It was the third day after their wedding, and for the first time, Xin Mei didn’t wake up early to wash her hands and prepare soup. When Lu Qianqiao finished his routine physical training on the high platform and returned to the bedroom, he found her still maintaining her original position, hugging the blanket and staring blankly into space.

The general, who had been eagerly anticipating eating a passionate and energetic breakfast prepared by his wife’s own hands, felt a bit disappointed. He walked over and gently touched her disheveled hair, asking softly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Xin Mei’s vacant gaze wandered aimlessly in a circle before finally settling on his face, and immediately her eyebrows scrunched up.

“Lu Qianqiao,” she pouted, “you lied to me!”

He was stunned.

“On our wedding night, what did you promise me?”

Lu Qianqiao touched his burning ears. That day… that day he had said many things, but they had all happened in a very special, very confusing environment. At that time, if she had asked him to pluck the moon from the sky, he probably would have agreed without thinking. Now that she was asking like this… how should he answer?

“You promised me that the next day you’d let me be on top! But you broke your word!”

Last night, she had excitedly waited for him to fulfill his promise. After bathing, she directly pounced on him, pushed him down, climbed on top, nibbled and touched him… She had also thoughtfully opened the “Orchid Musk Delicate Pistil Collection” to that particular page, spreading it beside the bed for immediate reference and practice.

Just as she was grinding and rubbing, passion surging, blood boiling, preparing to perform the most crucial next action, he suddenly reached out unbearably to hold her waist, rolled over, flipped again, and she unwillingly became the one underneath.

“You… you can’t do this! You broke your promise! Liar! You… if you come any closer, I’ll call for help!”

Xin Mei struggled desperately, defending her chastity with a resolve to die rather than submit.

Lu Qianqiao swept away that troublesome “Orchid Musk Delicate Pistil Collection” with one hand. It fell to the floor, tearfully listening to the man on the bed who had lost most of his reason speaking the same old lies: “Next time… definitely next time…”

Having lived for several hundred years now, the “Orchid Musk Delicate Pistil Collection” had witnessed countless romantic encounters between men and women throughout those centuries. Based on its rich experience and seasoned judgment, it determined that this cold-faced handsome general, though appearing reserved and restrained, was absolutely the type who would not be content to remain “beneath a woman.” Poor thing… you’re just a decoration…

“I’m really going to call for help!” A certain young lady was still struggling desperately.

“Don’t make a fuss, don’t make a fuss… even if you scream your throat raw… no one will save you.” The general had completely lost his reason.

“Throat raw! Throat raw…”

Indeed, no one saved her, and a pure and innocent little wildflower quietly withered away.

Xin Mei withered all night, woke up during the day to continue withering and fuming. Now she had finally waited for Lu Qianqiao to return, and her withered anger could no longer be suppressed.

“You don’t keep your word!”

Lu Qianqiao touched his burning face again, extremely troubled. This… how exactly should he explain this?

“Xin Mei, every time you… I can’t help myself…”

She would always rush forward so eagerly, like igniting a towering fire, but then at the crucial moment she would stop, hesitating indecisively. He would have to be a saint to endure that.

“I’m trying to learn!” She thought for a moment, then added, “You should study hard too!”

…

【Three days after the wedding, the bride was dissatisfied with the groom’s bedroom skills and angrily left home.】—”Anecdotes of the Qiong Imperial Tomb” recorded by Official Zhao

Xin Mei rode Qiuyue back to Xinxie Manor. She wanted to find her father to properly complain. Lu Qianqiao was good in every way, except he was too domineering in certain matters, and moreover… moreover, bedroom affairs didn’t seem as soul-stirring as those books described… She was uncomfortable most of the time. Was it his problem or hers?

However… this kind of thing wasn’t appropriate to discuss with her father, especially with that father who always suspected she had been abandoned by a man.

As soon as Qiuyue landed, seeing Xin Xiong’s expression develop from surprise to horror, Xin Mei sighed. His first words would inevitably be—

“You’ve been thrown out by your son-in-law again?!”

She didn’t even have the energy to refute, so she just nodded, “Mm, I was thrown out. Clean up the room and let me stay for a few days.”

After waiting a while with no response from her father, Xin Mei curiously looked up to see him wearing the painful, shocked expression of someone struck by heavenly thunder. Immediately after, his eyes rolled back and he fainted cleanly and decisively.

Xinxie Manor was once again thrown into chaos.

She felt like she was truly a sinner, already married yet still constantly giving her old father such shocks.

After Xin Xiong woke up, he ignored everyone and ran to the ancestral hall to cry with his deceased wife for the entire afternoon, until Xin Mei rushed over to admit her mistake: “Father, I misspoke. I just missed you and mother, came back to visit, and will return tomorrow.”

Xin Xiong wiped his tears with his sleeve, looking at her timidly, murmuring: “…Really?”

She nodded vigorously: “Absolutely true!”

Xin Xiong raised a trembling hand to point at her head: “Then… then why are you still wearing an unmarried girl’s hairstyle?!”

Qiong Kingdom was unlike those few eastern countries with open customs, where married women could still pursue novelty and beauty by wearing unmarried girls’ hair buns. Here, marriage was marriage – from clothes to hair buns to speech and demeanor, everything was distinctly different from that of unmarried young ladies. In Xin Xiong’s view, his daughter had been married for some time yet still wore her hair loose with bangs covering her forehead – this was absolutely abnormal! Abnormal indeed!

Xin Mei rolled her eyes: “No one taught me how to style a married woman’s hair bun!”

Being able to arrange her hair into a decent shape that wouldn’t collapse was already quite an achievement for her.

Xin Xiong immediately felt relieved: “It’s father’s fault for not being thorough enough. Your mother passed away early, and I didn’t think to hire a matron to teach you before the wedding.”

He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said, “Dear treasure, stay home for a few days. Tomorrow I’ll have someone invite your eldest aunt over.”

The eldest aunt was Xin Xiong’s elder sister.

Xin Mei’s impression of her was of those eternally bright and delicate clothing colors. Even though wrinkles bloomed like flowers on her face, from a distance the eldest aunt still appeared graceful and elegant like an eighteen-year-old girl.

Upon seeing Xin Mei, she immediately smiled, came over to grasp her hands, and spoke in a delicately soft voice: “Little Mei, married women cannot keep this kind of hairstyle. Come, eldest aunt will teach you how to arrange a proper hair bun.”

Xin Xiong gave her a meaningful look from afar. The eldest aunt blinked to show complete understanding, and he then went out contentedly to tend to his precious spirit beasts.

“Little Mei, is your husband not treating you well?”

The eldest aunt asked gently while arranging her hair in front of the mirror.

Xin Mei shook her head: “No, he treats me very well.”

Whatever she wanted, as long as he had it, he would bring it to her without a moment’s delay. When she said she wanted to see a Xin Mei doll, he immediately searched through all of Wanlan Mountain, found the finest wood, and buried himself in carving. When she said no staying in bed, he would retire early every day, ensuring he woke up before her the next morning, so that when she opened her eyes she would see his deep gaze.

Actually… Lu Qianqiao truly treated her very well. She understood all of this.

“But you seem somewhat unhappy… You keep running back to your parents’ home every few days. Could it be that your husband…”

The eldest aunt lowered her head, covered her mouth with her sleeve, and whispered a few words to her.

“No, no, it’s not that.”

Xin Mei shook her head vigorously, banishing thoughts of tiger penis wine and deer antler pills from her mind. Speaking of which… if she made him consume more of those things, wouldn’t she just become even more uncomfortable?

The eldest aunt covered her mouth in shock: “Could it be that he’s too vigorous?!”

Not that either…

Xin Mei looked at her helplessly. Eldest aunt, could you please not blush like the evening clouds? And that expression of anticipation mixed with gossip and bashfulness – how terrifying!

The eldest aunt’s intimate tactics failed to succeed. They had been in the room until nearly dinner time when someone suddenly announced that Lu Qianqiao had arrived.

Xin Mei ran to the entrance with the crowd and indeed saw Lu Qianqiao with a black cloth tied over his eyes again, riding Lie Yunhua, speaking with Xin Xiong with elegant bearing and imposing presence.

The eldest aunt held her face bashfully, studying him for a long time before suddenly leaning close to Xin Mei’s ear with a shocking statement: “Dear treasure, your husband was a virgin before marriage, wasn’t he?”

Xin Mei was immediately choked by her own saliva and nearly fainted.

Lu Qianqiao turned toward them with concern. Through the black cloth, his expression couldn’t be seen clearly. He opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing. He was pulled and dragged into the manor by the tearful Xin Xiong.

The eldest aunt nodded knowingly: “I understand now, dear treasure. Leave this matter to eldest aunt.”

What matter was being left to her? Xin Mei watched her turn and follow, bewildered, her delicate and bright skirt swaying like a flower.

【The bride returned to her parents’ home and complained to an experienced female elder. The elder was angry, found a private place to thoroughly scold the groom, and the groom felt ashamed and regretful.】—”Anecdotes of the Qiong Imperial Tomb” recorded by Official Zhao

After dinner, Xin Mei waited for a chance to be alone with Lu Qianqiao – they could be alone for the entire night. They were truly married now and would share one room.

The oil lamp flickered slowly on the table, and their shadows danced slowly on the wall.

Lu Qianqiao had removed the black cloth from his eyes. Whatever the eldest aunt had said to him, his face still carried a strange blush, absent-minded and distracted, his thoughts wandering to primordial times.

Xin Mei poured him a cup of tea, deliberated for a long while, then said: “Lu Qianqiao, I’m not angry with you. I just… well, wanted to come back and see my father. Let’s return to the Imperial Tomb tomorrow.”

He hadn’t listened at all, holding the teacup and pouring water down his neck, immediately startling himself with the heat.

…What exactly had the eldest aunt said to him? She had frightened him into behaving like a startled bird.

She found a clean cloth to wipe the water stains from his clothes, casually untying his sash to check if his skin was burned, and then – he grasped her wrist.

“Xin Mei…” He looked at her with pity and guilt, “I’m sorry, I’ve always… it’s my fault.”

Xin Mei’s eyes lit up as she grabbed his lapel tightly: “You know you were wrong?”

Did he mean he would let her push him down and have her way, let her be on top?

Lu Qianqiao nodded with painful guilt. The eldest aunt had said that although Xin Mei was already sixteen, physically she seemed to mature later than other girls her age. For certain matters, there was only a four-character truth: proceed gradually.

Proceed gradually!

He touched her hair, overflowing with tender affection: “Sleep early, I’ll stay with you…”

Before he could finish speaking, the next moment she pounced on him completely, hugging his head while nibbling and kissing, casually tearing off his outer robe and throwing it on the floor.

“Wait…” He only managed to say one word.

“Wait my ass!” Xin Mei pushed him down onto the bed, “It’s settled! Today I’m pushing you down! Don’t move!”

She refused to believe that their bedroom affairs couldn’t become soul-stirring!

Thud, the pillow fell to the floor.

Clink clink, the hairpins also fell to the floor.

Lu Qianqiao’s face was pale, limbs spread out, lying stiffly on the bed, forcibly gritting his teeth in endurance, his mind filled with only the four-character truth: proceed gradually! Proceed gradually! He had to be patient, take it slow!

…She was starting to hesitate, waver, miss her mark, dawdle again…

He felt golden lights dancing wildly before his eyes, as if seeing the distant end of the heavenly palace.

“Xin Mei…” He managed to utter two words with difficulty, “You… hurry up…”

Xin Mei guiltily held onto him, suddenly raising her hand to lower the bed curtains, murmuring: “Almost ready.”

The bed curtains shook violently again, followed immediately by her two cries of anguish. She immediately pushed against him to get up and tend to her wounds. Strange, why did it hurt so much at the beginning every time?!

This was unbearable…

Lu Qianqiao gripped her waist with both hands, pressing her back down, his other hand slowly caressing up her smooth back, pulling her down to embrace her tightly against his chest.

“Always leaving at this moment… are you doing this on purpose?” He panted, opening his mouth to capture her soft earlobe.

Xin Mei struggled hard: “You’re not allowed to move! I’m the one pushing you down!”

His hand slid down inch by inch, going to a place she very much didn’t want him to go. She immediately reacted, struggling even more fiercely, wanting to get off the bed.

“I’m not moving… not moving.” He pressed one hand against her back while placing his head on the pillow, showing that he hadn’t moved at all.

Proceed gradually – with her, he had to take it slow.

The hand on her back slowly moved upward again, scooping up her head that was buried in his chest and panting softly, kissing her.

“I really haven’t moved… see… you’re the one on top.”

Gently biting her soft lips, he whispered.

…Proceed gradually – this should be gradual enough now, right? If he proceeded any more gradually, he would die.

In that instant, she let out her usual uncomfortable soft moan. Lu Qianqiao stroked her head, asking: “…Does it hurt?”

She shook her head one moment and nodded the next, making her meaning unclear.

Forget it… continue proceeding gradually…

And so, it became soul-stirring.

【From then on, the groom worked hard and diligently studied the way of husband and wife relations. The household kept two rare collector’s editions – the “Orchid Musk Delicate Pistil Collection.” The bride and groom lived in harmony from then on, envying only mandarin ducks and not the immortals.】—”Anecdotes of the Qiong Imperial Tomb” recorded by Official Zhao

(The “Orchid Musk Delicate Pistil Collection” silently wept: This has nothing to do with us! Theirs is fake, fake! We absolutely don’t acknowledge it!)