Upon hearing this, Qin Yining instinctively frowned.

Lady An Ping Bo beside her was quick to speak: “What’s wrong with this couple? We didn’t go to their mansion for the feast fearing we’d bring bad luck, yet they keep coming here one after another.”

After saying this, she felt her words were too harsh and might not sound good if they reached Lu Heng’s ears, so she added: “Loyalty Bo Mansion is truly thoughtful in receiving guests.”

“Indeed.” The other ladies also agreed, though whether they were sincere was another matter entirely.

Sounds of conversation came from the corridor, and the door to the private room was pushed open. The groom in bright red python robes walked in.

Lu Heng had been forced to drink quite a bit while toasting at the mansion. Having walked this short distance, the alcohol had gone to his head, making him slightly dizzy as he walked. Two attendants dutifully followed beside him to prevent any embarrassment.

Lu Heng hardly needed to search deliberately – his eyes, slightly moist from intoxication, fell directly on Qin Yining.

Among all the plain colors in the room, Qin Yining was still the most eye-catching. Her elegant attire only added several degrees of ethereal quality. Her tender skin under the lamplight was like fine porcelain, glowing with a gentle matte finish. She truly had brows like distant mountains and skin that surpassed frost and snow.

The emotions Lu Heng had been suppressing seemed to burst like a dam breaking.

For the greater good, he had no choice but to cheerfully accept the Emperor’s matchmaking and marry a woman he felt nothing for. He didn’t understand Bian Ruohan and had no feelings for her. After meeting her, he only thought she was ordinary and vulgar.

Just moments ago, he had been forcibly suppressing the disappointment in his heart, preparing to greet the bride with smiles.

But his people stationed at Shunfu Restaurant had quietly told him that Bian Ruohan had dared to confront Qin Yining face-to-face, saying incredibly crude things and making a huge fool of herself.

Lu Heng’s anger flared, and he almost canceled the wedding on the spot.

But an advisor beside him awakened him with a single sentence.

The wedding preparations were complete, the invitations had been sent, and this was a marriage arranged by the Emperor himself. Never mind that Bian Ruohan was crude and arrogant – even if she were a lowly prostitute, having already agreed, he had no reason to back out now.

Lu Heng suppressed his fury and went through the ceremony with Bian Ruohan, made a round among the guests observing proper etiquette, then rushed here.

He knew Qin Yining had been wronged. Between him and Qin Yining, it had always been his one-sided passion. Qin Yining had never given him false hope. She observed wifely duties and wholeheartedly devoted herself to Pang Xiao. It was he who couldn’t let her go, yet somehow Bian Ruohan had heard something somewhere and dared say such things in front of so many noble ladies of the capital.

“Ladies, I salute you.” Lu Heng forcibly withdrew his gaze and bowed to everyone. “My poor hospitality – please forgive me, ladies.”

“Loyalty Bo is too polite.”

Everyone chattered, inviting Lu Heng to sit.

These noble ladies had just watched a great drama and hadn’t yet sorted through it all when Lu Heng arrived. As soon as he entered, his gaze kept falling on Prince Zhongshun’s consort, making it hard not to arouse their curiosity.

An elderly lady smiled and said: “Marquis Lu is thorough and attentive, extremely caring in receiving guests. It’s just that Loyalty Bo’s wife… presumably after entering the household, under the influence of your family’s traditions, she’ll improve.”

These words were quite impolite. Speaking directly in front of Lu Heng to disparage Bian Ruohan’s family background – even if a man didn’t love his wife, in front of outsiders they were still family. Disparaging his wife was equivalent to disparaging him.

On normal days, Lu Heng would think the same.

But now Lu Heng was intoxicated, his mind full of guilt and tenderness toward Qin Yining, along with fear that Qin Yining might never want to acknowledge him again. What this woman said unexpectedly aligned with his own thoughts.

Lu Heng agreed: “Yes, today was truly my wife’s fault. On our wedding day, she disregarded propriety, snuck out, and spoke baseless nonsense that offended everyone. I am truly ashamed.”

At this point, Lu Heng rose and bowed apologetically, facing directly toward Qin Yining’s direction.

Although many people sat beside Qin Yining, Lu Heng’s such direct expression of apology still caused the ladies present to whisper among themselves.

Anyone with eyes could see that this head of the Lu family had clearly come specifically to apologize to Qin Yining.

Lu Heng turned to whisper a few words to the attendant beside him.

The attendant hesitated, just calling out “My lord” before being silenced by Lu Heng.

“Why don’t you hurry?”

“Yes.”

The attendant had to withdraw, giving instructions at the door. Soon a tray was brought in with a jar of wine and a small eating bowl.

Lu Heng took the wine jar, broke the mud seal, and poured himself a bowl of wine.

“Today’s events were all due to my poor consideration, allowing my wife to come here and act presumptuously. I punish myself with three bowls – please forgive me, ladies.”

Having said this, Lu Heng readily drank three bowls in one breath.

Such fierce drinking made these women, even if they still had complaints about Bian Ruohan’s rudeness, unable to blame Lu Heng for anything more. At least Loyalty Bo had given them sufficient face, and his apology was quite sincere. In comparison, Lu Heng’s thoughtfulness and courtesy formed a complete contrast with Bian Ruohan’s arrogance and rudeness.

Though these women had long since left the center of power struggles, what reasoning didn’t they understand?

Such a woman was truly unworthy of Lu Heng. That Lu Heng agreed to marry her was probably unavoidable.

Some older women smiled and chattered to smooth things over: “Enough, you’ve drunk so much wine – be careful, you still have the wedding night later.”

“Loyalty Bo, sit down and rest. Have them bring sobering soup.”

…

With a few words, the originally tense and awkward atmosphere became lively.

Lu Heng smiled and sat down, accepting the sobering soup placed beside him.

By now his face was flushed red, his stomach full of alcohol. How could he drink any sobering soup? He only felt burning heat throughout his body, his face feverish. Only the good habits and family upbringing cultivated over many years kept him from losing composure, though his eyes couldn’t help constantly glancing toward Qin Yining.

At this moment, someone sighed: “I still remember back then in Ci’an Palace, the Empress Dowager almost matched Loyalty Bo with the Princess. But Heaven has its own arrangements – the red thread of the matchmaker god tied Prince Zhongshun and the Qin family young lady’s feet together.”

Qin Yining was already impatient.

These barely acquainted women were from a completely different world than hers. They idled away time gossiping about this family and that family for entertainment. Moreover, older women joked without restraint. Having finally let the matter pass, they brought it up again.

Lu Heng recalled the scene when he first met Qin Yining, then thought of the situation in the palace that day, their several confrontations, their shared hardships in Tatar territory. She had once treated him as a friend, but what had happened now?

Lu Heng’s head was dizzy, everything around him had retreated far away, leaving only Qin Yining in his eyes.

He smiled bitterly, his eyes full of melancholy and reluctance: “Actually, you and I back then…”

Before Lu Heng could finish his words, his face suddenly felt cold.

Qin Yining had splashed a cup of cool tea on his face and stood up abruptly, scolding: “Loyalty Bo, sober up! Speaking wildly to ruin someone’s reputation – did you and your wife agree on this beforehand?”

The room fell silent.

The woman who had just been joking saw Qin Yining’s anger and knew her words had been ill-timed, provoking the Princess’s fury.

However, no one had expected Prince Zhongshun’s consort to have such a fiery temper, daring to splash tea in the face of the head of the Lu family in public. Tea leaves were still stuck to Lu Heng’s eyebrows.

Lu Heng was somewhat dazed: “I…”

Qin Yining turned to smile at everyone in the room: “It’s getting late. My prince is unwell and has been bedridden recovering recently. I’ve also been out all day and should take my leave now.”

“Yes, it’s getting quite late.” Lady An Ping Bo, who had long sensed things were wrong, also echoed: “I should go home too.”

With these two mentioning this, everyone who could see the awkward situation rose to bid farewell to Lu Heng.

By now Lu Heng was completely muddled, his tongue unable to straighten. He couldn’t hear a word these people were saying.

Seeing Lu Heng was already drunk and unconscious, and that he had brought attendants and guards, the women felt comfortable taking their leave.

Soon, only Lu Heng and his attendants remained in the private room.

“My lord, you…”

Before the attendant could finish speaking, Lu Heng simply closed his eyes and collapsed drunk on the floor, snoring loudly with his mouth open.

The attendants and guards were all shocked, frantically trying to help him up. But the drunk man was completely unconscious, not only snoring thunderously but also much heavier than usual.

Everyone exerted tremendous effort before using a roll of bedding to carry Lu Heng out of Shunfu Restaurant and onto a temporarily hired carriage.

Fortunately, Bo Mansion wasn’t far from here. The family drove the carriage back to the mansion quickly and carried the completely intoxicated Lu Heng directly into the bridal chamber.

At this time, Bian Ruohan was sitting properly by the canopy bed covered with the dragon and phoenix wedding veil, waiting for Lu Heng with infinite shyness. Who knew that after her neck was nearly broken by the weight of the phoenix crown, what she waited for was a groom who had drunk himself unconscious.

Lu Heng was carried directly onto the canopy bed. Without even removing his wedding clothes, he continued sleeping with thunderous snores.

Bian Ruohan couldn’t decide whether to continue sitting on the bed or move away. Having never suffered much grievance since childhood, her wedding night was so different from what she had imagined. In her anger, she tore off the wedding veil and threw it on the floor, about to turn and leave.

“Madam, please rest.”

“No, I want to go home!”

“Madam, if you go out at this hour, it might not look good for you either. If Imperial Concubine Zhuang knew, she would scold us servants for not serving you well. Please rest for now.”

Bian Ruohan was firmly persuaded by her dowry wet nurse.

The wedding night was ruined. She slept curled up beside Lu Heng in her wedding dress, unable to stand the pungent smell of alcohol, huddling far away, sulking alone and even shedding a few tears of grievance.

Regardless of the Lu family’s situation, at this time Qin Yining had already told Pang Xiao about the bizarre events she encountered today.

“That Bian Shi was truly unreasonable, and Loyalty Bo’s head must be filled with nonsense. Even splashing a bowl of cool tea on him doesn’t feel satisfying enough.”

Pang Xiao held Qin Yining and laughed out loud: “It would have been better if it were hot tea.”