When Jiang Sheng said "sleep," he truly meant just sleeping.
Ignoring the lingering desire that had yet to subside, he simply held Lin Yueming close. With their clothes disheveled and the blanket covering them, they spent the night in a haphazard yet purely restful slumber.
Lin Yueming did not sleep soundly, drifting in and out of sleep until she finally woke at the yin hour (3–5 AM).
The blanket was warm, and Lin Yueming found herself thinking of the Lu Family again.
Lu Chen used to rise at the yin hour to attend the Imperial College. After placing first in the imperial examinations last year and entering the Hanlin Academy, he still had to rise at the yin hour to report for duty at the Hanlin Academy by the mao hour (5–7 AM).
Whenever Lu Chen rose, Lin Yueming would rise as well, preparing his breakfast and attire for the day. Over the years, this had become a habit—she would wake automatically at the appointed time.
Her mother-in-law, Madam Lu, did not have official duties, but she rose at the mao hour every day to pray. After seeing Lu Chen off, Lin Yueming would go to pay respects to Madam Lu and assist her in her prayers.
At the chen hour (7–9 AM), after Madam Lu finished praying, she would take Lin Yueming to pay respects to the Lu Family’s Old Madam. As the eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch, Lin Yueming was responsible for serving Madam Lu and the Old Madam during breakfast.
By the si hour (9–11 AM), when she returned to her own quarters, Lin Yueming had only a quarter of an hour to eat her own breakfast before the wives in charge of various household affairs from each branch would arrive.
The Lu Family was a prestigious scholarly clan with a large estate and dozens of family members. With so many people came countless matters. As the Old Madam was still alive, the family remained undivided, and all internal household affairs were managed through the family’s shared accounts—all under Lin Yueming’s supervision.
She would remain busy until the noon hour (11 AM–1 PM), when it was time to serve the Old Madam and Madam Lu their lunch. Only by the wei hour (1–3 PM) could Lin Yueming finally have her own lunch, after which she would continue meeting with people. She would remain occupied until the shen hour (3–5 PM), when Lu Chen returned home, and then begin preparing for the family’s dinner.
Year in and year out, there was hardly any leisure.
Moments like this—waking up and simply lying idly under the blanket—were nonexistent.
Lin Yueming let her thoughts drift, savoring this rare moment of leisure, yet she dared not move recklessly.
Men, even when not fully awake in the morning, could sometimes be in a particular state—and Jiang Sheng was currently in such a state.
Jiang Sheng held her too tightly. Afraid of provoking him, Lin Yueming carefully moved his arm from around her, creating a small distance between them. She then fumbled under the blanket for the trousers she had taken off the night before.
Just as she put them on, Jiang Sheng also woke, asking groggily:
"Awake? Need to go out? Want some water?"
Seeing Lin Yueming shake her head, Jiang Sheng stretched out his arm and pulled her back into his embrace, saying:
"Then sleep a little longer."
At the Jiang Family, the routines from her time at the Lu Family naturally no longer applied—everything had to adapt to the Jiang Family’s needs.
After the Emperor bestowed the marriage, the Lin Family had specifically sought information about the Jiang Family’s circumstances.
The Jiang Family was simple in structure, with only four acknowledged family members, including Jiang Sheng.
Jiang Sheng’s mother, Lady Jiang, disliked going out. She rarely attended weddings, funerals, or other social events in the capital and seldom interacted with others. In the year since the Jiang Family had arrived in the capital, Lin Yueming had only seen her once at a banquet.
Jiang Sheng’s younger brother, Jiang Yuan, was sixteen, unmarried, and studied at the Imperial College. He was also very low-key—unlike the frivolous young nobles of the capital who raced horses through the streets or indulged in pleasure, Jiang Yuan was never seen among them. Lin Yueming had yet to meet him in person.
Jiang Sheng’s younger sister, whose given name was unknown, was fourteen and not yet of marriageable age. Lin Yueming had also only interacted with her once, at that same banquet.
As a newly prominent family, the Jiang Family conducted themselves with great discretion.
Precisely because the Jiang Family maintained such a low profile, although there were four masters on the surface, details such as which concubines Jiang Sheng kept, their backgrounds, and Jiang Sheng’s personal preferences remained impossible to uncover.
Matters of the inner household should have been overseen by Lin Yueming’s stepmother, but before coming to the Jiang Family, Minister Lin, feeling uneasy, personally summoned Lin Yueming to offer guidance, lest her ignorance offend the esteemed son-in-law and bring trouble upon the Lin Family.
Minister Lin was deeply dissatisfied with this daughter. When he called her over, he said to her:
"If your sister had married half a month later, such a fine marriage would never have fallen to you. Since you have this fortune, cherish it and serve the Marquis of Wu’an well. If there is a next time, I hope you understand propriety and end things yourself. The reputation of the Lin Family cannot be tarnished by you again and again. Do you understand?"
Lin Yueming had understood her father’s coldness since childhood, but hearing it from him directly still chilled her heart.
After bidding farewell to the Lin Family, among her four accompanying maids, two were beauties specially selected by her stepmother.
Lin Yueming paid no mind to those two beauties. What concerned her was Lu Chen’s cousin, because she had once harbored affection for Lu Chen. As for the Marquis of Wu’an, she felt only respect, not love.
Respecting him meant naturally giving him whatever he wanted—why bother caring about the rest?
Compared to those two beauties, she was more concerned with Lady Jiang’s daily routines and habits.
Since she had married into the Jiang Family, most of her time would be spent living alongside Lady Jiang. Lady Jiang was her direct superior; understanding Lady Jiang’s preferences was even more important than figuring out the Marquis of Wu’an’s.
If Lady Jiang disliked going out, what did she do all day within the estate?
Jiang Sheng suggested sleeping a while longer, so the two slept from the yin hour until the mao hour.
By the beginning of the chen hour, Jiang Sheng still showed no intention of getting up, and Lin Yueming began to grow anxious.
On the second day of marriage, she was supposed to serve tea to Lady Jiang. It was improper to keep an elder waiting. Was it really acceptable not to get up now?
When one person wakes, the one sharing the bed can quickly sense it. Jiang Sheng also woke, noticing her restlessness. He sat up and said:
"Are you hungry? I’ll have someone bring breakfast."
Did the Marquis of Wu’an mean for the couple to eat alone?
Lin Yueming was astonished:
"Shouldn’t I first go to pay respects and serve tea to Madam?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Sheng seemed to think of something and actually laughed:
"So early to pay respects? Don’t trouble Madam. Let’s have a proper meal; going over at the si hour will still be in time."
Going at the si hour? What kind of arrangement was this? Could it be that Lady Jiang didn’t rise until the si hour every day?
This… this was truly too delightful.
Lin Yueming pondered this rebellious thought inwardly.
Since Jiang Sheng said the si hour, she would follow his lead.
Jiang Sheng called a maid in, leaving the inner bedroom to her while he went to the adjacent wing to wash up.
Lin Yueming had four accompanying maids, but only one senior maid, Bai Zhi, and one junior maid, Qing Dai, remained in the inner chamber to attend to her.
Qing Dai was only twelve this year, still a young girl unaware of worldly affairs.
But Bai Zhi was eighteen, having grown up with Lin Yueming and accompanied her to the Lu Family, so she naturally understood everything.
While handing Lin Yueming the face-washing towel, Bai Zhi whispered in her ear:
"Those two went to the adjacent wing to serve the Marquis."
Lin Yueming nodded to show she understood and softly replied:
"Let them be; pay them no mind."
From the start, the Lin Family had sent those two beauties precisely for such purposes—it was only a matter of time.
In theory, all the maids in the Marquis's Mansion belonged to Jiang Sheng. If he took a liking to any of them, he could have his way.
If Jiang Sheng cared for her dignity, he might wait a little longer, allowing her to make the arrangements herself to preserve everyone's face.
But if he truly desired it, he could act anytime, anywhere, with anyone—the decision rested solely with Jiang Sheng, and she had no say in the matter.
Moreover, she had no intention of stopping him.
After the two had washed up, breakfast was served in the side chamber of Suhui Hall. Jiang Sheng’s maids finished setting the table and stood waiting nearby. Lin Yueming glanced around but did not see the two beauties from the Lin Family.
Their absence meant Jiang Sheng had already made arrangements.
Lady Lin had spent a considerable sum selecting these two beauties, and it seemed the silver had not been wasted.
Lin Yueming pretended not to notice and stood to serve Jiang Sheng his dishes. Jiang Sheng reached out, pulling her to sit beside him, saying:
“Sit and eat with me. From now on, we’ll share meals together.”
Since Jiang Sheng invited her to eat together, she saw no reason to stubbornly remain standing and took her seat.
Seeing her sit, Jiang Sheng smiled faintly and waved his hand, dismissing the maids.
The maids filed out one by one. Bai Zhi glanced at Lin Yueming and, receiving a nod, led Qing Dai out as well.
With only the two of them left in the side chamber, Jiang Sheng finally spoke:
“Those two maids of yours are quite lovely. Are you willing to hand them over to me?”