The room was extremely quiet, filled only with the steady, even breathing sounds Li Mu made.

He had truly fallen asleep.

Luoshen’s body, taut as a drawn bowstring, relaxed accordingly.

But she could no longer fall asleep.

For the first time in sixteen years, spending a night in the same room with a strange man called her “new husband” whom she actually detested to her very core—how could she possibly sleep?

Moreover…

As her body relaxed, her stomach felt increasingly empty.

She lay motionless on the pillow, pretending to be asleep while actually stealing several glances at the food table placed in the center of the room.

On the wedding night, the husband and wife perform the rituals of sharing the same sacrifice and drinking from joined cups—this was an essential marriage ceremony dating from ancient times.

Naturally, these were prepared here as well.

The so-called “sharing the same sacrifice” originally meant newlyweds eating together from one suckling pig.

Joining cups meant splitting a gourd into two ladles, each taking one to drink wine, symbolizing the union of two into one, eternally joined in heart.

By now, with elaborated customs, the food and vessels used for the wedding night’s sharing sacrifice and joining cups ceremony had also changed—fine foods were completely prepared, cups replacing gourds.

Luoshen felt her stomach rumbling with hunger, yet could only endure it.

After stealing another glance at Li Mu and confirming he was undoubtedly asleep on that couch, Luoshen suddenly thought things through.

When hungry, she would simply eat. What was he? Why should she care whether he was asleep or awake!

With this thought, Luoshen immediately felt emboldened. She sat up, tidied her somewhat disheveled hair from sleep, climbed down from the bed, slipped on her shoes, came to the food table, and sat down with her back to Li Mu.

Several dishes were arranged on the food table. Besides pork, there were steamed cakes and soup.

But the meat had gone cold, with a layer of greasy white fat congealed on top. The soup had also cooled.

Only the steamed cakes looked edible.

Though she had been accustomed to fine cuisine at home—never tiring of refined food or finely minced meat—at this moment, with her stomach truly aching from hunger and not wanting to disturb A’Ju in the middle of the night, she lightly rolled up her sleeves, took a cake, tore off a small piece to put in her mouth, and slowly chewed.

This steamed cake was leavened (fermented). If eaten hot, it would surely be soft and delicious, but now cold, it had hardened.

After eating a few bites, Luoshen found it difficult to swallow, yet not eating left her stomach hungry. As she struggled to chew, she inadvertently looked up, her gaze falling on the wine pot nearby and the pair of joining cups beside it. She stared for a moment, then suddenly felt grief welling up. Her nose tingled and her eyes reddened.

“Since I charm you with my beauty, you too delight in my appearance. How is it we’ve come to separation, with paired bracelets around my wrists?”

What woman in the world, regardless of wealth or status, hasn’t dreamed of marrying a husband who truly knows her heart?

Just a few months ago, she had always thought her future husband would be Elder Brother Lu.

How could she have imagined then that her wedding night would be spent like this?

Alone and desolate, gnawing cold, hard steamed cakes to satisfy her hunger.

She tried to force back her tears, but as she lowered her head, tears rolled down from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks into the corners of her mouth, mixing with the difficult-to-swallow steamed cake, adding a wet, salty taste.

Her throat felt so wronged it was nearly blocked, almost choking her.

The more she thought, the sadder she became.

Suddenly a hand reached out beside her.

Li Mu had appeared at some point, pouring her a cup of tea and offering it.

Luoshen quickly turned her face away, rapidly wiping the tear tracks from her face, struggling to swallow what was in her mouth, pretending not to see.

Li Mu didn’t insist. Looking at the steamed cake in her hand, he stood up and went to open the door.

How could A’Ju rest easy tonight?

After Li Mu entered the bridal chamber, she had dismissed the others to rest while she and Qiongshu remained. By the second half of the night, they hastily rested in an ear room next to the eastern wing bridal chamber.

A’Ju kept listening attentively to sounds from next door, very worried. Later, hearing no disturbance, she thought the young mistress had safely passed through what was an extremely difficult trial for her. Her heart both sighed with relief and felt doubly sorrowful—how could she sleep?

While tossing and turning, she suddenly heard the door opening next door. She quickly went out and saw Li Mu appearing in the doorway.

“The new bride is hungry,” he said.

A’Ju was startled, quickly called Qiongshu and a servant woman, and several people went to the Li family kitchen located in the rear building.

Tonight being a celebration, the kitchen had plenty of ready ingredients. So they lit the stove and boiled water. A’Ju personally kneaded a ball of white flour, holding it in one hand while tearing pieces into the pot with the other. When cooked, she sprinkled on minced meat and winter mallow, added appropriate seasonings, quickly making soup noodles. She took bowls and chopsticks, repeatedly rinsing them with boiling water before ladling the food into bowls, carrying it on a food tray along with a basin of hot water.

Li Mu took it over, closed the door, carried it inside, and placed it on the food table.

Luoshen had already put down the steamed cake she’d only eaten a few bites of and lay back on the bed fully clothed, lying on her side facing inward.

“A’Ju made something for you. Eat it while it’s hot.”

Li Mu called to her.

Luoshen remained motionless, as if asleep.

Li Mu walked to the bedside.

“Get up and eat, and I’ll agree to the conditions you proposed.”

Luoshen had originally kept her eyes tightly shut, determined to ignore him even if she starved to death. Suddenly hearing him speak thus, she opened her eyes and slowly turned her head.

He stood by the bed, looking down at her, his eyes seeming to contain a faint smile.

As Luoshen hesitated, she suddenly heard him speak again as if to himself: “Never mind, pretend I said nothing!”

After speaking, he turned to leave.

Luoshen immediately scrambled up quickly.

“Remember what you said yourself!”

She got up and returned to the food table, sitting down again.

The soup noodles steamed hotly, with noodle pieces floating in the broth like willow leaves, white and crystalline, paired with finely chopped meat and green winter mallow. A fragrant aroma wafted up, making one’s mouth water.

Luoshen picked up chopsticks.

Li Mu sat across from her, watching her lower her head and eat in a refined manner.

After eating a small half bowl, Luoshen felt somewhat full. Moreover, having formed habits at home of eating small frequent meals and never accumulating food before sleep at night.

She put down her chopsticks—her eyes suddenly widened in astonishment, looking across at Li Mu in amazement as he quite naturally picked up the bowl of soup noodles she had left and finished it in a few mouthfuls.

He looked up, seeing her staring at him, smiled, and put down the bowl and chopsticks.

Luoshen never shared food or utensils with others, especially bowls and chopsticks. Seeing him finish what she had left in just a few bites before she could even stop him, she recovered from her astonishment and suddenly had a thought.

His sitting across from her like this, the two of them sharing one bowl of soup noodles—didn’t this perfectly fulfill the meaning of sharing the same sacrifice?

Having this thought, before she could express her disgust at his eating her leftovers, her gaze instinctively fell on the wine pot and the pair of joining cups beside it.

According to contemporary customs, the joining cups used by newlyweds on their wedding night varied in material according to wealth and status.

But regardless of material, all were distinguished as male and female cups through their patterns.

Men took the male cup, women used the female cup, symbolizing the harmony of yin and yang and the continuance of blessings.

This was a pair of carved lacquered wooden cups, quietly placed on the table surface.

With vermillion red base, each cup’s body was painted in black lacquer with paired dragons and phoenixes. Though the material was ordinary, they had quite an antique style.

After glancing at them, Luoshen suddenly noticed Li Mu’s gaze had also fallen on this pair of joining cups.

Luoshen’s heart jumped, immediately thinking he probably wanted to drink the joining wine with her. Not wanting to drink with him, she immediately said: “I’m full.” She made to rise, but suddenly stopped.

She saw the man across from her—the smile that had been on his face gradually disappeared.

A heavy shadow passed through his eyes. His two gazes slowly moved from the pair of joining cups to her face.

He seemed like a different person, looking at her this way, his pupils seemingly frozen, his brow covered with a layer of gloom.

Luoshen seemed to detect a trace of cold, deadly aura from him.

Luoshen didn’t know why he suddenly became like this, but such a Li Mu suddenly made Luoshen feel afraid.

For a moment she didn’t dare stand up, her hands supporting the table, frozen there. After hesitating, she still refused to show weakness before him, lifting her chin and saying to him: “Why are you looking at me like this?”

Li Mu stared at her for a moment, restraining the deadly aura in his eyes, and said flatly: “It’s late. We must rise early tomorrow. Sleep.”

He left her there and stood up.

Luoshen stared at his back, suppressing the inexplicable unease in her heart, and also stood up.

The two silently finished rinsing their mouths and washing their faces. One climbed back onto the bed and lowered the curtains, the other lay back on the sitting couch, resting again.

The man outside the curtains seemed to quickly fall asleep again, making no sound.

But Luoshen still couldn’t sleep.

She lay alone on the wide bed beneath her, eyes closed, her mind constantly flashing with various aspects of this “new husband” she had just met tonight.

At first glance, he seemed quite good-tempered and quite accommodating toward her.

But Luoshen always had a feeling that this Li Mu was not as simple as he appeared.

Naturally, if he were merely a simple military man, with his status, he couldn’t possibly have forced the lofty Gao family to such a degree that they could only marry her down to Jingkou.

This aside, especially just now, facing those joining cups, the gloom he suddenly revealed was what truly made her shudder on this night.

She seemed to smell the scent of blood feud and couldn’t help shivering.

What kind of person was this Li Mu really?

What would become of her in the future?

Actually, even without A’Ju’s hints during the day, before the marriage, Xiao Yongjia had more than once expressed to Luoshen the suggestion that she should temporarily endure humiliation and marry over first, and that later, she would watch for opportunities to definitely rescue her daughter from this absurd marriage.

Luoshen felt utterly confused, her emotions tangled like hemp, tossing and turning on the bed until the fourth watch. Only when exhausted did she drowsily fall asleep.

Having slept so late, needless to say, when someone forcibly woke her, it was extremely painful.

She struggled to open her sleepy eyes and found the curtains had been lifted, with a tall figure looming by the bed.

Li Mu stood there fully dressed, looking at her and saying: “Get up. After meeting my mother, if you’re tired, you can come back and sleep.”

After speaking, he turned and opened the door, flatly saying to A’Ju waiting outside: “The new bride is up.”

A’Ju, Qiongshu, Yingtao and other maids came in.

Li Mu went out.

A’Ju came to the bedside, looking at Luoshen who appeared dejected and could barely open her eyes. Thinking of how she had been hungry and tired last night, forced to comply on the bed yet not daring to make a sound, her heart ached terribly and she felt even more dissatisfied with Li Mu.

She helped Luoshen sit up, personally helping her change undergarments. When she felt the removed clothing, she found the crotch area dry and clean, quite different from what she had imagined. Stunned, she looked at Luoshen and couldn’t help leaning close to whisper a question.

Luoshen had been drowsy, eyes closed and yawning. Suddenly hearing A’Ju ask this, her sleepiness immediately fled, her face flushed with shame, and she bit her lip and slightly shook her head.

Only then did A’Ju realize that Li Langjun had not touched the young mistress at all last night.

She first sighed with relief, then on second thought, became unhappy again.

With the young mistress’s status and beauty, marrying down like this was already a tremendous injustice.

Li Mu was merely a minor military officer from a humble family—what right did he have to humiliate her so?

Seeing A’Ju frowning with displeasure, Luoshen guessed her thoughts and felt her ears burning even more. She tightly hooked A’Ju’s sleeve with her fingers and whispered: “I didn’t allow him to. So he didn’t dare.”

A’Ju was stunned, lovingly stroking her long hair that fell over her shoulders, exhaling, and helped her down from the bed.

After Luoshen finished grooming and dressing, changed clothes, and ate a few bites of breakfast brought by the maids, the wedding candles had burned out and daylight brightened outside the window.

She was about to leave the room when Li Mu entered, saying to A’Ju: “You all go out. I have something to say to the new bride.”

A’Ju glanced at Luoshen, hesitated, then finally led the others out.

Only Luoshen remained in the room. She watched Li Mu close the door and walk toward her in the pale morning light filtering in from outside, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

This morning she had changed to a young wife’s attire. Her black hair was arranged in a high hibiscus bun, revealing a long, white neck. Above her jade neck, she wore pearl ornaments, the pearl’s luster complementing her fair skin. A crimson silk stole adorned with tiny pearls draped around her fragrant shoulders, falling gracefully like a rainbow to her knees, harmonizing with her jacket and skirt. Under the concealment of her sleeves, jade bracelets could be faintly seen on her wrists, her arms white as snow, matching the jade’s color.

This ensemble was magnificently beautiful and naturally suited her. The special beauty mixed between a maiden’s clarity and a young wife’s myriad charms was particularly captivating.

Li Mu stopped, standing far from her.

Luoshen clasped her hands lightly in front of her, quietly looking at him with bright eyes, waiting for him to speak.

Li Mu looked at her for a moment and said: “From today, you may act as you wish. I won’t constrain you. If you’re not comfortable living here, you may also move to the estate your mother prepared for you.”

“But one thing you must remember. As long as you’re in my Li family for one day, you must show proper respect to my mother for one day. If I learn you’ve been disrespectful to her, don’t blame me for punishing you according to family law.”

His tone was calm yet carried an unquestionable commanding tone.

Luoshen looked at him in shock, her lips slightly parted, momentarily not knowing how to retort.

Though she greatly detested the man before her and had no long-term plans for this marriage.

But heaven could witness—she had never thought of defying Li Mu’s mother to seek revenge.

She hadn’t expected Li Mu would say such words to her face!

After the shock, anger quickly surged in her heart. She simply kept a cold face and snorted: “You dare?”

Li Mu remained expressionless: “Try it and you’ll know.”

Luoshen was speechless with anger.

“Let’s go. Mother is waiting.”

He looked at her again, his tone softening, turned to open the door, and walked out.

Luoshen’s feet remained planted, motionless.

He stepped across the threshold, walked a few steps, stopped, looked back at her, and slightly raised an eyebrow: “Not coming?”

Luoshen bit her teeth, lifted her skirt hem, and angrily stepped across the threshold.