Ch16 – The Reward

TL/N: Guysss, we finally have an Editor! Today is their official debut for Court Marriage!~~~
Meet our Editor-chan, Dom! ♡(> ਊ <)♡

As soon as they went back to the Qiao Household, it was before supper. When Gong Zhuoliang and Qiao Yingze finally went back to their courtyard, they immediately tidied themselves up in a simple manner and changed their clothes before visiting Madam Qiao. 

Every fifteenth of the month Old Madam Qiao would call out for her son and grandson to have a family reunion dinner at her own courtyard, and today was September 15. So while Qiao Yingze stayed at the Old Madam’s courtyard and chatted with the old lady, Gong Zhuoliang and Madam Qiao were the ones in charge of preparing the dinner and other trivialities. Not long after, Qiao Yingxuan and Patriarch Qiao arrived at the courtyard one after the other.

But even though it’s called a family reunion dinner, only the Old Madam, Patriarch Qiao, Qiao Yingze and his younger brother were the ones qualified to sit in front of this table. The other children who were born from the concubine stayed in their courtyards and they were not allowed to eat the dishes set on the table for the Old Madam. As the two daughter-in-laws ― Madam Qiao and Gong Zhuoliang ― served them throughout the whole dinner, the concubines could not even show their faces to them.

Right after a moment silence, they finally finished their dinner, and this group of three generations were now chatting with each other as they drank tea. Not long after that, the Old Madam told Gong Zhuoliang to accompany Qiao Yingze back to their courtyard which was also according to the customs, and Madam Qiao was also asked to do the same thing as well, and so they all left the courtyard together.

After Gong Zhuoliang put out the documents for his verified household registration inside a small cabinet and locked it, he walked back to Qiao Yingze and sat down beside him. 

“Why does it feel like Father-in-law and your younger brother were not that close either?” He then glanced at the table in front of them which was filled with delicate side dishes, and pushed the plates with his index finger.

Hearing his question, Qiao Yingze’s eyes began to dim a bit, but the tone of his response still sounded calm. “Our Father rarely spends time with us, nor does he ever look after us…”

Although he couldn’t really comprehend the relationship between his mother and father, he’s still fully aware about their feelings for each other, and he knew that they only maintained a peaceful coexistence on the surface, but in reality, their relationship was not really good. As for his Father, he treated his sons coldly, only due to Qiao Yingze being raised by his Grandmother, hence his relationship with his Father only improved a short bit, and at least he does not bear any malice towards him.

On the other hand, Qiao Yingxuan often acted against his Father’s wishes. But then when it comes to their Mother, he is a lot more filial towards her, hence their relationship ended up becoming rigid and distant.

“Oh…” Gong Zhuoliang only nodded his head as an indication that he understood, before he began to leisurely eat his meal. The Qiao couple’s reverence for each other was totally akin to ice, because it was already very much obvious from Patriarch Qiao’s group of six concubines. Surprisingly, his youngest concubine is about the same age as Qiao Yingxuan who’s only sixteen years old as well. This uncle is really quite a person…

However, Patriarch Qiao is still the paragon for a successful man. Despite being a middle-aged man who’s in his 40s, his face still carried a youthful beauty, with his temperament being refined and gentle. Not only was he also one of the highest passers of the imperial examination in the past, he also held a high financial power as a Perfect….This person really is outstanding. But in exchange, he would always be surrounded with people striving to hug his thighs.

As Gong Zhuoliang thought of this, he kept cheerfully eating his meal in pleasure, while Qiao Yingze on the other side only sat and took the initiative to add more vegetables on his plate and pour more soup on his bowl. Qiao Yingze had just finished eating back at the Old Madam’s courtyard, but watching Gong Zhuoliang eat with relish instantly aroused his appetite to eat as well, and so he ended up eating some of the dishes from time to time.

“If the Madam learned that you were the one who served me the food instead… she would surely teach me a lesson for having bad manners” 

As soon as the maidservants left after they took all the empty plates off their table, and outside the inner room Gong Zhuoliang rested half-reclining against the cushion of the divan with Qiao Yingze laying down beside him as well. There were candles lit around them, and with the help of its light, Gong Zhuoliang browsed over the biography book that Qiao Yingze handed over to him while he rubbed his own stomach to accelerate digestion.

“I already instructed Han Shu to start preparing some simple meals in advance starting from today so you won’t have to starve again when you visit my Mother tomorrow”

When Qiao Yingze had brought a cushion with him to lay down beside Gong Zhuoliang, he also grabbed a book to read out of boredom, but when he flipped it open and read the contents, he had accidentally chosen a book that talks about the story of a rich Young Master and a Fox Lady. The words and the overall content of the book were written in an outrageous and erotic manner, which caused Qiao Yingze to instinctively slam the book shut. When he glanced towards Gong Zhuoliang to see that he had not been paying attention to him at all, only then he silently placed the book back on the table and took an unofficial history book to read. However, the words that he had just seen from the previous book just now ingrained an image in his mind.

While his eyes were still glued on the book, Gong Zhuoliang listened to what Qiao Yingze had just said to him, and voiced his worries with slight hesitation. Naturally, Gong Zhuoliang would very much wanted to have an extra meal before the appropriate meal time, but when he began to consider the consequences of doing so… as expected, he still feared that his tail would be caught by Madam Qiao. 

“Isn’t it a taboo for us to eat ahead of time, ba? That would be considered as us disrespecting our elders.”

“The maidservants working in this courtyard were all trustworthy, and if someone were to catch wind of it, they would only think that the food was prepared for me. Everyone is aware that I couldn’t casually take in any food especially when it was cooked from the kitchen, so Han Shu is usually the one who cooks for my food”

He adjusted his position and shifted a bit until he got closer to Gong Zhuoliang. When Qiao Yingze glanced down at the other’s delicate face which still had the make-up that he wore since this morning, he suddenly recalled an image of a smiling person who had just finished taking a bath. Qiao Yingze unconsciously placed his book down on the table and suddenly reached for the vermilion hairpin that held all of Gong Zhuoliang’s hair and took it off, causing the other’s hair to scatter down on his shoulders.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“???” 

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For some reason, Qiao Yingze kind of resembled those romantic male leads from K-Dramas who always received countless loud squeals from their fangirls….. But Gong Zhuoliang couldn’t be the Cinderella here, ah! There’s something really wrong with this position!

“Husband, the hot water is ready now. Let us go and have a bath now, ba”

When he saw the maidservants come out of the bathroom to report to them, Gong Zhuoliang immediately tossed the book on the table in front of them and gave Qiao Yingze a smile that was somewhat perverse. 

“Oh. In that case, allow Zhuo Zhuo to bath first”

As usual, Qiao Yingze allowed his little wife to wash first. He then turned to sit at the edge of the divan to create a path for the other to walk through. However, as soon as Gong Zhuoliang finished putting on his wooden sandals, he suddenly pulled Qiao Yingze off the divan. Qiao Yingze ended up hastily putting on his wooden sandals as well and stumbled a few steps before stopping and looking towards Gong Zhuoliang in bewilderment.

“As for the reward, I will be the one to help my dear Husband bathe today. Does Husband like this reward?”

Gong Zhuoliang turned to face Qiao Yingze and held both of his hands. He pulled him towards their bathroom while walking backwards. When Gong Zhuoliang saw the rare blank expression on the other’s face, this made him smile even more brightly. 

“Z-Zhuo Zhuo..??”

Qiao Yingze was so stunned by Gong Zhuoliang’s dazzling smile that when he finally recovered his senses, he was already inside their bathroom and Gong Zhuoliang was stripping him of his clothes. Too stunned, Qiao Yingze couldn’t resist for a moment, but when Gong Zhuoliang was about to remove his inner robe, that was when Qiao Yingze grabbed the other’s hands to keep him from removing his pants.

Qiao Yingze looked at him with a sudden blush on his face.

“But I’m only removing my Husband’s clothes, ah!” 

When Gong Zhuoliang raised his head and saw the embarrassment on Qiao Yingze’s face, he pressed his body against his and carefully held Qiao Yingze’s trembling hands. Gong Zhuoliang continued disrobing him, unfastening the other’s belt that fully exposed the fair and slender body under his sight… The skin was perfectly fine and smooth, exceeding Gong Zhuoliang’s imagination.

“Zhuo Zhuo……”

Qiao Yingze had never been this exposed and naked in front of a person before. The beating of his heart was so fast that it almost bursted out of his chest. As he helplessly clutched Gong Zhuoliang’s two hands, the accident from their wedding night consummation flashed through the back of his mind. Qiao Yingze very much wanted to cry with no tears right now. Just why does this young lady always love to…. mess around with him? Qiao Yingze himself couldn’t even fathom what was the reason behind it.

“Husband, let’s hurry up, otherwise you’ll catch a cold!” 

Qiao Yingze’s pitiful look of mortification even stimulated the urges within Gong Zhuoliang. He half-embraced and half-supported him into the bathtub, then he also began to strip himself naked.

This is the kind of person he is. When Gong Zhuoliang doesn’t talk, one wouldn’t really hear anything from him and he’s extremely composed; but when he began to fool around, that is when he’d start going mad with it. His playmates had even jokingly referred to him as . In truth, Gong Zhuoliang was not a sadist through and through ― though right now, he indeed enjoyed teasing and bullying the other party. But Gong Zhuoliang knew his limits, and he really didn’t mean to wound Qiao Yingze that night. Gong Zhuoliang will never commit that kind of absurd mistake again in the future.

“Zhuo Zhuo…. You-…you-…”

When Qiao Yingze finally squatted inside the bathtub and leaned his back against it, he pressed his legs together and bent towards his knees. He was afraid that Gong Zhuoliang would discover something strange in him. But as soon as Gong Zhuoliang helped him inside the bathtub, he began to walk away and started washing his own hair and face, leaving Qiao Yingze at a loss for a moment. 

“Husband, allow me to wash your hair for you, ba.”

When Gong Zhuoliang finished washing off the make-up from his face and simply wetted down his hair, his sparkling eyes turned in the direction of Qiao Yingze who was covered with body powder from head to foot, before approaching him and helping him turn his back from him, then he himself knelt down in front of his back.

The bathtub is custom made for two people to use, and it’s big enough for them to play crazy inside however they want…..

“I’m fine, Zhuo Zhuo……. You don’t need to do this for me..” 

After the other washed his hair and wiped his back, Qiao Yingze felt Gong Zhuoliang’s hands beginning to massage his back. He thought this was the supposedly ‘reward’ that Gong Zhuoliang had just talked about, so he slowly relaxed body and set his legs apart. He really is very tired today. But just when he had closed his eyes and began to enjoy the other’s massage, he suddenly felt himself being pushed against a chest, and then a hand started caressing and kneading his waist.

“My dear Husband….. do you feel comfortable?”

Gong Zhuoliang had his body against Qiao Yingze, then he turned his face sideways to press his lips on the other’s ears, and as he spoke, hot breath tickled Qiao Yingze’s ears which caused his entire ears to flush with red.

“.. feeling comfortable….. Mnn……. ahh..!” 

Qiao Yingze perked his head up and gasped for breath for a while. The intense heat in his body birthed an uncontrollable impulse to touch himself, but still, he dared not do it due to Gong Zhuoliang’s presence. Fortunately, there were floating petals and medicinal herbs covering the bottom surface of the water, hence Gong Zhuoliang will not be able to see anything. But then suddenly, he felt the hands that were kneading his waist a moment ago suddenly shifted upwards his chest and started fondling it, while the other hand made its way downwards and grabbed his thing….

There goes Qiao Yingze’s loud exclamation, but soon after, he immediately covered his mouth with his hands.

“My dear Husband…… Here is your reward for today……”

Perhaps it was due to the delicateness and the cleanliness of the man in front of him, although Gong Zhuoliang was holding another man’s private part, he didn’t feel any disgust nor discomfort when touching it. In fact, he really liked the tender feel of the other’s thing….. 

Gong Zhuoliang’s thoughts got a little distracted for a while― Could it be he’s actually a bi?

After all, there are no other man who could arouse his desire like this. Supposedly the man in his embrace was some other guy………. Gong Zhuoliang somewhat felt cringed by just imagining it. But perhaps he just didn’t dislike Qiao Yingze. That’s all.

“…mhn… Zhuo… stop… ”

Qiao Yingze held onto the edges of the bathtub for support, and covered his mouth with his other hand to prevent more moans from coming out. His body went from tense, then numb, and then after a short moment his body went tense once again, until he couldn’t entirely feel his own body anymore. After that moment of uncontrolled release, Qiao Yingze’s entire body went so soft that he subconsciously fell onto Gong Zhuoliang’s embrace once again, unable to wake up from his delirium for a while. 

“My dear Husband, breathe slowly. That’s right, take your time. You know… this is what a husband and wife should normally do. Did Husband like Zhuo Zhuo’s reward? Does he feel comfortable?”

Seeing the weak and dazed appearance of Qiao Yingze, Gong Zhuoliang embraced his waist and buried his face on the other’s neck while his other hand caressed his nape to pacify him. He whispered in a low voice to Qiao Yingze’s ears, as though he’s hinting something to him; but the corners of his mouth had already quirked up into an evil smile….

“….. mnn..”

Qiao Yingze’s blushing face was buried within the crook of Gong Zhuoliang’s neck for a long time and he did not lift his head back up. For some reason, he suddenly felt a kind of attachment and longing while being in the other’s embrace. He had seen some picture books, and heard some information regarding premarital marriages before, but he had never expected that experiencing it would feel very good…. 

But then Qiao Yingze only felt that something was amiss here. The whole time, Zhuo Zhuo had been calling him ‘Husband’ and all, and he himself is clearly the Husband here, but why is he in this kind of awkward position, ah?…..

“Husband, if we stay this in this cold water, you might catch a cold, so let us go back now and have a rest, ba.”

As soon as Gong Zhuoliang finished wiping his own body first and wore his bathrobe, he then went to Qiao Yingze who was standing up from the bathtub. He wrapped his body with a bath towel before taking him out of the bathtub and wiped his hair and body, then dressed him back up in his robes. After that, he assisted the weak and dizzy Da Qiao back to the inner room, before helping him lay down on their bed, dried his hair first, before turning around to take care of himself next. 

Gong Zhuoliang caught some movements behind him so when he turned around to look at Qiao Yingze while he still kept wiping his own hair. He found his whole person rolled in his quilt like a silkworm, and he had almost buried himself inside the quilt with his back facing Gong Zhuoliang.

“Husband…. Don’t be shy, ma. I want to sleep beside you so let me in~”

Gong Zhuoliang couldn’t help but laugh out loud, as he just casually threw the towel on the ground, and jumped onto Qiao Yingze to pull his quilt down. Qiao Yingze, who seemed to be entranced to his hearty laughter, shyly opened his eyes once again to look at him, and his pursed lips finally quirked up into a smile….. before his hands that had just clenched onto the quilt relaxed, and Gong Zhuoliang can finally drill himself in.

……… 

Another good night’s sleep yet another early morning of struggle. Gong Zhuoliang was coaxed awake by Qiao Yingze once again, before he sat up from the bed, while pledging to himself― He’d certainly reverse this situation as soon as possible! F*ck it! He only wanted to sleep in! Why won’t anyone allow him to sleep, ah!!

“Husband, I still wanted to sleep! I still wanted to sleep!”

The depressed and frustrated Gong Zhuoliang leaned against Qiao Yingze and pretended to act like a child throwing a tantrum. But then suddenly, he accidentally bumped onto a man’s part that would always be vigorous every morning, and subconsciously, Gong Zhuoliang also ended up touching his own ‘little Gong’, before suddenly wondering along the way― Just when will his thing have it’s own use rather than just being a decoration for his body???!

“My dear Zhuo Zhuo…. How about I let my Grandmother know that you were not feeling well, so you wouldn’t have to do those etiquettes for a few days?” 

Qiao Yingze distressingly pulled his little wife who’s throwing a tantrum into his embrace, as he pondered some ways to convince his Grandmother to give him consent. Although he rarely requests anything from his Grandmother, if he were to do this for Gong Zhuoliang, he would not hesitate to do so.

“Ahh whatever……. How could a new daughter-in-law be this unruly? You shouldn’t be indulging me this much in the presence of others lest you’ll be laughed at, and they will be calling you a henpecked husband….. I have been very willful and domineering lately……”

When he heard Qiao Yingze actually giving in his wishes, Gong Zhuoliang couldn’t help but feel truly embarrassed for his shamelessly, so he pinched Qiao Yingze’s chin, and shook it to vent out his dismay, before finally ringing the bell to allow the maidservants waiting outside to serve them.

As Gong Zhuoliang sat down on the wide stool to let Ruo Lan comb her hair, Qiao Yingze, who had nothing to do right now only took the egg custard from Han Shu that she had just recently made, and sat closely beside Gong Zhuoliang on the wide stool that was in front of the dressing table, before scooping a portion and fed it to Gong Zhuoliang, which shocked all of the maidservants watching them. 

Especially those maidservants who had been serving Qiao Yingze for a while, they were thoroughly shocked that they couldn’t even associate their usually indifferent Young Master to this person in front of them right now.

“…….”

Seeing the calm and composed Qiao Yingze, and the maidservants who had longed stopped working, Gong Zhuoliang could only open his mouth and allow his husband to keep feeding him with the food that might still last him for a while when he begins to serve his Mother-in-law who would then also serve her own Mother-in-law as well. In any case, no matter how much suffering he would have to endure again later on, he could just get it back to his husband afterwards.

After deciding all of this, Gong Zhuoliang tolerance increased even more. For the sake of maintaining your son’s prestige, this Young Master will have to bear with you for a few days! 

TL/N:

GZL be very desperate to uphold his ‘Gong’ position :/
And he’s even a Sadist omgg, our precious little Yingze is in real deep trouble! Run for your life deeear! ヘ（。□°）ヘ

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter… ~ (ʃƪ＾3＾）

Editor’s note: 

Thank you translator-sama for having me on board! I will say I am team QYZ. His wife should not bully him so much! ヽ(*｀ﾟД´)ﾉ won’t anyone think of this husband?!

Again thank you all for having me, and I hope to do everyone proud.