He's only the second husband?
Huo Tingshan's eyes held suspicion, but he could still tell whether Pei Ying was lying or not. The man's expression improved slightly, but only slightly.
So he really was the second husband. But then why...
"Did Madam receive jewelry from others before our marriage?" Huo Tingshan's tone was inscrutable.
Pei Ying felt this line of questioning was dangerous. Was this man secretly keeping a mental account of her deeds, planning to settle it with her after the war concluded?
That wouldn't do. Some things needed to be clarified.
"Huo Tingshan, regarding marriage customs, my homeland and Great Chu are somewhat similar, yet also different," Pei Ying said softly.
Huo Tingshan maintained his previous expression. "Oh? I'd like to hear the details."
Pei Ying considered her words carefully. "Great Chu encourages women to remarry, and so does my homeland. However, marriage is a solemn institution. Therefore, before marriage, there is a contact phase called 'dating,' where the two parties are boyfriend and girlfriend. Whether introduced by parents, relatives, or friends, or meeting and falling in love on their own, men and women will date for a period to assess whether the other is suitable to be their wife or husband. If both feel it is suitable, they will marry; if not, they part ways amicably and each may establish dating relationships with others."
Great Chu, similar to the Han Dynasty, encouraged women to remarry but did not promote illicit unions without a matchmaker. You could marry two, three, four, or five times, but you couldn't marry without a matchmaker.
The clash of concepts was undoubtedly immense. Huo Tingshan was astonished. "What's the difference between that and marriage?"
Spending time together, assessing suitability?
If her society allowed such things, its social norms must be far more liberal than Great Chu's. What could you possibly discern just by looking? They must have spent frequent time together, likely coming and going as a pair, in perfect harmony.
Pei Ying chose an official-sounding answer. "Naturally, there is a difference. After marriage, the union is protected by law, and the couple's assets become jointly held. The dating phase does not entail that."
Huo Tingshan stared intently at the woman before him. Under the candlelight, the beautiful matron's face appeared soft and gentle, looking quite obedient.
But why did she have so many tricks up her sleeve when dealing with him? If he didn't ask about these matters, she simply wouldn't mention them, would she? The man's expression remained impassive as he continued questioning. "How many boyfriends did Madam have before marriage? If you add them all up, plus me and your deceased husband, could they form a military squad?"
Pei Ying answered promptly. "Not many. Just one."
Huo Tingshan gave a light, disdainful click of his tongue. "So he was the one and only."
Pei Ying: "..."
"Huo Tingshan, could you please stop being so unreasonable?" Pei Ying felt this man was completely picking a fight. "The national circumstances are different. How can some things be the same? My homeland does not advocate blind, arranged marriages where the couple has never met. Marriages solely decided by parents are rare. Men and women must first understand each other before deciding whether to spend their lives with that person."
The last four words made a vein throb at Huo Tingshan's temple.
Spend their lives?
With whom else did she want to spend her life?!
Huo Tingshan raised a hand to press against the space between his brows, striving to calm the turbulent emotions churning within. "How long did Madam date your deceased husband before marriage?"
Pei Ying hadn't expected his train of thought to jump so quickly. A subconscious feeling told her she shouldn't answer this question, but she also thought it was good he was no longer fixated on her ex-boyfriend. So, without thinking, she answered: "One month."
As soon as the words left her mouth, he let out a scornful laugh. "Madam's era is so enlightened, yet you hastily married and had a child with a man you'd only dated for a month. Could it be that after experiencing the vast ocean, no river thereafter could catch your eye? Since marrying anyone was the same, you simply hurried into marriage with that deceased Qiao husband of yours."
Pei Ying was left speechless.
Huo Tingshan felt only a ball of fire rolling in his chest, scorching sinew, bone, and flesh black wherever it passed, a wave of violent rage spontaneously arising.
She valued the little girl so much; he had originally thought her deceased husband held significant weight in her heart. Who would have guessed it wasn't so? Before that deceased husband, there was another man who truly made her unable to forget.
If that so-called boyfriend of hers were still around, he would have him killed!
The tent fell into silence. The atmosphere congealed, as if frozen solid.
Pei Ying secretly glanced up at Huo Tingshan, unexpectedly meeting his eyes—dark, heavy, seeming to hold an impending storm, much like his current expression.
Pei Ying said helplessly, "That was over a decade ago. Once we parted, it was over. Besides, I'm here now with no possibility of returning. Why must you dwell on my past?"
He heard her, yet seemed not to have heard. "How did Madam meet that first one?"
Pei Ying met his gaze. This man's expression was foul, like a cluster of flames ready to ignite at a touch, or a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Pei Ying: "...We were classmates."
Huo Tingshan wasn't surprised. She was knowledgeable and had later become a teacher, so she must have read many books in the past. Having many classmates wasn't unusual.
The affection of classmates in youth. Hah.
Huo Tingshan asked again, "How long did Madam know him?"
His tone was calmer than before, but looking into his pitch-black eyes, Pei Ying was even more certain this was the calm before the storm.
Perhaps the calmer he was now, the more severely he would settle accounts with her later.
Huo Tingshan didn't hit women, but this man would go mad in bed. Even now, whenever she recalled that silent night journey to White Light County with Zhizhang, she couldn't help but feel a shudder of fear.
She couldn't let him continue questioning.
"Huo Tingshan, what about you? Don't just talk about me. Didn't you have a deceased wife as well?" Since he wanted to dig up the past, they should do it together, not just hers.
Huo Tingshan frowned. "You mean Lady Ning? What is there to say about her?"
Pei Ying's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly. "La-Lady Ning? You always called her that before? Don't tell me you've even forgotten her name."
Although in ancient times, married women were often referred to by their surname plus "shi," that Lady Ning was, after all, his deceased wife. How could this man...
Huo Tingshan's long brows furrowed even tighter as he pondered for a moment. He was genuinely trying to remember, but it was so long ago, and while that Lady Ning was alive, their interactions had been few.
He married at sixteen, just as he was beginning to make a name for himself in the Youzhou army. There were far, far too many things demanding his attention.
On one hand, he had to build his own power base within the army; on the other, he had to face scrutiny from his elders and the Huo clan. At that time, the Xiongnu in the north were also restless, growing increasingly aggressive. His father would have him sit in on every strategy session with his advisors, and after the counselors dispersed, would question him on his insights.
Matters piled up like a mountain. He wished he could split each hour into two. During the busiest periods, he practically lived at the military camp.
He was his father's only legitimate son, though there were several concubine-born sons, not to mention a group of legitimate cousins watching him closely from the sidelines. If he showed even a hint of weakness or a tendency toward frivolity, the resources that rightfully belonged to him would undoubtedly be carved up and taken away.
He had married the Ning family's daughter on his parents' orders, purely for the sake of producing heirs and having someone manage the household affairs for him.
That was all.
On ordinary days, he had little to discuss with the Ning girl. He wouldn't talk about his ideals or the pressures he faced with a young lady who could scarcely recognize a single character.
The husband deals with the outside world; the wife manages the domestic sphere. A wife only needed to keep the household in order. As for the rest, the glory and future prospects of his lineage—that burden fell entirely on his shoulders.
Huo Tingshan thought for a moment, somewhat uncertain. "Her full name seems to be Ning Jingxue, or perhaps Ning Yingxue."
Pei Ying's expression turned complicated. "Huo Tingshan, I sincerely suggest you never, ever let your two sons find out about this."
"What do you mean 'your two sons'? They are your sons now too," Huo Tingshan retorted, displeased, his focus elsewhere.
Pei Ying: "..." Impressive.
"How about I don't mention your late wife, and you stop bringing up my past? Deal?" Pei Ying took a breath, her tone softening.
Huo Tingshan's brow remained deeply furrowed. Even setting aside the mountain-sea-like pressure he exuded, his features were naturally fierce and imposing. Now, with his face dark and silent, he looked particularly intimidating.
A glint from the wooden box on the table caught the corner of Pei Ying's eye. Her own eyes brightened, and she quickly picked up the box. "Huo Tingshan, I have a gift for you."
Huo Tingshan looked down at the box. It was about the length of a young lady's forearm, tied with a cross-shaped silk ribbon fastened with a rather flamboyant bow—the kind of decoration only young girls seemed to favor.
He didn't reach out to take it.
Pei Ying tried to smooth his ruffled feathers. "You really don't want it? I put a lot of effort into making it, and I made it specially for you. No one else has one like it right now."
The man still didn't move.
Pei Ying sighed and started to lower her hand. "Well then, forget..."
Before her hand had descended halfway, the bottom of the wooden box was steadied by a large palm.
"When have I ever refused a gift from my wife?" Huo Tingshan said with a hint of teasing. "Besides, it's a rare sight for my wife to put her mind to such things."
The first pouch had been at his own request, so that didn't count.
The later bamboo pouch was something she had embroidered on her own initiative, but she had only ever made one such accessory. Right, besides the pouches, there were also the undergarments—the three pairs he owned were all sewn by her.
Apart from the bamboo pouch and the undergarments, there had been nothing else, nothing specifically for him. Counting today's box, this was only the third item. Huo Tingshan felt rather put out.
"You can open it. I'm sure you'll like it," Pei Ying urged, seeing him holding it motionless.
No military man could dislike a telescope, Pei Ying was certain.
Huo Tingshan grunted in acknowledgment, his face still stern, but he reached to untie the silk ribbon on the box.
The red ribbon drifted down gracefully.
Huo Tingshan opened the box.
The light from the night pearl beside them spilled down, making the small, long wooden tube, polished with oil, gleam even brighter. Huo Tingshan didn't grasp what it was at first. "Madam, what is this?"
A long piece of wood?
Pei Ying smiled without answering, letting him figure it out for himself.
Receiving no response, Huo Tingshan took the long wooden tube from the box. Unlike the ordinary wood he had imagined, this tube was very light, as if the core had been hollowed out.
Huo Tingshan turned it over in his hands. When he saw one end of the tube was inlaid with a pristine lens, he couldn't help but pause.
A spark of realization flashed in his mind. The man quickly turned to the other end of the tube. Seeing another, equally pristine lens there, Huo Tingshan abruptly looked up. "Madam, is this a telescope?"
"It is a telescope," Pei Ying confirmed with a smile. She understood the question in his eyes. "Although glass hasn't been developed yet, I discovered that some of the crystals in the caves are pure enough to temporarily substitute for glass. Go ahead, try it."
Huo Tingshan had been holding it with one hand. Upon hearing it was a telescope, he took it with both hands. His scarred fingers traced over the long wooden tube, then examined the lens mount carefully.
He could see at a glance that this long tube was assembled using mortise and tenon joints. The pure lenses were set inside, slightly protruding, with the slightly raised rim of the tube offering them protection.
The man strode with his long legs, eagerly walking to the window of the tent. Having just studied the telescope, he now relied on his own deduction, placing the smaller end before his eye.
He closed his left eye, using only his right to look.
The distant scene seemed to be pulled closer by an invisible hand. Huo Tingshan saw the braziers used for illumination in the camp, soldiers passing by with halberds, and even saw a soldier yawn.
It could make out a person's face with perfect clarity.
Looking even farther, he saw a flock of geese flying from south to north across the sky. He could even clearly see the slight upward curve of their wingtips as they beat their wings.
If there was anything peculiar, it was that the image seen through the lens was inverted.
Heaven and earth were thrown into disarray, completely flipped.
This wondrous sight was a first for him, and he wasn't quite accustomed to it. Yet, that slight discomfort was utterly insignificant compared to the ability to see distant scenes so clearly.
Huo Tingshan looked through the telescope for a long time, reluctant to put it down. Only after a good while did he finally lower the tube with great fondness.
When he turned back, Pei Ying could clearly see the intense fervor in his eyes.
The gloom was gone, and that sarcastic air had completely dissipated.
"The lenses are made from crystal. It seems my wife and I are truly of one mind. Why else would we both have thought of using crystal? This is excellent. I like it very much," Huo Tingshan said joyfully.
Knowing he was mostly a man of his word, Pei Ying quickly struck while the iron was hot. "I made this telescope with my own hands. No one else has one. If you accept it, let's not bring up the past anymore, alright?"
Huo Tingshan paused.
