Chapter 4: "Sheng Sheng, we have already completed the wedding ceremony."
Yun Sheng was so flustered that her heart was about to jump out of her throat. Her mind went blank, and her eyes darted around, trying to find something to cover her body.
She choked for a moment, avoiding answering Xiao Xu's question: "Isn't Cuizhu here?"
"She went to make tea and will be back soon."
Yun Sheng looked disheveled as she hid, but she didn't want to sound cowardly, so she just gave a dry "oh" in the end.
Xiao Xu asked, "Do you need my help?"
"Help me with what?"
Her startled voice trembled unsteadily, but Xiao Xu didn't stop, saying naturally, "I'll get you your nightgown."
The room suddenly fell silent. Separated by a screen, Yun Sheng could neither see Xiao Xu's movements nor hear any sound.
This only made her more nervous, and she looked around but couldn't find anything to cover her body.
Yun Sheng reminded herself to stay calm, but her feet still moved unconsciously, unsure of where she was going to hide.
Xiao Xu heard the noise and worried that she might slip and fall, since the bathhouse was full of steam.
He broke the silence by saying, "I'll go and call someone in for you."
“…Wait a minute.” Yun Sheng bit her lip and said quickly, “Give it to me. It will take a while to call someone in. Aren’t you nearby?”
His words were spoken too hastily, inevitably carrying a hint of arrogance.
But then she added softly, "Wait until it gets cold."
It was the height of summer, and neither the steamy bathhouse nor anywhere else seemed to be associated with the word "cold."
Xiao Xu couldn't help but imagine the girl's arms awkwardly wrapped around her body, but her chin held high with a stubborn expression.
Just then, a hazy silhouette appeared on the screen, a graceful figure moving among the swirling clouds and mist, making the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers lose its charm.
Xiao Xu's eyes darkened, and without looking at him any longer, he lowered his gaze and replied, "Okay, I'll get it for you."
Actually, his initial words were just teasing; he didn't intend to take the opportunity to do anything ambiguous. They weren't very familiar with each other, and it wouldn't be gentlemanly to startle her.
Xiao Xu reached out, and the soft, smooth silk slipped between his fingers. He didn't have to use much force before his palm was filled with the red nightgown.
Without unfolding the clothes, and without deliberately thinking about it, one wouldn't associate this shapeless mass of fabric with anything.
Just as he raised his hand, two slender ribbons slipped out from the pile of fabric and wrapped around his fingers, touching his pulse.
Xiao Xu felt a warmth in his palms and whispered, "Sheng Sheng."
A slender, fair wrist extended from behind the screen, its delicate fingers spread out, swiftly hooking the corner of the nightgown before disappearing in a flash.
Like a small animal stealing food.
However, she softly said, "Thank you."
Xiao Xu turned away from the screen with an indifferent expression.
From a distance, the faint sounds from the other end of the bathhouse could no longer be heard.
Yun Sheng lingered inside for a while before coming out. She peeked out and was relieved that Xiao Xu hadn't called anyone yet, as Cui Zhu hadn't returned to the room by now. She also tugged uncomfortably at the hem of her nightgown.
This was a wedding night gown that was custom-made along with the wedding dress. Everything today is in pairs, and Xiao Xu also has one.
Her nightgown was thin and lacked the elegance of a wedding dress. The embarrassment from earlier hadn't dissipated, and now she was about to face him in such a private manner.
As soon as the door opened, Yun Sheng stopped abruptly like a startled bird, her round almond-shaped eyes flashing with trembling light.
She walked very quietly, almost completely silenced by the doorway, but when she looked up, she met Xiao Xu's gaze.
He wasn't looking at who came in; why was he looking at her?
Yun Sheng felt that she had been nervous too many times today, while the man looked calm and composed, making her feel inferior.
She wasn't sure if the man would take advantage of her age to bully her, so she didn't want to show any weakness.
Yun Sheng straightened her back and walked towards Xiao Xu, her brows relaxed.
It was Cuizhu who entered the room. When she saw that Yunsheng had already put on his nightgown and come out of the bathhouse, she seemed to think of something, her face flushed, and she lowered her head to put down the tray.
"Your Highness, this servant will help you comb your hair."
"No need, you may leave." Yun Sheng waved her sleeve.
If Xiao Xu hadn't returned early, Cui Zhu would indeed have been in the room attending to all the matters concerning her master before he went to bed. But now that His Highness the Crown Prince had returned, she naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to stay any longer.
Cui Zhu bowed her head and responded before quickly leaving the house.
As soon as the door closed, the man sitting to the side asked casually, "Sheng Sheng, shall I help you comb your hair?"
Yun Sheng's throat tightened, and she almost lost her composure: "You...you don't need to."
Xiao Xu smiled faintly, his gaze lingering on her smooth black hair for a moment.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of striking white skin; her slender neck was revealed by the loosely covering her clothes.
He composed himself and looked away.
Yun Sheng dismissed Cui Zhu because Xiao Xu had said that they would discuss the rest when he returned to his room at night, and now was the perfect time.
Since the incident was so sudden, they should indeed have discussed it in detail. However, when she moved over and sat down next to Xiao Xu, the words that came out were just a soft question: "Did you drink a lot?"
"Does it smell strongly of alcohol? I'll go take a shower first."
As Xiao Xu spoke, he turned to leave.
Yun Sheng subconsciously reached out and found herself grabbing his sleeve: "No, I didn't smell any alcohol."
She wasn't close enough to even smell the scent she'd detected on Xiao Xu when they drank the Heqin wine earlier.
Xiao Xu paused slightly as he stood up halfway, glancing down at the few slender white fingers on his sleeve.
He sat back down and replied, "I didn't drink much, just a few toasts that I couldn't refuse."
After hearing the answer to this trivial question, Yun Sheng lowered her head and remained silent for a long time, as if the atmosphere of what should have been a sweet and romantic wedding night was frozen because of the strange man beside her.
But Yun Sheng was actually hesitating over her words.
Xiao Xu remained silent, and Yun Sheng did not look up, so she could not tell what his expression was.
After a while, Yun Sheng couldn't stand the awkward silence any longer. She moved her lips and said, "You said you'd talk about the rest when you got back to your room. Shall we talk about it now?"
Xiao Xu asked, "What do you want to say?"
Yun Sheng tightened her lips. For the first time since meeting Xiao Xu today, she felt annoyed and annoyed with him.
He remained gentle and courteous, though with a distant politeness, but he did not embarrass her during the unexpected turn of events in their marriage.
But his current indifferent attitude was irritating her.
Yun Sheng didn't want to blame anyone else for Xiao Ling's mistake, but she had truly been wronged. Xiao Xu was Xiao Ling's elder brother and now her husband, so he should give her an explanation. How could he just throw the blame at her like that?
Xiao Xu noticed the change in her expression, his brow twitched slightly, and he spoke again: "The change in the marriage was the fault of the Prince Zhao's mansion. In the heat of the moment, they couldn't think of any better solution. Now that we are married, what I meant was that you can make any requests you may have."
Yun Sheng was bewildered: "What are your requirements?"
"For me, for our marriage."
Yun Sheng remained silent for a long while before slowly raising her eyes: "Are you saying that we really want to be husband and wife?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xu seemed to have heard a joke, and instead of answering, asked, "Do you hope this marriage is not to be taken seriously?"
These words made it sound as if if she didn't take it seriously, he would then go along with her wishes and start to cancel the marriage, after he saw her dressed in such a thin nightgown with her black hair loose.
Yun Sheng felt a pang of grievance, and awkwardly raised her hand to adjust her collar, muttering, "That's not what I meant..."
But Xiao Xu's calm statement weighed down on her low voice: "Sheng Sheng, we have already completed the wedding ceremony."
His sudden, affectionate call of her during such a serious conversation made Yun Sheng's face flush.
She could only raise her voice and repeat, "I already said that's not what I meant."
"Well, what are your requirements?"
Xiao Xu's voice was as calm and steady as ever, but his words, which sounded like he would be obedient and submissive, were not those of a submissive person.
He was still dressed in his wedding attire, his hair neatly styled, leaning back in his chair with his legs spread apart, his long, slender fingers lightly tapping the wooden handle. After speaking, he turned his head to glance at her.
Yun Sheng, on the other hand, sat stiffly. Her clothes, which she had just gathered, had loosened slightly. Her fair hands were still tightly twisting her fingers on her lap. When she looked down and saw this, she suddenly let go of her hands, and her fingers fell to the sides of her body as she awkwardly scratched the soft cushions.
Yun Sheng was still full of annoyance, and she didn't know how to answer his question.
She was also annoyed that Xiao Xu's attitude wasn't particularly tough, yet she seemed to be the one being suppressed.
She relaxed her hands and snorted in dissatisfaction: "Will you grant any request I make?"
"We will try our best to meet your needs," Xiao Xu said solemnly.
Yun Sheng raised her chin deliberately and said, "In short, it can't be worse than what we discussed with the Third Young Master before. Do you agree?"
A crack appeared in Xiao Xu's usually calm expression. He stood up straight, his gaze darkening: "I'm talking about the requirements for our relationship."
"Have you discussed these things with him privately?"
The atmosphere suddenly became strange, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly why.
Yun Sheng said blankly, "No."
They hadn't even spoken a word to each other, and she assumed he was talking about betrothal gifts and dowry.
Xiao Xu remained silent for a while, his expression not softening, but when he spoke, his tone softened: "The situation is special, and we are missing many of the proper ceremonies. I will make up for them one by one. First, regarding the betrothal gifts, I want to discuss with your parents on the day of the return visit. We will return the previous gifts first, and I will prepare double the amount to send to the Yun family. What do you think?"
Yun Sheng was slightly surprised to hear that it would be doubled, because Xiao Ling's betrothal gifts were already generous, but after this incident, doubling it was only right.
She initially thought that returning and resending the item would be too much trouble, so why not just send it directly with double the amount? However, she quickly realized that the engagement was made in Xiao Ling's name, so it was understandable that Xiao Xu would mind, no matter how you looked at it.
Yun Sheng nodded gently: "Okay."
"Although the marriage is settled, we should still follow the proper etiquette. Today I have ordered someone to prepare three new letters, which I will write for you to review tomorrow. They will be given to your parents when you return to your parents' home."
Xiao Xu paused for a moment, then said, "So remember to return and cancel the third brother's share as well."
Why did he bring up Xiao Ling again?
Although these words were all reasonable, Yun Sheng still found them strange.
After all, no newlywed couple would sit so distantly on their wedding night discussing such awkward topics, especially since these topics kept bringing up another person.
Yun Sheng responded with another "okay".
The candlelight flickered inside, casting Xiao Xu's figure on the wall, serene and upright.
He continued, "One last thing: on the day of my return visit, I will bring a pair of new geese. We will perform the betrothal ceremony once again, according to the traditional betrothal ritual."
There was an inexplicable sense of possessiveness in his words, leaving Yun Sheng momentarily at a loss for words.
This is different from a doubled dowry and a marriage certificate with names written on it; the wild geese that have already been released have no signatures.
She thought for a moment and said, "Following the ancient ritual once is enough; there's no need to go through all that trouble again."
“No trouble at all. The importance of courtesy lies in its sincerity and righteousness. The last time the wild goose offered a blessing, it was not for you and me. It should be done again in our names.”
When Xiao Xu discussed this matter, his expression remained calm, as if he were handling a business matter, yet he was inexplicably persistent.
He was the one who started her making requests, so how come it turned into him making one request after another?
But what Xiao Xu said made sense. A proper marriage is a formal affair. Without these formalities, the marriage would remain as hasty and absurd as she had hastily agreed to it that morning.
Yun Sheng felt a little more at ease thinking about all the troubles that would have to come again.
She replied softly, "Okay then."
Having received her affirmative response, Xiao Xu seemed satisfied, and the invisible pressure emanating from him lessened slightly before bringing the topic back to the beginning: "Since there are no objections, let's talk about the present."
Xiao Xu returned to the original question.
Yun Sheng said, "I have never been with a man before, how would I know what he would want? I can't think of anything right now."
Upon hearing this, the barely noticeable somber expression on Xiao Xu's face completely vanished.
He pondered for a moment, then nodded and said gently, "Alright, we'll talk about it later."
After speaking, Xiao Xu got up from the couch.
Where are you going?
As Xiao Xu turned around, he saw Yun Sheng quickly withdraw her hand, just like when she took her nightgown from behind the screen earlier.
But there were no nightgowns for her to take at that moment.
Xiao Xu glanced down at his empty sleeve; he stood up so quickly that she missed grabbing at it.
Looking up again, her flushed face was as beautiful as a lotus flower, and her long eyelashes fluttered in the light and shadow.
Xiao Xu smiled and replied, "Go take a bath, I'll be back soon."
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Xiao Xu: Secretly pleased [sunglasses]
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