After washing up, Lou Buqi sat down on the bed.
Ju Yue’s sleeping posture was something to behold—she occupied more than half of his bed.
Her restless movements had caused her red inner robe to ride up, revealing a slender section of her waist.
That waist was impossibly slim and fair, and equally impossibly alluring.
Lou Buqi stared unblinkingly, his gaze gradually deepening, his throat bobbing repeatedly.
A surge of heat rushed straight to where it should.
The sensation from earlier in the day, when he had gripped her waist, seemed to resurface in his palm.
Lou Buqi rubbed his fingers restlessly.
He had already brought her back, they had bowed in marriage, and the marriage certificate was in hand.
He had even given her eight-tenths of the bed.
She was undeniably his!
Doing something to her was only natural.
Holding his breath, Lou Buqi trembled slightly as he reached toward that exposed waist.
The soft waist fit into his hand, warm, supple, and silky, making his heart race uncontrollably.
Lou Buqi lay on his side, pulling Ju Yue into his embrace.
He felt his entire body burning, taut and aching.
A fierce beast within him was straining to break free, to gallop, to possess her fiercely.
To make her completely his!
Lou Buqi’s arms tightened around her, his breathing growing rapid and erratic.
But the person in his arms squirmed uncooperatively.
Ju Yue had been sleeping soundly when her waist was touched repeatedly, tickling her unbearably and waking her up.
With a thick, nasal voice, she mumbled, “Stop touching my waist!”
Lou Buqi, consumed by passion, not only didn’t let go but held her even tighter.
His heated breath sought her ear.
Annoyed, Ju Yue rolled over and sat up, her eyes still closed as she blurted out, “Why are you hugging my waist?”
“Green lotus leaves float on the water, a male frog hugs a female frog’s waist! Do you want to be a male frog?”
Lou Buqi was so shocked his pupils trembled: “…”
With that, Ju Yue flopped back down, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Leaving the poor young master trembling in the wind.
Lou Buqi spent the entire night pondering, utterly unable to understand.
Why had he been so bewitched to bring back such an unlucky creature?
It was one thing for her to be delicate, and another for her to cry easily, but that bit about male and female frogs—what man could withstand that?!
At such a critical moment, she came out with that line, he…
Was she a packet of Muscle-Weakening Powder in her past life?!
Lou Buqi thought sorrowfully, shifting his body closer to the edge of the bed.
Perfect.
When he first got into bed, he still had control over two-tenths of it, but after a round of “friendly negotiations,” he now occupied only one-tenth of the bed!
His family status was truly rock-solid!
…
The vast spring breeze swept across the wilderness, brushing through the night of the capital, through its streets and alleys, and reaching Yunyang Marquis Mansion.
The night was deep, the banquet had ended, but Yun Feiyang was neither entertaining guests nor enjoying the bliss of his wedding night in the bridal chamber.
He knelt in the incense-filled ancestral hall of the Yun Family, facing the lineage of his ancestors.
The Marquise stood sternly before him, holding a bamboo board two fingers wide, striking her son’s bare back forcefully, one blow after another.
As she struck, she said coldly, “What use are you? All you had to do was complete the wedding ceremony properly, but you had to stir up trouble!”
“Now look, a perfectly good wedding has turned into this, making the Yun Family the laughingstock of the entire capital. Are you satisfied?”
A shadow darkened Yun Feiyang’s eyes as he gritted his teeth and apologized to his mother:
"It's my fault for being useless, a complete failure who has let down mother's painstaking efforts."
After thirty-six strikes of the family discipline, the Marchioness threw the bloodstained bamboo paddle down in front of Yun Feiyang with a sharp crack.
Her expression cold and stern, she said, "Have you thought it through? What are we going to do about His Highness the Princess's Husband?"
"Earlier, you promised His Highness that you would deliver Ju Yue to him. Now, Lou Buqi has intervened and snatched away that little girl from the Ju family. If His Highness blames us, not only will your inheritance of the title be hopeless, but we might also invite other troubles."
The more the Marchioness thought about it, the more agitated she became.
Her husband had been dead for a full year now. According to custom, the imperial decree appointing Yun Feiyang to inherit the title should have been issued long ago.
Yet there had been no sign of it, and she had no idea what the Emperor was thinking.
The Marchioness was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She had submitted three petitions requesting the conferment, but all had sunk without a trace.
Finally, she managed to forge a connection with Qinghe Princess's Husband, who promised to speak on behalf of the Yun Family before the Emperor.
But the Princess's Husband had a condition: he wanted the eldest daughter of the Ju family.
The Marchioness and Yun Feiyang discussed it and planned to marry Ju Yue, then secretly deliver her to the Princess's Husband.
It was essentially raising a mistress for him!
If anything went wrong in the process, they could use Ju Yue's alleged misconduct as an excuse to send her to a nunnery or quietly dispose of her.
Though this was somewhat immoral, for the sake of the title, they were willing to resort to any means, let alone sacrifice a young girl.
That was why they had arranged this wedding of shouldering two households, marrying two wives simultaneously.
Leaving Ju Yue outside the door was also a prelude to quietly dealing with her later.
The plan was well-laid, but unexpectedly, things went wrong at the last moment. Ju Yue was taken by Lou Buqi, leaving them empty-handed and facing the Princess's Husband's wrath.
The Marchioness felt like strangling her own son.
"You knew how important this wedding was, so why did you leave her outside for so long?! You've disappointed me so much!"
Yun Feiyang's back burned with searing pain.
The Marchioness had shown no mercy. After thirty-six strikes of the family discipline, he was in so much pain he nearly fainted.
Yet the pain in his heart was even greater than the physical agony.
His mother was right—he truly was useless, unable to even handle a wedding properly.
The matter of inheriting the title would now be delayed indefinitely.
Delay was the best-case scenario; what he truly feared was the Emperor's unpredictable will. If one day their entire family was wiped out, that would be a true tragedy.
Now, they had also offended the Princess's Husband and had to figure out how to appease his anger.
Both mother and son were consumed with anxiety.
After a long while, the Marchioness finally waved her hand weakly.
"What's done is done. Regretting it now won't change anything. I'll think of another way. Get up now—Yan'er is still waiting for you in the bridal chamber."
The Marchioness advised, "You're injured, so don't consummate the marriage tonight. Wait until you've recovered. Yan'er is a sensible child; she won't blame you."
Yun Feiyang replied softly, "I understand, Mother. I'll take my leave."
Leaving the ancestral hall, Yun Feiyang could barely stand. He had to lean against the wall and slowly make his way back.
When he returned to the bridal chamber and saw Bai Yanling sitting upright on the wedding bed, her head covered with a red veil, waiting for him, he gritted his teeth and straightened his back.
Afraid of worrying Bai Yanling, he showed no sign of abnormality in front of his bride.
Bai Yanling, completely absorbed in her own shyness and nervousness, didn't notice anything amiss with Yun Feiyang.
When she lifted her veil and saw his pale face and the cold sweat on his forehead, she assumed he had drunk too much.
Considerately, she took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
Shyly, she whispered, "Cousin…"
Yun Feiyang grasped Bai Yanling's hand, his peripheral vision catching the stark white Chastity Cloth on the bed.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
He truly did not want to do this.
Moreover, his mother had instructed him not to consummate the marriage tonight.
But… if he did not consummate the marriage with his cousin tonight, the servants would gossip about her not being favored by her husband.
His cousin was a new bride entering the household, facing difficulties at every turn; he ought to be more considerate of her.
Even if he had to grit his teeth, he must proceed.
Yun Feiyang pressed Bai Yanling's hand onto the pillow, preventing her from touching his back.
The woman beneath him frowned and let out a soft cry of pain, while his own back burned with agony.
The man's eyes were bloodshot, his facial muscles twitching and contorted, as he thrust his body almost self-destructively.
The wounds tore open, flesh and clothing sticking together—the more violent his movements, the greater the pain.
Pain and pleasure intertwined overwhelmingly, indistinguishable as to which sensation dominated more.
He himself could not explain what drove him to defy his mother's wishes and consummate the marriage with Bai Yanling.