Wei Yan woke at the fourth watch of the night.

The sky had not yet brightened. The red wedding candles in the room had burned all through the night, their leaping flames casting a warm and gentle glow. The candlelight passed softly through the gauze bed-curtains and fell tenderly upon the face of the beauty in his arms.

Wei Yan gazed quietly at Ling Jingshu, his heart so filled with happiness that it left no room for anything else — grounded and at ease.

Recalling the tenderness of the night before, his body, restored after a full night’s rest, began to stir with restless want once more.

Wei Yan could not help leaning in and pressing kiss after close kiss upon her lips. His hands soon slipped beneath the bedding and roamed freely, completely uninhibited.

Ling Jingshu was still half-asleep and did not know to push him away or resist, and she was soon overtaken by Wei Yan before she was even fully aware.

The moment he pressed forward and entered, Ling Jingshu gasped sharply and woke completely. Before she could even voice a gentle protest, she was swept up and engulfed by wave after wave of pleasure that overwhelmed all her senses.

By the time everything subsided, another half-hour had passed.

Wei Yan called for hot water again and held Ling Jingshu as they bathed and dressed together.

The well-satisfied Wei Yan was full of energy and high spirits. Ling Jingshu, by comparison, was considerably worse off. She had endured the pleasures of the wedding night just the evening before, her body not yet recovered, and then this further exertion so early in the morning — her legs and hands had both gone soft, and she lacked even the strength to stand. The bathing and dressing had been “attended to” by Wei Yan, while for her hair she could only call in Bai Yu and Qiao Yun.

Bai Yu even teased with a laugh: “Young lady, there is no need for cosmetics today — your complexion is already flush and lovely.”

“Indeed! The finest rouge could not produce such radiant beauty as this.” Qiao Yun mischievously chimed in her agreement.

Ling Jingshu was teased without any means of defending herself. After the two maids had withdrawn, she threw Wei Yan a fierce glare: “This is all your fault! Causing a scene first thing in the morning.”

And then he’d had the brazenness to send someone to bring hot water. Now the maids knew perfectly well what had happened.

Truly mortifying!

Wei Yan laughed unabashedly: “We are newlyweds — it is only natural for us to be loving and affectionate with one another. Bai Yu and Qiao Yun are your people; they are happy for you, glad that you have married a husband who adores and cherishes you.”

Ling Jingshu made a sound of mock disdain at him, yet the corners of her eyes and brows were brimming with sweet contentment.

Wei Yan felt his heart itch at the sight, and could not help leaning over once more, bending his head as though to steal a kiss.

Ling Jingshu immediately stepped back with alert wariness: “It is not early any longer — we must go to the palace to pay our respects and kowtow in gratitude to Her Majesty the Empress. You must not cause trouble again. If we are late for the hour of our respects, what face will I have to enter the palace in the future?”

Since Ling Jingshu put it so gravely, Wei Yan had no choice but to touch his nose and obediently withdraw to the side.

Ling Jingshu stood before the mirror and carefully examined herself. Only after confirming that her appearance was tidy and proper — and that she would present herself without any breach of decorum before Wei Empress — did she let out a relieved breath.

……

The residence that the Emperor had bestowed was very close to the imperial palace. Riding in the carriage, it took no more than the time it takes to burn one stick of incense to arrive.

The guards at the palace gate, upon seeing Wei Yan, opened the gate without even taking a close look at his waist token, while one of them said warmly: “I haven’t had the chance yet to congratulate Imperial Physician Wei on his happy wedding. Coming to the palace today is to kowtow and pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress, I take it? Please do go in quickly — don’t let the hour pass and keep Her Majesty waiting too long.”

Wei Yan had entered the imperial medical academy at the age of twelve and had frequented the palace ever since. In particular, these last several years, his comings and goings had been especially frequent. He was well acquainted with the guards at the palace gate. He smiled at the words: “My thanks for the reminder. I’ll take my wife in now.”

The word “wife” came off his tongue with complete and effortless ease.

The newly appointed mistress of the Wei household, Ling Jingshu, flushed slightly and followed behind Wei Yan as they entered the palace gates together.

The sky had just barely grown light. Along the way, quite a number of palace attendants and court maids were sweeping the grounds. Upon seeing Wei Yan and Ling Jingshu, they of course came forward with their greetings and pleasantries.

Imperial Physician Wei, ordinarily so gentle and composed, was evidently in exceptionally good spirits today, responding to every greeting with an easy smile.

He and Ling Jingshu walked very closely together, their wide sleeves brushing against each other. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was watching, Wei Yan quietly took her hand beneath the concealment of his sleeve. To any outside observer there was nothing visible of this, and at most it might appear that they were simply walking in particularly close and affectionate proximity.

Ling Jingshu felt a little bashful at first, but gradually composed herself.

They were already married; being intimate and close was entirely open and above reproach — there was no one who would gossip or speak ill of it.

Wei Yan seemed to read her thoughts, and at precisely this moment looked over at her, his handsome face growing even more gentle in the morning light: “A’Shu, don’t worry. Her Majesty the Empress cherishes me most, and has always been fond of you. Today when we go to Lingbo Palace to kowtow and pay our respects, it will certainly go smoothly — nothing will go amiss.”

Ling Jingshu smiled softly and gave a small nod.

Very soon they arrived at Lingbo Palace.

Xin Yun, bright and cheerful, was standing outside the palace hall with a smile on her face. From a good distance away she came forward to meet them and dipped into a curtsy: “Imperial Physician Wei has finally brought the lady here. Her Majesty the Empress was in excellent spirits yesterday — so excited that she could hardly sleep, and she rose early today and has been waiting for you both!”

Seeing a familiar face and hearing such light, cheerful words, the last trace of anxiety in Ling Jingshu’s heart dissolved entirely, and she replied with a smile: “Keeping Her Majesty waiting is my fault.”

Xin Yun laughed: “All right, no more dawdling. Go on in quickly!”

……

Ling Jingshu had lived in Lingbo Palace for over a year and was intimately familiar with its every brick and tile, every blade of grass and leaf. Yet stepping into Lingbo Palace again this time, her station was different, and her state of mind too had undergone a subtle change.

This subtle shift of feeling became even more pronounced once she saw Wei Empress.

In the past, Wei Empress had treated her with gentleness and kindness — partly out of genuine fondness for her quick wit and cleverness, and partly out of love-by-association. But now, meeting again, Wei Empress displayed the warm and joyful affection of someone welcoming her younger brother’s wife into the family, and her gaze held a few more degrees of warmth and intimacy.

“Your servant Ling, of the Ling family, pays her respects to Her Majesty the Empress.” Ling Jingshu knelt respectfully and kowtowed in full ceremony alongside Wei Yan.

Once the two had finished kowtowing, Wei Empress personally helped her younger brother and his new wife to their feet: “This is your first visit to the palace after your wedding — propriety cannot be set aside, and I would not stop you from kneeling and kowtowing. After this, when you come to the palace again, there is no need for such formality.”

She then bestowed exceedingly generous gifts. A complete set of gemstone hair ornaments and jewelry, a pair of Hetian jade bracelets, ten bolts of the finest silk brocade, and a pomegranate tree crafted from gemstones — dazzlingly beautiful and exquisitely made.

“Many thanks for Her Majesty’s generous gifts.” Ling Jingshu quickly rose to express her gratitude: “Such lavish gifts leave your servant overwhelmed with reverence.”

Wei Empress smiled with easy unconcern: “I have only this one younger brother, Yan. There is nothing wrong with being a little more generous with gifts for my younger sister-in-law — no one will say a word about it.”

Wei Empress had struggled to reach her position as mistress of the harem, and there was no one left in the palace who could contend with her. So long as she committed no serious fault, her position as Empress was unassailable. Giving her younger brother’s wife a little dignity was a mere matter of little effort to her.

Wei Empress then looked carefully at Wei Yan once more, and seeing him with smiling eyes and glowing spirits, felt joy well up even more deeply within her heart.

Wei Yan’s lifelong affairs had always been the foremost matter weighing upon her mind. Now that Wei Yan had at last married the woman he loved, she — as his elder sister — could set her heart at ease.