Newlyweds' bridal chamber

According to custom, the next step for Wen Youqing should be to go to the front hall, and then to the bridal chamber at dusk.

There was still enough time for Li Yin to figure out a way to escape.

Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, relaxed slightly. Before she could fully relax, she was pushed down onto the soft red bed. Her pupils widened immediately, and her heart tightened even more.

"Wen Youqing, what are you doing?" She couldn't help but ask hurriedly. Wen Youqing smiled gently upon hearing this. He held the jade ruyi in his hand, moved closer, and leaned down slightly. Cool strands of his hair slid into Li Yin's hand.

The area where the sheet had been slid over felt tingly and itchy, as if it had traveled straight from his hand to the tip of his heart. Li Yin subconsciously tried to grab the sheet, but forgot that he was unable to move at this moment, which made his heart itch even more, and his heartbeat quickened, "thump, thump thump".

Li Yin closed her eyes. This feeling of being completely controlled by others was unfamiliar to her. She felt panicked and her mind was in turmoil. She took a deep breath and tried her best to calm herself down before opening her eyes again.

One corner of the veil had been lifted, and Li Yin saw the white and gold-inlaid edges of the jade ruyi. Her breath slowed for a moment. Her heart, which had just calmed down, was still for a moment, and the ripples had not completely subsided. The jade ruyi was like a rain falling from the sky onto the lake of Li Yin's heart. As the rain fell, ripples arose, as chaotic as hemp.

The veil was completely lifted, and Li Yin looked at the person in front of him. The two were very close, their breaths mingling, the air thick with moisture. Wen Youqing's hair fell onto Li Yin, their hair intertwined, a tender and lingering embrace.

Upon seeing this, Wen Youqing smiled gently and said, "My lady, you seem very nervous. Do you know what your husband is about to do?"

Li Yin remained silent. Unable to turn her head, she could only look at Wen Youqing's handsome face, and her face involuntarily flushed.

Wen Youqing took in her appearance and found her adorable. He then decided to play a trick on her. He reached out and pulled on Li Yin's belt, gently wrapping it around her slender fingers. He was ready to give it a slight tug...

Li Yin's heart tightened, and her eyes reddened. She spoke softly, her lips slightly parted, "Wen Youqing."

Wen Youqing's fingers paused, his heart softened, and then a more intense, possessive desire surged within him, a desire so intense that he wanted to tear Li Yin apart and devour him whole. His eyes darkened, and then he bit his lip, leaning down to kiss Li Yin's lips.

The kiss was deep. Li Yin did not completely refuse. At first, she was slow to react, and then she wanted to defend herself but was powerless to do so. She had no choice but to let down her guard and let Wen Youqing break through her defenses.

Deprived of his breath, Li Yin's eyes reddened. Their hair intertwined and fell onto the fiery red sheets, resembling blooming flowers. Wen Youqing reached out and gently stroked them, as if to comfort him. He released his grip, and Li Yin suddenly felt some strength return.

She reached out and gently pushed Wen Youqing towards her, but Wen Youqing gently grasped her hand. He lowered his eyes and gently and reverently placed a kiss on Li Yin's hand.

Looking at Wen Youqing like this, Li Yin's mind was once again filled with the image of that damp, cold rainy night from his dream.

Blood seeps into the long journey, a lone figure stands alone in the rain.

She touched Wen Youqing's face as if possessed. Wen Youqing was stunned at first, but a wave of joy surged in his heart. He tried his best to hide the happiness that was about to overflow in his eyes. He reached out and covered Li Yin's hand that was touching his face, and then gently rubbed it.

Li Yin's face flushed instantly, her cheeks turning red. She quickly tried to pull her hand back, but Wen Youqing grabbed her wrist and said in a low voice, "Madam..."

Li Yin blushed upon hearing this. She still chose to push Wen Youqing away, but in her haste, she grabbed Wen Youqing's sleeve and pushed her around until they were far away, forgetting to let go. Instead of pushing her away, she pushed her even closer.

Wen Youqing leaned almost half her body against him, their eyes meeting. Li Yin awkwardly turned his head away. Seeing this, Wen Youqing said in a resentful tone, "Madam, you set the fire and didn't put it out. What a cruel heart you have."

Li Yin was at a loss for words. She said, "I didn't mean it. I just have something I want to ask you."

Wen Youqing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He stared at Li Yin and smiled gently, saying, "Madam, today is special. This matter..." He gently tugged at Li Yin's belt and continued, "is the real matter." Li Yin knew what he meant and panicked.

Li Yin grabbed his messy hand and pushed him away.

Wen Youqing smiled and rose slightly. He said, "Madam, can't we talk about other things another day? Today is our wedding night."

Li Yin propped herself up on the bed and slowly sat up. Looking at the person in front of her, she asked, "Wen Youqing, did you hand me a knife that night?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing raised an eyebrow slightly and said without any surprise, "My lady, you remember now? You remember those vows you made to your husband?"

"A vow of eternal love?" Li Yin retorted. Wen Youqing reached out and lifted a strand of Li Yin's hair, saying, "Of course, it's to be entangled with my husband for all eternity."

Li Yin pondered, not believing she would agree with such a statement. Just as she was about to speak, she was pushed down again. Wen Youqing smiled, his voice low and tender, his fair hand twirling Li Yin's ink-black hair. He said, "My lady, a moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yin pushed him away and threw a pillow at his face. Wen Youqing did not dodge, and still smiled. What hit his face first was the fragrance of Li Yin, and then the soft pillow.

He smiled, took the pillow off his hands, and asked innocently, "What is this, Madam?"

Li Yin said, "You sleep on the floor, I'll sleep on the bed." After saying that, he threw the blanket off again, then lay down, turned his back, and avoided looking at Wen Youqing. A faint scent of wood lingered around his nose.

Along with the fragrance came drowsiness. Her eyelids became extremely heavy after lying down for only a short while. Li Yin initially struggled slightly, but the drowsiness was too domineering, and she surrendered in no time, slowly closing her eyes.

Wen Youqing then leaned closer, gently stroking the contours of Li Yin's face, from his forehead, cheeks, and chin all the way down to his neck. His well-defined knuckles lightly brushed against the carotid artery in Li Yin's neck, and he murmured in a low, hoarse voice, with a resentful tone, "Madam, you are so cruel."

He stared at Li Yin, gently brushing away the slightly messy strands of hair from Li Yin's cheek. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he smiled and said, "Let's make a deal."

“No, we should make a bet first. I bet you’ll be willing to give me everything you have, without holding anything back,” he said.

Dusk fell outside the window, the sky was a blur of light and shadow, and the clouds were tinged with orange. Wen Youqing got up and closed the window, blocking the evening breeze from getting in. His movements were very gentle, and a smile played on his lips.

After doing all this, he slowly walked to Li Yin's side. He lowered the red curtain, and a red curtain separated him from Li Yin, like mist rather than cloud. He quietly sat down next to Li Yin and reached out to hold Li Yin's hand.

After finishing all that, he closed his eyes slightly and took a short rest.

As the sun sets and the moon rises, the stars and the seasons change, and the night slips away quietly. As dawn breaks, Li Yin wakes up first. As soon as she wakes up, she feels a warmth on her hand. She moves her knuckles slightly, and the other person's hand moves as well. Just as Li Yin tries to pull her hand back, the other person grabs it.

Li Yin was taken aback, and then heard the man chuckle through the red curtain: "My lady, I always do as you wish, so you should let me have something in return."

Li Yin managed to break free, raised his hand to lift the red curtain, and the first thing he saw was Wen Youqing's slightly reddened eyes. Li Yin's heart softened, and he took Wen Youqing's hand. She sighed and said, "Okay, it's not too much, I can satisfy you."

Wen Youqing smiled upon hearing this, her eyes also full of laughter. Li Yin looked at this person beside him, his heart filled with complicated feelings. Wen Youqing was not a simple person, and Li Yin did not know what this person was up to.

Jin Cheng played the innocent young master role with her, yet as her senior brother, he handed her a knife, allowing her to break her vows. After all this back and forth, was he trying to purge the remaining factions from the court, or did he simply want her to marry him...?

As expected, Wen Youqing must have known about her relationship with Yu Ling long ago. But if it was the former, then Yu Ling would be fine with it, as he only wanted an identity. However, if it was the latter, it would be too time-consuming and laborious. To plan for eight years just for one person sounds too absurd, unless one is a fool.

As Li Yin pondered this, his thoughts raced, but Wen Youqing looked at him, a faint smile playing on her lips, and said, "Madam, let's make a deal."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin looked over, and Wen Youqing continued, "The He family's influence in the court is growing. I want to eliminate the He and He families, enter officialdom, and seize power. Madam, would you be willing to join me?"

Li Yin remained silent, pondered for a while, and nodded. He had been planning for eight years, using one person as an excuse. Even if this identity were exposed by someone with ulterior motives in the future, he could calmly come up with an explanation and extricate himself from the situation.

But eight years, just to use another identity as a cover, is really... not worth it. There are no one left in the sect, and it is extremely unlikely that the news would leak out.

Wen Youqing said, "Madam, don't overthink it." He placed a jade tablet in Li Yin's palm and continued, "We chose you because we know ourselves and our enemies. People in the palace are easily approached by their bedmates. Madam, please help me guard against this."

He deliberately dragged out his last sentence, and Li Yin listened attentively. This made sense; those around him were easy targets, and he chose her because he valued her status, her dual identity.

So Wen Youqing's previous actions...were all just an act? That would have been fine, but for some reason, Li Yin felt a pang of sadness. She didn't understand why.

Wen Youqing looked at Li Yin and gently tapped the jade in Li Yin's hand. He said, "This is the Wen family's order. Madam, please keep it safe. My feelings for you are genuine; I have never been scheming."

Li Yin looked at the jade in her hand. She was stunned again upon hearing this. This is... the patriarch's order. He gave it to her like this?

Logically speaking, she was only half a member of the Wen family and had no right to interfere in these matters. At most, she was in the inner courtyard of the mansion. Li Yin naturally understood what this jade pendant meant.

She didn't accept it, but instead handed the jade pendant to Wen Youqing, saying, "I'll give it to you another time."

Wen Youqing stared at the fingertips of Li Yin's hand that had brushed against the jade pendant he had given her, and smiled softly.