Warm Red Tent, sweat sprinkled on the fragrant pillow.
Su Rong had discreetly prepared for this day for a long time, after all, she had secretly sought advice from Nanny Zhao and even found a procuress from the Green Building to carefully learn from.
In her mind, she thought it was still uncertain who would consume whom.
But when it came to it, she regretted not learning enough at the crucial moment.
Zhou Gu had restrained himself with her for no short period, more than a year, and even though she had her thoughts, when she truly entered the Warm Tent, she found she was no match for Zhou Gu and was helpless.
Broken moans spilled out, Su Rong was tossed about until she was dazed, the thoughts in her head shattered into pieces, unable to come together, she could only hear Zhou Gu calling her name hoarsely by her ear.
At last, they rested.
The red candles burned out, the flush on Su Rong’s face had not faded, and wet tear streaks hung at the corners of her eyes as she fell into a deep sleep.
Zhou Gu looked at her with satisfaction, his fingers lifting a strand of hair from her temples, gently wiping away the tears from her eyes, watched her for a while, then got up and carried her to bathe in the bathhouse.
The water in the bathhouse was just the right temperature, comfortable and pleasant.
Zhou Gu bathed her properly, returned to the room refreshed, not wanting to call anyone else in, changed the bedding himself, and only when the light of Dawn was seeping into the inner chamber did he embrace Su Rong and fall asleep with satisfaction.
They slept until noon.
Zhou Gu woke Su Rong up, "My dear, wake up, it’s time to go pay respect to your father by serving tea."
Seeing Su Rong’s still-fatigued face even after sleeping until noon, he felt some regret, thinking he had been too unrestrained yesterday, really exhausting her. Although he had been overly playful before, they’d never gone all the way, and she was still so tired she couldn’t get up; yesterday he had insisted on going to extremes, naturally she was even more unable to rise.
If it weren’t for the tea ceremony today, he really wouldn’t want to wake her.
Su Rong struggled to lift her eyelids, murmured something, then closed them again, burying her face in Zhou Gu’s arms, "Tired."
Zhou Gu felt his heart fill up, he took a deep breath, lowered his head to kiss her, "We need to serve tea, we can’t possibly go tomorrow."
They’d be laughed at, right?
Su Rong rubbed his neck again, almost stirring another fire within Zhou Gu before she opened her eyes, "It’s all your fault."
"Yes, it’s my fault," Zhou Gu nodded repeatedly, "I’m sorry, I didn’t show restraint."
"It’s definitely you," Su Rong had never expected that those things she learned secretly were utterly useless in front of a starving wolf.
Zhou Gu reached out to help her up, coaxing her, "It’s my fault, if we don’t get up, lunchtime will pass."
Su Rong, feeling weak, let him help her sit up; she tried to pinch him but lacked the strength, she leaned limply in his embrace, soft as if boneless, allowing him to dress her, "I said no more, no more, but you went too far. You go serve the tea yourself."
Zhou Gu felt guilty, his hands paused, then he struggled and hesitated, "Wouldn’t that be improper? Can it be done? Can I go serve tea alone?"
From his tone, he seriously contemplated whether it was possible to go alone.
Su Rong pinched the soft flesh at his waist, not having much strength even to pinch, "What do you think? Hurry up. It’s really late, you should have woken me up earlier." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Zhou Gu, weary but willing, worked quickly, after all, he had dressed Su Rong more than once. He fully accepted the more resentful gaze of Su Rong’s complaints than usual.
He hurried but ordered, methodically helping Su Rong get dressed properly, then dressed himself neatly, before promptly pulling her out of bed to wash up.
Su Rong had just gotten out of bed when her legs went weak and she almost collapsed. Zhou Gu was startled and quickly steadied her, his face changing color, "Does it, does it hurt that much? Shall I, should I really go by myself?"
Although it was unprecedented for one person to take the place of two in serving tea, it should be possible, right? After all, his role as the Master of the Imperial was also unprecedented.
Su Rong gritted her teeth, straightened her legs, took a moment to steady herself, and stood firm, "Go by yourself my ass."
Zhou Gu immediately fell silent. At this moment, he didn’t dare to provoke her and did not even dare to speak.
Outraged, Su Rong pushed him away, "Get out of my way, and call Nanny Zhao and Yuewan to attend to me."
Zhou Gu cautiously let go of his hold and hurried out to call for Nanny Zhao and Yuewan.
Nanny Zhao had been waiting with others early on. Even if she had heard noises from the inner room, she wouldn’t have dared to barge in rashly. Now that Zhou Gu was calling, she quickly led people into the inner hall and smiled while congratulating Zhou Gu first.
Zhou Gu touched his nose, accepted the congratulations, and hoped his father-in-law wouldn’t scold him for being too inconsiderate and overzealous the night before.
Upon entering the inner hall, Nanny Zhao also congratulated Su Rong. Seeing her pale face, Nanny Zhao was both amused and sympathetic as she supported Su Rong and whispered, "It’s always tough for a bride on her first time. Did you apply the ointment I prepared for you beforehand?"
Su Rong helplessly shook her head, "No."
Nanny Zhao quietly asked, "Why didn’t you?"
Exhausted, Su Rong replied, "I fell asleep."
Nanny Zhao clicked her tongue and said with regret, "That’s my fault. I should have reminded the Fourth Young Master in advance to help you with that."
Since Zhou Gu had only returned to the Royal Capital from outside three days before his wedding, he had been extremely busy preparing everything. It was a hectic time, and she had neglected to remind him. She assumed the Grand Princess and The Lady of the Duke from the Duke Residence had forgotten as well. After all, he had only visited the Duke Residence the second day after his return, staying for just half a day, and didn’t have time to speak privately until the wedding day arrived.
Sympathetically, Nanny Zhao said, "Shall I help you apply the ointment now? It’s a bit late, but it will only delay things a bit. It’s the second day after the wedding; no one gets up early. Everyone understands that, so it’s no trouble."
Su Rong was embarrassed, "I’ll apply it behind the screen myself. You can help me wash and dress later."
Nanny Zhao nodded in understanding, "Alright."
She assisted Su Rong behind the screen with the ointment, and after a short while, she directed the palace maids to tidy up the room.
Zhou Gu stood there, touching his nose for a long while. Without any assistance, he managed to get ready on his own. Then obediently, he stood in the outer room as if penalized, waiting for Su Rong to come out.
Nanny Zhao, with the palace maids’ efficient help, made sure Su Rong was neatly groomed. After applying the ointment, Su Rong still felt uncomfortable, but it was much better. Her complexion had improved a bit too. When she came out and saw Zhou Gu standing there like a wooden pole, staring at her with a guilty and puppyish look, she was both irritated and amused, "Enough, why are you standing there like you’re being punished?"
Although she felt somewhat annoyed, she couldn’t muster the energy to stay mad—after all, it was her own lack of resistance that was to blame.
Zhou Gu approached and supported her, asking softly, "Aren’t you mad at me anymore?"
He thought she’d be angry for the entire day.
"Not anymore." Su Rong glanced at him reproachfully, "Let’s go. I just heard from Nanny Zhao that grandfather, grandmother, and our two mothers were considerate of us and went to the Palace for tea. They said we don’t need to make a trip to the Zhou Residence."
Zhou Gu was delighted, "Thanks to grandfather, grandmother, and our two mothers for being so considerate."
Su Rong laughed, "You should thank the elders for giving you extra points. Otherwise, I would naturally have to stay mad at you for half the day."
Zhou Gu felt a bit more relieved and promptly showed his willingness to please, "Should I carry you over there?"
Su Rong chuckled and glared at him, "We’ll take the sedan chair."
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