Jiang Lingzhi was true to her word.
After settling Xiao Jingyi back in his room, she immediately dragged Xiao Yan to Rong An Hall to lodge a complaint.
The Duke and Madam Xiao were furious. They reprimanded Lu Shi, took Xiao Yan to the Ancestral Hall where he received twenty strikes of the Jia Fa, and ordered him to kneel in punishment for five days.
Only then did Jiang Lingzhi feel her anger subside.
After finishing dinner, she went to the bathhouse for a bath.
With time pressing and tasks weighing heavily, she was busy continuing the family line with the General—how could she bother with trivial matters!
Pouring a ladle of flower petal water over herself, she turned to instruct Xueying to fetch another pot of wine from Doctor Mu. Tonight, she was going to attend to the General.
In the main room,
Xiao Jingyi appeared motionless, but in truth, he had been reflecting on the words he overheard in the courtyard that evening.
From Xiao Yan’s fragmented remarks, it wasn’t hard for him to grasp the truth behind his nephew’s wife remarrying him.
It must have been that scoundrel nephew of his who wronged her—caught in an affair with her stepsister—that drove her, unable to bear the humiliation, to switch marriages and wed him instead.
While inwardly condemning the brat Xiao Yan for his outrageous behavior, he also felt a twinge of unease.
Though he bore the Xiao surname, the way Guogong Fu had handled matters was truly unfair to an innocent young woman.
Jiang Lingzhi had gone from marrying a scoundrel to switching marriages and wedding an unconscious cripple.
Leaping from one pit of fire straight into another.
Yes, having regained consciousness for barely a day, all his former pride had already dissipated.
From the moment he realized he couldn’t even control his own bodily functions, he had faced reality: he was now a helpless invalid, entirely at others’ mercy.
He had even considered biting off his tongue to end it all.
But when he placed his tongue between his teeth, he felt unwilling.
He refused to die in such a muddled, unclear state.
He hadn’t yet uncovered who was behind the ambush.
He hadn’t yet avenged his wrongfully slain soldiers—how could he die a coward’s death?
He feared the restless souls of those soldiers would find no peace in the underworld.
In the end, he calmed himself and accepted it all with equanimity.
Including this new wife.
He thought to himself, if he ever woke up, they would simply treat each other with respect.
He had his own matters to attend to.
As soon as Jiang Lingzhi finished her bath and stepped out of the bathhouse, Xiao Jingyi immediately heard her footsteps.
He heard her enter the room, then instruct the servants to leave.
Next came the soft rustling as she sat down by his bed, and he could even make out her faint breathing.
At this moment, Xiao Jingyi felt a flicker of pride—pride that, even paralyzed, he retained such sharp hearing. But then he found it absurd, feeling like a peeping tom.
Jiang Lingzhi sat by his bedside and began chatting casually, as if sharing household news. She recounted how the family had dealt with Xiao Yan’s incident, then drifted into talk about her upcoming return visit to her maiden home.
The more she spoke, the more resentful she grew: “…What kind of person is he? Makes me call him ‘Second Brother,’ but won’t even buy me a stick of sugar-coated haws. Don’t you think he’s asking too much?”
Hearing her recount this in a tone mingling complaint and reliance, Xiao Jingyi felt an inexplicable pang of pity.
Sugar-coated haws—who hadn’t eaten them as a child?
He used to buy them for his own younger sister. Girls liked these novel snacks; it wasn’t as if she were asking for the stars.
This Second Young Master Jiang was truly stingy.
Jiang Lingzhi continued speaking while taking his hand again: “If we ever have children in the future, we definitely won’t let them end up like me—unloved and uncared for, having experienced nothing in life.”
Xiao Jingyi: “……”
It seemed she was truly overwhelmed with sorrow, talking nonsense. In his condition, how could he possibly have children with her!
Shortly after, he heard the voice of the maid Xueying at the door: “Fourth Madam, the wine you requested has arrived.”
“Set it down.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Jingyi couldn’t help but wonder—what did she need wine for?
Was she planning to drown her sorrows in drink?
Come to think of it, she really was a pitiable soul.
Her mother had passed away at her birth, her own father had abandoned her in the countryside. Finally married, she’d been humiliated on her wedding day, then forced into a substituted marriage with a terminally ill, unconscious invalid. Returning to her maiden home, she’d faced cruelty from an elder brother she’d never even met before.
It was truly heartbreaking.
Still… he wanted to advise her against drinking when upset—it was harmful to the body.
He felt her soft palm withdraw, heard footsteps moving away, then the sound of a wine pot being lifted and set down again. The footsteps returned to his bedside and paused.
Then came the sound of a wine cup falling to the floor.
Next, he felt warm, slender fingertips lifting his chin and pinching his nose. Struggling to breathe, he instinctively opened his mouth.
His lips were immediately captured, sending what felt like an electric shock through his entire body—a tingling sensation shooting from his soles to the crown of his head.
She was kissing him.
And quite boldly transferring mouthfuls of wine into his mouth.
Xiao Jingyi: “……”
Audacious!
…Never mind. She was, after all, his wife in name. Given her pitiable circumstances and lack of support, he might as well humor her and share some drinks.
Had Jiang Lingzhi known his thoughts, she would have rolled her eyes dramatically at him.
Drown what sorrows? What nonsense was he thinking?
She genuinely believed he was incapable!
Doctor Mu, familiar with his pulse condition, had prepared wine that wouldn’t harm his health—that’s why she was giving it to him.
As for all her earlier chatter, she simply wanted to establish familiarity between them so she’d feel more relaxed when… attending to certain matters.
How could Xiao Jingyi possibly know this? All he could perceive was the kiss deepening gradually.
He felt her nimble tongue lightly sweep across his palate, followed by another wave of unfamiliar pleasure.
Yet he couldn’t help feeling irritated—had a little drink made her this unrestrained?
Before he could ponder further, the chaotic kiss continued its reckless invasion between his lips.
He couldn’t even distinguish whether he was resisting or wanting to take control.
The kiss then descended upon the tip of his nose.
She didn’t spare his forehead or Adam’s apple either, soon moving to his earlobes.
An odd sense of anticipation rose in Xiao Jingyi’s heart.
In the past, he’d been invincible on the battlefield—no ordinary person could get close to him.
But now, blind and immobilized, he couldn’t even predict where her next kiss would land.
Amid the anticipation, worry crept in—would she attempt something even bolder?
Her actions confirmed that she would.
She parted his garments, kissing his collarbone. Her loose hair scattered, and the delicate tickling sensations across his chest raised goosebumps.
Jiang Lingzhi certainly didn’t miss his physical reactions.
She immediately stopped and asked him joyfully, “You can feel that, can’t you?”
Not content with just asking, she reached out and gently poked his chest. Sure enough, more goosebumps appeared.
Her delight grew even stronger: “Since you can feel things, you’re bound to wake up eventually!”
It seemed Doctor Mu hadn’t been exaggerating at all – intimacy in bed truly did help him.
Thinking this, she felt she should redouble her efforts. Perhaps one day she’d receive double blessings: both conceiving a child and awakening the general.
Happily, she let down the bed curtains and began removing her own clothes before undoing his.
Her mood was so exhilarated that her movements became much bolder and more uninhibited. Her restless fingers wandered freely across his body, practicing what she’d learned from the illustrated manuals with abandon.
Xiao Jingyi: “…”
Was she really going to go through with this?
His answer came in her still-awkward yet determined movements.
Fine, he thought, he’d just consider it fulfilling his husbandly duties. He couldn’t let her remain a living widow, could he?
Thus all resistance faded from his heart.
Xiao Jingyi felt like a sword being sheathed – all the sharp edges and rebellious spirit in his bones were smoothed away, leaving him willing to drown completely in this haven of tenderness.