They were to consummate their marriage by the end of the month.
Yan Chiyun, who served in the Zhenfusi, was naturally sharp-witted. He almost instantly sensed the gaze from within, different from usual.
Just as he handed his outer robe to the attendant beside him and instinctively glanced inside, he only caught sight of the back of a maid in pink clothing, who stepped sideways to block the lady in moon-white undergarments.
Thus, he saw only her figure, not her face.
Vaguely recalling his wife’s usual reticence, Yan Chiyun did not linger and shifted his gaze away.
Not far away, Jing Chun was nearly frantic with anxiety. She stood in front of Pu Jinyu, whispering urgently, “Miss!”
“You… you cannot appear before the young master looking like this.”
Although the two sisters bore some resemblance, once the cosmetics were washed off, a single glance would easily reveal the difference.
In the past, Lord Pu was renowned in Jingcheng as an upright gentleman who maintained his integrity. Despite being married for many years, he had only a wife and no concubines. Yet, even such a man as Lord Pu had secretly kept a mistress for many years, which was enough to show how beautiful and captivating Concubine Ruan was.
Pu Jinyu was her daughter, and her face surpassed even her mother’s beauty.
Even after all these years, Jing Chun still vividly remembered the day Concubine Ruan brought Pu Jinyu back to the Pu Family.
The young maiden, even dressed in tattered coarse clothing, could not conceal her delicate beauty. The dull gray fabric only accentuated her jade-like, translucent skin, pure and untainted.
She followed beside Concubine Ruan, looking lost and uncertain, like a deer that had strayed into a human manor—curious yet nervous, her eyes darting around.
After years of hardship, this beautiful deer had been tamed of her spirit. But today, for some reason, she was stirring up trouble again.
“Miss…” Jing Chun dared not scold Pu Jinyu as harshly as Nanny Wu did.
Madam Pu had once said that between the two of them, one must play the strict role while the other the gentle. Nanny Wu took on the former, and she had to follow up with the latter.
“You—” But since yesterday, she had sensed something amiss with Pu Jinyu.
Now, it felt as if her premonition had been confirmed.
For instance, at this moment, while she was nearly frantic with worry, Pu Jinyu leisurely smiled and said, “Why are you so nervous?”
“He’s already gone.” She tilted her chin slightly toward the back.
Jing Chun was thoroughly frightened. She cautiously glanced back, still blocking Pu Jinyu to prevent her from revealing her face.
Sure enough, Yan Chiyun was no longer there. Jing Chun breathed a temporary sigh of relief, her body drenched in cold sweat.
Yet the lady before her remained with a faint smile at the corner of her lips. Without cosmetics, her natural face was revealed—beautiful and dazzling, yet somehow exuding an inexplicable sense of danger.
“Why did you come out today without applying cosmetics?” Jing Chun shielded her as she led her toward the dressing table.
“Why don’t you ask why my husband returned so early today?”
With a light, casual remark, Pu Jinyu completely silenced Jing Chun.
How could a mere maid dare to question the current head of the Yan Family? Such matters were for the masters to handle, especially those related to official duties.
Pu Jinyu allowed Jing Chun to apply cosmetics to her face, gradually transforming her into the likeness of her legitimate elder sister.
She idly toyed with a porcelain cosmetics jar. “You dare not question my husband, yet you dare to question me?”
Jing Chun’s hand, holding the cosmetic brush, paused. Just then, Pu Jinyu lifted her gaze, looking at her with an inscrutable expression.
Her pupils were naturally round and beautiful, and when she stared at someone without speaking, it evoked a deep sense of panic. Not to mention her words now carried a subtle hint of aggression, and her expression was a half-smile.
"This servant… didn't mean it that way," Jing Chun awkwardly smiled and apologized. "Please don't misunderstand."
Pu Jinyu lowered her lashes. "You and Nanny Wu keep saying my status is now different from before, constantly reminding me that I must sever all ties with the past."
"I've always seen myself as my elder sister's shadow, living in the Yan Family in her place. But shouldn't you treat me with the same courtesy as you did her? Yet I feel that, in private, not a shred of the respect I deserve is present."
"If you want me to fully immerse myself in this role, you must set the stage properly, taking care of both the inside and the outside. Don’t just focus on appearances while neglecting what lies beneath."
"After all…" she smiled again, her tone gentle yet chilling, "my elder sister is already dead."
"If I were gone too, where in this world would you find another person exactly like her to take my place?"
"Jing Chun, don’t you think so?" Pu Jinyu asked with a smile, placing the porcelain jar on the table as she spoke.
The panic and unease in Jing Chun’s heart grew heavier, but she couldn’t find any fault in Pu Jinyu’s words. In fact, Pu Jinyu was subtly using Nanny Wu’s own arguments against her.
For a moment, Jing Chun didn’t know how to respond and stood there, lost in thought.
Until Pu Jinyu reminded her, "If you dawdle any longer, my husband will be coming out of the study."
Her peripheral vision had already caught sight of movement near the study.
Jing Chun snapped back to attention. "…This servant… will help you with your makeup right away."
Pu Jinyu said nothing more. She lowered her eyes, her emotions unreadable.
Jing Chun hurried through the makeup process, no longer asking whether Pu Jinyu still harbored resentment over Nanny Wu’s words, which had been laced with barbs.
Yan Chiyun was reviewing the dossiers brought over from the Ministry of Justice by the Zhenfusi. As he flipped through them, a guard beside him reported on the progress of the investigation, also mentioning that the Southern Pacification Office had been unusually active lately.
"Should this subordinate keep a closer watch?"
The man paused his hand as he turned the pages. "No need to bother."
The Northern and Southern Pacification Offices appeared to belong to the same bureau, but in reality, they balanced and opposed each other.
"Yes."
Some time ago, a master thief had appeared in Jingcheng, silently stealing the heirloom nine-linked ring from the Lu family, the leading merchant clan in the capital. In response, the Lu family had offered a hefty reward, gathering many martial artists and even government officials to help track it down.
Later, the nine-linked ring was resold into the largest underground gambling den in Jingcheng. In the struggle to seize it, martial artists and government officials had clashed, resulting in casualties on both sides.
That wasn’t the most important issue. The real problem was that the underground gambling den was already shady to begin with. Investigating the dead and injured led to the uncovering of many long-standing cases, most of which involved individuals from the imperial court, making them extremely troublesome to handle.
Thus, official duties had been exceptionally busy these days.
A few days earlier, due to his younger sister’s wedding, he had needed to make appearances at home to entertain the guests, which had delayed his progress.
Traveling back and forth was too troublesome. Today, he had originally planned to finish his official duties at the government office and stay there overnight. The reason he had to return home was that Madam Pu had sent someone to remind him—it was the end of the month.
On this day of the month, he had to return and share a room with her.
Thinking of this, Yan Chiyun paused his hand as he held the brush. "What time is it?"
His subordinate was taken aback but answered truthfully, "It’s almost the hour of the ox."
So late already…?
He looked outside, where a candle still burned in the inner chamber, its light faint but not overly dim.
Yan Chiyun quickened his pace, reviewing the dossiers submitted by his subordinates. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he rose from his study and headed to the bathing room.
Inside the bed curtains, Pu Jinyu slept lightly. Though the man’s footsteps were soft, she still sensed them.
For years, she had lived in constant fear of being discovered, never daring to indulge in deep sleep lest something go wrong.
Now, having already died once, she feared nothing.
She had intended to sleep peacefully, but her body had been so thoroughly “sculpted” by the Pu Family that it no longer obeyed her conscious will. It would take time to break free from this invisible “shackle.”
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to ignore the sounds outside and fall asleep quickly.
Yet no amount of soothing helped—the more she tried to avoid it, the more clearly she heard the man’s movements.
His bathing routine was the same as before, every step nearly without exception. Soon, he finished bathing, and his footsteps approached the bed.
Without opening her eyes, she felt him lift the bed curtains, his gaze lingering on her.
Pu Jinyu lay still, motionless, her eyes closed, unlike before when she would have moved closer to him.
That was what Pu Wange would have done, but she was Pu Jinyu.
Yan Mingshu had just married yesterday. Yan Chiyun had been swamped with official duties, not even returning for the evening meal, yet he came home early tonight—undoubtedly for the consummation.
Since she had married into the family, Madam Yan, Madam Pu, and the concubines had constantly urged her to have a child with Yan Chiyun.
But before her marriage, she had been raised in the countryside, her physique too frail compared to her elder sister’s fuller figure. Even after returning to the Pu Family and undergoing various dietary supplements, the effects couldn’t be seen quickly in such a short time. So, Madam Pu sought a physician to prescribe remedies—herbal baths and medicinal soups—finally yielding some noticeable results.
Perhaps those medicines had harmed her health, but in any case, she had not conceived in her first year of marriage. As for the next two years, it was even less likely: Yan Chiyun’s father’s old illness had relapsed, and Yan Chiyun had taken over as head of the family, leaving early and returning late, overwhelmed with work. Their already infrequent intimacy grew even colder.
Madam Pu, anxious for her to conceive and secure her position—to solidify the marital alliance between the two families—feared that if the truth were ever exposed, there would be no goodwill to serve as bargaining chips. She deliberately had that old crone Nanny Wu whisper about it in Madam Yan’s ear.
Madam Yan, eager for a grandchild, summoned them both for a reprimand.
At the time, wearing a false face, she placated Madam Yan, enduring much ridicule. In the end, it was Yan Chiyun who said he would take note, and the matter was reluctantly dropped.
After returning, Yan Chiyun told her that he would make sure to fulfill his marital duties at the beginning and end of each month. As for other times, it would depend on how busy he was with official duties, and she need not wait for him.
Pu Jinyu naturally had no objections.
Today was the end of the month. Who would have thought he would still return? Weren’t there many matters at court?
As a woman confined to the inner chambers, she did not involve herself in court affairs. But as a member of the highest-ranking family in Jingcheng and an official’s wife, she naturally paid some attention—after all, social interactions required vigilance to avoid omissions that could be used against her.
Yan Chiyun stood at the edge of the bed, gazing fixedly at Pu Jinyu, unmoving for a long time.
As usual, he extinguished the candle, leaving only the hazy moonlight to outline the young woman’s features on the bed.
Faintly, one could see that her face was adorned with cosmetics.
In truth, he did not quite understand why, even when retiring for the night, Pu Shi still applied cosmetics. Wasn’t it uncomfortable?
But he had heard that women love beauty. If she liked it and it did not bother him, even if he did not understand, he would not interfere.
Back in the early days of their Consummation, due to insufficient adjustment, her delicate frame could not bear it, and she trembled, crying heavily.
He paused, wanting to observe whether her expression had eased before proceeding, but she quickly turned her face away, afraid he might see it, burying herself directly into the soft pillow.
He only saw the side of her face, smeared by the mixture of tears and sweat that had ruined her cosmetics, leaving clear traces. Most striking was a stretch of her fair, tender neck—Pu Shi’s skin was exceptionally pale and smooth.
Her muffled voice said she was embarrassed and asked if he could stop looking at her.
He fell silent for a moment, then, as she wished, averted his gaze. Later, he did not continue either, only hurriedly concluding the matter as if it were a routine task.
Since then, whenever they consummated their marriage, all the candles would be extinguished, and they would engage in intimate matters enveloped in darkness.
Although it was the most intimate act between husband and wife, to him, it made no difference—it truly was just a routine task.
On schedule, on the appointed day, they would proceed and settle the matter.
Three years had passed, and the two had no further interactions, rarely even speaking.
But today, he had been standing by the Bed for a long time, and even after lying down, Pu Shi beside him still showed no movement.
Her breathing was steady, but he knew she was not deeply asleep. If she were, her breathing would be soft and prolonged.
In the past, when he approached, she would open her eyes, sit up, welcome him onto the Bed, and the two would proceed with what needed to be done in silent understanding.
But today, she remained unmoving. Had she forgotten?
Upon second thought, that possibility was slim. Perhaps she was just tired. Mingshu’s wedding banquet had been handled with great care and effort by Pu Shi, and it had gone exceptionally well.
Yan Chiyun thought for a moment and was about to say that she had worked hard the past two days and should rest today.
Suddenly, the woman beside him moved, drawing closer to him.