Li Rui didn’t hear clearly at first. Only after leaning in closer did she make out that he was calling for some “Chen Meimei.” Li Rui didn’t realize it was the “Cheng” from Ji Cheng’s name. Even so, this was enough to make her seethe with anger, barely able to contain herself.
However, women tend to have a bit of cunning when it comes to such matters. Even if Li Rui were to wake Shen Jing now and have a big argument, what good would it do? She would never find out who this so-called Chen Meimei was.
Li Rui made up her mind to quietly investigate who this Chen Meimei was, and then decide how to proceed. Whether to utterly destroy Chen Meimei with one strike, or perhaps two. In any case, she was determined to make Chen Meimei regret ever crossing her path and teach that faithless Shen Jing a lesson he’d never forget.
Meanwhile, the “Chen Meimei” that Li Rui was so intent on disfiguring had worries no less than Li Rui’s own.
After the wedding chamber finally quieted down, Ji Cheng, who had been hungry all day, at last, removed the flower crown weighing over ten jin. She had some rice porridge and then went to the bathroom.
The main hall of Jiuli Court embodied the understated luxury of old aristocratic families. The furniture in the main hall was six or seven-tenths worn, at most newly lacquered for the newlyweds’ arrival, appearing unremarkable at first glance.
Only upon entering the bathroom did one truly marvel. The bathroom featured a circular pool made of white jade, nearly a zhang wide, with a faint jade-green tint. The water inlet was carved as a pair of camellia flowers, half green, and half white, rivaling peonies in beauty against the jade backdrop.
Ji Cheng sat in the pool, carefully examining the camellias. They seemed familiar, and after pondering for a while, she realized they resembled the camellia mask worn by Tong Xiang and the others when she first met them.
Ji Cheng’s fingers lightly touched the camellia petals. There were few craftsmen left who could carve such exquisite camellias on a pool’s edge. She looked up by chance, initially thinking the round window at the front of the bathroom was deliberately left without window paper. Only when she saw the water vapor condensing on it did she realize it was made of a single piece of crystal-clear glass.
Though glass was no longer a rare item, such flawless, transparent pieces without any impurities were extremely scarce, especially one this large and in a single piece. Ji Cheng had never seen or even heard of such a thing. She suddenly recalled Mei Changhe mentioning glass from Dashi to her a few years ago, saying they had improved the formula to produce highly transparent glass. Could this be what he meant?
Ji Cheng had mentioned it to Shen Che back then, but she never imagined he would actually send people to Dashi and bring back such glass. Shen Che must have obtained the formula as well, otherwise transporting such large pieces of glass over thousands of miles from Dashi would surely have resulted in breakage.
After bathing, Ji Cheng wrapped herself in a towel and stood by the glass window. The area here was slightly elevated compared to the rest of Qing Garden, so there was no worry of being seen improperly dressed. Besides, it was already dark outside, eliminating any concerns.
Ji Cheng carefully felt the glass, thinking that watching snow through such a window in winter would be an incomparable pleasure. No need to brave the cold outside, yet able to see the snow clearly – far superior to paper or gauze windows.
The bathroom in Jiuli Court had such round glass windows on all four sides, even one on the ceiling, though its purpose was unclear with a roof above. Wouldn’t a glass window up there be pointless?
“Miss, please come get dressed. The young master will likely return to the room soon,” Liu Ye’er urged Ji Cheng.
Only then did Ji Cheng move away from the window, allowing Liu Ye’er to help her dress.
“Oh my,” Ji Cheng exclaimed curiously, looking at the dressing mirror before her. A full-length mirror that reflected every detail clearly, showing even the patterns on clothing with perfect clarity. It was incomparably better than bronze mirrors, which also never came in such large sizes.
The capital truly was where new and fascinating things gathered. Everything appeared in the capital first.
“I was also amazed earlier. The capital is indeed incomparable to our small region of Jin Bei,” Liu Ye’er remarked.
Ji Cheng asked, “Why the sudden formality in addressing yourself as a servant?”
Liu Ye’er explained, “Before, we were guests at the Shen residence, casually using ‘I’ and ‘you’ without anyone commenting on our lack of etiquette. Now that Miss is the Second Madam of the Shen family, we servants can no longer be so informal. I’ve even spoken to Yu Qian’er about it.”
Ji Cheng nodded and smiled, “Liu Ye’er, what would I do without you?”
Liu Ye’er replied, “Then this servant will never leave Miss’s side for life.”
Ji Cheng’s smile faded slightly. She indeed wished to keep Liu Ye’er by her side forever, but Shen Che’s temperament was so inscrutable that she dared not bring it up rashly. Moreover, Liu Ye’er wasn’t getting any younger and couldn’t afford to waste time.
After dressing, Ji Cheng sat at her dressing table, part of her dowry adorned with intertwined grapevine patterns. It had a three-tiered wooden box with a mirror stand in the middle for placing a bronze mirror when opened.
Given the earlier full-length mirror’s excellence, the large bronze mirror with a begonia knob in Ji Cheng’s dowry now seemed somewhat lacking. Liu Ye’er opened the dressing-case to find the bronze mirror stored away in its box, replaced by a folding screen-like mirror made of the same material as the full-length mirror, with two panels that could be folded together.
“Oh, this mirror is strange,” Liu Ye’er pointed at the left panel. “It seems to magnify people.”
Ji Cheng leaned in to look, and indeed it did. This way, even those with poor eyesight could attend to every detail when applying eyebrow powder and rouge. “How novel,” she remarked.
By the time Ji Cheng finished her preparations, it was pitch dark outside, with the moon high in the sky. She sat by the window, fanning herself with an ivory silk fan, gazing at the full moon above. The outer room also used glass windows, though not as large as those in the bathroom, so they didn’t draw much attention.
Nowadays in the capital, wealthy families all prided themselves on using transparent glass windows, both beautiful and practical, albeit quite expensive.
Ji Cheng mentally calculated for Shen Che, realizing he must have made a fortune from just the glass alone. This business was like picking money off the ground, enough to make anyone envious just thinking about it.
A new bride is inherently worldly, spending her wedding night thinking about how her new husband makes money. While most new brides’ greatest concern would likely be the private instructions given by their mothers before the wedding night.
Ji Cheng’s mother, Madam Yun, was no longer with them, so there was no one to guide her in these matters. Fan Zengli, as her sister-in-law, was like a mother but not quite, making it awkward to discuss such things. She only said that women needn’t worry, just let the man do as he pleases. However, there was one crucial point to remember, especially in a family with strict rules like the Shens: always maintain propriety.
In matters of the bedchamber, never imitate those courtesans. Don’t make a sound, don’t move your waist or hips, absolutely don’t let the men have their way during the day, and even at night, be sure to blow out the candles.
Ji Cheng had thought at the time that she had already violated all of Fan Zengli’s taboos and probably couldn’t feign such propriety anyway. In Shen Che’s eyes, she was already inseparable from wantonness and shamelessness.
Although she was experienced, Ji Cheng couldn’t help feeling nervous or resistant. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be sitting idly on the couch gazing at the moon.
When Shen Che entered, he had already bathed, his hair slightly damp and gleaming, with no trace of alcohol on him.
Ji Cheng turned upon hearing the door open and saw Shen Che still in a red casual robe. Red was typically a color for young women, but men wore it on the happiest days of their lives – their wedding night and when achieving top honors in the imperial exams.
Shen Che looked unexpectedly striking in red, appearing even more noble and extraordinary. It softened his features, adding a touch of gentleness that could set one’s thoughts adrift without a word spoken.
Unfortunately, the more gentle this man appeared, the more poisonous he was. Ji Cheng only glanced at him before averting her gaze.
After entering, Shen Che took just a few steps before leaning against the door frame, neither too close nor too far, watching Ji Cheng. This was the first time he had seen her in red.
The gold-embroidered red dress, illuminated by candlelight, shone with a color more brilliant than the morning sun, so beautiful it took one’s breath away.
Wrapped in the red dress was lychee flesh, translucent and pure white, sweet and moist, the kind that made one want to take it all in one bite, then chew until the juices flowed.
Yet while the flesh appeared as sweet as lychee, it was more like a summer orange, both sweet and sour. When sweet, it could lift you to the heavens; when sour, it could make your teeth ache. Compared to pure sweetness, it was even more mouth-watering, its flavor unforgettable for a lifetime.
Ji Cheng disliked it most when Shen Che appraised her like this as if countless thoughts were spinning in his mind, weaving a spider’s web to entangle her, rendering her immobile.
“How long do you plan to stand there staring?” Ji Cheng asked, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.
“I feared if I came closer, you’d be even more uncomfortable,” Shen Che replied.
The inexplicable implication in his words made Ji Cheng blush slightly. She had almost forgotten that Shen Che was adept at making proper words sound quite improper.
Ji Cheng gently placed the ivory silk fan on the small table and stood up. “I’ll have the maid brew you a sobering soup.”
Shen Che smiled and took a few steps forward, sitting on the couch opposite Ji Cheng. “No need. It’s not the wine that’s intoxicating.”
Ji Cheng coughed lightly twice, genuinely uncomfortable facing Shen Che. They were less than strangers; those who had never met before could become husband and wife with just a lift of the bridal veil, as long as neither was hideously ugly. How could that compare to the vast distance between her and Shen Che?
“Shall we play a game of chess then?” Ji Cheng asked.
“Why would we play chess on our wedding night? To decide who’s in charge?” Shen Che asked, his eyes glancing toward the bed.
Ji Cheng was truly taken aback by Shen Che’s insinuation. She seriously doubted whether he was drunk.
“It’s too late to play chess; it’s taxing on the mind and spirit. How about dice instead?” Shen Che suggested.
Ji Cheng couldn’t follow Shen Che’s leaping logic, but playing dice was certainly preferable to sharing the bed, so she nodded. In truth, Ji Cheng wasn’t trying to be coy. By not running away from the marriage, she had already shown her acceptance of reality and her intention to live well within it. This inevitably meant getting along with Shen Che, for which she had mentally prepared herself. However, when the moment came and she saw Shen Che, her heart twisted like a pretzel. She wanted to delay and avoid as much as possible.
“Let’s play the simplest game, comparing high and low. How about that?” Shen Che brought out the dice cup and dice.
Ji Cheng nodded.
“Gambling without stakes lacks excitement. How about the loser grants the winner one request?” Shen Che proposed.
Ji Cheng raised an eyebrow. “Any request is allowed?”
Shen Che gave Ji Cheng an amused look. “Quite daring, aren’t you? But your gambling integrity is so poor, I can’t trust you. Today’s requests must be limited to what can be fulfilled within this courtyard.”
“How is my gambling integrity poor?” Ji Cheng retorted, unconvinced. Business people value honesty above all, and in gambling, integrity is even more crucial.
Shen Che chuckled. “Back at San Hao Residence, do you remember our bet?”
Ji Cheng paused. Comparing that old bet to their current situation, should she say Shen Che had fulfilled his part of the wager? As for her, it seemed she had deserted midway.
Ji Cheng picked up the dice cup from the small table, took three translucent dice in her hand, and said slowly, “Can you honestly say you intended to honor the bet when you proposed it back then?”
Shen Che winked at Ji Cheng. “The art of gambling is the art of deception. As long as you don’t cheat, it’s not against the rules. The fact that you can ask such a question already shows your poor gambling integrity.” Shen Che continued, shaking his head, “With poor integrity, your gambling skills must be even worse.”
This was simply unbearable.
Ji Cheng threw the dice into the cup with an exceptionally graceful motion. With a flick of her wrist, she began shaking it, the three dice making crisp, melodious sounds inside. Her hand traced a beautiful, elegant arc in the air before slamming the cup down on the table. The dice spun for a few circles before slowly coming to a stop, until there was silence.
In the past, Ji Cheng had been curious about everything. She had gone hunting in the mountains, fishing in the streams, and even mixed with the crowd in Jin Bei’s brothels following her brother. She certainly hadn’t missed out on gambling dens. Though not an expert at shaking and listening to dice, she had learned a trick or two from the casino croupiers.
Shen Che’s technique was quite ordinary compared to Ji Cheng’s. He shook the cup lightly twice before placing it on the table. “Higher or lower?” he asked.
“Higher,” Ji Cheng said crisply.
Shen Che lifted his cup, revealing two fives and a six. When Ji Cheng’s cup was lifted, it showed three sixes. Now this was truly a moment of triumph. She laughed, “I wonder whose gambling skills are truly lacking?”
Shen Che made a gesture of invitation, indicating that Ji Cheng should make her request.