The space beside her was empty, the quilt slightly cold. Yun Feiyang had already risen at some unknown hour.
Bai Yanling reached out to gently stroke the pillow next to her, not daring to linger too long. After a couple of light touches, she quickly withdrew her hand, pulled the covers over her head, and giggled secretly.
The wet nurse lifted the gauze bed curtain to rouse her. "Hua Momo from the madam's side has arrived. This servant must collect your Chastity Cloth to give to her."
Bai Yanling flushed with embarrassment, letting out an "Ah!" before scrambling out of bed.
As she moved, she felt a deep soreness in her waist and between her legs, reminding her of the tender intimacy she had shared with her cousin the night before. Her heart swelled with both shyness and sweetness.
Getting married, especially to the one you love, truly was wonderful.
Hua Momo, being a close attendant to the Marchioness, naturally knew what the Marchioness had instructed Yun Feiyang the previous night.
She had assumed the young couple had not yet consummated their marriage.
She had come to Yun Feiyang's courtyard primarily to remind them to go for the Jingcha ceremony early.
But Bai Yanling's wet nurse was unaware of this and misunderstood, thinking Hua Momo had come specifically for the Chastity Cloth.
Thus, following protocol, she collected the Chastity Cloth, neatly folded it, placed it into a specially crafted small box, and presented it to Hua Momo with immense pride.
This cloth represented her young mistress's purity and innocence—a mark of her honor.
To be honest, Hua Momo was somewhat surprised to receive the cloth.
Upon realizing its significance, she congratulated Bai Yanling: "Congratulations, young madam. This old servant will go inform the old madam of the joyous news."
Bai Yanling was too embarrassed to even look up.
Yun Feiyang walked in from outside, nodding politely to Hua Momo.
He was already fully dressed, his back wounds treated and not visible from the outside.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see dark circles under his eyes and a slight pallor on his face.
Hua Momo gave Yun Feiyang a meaningful glance but said nothing before taking her leave.
Yun Feiyang lowered his gaze, his expression calm and unreadable, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Bai Yanling remained completely unaware of the undercurrents between Hua Momo and Yun Feiyang.
In her heart, she was still rejoicing that Lou Buqi had taken Ju Yue away.
With no rival left to compete with, her cousin would now belong entirely to her alone.
From now on, she could be with her cousin every day, sharing sweet, intimate nights under the same quilt…
It took her a long while to notice Yun Feiyang's distracted demeanor, which seemed devoid of the joy befitting a newlywed.
At the very least, he did not share the heartfelt happiness she felt.
She sat before the dressing mirror to comb her hair, adjusting the mirror's angle to observe him in its reflection.
Yun Feiyang sat upright, sipping tea, lost in thought without even glancing her way.
Bai Yanling's heart tightened with worry.
Was her cousin…
still thinking of Ju Yue?
Wasn't it often said that what one cannot obtain becomes the most precious?
Now that Ju Yue was beyond his reach, would he forever cherish her memory?
The mere thought of this possibility brought Bai Yanling close to tears.
Yun Feiyang looked up at her. "Are you ready? We should go for the Jingcha ceremony now. We mustn't keep Mother and Second Uncle waiting."
Bai Yanling quickly composed herself, responding softly as she hastened her preparations.
The Yun Family was large—the kind where one could easily mistake names even with a register in hand.
Bai Yanling secretly felt relieved that she had been a frequent visitor to the Marquis Mansion before, familiar with all these people. Otherwise, she would have been completely in the dark, unsure how to handle such a situation.
Before marrying into the family, she had thought she would perform the Jingcha ceremony alongside Ju Yue.
She had even imagined how satisfying it would be on this day—Ju Yue, not recognizing a single member of the Yun Family, would be cold-shouldered and excluded everywhere, while she herself would navigate the Yun Family with ease, greeted and cared for by everyone!
Never did she expect that Ju Yue, who was supposed to serve as the contrast, would be snatched away by that Lou Buqi!
Her imagined moment of glory vanished.
As she drifted into a daze, Yun Feiyang’s seven-year-old sister, Yun Duoduo, suddenly blurted out with shocking bluntness: “Cousin, cousin, did my brother hit you last night? I heard you crying out!”
The little girl, innocent and naive, had followed a group of older children the night before to listen under the eaves.
Hearing the commotion inside the room but only half-understanding, she had come to Bai Yanling this morning with the studious spirit of “learning without dying leads to forgetting, dying without learning leads to pleasure,” eager to ask.
Her opening question was of such a weighty nature—goodness, even the dogs within a ten-mile radius fell silent.
Bai Yanling’s face flushed crimson, then turned deathly pale under the sudden gazes of everyone in the room.
She stared in horror at the innocent and lively Yun Duoduo, her throat choked, utterly unable to speak.
Not receiving an answer from Bai Yanling, Yun Duoduo turned her head toward Yun Feiyang: “Big brother, cousin just married into our family, you must treat her well! How could you bully her?”
Last night, cousin had cried so pitifully—her brother must have hit her very, very hard.
The child’s innocent words left everyone present struggling to contain their twisted expressions.
Some of the men cast lewd glances up and down at Bai Yanling.
Yun Duoduo’s wet nurse, flushed with embarrassment, came over to drag her away: “My young lady! You’re still too young to understand. You’ll know when you grow up—that’s not called bullying.”
But Yun Duoduo, eager to stand up for Bai Yanling, had no intention of leaving.
She struggled desperately against her wet nurse: “How is it not bullying? I heard it clearly!”
Her clear, childish voice rang in everyone’s ears: “Brother hit her so hard! The sounds were so loud! Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack!”
“Cousin kept crying, saying it hurt, saying no, but brother kept hitting her! He even told cousin to turn over so he could hit her!”
The crowd could no longer hold back, bursting into uproarious laughter.
“Duoduo, tell us properly, what else did your cousin say besides it hurting?” someone asked with ill intent.
Yun Feiyang closed his eyes and interjected: “Enough, Yun Duoduo, shut your mouth!”
Yun Duoduo was the late-born daughter of the Marquise, naturally doted on excessively.
Seeing her son scold her little daughter, the Marquise was deeply displeased: “Duoduo, come here!”
The Marquise took Yun Duoduo into her arms, soothing her, then cast a cold glance at Bai Yanling, her eyes flashing with profound disappointment.
“Yan’er, the most important virtue for a woman is to be chaste and serene! Since you have married into the Yun Family, you must abide by the Yun Family’s rules! From now on, you must be more careful in everything you do, understood?”
Her voice grew increasingly stern toward the end.
Bai Yanling felt utterly wronged, biting her lip tightly as her eyes reddened layer by layer. “Aunt, I didn’t…”
The Marquise said coldly: “How many times have I taught you to always pay attention to the occasion in your words and actions? Have you forgotten? There are still children here. Are you sure you want to discuss the matters of your bedroom here?!”
Bai Yanling fell silent.
She knew her aunt loved her dearly, but she was even more aware that her aunt's greatest affection was reserved for Yun Duoduo.
If Yun Duoduo had eavesdropped, it was her fault—even if it wasn't, it still was!
Yun Feiyang frowned and pulled Bai Yanling behind him. "Mother, Yun Duoduo is already seven years old—she's not a child anymore. You must teach her properly! You can't indulge her in such mischief!"
The Marquess's wife, being publicly scolded by her son in front of everyone, could not bear such humiliation.
She slapped the table with a sharp "crack." "You unfilial son! How dare you defy me?!"
Last night, for his own good, she had advised him against consummation, but this rebellious son had completely ignored her.
Fine! Did he want to challenge her authority with a rebellious seal?!
Yun Feiyang raised his eyes to meet his mother's gaze, feeling a faint, rebellious thrill deep in his heart.
He had certainly been at fault in yesterday's incident, but was his mother entirely blameless?
She had hidden in the residence, refusing to come out, allowing Lou Buqi to take the person away.
Afterward, she had only blamed him relentlessly for being useless.