After Xue Shen finished speaking, he turned around and left without hesitation, leaving Chen Youying alone, feeling ashamed and indignant to the point of wanting to die.
The heat on her face spread to her neck, more vibrant than the peach blossoms of March and April. She drank three or four cups of cold tea before she could suppress the flush on her face and called Danzhu and Bailuo in to help her wash up.
Judging from what the King of Qin just said, it seems he won't be staying overnight.
Shen Youying didn't feel humiliated by not consummating their marriage on their wedding night; on the contrary, she felt a slight sense of relief. As Bai Luo helped her into the bathtub, she thought, somewhat dizzy, that the rumors outside were probably a mixture of truth and falsehood.
He may not necessarily have a violent streak, but he is most likely to be unable to perform sexually.
The reason why the King of Qin and the King of Chen made such a big show of vying for the beauty was probably to cover up the truth.
Shen Youying thought about many random things, and soon the effects of the alcohol kicked in again, making her even more dizzy. So she took a bath, changed into her nightgown, and went to rest.
Danzhu tidied her hair and, seeing her drowsy as she got onto the bed to sleep, finally couldn't help but ask with concern, "Did you have a disagreement with the Prince, Miss?"
Shen Youying recalled Xue Shen's expression and shook her head, saying, "There was nothing unpleasant about it." He even teased her when he left, so if anyone should be unhappy, it should be her.
"But if Your Highness doesn't stay here tonight, what will happen to Yuanpai tomorrow..."
The women in the backyard have only so many things to do every day. The women in the Qin Prince's mansion, who are all over the place, probably won't be able to sleep tonight, waiting to see how their young ladies fare.
If they gain the favor of the King of Qin, their daughters can establish their authority in the palace; but if the King of Qin does not allow them to stay overnight on their wedding night, and this becomes public knowledge the next day, how can their daughters maintain their standing in the palace? Won't all those other women try to bully them?
Danzhu became increasingly anxious, her mind racing with thoughts of her young lady.
Shen Youying pondered for a while, but didn't think it was a big deal.
If the King of Qin himself is incompetent, how could he possibly send someone to examine the handkerchief and slap himself in the face?
"Don't worry, most likely no one will be testing tomorrow."
She yawned and snuggled into the soft quilt.
The King of Qin was quite generous, allocating her a bright and elegant courtyard, with the finest furnishings and utensils throughout. Shen Youying buried her face in the brocade quilt with satisfaction and fell asleep.
*
"Already retired? You're quite carefree."
Xue Shen chuckled as he listened to Wang Deshun's report.
Wang Deshun bent down and whispered, "The arrangements have been made. When should we send them to the Princess?"
"Send it to her tomorrow, she'll accept it."
Wang Deshun agreed, then hesitated and asked, "There's also the matter of managing the household affairs. Previously, Consort Xiao was in charge; she's one of our people, and we can trust her. But now that the Princess has entered the residence, it should be handed over to her..."
"This matter is not urgent."
Xue Shen tapped the armrest lightly with his fingers, making a "tap-tap" sound. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Isn't Liu about to make her move soon? Have someone report this to the Princess. If she handles it well, it wouldn't hurt to hand over the management of the Prince's residence to her."
Wang Deshun agreed and quietly left.
Xue Shen sat behind his desk, the flickering orange candlelight casting dappled shadows on his face. He slowly took out a white handkerchief from his sleeve and then lightly slashed the inside of his arm with the dagger he always carried.
Dark red blood dripped onto the handkerchief, like specks of falling plum blossoms.
Xue Shen stopped the bleeding, looked at the blood-stained handkerchief and chuckled, thinking that while he was getting stabbed, the little fox was sleeping soundly.
He put the handkerchief away with an inscrutable expression, then turned his wheelchair and went to Tingmei Pavilion again.
Shen Youying had indeed retired for the night, with only two maids who had accompanied her on her dowry keeping watch. When they saw Xue Shen approaching, they quickly bowed and were about to speak to him, but Xue Shen stopped them by raising his hand.
He maneuvered his wheelchair into the inner room, where he saw a small mound rising from the large canopy bed.
Shen Youying buried her face in the brocade quilt and slept soundly.
She was probably exhausted, and the noise of Xue Shen coming in didn't wake her. Half of her cheek was buried in the quilt, and the other half was exposed, slightly red from the heat.
A blush spread across Sai Xue's skin, like plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
Xue Shen reached out and pinched the soft-looking cheek again, thinking that this courtyard was a good choice, suitable for her.
Xue Shen sat in the inner room for a quarter of an hour before coming out.
Bai Luo and Dan Zhu waited outside in fear and trepidation. When he finally came out, they breathed a sigh of relief and carefully saw him off as if he were a demon. Only then did they rush to the inner room to see their young lady.
None of the scenarios they had imagined happened. Their girl was sound asleep in her blankets, with a blood-stained handkerchief lying on the bedside table.
Bai Luo and Dan Zhu looked at each other, speechless for a long time.
*
Shen Youying only learned about what happened the night before when she woke up the next day.
She was somewhat surprised, but then she thought that the King of Qin was probably trying to preserve his man's "dignity," so she let the matter drop and told Bai Luodanzhu not to mention it again.
The handkerchief was taken away by the palace maid.
Shen Youying cleansed her face, and Danzhu styled her hair into an elaborate high bun. She then changed into a princess's dress.
The King of Qin is favored by His Majesty, and this morning she had to go to the palace with him to express her gratitude.
Just as Shen Youying finished dressing up, Wang Deshun arrived with two young maids.
He bowed respectfully and pointed to the two maids beside him with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, saying, "His Highness was worried that His Highness would not have enough people, so he specially asked this old servant to select two capable maids to send over. One of them is called Liuyun and the other is called Fucui. They are both trained in the palace and are familiar with the rules of the palace. If His Highness does not know anything, just ask them for help."
Shen Youying was slightly taken aback, not understanding what the King of Qin meant by sending someone to her.
But she still obediently agreed: "My wet nurse is sick and hasn't come yet, and Bailuo and Danzhu are too busy. Please thank the prince for me."
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