Chapter 72 Whether the marriage has not yet been consummated
Yang Qing thought that today would be the same as usual, without any surprises.
After washing up, she went to bed early and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, so that some lecherous man wouldn't have his eyes pop out of his head again.
When all the candles in the hall were extinguished, everything was shrouded in darkness.
Thankfully, Li Shangxuan didn't snore, otherwise she would have wanted to strangle him to death.
All was quiet, and the person beside her was breathing softly. She quickly drifted off to sleep.
But before she was fully immersed, she sensed something was wrong.
As autumn deepened, the wind grew colder, and the nights became even chillier, yet she felt warmth.
It felt like she was pressed against a stove.
Flames kept leaping out of the furnace, attacking her body.
Face, neck, collarbone, shoulders and neck—none were spared.
What's even stranger is that when the skin is burned, it doesn't hurt; instead, it feels wet...
The next day, when Yang Qing opened her eyes again, there was no one beside her, and even the warmth was gone.
Sometimes, she really admired Li Shangxuan. Whether in his past life or this one, he slept later than a dog and got up earlier than a rooster.
It's hard to say whether his early death in his previous life was due to neglecting his health.
During the day he would argue and insult those ministers, and at night he would have to put all his energy into her. Thinking about it this way, Yang Qing even felt that he must have lived a very long life in his previous life.
It was already daylight. She didn't call for anyone, but hung up the curtains herself and bent down to check her body.
When she was awake, she was much smarter than when she was asleep, and she quickly realized that Li Shangxuan might have done something bad while she was asleep.
After all, he's a very lecherous person. He's definitely capable of kissing and touching her while she's asleep at night.
Yang Qing's suspicions are absolutely valid.
However, upon closer inspection, there was not a trace left on the body, not even the buttons on the inner garment remained unchanged.
Yang Qing sat blankly on the bed, stunned for a moment. Could it be that she had really judged him by her own petty standards?
Li Shangxuan did nothing; she just had a wet dream.
Yang Qing remained silent for a long time before calling for someone to help her dress up. Looking at herself in the bronze mirror, she couldn't help but blush.
Was it Li Shangxuan who was acting recklessly, or was she just having an indecent dream?
She had dreamt of those nights when she was entangled with Li Shangxuan before, which is why she was even more unsettled at this moment.
Yang Qing felt that although she could not be called a noble gentleman, she was fundamentally different from Li Shangxuan.
What exactly is the reason? Why don't we try it tonight and find out?
If she just stays awake and sees whether Li Shangxuan makes any advances in the middle of the night, she'll know whether last night was a dream or not.
The second wife often complained that Yangqing was a carefree person, but Yangqing just took it as a compliment.
Now that she had come up with a solution, she put these matters aside and casually pulled out a storybook to pass the time. After reading only a few pages, she immediately threw it away as if it were burning her hand.
Coincidentally, this is the story of a woman meeting her lover in a dream at night.
Although the matter from last night is still unresolved, Yang Qing felt inexplicably guilty after reading it, as if she really wanted to do something with Li Shangxuan.
The storybook just happened to fall at Li Shangxuan's feet. I don't know why he came back so early today.
Yang Qing wanted to ask, but she only opened her mouth and before she could utter a single word, she closed it again.
What does it matter to her when he goes out or comes back?
She doesn't want to ask.
Li Shangxuan casually flipped through the pages, glanced at them a few times, and then put them back on the table without saying a word. The two remained silent, neither of them speaking. They didn't seem like a couple who had been married for just over ten days, but rather like a pair of enemies who had been married for over ten years and couldn't stand each other anymore.
Zhuo Sigui was truly shocked and couldn't understand what was going on.
As the head of the ladies-in-waiting in the Eastern Palace, she naturally knew that whenever His Highness had something good, he would immediately think of his childhood sweetheart, who is now the Crown Princess.
Even if all men in the world are unfaithful and fickle, isn't this all too fast?
You don't like it anymore before you've even had a chance to enjoy it?
Zhuo Sigui was getting old, so there was nothing to hide. From the night of their wedding, she had been carefully observing that the bed was always neat and tidy, and the Crown Princess was always clean. She suspected that the two of them had not yet consummated their marriage.
If her beloved prince truly loathed the Crown Princess, he would still return home every day for dinner and to sleep.
Something's not right, something's really not right. Could something have happened on their wedding night that caused them to be so cold to each other?
It is highly likely that the two were just learning the tune for the first time and there were parts they didn't know how to play.
Thinking of this, Zhuo Sigui sighed inwardly, feeling that something must have gone wrong here.
The Crown Princess is from a scholarly family and is quite young. She probably didn't learn the proper etiquette for marriage before getting married because of her shyness.
Zhuo Sigui pondered that although she was older, there was still a difference between men and women. She would find a quiet time the next day to properly teach the Crown Princess a lesson.
I suppose that although she is shy, she is much older than her mother, so she shouldn't be embarrassed at all.
*****
The candlelight went out, the curtains were drawn, and the world fell into silence and darkness, as if only the two of them remained.
Yang Qing dared not close her eyes, afraid that she would fall asleep as soon as she did.
After waiting a while, her eyes seemed to adjust to the darkness. She stared at the top of the tent, where the exquisite patterns she had seen during the day had been blurred into a dark blotch at night.
Time seemed to stand still. Li Shangxuan was lying not far from her. If you calmed down, you could hear his breathing.
Yang Qing pulled the blanket up higher, wrapping herself up tightly, but after a while, she felt hot again and quietly opened a gap.
Li Shangxuan...
Is she really asleep?
She didn't know exactly what time it was, but she could tell it was really late at night.
She couldn't help but yawn slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She was so sleepy, she really couldn't stay awake any longer.
Yang Qing raised her upper body and whispered his name, "Li Shangxuan, are you asleep?"
He remained completely still.
Yang Qing called out a few more times, "Your Highness?"
"elder brother?"
"Brother Shang Xuan?"
He still didn't react.
Yang Qing couldn't wait any longer, and the moment her head returned to the pillow, she closed her eyes.
She was really exhausted.
Because I went to bed exceptionally late last night, I also woke up exceptionally late during the day.
Empress Ming and Li Shangxuan had a lukewarm relationship. Yang Qing was unwilling to pursue him, and he probably didn't want to see her hanging around every day either.
Li Shangxuan treated her like air, but there was no third master in the Eastern Palace. Yang Qing lived a more comfortable life than at home, except that she could not leave the palace.
Thinking about what happened last night, she felt a mix of embarrassment and anger. So Li Shangxuan really was behaving himself? Didn't that mean that last night was just a dream she had?
How embarrassing! I actually had a wet dream while lying next to him.
Fortunately, this was her dream, and Li Shangxuan couldn't possibly know it.
The green leaves outside have turned yellow, but the sunlight is still warm, so there is no sense of desolation yet.
The kitten knows how to enjoy life much better than humans. It was lying on the eaves sunbathing, its fur shining like precious jewels in the sunlight.
Yang Qing was itching to pet it, so she stood under the eaves and called the cat's name, "Nan Nan, why are you running so high? Come down here."
Nan Nan heard this and looked at her with eyes like glass marbles, but that was all she did; she didn't react at all.
Yang Qing scolded, "You're so fat, and you still climb on the roof every day. You'll break the roof sooner or later."
Nan Nan was still staring at her, her body curled up into a ball, her pupils a vertical line, looking very lazy and fearless.
Lili suggested, "Why don't we call Xiaoman over and have her catch the cat?"
Yang Qing said sullenly, "No need."
Even if you catch it, the cat won't willingly let you pet it.
The sun was shining brightly, and she spent some time basking in it outside, but then suddenly changed her mind. "I should call Xiaoman over."
Xiaoman was still holding a grudge against Yangqing for wanting to hit her with a board. When she walked up to her, she pouted so long that a bottle could hang from it.
Yang Qing thought she was really a fool. Li Shangxuan had really hit her, but she didn't hold a grudge against him.
She was just saying it, she didn't actually do it, but she's still so angry every day.
Xiaoman was the only person around her who was not bound by palace rules. She asked her to go out and buy her a puppy. It had to be gentle, obedient, lively, and a little smart, just like Xin Wanyou's Xiaobai.
Xiaoman did not immediately agree, saying, "I need to ask His Highness first."
Yang Qing gritted her teeth: "Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, is there only your Your Highness in your heart, and not me, the Crown Princess?"
Xiaoman pouted: "If I don't tell him, and you two end up arguing again because of this dog, won't I be the first one to be punished?"
Yang Qing laughed angrily, "You should just leave now, you don't need to go out and look for me."
If she wanted to get a dog, she could just tell Zhuo Sigui. But she felt that if she let Zhuo Sigui do it, she would definitely make a big fuss and make choosing a dog as grand as choosing a concubine.
Yangqing didn't want to do it this way, so she asked Xiaoman to do it, but Xiaoman was too dense to understand, so she decided to follow Zhuo Sigui's advice.
A moment later, Zhuo Sigui arrived. Upon hearing that she wanted to raise a docile dog, she immediately accepted the order, practically patting her chest to guarantee that she would not fail in her mission.
After saying this, Zhuo Sigui did not leave immediately, but stood there with a hesitant look on her face.
Yang Qing smiled and asked, "Is there anything else, Zhuo Sigui?"
Zhuo Sigui glanced at Lili and Doukou beside her.
Yang Qing understood and dismissed the two women and the other palace maids. She wondered why Zhuo Sigui, usually a straightforward person, was being so hesitant today.
Only the two of them remained in the vast palace, the smoke from the incense burner still rising slowly, eventually turning transparent.
Yang Qing took a sip of tea. She didn't really understand tea. Good tea and bad tea didn't seem to make much difference to her. She thought they tasted better than various kinds of drinks and cheese.
Zhuo Sigui spoke only after everyone had left, but she still lowered her voice, "Forgive me for being so talkative, but there are some things I really have to say."
Yang Qing said, "It's alright, please speak, Miss Zhuo."
After hesitating several times, Zhuo Sigui finally asked with a look of grim determination, "Have the Crown Princess and His Highness not yet consummated their marriage?"
With a "clatter," Yang Qing didn't hold the teacup properly when she put it down. Luckily, it didn't fall to the ground. It wobbled a few times before coming to a steady stop on the table. However, a lot of tea spilled out, mixing with tea leaves and dripping down the corner of the table.
One drop, one drop, and another.
Yang Qing's face turned bright red.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
