Xi Cai immediately stiffened. Fear rose in her heart, but she could not kick him away. If she did, she would hardly be living up to the standard of a virtuous wife.
All she could do was stare wide-eyed at the reddish-pink canopy above them and try to persuade him once more.
“My lord, please take care of your health.”
Yang Xun lifted his head from her neck and asked expressionlessly, “Are you unwilling to hurt me, my lady, or are you simply unwilling to do this?”
Her heart pounded wildly, and she could hear the rush of blood in her ears. Forcing herself to remain calm, she replied, “Of course I am worried about hurting you. It is only natural for a husband and wife to consummate their marriage, but such activities can greatly deplete one’s vitality. You might need half a year to recover afterward, and even then, you might not regain what you have lost. That is why I am urging you to think carefully before proceeding.”
His eyes looked down at her from above, as though they could see straight through her thoughts.
“I am twenty-eight years old, yet I still have no children. I married you precisely because I wish to continue the family line and have descendants.”
Xi Cai answered, “Having children and continuing the family line is certainly a good thing. But before that, we must first ensure that you remain alive and well. To me, your safety and good health are more important than having children.”
The hand beneath her undergarment had not wandered recklessly. It remained quietly at her waist, its fingertips slowly tracing a small patch of skin.
Yang Xun spoke unhurriedly. “You make a reasonable point. However, now that we are married, I must fulfill my duties as your husband. Without physical intimacy, you would not truly be my wife. You would still be nothing more than a daughter of the Xi family.”
Xi Cai had been nervous at first. After all, she had never been intimate with a man before.
But intimacy behind closed doors required both people to influence one another before any real passion could develop.
Yang Xun was, in truth, a block of ice wrapped in silk. Every movement he made seemed to serve a purpose. She could detect no change in his emotions, nor the slightest sign that he had lost himself in passion. He was simply carrying out his plan step by step.
Even as his hand moved across her body, his breathing remained steady and undisturbed.
Gradually, Xi Cai’s uneasiness faded. She even began to think that if he genuinely wanted to try, there was no reason she had to stop him.
If he ended up damaging his own health, that would be his own doing. He could hardly blame anyone else.
And so, beneath the embroidered wedding canopy, they became entangled in a strange, tender-looking intimacy. There was no racing heartbeat or genuine warmth between them. They simply went through the motions, straightforwardly completing what was expected of a newly married couple.
He kissed her neck, and she tilted her chin upward.
He leaned toward her, and she opened her arms, waiting for him to come closer.
Fortunately, he had no unpleasant odor. Although his somewhat prominent bones occasionally pressed uncomfortably against her, he knew how to be careful and did not deliberately hurt her.
Before Xi Cai’s wedding, her mother had briefly explained the matters that took place in the marital bed. Since she had never expected this marriage to last long, her mother had not gone into much detail.
In the end, she had simply said, “The Marquis of Yanling surely knows what to do. And if he doesn’t, well, that would be even better.”
Therefore, Xi Cai only knew that she was supposed to cooperate in removing their clothes. Now that they had reached this point, she assumed they would proceed to undress completely.
Of course, she did not intend to remove her own clothes. She planned to help him take his off.
Compared with the mysteries of relations between men and women, she was actually more curious about whether he was as sickly and emaciated as she had imagined. Would he look like a monkey once all his clothes were removed?
But just as she was about to raise her hand, he suddenly changed his mind and lay back in his original position.
After a moment, he said wistfully, “I have carefully considered what you said, my lady. You are right. I should not ruin everything simply for a moment of pleasure.”
All right, then.
The warmth his fingers had left on her skin had not even faded before their deliberately intimate encounter came to an end.
Xi Cai straightened the overlapping collar of her garment, secretly delighted that he had stopped halfway. At least she would not have to endure the discomfort of forcing herself to accept something she did not want.
The two of them lay stiffly side by side without saying another word.
Knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock!
The sound of the fifth-watch clappers came from outside.
Their wedding night had begun with a long, tedious wait and later turned into a drawn-out struggle of wills. She had never expected it to consume so much time. Dawn was almost upon them.
Her drowsiness had passed, and she found herself unable to fall asleep.
Her thoughts wandered in every direction. She had never liked having another person spend the night in her room. Even having her personal maid stand watch beside her bed made her uncomfortable.
Yet now, a man was lying beside her. Not just any man, but her father’s sworn political enemy and a powerful official whom the entire court feared.
Thinking about it felt like waking up in the middle of a dream. Shock and despair washed over her together.
How much longer will I have to live like this?
While Xi Cai was busy lamenting her fate, she could clearly hear his breathing. It was slow, even, and shallow.
People said that the Marquis of Yanling was naturally suspicious. Perhaps he could not sleep either, having to share a bed with someone whose loyalties remained uncertain.
Unable to resist her curiosity, Xi Cai secretly glanced at him.
Outside the canopy, the candlelight flickered. Dim, yellow light filtered through the curtains, casting soft shadows along the contours of his face.
His hair at the temples was neatly arranged, and his jawline was clean and well-defined. He had a high nose and gently pressed lips. With his eyes closed, he looked calm, dignified, and composed.
Compared with his appearance when his eyes were open, he seemed to have lost some of the calculating coldness that usually surrounded him.
What should I do from now on? I really need to think this through carefully.
She turned onto her side, facing away from him, and began making elaborate plans in her mind.
First, she would cut his daily medicine dosage in half. She would give him only three regular meals a day, without any extra snacks, claiming that a vegetarian diet would cultivate kindness and virtue.
Then, when preparing his winter clothes, she would replace the usual silk floss filling with old cotton. The clothes would become heavy and stiff, thick yet cold.
Of course, those were only the most basic methods.
If necessary, she could betray him, poison him, or even encourage him to go to the front lines and fight in battle.
If I were in his position, I would probably sigh and curse my bad luck for marrying such a vicious woman. What had I done in my past eight lifetimes to deserve this?
Still, she could not entirely blame herself. He was the one who had insisted on marrying her.
Besides, their families had been enemies for years. Since he had brought her into the marquis’s household, he probably had his own sinister intentions. She would have to remain vigilant at all times.
Having made up her mind and planned every possible escape route, she was finally ready to sleep peacefully.
But the man behind her suddenly moved closer and wrapped his arms around her.
“My lady, why are you still awake? What are you thinking about?”
Xi Cai was so startled that her tongue nearly went numb. She could not bear this sudden display of affection.
Keeping her body stiff, she made an excuse.
“I’m not used to sleeping in a different bed. Please don’t worry about me, my lord. It’s already late. You should get some rest.”
He murmured an acknowledgment, but his arm remained around her. He drew her a little closer to his chest.
His voice was drowsy and lazy, carrying a soft nasal tone as he murmured, “I’ve slept alone for so long. Now that I have you for company… I’m truly happy.”
Xi Cai nearly groaned aloud.
What a hypocrite! Every word is insincere.
You’re obviously happy because you’ve found a way to use me as leverage against my father!
She knew how cunning he was. If she wanted to stay close to him and carry out her plans, she would have to endure some humiliation and play her part.
So she answered in a sweet voice, “I’m afraid of the dark at night. I used to need a maid to stay beside me until I fell asleep. Now that I have you, my lord, I should be able to sleep peacefully every night.”
After hearing this, his fingers moved down along her arm until he found her hand and held it.
Xi Cai felt as though she could cry.
She had a thousand schemes in mind, but none of them could help her if she could not sleep properly at night.
If this happened every night from now on, she might die before he did.
She did not dare move her body, nor could she pull her hand free. After enduring what felt like an eternity, she eventually drifted into a hazy sleep.
The only consolation was that Yang Xun did not snore.
Unlike her father, who used to produce such sudden, thunderous snores during his afternoon naps that she had once wanted to cover her ears while passing his window.
Since she had barely slept the previous night, she was certain she would sleep for a long time now.
One advantage of living in the marquis’s household was that there were no elders she had to attend to every morning. The only senior member of the family was the Grand Empress Dowager, who lived in the imperial palace.
Therefore, she did not need to perform the customary morning and evening greetings.
Yang Xun held a high position within the imperial family as the emperor’s uncle. Because of his poor health, he was also exempt from many ordinary rules concerning court attendance and official duties.
Even if he slept until late morning, no one would dare criticize him.
However, after waking, he remained seated for a long time before getting out of bed, as though waiting for his soul to return to his body.
Xi Cai stared at him.
He kept his head lowered, and even the rise and fall of his chest seemed to have stopped.
She was horrified and wondered whether he had died.
But after a while, he slowly raised his head again and rubbed his back, complaining that his waist hurt.
Xi Cai had no choice but to help massage his back with her hands.
To her surprise, he did have flesh on his body. She had expected to be knocking against nothing but hard bones, but that was not the case.
After going through all that trouble, he was finally able to get out of bed.
Each of them had maids to help with dressing and washing. Xi Cai had just finished putting on her clothes behind a folding screen when she heard a fit of coughing from the adjoining room.
With a resigned sigh, she tucked in her collar and hurried over to check on him.
“My lord, what is wrong? Are you having trouble breathing?”
At the same time, she turned to the servants and asked, “Has the medicine for the master’s morning dose been prepared?”
One of the maids answered, “Yes, madam. It has already been brought to the outer room.”
Xi Cai gently rubbed his back to help him breathe more easily. Once his breathing had settled, she supported him as he went outside to take his medicine.
The dark, thick liquid had been poured into a celadon bowl.
She watched as he picked it up and brought it to his lips, only to pause for a moment.
He clearly dreaded drinking it.
After steeling himself, he finally took a sip. His brows furrowed as he slowly tilted his head back, drinking little by little.
The line of his neck stretched taut, and his Adam’s apple moved up and down with each swallow.
Xi Cai quickly looked away.
She instructed someone to bring over a box of candied fruit. Picking up a piece of candied cherry between her fingertips, she waited until he had finished drinking before promptly placing it in his mouth.
“Chew it quickly. That should get rid of the bitterness.”
Yang Xun had never thought of using candied fruit to make his medicine more bearable. Although he was not particularly grateful for her gesture, he managed to keep the candy in his mouth instead of spitting it out.
“I don’t like sweet things, my lady. You needn’t trouble yourself over this.”
Xi Cai sighed inwardly.
Well, that was a spectacular failure. I tried to flatter him, but ended up doing exactly the wrong thing. What a difficult man to please!
Since that approach had failed, she immediately switched to another.
“I understand. I’ll remember that you don’t like sweets. Next time, I’ll have some fresh fruit prepared instead. That should also help get rid of the bitter taste.”
Yang Xun’s expression remained indifferent. After a brief pause, he smiled faintly.
“There’s no need to go to so much trouble. A cup of plain water will do.”
Xi Cai looked at him and thought to herself that he was practically two different people by day and by night.
At night, he had been eager to test her limits. During the day, he acted as though he stood far above everyone else.
Fine. If he enjoyed savoring the bitterness of his medicine, she would let him.
She had already demonstrated all the virtues expected of a good wife. She had not even combed her own hair yet, so she returned to the dressing table and asked Yu Wu to help her arrange it.
Unfortunately, she could no longer wear the high, flamboyant hairstyles she had favored as an unmarried young lady. A married woman’s hairstyle was supposed to be more dignified.
Yu Wu styled her hair into a flowing cloud bun and adorned it with a simple gold hairpin shaped like a mountain.
Although the style lacked the bright, lively charm she had possessed as a young maiden, it gave her a gentler and more composed appearance.
Her sleeves were another problem. They were much narrower than before, depriving her clothes of their former flowing elegance. She would have to make up for it by paying more attention to the colors and fabrics.
She chose a silver-white cross-collared jacket and paired it with a reddish-green skirt. The skirt fell in long, flowing folds like colorful clouds, and its delicate patterns swayed gently as she walked. The overall look was neat and refreshing.
She casually picked up the jade clasp that Xie Qiao had given her and fastened it to her collar.
Once she had finished dressing, she went out to meet her husband.
On the second day of a wedding, according to the old customs, the new bride was expected to attend to her husband at breakfast. Once the morning meal was served, she had to see to his needs first.
Yang Xun had changed into a dark blue-green silk gauze robe. The collar and sleeves were edged with broad bands of plain silk, and a jade belt with hanging jade ornaments rested around his waist.
He sat upright before the dining table.
Sunlight shifted across the window, making his features appear even more defined. With his crown and belt arranged so neatly, he still possessed the commanding presence of a man who had once led entire armies.
Xi Cai remembered the private tutor who had once taught at her family home. He had been a frail scholar, yet somehow he had inspired such awe in her and her two siblings that none of them dared misbehave in his presence.
Perhaps it was something innate, an authority that radiated from a person’s very bones.
Although she disliked Yang Xun immensely, she had to admit that he possessed a naturally noble bearing.
“Sit down,” he said without even raising his eyes.
“There are servants to attend to me. You are the mistress of this household and my equal, so there is no need for you to serve me personally. As for managing the servants, if anyone disobeys you, you may have them beaten to death directly. You need not consider anyone else’s feelings.”
After saying this, he smiled.
“However, you are a renowned virtuous lady of Luodu. I doubt you have the heart to be so ruthless or to create such terrible karma by taking lives.”
Xi Cai thought that he might as well have said nothing.
He had offered her a sweet before slapping her in the face. He had supposedly given her authority, only to make it seem as though she had none at all.
She sat down and straightened the hem of her skirt.
“When it comes to matters of life and death, I should still consult you, my lord. If any servant refuses to obey my orders, I will discuss the matter with you before deciding on the appropriate punishment.”
She smiled politely.
“My mother taught me that managing a household requires listening to different opinions before reaching a conclusion. One should never act arbitrarily or make every decision alone.”
Yang Xun nodded slowly and casually praised her.
“My lady is indeed exceptionally wise. Your mother must have taught you well.”
Xi Cai smiled back.
Go ahead and feel pleased with yourself. From now on, I’ll consult you about every little thing. Let’s see how long it takes before the endless questions exhaust you to death.
Outwardly, however, the couple continued to display perfect marital harmony.
The two strangers sat opposite each other in silence, eating their meal. From time to time, they politely served each other food. Whenever their eyes met, both wore artificial smiles.
Only after the meal did Yang Xun speak again.
“Later, you will accompany me to the palace to pay our respects to the Grand Empress Dowager.”
The Grand Empress Dowager was not Yang Xun’s biological mother.
His birth mother, Lady Ji, had been a princess of the Liu dynasty. When her kingdom fell, she was captured by the founding emperor. With little choice, she had submitted to him, and Yang Xun was born from that union.
The founding emperor had favored Lady Ji greatly. However, she had been a princess by birth and possessed her own pride. After only a few years, she died from excessive sorrow and worry.
At that time, Yang Xun had been only three or four years old. He was sent to be raised by the founding emperor’s principal wife, the woman who was now the Grand Empress Dowager.
Whether the mother and son had ever shared a deep bond was unknown. What was clear was that the Grand Empress Dowager was now doing everything in her power to maintain a balance between Yang Xun and the reigning emperor.
Since Yang Xun had said they would pay her a visit, Xi Cai naturally agreed.
She changed into another elaborate outfit and accompanied him to the imperial palace in Luodu.
Their black carriage stopped at Duanmen Gate.
Ordinary princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials had to leave their carriages and proceed on foot once they reached Simamen Gate. Beyond Duanmen stood another gate where vehicles had to stop. Anyone who dared to drive straight through without permission would be considered a trespasser who had violated imperial authority. Such an offense was punishable by death.
Yang Xun had been granted special permission to ride his carriage into the palace because of his outstanding military achievements and poor health.
However, the towering threshold at Duanmen marked the boundary between ruler and subject. Duanmen was the final line of the imperial family’s authority. Regardless of one’s background or status, everyone had to observe the proper rules and etiquette upon reaching that point.
Xi Cai supported Yang Xun as they walked slowly along the long, straight passageway. Ahead of them, an eunuch bent forward respectfully, holding a whisk as he led the way.
After noticing that Yang Xun became short of breath after only a few steps, Xi Cai tilted her head toward him and said, “My feet are beginning to hurt, my lord. Would you allow me to rest for a little while?”
His dark eyes, framed by thick eyebrows, looked astonishingly black even beneath the sunlight.
He lowered his gaze toward her and silently came to a stop.
Xi Cai pretended to rub her legs, deliberately dragging out the rest for a while before finally announcing, “All right, I feel better now. Thank you for waiting for me, my lord.”
Yang Xun made no comment.
Nevertheless, after the brief rest, he seemed more composed. He turned and continued forward, leading her into Jinyong City.
Within the inner palace, grand halls and lofty towers rose side by side. Long covered walkways stretched through the air between the buildings, resembling a series of rainbows suspended above the ground.
The eunuch led them underneath these elevated passages.
When they reached a magnificent palace hall, a senior palace attendant emerged from the entrance. She clasped her hands respectfully and greeted them with a smile.
“Your Highness, Marquis, and Madam, the Grand Empress Dowager has been asking since noon when the newlyweds would arrive at the palace. She ordered me to wait here at the entrance. As soon as you arrived, I was to bring you inside without requiring any further announcement.”
Yang Xun nodded.
He and Xi Cai walked hand in hand up the steps.
After taking only a couple of steps, they noticed a young woman standing higher up on the staircase.
She was staring intently at Xi Cai, her eyes bright and piercing. Her expression resembled that of an eagle poised to swoop down on its prey.
In a sharp, slightly shrill voice, she said, “So this is Ninth Brother’s new wife? Cui Shou from Jiangdong even wrote a poem praising her, saying something about her ‘clear, bright eyes and elegant brows, her beauty as refined as precious jade.’ Having finally seen her in person, I must say she’s nothing special.”