The banquet was in full swing, with servants bustling about, bringing out huge wooden platters carrying whole roasted lambs, golden and glistening with oil, and jars of strong liquor whose mud seals had been broken open. The soldiers let loose completely, holding their wine bowls and taking turns to offer toasts.

"General! Drink this bowl! I wish you and your wife a long and happy marriage, and many children!" A bearded captain's voice boomed.

"Alright!" Lu Xiao said with great enthusiasm, taking the bowl and tilting his head back. "Glug glug," the bowl instantly turned upside down.

"General, your generosity is boundless!" came a chorus of cheers.

"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!" Another young general with a dark complexion squeezed in front of An'an. He was wearing a small military doctor's badge on his chest, clearly a colleague in the army who knew An'an well. "You saved my life in the wounded soldiers' camp! This bowl of wine is for you! I wish you and the general a harmonious and loving marriage for a hundred years!" His tone was excited, filled with sincere gratitude.

An'an was seated in the women's section, with tea in front of her. She recognized the young military doctor; he was one of the medical officers she had trained under.

She rose with a smile, poised and graceful, and picked up her teacup: "Physician Zhang, you are too kind. Saving lives is a doctor's duty. I also wish you a bright future." Her smile was gentle, like a snow lotus blooming on a snow-capped mountain, pure and beautiful.

Just as she raised her cup with a smile, the teacup barely touching her lips—

"Crack!"

Another extremely abrupt and ear-piercing crack ripped through the noise!

Right beside An'an, Lu Xiao crushed the thick wine bowl in his hand once again! Shards and leftover wine splattered all over the table!

The clamor in the hall abruptly ceased, and countless astonished gazes instantly focused on Lu Xiao.

Lu Xiao's face was ashen, his jaw was taut, and his gaze was like a sharp blade tempered with ice, shooting straight at the bewildered Physician Zhang who was holding an empty bowl. The warning and possessiveness in his eyes were so intense that they almost turned into tangible flames.

The physician Zhang shuddered at the look in his eyes, cold sweat pouring down his back. He realized his actions had crossed a line and stammered, "General...General! I...I just..."

Lu Xiao ignored him completely, suddenly leaned forward, snatched the teacup from An An's hand, and slammed it heavily on the table with a "thud".

Immediately afterwards, he stretched out his long arm and pulled An'an tightly into his embrace without saying a word. The force was so great that she let out a muffled groan as her cheek pressed against his hard, hot chest. Even through his elaborate wedding dress, she could feel his heart pounding like a drum.

He lowered his head, his hot, alcohol-laden breath spraying onto her sensitive earlobes and neck. His thin lips almost grazed her earlobes, his voice low and menacing, each word seemingly ground between his teeth, carrying a strong sense of jealousy and a defiant declaration:

“Xiao An’an,” he said, using her full name with a punitive undertone, “If you dare to smile like that at others again…” His lips maliciously captured her small earlobe, gently biting it. Feeling the person in his arms tremble for a moment, he continued to threaten in a low, husky voice that only the two of them could hear, “…Tonight in our bridal chamber, this general will let you properly examine my ‘lovesickness pulse’ and see just how severe it is! Hmm?”

"Lu Xiao!" An'an was both ashamed and angry, her cheeks flushed red. She struggled slightly in his arms, her voice tinged with anger, "You...you're being completely unreasonable! Doctor Zhang is just..."

"Nothing is allowed!" he interrupted rudely, tightening his grip on her arm and forcefully rubbing his cheek against the cool jewels at her temple. His fierce gaze swept over the suddenly silent crowd. "The whole of the Northern Frontier knows that you, Xiao An'an, are the wife I, Lu Xiao, risked my life to win over! Anyone who dares to look at you again, I'll gouge out their eyes!"

After a brief silence, there came an even more deafening roar of laughter and good-natured jeering, almost lifting the roof off.

"Hahaha! General Lu, this jar of aged vinegar is enough for our entire army to drink all winter!" Deputy General Wang slapped his thigh and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"Sister-in-law is amazing! She can make our iron-willed general fall into a vat of vinegar! Hahaha!" someone teased loudly.

"Xiao'er!" Madam Lu, Luo Qingrou, said with a mixture of amusement and helplessness.

Prince Jing, Xiao Chengjing, stroked his short beard, exchanged a glance with his wife, Shen Yuewei, beside him, his eyes also filled with barely suppressed laughter, and shook his head, saying, "This kid... his jealousy comes from his father when he was young!"

An'an was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear on the spot. Her burning face was buried in Lu Xiao's chest. Listening to the vibrations from his chest and the deafening laughter outside, she clutched the fabric of his wedding dress tightly in shame and anger.

Lu Xiao, however, didn't care at all. Instead, because of her ostrich-like dependence, the gloom in his eyes turned into a smug gleam. He hugged his precious treasure tightly, raised his chin slightly, and openly welcomed all the laughter and gazes until the matchmaker and several older women came forward with smiles, half-jokingly and half-delightingly leading the "reluctant to part" newlyweds to the corridor leading to the bridal chamber.

Inside the bridal chamber, dragon and phoenix wedding candles, as thick as a child's arm, burned brightly, casting a warm and bright light that bathed the entire room in a crimson glow.

"Click".

With a soft click, Lu Xiao locked the door.

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on his bride a few steps away. Without any external distractions, the undisguised burning love and intense longing in his eyes were no longer concealed, like the blazing midday sun in the northern frontier, carrying a heat that could melt gold and molten stone.

He walked towards her step by step, silently, yet with an invisible pressure.

An'an's heart suddenly raced, her earlier embarrassment replaced by a strange, sweet tension. She instinctively stepped back, her back pressing against the cool, solid, carved canopy bedposts.

Lu Xiao was already close, his tall figure completely enveloping her. The strong smell of alcohol and his masculine aura enveloped her. He reached out, his calloused fingertips gently stroking her cheek, and carefully removed the heavy phoenix crown adorned with pearls and jade from her head.

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