Three months after Zhu Jiayu drew his sword and committed suicide, falling off the city wall, red lanterns were hung high and colorful silks were draped around the General's Mansion.
In the Great Ye Dynasty, the most talented young general, Rong Heng, was about to marry the princess as his second wife.
All the noble ladies and high-ranking officials in Yujing City were extremely optimistic about this marriage: Rong Heng was exceptionally talented, capable of leading troops in battle, well-versed in literature and art, and upright and peaceful—a true gentleman. As for Princess Duanhua, renowned throughout Yujing, she was beautiful and elegant, and whether managing palace affairs or learning palace etiquette, she was always the most outstanding and exceptional in everything she did.
These two together are truly a match made in heaven, a divine couple.
As for the general's wife, who came from a merchant family in that rural area, she only received some sighs and lamentations at the time of her death. Now, as the days flow by, no one remembers her anymore, no one cares, and no one has even inquired about how she became so heartbroken in this prosperous and extravagant capital city that she was able to give up the wealth and glory that was within her grasp and commit suicide on the city wall.
Only Rong Heng.
Rong Heng had been married to her since childhood. Although he knew there wasn't much genuine affection involved, they had spent so many years together, and Zhu Jiayu was gentle and virtuous. She had gone through life and death with him and never abandoned him.
Since she left, he would sometimes sit alone under the eaves and think that Zhu Jiayu was indeed a very good woman, it was just a pity.
Unfortunately, she didn't have a good family background, nor was she good at social interactions within the household; otherwise, he probably would have tolerated her for longer.
The birds gradually flew south, and the wind grew stronger day by day. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau observed the stars at night and determined that on the 18th day of the ninth month of that year, the star Jupiter would move, which was auspicious for marriage. Thus, Rong Heng's marriage to the princess was set for that day.
After paying respects to Heaven and Earth, and to their parents, and drinking the nuptial wine, and receiving congratulations from everyone in the front hall, dusk had fallen, the misty blue sky hung low, and the clouds parted to reveal the moon.
Rong Heng walked out of the banquet hall and glanced at the brightly lit courtyard. He couldn't quite describe the emotions churning in his heart. Just then, someone got drunk and came to take his hand. He half-heartedly pushed and half-refused and returned to the hall to continue drinking with everyone.
As night deepened and the red candles grew shorter, the group, mindful of the princess's loneliness in her room, dared not cause too much trouble. Seeing that Rong Heng was still drinking and making merry with others and showed no sign of leaving, they all discussed it and got up to bid him farewell.
The once bustling banquet hall suddenly became quiet, and even the bright wedding candles seemed to have dimmed.
The servant finally dared to help Rong Heng, but he was pushed away by Rong Heng.
He staggered toward the side room, stood outside for a long time, and ultimately couldn't bring himself to push open the door.
A sense of melancholy enveloped him. He turned and sat down on the stone steps outside the door, and Zhu Jiayu's face suddenly came to mind.
She wore a red dress and looked both nervous and expectant as she tossed the embroidered ball with her eyes closed from the decorated tower. When she opened her eyes and saw that he had caught the ball, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Later, on their wedding day, he lifted her veil, and she opened her bright and moist eyes, solemnly saying, "My husband, it's so good to have you."
He doesn't love her.
Or rather, he never loved anyone in his entire life.
Even he himself didn't understand why he would think of her bright eyes and fluttering red dress on such a day.
"General, the princess has been waiting for you for a long time, look..." The matchmaker finally couldn't help but urge Rong Heng.
Rong Heng looked up and glanced at the moon in the sky.
He heard his own gentle voice say, "I understand."
He got up and went inside, picked up the jade ruyi from the red lacquered tray, and lifted the bride's veil.
The princess tilted her head back, her bright eyes brimming with laughter: "I'm still wondering when you'll come."
Rong Heng removed the phoenix crown from her, bent down, kissed her slightly closed eyes, and said gently, "It was my fault, Your Highness, that you have kept me waiting."
"As long as it's you, I don't mind waiting as long as it takes," the princess said sweetly, clutching her sleeve tightly.
She was a little nervous, but still tried to appear calm.
The nanny said it would hurt a lot the first time, but she had to endure it so as not to spoil the prince consort's mood. Of course she would endure it; she was a princess, and she would never lose her princess status, no matter what.
Just as she was pursing her lips, she suddenly felt the person in front of her get up and leave. His slightly cold breath disappeared from her ear, and the dim shadow disappeared from her sight.
She opened her eyes and saw her husband looking at her gently: "Your Majesty, I'm going to take a bath. Please rest early."
The princess was stunned, momentarily unable to understand what he meant.
It wasn't until she bathed and changed clothes with the help of her maids and lay in bed that she finally understood Rong Heng's words.
He returned from his bath, lay down beside her, and then closed his eyes and fell asleep.
...
In the second month after their marriage, Rong Heng was promoted to Grand Commandant, in charge of the military power in the northwest. From then on, all the military generals in the court regarded him as their leader. Anyone who disobeyed him would suffer a tragic end.
He still hadn't touched the princess, but he slept with her in bed every night, giving her the respect and dignity she deserved.
The princess couldn't understand why, but she was willing to endure it.
She had grown accustomed to enduring it all. As a child, she endured her mother's harsh discipline in learning palace rules and etiquette. As she grew older, she began to endure her brothers' schemes and plots, all of whom wanted to use her as a bargaining chip to win over powerful families and officials. She endured all of this and became the most renowned princess in the palace. Relying on this, she asked her father, the emperor, for a favor and married a widower general.
Life at the general's mansion was far better than in the palace. She thought it wouldn't hurt to endure it. One should learn to be content.
Moreover, Rong Heng was usually gentle and considerate towards her, and he never strayed. From this point of view alone, she was already quite satisfied with the husband she had chosen.
As life gradually became more leisurely, the princess, feeling bored, began to learn how to cook.
Once, she secretly slipped out of the palace and tried the wontons outside. Although they weren't as refined as those in the palace, they still had a unique flavor. The small wontons warmed her stomach and heart after she drank the clear soup.
So she decided to learn how to cook wontons for the first time.
First, you learn to roll out the dough, then you learn to prepare the filling, and finally you learn to wrap the dumplings. Even the soup has its nuances. You learn all these things over and over until winter, and finally you graduate as a master.
But when she happily presented the wontons she had cooked to Rong Heng, she did not receive any praise from him.
Rong Heng was handling official business when he saw her bring over the wontons, and his expression changed almost instantly.
He raised his hand and gripped her neck, his expression unchanged, still as gentle as ever. He smiled faintly and said, "Princess, just play the role of your general's wife and don't do anything unnecessary."
His hand tightened, and the princess could barely breathe. She looked at him in horror, the wontons in her hand spilling onto the ground in her panic, the soup splashing all over them.
For a moment, she really felt like she was about to die.
However, she still couldn't understand why all of this was happening.
Then Rong Heng released her hand, calmly called the guards in, and helped her out.
The study door closed again. Rong Heng stared at the tattered books on the floor. After a moment of stillness, he slowly sat down, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
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