Xiao Chengji never cared for rituals. He casually lifted the red bridal veil from Yanyu’s head.
Yanyu timidly raised her eyes.
The matrons of Prince Qin’s household were stunned, holding their breath.
Xiao Chengji froze for a moment, then replaced the veil back over her head.
Nanny Deng, who had lived over fifty years, had never seen such beauty—radiant like a pearl, brightening the entire room.
Yanyu had been beautiful since childhood. At the Marquis Anqing’s household, she had lived smoothly, cherished by her elders, treated like a precious jewel by the old matriarch.
Such a delicate, obedient young beauty, always gentle and filial—what elder would not love her?
Nanny Deng quickly handed a jade ruyi to Xiao Chengji: “Your Highness, according to custom, you should lift the veil with this and then share the nuptial wine.”
Xiao Chengji said coldly: “Leave us.”
The matrons, who had only caught a glimpse of the Princess Consort’s face and longed to see more, obeyed his command and withdrew, waiting outside.
“Marrying you was not my choice. My father forced me,” Xiao Chengji said coldly. “Wen Yanyu, don’t think you can play tricks before me.”
Yanyu softly replied: “I understand. Whatever Your Highness says, I will obey.” Her voice was gentle, sweet, and obedient.
Xiao Chengji had never dealt with such women, but he knew: the more beautiful, the more dangerous—like potent wine. Yanyu’s beauty only heightened his wariness. He used the jade ruyi to lift her veil.
Yanyu said: “I haven’t eaten all day. I’d like something to eat.”
The table had already been set with wine and dishes. The matrons had planned to serve her if Xiao Chengji did not come, then let her rest.
Xiao Chengji looked at her: “Eat.”
Yanyu’s lashes trembled slightly. She wanted to test him: “I want bird’s nest soup. I’m about to sleep, I can’t eat these heavy dishes.”
Xiao Chengji sneered: “You dare pick and choose before me? Did you not get enough of your spoiled young-lady temper at the Shao household, that you bring it here to act wild?”
Yanyu bit her lip. Seeing him rise, she worried—had she already angered her husband on their wedding night? Would her aunt scold her later?
But Xiao Chengji ordered the matrons outside: “Clear the dishes. Prepare bird’s nest soup.”
The matrons quickly came in to clear away the dishes.
The weather was hot, and Yanyu’s bridal gown was stifling. The jewelry on her head weighed nearly three catties, leaving her breathless. She truly had no appetite for heavy food and only wanted something light. She had her maids bring hot water, then had them remove her ornaments one by one. Soon, the matrons delivered a bowl of chilled rock-sugar bird’s nest. Yanyu ate half, then washed her hands and face, removing her makeup.
Xiao Chengji had drunk several cups of wine earlier, pressed by the other princes. Now slightly intoxicated, he leaned against the bed to rest, letting Yanyu busy herself nearby.
When Yanyu finished arranging her hair and approached, she saw him lying on the bed, still dressed. Her sense of wifely duty stirred, and she hurried to undress her husband.
But as soon as her hand touched his belt, he seized her wrist harshly.
Xiao Chengji’s tone was impatient: “Miss Wen, you’ve eaten your bird’s nest. What are you trying to do now?”
Frightened, Yan Yu stammered: “I… I was going to help Your Highness change clothes. My aunt told me to serve you well, to obey whatever you say.”
Xiao Chengji pulled her onto himself with one hand. He was over eight feet tall, the most imposing of the younger generation of nobles in the capital.
Yanyu, frail since childhood, seemed so delicate that he could crush her with one hand. Pulled against him, their difference in stature was stark.
Though lying beneath her, his aura was intimidating, his voice cold:
“When did I permit you to touch me?”
To Xiao Chengji, Yanyu was infuriating. From the first time he saw her, she had provoked his anger—he wanted to crush her to death.
Yanyu stared blankly: “Then why did you pull me onto you if you don’t want me to touch you?”
Xiao Chengji suddenly released her, closing his eyes: “Get down! I’m going to sleep!”
Yanyu murmured “Oh,” and climbed off him. She poured two cups of wine:
“Your Highness, we haven’t yet drunk the nuptial wine.”
Xiao Chengji opened his eyes: “So you really are this obedient?”
Yanyu felt lost, even aggrieved. Her aunt had warned her that Prince Qin was difficult, but she had thought that if she followed every rule, he would find no fault, and there would be no conflict. Yet she hadn’t expected him to dislike her so intensely—that whatever she did, in his eyes, was wrong.
Xiao Chengji stepped forward, took the cup from her hand, and drank the nuptial wine with her arm linked to his.
In the bridal chamber, the thick red candles flickered, their wax dripping steadily though only half burned.
Xiao Chengji glanced at Yanyu again, then raised his hand to extinguish the flame and pressed her down onto the bed.
The next morning, Xiao Chengji awoke with a cold expression.
The previous night had been Yanyu’s first time. She was in great pain, unable to accommodate him.
Xiao Chengji himself had no prior experience in such matters. He had barely managed to consummate the marriage once, leaving the bride fainted. His mood was utterly foul. That such a fragile woman existed in the world—and that she was his Princess Consort!
He changed clothes and left Yanyu’s chamber.
Outside, the matrons greeted him with smiles: “Your Highness is awake? Has the Princess Consort also risen? We will attend her toilette and prepare her to enter the palace to pay respects.”
“No need,” Xiao Chengji said coolly. “She is unwell. Let her sleep.”
The Emperor did not care much for such formalities. As for the Empress and Empress Dowager—since Yanyu had married him, no matter how perfectly she observed etiquette, they would still find ways to torment her. If that was the case, why drag her injured body into the palace to suffer?
Better to let her rest comfortably in the Prince Qin’s residence, while those two fumed in the inner palace. And if trouble arose, he would bear it himself.