consummating the marriage
“It is unreasonable.” Jiang Jin looked at the man in the bathtub in the mirror. “Your Highness, I will not disturb your bath.”
"Is Registrar Jiang trying to be disrespectful in front of the Emperor by wearing such dirty clothes?" The Fourth Prince slowly rose, and Jiang Jin quickly turned away and left the side hall. A gust of wind blew through the hall door, which was then closed from the outside.
"What does Your Highness mean by this?" Jiang Jin turned around and angrily asked the Fourth Prince, who was already fully dressed.
"Registrar Jiang, there's no need to be afraid. You are Wei Shu's wife, so how could I possibly be rough with you?" The Fourth Prince picked up his teacup, blew away the foam on it, and smiled. "But how could Wei Shu not be moved by a beauty like you?"
"Your Highness, my maid has already gone to fetch my clothes. If others were to see us alone in a room, it might damage your reputation, wouldn't it?" Jiang Jin gripped the bracelet on her arm, constantly on guard against the person before her.
"Recorder Jiang, you really have a lot of confidence. No man can tolerate his wife's infidelity. Are you so sure that Wei Shu won't kill you in a fit of anger?" The Fourth Prince slowly stepped forward. Jiang Jin saw that the time was ripe and immediately threw out the sleeping potion, but a sweet scent wafted into her nose.
"Ah Jin?" Jiang Jin disregarded everything else, opened the palace door, and whispered to Wei Shu, "I think I made a mistake."
Upon seeing Jiang Jin, Wei Shu quickly pulled her into his arms. "I accidentally wandered in, and when the Fourth Prince wouldn't let me leave, I drugged him." Jiang Jin felt a little hot; the cold wind outside felt like the warm summer sun on her skin.
"Wei Shu, I'll need your help cleaning up this mess." Jiang Jintou, feeling a little dizzy, grabbed Wei Shu's arm.
"Ah Jin, what's wrong?" Wei Shu picked Jiang Jin up in his arms. Her eyes were already glazed over. "I'm so hot. Is it summer already?"
"General?" Xueya arrived late with Abei. "Please tell Princess Zhaoyang that I will personally demand an explanation from the Fourth Prince regarding today's events!"
Xueya, seeing Jiang Jin's flushed face and the unconscious Fourth Prince lying on the ground, knew what had happened.
"This servant will inform Your Highness. General, please leave the palace immediately." Seeing Jiang Jin's distressed and unconscious state, Xueya's dislike for the Fourth Prince deepened.
Inside the carriage, Jiang Jin, clutching her official robes, looked at Wei Shu, who appeared as three figures. "Wei Shu, how did you become three people?" Jiang Jin bit her tongue to maintain some semblance of clarity, but the heat radiating from her body remained unabated.
"Am I under the influence of drugs? That damned Fourth Prince, I'll make him smithereens!" Jiang Jin said, gulping down water, but the cold water did nothing to alleviate the burning sensation in her body.
"We're going back to the manor soon!" Wei Shu tied Jiang Jin's arm with a ribbon. "Don't hurt yourself anymore." Jiang Jin resisted the urge to bite her lip and leaned against Wei Shu.
"I feel so awful." Jiang Jin could only feel a bit of coolness when she was leaning against Wei Shu.
"General, the cold water is ready!" Zhou Cong watched as Wei Shu carried Jiang Jin back to the courtyard, leaving behind only a cloud of dust for everyone to see.
"Ah Jin, soaking in cold water will make you feel better." Wei Shu untied the ribbons on Jiang Jin's wrists and then carefully untied the ribbons around her waist.
A warm hand grasped Wei Shu's hand. "I won't look at you, do it yourself." Wei Shu tried to turn away, but in the next instant, Jiang Jin wrapped herself around him like a soft vine.
"Wei Shu, let's consummate our marriage." Jiang Jin wrapped her arms around Wei Shu's neck, her eyes hazy, but she knew who was in front of her.
"Ah Jin, you're under the influence of the drug and not fully conscious right now. Let's get rid of the drug first before we talk about anything else." Jiang Jin hooked her arm around Wei Shu's belt and pulled him forcefully onto the bed.
"Knowing that you are Wei Shu is enough." Jiang Jin touched Wei Shu's cheek with her hand. "A Shu, I love you. I want to be your closest person. Don't you want to be?"
Jiang Jin tilted her head back; her once solemn official robes were now wrinkled and crumpled, and the flush on her face made her resemble a blooming plum blossom.
"Ah Jin, you have no way out tonight." Wei Shu lowered the bed curtains and carefully took off Jiang Jin's official robes, throwing them on the ground. The cold sash and the warm robes tangled together.
Jiang Jin's hand brushed against Wei Shu's shoulder and back, but her eyes remained fixed on Wei Shu's face. "I will never regret seeing your face."
Wei Shu bit Jiang Jin's collarbone as if as punishment. Jiang Jin cried out in pain, but her voice softened due to the effects of the drug.
"Ah Jin, I love you." Wei Shu gently, slowly, but Jiang Jin was still sweating profusely from the pain; even the medicine couldn't alleviate her suffering.
"This hurts even more than being shot with an arrow!" Jiang Jin bit Wei Shu's shoulder in pain. "I can't be the only one in pain!"
"Okay, I'll stay with you." Wei Shu looked at Jiang Jin with affection and kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Outside, the moon was obscured by dark clouds, leaving only the lonely north wind. Inside, the beautiful woman was in his arms, their hearts and souls intertwined.
The noise in the room gradually subsided only after one candle had burned out. Jiang Jin was held tightly in Wei Shu's arms, her forehead damp with sweat that soaked the silk pillow. She didn't even have the strength to lift her arms anymore.
"Ah Jin, shall I carry you to the bath?" Jiang Jin called out in a hoarse voice, "No, I'll have Ah Bei help me!"
Jiang Jin hadn't forgotten how Wei Shu looked on the bed; though gentle, his deep-seated desire to keep her by his side remained unchanged.
Jiang Jin hastily put on her nightgown and called out to Abei outside. Abei wrapped Jiang Jin in a cloak and then, supporting her weak steps, led her to the greenhouse.
"Madam, please soak for a while." Ah Bei wiped Jiang Jin's arms and placed some flower petals in the water.
"My lady, do you need this?" Abei took a porcelain bottle from his bosom and placed it in Jiang Jin's palm.
Without hesitation, Jiang Jin swallowed a pill. "I am not suitable to be pregnant now. Sangzhou is dangerous and the court is unstable. I am not sure I can give birth safely now."
Jiang Jin felt the hot water washing away her fatigue. "Have someone investigate the Fourth Prince. This man is not simple; he might be plotting something like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." Abei rubbed Jiang Jin's head; the steam in the greenhouse obscured her expression.
"Madam, everything is normal in Sangzhou, but we don't know when you'll be able to go." Jiang Jin picked up a flower petal and slowly tore it open.
"It's alright, we'll have to face it eventually anyway." Abei helped Jiang Jin put away her nightgown and added some hot water before leaving the greenhouse.
The moonlight shone on the lake, and Lou Xuan stood in the pavilion, his cloak fluttering slightly in the wind.
"Your Highness." Xueya could tell from Lou Xuan's expression that she was unhappy.
"This palace is truly disgusting." Lou Xuan looked at the palace, which appeared exceptionally solemn under the cover of night, yet also concealed a great deal of malice.
"The Fourth Prince has been sent back, but we don't know if today's incident was an accident or a deliberate setup." Xueya had seen many underhanded tactics in the palace over the years.
"Then investigate. The Imperial Concubine has already made a mess of the palace before she even became Empress. Do you think I don't know about that palace banquet, even if others don't?" Lou Xuan picked up a pebble and casually tossed it into the lake.
"Given Wei Shu's nature, he schemed against A Jin today, and tomorrow the Fourth Prince's retribution will come. He's not a merciful person. Everyone in the capital thinks he's deeply in love with A Jin, but do they ever consider how he's treated others? Has he ever shown any mercy?" Lou Xuan sat in the pavilion waiting for someone to arrive.
At midnight, Wang Zhiyue cautiously arrived at the pavilion and knelt directly before Lou Xuan, pleading, "This servant was ungrateful; please, Your Highness, give me another chance!"
Wang Zhiyue kowtowed repeatedly, her head thumping loudly. During this time, she had been living a life worse than death in the Yeting Palace, eating spoiled food, doing hard labor, and some eunuchs even had designs on her.
"Didn't Lady Wang get involved with Fifth Brother? Why didn't you ask him to protect you?" Lou Xuan looked like a fairy in the moonlight, but only those who knew her well knew her ruthless and decisive nature.
"His Highness is extremely busy with state affairs; naturally, he has no time to care about the life or death of an insignificant person like me." Wang Zhiyue had initially entered the palace with a certain arrogance, but as time went on and the methods of framing within the palace became increasingly sophisticated, she suddenly felt a sense of fear.
Later, she managed to curry favor with the Fifth Prince, hoping to get rid of Lou Xuan, but she never expected that the Fifth Prince would not bother with a mere palace maid.
"I will not keep traitors here. I originally thought you had some brains and might be able to lure the Fifth Prince into his courtyard, but I didn't expect you to be not only foolish but also a traitor." Lou Xuan held a hand warmer, while Wang Zhiyue shivered in the lake breeze.
"This servant swears that she will never betray Your Highness in this life, or else she will be beheaded and have her intestines ripped out!" Wang Zhiyue knew that Lou Xuan was the only person she could rely on in this harem. Although dealing with a tiger would not end well, she could no longer tolerate the oppression of the palace servants.
"Old Liu, you can start with him, but don't be foolish again. I will let the Fifth Prince see your loyalty at the right time. As for how you keep the Fourth Prince on your toes and how you win back the Fifth Prince, that's your business." Lou Xuan tossed the remaining pebbles into Wang Zhiyue's arms.
"You're no longer the daughter of the governor, but the Wang family bloodline in your veins is your death warrant. Who wouldn't want to taste the flavor of a noblewoman from the Wang family? You're nothing more than a trophy for them to boast about in their spare time." Lou Xuan glanced at Wang Zhiyue, whose hair was hanging low and trembling.
"But you should be thankful you're still alive, not like your father and brothers who perished. That's a small favor for women." Lou Xuan lifted Wang Zhiyue's chin and looked into her eyes.
"Neither of the fourth nor the fifth sons are easy to deal with. I don't want you to become a useless pawn. Think carefully about what you should do. After tonight, things will be the same as usual. Wang Zhiyue, use your brain. I won't give you a second chance." Xueya helped Lou Xuan leave the pavilion. Looking at Wang Zhiyue's straight figure, Xueya was somewhat puzzled.
"Your Highness, why keep someone with disloyal intentions? If you want beautiful palace maids, there's no shortage of them in the palace." Lou Xuan smiled and shook his head.
"But they aren't Wang's daughters. That arrogance built on gold and jade is something others don't possess. Keep an eye on the music and dance troupe and make sure they don't go too far. I still have uses for those people." Lou Xuan quietly returned to the palace with Xueya. Everything was the same, yet somewhat changed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com