Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool

However, the most widespread theory is that it was invented by "Eunuch Sanbao" Zheng He of the Great Ming Dynasty during his voyages.

During long voyages, it was easy to get bored on the vast, boundless ocean. Gathering a few people for a game of mahjong was an absolute delight, a perfect way to pass the lonely, tedious days.

The eunuch Zheng He once led a fleet across the South Sea and discovered archipelagos that his ancestors had once governed.

When Zheng He crossed the South Sea on his seven voyages, the surrounding lands were still inhabited by savages in tribal societies that had yet to even establish kingdoms.

But don’t underestimate these savages. Even without a nation, they could still jump and screech all over the place, chattering away like wild monkeys.

However, the Divine Ling Empire had no eunuch named Zheng He, nor had anyone ever seen a leisure activity like mahjong.

Lu Yuan was secretly gloating. ’If the Divine Ling Empire’s history followed the timeline of the Great Ming Dynasty, then "Eunuch Sanbao" Zheng He would probably be in primary school right now.’

’In other words, I’ve made mahjong—an invention that should have belonged to Zheng He—appear ahead of its time. Does that count as stealing the fruit of another’s labor?’

While Lu Yuan busied himself making the Bamboo Bone Mahjong tiles, Su Liyan and Gu Ziye were chatting away.

Seeing that her "older sister" didn’t seem to mind her, Gu Ziye’s face lit up with more smiles. She was a girl who loved to laugh, after all.

Gu Ziye did not know about the assassination attempt on Lu Yuan, because no one would tell her.

Time spent chatting always flies by, and noon arrived before they knew it.

Having used a Technique, Lu Yuan’s stomach began to rumble. He hadn’t eaten a proper breakfast and was definitely hungry now.

"My two lovely fairies, shall we eat? We can have the waiter bring food to the room. Is there anything you ladies would like in particular?"

Lu Yuan chimed in, interrupting their conversation.

Su Liyan and Gu Ziye turned toward Lu Yuan in perfect unison and said, "Anything’s fine!"

’Alright, then. This isn’t just about getting a wife; it’s like I’ve found a sister for her too. Perfect, now we can get a game of mahjong going,’ Lu Yuan thought.

"Alrighty then, I’ll take the liberty of ordering." With that, Lu Yuan stepped out of the room and took a deep breath. "PHEW..."

Lu Yuan ordered six dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables, and had the waiter deliver them to the room.

Once all the dishes had arrived, the three of them began to eat.

Lu Yuan had just picked up his bowl and straightened his chopsticks. ’Which dish should I try first?’

While Lu Yuan was still hesitating, two pairs of chopsticks had already placed food in his bowl.

Su Liyan and Gu Ziye had placed food for Lu Yuan at almost the same time. The two looked at each other, then back at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan stared at the braised pork from his wife and the green vegetables from Yue’Er, unsure of which to eat first.

’This is a first. Eating either one first would be a slight to the other.’

Lu Yuan stirred his bowl with his chopsticks, mixing the vegetables and braised pork together before scooping up a mouthful of rice and shoving it all into his mouth.

Upon seeing this, Su Liyan and Gu Ziye both laughed and said in unison, "Slow down! Take smaller bites!"

With his mouth stuffed full, Lu Yuan mumbled, "You two eat, too. Don’t just worry about me!"

Only then did Su Liyan and Gu Ziye start to eat.

...

After the meal, it was customary to take an afternoon nap.

Gu Ziye knew that staying would disturb Lu Yuan and her sister’s rest, so she offered to return to the Imperial Capital.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan kindly invited Yue’Er to stay, offering to get her a separate room by the hour so she could rest.

Yue’Er insisted on returning to the Imperial Capital, using the excuse, "I can’t stay out too long, or Father Emperor will find out."

Thus, Lu Yuan and Su Liyan had no choice but to personally escort Gu Ziye to the entrance of the Post House.

Gu Ziye pulled the large hood of her sable-trimmed coat over her face. Before leaving, she ordered her two Personal Guards, "You two, turn around. And don’t you dare look back!"

After her two Personal Guards had turned their backs, Gu Ziye, right in front of Su Liyan, leaned in close to Lu Yuan, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him. The wide hood concealed both their faces.

Su Liyan stood to the side. Even though she’d experienced this sort of thing many times, she was still stunned for a moment. ’I was completely caught off guard.’

’Judging by her posture, it looked like a real kiss, lips on lips. Yue’Er doesn’t seem like a novice at all. Women from prominent families really do act as they please.’

’Back when we started, I wouldn’t have dared to pull a stunt like this with him in public.’

What Su Liyan didn’t know was that this was the second time Lu Yuan and Gu Ziye had kissed, and again, Gu Ziye had been the one to initiate it.

The two of them remained locked in place for several seconds. Lu Yuan’s hands unconsciously rose as if to embrace Gu Ziye.

Su Liyan, standing nearby, quickly and discreetly smacked his hands down. ’Brother, control yourself!’ she thought. ’Pay attention to where we are! There are tons of people inside the Post House. You can’t just go groping her!’

After a few more seconds, Gu Ziye took two steps back and wiped the corner of her mouth in satisfaction. ’It feels just like last time,’ she thought. ’Yes, that’s the taste of love. It’s simply magical.’

After the kiss, Gu Ziye’s face was glowing with delight. She said her goodbyes to Lu Yuan and Su Liyan, then skipped happily back toward the Imperial Capital under the protection of her two Personal Guards.

Su Liyan saw him standing there, still gazing after Gu Ziye’s departing figure. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Was it sweet?"

"Sweet!" Lu Yuan replied without thinking.

"How sweet?" Su Liyan continued to ask.

"It was... not as sweet as yours, my dear." Lu Yuan looked at her, abruptly changing his tune as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his embrace.

But to his surprise, Su Liyan struggled out of his embrace, gave a light stomp of her foot, and stormed into the Post House.

Lu Yuan broke into a jog to catch up, coaxing, "What’s wrong, darling?"

"Hmph! You were so busy enjoying your sweet treat, you didn’t even notice the sour smell coming from me," Su Liyan said with a pout, looking displeased.

Lu Yuan knew his wife was jealous and needed to be placated.

’Sure enough. Sometimes, even when a woman says she doesn’t mind, she can’t help but feel a little hurt deep down.’

Just as they entered the first-floor hall of the Post House, Lu Yuan grabbed his wife, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and pulled her tight against his body.

They were pressed tightly together, face to face. Su Liyan arched her head back, trying to put some distance between herself and him.

But Lu Yuan gave her no such chance. With a firm squeeze, he pulled her right back in.

Lu Yuan’s lips met hers, silencing her.

Mortified, Su Liyan squeezed her eyes and lips shut, her little fists hammering against Lu Yuan’s chest. A few words could be faintly heard, forced through her clenched teeth: "Let... me... go..."

But Lu Yuan paid her no mind, choosing to interpret her protests as, ’Let the tempest come, and let it be even more ferocious!’

’I’ll just press my attack and leave the rest to fate,’ he thought. ’There’s no way she can resist.’

For Su Liyan, this wasn’t just a private game between the two of them; it was a public performance with a full audience.

’In this environment... I wasn’t prepared for this at all. It feels so strange... but also so thrilling.’

In the first-floor hall of the Post House, there were quite a few people.

Lu Yuan’s own confidants and Mansion Guards were there as well. With this one act, Lu Yuan had shattered the Young Madam’s usual image of an untouchable beauty—one to be admired from a distance, but never sullied.

Onlookers whistled, hooted, and catcalled.

Even the waiter, who had been ladling wine, tossed his dipper aside and ran into the main hall, finding a corner to watch the drama unfold.

One of Lu Yuan’s confidants pumped his fist and yelled, "Yeah, Young Master!"

Another confidant forcibly held him back. "Cut it out! What are you getting so worked up about?"

The clamor from the onlookers made Su Liyan so ashamed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

Lu Yuan ignored his wife’s struggles, using his persuasive tongue to forcibly part her lips.

Su Liyan, who had been feeling a bit jealous just moments before, was now left with nothing but a thrilling mix of excitement and embarrassment.

Since it had already come to this, Su Liyan could only cast aside her worldly concerns and stop resisting.

When the onlookers saw this, their jeers and catcalls grew even louder...