The night grew darker.
The wedding banquet outside was drawing to a close.
Gu Jiu had taken a nap and eaten a little. At this moment, she was in excellent spirits.
Wang Yi had been keeping watch by the courtyard gate. The moment she spotted Gongzi Zhao in the distance, she hurriedly ran to the bridal chamber to report.
“Furen, gongzi has arrived.”
Fang mama quickly reminded Qing Mei to place the phoenix crown back on Gu Jiu’s head.
With the phoenix crown on and the bright red wedding dress adorning her body, Gu Jiu sat upright at the bedside, once again becoming that dignified and beautiful bride.
Chaotic footsteps sounded outside. In the blink of an eye, the bridal chamber door was pushed open from outside, and Liu Zhao entered.
“Greetings, gongzi.”
Fang mama led the four maids in paying their respects to Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao’s gaze swept across the faces of the five people one by one. “Very good. Serve furen well, and all of you shall be rewarded.”
“Thank you for the reward, gongzi.”
Fang mama arranged for hot water to be brought in.
Qing Mei had intended to help Liu Zhao wash up, but Fang mama stopped her.
“It is already late. Gongzi and furen should rest early. Nubi will keep watch in the outer room. If there is any need, gongzi and furen need only call.”
With that, Fang mama took the lead and brought the maids out of the bridal chamber. She also dragged Lin Shuping and the others away.
For newlywed husband and wife on their first night, servants standing by would be far too lacking in tact.
Quickly now, everyone stand farther away.
Liu Zhao sat down at the bedside, right next to Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu felt hot and shifted slightly away.
Liu Zhao stared at her. His eyes were like a wolf’s, carrying the look of someone ready to devour another person.
He tugged open his collar. He had been drinking, and his whole body felt hot.
Defeated by Liu Zhao’s gaze, Gu Jiu asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Liu Zhao’s voice was low, a little rough and hoarse, carrying a faint smell of alcohol.
“It’s getting late. Hurry and wash up.”
Gu Jiu gave an ‘oh’.”I’ve already washed. You can wash yourself.”
Liu Zhao extended both hands and looked at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu asked him, “What are you doing?”
As if it were only natural, Liu Zhao said, “You serve me while I wash.”
“I don’t know how to serve people.” Gu Jiu replied with equal matter-of-factness.
Liu Zhao frowned. “Didn’t the mama teach you at your maiden home?”
Gu Jiu cast him a sidelong glance. “The mama taught me rules and etiquette. They didn’t teach me how to serve people.”
Little fox, lying again.
There was no way the nannies had not taught such things.
Liu Zhao withdrew his hands and moved closer to Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu frowned and leaned backward.
A strong smell of alcohol rushed at her face. Looking disgusted, she waved her hand to fan it away. “How much did you drink?”
Liu Zhao stared at Gu Jiu with deep eyes that shone brightly.
“Not much. Just one jin.”
Gu Jiu secretly clicked her tongue. What an impressive tolerance for alcohol.
She said, “You’re drunk. I’ll call someone in to attend to you.”
“Don’t call anyone.”
Liu Zhao grabbed Gu Jiu’s hand, preventing her from moving.
Faced with a drunkard, Gu Jiu felt somewhat nervous.
“In your condition, how are you going to rest tonight?”
Liu Zhao chuckled softly. His thumb brushed across Gu Jiu’s lips.
Gu Jiu grew even more nervous.
“Are you worried about me?” Liu Zhao asked beside her ear.
Warm breath sprayed against Gu Jiu’s ear.
She felt her ears grow hot.
She continued leaning backward.
“I’m not worried.”
“You aren’t even worried about your own husband. You’re truly heartless.” After saying that, Liu Zhao laughed first.
He was clearly teasing Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu pushed him, but failed to move him.
Her waist was aching. If she kept arching back like this, her waist would surely break.
“Move aside. Don’t stay so close.”
Not only did Liu Zhao fail to retreat, he pressed even closer.
Speaking with complete righteousness, he said, “We are husband and wife. We should be this close. Besides, I think the distance between us right now still isn’t close enough.”
The smell of alcohol blew against her face, and Gu Jiu became somewhat flustered.
“Move aside first. Go wash up first and get rid of the alcohol smell. I don’t like you like this.”
Liu Zhao let out a muffled laugh. Suddenly attacking, he lightly pecked Gu Jiu on the lips, leaving behind the fragrance of Daughter’s Red wine.
Without waiting for Gu Jiu to react, he took the initiative to stand up, walked around the screen, and entered the bath chamber to wash.
Gu Jiu quickly sat up and let out a long breath of relief.
Patting her cheeks, she wondered why they felt so hot.
A little panic stirred within her.
Even though she had long prepared herself mentally and imagined all kinds of possibilities, when it came time for the real thing, she still could not stop herself from feeling flustered.
When Liu Zhao came out later, what should she do?
Maybe she should just go to sleep first.
As for the wedding night and consummation, perhaps they could talk about it another day.
The thought of facing Liu Zhao openly and lying together under the same quilt left her at a complete loss, her mind utterly blank.
Lack of experience really could be fatal.
No matter how many books, television shows, or films she had seen, without personal experience, nervousness was inevitable.
Gu Jiu tossed aside the phoenix crown and, very cowardly, climbed onto the bed, hiding herself in the innermost corner.
She kept her ears perked up, listening to the sounds in the room.
Heavy footsteps gradually approached. He really had drunk too much; even his steps were somewhat unsteady.
She opened her eyes to a slit and looked outside the bed.
Liu Zhao had finished washing. A few drops of water still clung to his hair, and he wore only a single robe.
The robe clung to his body, fully displaying his excellent figure.
This man’s capital is truly substantial.
No sooner had Gu Jiu made that observation than she heard Liu Zhao laugh.
Liu Zhao laughed and said, “I never expected Xiao Jiu to be so enthusiastic.”
Gu Jiu put on a brave front. “Nonsense! I… I have something to tell you.”
“Go ahead.” Liu Zhao sat at the bedside, turned slightly to one side, and fixed Gu Jiu with a deep gaze.
Gu Jiu bit the edge of the quilt. Under Liu Zhao’s pressing stare, she finally said in a small voice, “My monthly period has come. It’s inconvenient for me right now. Tonight, you should find somewhere else to rest.”
Liu Zhao raised an eyebrow. “You’re really indisposed?”
Gu Jiu nodded repeatedly. “How could I possibly hide something like this from you?”
Liu Zhao smiled. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll still sleep here tonight. I don’t mind.”
Who cares whether you mind or not.
Gu Jiu bit her lip, inwardly conflicted. “That wouldn’t be good. What if it gets stained? It’s bad luck.”
Liu Zhao climbed onto the bed without hesitation. “I already said I don’t mind. It’s been a long day. Let’s sleep.”
Gu Jiu stared at him. “You’re really going to sleep beside me?”
Liu Zhao leaned closer. Gu Jiu pulled up the quilt, feeling guilty.
“We’re husband and wife. Do you expect me to sleep out in the courtyard?”
Gu Jiu shook her head. “You could sleep on the floor.”
Liu Zhao lowered his head and laughed. Then his expression darkened. “I can see it now. You really do dislike me.”
Gu Jiu remained silent.
“But I don’t dislike you, so you’d better accept your fate.”
After saying that, Liu Zhao lay down.
For the first time in her life, she was lying in the same bed as another person, even sharing the same quilt. Gu Jiu felt uncomfortable all over.
She was trying hard to adapt to her new identity, but matters between husband and wife… there was really no helping it. It was so difficult.
Gu Jiu tried her best to fall asleep, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t.
In the end, she simply turned over, facing inward. Out of sight, out of mind.
She was already married. She could only adapt as quickly as possible.
The light in the room gradually dimmed.
The two candles went out.
Half-asleep, Gu Jiu felt a weight settle on her body, a hand resting across her waist.
She snapped awake and immediately realized the situation was bad. Her whole body tensed.
She quickly removed Liu Zhao’s hand and barked fiercely at him, “No moving around.”
Liu Zhao was right behind her. The distance between them had long since shrunk to almost nothing.
From behind her, Liu Zhao asked, “How am I moving around? Like this, or like that?”
“Don’t mess around.”
Gu Jiu was so nervous that even her voice had changed.
“Shh. Don’t shout. The servants might hear.” Liu Zhao nibbled at her ear. “You little troublemaker. Did you really think you could fool me?”
“You–”
Before she could finish speaking, her lips were sealed.
…
Afterwards, it was already the middle of the night.
Gu Jiu’s regret was beyond words.
Curled beneath the quilt, ignoring the marks on her body, she was still beautiful.
She glared fiercely at Liu Zhao. What a liar.
Liu Zhao looked completely satisfied. Stretching out an arm, he pulled Gu Jiu into his embrace.
Gu Jiu struggled, wanting to move farther away from him.
“Don’t move.”
Liu Zhao’s voice was low and hoarse, carrying a dangerous warning.
Gu Jiu realized something and immediately stopped struggling.
She felt wronged, annoyed, irritated, but above all exhausted. She was tired to death.
“Let go of me. I want to go wash up in the bath chamber. I have to get up early tomorrow morning.”
Liu Zhao asked with concern, “Can you still move?”
Gu Jiu’s anger surged.
The culprit actually had the nerve to ask whether she could move.
Without another word, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on Liu Zhao’s arm.
Liu Zhao grinned smugly. “Bite harder. Best if you leave a mark.”
Gu Jiu was furious. “Are you deliberately trying to provoke me because you’re thick-skinned?”
Liu Zhao gently stroked her cheek, brushing all the loose strands of hair behind her ear. “You’re really exhausted.”
Gu Jiu rolled her eyes at him.
Liu Zhao suppressed a laugh. “I told you not to be stubborn, but you insisted on it. Don’t do that next time.”
“You’re still talking! Believe it or not, I’ll kick you off the bed.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Summoning all her primordial strength, Gu Jiu kicked viciously at Liu Zhao. And she actually succeeded in kicking him off the bed.
Liu Zhao lay on the floor, supporting himself with one hand.
This was truly humiliating.
This woman had actually kicked him off the bed. This was attempted husband-murder, did she know that?
As a man, this was utterly disgraceful.
Hearing the commotion, the attendants outside asked through the door, “Gongzi, is something wrong?”
Liu Zhao barked back, “Nothing! All of you get farther away.”
The embarrassing matter of being kicked off the bed by his wife absolutely could not be known by the servants.
Humiliated and angry, Liu Zhao’s mind raced through a hundred and eight methods of retaliation.
Wrapping herself in her clothes, Gu Jiu quickly climbed out of bed.
Liu Zhao was still completely naked.
Gu Jiu swept her gaze over him for a brief moment. Looking thoroughly smug, she snorted and lifted her chin before heading toward the bath chamber.
Lying on the floor, he suddenly stopped being angry and instead chuckled to himself.
How had he ended up marrying a woman with so many bad habits?
She didn’t know how to serve others, wasn’t gentle, was proud and arrogant, had a terrible temper, and even dared to kick her own husband.
Counting them up, she really did have quite a few flaws.
After laughing, however, a sense of satisfaction welled up from deep within his heart.
He grinned like a fool.
Stretching out on the bed, he savored the memories from earlier while listening to the sounds coming from the bath chamber.
When he judged the timing to be about right, he picked up his clothes and headed into the bath chamber as well.
Gu Jiu cried out angrily, “Why did you come in? Get out!”
Like a grand master of the house, Liu Zhao settled himself into the pool. “Not leaving.”
Gu Jiu snorted and narrowed her eyes. “I’ve already seen it. Nothing worth looking at. I’m going out first.”
She stood up, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked out of the bath chamber.
Liu Zhao died!
He looked down at himself. What did she mean by “nothing worth looking at”?
Nothing worth looking at?
What kind of eyes did that little troublemaker have?
He had originally wanted to tease Gu Jiu. Instead, he was the one who had been provoked.
By the time he finished washing and returned to bed, Gu Jiu was already lying down. Her breathing was long and steady; she had clearly fallen asleep.
Without hesitation, Liu Zhao reached out and pulled Gu Jiu into his arms, letting her rest against his shoulder. Then he extinguished the candles and went to sleep.
In the darkness, Gu Jiu opened her eyes. Breathing in the unfamiliar yet familiar scent, she adjusted into a more comfortable position before closing her eyes again.
This time, she truly fell asleep very quickly.
Liu Zhao smiled silently.
It was an exceptionally sweet night’s sleep.
At the first hint of dawn, Qing Mei began knocking outside the door.
Gu Jiu was sleeping deeply. Mainly because she had been so exhausted these past few days and had not had a single good night’s sleep.
She did not hear the knocking at all.
“Stop knocking. Don’t disturb furen’s rest.”
Liu Zhao had woken up early.
He had developed a biological clock. No matter how late he went to sleep, he would wake up before dawn every day.
After waking, he had not moved, maintaining the posture of holding Gu Jiu while she slept.
Keeping the same position for so long was tiring.
Yet Liu Zhao did not feel tired at all. Instead, he was completely immersed in it.
Hearing the maid knocking endlessly at the door, he finally spoke up and reprimanded her.
From outside, Qing Mei said softly, “In a little while, furen and gongzi need to serve tea to the wangye and wangfei. If we get up too late, there won’t be enough time.”
Liu Zhao answered decisively, “It’s fine. Bengongzi will take responsibility for anything that happens.”
Qing Mei wanted to say more, but Fang mama stopped her.
“Shh, stop talking. Furen has been exhausted these past two days. Let her sleep a little longer.”
Qing Mei worriedly said, “But if we’re late before wangye and wangfei, people will gossip.”
Fang mama replied, “When furen gets up later, all of you just move a little faster and we won’t be late.”
“All right. I’ll listen to mama.”
Fang mama added, “Don’t worry. Everyone should be happy. It’s a good thing that gongzi cares about furen.”
After thinking about it, Qing Mei agreed.
Smiling, she said, “I never expected gongzi to know how to care about someone.”
“Exactly.”
Liu Zhao deliberately delayed things for as long as possible. Only when he could delay no longer did he wake Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu’s waking temper flared up. She swung a hand straight at Liu Zhao’s face.
Smack!
The slap landed squarely on Liu Zhao’s face.
Liu Zhao narrowed his eyes.
Woman. Heh. Good. Very good.
Last night she had kicked him off the bed, and this morning she slapped him.
Liu Zhao’s face stiffened. Without showing anger, he nevertheless carried an imposing air.
Was this woman trying to rebel?
Later, he would definitely have to establish some husbandly authority.
Gu Jiu opened her eyes from sleep, still somewhat groggy.
First she checked her sleeping posture and wiped the corner of her mouth. Good. She hadn’t drooled in her sleep.
Then she looked toward Liu Zhao.
Why was he wearing such a dark expression first thing in the morning? What was that supposed to mean? She wasn’t the one pulling a long face. What right did Liu Zhao have to do so?
Without thinking much of it, Gu Jiu casually asked, “Who upset you so early in the morning? Or is this just how you always look when you wake up?”
Liu Zhao said nothing.
Gu Jiu got out of bed and stretched. Not having slept enough felt awful.
She prepared to get off the bed, but Liu Zhao blocked her way.
She glanced at him. Forget it. Since he was wearing such a dark expression, she wouldn’t provoke him.
She prepared to climb over him, but halfway through she encountered a black hand and ended up sprawled across Liu Zhao.
“Let go of me! It’s already broad daylight. I need to get up quickly.”
“Think carefully. What did you do when you woke up?”
Liu Zhao had seen through her completely. This little ungrateful troublemaker, if he didn’t remind her, she would never remember the slap she had thrown.
Gu Jiu looked innocent. “What did I do? How would I know?”
The corners of Liu Zhao’s eyes twitched twice.
Pointing at his cheek, he asked, “Remember now?”
Gu Jiu froze for a moment, thinking back carefully. Then realization dawned on her.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Of course he knew she hadn’t done it on purpose.
If it had been deliberate, bengongzi would have…
As for what he would have done to Gu Jiu, Liu Zhao hadn’t thought that far.
This little ungrateful troublemaker could drive him to death after just one night.
Liu Zhao took a deep breath. “Get up. In a little while we’ll be serving tea to fuwang and mufei.”
Gu Jiu asked, “Will fuwang and mufei make things difficult for me?”
Liu Zhao countered, “Are you worried about being made uncomfortable?”
Gu Jiu lowered her head and smiled. “With you here, naturally I’m not worried.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Liu Zhao was instantly overjoyed. What anger? What establishing husbandly authority? All of it was tossed aside.
Keeping a stern face and pretending to be serious, he said, “Be strict with etiquette. Don’t give anyone an opportunity to find fault.”
Gu Jiu rolled her eyes at him. “I know. Stop looking so serious. It doesn’t look good. I’ll call the maids in.”
Liu Zhao felt thoroughly stifled.
Gu Jiu pulled the bell cord by the door. Hearing the movement, Qing Mei and the others entered carrying hot water and began attending to them.
Afterward, the attendant Lin Shuping led several palace maids from the wang fu inside as well.
Those maids had served Liu Zhao for many years and were extremely familiar with his habits.
Not only that, their movements were quick and gentle, and their service was exceptionally attentive.
Seeing themselves outperformed, Qing Mei and the others also sped up, determined to catch up.
Gu Jiu quietly reminded them, “There’s no need to compare yourselves to others. Take your time. Don’t rush. Otherwise mistakes may happen in the rush.”
Qing Mei nodded slightly. “Furen, will you wear bright red today or peach red?”
Without even thinking, Gu Jiu replied, “Bright red. Keep the makeup lighter. Is everything prepared?”
“Furen can rest assured. Everything was prepared last night. In addition, three hundred reward pouches have been prepared. Following Fang mama‘s instructions, first-class rewards contain two taels, second-class rewards contain one tael, and third-class rewards contain five hundred cash.”
Looking into the mirror, Gu Jiu smiled softly. “I never expected rewards for servants in the wang fu to be more generous than those of other households.”
This was inflation in its purest form, the sort of situation where money was never enough to spend.
Leave a Reply