Wei Luo didn’t sleep well last night. She felt as if someone had come by as she was sleeping. There had been a faint scent of cool plum blossoms at the bedside. It was the same scent as the sachet she had given Zhao Jie. Later, someone had pinched her nose so that she couldn’t breath. A soft thing had also creeped onto her tongue. She had thought she was dreaming at the time. But, the sensations had felt too real to be a dream.

  Even when Wei Luo woke up the next morning, she still couldn’t tell if someone had come by or not last night.

  However, she didn’t have time to keeping thinking about this. Right after she opened her eyes, she saw Jin Lu and Bai Lan bringing inside a copper basin.

  Jin Lu dampened a towel and used it wipe Wei Luo’s hands, then she asked, “Miss, why did you wake up so early? Old Madam and the other madams won’t be here until later. You can still sleep for another hour.”


  Wei Luo shook her head and said, “I can’t fall back asleep. What time is it?”


  Jin Lu said, “To respond to Miss, it’s 6 AM.

  Wei Luo looked at the color of the sky to confirm the time of day. The first glimmer of dawn was barely showing. The outside courtyard was still covered by indigo. The sun was barely up and only a little bit of its radiance was shown. It would be impossible for her to fall asleep again, so she wrapped a light-colored outer robe with a flowering stem pattern around herself, sat up, and ordered Jin Lu and Bai Lan to help her get ready.

  Jin Lu took out a small, colorful porcelain bottle, poured brightening pearl powder into the basin, and used her hand to mix in the powder. “Miss, you can wash your face now.”


  Wei Luo had blended this brightening pearl powder herself. It could whiten her skin and make her complexion glossier. It was even easier to use than the original brightening pearl powder that Han-shi made. Han-shi had praised Wei Luo by saying the student had surpassed the teacher.

  (Note: This powder is made by mixing various herbs. In modern day, it’s added into soap to make it more convenient to use. Supposedly, it was originally created for Empress Cixi. )

  After Wei Luo finished washing her face, used salt to brush her teeth, and held a piece of mint leaf in her mouth for a bit, she sat down on the couch facing the southern window and comfortably applied begonia honey to her face. She had also personally made this begonia honey mixture. It was made by combining mashed red begonia flowers into a large container of white honey. Then the mixture would be dried by sunlight for ten days. She would apply this mixture every morning to make her face look more radiant. It was also especially useful for preventing the skin from drying out because of chilly winter winds.

  Right after Wei Luo finished applying the begonia flower honey mixture and rinsed off the excess amount, Fourth Madam Qin-shi and First Madam Li-shi came over.

  Two older female servants wearing thin red silk bi jia tops embroidered with fern patterns were behind them. They were probably here to thread Wei Luo’s face to remove facial hair.

  First Madam said with a smile, “Ah Luo’s complexion is so good. Did you sleep well last night? Look at this little face. It looks good enough that it doesn’t need any makeup. It looks as moist and smooth as tofu.”


  First Madam was just joking. Regardless of how good her face was, she still needed to wear makeup on her wedding. However, Wei Luo’s complexion really looked very good. After she had applied the begonia flower honey mixture, it concealed that she didn’t sleep well last night.

  Qin-shi helped Wei Luo sit down in front of a mirror that was engraved with a pair of phoenixes and a flowering grape vine. She was also smiling as she said, “Our Ah Luo is naturally good-looking to begin with. She’s definitely the most beautiful bride in the capital today.”


  Hearing herself being called “bride” for the first time, Wei Luo suddenly became vividly aware that she really was getting married today. For a moment, she blankly sat on the stool without saying a word.

  The two older female servants stepped forward to look at her. If they had previously felt that Qin-shi’s words were an exaggeration, they now couldn’t help nodding their head in agreement. These two older female servants had seen many brides, even ones that were as beautiful as Wei Luo. But, those brides didn’t have Wei Luo’s aura of nobility and allure. A glance would show that she was a girl from an aristocratic family. She had an indescribable implicit charm that made people want to firmly hold onto her and also made them feel worried that they weren’t worthy of her.

  One of the older female servants said, “The bride looks truly charming and elegant. Her future husband is very blessed…”


  Hearing these words, Qin-shi was naturally quite happy. She regarded Wei Luo as one of her children. Today, Wei Luo was getting married. Looking at the bright red lanterns and paper cutouts that were inside and outside the room, she actually felt a strong sense of being reluctant to part with her. However, right now wasn’t the time to weep, so Qin-shi resisted the urge and said, “Start the threading for the bride.”


  The two older female servants walked to Wei Luo’s side with one person on each side. They twisted the threads against Wei Luo’s face. Before Wei Luo had time to react, she felt pain on her cheeks and she quietly yelped.

  The older female servant comforted her, “Miss, endure it for a bit. There’s only a little bit of hair on your face. This will be over soon.” Then, she rapidly twisted the threads to remove more hair. She even laughed as she said, “When I was threading a bride from another family a few days ago, she had a lot of hair and I had to thread for an entire hour. Later, the bride felt that her face hurt as soon as she saw me.”


  Wei Luo wasn’t the only one that was amused into laughing. Even First Madam and Fourth Madam couldn’t resist laughing. The mood in the room finally became livelier.

  After the threading, it was time to apply makeup and brush her hair.

  Wei Luo properly sat in front of the bronze mirror and let the two older female servants torment her. Jin Lu and Bai Lan were nearby to help with minor tasks. Two hours later, Wei Luo’s waist and back hurt from sitting still for so long, but everything was done. She carefully looked at the person in the mirror. She almost didn’t recognize herself. Previously, Wei Luo could be described as an effortless freehand painting of flowing water. Now, she was a colorful and detailed landscape painting. Blue-green eye shadow, red lips, and a four-petal flower mark between her eyebrows. It was truly as glamorous and lush as gems and had a beautifully, alluring appeal.

  Jin Lu and Bai Lan supported Wei Luo to change clothes behind the divider. When Wei Luo came out from behind the divider, Old Madam was leading Second Madam and Wei Ya into the inner room.

  Old Madam stepped forward and eyed Wei Luo from top to bottom. She smiled in satisfaction and said, “Our Ah Luo looks even more beautiful while wearing a wedding dress.”


  With a blushing face, Wei Luo greeted her, “Paternal grandmother.”


  Wei Luo’s was naturally petite and delicate. Compared to girls of the same age, she could barely be considered to have an average height. This wedding dress was custom-made for her with very exquisite stitching. Instead of looking like a child that had stole an adult’s clothing, Wei Luo looked very suited to wearing this extravagant dress. Despite her delicate appearance, this dress only increased her dignified temperament.

  There were also three other madams behind Old Madam. They were Duke Ding’s wife, Marquis Ping Yuan’s wife, and even Elder Princess Ping Yang, Zhao Xin. This princess always kept a very low profile and rarely attended her family’s events, including palace banquets. Rumor said that her character and upbringing was outstanding and that her standards were extremely high, so that most girls were below her notice. Wei Luo had only seen her one time at a palace banquet and wouldn’t have expected for her to appear today. Based on the current circumstances, she was probably here to be her good luck woman. Although Wei Luo was surprised, she still greeted her.

  Elder Princess Ping Yang looked at her. She didn’t seem as unkind as rumors describe her. She patted Wei Luo’s hand and said, “You’re truly very beautiful and a perfect heaven-made match for Chang Sheng.”


  Elder Princess Ping Yang appeared today because Zhao Jie had privately requested her. She normally wouldn’t have come, but since this was the first time her paternal nephew had asked her for a favor, she didn’t have a reason to say no. In addition, she was also curious about what kind of girl would interest Zhao Jie. Zhao Jie had standards above average since he was a child.

  If he wasn’t interested in something, he would still refuse no matter how many times you pressured him into accepting it. It was rare for him to set his heart on something. She had heard that he had renovate Prince Jing’s residence, especially the room that would be the bridal chamber for the future Princess Consort Jing. He had also changed all of the servants in that courtyard. It really showed how much he cared about this young girl.

  Wei Luo and Wei Chang Hong hadn’t seen each other three days. During this time, Wei Luo had been staying in the inner court while Chang Hong was in the outer court helping Wei Kun with managing issues. At night, he would rest in the outer court instead of returning to the inner court. Seeing him now, Wei Luo curved her almond eyes and smiled at him, “Everything is ready. Don’t worry.”


  Wei Chang Hong nodded, but he didn’t leave. His gaze was focused on Wei Luo. Not caring that Fourth Madam and Wei Ya were in the room, he said, “Ah Luo, tell me if Zhao Jie bullies you in the future. I’ll always help you no matter what.

  Wei Luo didn’t have the time to hold back her trembling lips. His words had touched her soft spot and her eyes became teary. Wei Luo didn’t stop herself from crying. It was normal to cry at a wedding. Her tears fell down as she stretched out her hand to grab Chang Hong’s sleeve. She looked up and said, “Chang Hong, I can’t bear to part with you.”


  Wei Chang Hong didn’t want to separate from her either. But, she had to marry one day. He couldn’t stop her from marrying because of his personal desire. Chang Hong stroked her head and said, “Don’t cry. It’ll be bad if you ruin your makeup from crying.”


  The more he talked, the more Wei Luo wanted to cry. Her fan-like eyelashes fluttered. Her eyes became wetter with each blink.

  Chang Hong took the silk handkerchief that Fourth Madam handed to him. He leaned over and carefully and gently wiped the tears from Wei Luo’s face. “Ah Luo, I don’t want to part with you either. Could you not get married then?”


  Shocked, Fourth Madam Qin-shi asked, “Chang Hong, what are you saying?”


  Wei Luo seriously considered his words. Things had already reached this point. She couldn’t stop the wedding right now. Beside, she wanted to be Zhao Jie’s wife. And so, she shook her head.

  Wei Chang smiled as if his recent words were only a joke. He said, “I’ll have people come over to fix your makeup. You look like a tabby cat with your smeared makeup from crying.”


  Then, he pinched Wei Luo’s cheek and said, “Don’t cry anymore.”


  Wei Luo slowly stopped crying.

  The older female servants came inside to fix her makeup. Fortunately, she hadn’t cried too much and her makeup wasn’t heavy. It only took a brief moment to fix. About ten minutes later, Prince Jing’s people had arrived at Duke Ying’s residence’s entrance to escort the bride. The rumbling sound of the gongs and drums traveled to the inner court and filled it with excitement.

  Prince Jing’s people came inside the residence to urge the bride to come out. After the third time, the bride went to the main room to formally say farewell to Old Madam, her father, and her aunts. After this, Chang Hang carried her into the marriage sedan on his back.

  Wei Luo’s head was covered in a veil with golden embroidery, so she couldn’t see the scene in front of her. Before she had time to say a few words to Wei Chang Hong, the marriage sedan started to wobble as it was picked up and headed towards Prince Jing’s residence.

  Sitting inside the sedan, Wei Luo couldn’t see the surrounding scenery. She could only hear sound from all directions. The sounds of woodwind, percussion, and brass instruments and the cheers of children traveled to her ears. Her mood became more relaxed as she listened to these sounds during the ride. The swaying sedan finally arrived at Prince Jing’s residence’s entrance.

  Zhao Jie was wearing a crimson robe decorated with golden lotuses and happiness symbols. The flowers on his robe were exactly the same as the ones on Wei Luo’s dress. He smoothly and naturally dismounted from the horse. Then, he took the bow decorated with animal bones from a servant boy and shot an arrow at the sedan’s door (to signify overcoming difficulty before seeing the bride) before taking the knotted red silk ribbon from Elder Princess Ping Yang’s hands to lead Wei Luo off the marriage sedan.

  Wei Luo couldn’t see the road, so she could only walk slowly. He led her to step over a saddle*, over the fire plate**, bowed to heaven and earth***, and into the bridal chamber…


  * symbolizes a safe marriage because one of the Chinese characters in saddle is the same as safety

  ** symbolizes burning bad luck

  *** ancient wedding ceremony, somewhat equivalent to saying vows and saying “I do” in modern wedding

  A crowd of people escorted Wei Luo into the bridal chamber. She didn’t internally sigh in relief until she sat down on the crimson quilt.

  It was finally finished.

  Wei Luo and Zhao Jie’s bridal chamber was located in the center of Prince Jing’s residence. The courtyard was called Zhang Tai Courtyard. The room wasn’t outdone by the decorations in Duke Ying’s residence. There were dazzling spots of red everywhere: red candles, red lanterns, red quilts, and red curtains. The surroundings cast a light layer of joyful red glow on everyone’s face.

  Zhao Jie took the auspicious jade stick from the matron of honor and slowly lifted up Wei Luo’s veil.

  Wei Luo looked up and finally saw Zhao Jie after being led by the red silk during the ceremony. She hadn’t seen him in half a year. Zhao Jie seemed to have lost weight. His facial features seemed more clearly defined and his heroic spirit was intimidating, but the intoxicating smile on his lips decreased the coldness of his eyebrows and increased his overall warmth.

  There were still other people inside the room, so Wei Luo was too shy to continue looking. She quickly lowered her eyes.

  A woman teased, “The groom is too overwhelmed by the bride’s beauty. He even forgot to blink.”


  Wei Luo, “…”


  A rarely seen uneasiness appeared on Zhao Jie’s face. Soon after, he smiled and didn’t refute her words.

  The matron of honor led the servant girls to sprinkle peanuts, lotus seeds, and other items over Wei Luo and Zhao Jie. This was a symbolic gesture to wish them good fortune in wealth and for them to be blessed with having children soon.

  Zhao Jie still had to go to the outer court to deal with the guests. He left after drinking the matrimonial wine. Wei Luo was left in the room with a few women.

  These women were all Zhao Jie’s elders. Wei Luo had met a few of them before. It wouldn’t be good for her to speak, so she just sat on the crimson quilt embroidered with dragons and phoenixes and attentively listened to them speak.

  Wei Luo was slightly hungry, so she didn’t remember most of their words. She kept her head lowered and showed a bashful smile that was just right.

  Zhao Jie’s maternal aunt, Marquis Sui Yang’s wife, was a warm-hearted person. She introduced the group of women to Wei Luo and Wei Luo greeted them one by one. It was only in this moment that Wei Luo discovered that Zhao Jie had many maternal and paternal aunts.

  There was even a few women that were about the same age as Wei Luo. Because she wasn’t familiar with them, she didn’t have many words to say to them.

  Fortunately, they didn’t stay for long and Wei Luo could finally rest for a while.

  Jin Lu came over and asked, “Miss, do you want to change your clothes and freshen up?”


  Wei Luo felt that the ornaments on her head and her clothing weighed ten kilograms (approximately forty-four pounds). She was so tired that her neck was almost bent over. She listened to Jin Lu’s words and went to the cleansing room to take a bath and wash her hair. She wore new clothes after she came out of the bath.

  Right at this time, Bai Lan brought inside a purple-lacquered food box. As she took the dishes out of the box, she said, “There were many other types of food in the kitchen. I just took the ones that Miss likes to eat. Miss, come here and eat some. You haven’t eaten all day.”


  On the round rosewood table decoratively carved with lions, there were a plate of sliced honeycomb cake, a plate of glutinous rice balls covered in coconut flakes, a bowl of crab roe and tofu soup, a bowl of slowly stewed soup made with coconut milk, jujube, and hasma, and also a few other small dishes.

  After Wei Luo sat down at the round table and drank half a bowl of soup, she heard voices from outside. Bai Lan went out to look, returned to the room, and said, “His Highness has come back.”


  There were also a few princes and nobles following Zhao Jie. They all wanted to see what a girl that was treated like treasure by Zhao Jie looked like. Unfortunately, before they could see her, Zhao Jie had already entered the room, closed the door, and said, “You can all leave.”


  Ninth prince was naturally dissatisfied. He stretched out a hand to stop the door from closing completely. “Second brother, you’re not being honest. You said you would let us see second sister-in-law!”


  Zhao Jie reluctantly smiled, “Why would this prince let you see his wife? Don’t you have a wife? Go home to look at her.”


  After all, the ninth prince had already been married for half a year, but this second older brother didn’t get married until today.

  The other people were also very dissatisfied. They protested one after another. But, to no avail, Zhao Jie wouldn’t even let them see the side of her face. He slammed the door shut.

  Zhao Jie turned around and saw Wei Luo standing behind him. Her hair was down and fastened to each side by a pair of golden iris hairpins. She was wearing a short, peach blossom pink jacket embroidered with auspicious clouds and a pleated skirt with the same color. She looked quiet and frail. Her large limpid eyes were looking at him. She didn’t step forward or say a word. Zhao Jie would be worried that she had been scared if he didn’t see that her cheeks were red.

  Zhao Jie looked at the food on the table and asked with a smile, “Are you hungry?”


  Wei Luo nodded. She finally thought of something to say, “I’ll have someone prepare sobering soup for you since you’ve been drinking.” Then, she ordered Jin Lu to bring a bowl of sobering soup over.

  Wei Luo wasn’t used to the sudden change in their relationship. Zhao Jie was still the same person, but he was no longer her big brother. He was now her husband and lord. She wasn’t even sure how she should address him.

  Zhao Jie actually wasn’t drunk. His alcohol tolerance was very good. Although he had drunk a lot today, it wasn’t to the point that his mind was unclear. But, he didn’t refuse because he saw that Wei Luo was feeling anxious. He accommodatingly sat down across from her, “It’ll take a while to prepare sobering soup. You should eat first. You probably didn’t have time to eat all day, right?”


  Wei Luo followed his action of sitting down. She lowered her head and went back to drinking that slowly stewed soup made with coconut milk, jujube, and hasma. Her voice was slightly pitiful as she said, “I had an apple this morning.”


  Zhao Jie’s eyes were smiling. He had previously been blocking other people from seeing her, so he didn’t have a chance to look at her. Now, there was only the two of them, so he started to stare at her without restraint. Wei Luo’s body started to feel uneasy for his stare. She looked up and asked, “What are you looking at?”


  Zhao Jie was supporting his cheek and chin with his hand. He slowly said, “I’m looking at my wife.”


  Wei Luo’s face immediately became red. How could she eat after he said those words? Just as Wei Luo was about to glare at him, Jin Lu came into the room with a bowl of sobering soup. She carefully placed the soup in front of Zhao Jie, “Your Highness.”


  Zhao Jie nodded his head and said, “You can all withdraw.”


  The meanings of these words were very obvious. It meant that the prince and princess consort didn’t need the servant girls to serve them. They should all leave.

  Jin Lu glanced at Wei Luo and bowed, then she led Bai Lan and the other servants girls out of the room.

  The room became quiet. Wei Luo and Zhao Jie were the only two people left in the room. Wei Luo lost her appetite. Even a fool knew what Zhao Jie wanted to do next. But, she didn’t feel ready. She could only lower her head and slowly drink her soup in hopes of delaying for a bit.

  Zhao Jie wasn’t in a hurry. After he finished drinking the sobering soup, he continued sitting at the table to wait for her.

  Wei Luo, “…”


  Wei Luo had never felt that eating a meal would feel so challenging. Under this oppressive atmosphere, she finished eating an entire plate of honeycomb cake until her stomach felt like it was going to burst. She really couldn’t eat anymore. Unfortunately, Zhao Jie deliberately pushed the glutinous rice balls covered in coconut flakes in front of her. “Ah Luo, you haven’t finished eating this.”


  Wei Luo looked up to glare at him. Her expression was remarkably like an irritated little squirrel. Her cheeks were puffed out. She looked ridiculously cute.

  Zhao Jie involuntarily laughed. He walked to her side, pinched her cheeks, and said, “Are you full?”


  Wei Luo swallowed the last bite of honeycomb cake and honestly admitted, “I ate too much.”


  Zhao Jie’s hand reached out towards her stomach. “Let me touch to feel if it’s bloated.”


  Wei Luo slapped his hand away. “You’re not allowed to touch.”


  Was Zhao Jie the type of person that you could forbid from doing something? Wei Luo’s strength was fundamentally insignificant to him. He rubbed Wei Luo’s stomach and said with a smile, “Let’s see if you’ll be silly enough to eat so much next time. Am I a drooling savage beast? Your eyes were practically glued to the table. You wouldn’t even look at me once.”


  Wei Luo didn’t expect that he would know her thoughts, “I did look at you.”


  She added, “I looked at you twice.”


  Zhao Jie gently smiled and carried her onto his lap. One hand gently rubbed her stomach and the other hand pinched her small hand. “It’s not enough. You should always be looking at your husband.”


  Husband…


  He actually so easily addressed himself that way?

  Wei Luo couldn’t copy his shamelessness. Wei Luo arched up in his embrace and stretched out her arms to wrap them around his neck. Her head was between his neck and shoulder as she mumbled, “I feel embarrassed.”


  At this moment, Zhao Jie’s heart unexpectedly softened. He tightened the arm that was holding her. He almost wanted to crush her into his chest.

  After a pause, Zhao Jie carried her towards the red sandalwood bed carved with clouds. He lifted the red curtains embroidered with golden thread and placed Wei Luo on the bed. He couldn’t restrain the emotions in his voice as he asked, “Ah Luo, do you know how long I’ve waited for this day?”


  Wei Luo rolled over into the inside of the bed and pushed the quilt to face him. “Don’t know.”


  Zhao Jie grinned. With one leg pressing down against the bed, he leaned over to grasp her silky dark hair and brought it closer to sniff. “It’s okay if you don’t know. I’ll tell you in a moment.”


  At this moment, even Wei Luo’s ears had turned red. Of course, she wasn’t naive enough to think that Zhao Jie would “tell” her using words.

  The lights in the room were extinguished except for a pair of large candles that slowly burned. The candlelight illuminated the world including the scene inside the bed.

  Wei Luo’s clothes were gone and her face was flushed. She begged Zhao Jie, who was below her, “You can’t do this…”


  Zhao Jie lifted his head, leaned over, and hoarsely said into her ear, “My Ah Luo smells good everywhere. Not only does your body smell good, your mouth smells good, even there…”


  Wei Luo weakly cried, “You can’t.”


  Zhao Jie licked her cheeks and kissed her face. With his forehead sweating, he said, “I just want to make you feel good, so that you’ll suffer less later. Darling, don’t you like me?”


  Wei Luo turned her head. The tears in her eyes glistened as she faintly gasped for breath. She didn’t want to answer his question.

  This night, there was only one word in Wei Luo’s mind.

  Grinding.

  She felt like she was a piece of helpless ink stone that was lightly and heavily grinded against until the ink was finally rubbed out from her. There were unsightly marks left behind on the crimson quilt embroidered with dragons and phoenixes.