marriage
"Alight from the sedan chair, son-in-law!" The Jiang family members hesitated to strike with their sticks, but in the end, it was only after Jiang's father gently nudged Wei Shu that the custom was complete.
"Get out of the sedan chair!" Jiang Jin saw a pair of shoes embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns approaching her.
"Madam." Wei Shu extended his hand. Jiang Jin hesitated for a moment, but still placed her hand on his. Wei Shu's fingers were somewhat rough but broad and strong, directly enveloping Jiang Jin's palm.
"Let's pay our respects to Heaven and Earth." Wei Shu helped Jiang Jin kneel down before kneeling beside her himself.
"Paying respects to my parents." Jiang's parents sat in the main hall, watching the arrogant Wei Shu bow to them, and they felt a sense of disorientation.
"Husband and wife bow to each other." Wei Shu helped Jiang Jinyi up and bowed to him. Throughout the ceremony, Wei Shu was very gentle, and there were even a few laughs.
"Enter the tent!" Wei Shu and Jiang Jin walked side by side into the Hundred Sons Tent. Jiang Jin sat on the bed, recalling Wei Shu's actions that day, and a shiver ran through her heart.
"Put away the fan!" Wei Shu recited a poem about putting away the fan according to etiquette, and Jiang Jin, not daring to be displeased, put down the round fan in her hand.
"Wedding wine!" Wei Shu handed the wine cup to Jiang Jin. In the candlelight, Wei Shu, having shed some of his coldness, looked even more dashing in his red wedding attire. His handsome appearance, surpassing even that of Pan An and immortals, was no mere boast.
Jiang Jin swallowed hard and downed the wine in her glass in one gulp, while Wei Shu, watching Jiang Jin's slightly flushed face, smiled slightly and also finished his wine.
"The ceremony is complete, we won't disturb General Wei any longer!" The matchmaker hurriedly waved for everyone to leave, afraid that if they were even a step too slow, they would be held grudges by this ruthless man.
After everyone left, the room fell silent. "Jiang Jin, the second daughter of the Jiang family." Wei Shu's good expression vanished instantly, replaced by the cold indifference he had shown when they first met. Without a shred of pity, he used his dagger to lift Jiang Jin's chin. "Sometimes, reaching too far isn't a good thing."
"Jiang Jin, I don't care what you have, but don't you dare threaten the Wei family, or I'll rip your claws out one by one." Wei Shu stood up and patted his slightly wrinkled wedding dress.
"From now on, you just need to act like a loving couple with me in front of everyone. I won't restrict you in any other way. But you must always remember that we are in the same boat and don't even think about betraying me!"
"General Wei, I don't understand what you mean. I have nothing to hide."
Jiang Jin extended her fair hand to Wei Shu. Wei Shu stared directly into Jiang Jin's eyes, becoming even more wary of his new wife.
"Those ten women from the South Alley, ostensibly embroiderers, what are they doing behind the scenes? Do I need to elaborate?" Wei Shu stared coldly at Jiang Jin, the icy dagger pressed against her cheek, his tone dripping with malice.
"If Madam wishes to experience my methods, the inner prison awaits your arrival at any time."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin was not afraid at all. With the imperial decree, he naturally had more confidence. "General Wei investigated me very thoroughly. I admit that the ten men from Nanxiang were ordered by me to gather information from various families, but I had no other purpose. I just wanted to know which family's young master was suitable to marry."
Jiang Jin stood in front of Wei Shu, staring intently at him. "The people of Da Yan are open-minded. Besides, there's no law that says I can't choose my own husband. Does this mean I'll be arrested and interrogated in the inner prison? Or is the general jealous?"
Wei Shu looked at the woman before him, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes still charming despite her anger, and her neck very fair. The injuries she had sustained long since healed, leaving only a faint pink tinge. He found himself inexplicably drawn to Jiang Jin's neck.
"What are you doing!" Warm fingertips touched Jiang Jin's neck, startling her so much that she took a few steps back and accidentally fell onto the bed.
"Of course, we should consummate our marriage. Does Madam not know what one should do on our wedding night?"
Wei Shu was exceptionally handsome; despite his ruthlessness, no one had ever questioned his appearance. Now, he possessed an added touch of tenderness, and a hint of desire even flickered in his eyes.
With each step Wei Shu took, another piece of clothing disappeared from his body, until he reached the bedside and was left only in his undergarments.
"You..." Jiang Jin backed away in fear. Wei Shu lowered the bed curtains, his heavy breathing ringing in her ear. The sudden change left Jiang Jin somewhat bewildered.
"Take off your clothes. If you won't, I'll help you." Wei Shu didn't go any further, but simply sat on the edge of the bed watching Jiang Jin. The beauty was startled, but her eyes held a hint of spring, suggesting a touch of attraction.
"Is someone spying on us from outside?" Jiang Jin frowned, feeling a little embarrassed, but her hands were busy unbuttoning her clothes.
He then handed his wedding robe to Wei Shu. The robe, still warm from his body, lingered briefly in Wei Shu's hand before he tossed it onto the window and casually extinguished the candles.
"You're not so bad after all." Wei Shu's fingers unbuttoned the last layer of his nightgown, leaving Jiang Jin with nowhere to hide on the small bed.
"What do we do now?" Jiang Jin swallowed hard, watching Wei Shu toss his nightgown in front of the figure.
"Of course." Wei Shu slowly approached Jiang Jin, reaching out to embrace her slender waist. They were separated only by Jiang Jin's nightgown. Jiang Jin's heart sank; she suddenly doubted her judgment. Did Wei Shu really want to consummate their marriage?
"It's all an act!" Wei Shu's warm breath tickled Jiang Jin's ear, and she unconsciously touched her earlobe, only to brush against Wei Shu's chest as she raised her hand. The warm touch made her instinctively want to pull away, but Wei Shu held her waist tightly.
"Insult me!" Although Wei Shu wanted to be a paragon of virtue, he was still a normal man. How could he not be tempted by a beautiful woman in his arms? He took a deep breath, wanting to end this torture as soon as possible, and then pinched Jiang Jin's shoulder hard.
"Wei Shu, be gentle!" Jiang Jin almost cried out as she was being pinched. "It hurts so much!" Jiang Jin's voice carried clearly to the ears of the people outside the door. After a short while, Wei Shu noticed that the people outside the window had left before he turned over and got off the bed.
Seeing Wei Shu leave, Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Gone?"
By the moonlight, Wei Shu could clearly see Jiang Jin's beautiful face with tears in her eyes. He gasped for breath, "Your clothes."
Wei Shu coughed and turned away. Jiang Jin looked down and saw that his nightgown had inexplicably fallen to his shoulder, revealing his fair skin. She quickly straightened his clothes and, seeing Wei Shu's expression, felt a sudden urge to tease him.
Wei Shu picked up the teacup on the table, took a few sips, and then remembered Jiang Jin on the bed. "Do you want some?"
"No need." Jiang Jin slowly walked to Wei Shu's side and sat down. The hair ornament on her head didn't make a sound as she moved. She raised her hand and took Wei Shu's hand.
"General, on our wedding night, are you only willing to put on a show for me?" Jiang Jin's phoenix eyes were misty with tears, and her red nightgown made her face even more beautiful.
"Jiang Jin, stop with your fake act. I still remember how scared you were just now." Wei Shu raised his hand and pinched Jiang Jin's chin. "We only need to maintain the name of husband and wife. Don't think about anything else."
"The general is truly cold-hearted." Jiang Jin had no intention of letting Wei Shu off the hook, and turned around to sit directly in his lap.
Slender fingers traced along Wei Shu's arm, and the strong scent of jasmine wafted into Wei Shu's nostrils—the same scent as the hairpin. Wei Shu's breath caught in her throat, yet she refused to fall into Jiang Jin's trap.
"Do you want me to throw you out? Is this how Imperial Censor Jiang teaches her daughter?" Wei Shu swallowed hard, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead. Though tempted, he forcefully suppressed his desire due to Jiang Jin's unusual status.
"I've read the Fire Avoidance Diagram and know a little about it. Does the General not look at me because I'm not pretty?" Jiang Jin hooked her arms around Wei Shu's neck, and her unique feminine fragrance lingered in his heart.
"Jiang Jin, if you miss, you can continue!" Wei Shu pushed Jiang Jin away angrily. Jiang Jin, unconcerned, stopped her playful antics and placed the hair ornament on the dressing table.
"Those people must have been sent by General Zhao or the Dou family, right?" Jiang Jin observed Wei Shu's expression in the mirror.
"What else did you guess?" Wei Shu adjusted his breathing as he listened to Jiang Jin's guesses.
"The Crown Prince and the Third Prince are trying to win you over, but the General has neither lack of money nor power, so the only option is to target his principal wife. His Majesty, upon learning this, will have you marry the daughter of a minister loyal to him."
However, the marriage cannot be too blatantly arranged, lest the Crown Prince and the Third Prince know that His Majesty is aware of their attempts to win you over, potentially causing discord between the two factions.
Jiang Jin, wearing an overcoat, sat down in front of Wei Shu. "General, have I guessed wrong?"
"Jiang Jin, I advise you to put away your petty thoughts. The affairs of the court are not something you can presume to understand." Wei Shu neither refuted nor admitted anything.
"General Wei, is it possible that I've hit the nail on the head? But your instant attraction to me is also strange. May I guess you'd like to guess further?" Jiang Jin sat on the couch, raising his head to look at Wei Shu.
"Tell me about it." Wei Shu sipped his tea, his eyes fixed on Jiang Jin.
"Although you are already married, your harem is still empty. Even if it's not your legal wife, it would be good to have a few concubines. But since His Majesty has gone through all this trouble, he will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen. So we must be very loving. Are you going to use me as a scapegoat to shut up the others?"
Jiang Jin shared her thoughts with Wei Shu without reservation, "Hmm, anything else?"
"That's all, I can't guess anything else." Jiang Jin lifted the covers and crawled in. "I'm more tired than the general. I've been up all day and I need to rest. But does the general dare to sleep next to me? Aren't you afraid I'll have some funny ideas in the middle of the night?"
Jiang Jin, with her back to Wei Shu and her eyes closed, was thinking about the letter she had received—"Maintain the status quo after marriage, meet at the clothing store at 1-3 PM the next day."
At that moment, a strange presence came from beside her. Wei Shu lay down next to her, and there was enough space between the two of them to fit a pillow. "If you dare to move, I don't mind having another corpse next to me."
"I still value my life." Jiang Jin lay obediently to one side, but still couldn't sleep. She silently moved closer to Wei Shu. Wei Shu, with his eyes closed, noticed Jiang Jin's movement but didn't stop her; instead, he slightly curled his lips.
"Was it you who arranged for the person who kidnapped me on the long street that day?" Jiang Jin asked Wei Shu beside her, touching the wound on her neck.
"Otherwise, do you really think I would let a heinous criminal commit violence on the streets of the capital? Do you underestimate our Imperial Guards too much, or do you overestimate the criminal?"
Although Wei Shu didn't want to explain further to Jiang Jin, he had no choice but to do so so that Jiang Jin could get a good night's sleep.
Lying on the bed, Jiang Jin said with some dissatisfaction, "Wei Shu, I can accept that you want to set a trap, but you don't have to set a trap to kidnap me, do you?"
Wei Shu suppressed his temper and sighed deeply, "You're quite bold today. You were so scared of me that day that you turned pale and trembled all over, but today you're provoking me at every turn."
"General, is it possible that it's because I wanted to wear a red robe, but the Jiang family didn't have any thick red robes, so I could only wear a spring robe, and then I got so cold that my face turned pale and I was shivering all over?"
"I see. Then I'll assume you're as bold as ever." Wei Shu felt a pang of guilt.
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Jiang Jin closed her eyes and forced herself to ignore Wei Shu beside her. At midnight, Wei Shu pushed Jiang Jin away for the third time as she was groping him in his arms.
"Jiang Jin!" Wei Shu called out in a low voice, but Jiang Jin remained unmoved. Helpless, Wei Shu wrapped Jiang Jin tightly in a brocade quilt to prevent her from moving, while he put on his wedding dress and went to sleep.
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