Sang Jiang was a little afraid to look him in the eye. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak, "What are you laughing at!"

Sang Jiang froze completely. As a woman who had never been in a relationship, this was the first time she had ever been so close to a man in this way.

Long Jingchen sat down next to her and asked softly, "Is Jiang'er nervous?"

His voice calling out "Jiang'er" immediately brought Sang Jiang back to reality.

She frowned imperceptibly, stood up and bowed to him. She disliked this form of address very much; it sounded cheesy and made her uncomfortable.

Just as she was about to kneel down, Long Jingchen suddenly pulled her back: "Jiang'er, from now on you don't need to kneel before anyone, including me."

Sang Jiang was stunned; for a moment, she forgot how Long Jingchen addressed her.

She blinked, then blinked again, her dazed expression somewhat endearing.

Long Jingchen couldn't resist and pulled her into his arms.

Sang Jiang felt the warmth coming from her back, and her whole body stiffened even more, feeling like a wooden board, not knowing what to do.

Just as Long Jingchen pressed her down and was about to kiss her, Sang Jiang suddenly pushed against his chest: "Um... Your Majesty, I... I'm on my period."

Long Jingchen was stunned: "Relatives? Have people from Xifeng Kingdom come?"

Sang Jiang: ...

Her face flushed red to her ears instantly. She pursed her lips and gave Long Jingchen a shy glare: "It's not that relative! It's... my period."

Towards the end, her voice was almost inaudible, but Long Jingchen, being skilled in martial arts, had better hearing, so he still clearly heard Sang Jiang's words.

His ears also felt slightly warm.

He glanced at Sang Jiang for a couple of moments and then slowly lowered his head, burying it in her neck: "Then let me hug you. After all, she's the one I married through proper channels. If I can't even hug her on our wedding night, I'll be at a huge loss."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sang Jiang, who had wanted to push him away, lowered her hand again.

What he said seemed to make sense. She was already married to him, so it didn't seem appropriate to reject him now.

As she hugged Sang Jiang, she felt her eyelids starting to droop. She was already sleepy, and after a long day, she couldn't stay awake any longer.

Long Jingchen was speechless as he listened to the even breathing beside him. He looked up at the woman beneath him and couldn't help but cover her face with his large hand.

After a long while, he chuckled softly, "You little ingrate."

After saying that, he got up again, took off her shoes and socks, carried her to the bed, laid her down, and then lay down next to her, holding her as they fell asleep.

Although he didn't do anything that night, he was still content. There's plenty of time in the future, so why rush things? If he pushed the girl too far, he might not even get a hug anymore.

...

The next morning, when Sang Jiang woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw that the space next to her was empty. She had been struggling with how to face Long Jingchen, but now everything was fine.

As soon as she sat up, Chunhe and Kou'er rushed over and helped her get dressed, one on each side.

While dressing, they spoke in a rare, unspoken understanding: "Miss (Princess), the Emperor is so good to you."

Sangjiang: ? ? ?

She looked at the two girls with a puzzled expression, and the little girl raised her eyebrows slightly: "What's so good about it?"

Kou'er glanced at Chunhe and spoke first: "His Majesty knows you are prone to sleepiness and specifically instructed us not to disturb you. You were originally supposed to go to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress today, but His Majesty directly ordered someone to send you back on your behalf."