The wedding candles crackled and burned, casting a rosy light over the gauze curtains. The light trembled like ripples of water. Low, soft moans mixed with the sound of candle flames bursting, lingering throughout the night…
Ruan Ning was awakened by Chu Yuan’s kisses. Struggling to open her eyes, she felt sore all over and too lazy to speak. Chu Yuan smiled contentedly, but as he kissed her lips, his breathing grew heavy again.
Ruan Ning moved slightly in bed and trembled, saying, “No…”
The pleasure from Chu Yuan’s stamina was overwhelming, but the exhaustion afterward was even greater. She felt thoroughly depleted and wanted to lie still.
Chu Yuan wanted to control himself, but once he had tasted her, he found it hard to resist. He coaxed her, “You’re tired, don’t move. Let me.”
“No!” Ruan Ning shouted in panic.
He had made that same offer the night before, and even being still exhausted her. She was frustrated by how much care he took of her—despite her fatigue, she never fainted, often finding herself drawn into passion that drained her even more.
Meanwhile, Zhang Wei repeatedly said yes, then turned to wipe away his tears, holding Chu Yuan’s hand, saying: “Such a joyous event, quickly go tell your mother.”
Zhang Wei glanced at Ruan Ning, noting she wasn’t dressed as a princess and that there had been no prior indication of Chu Yuan’s marriage. He sighed inwardly, realizing the emperor had not approved this union.
He pulled Chu Yuan toward the main hall, revealing an elegant bedroom behind several screens. Snow-blue and ginger-yellow curtains hung low, while a jade incense burner sat on the dressing table beside a sky-blue vase with a half-blooming red plum branch. The memorial tablet of Princess Jin Yuan adorned the dressing table, accompanied by a copper mirror decorated with coral and turquoise. The clean mirror reflected the plum flower’s shadow, as if the room’s mistress had never left.
Ruan Ning quickly realized this was Princess Jin Yuan’s former room, likely untouched since her passing. The absence of female presence and Zhang Wei’s austere appearance suggested he must have deeply loved the deceased princess.
