Soon, only the newlywed couple remained in the bridal chamber.

It was already dark outside. The red silk bed curtains were drawn up, and dragon-phoenix wedding candles as thick as a child’s arm flickered on the windowsill, illuminating the entire room brightly.

Shao Mingyuan came to Qiao Zhao’s side. Looking at the person sitting properly on the bed’s edge in her elaborate wedding attire, he felt inexplicably nervous and blurted out: “Are you hungry?”

Qiao Zhao fell silent for a moment, then replied: “What do you think?”

This fool—did he need to ask? She had been starving for three days already!

Hearing this, Shao Mingyuan became even more nervous and blurted out again: “Do you need to use the privy?”

Qiao Zhao: “…”

Was this really what one should say on their wedding night? Where was the romantic atmosphere she had imagined? The blushing and heart-racing?

“Then… shall I lift your veil?” Shao Mingyuan thought his wife must be feeling shy, so he picked up the balance scale to lift away the wedding veil.

The young woman who had undergone the face-opening ceremony looked radiant under careful makeup. Shao Mingyuan stared in a daze, unable to speak for quite a while.

Qiao Zhao’s eyelashes trembled lightly as she raised her eyelids to look at the man standing before her.

“That… Zhaozhao…” Shao Mingyuan gently bit the tip of his tongue, gazing foolishly at the beautiful and captivating bride. “You look really beautiful today.”

Qiao Zhao smiled charmingly: “Fool.”

The young woman’s coquettish reproach was like a delicate goose feather playfully brushing across Shao Mingyuan’s heartstrings, leaving him with nothing but a silly grin.

“Acting foolish?” In the bridal chamber illuminated by wedding candles, deep and light shades of red were everywhere. The young woman’s originally sweet and soft voice unconsciously took on a touch of allure. “It’s not like this is your first time getting married. Why are you acting like a silly roe deer?”

Shao Mingyuan sat down beside Qiao Zhao, his smile deepening: “Although marriage isn’t the first time, the wedding chamber is the first time.”

Qiao Zhao twitched the corners of her mouth.

So this guy wasn’t foolish at all—she was the foolish one!

A large hand reached over, covering the young woman’s delicate and tender palm, squeezing it firmly before placing it on his chest: “Zhaozhao, this time we can finally hold hands openly and properly. From now on, we’ll be husband and wife—however intimate we become, others will have nothing to say.”

Qiao Zhao blinked.

So his main point was that in the future, no matter how intimate they became, others would have nothing to say?

“Zhaozhao, let’s drink the nuptial wine first. After drinking, we can get you out of all this finery.”

Two silver wine cups were tied together with red silk thread. Wine was poured, and the two exchanged cups and drank them dry, completing the ritual of sharing wine.

Having had an empty stomach for so long, after one cup of wine, Qiao Zhao’s cheeks were already flushed red, like large peach blossoms in full bloom.

Shao Mingyuan was momentarily dazed and said hoarsely, “Zhaozhao, let’s bind our hair.”

He reached out to remove the floral crown from Qiao Zhao’s head, clumsily removing the hairpins and ornaments from her hair, letting her waterfall-like long hair cascade down. Then he separated a strand and tied it together with his own, using scissors tied with red ribbon to cut off the hair knot and place it in an exquisite box he had prepared beforehand.

“Binding hair as husband and wife, loving each other without doubt.” Shao Mingyuan gazed at his radiant newlywed wife and said gently: “This time, let’s make up for all the ceremonies we missed.”

The dragon-phoenix wedding candles sputtered, and candle tears accumulated in the gold-plated candleholder like congealed red agate fat.

Shao Mingyuan reluctantly stood up: “Zhaozhao, I’ll go wash up first. Let the maids help you take off these wedding clothes.”

After removing the heavy wedding dress, Qiao Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. She then bathed and changed clothes, simply pinning up her hair and changing into everyday clothes—clothes that were still bright red.

When she returned to the inner room, Shao Mingyuan was already waiting there.

He had also changed clothes, now wearing snow-white undergarments without an outer robe. The room had warm floor heating, so just the undergarments were perfect.

With snow-white clothes and black hair, having just bathed, the man’s eyes seemed filled with starlight, making it impossible to look away.

A’Zhu couldn’t help but blush and hurriedly lowered her head.

Binglu, however, took a curious extra look, thinking: The young master is quite pleasing to the eye.

“Ahem, you may withdraw.” Qiao Zhao quickly dismissed the two maids.

Shao Mingyuan strode over, took Qiao Zhao’s hand, and walked toward the bed. Glancing at her bright red jacket and skirt embroidered with gold silk and twining peony branches, he smiled and said: “It’s so warm in here, just wearing undergarments would be enough.”

Qiao Zhao glanced at him and said nothing.

Shao Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling his throat go dry.

Could there be steps he didn’t understand? Should he be the one to remove the clothes she had changed into later?

“Ahem.” Shao Mingyuan pressed his fist to his lips and coughed lightly to hide his excitement, saying hoarsely: “It’s very late. Are you tired?”

Qiao Zhao clenched her fist, the veins on the back of her hand visible. Her long eyelashes drooped as she stared at their clasped hands.

She wouldn’t get angry with this fool.

“I’m tired.”

Shao Mingyuan was stunned, running his hand through his hair: “Then let’s sleep. I’ll help you take off your clothes.”

“Mm.” Qiao Zhao nodded, appearing meek and obedient.

Shao Mingyuan felt inexplicably panicked. He reached out to unfasten the collar buttons against the young woman’s slender neck, but couldn’t get them undone no matter what. Soon, fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Qiao Zhao didn’t urge him, keeping her eyes lowered, waiting quietly.

The quieter she remained, the clumsier his movements became. Finally, Shao Mingyuan stopped.

Qiao Zhao looked up to meet his gaze, both their eyes full of mirth.

Shao Mingyuan’s face reddened slightly as he apologized.

Qiao Zhao was still puzzling over what the apology was for when she heard a ripping sound, and immediately felt a cool breeze across her chest.

Shao Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction.

He should have done this from the start!

But this satisfaction didn’t last long—seeing the beautiful sight before him, he was completely stunned.

He had used too much force, tearing open not only the outer garment but also the undergarment and the ties of her dudou all at once!

What should he do now? Looking at his newlywed wife’s increasingly dark expression, the general was dumbfounded.

“Shao Mingyuan!” Qiao Zhao hastily covered her precariously hanging undergarment, calling out his name word by word.

She had underestimated his shamelessness—he had probably wanted to do this when he was unbuttoning her clothes earlier!

Most infuriating of all, although these were everyday clothes, they were cut by her mother’s exceptional handiwork and embroidered with peony flowers by A’Zhu—completely different in meaning from clothes rushed out by the sewing room. Yet this bastard had destroyed them in one go.

Bearing his wife’s blazing fury, Shao Mingyuan hurriedly explained: “Zhaozhao, I accidentally used too much force. I didn’t mean to.”

“Hehe.” Qiao Zhao curved her lips in a smile.

The young woman’s powder-white face carried light anger, her cheeks tinged with faint red, like roses in a morning garden still adorned with dewdrops, inspiring an urge to pluck them.

Shao Mingyuan suddenly embraced Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao cried out softly and scolded: “Don’t move around, wait for me to put my clothes back on properly.”

A low laugh came to her ear: “No need to put them on—they’ll have to come off anyway.”

A great force lifted the young woman into the air, her bright red skirt hem rippling open like water waves, spilling across his snow-white undergarments.

Qiao Zhao instinctively reached out to grasp the man’s powerful arms.

“Shao Mingyuan, you—”

“Shh, be good and don’t talk.” The man smiled gently and tossed the young woman onto the bed.