Chapter 34 My aunt pinched my waist so hard last night that it's covered in bruises...

The morning bells are ringing.

The scent of benzoin had not yet dissipated.

For Changsun Qingjing, the sound of bells, the fog of the night, and the mountains were both common sights and strange sights of his new home; they were the bustling smoke of cooking fires and the beginning of his solitary retreat; they were monotonous sounds and complex vibrations; they were devout faith and a mysterious prelude.

The hemp that had blocked the windows and doors of the new house had been removed by the maids, and the morning light and the gilded and emerald-like light from the bamboo groves shone through the gaps, drawing clear and interwoven patterns on the dressing table.

"Wake up, it's Chenshi (7-9 AM)." Changsun Qingjing sat in front of the couch, holding a hairpin, and gently tapped Li Shimin's face.

The boy sat up blankly, and was somewhat startled and surprised to see the girl in front of him casually draped in a Hu-style dress to keep warm.

He took a moment to adjust to the situation before recalling yesterday's wedding.

"Your dragonfly wings are stuck to my face." Li Shimin carefully picked up the dragonfly wings that had fallen from Changsun Qingjing's face and stubbornly clung to his own, and placed them on her lap.

"What kind of strange floral decorations are these? Why do you young ladies stick gold leaf, fish bones, fish scales, bird feathers, and cicada wings all over your faces?" Li Shimin looked around the room, put his feet down, and asked with a smile, "I was so drunk last night that I was completely out of it. I vaguely remember you clumsily taking off my wedding dress, but I can't remember anything after that. Where did you sleep last night? On the floor?"

"Hmph. So rustic!" Changsun Qingjing avoided those embarrassing and inappropriate questions, put away her trendy floral hairpin, and sat back down in front of the dressing table. "Yes, I had so many nightmares. In one dream, there was a stinky, sparsely feathered ghost bird that pushed me against the wall. It had nine eyes open and nine closed, and its snoring sounded like wheels rolling over my head."

Li Shimin laughed heartily: "What a coincidence, I had a dream too. In my dream, there was a lynx that was being unreasonable, trying to steal my clothes and my precious pearl. In the end, it was shivering in the snow and had no choice but to reluctantly crawl into my arms. It was so naughty, arrogant, and pitiful, leaving me helpless!"

Lady Liu and her maids had been waiting quietly for some time. Hearing sounds rising from inside the room, some like teasing and some like arguing, they guessed that Li Shimin and Changsun Qingjing had woken up, so they greeted the newlyweds.

The maids lifted the heavy curtains to help the young master and his wife wash up.

With a smile, Madam Liu politely inquired whether Changsun Qingjing had slept well last night. The couple both agreed.

A-Cai helped Changsun Qingjing remove the Hu-style clothing he had casually draped over himself when he woke up that morning, and changed him into a short-sleeved green blouse paired with a pomegranate-colored skirt. He looked much more relaxed than he had on the actual wedding day yesterday.

Two girls, aged thirteen or fourteen, began arguing about what hairstyle they should wear when they met their parents-in-law that day.

"Both Lady Xianyu and Lady Gao said that the cloud-shaped bun is dignified." Acai held up the silver comb and placed the hairpin and elm wood shavings next to the mirror stand.

"I don't like the cloud bun hairstyle." Qingjing maintained her girlish stubbornness, resisting this hairstyle known for its dignified, steady, and error-free appearance.

"Ah Cai, why don't you ask me? I'll give you some advice." Li Shimin had already changed into a red round-necked robe and fastened his belt. Curious about the debate over the hairstyle, he couldn't help but ask the clever maidservant beside his wife.

“Young master, how could you possibly know these things?” A-Cai boldly replied, “My wife is being stubborn and refusing to listen to Madam Gao and Madam Xianyu.”

“But I know my mother!” Li Shimin laughed. “My mother probably likes Lady Changsun’s lively and knowledgeable nature. There’s no need to pretend to be old-fashioned to please her. Just listen to me, you won’t go wrong.”

The faces of both girls brightened.

"The Frightened Swallow Bun!" Changsun Qingjing and Acai exclaimed in unison.

A-Cai then applied powder and rouge to Changsun Qingjing, and cut the dragonfly wings into orchid shapes after painting them with gold, and pasted them on his forehead.

The maidservant tied up Li Shimin's turban.

The couple sat side by side in front of the dressing table, with each of the maids holding a bronze mirror in front of them.

Changsun Qingjing peeked at Li Shimin in the mirror. His youthful Adam's apple, drawn up to the collar of his white robe by his heavy, tense breathing, revealed faint red veins surging beneath his taut skin.

She felt she had overstepped her bounds, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she lowered her head to fiddle with her shawl. Li Shimin suddenly turned his head, somewhat excitedly leaning closer to Qingjing, and pointed to her lips, urging her to examine them closely. Changsun Qingjing was stunned for a moment, then finally understood, and said with a smile, "There is a little bit of mustache, you have to look very carefully."

"You can really see it clearly? Is it that faint?" The boy was both delighted and disappointed, his Adam's apple bobbing with his rapid breathing.

Changsun Qingjing pursed her lips and nodded, the dragonfly wing on her forehead gleaming with a translucent golden light, like a cunning young girl's sweet words, half coquettish and half provocative, half feigned and half sincere, bewitching his eyes.

"Can we see Nanshan from here?" Qingjing lifted her skirt and came to the window, pushing it open completely.

"Yes, just like when you were at the Gao residence." Li Shimin smiled as he looked at the cheerful and radiant figure. "Guanyinbi, how long have we known each other?"

"Five years? Five hours?" Changsun Qingjing turned around and smiled brightly, like the clear snow on a mountain peak.

Lady Liu led the newlyweds to the main hall to pay their respects to Li Yuan and Lady Dou.

Today marks the formal meeting between the bride and her parents-in-law, and it is the first time the bride will serve her parents-in-law a meal.

Ah Cai, carrying the lacquer box, hurried to catch up with the crowd.

The group arrived at the main hall, where Changsun Qingjing paid his respects to his parents-in-law and presented them with socks and shoes as a gift.

Li Yuan and his wife knew that their eldest grandson, Qingjing, had just suffered a family tragedy, and it would be inappropriate for them to inquire further about his family's situation.

Lady Dou then briefly inquired whether her relatives and friends treated the bride with respect after she left the wedding banquet, whether the utensils in the bridal chamber were suitable, whether the bed and pillows were cold last night, and whether the maids had neglected any of the many chores this morning. Changsun Qingjing answered each question in turn.

Madam Dou opened the lacquer box and praised Qingjing's needlework as exquisite.

The Duke and his wife tried on the new shoes as a courtesy and expressed their satisfaction.

Dou's pale cheeks were flushed with an unnatural blush, giving her a dazzling and poignant beauty like a candle flame before it burns out.

Changsun Qingjing dared not look or guess too much, and presented a bamboo basket filled with dried dates, chestnuts and dried meat to show that he was early to rise, respectful and skilled in cooking.

Dou beckoned her eldest grandson, Qingjing, to come forward. She took her new daughter-in-law's hands in her own, her lips moving as if she had a lot to say to her new bride.

Suddenly, a coughing fit started from her chest, and a pair of invisible claws dug into Dou's internal organs, causing her to tremble violently from spasms. These claws then dragged her into the water, making her feel suffocated as if she were drowning.

Dou struggled and gasped for breath, bewildered as she fought against wave after wave of unknown, endless suffering.

"Mother!" Changsun Qingjing was terrified by Madam Dou's illness. He went around behind her and gently patted Madam Dou's back with his hollow palm.

Li Shimin also quickly came to his mother's side and offered her a drink.

"I'm fine. You take Qingjing to meet with your brothers and sisters. Since returning from Luoyang, you haven't told us in detail about what you saw in Ziwei City." Dou Shi took a sip of her drink, comforting the newlyweds, and gestured for Li Shimin to introduce his wife to his family members.

Changsun Qingjing successively paid homage to Tang Gong's heir Li Jiancheng and his wife Dugu Cui, Tang Gong's fourth son Yuanji, his concubine Wan's fifth son Zhiyun, and Dou's third daughter Li Qiongxi and fourth daughter Li Longyue.

Madam Dou gestured for everyone to sit down, and that the eldest grandson, Qingjing, did not need to serve his parents-in-law in any special way; the family's meals would continue as usual.

"Perhaps it's because Zhangchou Taiyi's prophecy was so accurate, this year's wedding ceremonies have all coincidentally avoided the twelfth lunar month, even the royal family is no exception." Mentioning Zhangchou Taiyi, everyone's expression couldn't help but tighten. Because he predicted that the late emperor would die in Renshou Palace, and as expected, the imperial relatives have listened to his every suggestion ever since.

"Which Yuwen Xiao?" Third Sister Li Qiongxi asked bluntly as the newlyweds toasted their elder brother, "Is it that incomparably beautiful distant relative from my maternal grandmother's family, Yuwen Xiao? Is it the Yuwen Xiao who was beaten to tears by Erlang?"

Changsun Qingjing was taken aback and turned to ask softly, "So you had quite a lively time in the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang! You even dared to lecture the emperor's son-in-law!"

"I'll explain in detail to you later," Li Shimin said dismissively, taking a sip of his agarwood drink.

The twisted nightmares of Ziwei City resurfaced in his mind. He had no intention of recalling or recounting the past—the emperor's wanton slaughter of young girls, the princess and her husband's debauchery, the rampant corruption of nobles and treacherous officials—nor did he want Changsun Qingjing to know of his unbridled violence and cold-blooded desires unleashed under the influence of the Cold Food Powder, or the scene before him where the sea pool had transformed into a hellish landscape of blood and flames. It took him a long time to awaken from that unbearable nightmare and return to the mortal world.

Li Shimin laughed self-deprecatingly, trying to distract himself from the depression that was gradually creeping into his heart. "You all saw the letter from Consort Wang? Consort Wang, who is very popular with the Empress, must have complained about me to Father and Mother again. She has disliked me since I was a child and thought I was unruly."

Aside from the matter of his son "speaking ill of the imperial concubine selection," which worried him somewhat about his son's lack of shrewdness and potential vulnerability to malicious people in the future, other incidents such as challenging Sima Dekan and humiliating Yuwen Xiao were commonplace in the aristocratic circle, nothing new, and even the emperor and empress didn't take them to heart. Instead, they were a source of unspoken glory for the father. Therefore, Li Yuan was happy to occasionally bring them up to tease his son.

"I was also sent as a hostage in place of my brother, and I lived in constant fear before His Majesty. I may not have achieved anything, but I have certainly worked hard. Now that I have returned safely, my brother must also offer me a cup of wine."

“That’s right, Second Brother is meticulous and always manages to turn danger into safety. Your elder brother and I thank Second Brother for taking the blame for him!” Dugu Cui urged Jiancheng to raise his glass. “With your two working together, the Li family will surely prosper.” Everyone agreed.

"The emperor's nephew marrying the princess is a national affair. What's so great about a princess becoming a consort with his mother's status and a worthless pretty face?" Li Qiongxi peeled a walnut and said dismissively, "Our Li family is neither worthy of Acha Zi nor does it care about her."

Lady Dou and Li Yuan exchanged a smile. Recalling Li Yuan's henpecked act when she refused the marriage on behalf of her son, Lady Dou couldn't help but smile and said, "The emperor's nephew and daughter are of one mind, and it is not for an outsider to make any rash comments."

Even while living in her boudoir, Changsun Qingjing had heard rumors about the emperor's daughter being dissolute, the emperor indulging her, and the empress being unable to control her. Some of the passages even subtly satirized the scandalous affairs of the palace, making them incredibly erotic and causing one's face to flush and heart to race.

Hearing Madam Dou's veiled criticism of the newlyweds, she guessed that these palace secrets were probably open secrets among the imperial relatives.

She couldn't help but sigh that the cousins, who were like-minded, would live a life of outward harmony but inward discord from then on, without harming others, which could be considered a merit of the royal family.

Li Chengzong, Chai Lingwu, and Changsun Renpei, three cousins, were chasing and playing with "Kuzhi," a lynx that had been brought along with the wedding procession the day before, in the central courtyard.

Dugu Cui invited the three children into the hall for a meal.

After the three paid their respects to their elders, the two boys, covered in sweat, asked the eldest grandson Qingjing to lend them a lynx for the next hunt; the girl, meanwhile, walked gracefully like the bride from the previous day, making her family guess whether the phoenix on her head was a real bird or a new piece of jewelry.

Despite the pain in her chest, Lady Dou ordered the meal to be served. The maids brought out millet porridge, steamed buns, and cheese milk one after another.

To show respect to her parents-in-law, Changsun Qingjing finished all the millet porridge. After taking a few bites of the porridge, she stopped eating and chatted with her three children who were trying to please her.

Li Qiongxi couldn't mention the perilous situation of her younger brother almost becoming a candidate for the emperor's son-in-law in front of her newlywed eldest grandson, Qingjing. Instead, she praised Qingjing to her second brother, saying, "Mother's judgment is truly excellent. The bride she chose for you is naturally beautiful, kind, filial, and gentle. You mustn't make things difficult for her."

Dou smiled in agreement, as if every word San Niang said was the voice of her mother.

The millet stew swept away his fatigue. Li Shimin regained his playful nature.

“How could I dare to bully her? It was clearly her who bullied me. She pinched my waist so hard last night that it's covered in bruises and still hurts…” He complained casually, recalling how Changsun Qingjing reluctantly took off his tuxedo while he was pretending to be asleep last night, and then gave him a sharp “lecture.”

By the time he realized that his words had been interpreted as ambiguous and suggestive by onlookers, the whole family was already in an awkward, deathly silence...

Author's Note: Here, Li Jiancheng's first wife is set to be the daughter of Dugu Huai'en.

Incidentally, this foreshadows Dugu Huaien's later rebellion (his elderly father lost his daughter and grandson, his son-in-law got a second wife, and he himself was mocked by Li Yuan—damn it, things have turned out this way!).

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