Jiang Yao’s breathing was steady and long, her brows not even slightly furrowed. She clearly had not heard him.
Pei Zheng’s expression paused. Patiently, he called her again.
The result was the same.
His thick brows furrowed. He reached out and pushed her shoulder, raising his voice slightly with a hint of stiffness. “Jiang Yao, if you still do not wake up, I will not accompany you.”
The answer he received was a flying object hurled straight at him, followed by Jiang Yao’s displeased muttering.
She then rolled over, turned her back to him, and buried herself completely under the blanket.
Pei Zheng instinctively caught the object mid-air. Looking down, he saw it was the erotic picture book from earlier. His face immediately darkened.
Zi Shan and Lü Fei entered at that exact moment and froze in horror at the scene, quickly pleading, “Please calm down, Marquis! Once Madam has had enough sleep, she will wake up!”
Pei Zheng stared at the mound on the bed and asked blankly, “What did she just say?”
The murmuring had been too soft and indistinct for him to catch a single word.
Lü Fei hesitated, then answered honestly, “Madam said… you must not forget the first condition you agreed to.”
The first condition?
Pei Zheng immediately recalled what had happened three months ago when he went to the Jiang family of Jinling to propose marriage. Behind a screen, Jiang Yao had presented three conditions—if he agreed, she would accept the marriage.
The first condition: after marriage, she must be allowed to sleep until she woke naturally every day.
Sleep until she woke naturally.
Pei Zheng’s gaze shifted slightly. “What time does your mistress usually wake up?”
Lü Fei answered softly, “Miss… usually wakes at the hour of Si.”
“What time?” Pei Zheng thought he had misheard.
“Si hour… three quarters past Si,” Lü Fei said even more quietly, lowering her head.
She did not dare look at his expression.
Now certain he had not misheard, Pei Zheng fell silent.
Since the age of three, when he first began his studies, he had woken up no later than the hour of Mao every day. For twenty-five years, it had never changed.
It was a habit carved into his bones. He had never once considered sleeping in.
So how could anyone sleep until the sun was already high in the sky?
This was pure waste of time.
In other words, there were still more than two hours before she would wake.
No wonder Jiang Yao had reminded him of this last night.
When he first heard this request, Pei Zheng had not thought much of it. He had assumed it was merely the Jiang family testing the Pei family’s sincerity, so he had agreed.
Besides, in his understanding, even his mother, siblings, and the younger children of the household all rose no later than the hour of Chen.
Jiang Yao’s waking time at the Si hour simply had not been within his expectations—especially not in a strict noble household governed by ritual and discipline.
Now that he thought about it, she had likely planned this in advance and deliberately set terms beforehand.
And since he had already agreed, it would not be appropriate to go back on his word. That would be no different from deception in marriage.
Pei Zheng exhaled lightly and asked, “So no one ever criticizes her for this?”
He tapped his finger lightly, implying something.
Zi Shan hesitated before replying, “My lord does not know… Our mistress has loved sleeping since childhood. If she does not get enough rest, she is listless all day. After Madam passed away, the master pitied her and did not restrain her. The household also stopped requiring her to pay morning respects.”
Since the head of the family had already allowed it, the concubines and other elders naturally dared not object.
Zi Shan chose her words carefully, afraid that the Marquis might think poorly of her mistress as lazy.
But what Pei Zheng heard formed a different picture entirely.
A child who had lost her mother young, left without proper discipline, and indulged by the household until she developed an unruly nature.
In noble families, such cases were not rare. Children without a birth mother often grew unchecked, like wild grass—and sometimes were even intentionally raised into uselessness.
Thinking of this, Pei Zheng’s gaze toward the bed carried a trace of complexity.
“Forget it,” he sighed.
After all, she was only an eighteen-year-old young lady. Sleeping a little more was not a serious matter. They could simply wait.
He instructed, “Send word to the madam. I have caught a slight chill this morning and am unwell. We will bring the new wife to pay respects later in the day.”
……
Even by the hour of Si’s end, Jiang Yao still showed no sign of waking.
Under Pei Zheng’s silent gaze, Lü Fei explained awkwardly, “On the journey to the capital, Madam did not sleep properly. She is likely simply exhausted.”
Pei Zheng did not respond.
They had already waited nearly three hours. Another short while made no difference.
So they waited.
And waited.
By midday, Jiang Yao finally stirred awake.
Eyes half-lidded, she asked lazily, “Zi Shan, Lü Fei… what time is it?”
Pei Zheng replied expressionlessly, “Noon.”
Jiang Yao blinked. “So late already? No wonder I’m hungry.”
She patted her empty stomach and muttered to herself.
Pei Zheng’s lips pressed into a thin line. He said sternly, “Do you know you were supposed to go and pay respects to my mother today?”
“I know,” Jiang Yao said, propping herself up on the bed, her loose hair falling as she revealed her delicate face.
She waved her hand in front of him and huffed, “But if you hadn’t worn me out last night, I wouldn’t have slept until now.”
As she moved, her wide sleeve slipped down her shoulder, revealing a stretch of snow-white skin marked with scattered red traces like blooming peach blossoms.
Pei Zheng’s gaze burned. “Nonsense! How can you speak of bedroom matters so casually?”
He reprimanded her while instinctively pulling her sleeve back down to cover her skin.
Jiang Yao lifted her chin and glanced at him sideways. “We already did it—why can’t I say it? Marquis, tell me if I’m wrong.”
She was already breathtakingly beautiful, her peach blossom eyes slightly upturned and glistening with moisture, naturally carrying a seductive charm.
Pei Zheng said nothing, his face stern.
Only the suddenly curled fingers hidden in his sleeve betrayed his emotions.
He admitted inwardly that he had indeed been somewhat… excessive last night.
Today, he wore a dark, formal robe with a meticulously arranged collar and a wide leather belt, appearing stern and proper as always.
Yet Jiang Yao knew that beneath that tightly fastened collar were scratches and bite marks she had left behind.
She snorted softly, calling him a “hypocrite” in her mind.
After washing up, Jiang Yao drank a bowl of bird’s nest porridge while her maids helped her dress.
This naturally took time, so Pei Zheng sat with a book and read it again.
Suddenly, an exclamation came from inside the room.
“Madam, you are so beautiful! So beautiful it goes straight to my heart!”
Zi Shan had just inserted the final hairpin and could not help but gasp in admiration at the mirror.
Dressed in full attire, Jiang Yao’s hair was styled high, her temples like clouds. Jewels adorned her head without appearing gaudy, and her light makeup elevated her beauty to perfection.
Graceful brows, bright eyes, and red lips—her skin as white as milk with no flaw, the cinnabar mole on her cheek shining like a star.
Only lip rouge remained.
Lü Fei selected three shades and asked gently, “Madam, which would you like today?”
Jiang Yao suddenly turned her head.
Pei Zheng, meeting her gaze, casually looked outside and said calmly, “It is already past noon.”
Jiang Yao ignored him. “Marquis, which color do you think is best?”
She held up the three tubes for him to see, each containing red pigment.
Pei Zheng asked, “What are these?”
“Lip rouge.”
Seeing his unfamiliar expression, Jiang Yao explained briefly, “It is portable, the jade keeps it cool so it does not melt easily, and the patterns are just for decoration.”
Pei Zheng looked at the three nearly identical shades and chose the middle one.
Left and right were hard to decide—so the middle should be safe.
Jiang Yao raised a brow. “This is cinnabar red.”
She applied it carefully to her lips, smoothing it out before smiling slightly. “It suits me.”
After finishing, she suddenly stood and walked toward him.
She leaned in.
The distance between them shrank to less than three inches. Pei Zheng’s breath stalled. “What now?”
Jiang Yao lifted her chin, her red lips slightly parted. “This is the rouge you chose. Can you smell what fragrance it has?”
Pei Zheng: “No.”
At that moment, his mind had gone completely blank.
Jiang Yao pouted. “Boring.”
She straightened and stepped back. “Let’s go. Time to pay respects to your mother.”
Before he could respond, she had already stepped out the door, her skirt fluttering like a butterfly in flight.
Pei Zheng stood still for a moment, then followed.
At Madam Luo’s residence hall.
After lunch, Madam Luo—neatly groomed and dignified—had just set down her ivory chopsticks, ready to return to her quarters for a rest, when a servant entered to report.
“Madam, the Marquis and the new Madam have arrived.”
Madam Luo’s face immediately fell. “Why do they come now of all times?”
She had just decided to rest, and now they appeared.
Her personal nanny, Nanny Zhou, gently comforted her, “A new bride must come to pay respects on her first day. It is expected.”
Madam Luo waved her hand impatiently. “Fine. Go call the second and third daughters-in-law, and bring Mingrong back as well.”