In the blink of an eye, it was March.
But if Chu Yue calculated time based on the Chinese lunar calendar, they were just at the beginning of the second month. It was still cold, but it was starting to get warmer.
After going through the honeymoon phase, Chu Yue argued with the monk the night before.
There was no other reason behind their argument. The monk had just provoked her, and she threw a tantrum.
So she did not want to go over at all.
Chu Yue jumped rope in the courtyard. She did not wear a lot of clothes, but she still broke out in sweat. Yuhe brought her jujubes. She went downhill to shop for items with her junior sisters, and Hupo had asked her to buy them.
Yuhe stayed for quite some time in their house before she went back.
When she returned, she ran into Grandmaster Jingmian. Yuhe bowed to her. "Greetings, Aunt-master."
"You went to the residence next door?" Grandmaster Jingmian asked.
"Yes. Hupo asked me to buy some jujubes, so I sent them over," Yuhe answered.
"What was the widow doing?" Grandmaster Jingmian did not care about Hupo. Her attention was on Chu Yue.
"The female patron was jumping rope." It was not as if this was something she could not say.
"Jumping rope?" Grandmaster Jingmian could not help but say, "Isn't her belly big now? Why would she dare to still jump rope?"
Before, Grandmaster Jingmian would not have known what jumping rope was, but Chu Yue had dragged Hupo and a few young nuns to play the game some time ago, and Grandmaster Jingmian had learned about it.
"Aunt-master, what are you saying? The female patron's stomach has not grown at all." Yuhe was embarrassed, and she stomped on the ground.
"How could this be?" Grandmaster Jingmian did not believe it. The widow went to Longan Temple every day, so how could she possibly not have become pregnant?
"Aunt-master, I'm not talking about these things with you." Yuhe was just a young nun. She could not speak about those things, so she left.
Grandmaster Jingmian went to the backyard and harvested some chives so that she could send them over.
Chu Yue was still jumping rope in the courtyard. When Grandmaster Jingmian showed up with her foxy face, Chu Yue ignored her. She only stopped jumping when her face was red from all the jumping.
By then, Grandmaster Jingmian had gone back with a disappointed look.
"Milady, why do you think Grandmaster Jingmian had come over?" Hupo asked.
Even if Hupo was a naive girl, she knew that Grandmaster Jingmian did not like her and her mistress. How could she have possibly sent vegetables over?
"She might have come here to see whether my belly has become bigger," Chu Yue said faintly.
Hupo had been pouring warm water for her mistress to wash her face. She was so stunned by Chu Yue's words that she could not register them for a long moment. When she did so, she was so angry that her face turned red. "She… She…"
"You don't have to be angry. Just be on guard against her," Chu Yue said nonchalantly.
She wanted to bathe, so after she washed her face, she said, "Boil some water for me. I want to bathe."
Hupo's attention was diverted, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "We'll throw away the chives that nun sent over."
"The chives are innocent. Throwing them away is a waste. Let's keep them to make chive pockets," Chu Yue said.
Hupo fell silent. She went to boil water, and Chu Yue bathed comfortably. It was, indeed, a very comfortable bath.
She could not be bothered with that aggravating monk on the other mountain.
Chu Yue did not go over for a few days in a row.
When Eunuch Feng sent over the reports, he saw that his master had an unpleasant look on his face. But he did not even need to ask to know who had caused this.
After he came out, he called Yingda over and asked him a question.
"They're just throwing tantrums," Yingda answered.
Eunuch Feng was truly "impressed". He could not believe the audacity of the widow.
Even if she did not know who his master was, was there a woman who would treat her own husband like this?
Right now, his master was the one who provided for her necessities, and he even gave her money.
But she never acted docilely. Occasionally, she just had to make her master angry. No other person would dare to do this in the entire palace.
But he had to say, she really had tricks that were good enough to secure his master's heart.
Hence, Eunuch Feng got over himself.
Chu Yue went outside to talk with him.
"Ma'am, don't you think you should go over to make food?" Eunuch Feng asked with a smile.
"Cook what?" Chu Yue asked faintly.
"Ma'am, you are taking wages for this. Even if you are angry with the master right now, you should still cook when you should. The master has not been eating or sleeping well. He has become much thinner," Eunuch Feng said.
Chu Yue frowned. In the end, she could not bear the thought of the monk suffering, so she said, "I'm only going to cook."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Eunuch Feng said politely.
"You are too polite, Sir. I'm sorry that you had to go through the trouble of coming here," Chu Yue said.
Eunuch Feng smiled. "This is nothing. If there is anything you need, you should mention it to Yingda. What I've said last time still holds true."
Chu Yue looked at him and nodded.
So Eunuch Feng went back in satisfaction.
Chu Yue went over to cook at noon, but she only cooked. Once she was done, she went back.
She did not meet the monk.
The monk could tell who had cooked his food in an instant. The meal was made by his widow, because she alone could always cook something that suited his tastes.
"Where is she?" the monk asked.
"The lady went back after she finished cooking," Eunuch Feng said softly.
The monk felt resigned. It had been a few days, and she was still angry? He was not even angry at her, but she went ahead and started being angry at him instead.
When Eunuch Feng saw what a tight hold the widow had over his master, he was truly impressed.
At this moment, he had already made his decision. Even if the widow had treacherous thoughts, he could still side with her. With her methods, even if she went to the palace later on, with how much his master fancied her, she would definitely rise up the ranks.
It was just a matter of time before she rose to power.
The empress and the other worthy consorts would not be able to suppress her.
The monk slept at noon. Once he got up, he went to recite the scriptures. Then, he went out to practice martial arts to strengthen his body.
When Chu Yue came over, she was just in time to see the monk practicing martial arts in the courtyard. He was handsome, tall, and a martial artist to boot. The monk was truly very attractive.
The others might not know it, but Chu Yue was besotted. She stood where she was and watched for a long time. Her eyes were filled with shock and envy.
In the past, she had such skills as well, but now, she was reduced to a weak woman who could not protect herself.
The monk naturally noticed that the widow was attracted, so his movements became even more energetic and a sight worth seeing.
Eunuch Feng stood by the side, and he found himself not wanting to care about this anymore. 'Master, your body is precious. You're not a warrior who shows his skills in the streets to make someone smile so that you can get a reward from it.'
But Chu Yue found herself really loving this. She did not move. The monk was really attractive when pheromones wafted off every pore of his body.
But even if she was attracted, she refused to say it.
When the monk finished practicing the entire set of moves, he looked at her, and she rolled his eyes at him. After that, she turned around and entered the kitchen.
Eunuch Feng then saw that his master was not angry. He just looked resigned.