble to marry into. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Would it?” Shuyu truly found him terrifyingly naïve. A royal’s cast-off fiancé, “marrying well” afterward? No common sense at all and willing to use any means to reach his goal. He softened his expression, let a touch of hesitation seep in. “You really want to help me?”

“Of course. I’m your cousin, I’d never harm you.” Shen patted his chest, striving for sincerity.

To Shuyu, it was almost comical. Once, wearing the “Cousin Shen” skin, Shen Mingyun had seemed special; now, somehow, the shine was gone.

He hadn’t bothered to avoid witnesses; Qingwang and Feng Momo stood not far off and heard every word. Luo Shuyu didn’t stop them, quite on purpose.

Feng Momo had always been Li Mingjin’s person. Luo Shuyu didn’t mind their talk reaching the Third Prince’s ears.

Having secured the answer he wanted, Shen left Ruyi Courtyard, already pondering how to push the Third Prince into rejecting the match.

Watching him leave all pleased with himself, Luo Shuyu frowned. Shen would surely strike at Li Mingjin. He needed countermeasures. But how to guard against system props?

Meanwhile, after court, Luo Renshou went straight to Fu-rong Residence to see the Old Madam. With barely a month left before Luo Shuyu’s wedding, the imperial side was in full swing; they couldn’t lag behind. The Emperor himself had asked after preparations that morning. Luo Renshou couldn’t afford sloppiness. It didn’t look like His Majesty ignored the Third Prince, either.

These days, Lady Liu couldn’t possibly oversee Shuyu’s marriage. Even if she wanted to, his current iron spine wouldn’t allow it; he was calling her “Aunt Liu” to her face. Luo Renshou could hardly miss the resentment born of the dowry affair.

The Old Madam, far from chanting sutras like other matrons, was happily having a maid knead her legs.

Hearing her son’s request that she take charge of the wedding, she frowned. “Why should these old arms and legs be put to it? Where’s Madam Liu?”

“You know very well, Shuyu learned she’d diverted Chen-shi’s dowry. The other day, she fainted on the spot. He doesn’t want to see her, and I’d like to honor that. This was my failing first. Mother, just lend your face. Let the steward and servants handle the tasks. We’re tying ourselves to the imperial family; with you presiding, people will take it to heart. We don’t want outsiders saying your son doesn’t value the imperial marriage.”

After weighing it, the Old Madam agreed. She wasn’t senile. This wasn’t an ordinary match; the character “royal” topped the page. For her son’s career, she’d shoulder it.

Luo Renshou stayed for supper and some mung-bean soup to beat the heat before heading back.

Passing Liu’s courtyard, he realized he hadn’t seen her in days and dropped in, only to hear her berating a maid. When she saw him, she wept like a pear blossom in rain. Already irritable over the dowry mess, he snapped twice; words escalated. In the heat of it, her brother came up. Therefore, tempers frayed. Luo Renshou left in short order and went straight to a concubine who’d entered the house just over a year ago.

By the next morning, Luo Shuyu knew the whole story.

Anyone listening for it would hear: the master had visited the mistress, a quarrel followed. And lately, Shuyu had been tracking both Luo Renshou and Shen Mingyun. News, big and small, reached him fast.

A rift between Luo Renshou and Liu? Excellent. With a turbulent inner court, how much energy would Luo Renshou have to poke at the Third Prince’s affairs?

Under Feng Momo’s tutelage, Qingwang grew ever more adept at intelligence-gathering, talk flowed smooth as silk, and yes, silver flowed too. The “stipend” Luo Renshou had coughed up lately went straight into buying information. Money was for spending; without your life, what use was coin?

After breakfast, the Old Madam’s chief maid, Mingyue, came with a summons.

Shuyu asked, “Do you know why Grandmother wants me?”

Mingyue, willing to be kind, said, “A happy matter, Third Gongzi. Last night the master asked the Old Madam to preside over your wedding. She’d like to speak with you privately.”

“Oh? Thank you.”

“You’re too polite, sir.”

So that was it. The dowry matter was still being settled, and some pieces Liu had sent out would never return. Luo Renshou wouldn’t fill every gap with silver either. He likely wanted the Old Madam to oversee things so Shuyu could leave the house in splendor, saving the family’s face. A favor from Luo Renshou? No, repayment for the dowry shortfall.

Luo Renshou knew exactly what he was doing.

Shuyu took Madam Feng and Qingwang along to Fu-rong Residence.

It was quieter than usual. Normally, his visits found Liu, the concubines, and the younger generation jostling to please the Old Madam or Shen Mingyun spinning tall tales that somehow delighted her. The book said Shen’s chatter reminded her of a grandmother from the countryside who favored boys over girls.

Today was peaceful: no Luo Shuyu siblings, no Shen Mingyun. A private audience.

It turned out that living differently did earn more respect. Shuyu couldn’t help a pang for his past self. Avoiding trouble did not mean trouble avoided you. Once on the board, you were a piece. This time, he would be the player. No regrets after each move.

The Old Madam and Shuyu were not close, but they had no real quarrel either.

She gave him a few reminders about the wedding and nothing more. Even asked if he needed anything.

She had also hired a married ger in his thirties to instruct him before the wedding: how to manage a household, and, incidentally, how to get along as husband and… husband.

In the last life, Liu had run the show so there was no such instruction. At the Third Prince’s estate, Shuyu learned by groping along. Looking back, Li Mingjin had never made things hard for him in that regard.

Still, when it came to “marital relations,” even though he had been married, and even though they had been intimate, his cheeks warmed.

Gers' bodies differed from women’s; many noble sons had no experience before marriage. Naturally, there were teachers for this: a little curriculum to spare them a bridal-chamber farce.

For the next few days, Luo Shuyu sat through lessons: household management and, red-ear knowledge of the marriage bed, complete with spring palace illustrations.

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That night, Shadow Three briefed Li Mingjin on Shuyu’s recent schedule.

“Classes?” Li Mingjin asked. “What classes.”

“I didn’t dare listen in,” Shadow Three said.

Those cold light-brown eyes lifted. “Were you discovered?”

“N-no, Your Highness. Pre-wedding classes for gers. Inappropriate for your servant to overhear.” (And I’d rather not be whipped.)

Li Mingjin understood and waved him away.

When the room was empty, he dragged a chest from a corner and pulled out a stack of books, all titled “Essential Secrets for Men: Ger Edition.”

If his consort was studying so diligently, he would not fall behind!

The next morning he went to court with dark circles under his eyes. Ministers took one look at the Third Prince’s shadowed gaze and shivered like leaves.

Terrifying today, Your Highness!

In truth, he’d simply spent the night studying the “essentials” of matrimony.

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Author’s Note:
Third Prince: Wife, trust me—this is for our love!
Luo Shuyu: …scram.

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