Then, the matchmaker continued the ceremony while saying auspicious words, such as drinking the nuptial wine.
After the ceremony, the young marquis left the bridal chamber to greet the guests.
Looking at her husband's upright figure and normal gait, Ding Xuan thought to herself: He doesn't seem like a cripple, so what's wrong? Could he have a hidden illness?
The maids and servants around her offered their congratulations and auspicious words. Ding Xuan smiled and instructed her personal maid, A Yuan, to distribute the reward money.
She continued sitting on the bed, pondering: there must be something wrong with this; otherwise, a noble marquis wouldn't be interested in a commoner like her with no background. If they knew each other before, it would be understandable, but they didn't. She was indeed naive, but not stupid! She didn't believe such a good thing could fall into her lap.
The time was long.
The groom will be outside, accompanying the guests until evening.
The bride must sit on the bed in the bridal chamber until nightfall.
The servants offered their congratulations for a while, then quieted down, leaving the room peaceful enough for Ding Xuan to think.
Ding Xuan pulled out her brain, which she rarely used, and thought about it over and over again for a long time before finally concluding that she must have a hidden illness.
Men are most sensitive about hidden illnesses, especially noblemen like Marquises, so they would never tell outsiders.
If he were to marry a daughter of a prominent family, she would not be willing to live a life of widowhood. If she discovered her husband's hidden illness, she would immediately make a scene, thus exposing the young marquis's hidden illness.
At this point, marrying a commoner woman would eliminate any worries, and the commoner woman would not dare to speak out and could only suffer in silence.
Are we going to suffer in silence?
Yes, she quite likes to eat it.
She knew that her mother had sent her portrait and birth date to the Marquis's mansion with the intention of making her a concubine... Even if she were a concubine, she didn't have much hope.
Now she's the legal wife?
Even if she were to live a life of widowhood, she would still have made a profit.
but,
soon.
A few hours later, Ding Xuan realized just how wrong she had been!
All night long,
Her bones felt like they were about to break.
Before she got married, her mother and nanny taught her these things, but they never taught her these things in a short time.
She had just finished, but before she could even take a sip of water, the second round began.
What happened to the hidden illness?
Fortunately, it ended after the third time.
Three times? That sounds acceptable, but the problem is that each time lasts a long time! By the time all three were over, it was already dawn!
In the end, she didn't know if she was tired or sleepy. Her head was spinning from being shaken, and then her husband pulled her into his arms and she fell fast asleep.
He slept soundly until noon the next day.
She woke up, opened her eyes groggily, and found herself still in her husband's arms. Feeling a little shy, she asked timidly, "Excuse me... what time is it now?"
Then she heard her husband's voice, "Don't worry about the time, if you're tired, just sleep a little longer."
She was too nervous yesterday and didn't notice her husband's voice.
When I heard it today, I was so amazed that I secretly shrank my neck – it was so beautiful.
His voice was neither the crisp, youthful tone of a young boy nor the deep, resonant quality of a strong man; rather, it was somewhere in between, powerful yet magnetic.
But at the same time, she couldn't help but think—not blind, not lame, no hidden illness, then… he must have some kind of shady hobby, drinking, gambling, and womanizing? It couldn't be more than those three things, and she had to be prepared.
but,
A month passed just like that.
The young marquis always returned home on time and never lingered outside, because he always returned wearing his official robes—indicating that he did not indulge in womanizing and had no mistresses outside.
He handed over his treasury to her, telling her to keep it safe, and that he would give it to her on time when he received his salary—indicating that he didn't gamble, since he didn't have extra money to gamble with.
As for drinking, yes, I did drink, but not heavily; I just drank with a few friends.
He even went out drinking with friends less and less often.
Finally, one day, several of the young marquis's friends came directly to her door to complain that Bai Zhankai was a philanderer who forgot his friends and his wife. They had invited him many times, but he insisted on going home to be with his wife and refused to go out.
Enraged, several men rushed over and kidnapped the man.
Ding Xuan was terrified at the time, and only after the group of burly military officers left did she gradually calm down. Afterwards, she felt flattered and a sense of joy welled up in her heart.
soon
Thanks to the young marquis's efforts, her period did not return.
Not only did she miss her period, but she also lost her appetite and felt nauseous. She suspected that she was pregnant.
She was overjoyed, but dared not say it aloud, fearing that her joy would be in vain. So she asked A-Yuan to invite a female doctor to check her pulse to ensure her safety.
When the female physician arrived, she indeed diagnosed a pregnancy.
The whole family was overjoyed.
The old lady treated her very well, and the young marquis even better; he never went out drinking again after that.
The ten-month pregnancy is over.
She gave birth to a boy smoothly, and the young marquis became a father. At that time, he decided that the boy would be the heir and ordered someone to report to the government department that was in charge of managing titles for registration.
Some people advised that it wasn't even a full month yet, so there was no need to report it so early.
The implied meaning is: to prevent the baby from dying prematurely, wait until it is certain that the baby can survive before proceeding.
The young marquis was immediately displeased and angrily rebuked: "If he survives, he is a living heir; if he fails to survive, he is a dead heir. As a military officer, why should you be so concerned about life and death?"
The crown prince is dead, so let the younger brother continue to be the crown prince.
If the younger brother dies, then the younger brother can take over. At worst, the government officials can register and cancel the household registration a few more times. That's their job, why be afraid of trouble?
Seeing that the young marquis had already said these words, the others knew not to say anything more.
Then came the time to name the child.
The clan elders said they hoped the crown prince would arrange the characters according to the clan's genealogy.
The young marquis, who was usually quite good-tempered, suddenly became rebellious and insisted on naming his son Qingzhou (Light Boat).
Everyone was puzzled—is it really appropriate to give the son of a military officer such an elegant name?
The young marquis was furious—"What do you know? It is precisely because he is the son of a military officer that he should have an elegant name. A person should be proficient in both literature and martial arts."
Everyone agreed, saying that one should indeed be proficient in both literature and martial arts, which is why the young marquis is not only good at fighting but also at arguing.
Ding Xuan was also puzzled and secretly asked her husband why he named her Qingzhou (Light Boat). Did Qingzhou have a symbolic meaning?
Bai Zhankai said meaningfully, "The light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains."
The young marquis still had an icy expression, as if he could rush to the front lines to kill the enemy at any moment, but at this moment, his sharp eyes were incredibly gentle, and within that gentleness, there seemed to be some indescribable meaning.
A month later, Prince Bai Qingzhou had also completed his full-month celebration.
A quiet afternoon,
Ding Xuan, recalling this incident, asked the old lady curiously: "Why did the Marquis name his son Qingzhou? What is the meaning of the poem 'A light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains'?"
The old lady just smiled mysteriously and shook her head, saying, "I don't know."
The old lady knew, of course, but she couldn't say anything. Her son had repeatedly told her not to reveal that he had been staring at that young girl for a whole year.
If word gets out, won't people think I'm a lecher?
The dignified Marquis of Anning has his pride!
Seeing that she couldn't get any answers, Ding Xuan had no choice but to give up.
One day later...
Her sister-in-law came to visit her and said that it was time to arrange a concubine for the Marquis. Which noble or meritorious official didn't have several concubines? If he didn't have a concubine, he would be laughed at by his colleagues in official circles.
Ding Xuan thought it made a lot of sense!
That very evening, she told her husband, but to her surprise, the young marquis immediately flew into a rage.
That was the first time Ding Xuan had ever seen her husband angry, and it was truly... terrifying!
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