He sighed and crouched down beside her bed, bringing his gaze level with her face, making her appear even more vivid.
If this ice remained unbroken, over time it would surely ruin everything. He was a man—if he retreated after being resented, then this hurdle would never be overcome.
Her hand lay at her side, with only the very tip showing beneath the wide, ornately bordered sleeve, painted with henna like a newly budded leaf. His brow slowly furrowed. Previously, she had been beyond his reach, existing only in his imagination. Now she was right before his eyes—why had touching her become so difficult?
She was angry, and he feared that being too hasty would only add fuel to the fire. He wasn’t afraid of wasting their wedding night; as long as he could tear open even a small gap to prevent them from being so cold to each other, that would be enough for him.
He clenched his hands tightly. His fingertips still ached faintly from gripping the reins too long. She probably didn’t know that throughout her journey south along the Grand Canal, he had personally guarded her the entire way. He had raced ahead to reach Taoye Ferry before her arrival to escort her. She was just a young woman who had never traveled far from home. Though she had guards with her, they were all arranged by Xiao Duo, and he could never feel at ease. Murong Gaogong had ordered that he was not to welcome the bride in the capital, so he waited in Tianjin instead. He knew how many li her blessing boat traveled each day and how many times it moored.
He habitually adopted a humble, submissive posture, calling to her softly: “Your Highness, you and I are already husband and wife. If there’s anything troubling your heart, you can certainly tell me. In the past, you lived deep in the palace, at the Empress Dowager’s knee, with the Emperor’s protection. Now in Nanyuan, I am your closest person. From now on, we are one body—you must trust me.”
Wanwan was only pretending to sleep, so she could naturally hear every word. He spoke eloquently and movingly. If their marriage had followed heaven’s will, even if the Emperor had sent her as a spy, she would have happily married him. But the reality was so disappointing—he had schemed against her once, and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t scheme against her a second time.
Seeing no reaction from her, he sighed deeply again: “My feelings for you—I’m afraid you’ll never understand them. If one day the Emperor were to arrange your marriage to someone else, that would be my greatest regret. We’ve met several times at Tanzhe Temple, and I said everything I should have said. You’ve just arrived here and are still unfamiliar with me. There’s no rush—we’ll gradually become close. I don’t dare force you, but please see my heart. I’m not afraid of taking time, but I fear you have some misunderstanding about me—then I would truly be wrongfully accused.”
Though Wanwan’s eyes were closed, her brow furrowed. According to his account, his gaining a reputation as a lecher was because he feared she would be given to someone else, forcing him to resort to this desperate measure? But what she saw was his calculated scheming. With someone so deep and cunning, which words were true and which false were hard to distinguish. Only by assuming the worst could she minimize the harm to herself.
She turned to look at him, her face bearing a hint of helpless smile. “Your Majesty also knows that I grew up in the palace and have always maintained some distance from people. What you say is quite right—you and I are still unfamiliar, so please allow me some time to see whether we can get along together.” As she spoke, she sat up. “I was being willful just now and was so discourteous before you—I’m truly sorry. As for misunderstandings, there certainly aren’t any. Your Majesty acts with honor and integrity—what misunderstandings could there be? It’s just that I’m shy with strangers and find it difficult to adapt for a while. I ask for your understanding.”
She spoke extremely humbly, without the arrogance and petulance of typical noble ladies. But that phrase about “honor and integrity” struck right at the painful spot—even with such pleasant words, it could cut to the bone.
She still appeared innocent and harmless, moving aside slightly. “Does Your Majesty wish to sleep with me?” Though she said this, her eyes grew cold.
Consummating their marriage on their wedding night was naturally not wrong, but what about afterward? It would surely make her hate him even more. No matter how urgent his desire, he couldn’t—at worst, he’d hold that hand warmer for a few more nights.
He smiled. “Today is our wedding day, and everyone’s watching from outside. If I left now, tomorrow there would be another story. I’ll just borrow Your Highness’s precious space to rest for the night—it will be easier to explain to the Dowager Consort in the morning.”
He straightened her pillow and patted it gently. “You’ve had a long, tiring journey by boat and carriage. Don’t stay up—sleep! If you have something to say, lying down is just the same.”
Such consideration left nothing to criticize. Wanwan slowly lay back down, then heard him say: “Rest for another couple of days. When you’ve recovered your strength, I’ll take Your Highness out to see the sights. Jinling has many beautiful scenes—white egrets on clear waves, evening light on dark-colored clothes… Jiangnan grew up beside the water. Compared to the north’s magnificent grandeur, Jiangnan is more distinctive and clever. Your Highness was confined in the palace for sixteen years, and you didn’t disembark much on the journey here. Now that you’re settled, there’s nothing else to keep you busy. If you enjoy going out for spring outings and flower viewing, no one will stop you.”
Wanwan was still young after all. Even when she sometimes seemed mature, when discussing things that interested her, she still retained a girl’s pure innocence.
“Evening light on dark-colored clothes is one of Jinling’s forty scenic spots, isn’t it? ‘Luxuriant orchids and jade always gleaming, the Wang and Xie families’ reputation spreads far and wide’… Did the two most distinguished families from the Wei and Jin period live there?”
He said yes. “I have a residence there that once hosted Eunuch Xiao and Consort Duan. The Wang and Xie families were generations of high officials—their dwelling was also extremely elegant. White walls and black tiles, without brocade carving, yet possessing a noble and pure atmosphere.”
At the mention of Xiao Duo and Yin Luo, her expression became much gentler. She made a sound of acknowledgment and said, “That’s right, they lived in Nanjing for a while too. When I have time later, you can take me to see it.”
He naturally nodded in agreement. Getting a smile from her made his heart soar with joy. Children had this characteristic—both happiness and sorrow were short-lived. With a little effort, it wouldn’t be long before she had a change of heart.
But she didn’t change her attitude toward him just because they had exchanged a few words. She pointed distantly at the arhat couch: “Tonight I’ll trouble Your Majesty to spend the night there! I’m tired, and whatever else can be said tomorrow—I need to sleep now.”
He stood there with a bitter smile. In the palace, maids were assigned to keep watch every night, so even with an extra person in the room, she didn’t think anything was improper. But she forgot that he was her Prince Consort, a living, breathing man. Yet she was completely at ease with him. Before long, her breathing became even and steady—she had already fallen asleep.
He touched his forehead and tiptoed to the couch. Fortunately, there were brocade cushions and a silk pillow—much better than sleeping in the open during military campaigns. From this position, he could see her. Even if they weren’t sharing the same bed, at least they were under the same roof, bringing their relationship one step closer. No longer did he need to worry about that Xiao Duo flirting and seducing her. Her crying for others, laughing for others—those were all in the past. Now she was married to him and was his person. If such situations arose again, it would certainly be his fault.
That one could love someone to this degree was truly incredible. He was quite indifferent toward women—those he kept in his rooms were merely for continuing the family line. The Yuwen clan had this old rule: to become heir, one must first have a son. If you reached twenty and still had no offspring, even if you were born to the legitimate wife, you weren’t suitable to inherit the old Prince Nanyuan’s golden seal. So having a son was essential—the foundation for establishing oneself in the princely mansion. Now he no longer needed to worry about that, having enough leeway to properly plan his own love life. Yet he was acting like a lovesick fool, full of tender feelings, even casting aside those grand ambitions.
Compared to her, he had fallen too deep and might drown. Father had once said that those who accomplish great things must not be bound by romantic entanglements. He only felt that being devoted to her alone surely wouldn’t matter much. Take away some things, then fill in others—once women married and had children, they ultimately became of one heart with their husbands. No matter how natal families might be, after the sadness passed and they should forget, they would still forget.
Sharing a room with a beauty inevitably made sleep difficult at night. When he awakened, in his drowsy state he thought to check on her. Apparently, the household staff, worried she might not be used to southern beds, had made the bedding rather thick. Combined with her wedding dress wrapped tightly around her, initially only her hands were outside the covers. But when he closed his eyes and opened them again, she was lying spread-eagle on top of the coverlet.
It was truly a sight to behold—she was a graceful princess, yet who could imagine she slept like this at night! He went over to pull the blanket corner to cover her. She smacked her lips twice, then swung one leg in an arc over, pinning down that half of the blanket too.
He looked on with a worried frown for quite a while. Waking her would embarrass her, so he sat on the footstool all night, trying every way to share the blanket, fearing she might catch cold.
Wanwan woke quite early, having formed the habit over more than ten years. The palace didn’t allow late rising—morning and evening greetings had scheduled times. If you got up later than the Empress Dowager, what was the point of paying respects? The Empress Dowager simply wouldn’t regard you favorably.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a mass of fiery red bed curtains. Her mind was blank for a moment before remembering she was already in Jiangnan. Turning her head, she saw Prince Nanyuan lying beside her bed, and was immediately stunned…
How was he sleeping here? Hadn’t she told him to go to the couch? Lying so close—was it to steal glances at her? The thought made her furious. This man really had no manners, relying on Nanyuan being his territory to openly bully her!
She straightened her collar, wiped her eyes, and coughed loudly with a very clear voice, successfully startling him awake.
He quickly got up, arranged his robes properly, and bowed to her with cupped hands. The way she looked at him could truly be called contemptuous.
“This is the Princess Manor. Prince Nanyuan should not disrupt proper protocol. When the princess retires, the Prince Consort may not approach without being summoned. You now…” Her face was full of displeasure, her eyebrows knitted in distress. “I think I should call the nanny in to have a good discussion about this.”
What could he say? That you rolled all over the bed at night and I was trying to cover you with a blanket? That would probably embarrass her, so even after being scolded, he remained silent, hanging his head and meekly agreeing.
Wanwan just frowned, thinking to herself that someone so calculating would naturally have unreliable character too. Sneaking peeks at people in the middle of the night—what despicable behavior!
Light was beginning to show through the window—time to get up. She pulled back the covers with a stern expression, then suddenly realized something was wrong. How did this Jiangnan bedding develop such bad habits, actually wrapping people up! After struggling to pull several times, she realized it was indeed her own problem—she had rolled on top of the covers again.
So she had wrongly accused him? Someone who acted with good intentions only to be scolded senseless—his chest was probably filled with grievance now.
Her face flushed red. “I’m not usually like this…”
He nodded seriously. “It’s the household staff who weren’t attentive enough. They don’t know Your Highness’s habits. Naturally, when Your Highness got hot, you needed to get out.”
Yes, exactly that reasoning! Wanwan had originally thought men weren’t very observant about details. How rare that this Prince Nanyuan, skilled at schemes and plots, was also so understanding.
She got out of bed with an elegant smile, shuffling in her soft shoes: “Today I’ll have them rearrange… rearrange things properly.” She firmly refused to apologize—that too was a princess’s pride.
On the first day after marriage, according to old custom, the new daughter-in-law had to pay respects to her parents-in-law. Since the old Prince Nanyuan had long passed away and only an elderly Dowager Consort remained, when the sun rose high, she would bring the princely mansion’s household to the Grand Princess Manor. Wanwan needed to wash and dress properly to receive them.
The night guards outside heard movement in the room and called through the window while standing under the eaves: “Grand Princess, your auspicious well-being.” Then one door panel opened, and servants carrying hot water filed in—everything still as it had been in the palace.
Tonghuan and Xiao You naturally became stewards here, wearing purple robes and black gauze caps with ornamental flowers, entering with joy. But seeing her wedding dress wrinkled like pickled vegetables, they couldn’t smile anymore.
When asked what happened, both were still wearing last night’s clothes—anyone with eyes could understand without asking.
No one felt comfortable saying anything. Wanwan acted as if it didn’t concern her, following Tonghuan behind the screen to change clothes. Prince Nanyuan also had dedicated attendants and went to the upper chamber.
Xiao You bit her finger and asked: “Master, you didn’t consummate with the Prince yesterday?”
Wanwan glanced at her in the mirror. “Who says weddings must be consummated?”
“So you two slept fully clothed all night?” She clicked her tongue. “This lord is quite good-natured too.”
Wanwan didn’t think he deserved any praise. She turned around to put on her outer robe. Tonghuan brought the phoenix and cloud-patterned cape to drape over her, and a heavy golden ornament pressed down the hem of her skirt. She spread her wide sleeves and adjusted her nine-phoenix crown—the mirror reflected someone glittering with pearls and jewels. Meeting the in-laws still required very formal dress; after today, things would be more relaxed.
Perhaps those around her already knew she and Prince Nanyuan didn’t get along, so except for the tactless Xiao You, basically no one else inquired about the details of their wedding night. After finishing her grooming, she sat in a chair eating cheese cake. She had only taken two bites when someone announced at the second gate that the steward had prepared the incense table and the Dowager Consort had arrived at the manor, requesting Her Highness to pay respects to her elder.
Actually, this practice had no precedent in any dynasty, including the current one. Though princess manors were established, weddings were still generally held at the Prince Consort’s residence, and when meeting the in-laws, the in-laws wouldn’t specially come to the princess manor to receive homage. The Emperor’s marriage of this sister was ultimately somewhat reluctant, so all protocols were reversed, rather deliberately humiliating.
Wanwan disapproved of his approach. Whatever conflicts she and Prince Nanyuan had could be fought out privately, but she wouldn’t lose composure in matters of ceremony. Making such small-minded displays for others to see would give people ammunition against them—it really wasn’t worth it.
She put down her silver spoon and called for clear water to rinse her mouth. “Where is the Prince? Where is he?”
Just as she finished asking, he appeared at the door, wearing court dress with a purple-gold crown, standing in that patch of sunlight in the corridor. His long eyebrows extended to his temples, his eyelashes were dark and thick—warmer than March’s spring light.