Everything that just happened, happened within the blink of an eye.
Xie Shang moved quickly, and pulled the veil that had slipped off Jiang Fenghua's chest to cover her again. After that, he returned to his distant and indifference look, with a cold aura emanating from his body. His eyes were as cold as ice, without any emotion at all. His magnetic and steady voice rang in her ears, "Can you walk?"
Jiang Fenghua nodded slightly, "Yeah."
She knew that even if Xie Shang didn't want to marry her, he would not stand by and watch her die. They had never met before, but he acted like a hero to save the beauty on their first meeting. This drama was enough to make Su Tingwan, who was hiding in the crowd, worry. As for whether her actions would displease her mother-in-law, it was not within her consideration.
At this time, the ceremonial officer hurriedly said, "The more it burns, the more prosperous it gets, and the more festive it becomes. The princess and the prince will surely have a prosperous life in the future. The wedding continues..."
Everyone only had a brief look of the bride, and they talked about it and exclaimed, "I didn't expect that Master Jiang's family would have such peerless beauty!"
Some people even began to recite poetry: "There is no beauty in the world that can surpass her. She is so beautiful that she can captivate the whole country and astonish the world. This is how Princess Heng is described!"
The accident happened in just a moment, and the queen who was watching the ceremony on the side was also worried for them. She did not say a word, and her complexion quickly returned to normal. She smiled and said, "Shang'er is not afraid of danger and will protect his wife in the future."
The people next to her also echoed, "It's still His Royal Highness the Duke of Heng who is alert. If he hadn't protected the princess, she would have fallen into the fire and I'm afraid... she would have hurt her face."
The wedding continued, and after all the ceremonies were completed, she was supported by maids and old women to the bridal chamber, while the groom stayed in the front hall to entertain guests.
—
Jiang Fenghua sent the servants away as soon as she entered the bridal chamber, leaving only her dowry maids Hongxiu and Lianye in the room. After the servants closed the door, her tense nerves relaxed. She took off the veil herself, and with her aching legs and back hanging down, she ordered, "Lianye, ask Madam Xu to prepare water. I want to take a bath."
Lianye whispered, "It's a pity that such delicate makeup was washed off, young lady. The most beautiful moment in a woman's life is only when she gets married."
Jiang Fenghua knew what she meant and smiled slightly, "The Duke of Heng is not the kind of person who is tempted by beauty. Besides, this makeup is no longer effective since he has already seen me just now. What's more, if his mind is not on the right person, no matter how hard I try, it will be in vain." Wearing such a heavy and cumbersome wedding dress made her feel breathless.
Lian Ye still felt sorry. 'Why didn't Hong Xiu hold the young lady steady just now? Such an accident happened.' She said nothing more and went out to find water.
Hong Xiu said, "Princess, I will take off your phoenix crown and hairpins, and massage your shoulders to relieve your fatigue."
They have followed the young lady since they were young, and they know that the young lady has a temper and is very decisive. Before the imperial decree of marriage was issued, the young lady asked them to secretly investigate the Duke of Heng, and they knew that the Duke of Heng is in-loved with another woman.
"Well, take it down!" Anyway, Xie Shang would not come back so soon. She was exhausted after a day's wedding.
Jiang Fenghua finished her bath and prepared to have a good sleep. She also told Hong Xiu to wake her up at midnight, because Xie Shang will come in at exactly one o'clock. In her previous life, she waited until her waist was almost broken before he came back. Hong Xiu was not surprised at her young lady's ability to calculate. The young lady was smart since she was a child.
At a quarter past midnight, there were faint footsteps in the corridor. Hongxiu peeked out through the crack in the door and saw the Duke of Heng being supported by the guards towards the bridal chamber. She hurried to the bed and said, "My lady is amazing. The prince has really come back at this time. But you have taken off your hairpins and rings, and are not wearing any clothes. Will the prince think you are not solemn? You are the princess consort of the Duke of Heng now. You can't be as casual as you are in the boudoir."
"The prince doesn't like things that are too solemn." He was too lazy to even look at her, let alone care about how she was dressed. Now she just wanted to be comfortable and at ease.
Jiang Fenghua's black hair cascaded over her shoulders. A crimson corseted dress showed off her full breasts. Her waist was as thin as a willow and could be held in one hand. The crimson tulle was half-open and half-closed, and her fair shoulders were faintly visible. Her delicate face was stained with a hint of camel red. Her skin was as tender as tofu without any flaws. She looked sleepy, like a charming little fairy.
Hongxiu couldn't help swallowing her saliva when she saw such a charming lady. The lady was beautiful even without makeup. When she heard the door outside being quietly opened, she hurriedly covered Jiang Fenghua's head with a veil.
The night wind blew, and a strong smell of alcohol spread. A tall figure walked straight around the rosewood cloud pattern screen. The candlelight in the room was dim, and the bright red bed curtains intertwined with the light and shadow. The figure on the bed was scorching, and it was indescribably gorgeous and ambiguous.
The first thing Xie Shang saw was a pair of white bare feet stepping on the red carpet. Her toes were curled tightly, as if she was extremely nervous. Seeing this scene, his handsome face was frost, his eyebrows were tightly locked, and the coldness in his eyes overflowed, which made people feel cold.
Hong Xiu also saw that the young lady was not wearing shoes and socks. She was suddenly shocked. How could she forget her feet? But now it was too late. She gritted her teeth and walked around the screen and left the room.
Compared with the maid, Jiang Fenghua was much calmer. She covered her veil and sat up straight. A black shadow was projected at Jiang Fenghua's feet. She shrank her toes and arched her instep. She looked cute and timid.
Xie Shang glanced at the messy bed and secretly muttered in his heart. 'It seems that the daughter of Master Jiang's family is not as polite as his mother said. She changed her clothes and took off her hairpins and rings. I'm afraid she just woke up. She dressed like this, is she trying to seduce me in a straight way? What virtue or ability did she have? Or did she think that she could seduce this prince to consummate the marriage with her with that face of her?'
He was not sure whether what happened during the day was intentional or accidental by Jiang Fenghua, but he was sure that no matter how beautiful she was, it could not shake his love for Wan'er. Looking at her again, she seemed to be leisurely and comfortable, which made him aggrieved from being busy outside welcoming and seeing off guests. In the end, he was forced to drink by all the brothers and sisters. Xie Shang felt depressed. Marrying her was just a makeshift measure as requested by his mother.
He didn't want to come in, but when he thought about the fact that his mother had agreed to let him marry Wan'er as a concubine, he still had to take this favor into consideration. It would be good for both parties to talk and for him to explain the situation to Jiang Fenghua. If she behaved herself, he would not treat her badly. He calmed down and raised his hand to take off her veil.
Jiang Fenghua's face was flushed, her head was slightly lowered, her body was trembling slightly, and she slid to the ground timidly, her voice was as thin as a fly, "Greetings Your Highness, Duke of Heng."
Xie Shang did not expect Jiang Fenghua to be such a timid and weak woman. After removing her makeup, he felt that her facial features were more beautiful and delicate, her skin was white, like the best white jade porcelain, and her eyebrows were gentle, graceful and elegant. She was like a fairy in the mystic world. Thinking of her panic-stricken appearance during the day, like a frightened deer, she hugged his neck tightly, her eyes were innocent and afraid. Her pitiful appearance made people feel pity for her and wanted to protect her.
He came back to his senses, calmed down, and said in a deep voice, "Get up! You and I are already husband and wife, so there is no need to be formal."
Jiang Fenghua stood up like a willow in the wind, and stood opposite him, "Yes."