Chapter 38 "Let's just take off our clothes."...
Xie Zhuo had experienced many grand occasions, but on the day of the wedding ceremony, he was still more nervous than ever before.
He had been sleepless the night before and didn't fall asleep until after midnight. He opened his eyes before dawn and looked out the window at the pale blue sky. The quiet Xie mansion was gradually becoming restless.
He had no female relatives at home, so he asked the wife of his deputy general to handle the wedding arrangements. The woman was experienced and directed the process methodically, and he only needed to follow her instructions.
The wedding ceremony was lengthy and complicated. The woman quickly explained the precautions for the wedding procession to him. There were some parts that he didn't quite understand, so he asked her a question. She smiled and said, "General, don't worry. Just do what the other grooms do."
Xie Zhuo replied with an "okay".
No one knew that he had wandered with his father in his youth, and after joining the army, he had been in the military for a long time. In all his life, he had never seen anyone get married.
Riding his red-maned horse through the streets of Zhongjing, Xie Zhuo was still pondering what to do after arriving at the Xue residence. However, the distance between the two families didn't give him much time to think. Amidst deafening music, he dismounted and was escorted across the threshold of the Xue residence by a crowd of people.
The moment Xie Zhuo saw Xue Mingyao, the surroundings fell silent. Among so many people, he could only see her.
She stood at the other end of the courtyard, her face veiled in red, her trailing gold-embroidered wedding gown gleaming. The domineering beauty briefly retracted her claws, obediently hiding within her elegant attire, quietly waiting for him.
Xie Zhuo's throat tightened slightly.
Memories flashed before his eyes: their first encounter in the snow, the galloping horses, the crimson cloak, the golden bells jingling in the wind. She came to the academy to find him, her laughter radiant, her skirts fluttering, captivating all the students. In the dim light of the red candles in the brocade tent, she undressed on him; he had never imagined a woman could be so beautiful. He didn't know where to look, for she was everywhere he looked.
If Xie Qinglang had known back then that he would marry her years later, he would have thought he was crazy.
Xie Zhuo truly felt he had been insane for a long time. Ever since he bought wine and rode off to Gansu and Liangzhou, he hadn't been the same person he used to be. After that, every emotion he felt and every decision he made was related to Xue Mingyao.
The question now is, what should he do?
Should I walk over, take her hand, and put her in the car?
Should I hold her hand by the red ribbon, or by her hand?
Before Xie Zhuo could make up his mind, he saw Xue Mingyao walking gracefully towards him. She passed by him without stopping and was helped into the carriage.
Oh, this is her second marriage, she's quite familiar with the situation. Xie Zhuo thought sullenly.
The surroundings became noisy again.
A group of people went out, and even more people gathered on the street to watch, just as many as when he returned to the capital from the southern border.
Xie Zhuo mounted his horse and, following the lead of the men, broke through the crowd and rode back to the Xie residence.
The short distance of just a few miles between the two prefectures seemed to stretch on forever, as if the journey would never end.
Upon entering the house, a long path covered with a red embroidered carpet awaited him. He and she walked slowly side by side until they reached the end of the green tent where they exchanged vows as husband and wife.
If you do the math, it's been seven and a half years since he first met her.
The road was indeed very long, so long that he almost couldn't go on several times along the way.
The northwest wind is the coldest, cutting like a knife, damaging his throat and breaking his will. On the day he was most close to death, his army was deep in the desert, surrounded by the enemy, their commander was killed, and his soldiers were killed or wounded. He and his comrades who escaped got lost and died in the desert.
The scorching sun had stripped him of all his moisture; his lips were cracked, his legs felt like lead, and he collapsed, unable to even crawl forward a foot.
Then he saw her.
She sat in front of him, not saying a word, but just smiling triumphantly at him, the gold pendant hanging from her ear swaying incessantly.
With just that one glance, Xie Zhuo's blood, which had seemed to have frozen, began to boil.
He couldn't die yet. He had to rise, climb to a higher position, and take her away. He would retaliate in kind, just as she had bullied him, so she could never laugh so carefree again. He wanted her to cry, to cry glistening tears, and then he would kiss her and swallow her tears.
He was desperately thirsty.
I want to drink water, I want to eat her.
Even if it were in a dream world, that would be fine. But she wouldn't allow it, giggling as she ran away.
Xie Zhuo, in a daze, bent down and lay on the leg of his dead companion beside him, drawing a little bit of viscous blood.
He slowly got up and moved inch by inch to catch up with her.
He chased her all day and finally found the oasis.
The sounds of traditional music and dance gradually faded, and at the edge of the field of vision lay the last stretch of the red carpet. This journey had finally come to an end.
During their vows, his forehead lightly touched her veil. Xie Zhuo thought that he would not divorce her; for the rest of his life, he would fight her to the death.
After the ceremony, the bride was taken to the bridal chamber, leaving the groom and guests to enjoy themselves.
The guests who came to watch the ceremony could be divided into two categories: his former comrades-in-arms and high-ranking officials in the court. They either had a personal relationship with him or not, but that did not affect their attendance at his banquet.
The social gatherings lasted from afternoon until evening. The pale golden moon climbed onto the roof, and people were still seen under the beams, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.
"General Xie, Brother Xie, you, you must not let Yaoyao down..." Crown Prince Zhao Jingyun, drunk, slurred his words.
"I know," Xie Zhuo said calmly. "Your Highness, you already told me this a moment ago."
"Is that so?" Zhao Jingyun staggered away.
Xie Zhuo turned around, swiftly grabbed the young prince's hand, and snatched the cup from his hand, saying, "You are not allowed to drink."
"General, don't worry, there are fruit drinks inside," the eunuch following the young prince whispered.
Xie Zhuo held the cup to the eunuch's nose, "Smell what this is."
The aroma of the wine was intoxicating. The eunuch was first startled, then embarrassed, "When did Your Highness switch it...?"
The young prince is curious about wine and has already secretly drunk two cups; he can't be allowed to drink any more.
"General Xie, you're so annoying. Aunt Yongning will definitely let me drink it," the little prince said angrily.
Xie Zhuo smiled and said, "I also want to find her."
Being a groom is a non-stop activity; wave after wave of people come to congratulate him and offer toasts, and it's hard to refuse. At this moment, he envies Xue Mingyao, who can stay in the quiet bridal chamber without being disturbed.
Someone else came to congratulate him, "General Xie, I wish you and the princess a son soon and a long and happy life together!"
"Thank you." Xie Zhuo drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.
"Thank you, Brother Xie—"
This is Bai Bingzhi's voice.
Xie Zhuo sighed inwardly, "Brother Bai."
Bai Bingzhi's face still showed a look of indignation on his behalf, his eyes seemingly filled with tears. "Brother Xie, everything is in the wine. Take care."
Xie Zhuo smiled and drank another cup.
After several rounds of drinks, the moon finally hung high in the sky, and the guests gradually dispersed, allowing Xie Zhuo to escape.
Standing in front of the new house, the bright red palace lanterns hung overhead, like clusters of red clouds.
Xie Zhuo stood in the rosy glow for a long time.
"General, why aren't you going in?" Ah Lian asked loudly.
Xie Zhuo turned around and said, "You all go and rest, stop crowding around."
The group of servants who had been watching reluctantly withdrew.
“Including you,” he said to the green branch that hadn’t moved.
Green Branch hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, and then went to the side room.
After shooing the people away, Xie Zhuo stood in front of the door for a while, straightened his clothes and headgear, then took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
His bride should wear a veil, hold a fan, and sit quietly by the bed waiting for him.
But what Xie Zhuo saw was Xue Mingyao lying on the headboard, her two snow-white legs raised, cracking walnuts with a small hammer.
There was no veil, no fan, and even the phoenix crown on her hair was gone.
Their eyes met, and Xue Mingyao pushed the walnut shell away, saying irritably, "You're still coming over tonight? I thought you weren't planning on consummating the marriage."
Xie Zhuo opened his mouth, "Xue Mingyao, you shouldn't be like this."
He looked around and found the veil she had tossed on the small table. He picked it up angrily and pointed it at her, "Explain yourself, shouldn't I be the one to lift the veil?"
"You're so late. Did you expect me to wait for you for hours with my veil on?" Xue Mingyao sat up, hugging her knees, and said matter-of-factly, "I'd like to ask you, were you deliberately leaving me hanging?"
She was facing him directly, her cheeks radiant and delicate, her eyebrows arched gracefully. She had clearly removed her makeup, even her earrings. The only thing that identified her as a bride was her still-wearing, magnificent wedding gown, a bright red that made her face glow like a sunset.
Xie Zhuo stared at her clear, lotus-like face and gritted his teeth, saying, "There are many guests. I need to deal with them before I can come."
"Really?" Xue Mingyao asked suspiciously. "But you smell very little alcohol, it doesn't seem like you're entertaining guests."
Xie Zhuo secretly diluted the wine he drank that night, and he even cleaned himself up before coming to the new house. But he didn't want to tell her any of this.
He sat on the couch, legs spread wide, exuding an imposing aura.
Xue Mingyao glanced at him and said, "When I married Cen Zongjing, I didn't have to wait this long."
She was truly getting impatient, thinking that Xie Zhuo planned not to come on their wedding night and give her a hard time. So she gradually removed her makeup, thinking that she would wait another half hour and if he didn't come, she would just take off her wedding dress and go to sleep. She would never be a foolish woman waiting for her groom.
"...How can I be compared to him?" Xie Zhuo hesitated, ultimately deciding not to list the difference in their official ranks. He didn't want to dwell on that person either.
Xue Mingyao snorted, as if defending herself, "You don't know how tiring it is to be a bride. You spend a whole day getting ready for nothing, sitting there like a wooden doll with that heavy phoenix crown on your head. It's such a grueling experience. I've been through it once, and I don't want to go through it again."
Xie Zhuo looked at her coldly, "Xue Mingyao, you think it's tiring and annoying and you don't want to wait, but don't forget that this is my first time getting married."
Xue Mingyao read something that seemed to be called disappointment in his eyes.
She bit her lip. "What does it matter? Maybe it'll happen a second time. I remember you said you wanted to divorce me."
Xie Zhuo paused, "You don't want to marry me at all, do you?"
"How dare you ask!" Xue Mingyao raised her voice. "Have you forgotten how this marriage came about? It was all deception and blackmail. What, you expect me to be a docile bride, shyly waiting for you to lift the veil and fan? There's no such thing as a free lunch—"
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Zhuo suddenly grabbed his ankle.
Xue Mingyao was startled and tried to pull away, but Xie Zhuo wouldn't let go.
“What do you want to do?” she protested.
Xie Zhuo gently stroked the faint teeth marks on her ankle, refraining from replying with the crude remarks he had heard in the army. It was almost midnight, and he had little interest in arguing with her.
He released her, got out of bed, and extinguished the bright lights in the room, leaving only two burning golden candles and a small silver lamp in front of the bed. He said calmly, "You're right, we're not a good match. Doing those rituals would be ironic. Let's just take off our clothes."
He casually tidied up the walnuts and dates that were used to cover the bed curtains, took off his wedding robe and boots, hesitated for a moment, did not remove his inner garment, lowered the wedding curtains, and got back into bed.
This time, Xue Mingyao had no objection. She decisively removed her dress and let down her black hair, leaving only her light red undergarment facing him. Small patches of fair skin, delicate and flawless, shone through the collar and cuffs, like jade.
It is not advisable for men and women to meet before marriage. Xie Zhuo strictly adhered to this rule and did not seek her out for several days. At this moment, upon closer inspection, he noticed that she seemed to have lost weight, her chin was more pointed, and her collarbone was more prominent, but her body was still plump and radiant, the appearance of someone pampered in a wealthy family.
The candlelight flickered behind the curtains, and the two fell silent without prior agreement.
Xue Mingyao lowered her eyes, picking up a lock of hair from her chest and twirling it between her fingers. Xie Zhuo chuckled inwardly at himself for secretly hoping she would take the initiative, hoping she would pounce on him with possessive abandon and passionately cling to him, just like before...
Things are different now; she is no longer the little princess who was madly infatuated with him.
Xue Mingyao played with her hair for a while, yawned, and then, without a second thought, lifted the phoenix-patterned quilt and slipped inside, as nimble as a swimming fish, leaving Xie Zhuo completely stranded on the bed.
After a while, Xie Zhuo slowly lifted a corner of the quilt and leaned down to kiss her.
He started kissing her from her temple, his warm, wet kisses spreading down to her ear, neck, and then to her delicate collarbone. A few strands of hair fell down, fluttering against her snow-white breasts.
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