Who Jiang Sheng was referring to was obvious.
Lin Yueming’s first husband never hit her, nor had he ever been rough with her in bed.
No matter what mindset Jiang Sheng had in asking this, she could not possibly discuss such matters with him.
Discussing intimate matters with her newlywed husband about her former husband—she would have to be insane to do such a thing.
Lin Yueming dared not shrink back any further. Though Jiang Sheng’s tone betrayed no emotion, for some reason, she could sense that the Marquis of Wu’an was now very angry.
Had he remembered once again that his newlywed wife had been married before?
After all, marrying her was not his intention. It was only natural for him to be angry.
The night was still long. If his anger did not subside, all that fury would eventually fall upon her.
She wanted to live a good life in the Marquis’s Mansion. To find peace, she had to think of a way to placate him.
Lin Yueming moved closer to him, tugged at his sleeve, and smiled at him:
“Nothing of the sort, Marquis. Please calm your anger.”
Jiang Sheng followed her movement and looked at her, letting her hold his sleeve. The aura of hidden anger slowly dissipated.
Was his anger gone already?
She had only just begun.
So, did the Marquis of Wu’an prefer her to take the initiative?
This was quite different from the previous one.
Lin Yueming was still unsure of Jiang Sheng’s preferences. Observing his expression and gauging his thoughts, she slowly moved her hand up along his sleeve, reaching his arm. Feeling the stiffness of his muscles, she stopped and said gently:
“It’s late. Allow me to attend to you as you rest, Marquis.”
Jiang Sheng’s entire body tensed, his gaze fixed intently on her. The veins on his neck throbbed with the movement of her fingers, and even his breathing grew heavier. He said:
“When you speak to me, say ‘I,’ not ‘this humble one.’ It’s too distant. I don’t like it.”
Lin Yueming nodded and said yes, her fingers sliding from his arm to his chest, stopping at the button on his lapel. She replied:
“Yes, I’ll remember, Marquis.”
The button on Jiang Sheng’s wedding attire was not complicated, but Lin Yueming tried twice and failed to undo it.
On her third attempt to unfasten the button, Lin Yueming realized belatedly that it was because she was still trembling—uncontrollably trembling all over, and it hadn’t stopped yet, so she couldn’t undo it.
Jiang Sheng pressed down on her hand as she tried to undo the button, feeling the icy coldness of her skin, which cooled the heat coursing through his entire body.
He gathered her hands together, holding them in his palms, and asked:
“You’re afraid of me, aren’t you? You… didn’t want to marry me?”
Jiang Sheng was tall and sturdy, with large hands that enveloped Lin Yueming’s entirely. Warmth flowed steadily from his calloused palms.
It was very warm.
Lin Yueming desperately wished she could stop trembling. It was her wedding night; she had to keep him here.
But the chill from the deep-seated fear within her was relentless, lingering like a haunting shadow.
She could only offer Jiang Sheng a placating smile to mask her fear:
“How could I not want to? Serving you, Marquis, is something I’ve longed for.”
Unmoved by her gentle smile and appeasing words, Jiang Sheng lifted the wedding quilt and wrapped it around her:
“You’re clearly trembling with fear. There’s no need to force yourself. We can take it slow.”
Jiang Sheng left the bed, taking a few steps back until even his shadow no longer fell upon her. He then went to the table to pour himself tea, as if he had no intention of continuing.
He drank three cups of cold tea in succession, calming himself somewhat before heading out. At the doorway, his hand already on the door, he suddenly turned back and said:
"From now on, don’t speak of serving or not serving, and don’t call me Marquis. Since you’ve married me, you should either call me husband or use my name. I am Jiang Sheng, styled Yunqi. Do you still remember my name?"
Lin Yueming, wrapped in the quilt, saw that he was determined to leave but couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stay. She could only reply:
"Yes, husband, I’ll remember."
It wasn’t that she couldn’t humble herself to beg him to stay—compared to survival, what was pride?
It was just that she had already tried to keep him several times. If she pleaded again, she feared forcing him to stay would only annoy him.
Jiang Sheng gave her another silent glance before finally pushing the door open and leaving, still dressed in his wedding robes.
Lin Yueming collapsed onto the bed in despair, feeling that this beginning was truly awful.
On their wedding night, the groom had run off in his wedding attire. By tomorrow, everyone in the Marquis’s Mansion would know that the Marquis disliked his Second Marriage wife, abandoning her without consummating the marriage.
People always trample on the fallen—such was the way of the world.
It was easy to imagine that from now on, even the respected matrons and stewards in the mansion would look down on her. Her life in the inner quarters of the Marquis’s Mansion would likely be very difficult.
Lin Yueming was deeply worried, her mind racing for a solution.
Jiang Sheng was the Imperial Guard Commander, in charge of the capital’s 150,000 Imperial Guards and responsible for the Emperor’s safety—a position of great responsibility. He only had leisure time on his rest day, which came once every ten days.
As the Imperial Guard Commander, he also had many social obligations. If the affection between them remained shallow, he might not be willing to spend his rest days with her.
The Marquis’s Mansion was vast, divided into the front and rear courtyards. If he didn’t come, she might not see him for months or even years.
In a marital relationship, even if they couldn’t be deeply in love, they at least needed to be harmonious.
And harmony required time—she had to make him willing to come, willing to spend time with her.
She didn’t know how many days off the Emperor had given him for this wedding. Tomorrow, she would have to try a different approach. She had to make him stay.
Lin Yueming had risen early for the wedding, and now it was already midnight. She could barely keep her eyes open, her anxiety mingling with drowsiness. In her half-asleep state, she seemed to dream of her previous husband, Lu Chen.
She had been divorced by the Lu Family just before the new year—only three months ago. Yet for some reason, it now felt as distant as a past life.
So distant that even Lu Chen’s handsome face blurred in her dream.
It was already late winter when Lu Chen was assigned an external posting to inspect salt operations in the south.
As she packed his luggage, Lu Chen instructed her:
"This assignment is urgent, so travel light. Just bring daily necessities—anything else can be purchased locally."
The trip would take at least half a year there and back. At the time, Lin Yueming felt an inexplicable sense of panic, as if something major was about to happen. She pleaded with him:
"Can I go with you?"
Lu Chen refused:
"I’m on official business for the Emperor. How can I bring family? Besides, you’re managing the household with so many responsibilities—how can you just leave them?"
This was the last time Lin Yueming ever pleaded with him.
The day after Lu Chen left, she learned that her Cousin had gone with him.
Family couldn’t accompany him, but his cousin could.
At that moment, she wasn’t even surprised. Instead, she felt a sense of inevitability—as if she had known all along.
Looking back, Lin Yueming felt nothing but shame—shame for her own naivety.
As a young couple, they had spent three years together. Even though there was much pain and many grievances in the Lu Family, for the sake of that one glance that felt like an eternity when he lifted her bridal veil, she always held many expectations for Lu Chen.
Every time, she believed what he said, only to find out they were all lies meant to deceive her.
From many expectations, to small hopes, to none at all.
On the second day after Lu Chen left, her mother-in-law brought her a Letter of Divorce, severing their marital ties forever.
In the three months since leaving the Lu Family, Lin Yueming had never once dreamed of Lu Chen. Now, encountering this Lu Chen with a blurred face in her dream, she couldn’t help but step forward and question him:
"After three years of marital affection, how could you be so heartless!"
If it had been a mutual separation, she could have returned to the Lin Family and found a way to survive.
But with a Letter of Divorce, all the blame fell on her, and the Lin Family naturally would not take her in.
Lu Chen did not speak. The blurred-faced Lu Chen drifted away like a star in the sky, not even lingering in her dream.
Half-asleep, someone wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
Along with that falling tear, there was also an almost imperceptible sigh.