The next morning, Yunyi woke from her sleep to see Li Shimin still slumbering beside her, and their intertwined feet beneath the brocade quilt. Only then did she truly confirm that she had indeed become Li Shimin’s equal wife, and not just a dream.

Her fingers traced that handsome, scholarly face as a smile gentle as water bloomed on her lips. From now on… they would be together forever, never to part, growing old together.

Yunyi carefully moved his arm from across her body and quietly got up, putting on her clothes. She sat before the bronze mirror and took a sandalwood comb to carefully arrange her lustrous black hair.

As she pinned the last strand into her chignon, another person appeared in the bronze mirror. Li Shimin embraced her slender waist from behind, saying: “Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”

Yunyi took a red gold Jingfu phoenix hairpin and inserted it into her hair, saying: “Today is my first day entering the household. I should rise early to offer tea to Father-in-law and Second Mother and the others.”

Upon hearing this, the smile on Li Shimin’s lips froze slightly. Seeing this, Yunyi asked with confusion: “What is it? Is there something else?”

Li Shimin shook his head and moved to stand before Yunyi, saying softly: “There’s something I’ve never told you. When Father agreed to our marriage after Third Mother’s persuasion, he set one condition – whatever you called him before, you must continue to call him the same after entering the household. You cannot change it.”

Yunyi’s heart shook violently. By making such a demand, Li Yuan was saying that deep in his heart, he still didn’t acknowledge her as his daughter-in-law. He had only reluctantly agreed due to Li Shimin’s pleading and Lin Shi’s persuasion.

Li Shimin said guiltily: “I’ve always wanted to tell you about this, but I didn’t know how to bring it up, so I kept putting it off until now. I’m sorry.”

Yunyi snapped back to reality and suppressed the disappointment in her heart, smiling: “Why are you saying sorry for no reason? Actually… I’m not used to changing how I address Father-in-law either. Continuing to call him Tang King feels more natural. It’s fine.”

Li Shimin understood in his heart that she was saying this to ease his mind. Both moved and guilty, he took her hand: “I’ll try to persuade Father again later. I believe he’ll truly accept you sooner or later.”

“Mm.” Yunyi didn’t want to continue this topic and changed the subject: “Husband, what eyebrow style do you think would look good on me?”

Li Shimin looked at her with a smile: “What did you just call me?”

“Naturally I called you Husb…” Halfway through, Yunyi suddenly understood his meaning and deliberately said: “If you don’t like it, then I’ll call you what I used to – Second Young Master, Second Young Master of the Li Family!”

Li Shimin leaned down to plant a light kiss on her cheek, saying tenderly: “How could Second Young Master sound as good as ‘husband’? Could you call me that a few more times?”

Yunyi felt her body go weak from the warm breath he kept breathing by her ear and quickly pulled away: “Stop fooling around, or we’ll miss the tea ceremony time, and you’ll be to blame.”

Li Shimin chuckled and released her: “I just wanted you to call me ‘husband’ a few more times. How would that be my fault?” As he spoke, he took an eyebrow pencil made from Su smoke ink and drew distant mountain eyebrows for her: “This eyebrow style looks best.”

Yunyi studied herself in the mirror for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Li Shimin’s hand and examined it carefully. He asked with confusion: “What are you looking at?”

Yunyi smiled: “I’m looking at husband’s hands. Aren’t they only supposed to know weapons and martial arts? How do they also know how to draw eyebrows?”

Li Shimin laughed: “Good! You little minx, you’ve only been married for one day and you’re already mocking your husband as a brute who only knows martial arts. What audacity! I should punish you!” As he spoke, he pretended to grab Yunyi. She twisted her slender waist like a fish in water, gracefully avoiding Li Shimin’s hands amid the crisp tinkling of pearls in her hair, laughing lightly: “I didn’t say anything. Husband shouldn’t falsely accuse people.”

Li Shimin missed completely and shook his head while speaking somewhat indulgently: “You’re still as sharp-tongued as before. I really don’t know what to do with you.”

At this moment, Ruyi and Jixiang each brought in bronze basins for washing, and seeing them laughing and playing, smiled: “Please, Princess and Prince Consort, wash up.”

After Ruyi and the other attendant helped them wash, Yunyi and Li Shimin went together to the main hall, where Li Yuan, Wan Shi, and others were already present.

Yunyi performed a bow and accepted the tea a maid handed her, respectfully offering it to Li Yuan: “Tang King, please drink tea!”

The crowd didn’t know about the agreement between Li Yuan and Li Shimin, so hearing Yunyi’s address, they all showed surprise, unable to understand why she would still use such a title after entering the household.

Li Yuan calmly accepted the tea Yunyi offered, and after taking a sip, said: “Though you are honored as a princess, since you’ve entered the Li family’s gate, you must still observe proper etiquette and not act willfully. Do you understand?”

“Yunyi will remember Tang King’s teachings.” After Li Yuan nodded, Yunyi also offered tea to Wan Shi, Lin Shi, Cui Shi, and others, then offered tea to Zhangsun Shi, since she was Li Shimin’s first wife.

After the round of tea service was complete, Li Yuan left first as he had matters to discuss with Li Shimin. After them, the others also dispersed. As Wan Shi passed by Yunyi, she smiled and said: “Congratulations, Princess. You and Shimin have finally become the lovers who end up together – it’s truly bitter before sweet. I hope you’ll soon bear a precious son to continue the Li family line.”

Yunyi bowed: “Thank you for Second Mother’s auspicious words. If Yunyi does anything improper in the future, please guide me more.”

“Naturally.” Saying this, Wan Shi left supporting Zhaixing’s hand, while Lin Shi, walking behind her, smiled slightly at Yunyi.

Zhangsun Shi, who was six months pregnant, walked at the very back and took Yunyi’s hand: “Sister, do you have time to sit with me for a while? I have something to give you.”

Yunyi asked curiously: “What is it?”

Zhangsun Shi smiled mysteriously: “Sister will know when you come.”

Seeing her say this, Yunyi laughed lightly: “Then I’ll respectfully accept rather than decline.” She walked toward Muhua Pavilion with her, but halfway there, Zhangsun Shi suddenly stopped, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowing. Xiuzhu asked nervously: “Miss, is your stomach uncomfortable again?”

Zhangsun Shi didn’t answer her. After a while, she relaxed her brow: “It’s fine now. Let’s continue.”

Xiuzhu said worriedly: “Miss, you can’t keep going on like this. Why don’t we invite another physician to take a look? When Young Master had hearing problems before, didn’t we invite Imperial Physician Qiu for treatment? Why don’t we ask him to examine you too?”

Yunyi asked with confusion: “What’s wrong with elder sister?”

“Miss has been frequently feeling abdominal tightness lately, about five or six times a day. We had a physician examine her before, but he only said Miss shouldn’t overexert herself and nothing else. This servant has heard from women who’ve given birth that if you frequently have abdominal tightness at five or six months, it’s very easy to… give birth prematurely.”