Chapter 8 A Moment of Spring Night is Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold
The palace doors closed, shutting out all the noise from the outside world. Inside the vast main hall of Guanju Palace, red candles burned brightly, and warm incense filled the air, leaving only the clear sound of their breathing.
Yuwen Che scooped Su Luoxue up in his arms with unprecedented gentleness and placed her softly on the bed covered with auspicious dried fruits. Su Luoxue sank into the thick brocade quilt; the weight of the phoenix crown made her neck ache and her whole body stiff with tension.
"Don't be afraid." Yuwen Che noticed her tension, his deep voice ringing out clearly in the quiet hall. He bent down and, with utmost patience, slowly removed the heavy, ornate phoenix crown from her head. As each jeweled ornament was removed, her cascading black hair cascaded over her shoulders, making her small face even more captivating. "It's heavy, isn't it?"
Su Luoxue nodded shyly.
After removing the phoenix crown, his fingertips returned to the intricate buttons of her wedding dress. His movements were slow and gentle, as if he were unwrapping a long-coveted gift. Occasionally, his fingertips brushed against the delicate skin of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Su Luoxue kept her eyes closed, her long eyelashes trembling, not daring to look at him.
The wedding dress was gradually removed, until only her undergarments remained. Yuwen Che watched as her fair skin flushed a faint pink with shyness and nervousness, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He leaned down and placed a soft, feather-like kiss on her forehead.
"Xue'er..." he called her by her nickname, his breath hot against her ear, "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
Su Luoxue's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. She knew what was going to happen next; her mother's and nanny's words of advice still echoed in her ears, but when the moment came, fear still overwhelmed everything.
Clothes were scattered all over the floor as Yuwen Che gently took possession of her little by little.
When the final barrier was removed and his burning body covered her, Su Luoxue cried out in pain, her small hands pressing against his firm chest, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.
"Your Majesty...this concubine..."
"Call me by my name," Yuwen Che interrupted her, his voice low and husky, tinged with desire.
“Ah…Ah Che…” Su Luoxue called out timidly, the intimate address making her cheeks blush even more.
"Mmm." Yuwen Che responded with satisfaction, and the kiss landed again, from her forehead to the tip of her nose, gently kissing her trembling lips. This kiss began as a gentle probing, but quickly turned into a forceful conquest, carrying an irresistible sense of plunder.
When the pain of her first sexual experience struck, Su Luoxue curled up in agony, tears streaming down her face.
He paused tenderly, then kissed her forehead. "Xue'er..."
He grasped her small hand that was pushing him away haphazardly, interlocked his fingers tightly, and pressed it against the pillow, as if he wanted to completely crush her and integrate her into his own bones and blood.
"Sweetheart..." he breathed heavily, but gently coaxed her, kissing away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Xue'er..."
Outside the palace gates, Li Dehai and several elderly nannies, responsible for receiving orders, stood with their hands at their sides, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. However, the suppressed sobs and pleas for mercy from the woman inside, along with the man's heavy breathing and low coaxing, inevitably reached their ears. The elderly nannies were already blushing. Having served in the palace for many years, they had never heard His Majesty so... out of control. The commotion was as if he were about to devour someone alive.
Li Dehai was also inwardly turbulent, but dared not show it on his face. He secretly glanced at the tightly closed palace doors. It seemed... this Consort Chen held a high position in His Majesty's heart. His Majesty had been on the throne for many years, and let alone favoring anyone, he had barely touched any of his concubines, counting the years between them. When had he ever lost his composure like this with any woman?
Inside the hall, nearly half of the red candles had burned.
Su Luoxue was so exhausted that she couldn't even move her fingertips, her voice hoarse, only weak sobs remaining. Yuwen Che was finally satisfied, looking at the woman beneath him like a delicate flower ravaged by a storm, a feeling of unprecedented satisfaction and tenderness welled up in his heart. He tenderly held her in his arms.
"Go to sleep."
As soon as Su Luoxue touched his warm chest, she almost immediately fell asleep, with tear stains still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
Yuwen Che looked down at her peaceful sleeping face, gently stroking her forehead with his fingertips. He then pulled his arms closer, holding her even tighter in his embrace.
That night, the red candles in Guanju Palace burned until dawn. For the first time, Emperor Yuwen Che of the Great Zhou Dynasty stayed overnight in the palace of his concubines, neither rising early to practice martial arts nor to attend to state affairs before the fourth watch of the night.
Inside the Guanju Palace, the red candles burned out, and the morning light shone through the exquisite window lattices, casting dappled patterns on the ground.
Su Luoxue regained consciousness amidst a body aching as if she had been run over by a wheel. She moved groggily and immediately gasped for breath. A burning, tearing sensation came from below, instantly waking her up and reminding her of the long and shameful "torture" of the previous night.
She found herself curled up naked in a warm, firm embrace, the familiar scent of ambergris filling the air. It was Yuwen Che! He hadn't left yet?
This realization filled her with shame and panic. She instinctively tried to shrink deeper into the blankets, but the movement aggravated her pain, causing her to let out a soft gasp.
"Awake?" Yuwen Che's voice came from above her head, and a large hand gently stroked her back, with a soothing tone.
Su Luoxue froze, too stiff to move, her voice barely audible: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
"Mmm." Yuwen Che responded, pulling her closer to him, raising the quilt to cover her smooth shoulders completely, leaving only her pale, flushed face exposed. He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead. "Does it still hurt?"
Su Luoxue was overwhelmed with shame. She buried her face in his chest, gently shook her head, and then nodded. How could it not hurt? She found even moving a little difficult now.
Yuwen Che chuckled softly. He knew he had gone too far last night, but the thought that she now belonged entirely to him made it hard to suppress his uncontrollable possessiveness.
Just then, a faint commotion came from outside the palace. According to palace rules, a matron was supposed to come early in the morning to collect the white wedding handkerchiefs used to verify the chastity of the concubines and report to the Empress. Fuling was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the corridor. She remembered the old matron and the lady's instructions before she entered the palace: she needed to get up early today to pay her respects to the Empress! The Empress already held a grudge against her young lady; if she went late, wouldn't that only make the Empress angrier?
She tried several times to muster the courage to go in and warn him, but when she thought of His Majesty still inside, she could only anxiously look at Li Dehai, the most trusted chief eunuch beside His Majesty, and cast a pleading glance at him.
Li Dehai was incredibly shrewd. He merely shook his head almost imperceptibly and replied in a very low voice with two words: "Wait."
What a joke! The one inside is an absolute, autocratic emperor, not one of those puppet rulers who have to defer to the whims of the harem and court officials. He can make Consort Chen sleep as late as he wants. Going to provoke him now is like asking for trouble, isn't it?
Seeing this, Fuling could only suppress her anxiety and continue to wait anxiously.
Inside the palace, Yuwen Che had already heard the commotion outside, but he paid no attention. He was already dressed and sat by the bed, quietly watching Su Luoxue, who had fallen asleep again in his arms.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky and the sunlight became blinding that Su Luoxue slowly woke up again due to thirst and discomfort. This time, she was much more awake and finally realized that it was probably getting late.
"Your Majesty, what time is it?" she asked in a panic, trying to sit up.
"It's almost noon." Yuwen Che helped her up, his tone calm, as if it were perfectly normal for her to sleep until the sun was high in the sky.
"It's noon?!" Su Luoxue was terrified. "What should we do? We need to pay our respects to the Empress! This... how come we're so late..." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"It's alright." Yuwen Che pressed her down, his tone reassuring and unquestionable. "I'm here." He called out to the crowd, "Guards!"
Fuling waited for a long time before finally hearing the summons. She immediately led the maids carrying clothes, hot water, and... that important tray, and walked quickly into the hall with her head down.
Upon entering the room, the lingering, distinctive scent made the elderly nannies blush. When they saw that His Majesty was already sitting on the edge of the bed, while the newly promoted Consort Chen was still seated, her clothes disheveled, her face flushed and filled with anxiety, nestled in the Emperor's arms, they were even more astonished, not daring to lift their heads.
When Su Luoxue saw so many people come in, especially the old woman carrying a tray with a blank bridal veil, she gasped in embarrassment, buried her head in Yuwen Che's chest, clutched his clothes tightly with her small hands, and trembled slightly.
Yuwen Che sensed her shyness and embarrassment, and naturally wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his embrace and completely blocking their gazes. He gently patted her back, tenderly comforting her, "Don't be afraid, it's alright, just leave it to them."
That gentle tone, not to mention the old nannies, even Li Dehai, who had served Yuwen Che for many years, was in turmoil, his mind racing even though he kept his head down. When had His Majesty ever spoken to anyone in such a tone? This Consort Chen… this harem… it's not just about a change of power, it might just be… a change of ruler sooner or later!
The maids quickly and efficiently completed their tasks. Upon seeing the striking and neatly arranged bloodstains on the white wedding veil, the head maid bowed respectfully and withdrew, preparing to report to the Empress.
Fuling quickly stepped forward and, together with the palace maids of Guanju Palace, carefully helped Su Luoxue bathe and change. While she was getting ready, Yuwen Che didn't leave; he simply stood a short distance away with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Su Luoxue, like a hunter eyeing his hard-won, rare prey.
Under his gaze, Su Luoxue, though still shy and embarrassed, felt a strange sense of security, replaced by an indescribable feeling of unease that came with entering the inner palace for the first time. She secretly glanced at his tall, imposing figure, her mind in turmoil. This man, who had forcefully entered her life, robbed her of her freedom, brought her pain yet also offered her protection—would he be her calamity or her destiny?
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