Compared to the bustling front courtyard, Rong Xun’s quarters were noticeably much quieter.
Not long after Tan Taisi left, Wenxi pushed the door open carrying a tray of pastries.
“Your Highness, you must be hungry.”
Wenxi walked in with a light, brisk step, his face radiating undisguised cheer.
“I brought some pastries. Have a bite to line your stomach, Your Highness.”
“So happy. Did you pick up money off the street?”
“Even better than picking up money!”
Seeing that there was no one else around, Wenxi simply sat down right on the footrest of the bed.
“Your Highness, this servant caught a glimpse of Prince Chen today. His Highness is nothing like the rumors say at all! He is extraordinarily handsome with an unmatched presence. When he went to fetch the bride today, he completely dazed all the young ladies and maidens watching along the streets.”
All the previous malicious rumors had instantly collapsed without a fight.
Wenxi was practically a devoted fan of Prince Chen, and once the conversation turned to him, he simply could not stop talking.
Rong Xun rolled his eyes speechlessly, picking up a pastry from the plate and eating it slowly.
He had been awake since before dawn, tossed around for nearly a whole day, and had not managed to swallow a single bite of food. Now that he was starving, the pastries on the plate were quickly devoured.
Noticing that Wenxi was still hopelessly immersed in the joy of having seen Tan Taisi, Rong Xun curled his lip in mild disgust and nudged Wenxi with his foot.
“Stop daydreaming. I am not full. Go get me something else to eat.”
“Yes, Your Highness. This servant will go get more pastries right away.”
“What pastries? Bring me a bowl of noodles, and fetch some chicken, duck, and fish while you are at it. Oh, are there any braised pork knuckles? If so, bring those too.”
Wenxi was dumbfounded. He stammered, “Your Highness, it is not advisable to eat too much at night; it is easy to get indigestion.”
“I am about to starve to death and you are worried about indigestion? Stop dawdling and go already.”
“This…”
Wenxi wore a bitter expression. What if the Prince walked in later and saw his bride gorging like this? Would he end up disliking the Princess, ah, the Prince consort?
“Hurry up and go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Rong Xun’s mouth twitched, and he called Wenxi back.
“In private, stop calling me Your Highness. It sounds weird. Just call me Young Master as usual.”
“Ah. That would not follow proper etiquette. What if outsiders overhear?”
“I just said in private.”
Rong Xun sighed, thinking Wenxi was entirely too rigid. “Just make sure no one finds out. Go on, get me some food.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
After Wenxi hurried out, Rong Xun peeled off his heavy, floor-length outer robe, kneaded his aching shoulders, and collapsed onto the bed with a relaxed groan.
Getting married was seriously damn tiring.
He looked around the luxuriously decorated wedding chamber, feeling a deep sense of unreality.
To transform overnight from an unfavored concubine-born son into a distinguished royal consort, his future days certainly looked prosperous on paper. But who knows what was lying in wait behind the scenes? What if the waters of Prince Chen’s estate ran just as deep as those of the Yong’an Marquis’s residence? If so, he could kiss any peaceful days goodbye.
Whatever, forget it. Rong Xun rolled over, banishing the chaotic thoughts from his mind.
His primary mission right now was simply to preserve this precious little life of his. Everything else was secondary. Yes, secondary.
The night grew deeper. After finishing the food Wenxi had brought him, Rong Xun felt drowsiness creeping over him. Wenxi kept glancing toward the door; Prince Chen still has not returned.
“Young Master, Young Master, wake up! You cannot sleep yet.”
On the wedding night, the spouse was expected to wait up for the husband so they could sleep together.
Rong Xun struggled to prop his heavy eyelids open. He asked hazily, “What time is it?”
“Replying to the Young Master, it is the Chou hour.”
“So late.”
Rong Xun let out a huge yawn; he simply could not hold on any longer. “I will just catnap for a bit. I am just too exhausted.”
“You cannot do that, Young Master! Nurse Wang said you must wait for the Prince to return before sleeping. What if the Prince takes offense and blames you?”
“Well, I have waited this long and I do not see hide nor hair of him.” Rong Xun’s eyes were practically sealing shut. “How about this, Wenxi? You keep watch outside. If Prince Chen arrives, come in and wake me up. That is the plan. I really have to get some rest.”
With that, clutching his last thread of consciousness, Rong Xun rolled over and curled up against the innermost side of the bed. If Tan Taisi decided to sleep here later, this much space should be more than enough for him.
Watching from the side, Wenxi noticed that his young master had barely been lying down for a moment before his breathing evened out into deep, steady rhythms.
The young master really had changed a lot. If it were his usual temperament, there was no way he would be able to fall asleep tonight.
Wenxi sighed softly, then could not help a small smile. Oh well, things being this way was not bad either.
He turned around, quietly pulled the door shut, and stood faithfully at the threshold to keep watch.
An hour passed, and there was still no sign of Prince Chen. Gradually, sleepiness crept up on Wenxi. Leaning against the pillar behind him, he began to nod off.
After who knows how long, just as Wenxi was drifting off completely, his legs suddenly went weak and he lurched forward, jolting him instantly awake.
Only to find a tall, imposing figure standing right in front of him.
“Prince. Your Highness!”
All of Wenxi’s sleepiness vanished in an instant, scared right out of his wits. He hurriedly dropped to his knees and bowed to the man before him.
“This servant.”
Tan Taisi raised a hand to halt Wenxi, asking in a deep voice, “Are you the attendant assigned to serve the consort?”
Wenxi replied in a soft voice, “Yes, this servant’s name is Wenxi.”
Tan Taisi gave a slight nod and paid him no further mind, lifting his foot to step into the bedroom.
Wenxi rose to his feet, watching Tan Taisi’s retreating back with mounting anxiety as he paced back and forth. It is over, it is over. How could he have fallen asleep? Now it was too late to wake the young master, and he had no idea whether the young master was even awake right now. If the Prince walked in and found his new bride fast asleep, he would surely be in trouble.
While Wenxi was tearing his hair out outside, inside the room, Rong Xun was hugging the quilt and sleeping soundly, so soundly that he had not even noticed someone standing by the bedside staring down at him for a long while.
Tan Taisi looked down with disgust at Rong Xun’s sprawling sleeping posture. This fellow had not even removed his wedding robes before passing out with his arms and legs splayed everywhere, completely devoid of proper etiquette.
Was the young master of the Yong’an Marquis’s estate really such an uninhibited person?
Tan Taisi narrowed his eyes, knelt on one knee on the edge of the bed, and carefully scrutinized Rong Xun’s face.
His consort did not look terrible, all things considered.
After taking in his face, Tan Taisi reached out and lifted Rong Xun’s arm, intending to investigate further. He wanted to verify whether Rong Xun genuinely lacked martial arts skills or was deliberately concealing them.
The moment his hand brushed against Rong Xun’s palm, Tan Taisi frowned.
The intelligence reports stated that Rong Xun was the youngest son of the Marquis of Yong’an’s primary wife, raised in the lap of luxury and possessing zero martial arts background. So why were his palms so rough? They did not feel like the hands of an aristocratic young master at all.
Tan Taisi’s lips curved into a faint smile.
The Yong’an Marquis’s estate was certainly bolder than he had anticipated. This trick of replacing the bride with a substitute was executed almost seamlessly, so seamlessly that even Tang Jiu had not caught it.
What a pity; the person they chose was not particularly bright.
It seemed he had indeed been away from the capital for far too long, so long that these people had forgotten what kind of person he used to be. A mere Marquis dared to try and plot against him?
As Tan Taisi looked at Rong Xun, his gaze gradually filled with killing intent.
Since the Marquis of Yong’an had delivered such a prime handle right to his doorstep, would he not be letting Rong Huaizhou’s good intentions go to waste if he did not make good use of it?
With a sweep of his large sleeve, Tan Taisi extinguished every candle in the room.
Outside, Wenxi saw all the candlelight in the room go dark and blinked in surprise. Are the Prince and the Young Master about to consummate the marriage?
At dawn, a stray beam of sunlight filtered across the lattice window.
Inside, the heavy bed curtains remained tightly drawn.
“Your Highness, Your Consort, it is time to rise.”
Duo Fu knocked gently on the outer chamber door.
“Wait outside.”
Years on the battlefield had given Tan Taisi a much sharper vigilance than ordinary people; the slightest rustle was enough to wake him instantly.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Duo Fu lowered his voice in acknowledgment, waving a hand at the maidservants standing behind him to signal them to wait outside.
He had grown up serving Prince Chen, remaining behind in the estate only when the Prince went off on military campaigns. Now that the master of the house had finally returned, Duo Fu could not suppress the excitement bubbling in his heart.
Once the others had retreated from the inner chamber, Tan Taisi got up and looked at the person still sleeping soundly on the bed. He stood watching for a moment, then leaned over and yanked the pillow out from under Rong Xun’s head with a firm tug.
“Ouch!”
Rong Xun was deep in a wonderful dream when his head suddenly lost its support and lurched hard to the left. With a distinct crack, he heard the sound of his own cervical vertebrae shifting out of alignment.
Who is that?
Rong Xun blinked his eyes open groggily, and a strikingly handsome face entered his field of vision.
All sleepiness vanished instantly.
Only then did he remember where he was: the Prince Chen’s estate.
“Y-Your Highness.”
“Awake?”
“Uh, awake, awake.”
Rong Xun scrambled up from the bed. Taking in Tan Taisi’s inner robes, he glanced down at himself and realized he was still wearing his bright red wedding garments.
Rong Xun felt a wave of embarrassment so intense his toes curled inside his boots, and he quickly reached out to strip off the cumbersome bridal gown.
Throughout the process, Tan Taisi crossed his arms over his chest and watched his consort disrobe with an amused, leisurely expression.
Once Rong Xun had shed the outer layers, he was left wearing only a thin layer of inner garments.
Although the sun was out today, it was still winter, and it was undeniably cold.
Rong Xun rubbed his arms, shivering slightly, only to look up and find Tan Taisi staring right at him with a placid expression.
“Your Highness?”
Tan Taisi averted his gaze and called toward the outer room, “Come in.”
At the word, Duo Fu, who had been waiting with the maidservants all along, briskly led the group inside.
“Congratulations to Your Highness and the Consort. This slave/servant pays respects to the Consort.”
Led by Duo Fu, the maidservants bowed to the couple.
Rong Xun gave a nod and flicked his chin toward Wenxi, who had followed closely behind. Taking the hint, Wenxi retrieved a pre-prepared pouch of reward money from a wooden box and handed it to Rong Xun.
“You may all rise, Eunuch.”
Rong Xun then had Wenxi distribute the remaining coin pouches to the young maids standing behind. Accepting the money, the servants beamed and thanked Rong Xun profusely.
Tan Taisi looked on with a hint of surprise.
His consort might be a bit of a ditz, but his handling of people and social etiquette left absolutely no room for criticism, and he was generous to the domestic staff as well.
The personal attendants brought along in Rong Xun’s dowry also paid their formal respects to Tan Taisi according to protocol.
Nurse Wang led Qing’er and Wenxi forward to greet Prince Chen.
As an old servant who had served the Marquis’s wife for many years, Nurse Wang possessed a remarkably silver tongue. The moment she stepped forward, she rattled off a string of auspicious well-wishes, while Qing’er proved equally glib, every single word dripping with flattery toward Prince Chen.
Compared to those two, Wenxi was naturally tongue-tied. Against their polished performances, he looked distinctly out of his depth.
Tan Taisi, however, reacted with complete indifference, rewarding each of them with a thin leaf of gold.
Nurse Wang accepted it with radiant joy and led Qing’er off to tidy the bedchamber.
According to the customs of the Jing Dynasty, on the second day of marriage, the newlywed couple was required to enter the palace to pay their respects to the Emperor and Empress.
Because of Tan Taisi’s unique status, after paying respects to the imperial couple, he also had to visit the Grand Empress Dowager.
Not long after the late Emperor passed away, the Empress Dowager had also passed, leaving only three principal figures in the inner court: the Emperor, the Empress, and the Grand Empress Dowager.
The ceremonial attire required for court audiences was notoriously complex.
Having grown up with Rong Xun in a remote country estate, Wenxi had never witnessed such intricate garments in his life. Within moments, cold sweat was beading on his forehead from sheer anxiety.
He cast a frantic, sideways glance at Rong Xun for help. Breakfast time was rapidly approaching; if he messed this up and delayed their entry into the palace, would it not make his young master lose face terribly in front of the Prince?
Rong Xun caught Wenxi’s distress.
He gave Wenxi a reassuring pat on the shoulder to signal him not to panic, then reached out to pitch in with the fastening himself.
Over on the other side, Tan Taisi had already skillfully dressed himself with practiced ease. Glancing over at the flustered master-servant duo fumbling with the complicated cords, he shot a meaningful look at Duo Fu.