Chapter 2 Your Highness, are you impotent?
Inside the bridal chamber, dragon and phoenix red candles burned brightly, crackling and popping with joyous sounds.
The room was filled with dazzling red silk, and the air was thick with the sweet scent of lilies. As the matchmaker and her maids filed out, the heavy, carved wooden door creaked shut, completely shutting out the noise.
In an instant, only the two of them remained in the huge bridal chamber.
Jiang Mianmian sat gracefully on the wedding bed covered with a bright red brocade quilt adorned with mandarin ducks playing in the water, her hands folded on her knees. Her dignified posture was so elegant that she could have been featured on the cover of "The Great Heroines of the Great Gan Dynasty".
However, only she knew that beneath her elaborate and gorgeous wedding dress, she was currently in a completely relaxed, slumped state. The supposedly priceless phoenix crown still felt like a golden headband tightly constricting her forehead.
Shen Jin stood by the round table but did not come over immediately.
He stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from the wedding bed. His bright red wedding robes made his figure appear even taller and more slender. However, the chill emanating from him was even more biting than the wind and snow outside.
The room was eerily quiet; even the flickering of the candlelight could be clearly heard.
Jiang Mianmian lowered her eyes, seemingly shy, but actually rolling her eyes wildly.
[I won't move, I won't move, I won't move unless the enemy moves. What is this bastard doing? Is he doing eye exercises? Can he hurry up and take that lousy hat off? My neck is already giving me warning signs of breaking! Is he trying to become a paraplegic on this festive day?]
[I'm starving! That plate of osmanthus cake on the table looks good, and that roast chicken looks even more tempting... Shen Jin, can't you be a little more discerning? Hurry up and finish the process and get out of here! I can already smell the roast chicken!]
His composed back stiffened slightly.
He slowly turned around, his deep, cold phoenix eyes sweeping over the woman sitting on the edge of the bed.
In the past, he would probably have already stormed off. But now, he felt a strange curiosity—he wanted to know what this two-faced woman was up to in her heart.
He strode forward, step by step, toward the wedding bed.
As the shadows fell, Jiang Mianmian immediately got into character. She slightly raised her head, revealing a delicate little face the size of a palm, her eyes still red from the fright she had just experienced in the sedan chair, her wet eyes looking at Shen Jin like a frightened little rabbit.
"Your Highness..."
She bit her lower lip lightly, her voice so soft and sweet it seemed to drip with moisture, "This concubine... hasn't eaten anything all day, and feels a little dizzy..."
If this pitiful look were on any other man, he would probably be heartbroken.
However, a different scene echoed in Shen Jin's mind:
[What are you looking at? Never seen a beautiful woman before? My acting skills are so good, it would be a loss to the entertainment industry if the Oscars didn't give me one. I've already hinted so obviously, so hurry up and take off your veil... oh wait, the veil is already gone, so hurry up and tear down this illegal structure! Then get lost, don't keep me from eating my chicken leg!]
His composed lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
An illegal structure? Oscars?
Although he couldn't understand these strange words, he accurately caught the meaning of "get lost".
very good.
Every woman in the capital wanted to get into his bed, but this woman wished he would just leave.
Shen Jin sneered inwardly, a wicked thought suddenly arising within him. Instead of leaving, he lifted his robes and leisurely sat down on the round stool beside the bed.
He picked up the jade ruyi on the table, gently lifted Jiang Mianmian's chin, and said in a tone that revealed neither joy nor anger: "Since the princess is hungry, then she should endure it. According to ancient etiquette, on the wedding night, a woman should not eat until after midnight, as a sign of respect for her husband."
Jiang Mianmian: ? ? ?
The shyness on her face almost burst out.
[Endure it? Endure my ass! Ancient customs? I don't recall the Great Qian Dynasty's laws having such a provision! This bastard is definitely doing this on purpose! Is he a sadist? Not only is he mentally torturing me, but he's also trying to physically starve me to death?]
【Shen Jin, we've really crossed a line! The day you fall into my hands, I'll make sure you watch me eat hotpot while you're left only to drink your foot bath water!】
Shen Jin tightened his grip on her chin slightly, his eyes dangerous: "What is Your Highness thinking?"
Jiang Mianmian trembled, her eyes immediately filled with tears: "This concubine...this concubine only feels that Your Highness's reprimand is correct. This concubine will definitely remember the virtues of a woman, and even if I starve to death, I will not break the rules."
[What are you thinking? I want to chop you up and feed you to the dogs! This Ruyi is so cold, couldn't you at least warm it up with a hand warmer before touching me? You really are a bachelor who's been single for over twenty years, you don't understand a thing or two about chivalry.]
Old bachelor?
A vein throbbed on his forehead, a sign of composure.
He suddenly didn't want to dwell on this topic anymore; the woman's inner thoughts were too noisy, and every word was challenging his bottom line.
"Since Your Highness knows the rules, then please undress."
Shen Jin put down the jade ruyi, spread his arms, and looked like a master waiting to be served.
This is also a test.
As far as he knew, Jiang Mianmian was the kind of person who even had her tea fed to her by a maid when she was young. She could do this kind of servant work.
Jiang Mianmian looked at the broad chest in front of her and went through a fierce internal struggle for a second.
[Undress? Take off clothes? Here? Now?]
Wait a minute, isn't this plot twist a bit off? Wasn't the Regent supposed to be a misogynist? Wasn't he supposed to never stay overnight in his principal wife's quarters? What does it mean that he's making me undress? Is he going to sleep here tonight?
"No, brother! I just want a paid leave job in this palace, I didn't mean to sell my body! Even though you're very handsome, that's not included in this month's salary!"
Although Jiang Mianmian was inwardly groaning, her body betrayed her and moved closer. There was nothing she could do; her current persona was that of a "humble and pampered wife."
She reached out her trembling hand and touched Chen Jin's sash.
It was a black belt embroidered with dark gold cloud patterns, fastened meticulously, just like Shen Jin himself—ascetic and rigorous.
Jiang Mianmian's fingers recoiled as if she had been electrocuted the moment they touched the cold fabric, and then she clumsily began to unbutton her clothes.
I tried for ages, but it wouldn't budge.
[What kind of ridiculous belt is this? Is it an anti-theft buckle? Is it tied so tightly to prevent the pants from falling down? Or is it actually a chastity belt?]
Shen Jin: "..."
He took a deep breath and grabbed Jiang Mianmian's hand that was groping around his waist.
“Clumsy,” he said coldly.
Jiang Mianmian immediately withdrew her hand, her eyes brimming with tears: "I am foolish, Your Highness, please forgive me."
【Great! They're disgusted with me! Quick, keep that disgusting attitude, don't stop! Ideally, they should kick me away and storm off, leaving me all alone in this empty room. That way, I can wake up laughing into my sleep!】
Looking into her seemingly innocent eyes, which actually revealed a hint of cunning and relief, Shen Jin felt a surge of anger rising within him.
His bed in the Regent's Palace is something many people would kill for, yet she avoids it like the plague.
"The princess seems reluctant to serve you in bed?" Shen Jin suddenly approached, his handsome face magnified in front of Jiang Mianmian, his nose almost touching hers.
A cool, masculine aura instantly enveloped Jiang Mianmian.
Jiang Mianmian's breath hitched.
To be fair, this jerk is undeniably handsome. His eyelashes are as long as little fans, and his skin is so flawless you can't even see a pore.
But is now the time to admire beauty? Now is a moment of life and death!
Jiang Mianmian blinked her big eyes, her face a mixture of fear and shyness: "Your Highness is too kind. It is my great fortune to serve Your Highness, but... but my health is weak, I'm afraid... afraid I won't be able to serve Your Highness well..."
"Scared of you?! Am I scared of you? I'm scared I might punch you so hard you have a black eye! Why are you so close? Trying to seduce me with your good looks? Let me tell you, even the zombie kings I've seen in the apocalypse are more handsome than you… uh, I don't think so."
But that's not important! What's important is, what time is it? Why aren't you moving? Could it be...?
Jiang Mianmian's thoughts suddenly veered in an extremely dangerous direction.
She glanced furtively at a certain unspeakable part of Shen Jin's body, her eyes filled with suspicion, inquiry, and a hint of sudden realization and sympathy.
Why isn't that expressionless guy leaving? Could it be... he's impotent?
boom!
It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in Shen Jin's mind.
【Yes! Very likely! Think about it, he wields immense power; what kind of woman couldn't he have? Yet he's still an old bachelor, without even a maidservant. Rumors circulate that he's a clean freak and a misogynist, but that might just be a pretext! The real reason might be that his physical infrastructure is inadequate, or his software system is completely broken!】
[Oh my god, what a pitiful guy. No wonder he always has such a sour face; it turns out it's hormonal imbalance caused by unsatisfied sexual desire.]
"Sigh, since it's impotence, then I won't worry about it. Looks like tonight will just be spent chatting under the covers. What a waste of such a handsome face; it's all show and no substance. Your Highness, why don't you go see an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor? I have a few ancestral prescriptions that specifically treat kidney deficiency..."
His composed face visibly changed from fair to ashen, and then from ashen to the black of a pot bottom.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze in that instant, and the temperature plummeted to freezing point.
He stared intently at Jiang Mianmian, the veins on his forehead throbbing, and his voice, clenched through gritted teeth, seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "Jiang, Mian, Mian!"
Jiang Mianmian was startled by his sudden anger, completely unaware that her inner rant had been broadcast live.
She looked at him with a blank and innocent expression: "Your...Your Highness? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Why are you yelling so loudly? It scared my heart out. Why does your face suddenly look so pale? Did I guess what you were thinking, and are you angry and embarrassed? Tsk tsk tsk, men's pride is so fragile. Don't worry, I don't discriminate against disabled people.
"Disabled person?"
Shen Jin laughed in exasperation, a smile so sinister it sent chills down one's spine.
He suddenly stood up, the movement so large that it knocked over the round stool behind him with a loud crash.
He felt that if he stayed any longer, he really wouldn't be able to resist strangling this woman.
no?
Is he impotent?
In a different setting, he would definitely demonstrate to this woman whether he was capable or not!
But the woman's sympathetic and knowing look filled him with an unprecedented sense of frustration. This frustration was a hundred times worse than being impeached by those old fogies in the imperial court.
explain?
How do you explain that?
Saying "I am very capable"?
Explaining this to a crazy woman will only make him seem even more like a lunatic.
"Your Highness?" Jiang Mianmian shrank back. [Is he about to explode? Is the domestic abuser confirmed? Help! Is there a women's federation here?]
Shen Jin took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to calm the murderous intent surging in his chest.
"I still have official documents to deal with, so I will stay in the study tonight."
With those cold words, Chen Jin, his face dark, turned and left. His retreating figure exuded an air of pathetic panic and burning, frustrated anger.
The door was slammed shut with a loud bang, making the wedding candles on the table shake twice.
The matchmaker and maids who were keeping watch outside the door were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, looking at each other in dismay.
On their wedding night, the prince stormed out in a rage and stayed overnight in the study.
Oh no, it seems the rumors were true. This eldest daughter of the Jiang family is indeed out of favor. She has completely offended the prince as soon as she entered the family.
...
inside the house.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Jiang Mianmian, who had been trembling, suddenly sprang straight up from the bed as if a switch had been flipped.
She first listened to the sounds outside, and when she was sure that the evil spirit had really gone far away, her tense little face instantly blossomed into a smile brighter than a flower.
"Yes! Nice!"
Jiang Mianmian cheered, kicked off her embroidered shoes without any regard for her image, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
[He's gone! He's finally gone! That was a perfect move! Although I don't know why he suddenly got angry, the result is good! It seems my "laid-back aura" is starting to take shape, successfully deterring the villainous BOSS!]
She ripped off the incredibly heavy phoenix crown from her head and tossed it onto the bed with a dull thud.
Then, she pounced on the table like a hungry wolf.
"My roast chicken! My osmanthus cake! My peanuts and red dates!"
Jiang Mianmian grabbed a chicken leg with her left hand and stuffed a piece of pastry into her right, devouring the food with great relish, completely lacking any semblance of a refined young lady.
"Mmm, it's so delicious... This ancient, all-natural, pollution-free free-range chicken is just so fragrant!"
As she ate, she poured herself two glasses of Heqin wine, one to toast tomorrow and the other to toast freedom.
"After drinking this glass of wine, we'll be loving... oops, I mean, roommates who won't interfere with each other."
Jiang Mianmian ate and drank her fill, and then let out a satisfied burp.
She looked around the luxuriously furnished new house and nodded in satisfaction.
The bed is big enough, the blankets are soft enough, and there's no air conditioning machine radiating low pressure nearby.
Perfect.
She quickly washed up, changed into a comfortable undergarment, and plopped down on the soft bed, rolling around a couple of times until she was wrapped up like a silkworm.
【Sleep, sleep! I have to get up early tomorrow to deal with that even more troublesome morning and evening greetings. I heard I also have to serve tea to my mother-in-law? Oh wait, Shen Jin doesn't have a mother, and the Empress Dowager is in the palace, so does that mean I have to go to the palace?】
Forget it, we'll deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow. I'll just sleep like a log tonight.
Before long, long, even breathing sounds could be heard coming from the new house.
...
Meanwhile, in the study in the front yard.
Shen Jin sat in the armchair with a memorial in front of him, but half an hour passed and he hadn't read a single word.
It's quiet now.
Without that woman's incessant chatter and her nonsensical complaints, the world finally returned to the deathly silence he was used to.
However, as soon as he closed his eyes, the bolded phrase **[Could it be impotence?]** kept playing on repeat in his mind.
With a "crack" sound.
The wolf-hair brush in Shen Jin's hand was broken in two.
Yingyi stood in the corner, cold sweat pouring down his face.
What's wrong with Your Highness? He's been radiating murderous intent ever since he returned from the bridal chamber, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. Could it be that the Princess Consort attempted to assassinate him in the bridal chamber?
“Shadow One.” Shen Jin suddenly spoke, his voice icy cold.
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Please summon the imperial physician tomorrow."
Yingyi's heart skipped a beat: "Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? Are you injured?"
Shen Jin remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not sick! I'm asking for the Princess Consort! I think she's mentally ill and needs treatment!"
After saying that, he added, "In addition, by my order, the Queen Consort is 'frail' and the morning and evening greetings tomorrow are definitely unavoidable. Wake her up at 5 a.m. tomorrow."
Since she said he "can't do it," then he'll show her who really is "incompetent."
Want to sleep in? Want to lie down comfortably?
dream.
Shen Jin looked out at the pitch-black night, a cold smile playing on his lips.
At this moment, Jiang Mianmian was fast asleep in her new house, having sweet dreams, completely unaware that her miserable, forced career as a princess was only just beginning.
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