Wenxi was just about to remind Rong Xun to get out of bed and welcome Prince Chen.
Before he could even speak, the door to the inner room was shoved open with a push, and Tan Taisi walked in.
He carried with him the chilling wind and bitter frost of the outdoors.
Catching him completely off guard, Tan Taisi saw Rong Xun sprawled across the bed.
The night was freezing outside, but the room was wonderfully warm.
Rong Xun’s sleepwear was worn far from properly.
His plain robe was half-open, revealing fair, rounded shoulders.
His long, ink-black hair was scattered casually, fanned out across the bed like splashed ink.
His legs were propped up, exposing two sections of slender lower legs and toes that were tinged a soft pink.
On this second day of marriage, Rong Xun’s bedding was still bright red, embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water.
As Rong Xun lay sprawled at random amidst this expanse of red, it made his skin look even fairer.
Taking in the sight, Tan Taisi narrowed his eyes.
Then he spotted Wenxi standing nearby.
His consort could actually be this casual in front of another man?
The longer Tan Taisi looked, the more glaring and irritating the scene became in his eyes.
The air pressure around him involuntarily dropped.
Rong Xun scrambled up from the bed in a flurry of panic and bowed to Tan Taisi.
“Why has Your Highness come over at this hour?”
“The night is deep. Is there anything improper about me coming here to rest?”
As Tan Taisi spoke, he took a step forward, his tall, imposing figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped Rong Xun.
Wenxi tactfully withdrew from the room.
With the door shut, only the two of them remained inside.
Somewhere, a window had not been latched properly, letting in a stray thread of cold wind.
Several of the candles lacking shades in the room flickered and went out.
Only then did Rong Xun feel a chill, causing him to shiver involuntarily and take a quiet step backward.
“Your Highness.”
With Tan Taisi coming over at this hour, could he possibly want to sleep with him?
Was this going to be a proper sleep, or something more intimate?
Hadn’t he told Tan Taisi on their wedding night that he hadn’t even reached the age of capping yet?
Not yet!
He hadn’t reached it yet, but according to the identity fabricated for him by the Yong’an Marquis’s estate, he was already considered capped.
Rong Xun’s heart skipped a beat.
Could Tan Taisi have noticed something amiss?
Thinking of this, Rong Xun cautiously raised his gaze to look at Tan Taisi, only to find the other man’s eyes fixed squarely on his bare shoulder.
Pausing for a second, Rong Xun tilted his head to look and realized his robe had slipped off one shoulder, leaving half of it completely exposed.
Combined with the thinness of his inner garment, anyone unaware of the situation would think he was deliberately trying to seduce someone.
Rong Xun quickly hauled his clothes back up, his toes curling in embarrassment inside his boots.
Had he really gotten out of bed to bow to Tan Taisi looking like that?
That was truly lacking in all decorum.
Seeing Rong Xun pull his clothes back up, Tan Taisi silently withdrew his gaze.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the Qingshang Pearl resting on the partition shelf inside the room, emitting a serene, quiet glow in the dim environment.
Tan Taisi suddenly reached out, gently pinching Rong Xun’s chin, and leaned in close.
“Is the Consort always this casual in front of his personal servants?”
“What?”
Rong Xun did not understand what Tan Taisi meant. What kind of way was he acting?
Was showing a shoulder in front of Wenxi really that big a deal? They were both guys.
What was wrong with that? Not yet!
Then why had he felt so awkward just now when he exposed his shoulder in front of Tan Taisi?
It must be because their relationship was different. Yes, it definitely had to do with the marital bond he shared with Tan Taisi.
Tan Taisi pinched Rong Xun’s chin, refusing to let up.
“The Consort now has a husband. You should be more mindful of yourself from now on.”
Rong Xun thought Tan Taisi was making a mountain out of a molehill. Was it really necessary to fuss over such a minor thing?
Of course, he didn’t think Tan Taisi was jealous. It was probably just because of his status as a royal consort, as if word of this got out, it would damage the prestige of Prince Chen’s estate.
Holding back a breath of frustration, Rong Xun shifted his head away.
Tan Taisi’s fingers grasped at empty air.
The fingers suspended in mid-air twitched slightly. He turned his gaze back to Rong Xun, whose hair was still hanging loose.
Rong Xun’s tone was somewhat stiff.
“This subject understands. I will definitely be more careful in the future.”
Outside, the cold wind howled; inside, the candlelight danced.
Tan Taisi lowered his hand, then reached out again to grip Rong Xun’s wrist.
Pulling him close, he gave a cold laugh. “Since the Consort understands, that is good. In that case, let us rest. It is time for the Consort to fulfill your duties as a spouse.”
Rong Xun lifted his head in horror. Before he could utter a single word of refusal, Tan Taisi dragged him forward and tossed him onto the bed.
Immediately afterward, Tan Taisi’s heavy frame pressed down upon him.
Like a massive boulder weighing him down, Rong Xun found it hard to breathe. He had no choice but to reach out and press his palms against Tan Taisi’s chest.
“Your Highness!”
“What is it? Are you unwilling?”
Tan Taisi’s gaze roamed back and forth across Rong Xun’s flushed cheeks, a curve of amusement playing at the corner of his lips.
“Ah, I almost forgot. The Consort has not yet reached the age of capping.”
“I.”
Rong Xun’s heart tightened. The Yong’an Marquis’s estate had explicitly claimed he was already capped!
Tan Taisi’s eyes looked as though they could see right through Rong Xun.
He stretched out a hand and trailed his fingers back and forth across Rong Xun’s face.
Even though it was an exceedingly gentle gesture, it gave Rong Xun goosebumps all over his skin.
It felt like a venomous snake slithering across his body, cold and fraught with hidden danger.
Though the two of them had only known each other for two days, Rong Xun could sense the underlying danger that Tan Taisi occasionally let slip.
He was like a crouching beast, a poisonous viper lurking in the dark.
Ignoring Rong Xun’s subtle tremors, Tan Taisi said softly, “Yet how is it that this Prince recalls the Consort having already reached the age of capping? Could it be that I remembered incorrectly once more? Hm?”
“No.”
“No what?”
“Your Highness remembered correctly.”
At this juncture, Rong Xun certainly could not tell the truth anymore. He could only roll with the fabricated identity the Yong’an Marquis’s estate had given him.
“If my memory serves, why did the Consort claim on his wedding night that he had not yet reached the age of capping?”
As he spoke, Tan Taisi’s fingers drifted to the back of Rong Xun’s ear, gently stroking his earlobe. His voice was whisper-light.
Beneath the bed curtains, the two of them looked like an ordinary couple murmuring sweet nothings.
In reality, Rong Xun was nearly scared out of his wits.
It is over, it is over. Would his true identity be exposed just like this?
If Tan Taisi found out he was a substitute bride, would he lop off his head with a single slash?
Rumors about Tan Taisi executing people on a whim were things Rong Xun didn’t entirely disbelieve.
He instinctively shut his eyes, terrified out of his mind yet forcing himself to stay calm.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I was afraid, and spoke carelessly out of panic to deceive Your Highness. I have been capped! I really have!”
“Since you have been capped, we can proceed with consummating the marriage.”
Saying this without batting an eye, Tan Taisi reached out to tug at Rong Xun’s garments.
“Your Highness!”
Rong Xun snapped his eyes open and clamped his hands tightly over his clothes.
Panic plastered across his face, he pleaded, “Your Highness, this subject is not ready yet! Could Your Highness please give me a little more time?”
Inwardly, Rong Xun was weeping tears of blood.
No! Am I really about to lose my purity tonight?
Seeing Rong Xun react with such extreme agitation, Tan Taisi narrowed his eyes by an imperceptible degree.
Something is not right.
Tan Taisi withdrew from Rong Xun’s body, stood up, and leisurely straightened his robes.
With a gloomy expression, he said, “This Prince has never liked forcing others. Since the Consort is so unwilling, then forget it.”
With that, he turned on his heel and strode out without looking back.
Rong Xun stood dazed for a moment.
Just like that?
He had expected that repeatedly refusing Tan Taisi might prompt the guy to pull out all sorts of punishments.
Fortunately, he hadn’t flown into a rage.
Rong Xun let out a sigh of relief, collapsing backward onto the bed as if all his strength had been drained.
The storybook he had been reading slid from the bed down to the floor, but Rong Xun lacked the energy to pick it up and read any further.
If things like this happened repeatedly in the future, what would he do if Tan Taisi lost his patience one day and decided to force the issue?
Should he just pack up his dowry and run away?
Outside the door, Qing’er was on night watch duty.
Seeing Tan Taisi come out not long after entering, Qing’er curiously peered into the room.
The candles in the consort’s room were already extinguished. It seemed he had failed to make the Prince stay once again.
Qing’er snorted in disdain.
Then she turned and hurried off in a specific direction.
Early the next morning, before Rong Xun could even finish sleeping, Wenxi hauled him out of bed.
“Young Master, today is the return visit home. You must not delay the hour.”
With that, he summoned the maidservants to come in and help Rong Xun wash up and dress.
Having been thoroughly tormented by Tan Taisi last night, Rong Xun had hardly slept a wink.
In his dreams, Tan Taisi had even turned into a tiger chasing him down to bite him, scaring him half to death.
Staring at the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror, Rong Xun irritably rubbed his head, messing up the hair that had just been neatly styled.
When the maidservant saw this, she hurriedly set about fixing it for him again.
Outside the door, Duo Fu announced, “Your Highness, the Prince is already waiting in the front hall.”
“Understood.”
Rong Xun acknowledged the call. Seeing that he was more or less ready, he got up and led Wenxi, Changning, and Changji toward the front hall.
Tan Taisi was already seated, sipping a bowl of porridge without the slightest intention of waiting for Rong Xun.
The sight immediately reminded Rong Xun of last night’s events.
Feeling rather guilty, he offered Tan Taisi a bow.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
“Mm.”
Tan Taisi’s attitude was lukewarm.
Rong Xun took his seat, and a young maid standing nearby scooped a bowl of millet porridge for him.
Looking at the morning pastries spread across the table, Rong Xun only managed two sips of porridge before stopping, though he did polish off quite a few dim sum pastries.
The atmosphere at the dining table was stifling, and the surrounding attendants made not a single sound.
Rong Xun let out a quiet sigh.
So oppressive.
After breakfast, a carriage was waiting at the gates of Prince Chen’s estate.
Rong Xun and Tan Taisi emerged from the manor together.
To his surprise, more than one carriage was parked outside.
Aside from the one they were going to ride in, there were several others specifically loaded with gifts for their return visit.
Tan Taisi was certainly generous.
Just thinking about how all those expensive things were going to be handed over to the people of the Yong’an Marquis’s estate made Rong Xun’s chest ache with bitter regret.
“Let’s go.”
Tan Taisi boarded the carriage first.
Rong Xun glanced at the entourage of maids and servants trailing behind them, sighed, and climbed into the carriage as well.
The grand procession rumbled toward the Yong’an Marquis’s estate.
Half an hour later, they arrived.
Rong Xun and Tan Taisi stepped down from the carriage and walked side by side toward the entrance.
At the front gates, Rong Huaizhou stood waiting with the rest of the household.
“This humble minister Rong Huaizhou, together with the household of the Yong’an Marquis’s estate, respectfully welcomes the Prince and the Consort.”
Looking at the group kneeling before him, Rong Xun felt his gaze drift off uncertainly.
Tan Taisi told everyone to rise, and was led by the Marquis into the main hall.
The Yong’an Marquis’s family was large. Standing right beside Rong Huaizhou was his legitimate eldest son, Rong Zhe.
Rong Zhe was only a few years older than Rong Xun, but every gesture of his carried an air of steady composure.
With such an outstanding legitimate son, it was no wonder the Marquis and his wife couldn’t bear to marry him off to Prince Chen.
Trailing behind them, Rong Xuan shot Rong Xun a glare.
Seeing the concubine-born brother he used to look down upon now walking ahead of him, his stomach soured. Before anyone else could speak, he sneered in a sarcastic tone:
“Looking at the seventh brother’s radiant, glowing complexion, he must be living quite well in the Prince’s estate.”