He was used to saying one thing and meaning another, so Zhao Xiheng would at most roll her eyes in an unrefined way, but wouldn't bother with him.

Before marriage, the engaged couple cannot meet; the older generation says it's unlucky. Wei Li, in a fit of passion, rushed over and hugged her. Zhao Xiheng even said she wouldn't leave, but his enthusiasm quickly subsided. Suddenly remembering this, he pushed her away.

Zhao Xiheng was completely confused. "What are you doing?"

Are people born in the Year of the Dog sometimes yin and sometimes yang?

"How about we postpone the wedding for another month?" he suggested somewhat seriously. "People say it's unlucky to meet before the wedding."

"The invitations have already been sent out, let's stop now. Aren't you tired after all this trouble? Do you want to go through another month of this?" Zhao Xiheng quickly stopped him. She really didn't want to go through any more trouble. Her hands were cramping from writing the invitations alone. "Besides, don't you not believe in these things? I think this is just superstition and nonsense."

A few months ago, they arrogantly smashed up a temple, and now they're considering postponing their wedding because of some superstitious beliefs. What a double standard!

Zhao Xiheng grumbled to herself about him, but then she saw him suddenly sit down and pour himself a glass of water.

"Didn't you say that meeting is unlucky? Why aren't you leaving yet?" she asked.

"Superstition." Wei Li glanced at her, as if he wasn't the one who said it was unlucky to meet before marriage. Now he was the one calling others superstitious. Zhao Xiheng was so angry she felt like her lungs were about to explode. If she had somewhere else to go, who would want to marry someone like this?

This is so annoying! Whoever wants it can just take it.

She was so angry that she started tearing her handkerchief, then subconsciously pressed the corner of her eye. No, she couldn't get angry. Getting angry would make her age, and it would cause wrinkles.

"Anyway, seeing her once is the same as seeing her twice." He beckoned to Zhao Xiheng, "Come here."

"What now?" Zhao Xiheng asked, puzzled, but still moved over.

Wei Li grabbed her hand and pulled her down, bringing her to his knees. Zhao Xiheng was so frightened that she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Pop!" Still shaken, Wei Li suddenly gave her a hard kiss on the cheek, then brought his face close to hers. "Come here."

What are they coming from? They're rolling around in the mud all day, buried in the dirt.

"No, I won't kiss you." She turned her head away.

Wei Li turned her head around. "Give me a kiss. You're my wife, who else should I kiss?"

The two hadn't seen each other for over half a month. The young and impetuous man couldn't control himself once he started having sex, and he was already being very restrained, thinking about the upcoming wedding.

He had just mentioned his superstitious beliefs, and Zhao Xiheng hadn't moved on from that. So she retorted with his own words, "Didn't you say that you like the old sows in the pigsty but don't like me? Go ahead and let the old sows kiss you, don't come looking for me."

Wei Li pinched her cheek and kissed her again, "I think I've been spoiling you, haven't I? Now you dare to talk to me like that. Do you even know what it means for a husband to be the head of the household?"

"I'm not well-read, how could I be as well-read as you, my lord? I've never read this book." Her words were full of insults, and she couldn't stand Wei Li's kisses any longer, so she struggled to escape.

She would never read a book that talks about the husband being the head of the household, especially since Wei Li's authority as a husband has never been upheld. Why would he suddenly want to talk about the husband being the head of the household?

Wei Li couldn't let her run away, so he held her tightly. Zhao Xiheng raised her hand and accidentally grabbed his chin.

Although her nails weren't long and weren't trimmed to a sharp point, they weren't fleshy, so they could hurt quite a bit if she scratched someone.

"Does it hurt? Did you scratch it?" Zhao Xiheng quickly went over to pull down his collar to check, and inadvertently saw a dark blue tattoo on the side of his neck.

My chin wasn't scratched much, just two raised red welts, which should go down by tomorrow.

Wei Li tightened his collar, looking somewhat nervous, but then deliberately relaxed.

"What's that tattooed on your body?" Zhao Xiheng leaned closer and tried to lift his collar, but he dodged her.

She had seen the faint tattoo on his neck a long time ago when she was at the prefect's mansion, but at the time she felt it had nothing to do with her and she wasn't familiar with him, so she didn't ask any questions.

"This is none of your business. Just stay put." Wei Li said hurriedly, as if trying to cover something up.

Zhao Xiheng scratched her head in confusion. "It's just a tattoo, it's not a big deal."

In some regions, there is totem worship, so people get totems tattooed on their bodies. However, most tattoos are used on prisoners.

So, the reason Wei Li doesn't dare let her see the tattoos on his body is because he was tattooed when he was a prisoner? That seems to be a more reasonable explanation.

"Madam, Lady Chen requests an audience."

The "Chen Niangzi" mentioned by the maid is Chen Ruonan, Chen Ruojiang's younger sister. Ever since Zhao Xiheng gave her lip rouge, she has often exchanged letters with Zhao Xiheng, and the two have gradually become acquainted.

Chen Ruonan looked a bit fuller than the last time I saw her, and her complexion was also very good, which showed that she was living a good life. She came in carrying a box, and when she saw Zhao Xiheng, her originally brisk steps slowed down, and she even became a little shy, and couldn't help but tidy her hair.

She wore a rouge-colored dress, and her tall figure looked very capable; it was a height that Zhao Xiheng envied.

The letter was full of words, but when they actually met, he became shy and shoved the box into Zhao Xiheng's side, saying, "This is for you."

She pretended to be indifferent, but in reality, a little voice inside her was screaming and shouting.

Zhao Xiheng is a princess, what good things hasn't she seen? What if she dislikes the gift I gave her?

Never mind, let her complain if she wants it, as long as she delivered it.

The box contained a simple gold hairpin, tied with a red silk ribbon. "Is this a wedding gift for the bride's dowry?"

Zhao Xiheng picked it up, seemingly quite pleased with it. "It's just a wedding ceremony, and you're spending so much money on my dowry."

"Even if it's a belated wedding, it's still a wedding." Chen Ruonan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she didn't seem to mind. "You even sent me an invitation to the wedding banquet. I can't come empty-handed, that would be too embarrassing."

Zhao Xiheng had many rare and precious things since childhood, and this hairpin even seemed a bit simple to her, but she was very happy.

Because her previous marriage to a foreign ruler wasn't a proper wedding, she was never to return. The court ladies probably felt there was no need for her to curry favor with them, and with the Empress's hints, no one came to send her off or offer her dowry. Her childhood friends hadn't been in touch for years, and their feelings had faded, so she left in a cold and desolate manner.

All things considered, Chen Ruonan's gift was the first one she received upon getting married.

"I really, really like it!" Zhao Xiheng touched the gold hairpin and smiled at her softly.

Chen Ruonan felt her heart stop beating. She clutched her chest, her gaze blank.

Imagine a stunningly beautiful woman smiling at you—could you resist? She's so sweet!

She's a person whose emotions come on quickly, making her particularly vulnerable to being struck by kindness.

Still in this dizzy state, she spoke a few words to Zhao Xiheng, then walked out unsteadily. Turning right after exiting the gate, she happened to see Xie Qingyu sunbathing in front of the courtyard gate. Xie Qingyu gave her a faint smile.

What kind of deity?

Chen Ruonan was struck in the heart again, and didn't even know how she got home.

She suddenly recalled the scene when Wei Li threw the money bag in front of her. It didn't seem so shocking anymore, nor did she find it particularly attractive. How could he compare to the beauties whose smiles could topple kingdoms?

Chen Ruonan lamented that she was too young and naive back then, which is why she was so easily misled.

Ever since Jiang Su received the invitation from Pingzhou, he had been in a state of agitation, feeling that he had been fooled. Zhao Mingjin had vowed to marry Zhao Xiheng to him, and he had waited two months, only to receive a marriage invitation from Pingzhou that sounded like a dog being walked.

There are less than ten days left until the wedding date on the invitation. Even if he flew there, he couldn't get there. Wei Li didn't sincerely invite him at all. He was just using this wedding invitation to humiliate him and to assert his dominance through the wedding.

Of course, Pingzhou was far away, so he couldn't vent his anger on Wei Li, but Zhao Mingjin, who was closer, suffered the consequences.

There's a cause for every wrong, and a debtor for every debt. Zhao Mingjin started this whole thing, so it's his job to quell the anger.

Zhao Mingjin had just recovered from being bedridden due to anger when he heard that Jiang Su had seized one of his prefectures. He immediately fell ill again, his mouth covered in blisters.

He doesn't have many cities left.

Wei Li, having at least ruled a province, was honored with his wedding by various provinces who, out of courtesy, sent congratulatory gifts to wish him and his wife a long and happy marriage.

The gifts were locked away in the storeroom as usual, and the key was still in Zhao Xiheng's hands; she was becoming increasingly wealthy.

On the morning of the wedding day, although Wei Li was the groom and was not supposed to personally greet the guests, he appeared in front of the mansion gate.

The guests had never received such preferential treatment before. They were all flattered and trembling with fear, and they awkwardly smiled as they congratulated Wei Li.

Wei Li looked exceptionally bright and handsome in his red robes, and today, as the groom, he was particularly radiant and appeared even more luminous.

"You, where's the invitation?" He stood at the door with his arms crossed, looking like a groom or a debt collector, grabbing General Song's collar.

General Song was surprised that he was stopped despite being so familiar with Wei Li. He quickly took out his invitation from his pocket and said, "Here it is, my lord."

Wei Li nodded. "Let's go in."

General Song was about to step inside when Wei Li grabbed him by the collar. "Is the handwriting on the invitation nice?"

"It looks great, it looks great." General Song nodded hurriedly.

Wei Li seemed satisfied with his answer, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yes, it was written by your mistress herself."

The people behind General Song hurriedly straightened the invitations in their hands as a sign of respect.

Seeing this, Wei Li nodded in satisfaction.

Because of the diverse ethnic groups living together in Pingzhou, each ethnic group has different wedding customs, which has given rise to a variety of wedding styles. Among them, the weddings of the Han Chinese are particularly exquisite and grand.

As dusk fell, the wedding procession paraded along the main street of Bham.

Wei Li rode his horse in front of the float, while his guards and maids threw copper coins around the streets.

Zhao Xiheng covered her face with a feather fan, her heavy and gorgeous wedding dress obscuring her eyes as she looked at Wei Li's back in front of her.

He suddenly turned around, and their eyes met.