By midnight, Gu Liyue was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head bobbing. In the quiet night, the door creaked, the sound seemingly louder than usual. Gu Liyue gave a start and lifted her head.
She didn't notice when the maid had left.
Lu Jinchen seemed to have been drinking. He gave her a deep look, then asked with a soft smile, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Gu Liyue answered honestly, "The maid said... on the wedding night, the bride shouldn't go to bed first."
The smile on Lu Jinchen's face deepened. He walked over, wrapped his arms around Gu Liyue, and nuzzled her face.
Gu Liyue instinctively tried to dodge.
But Lu Jinchen stopped his movements and let go of her instead. "If you're sleepy, go to bed first," he said.
Then he got up and headed to the bathroom.
Gu Liyue stared blankly at his back. For no reason, a wave of grievance welled up in her heart. The maid had said that on the wedding night, the bride shouldn't go to bed alone. Didn't he hear what she just said?
At the wedding earlier, he had directly thrown away the red silk. But she knew he was anxious about the Prince of Liang, so she hadn't minded.
But now?
Gu Liyue was fuming. She went to the dressing table and began to take off the hair accessories one by one. It was their wedding day, and both her clothes and hair were extremely elaborate. Earlier, Tangyuan had offered to help her take them off, but she had refused.
Now she couldn't take them off properly, and several strands of her hair were pulled out.
Gu Liyue took off her wedding dress and wondered gloomily if it would be inappropriate to call Tangyuan in now.
Not long after, Lu Jinchen came out. He had taken a bath and changed into his inner clothes. His upper garment was open, and his body was still covered with a layer of moisture. He walked up behind Gu Liyue and gently removed the hairpins from her head.
Gu Liyue covered her head. "I can do it myself," she said.
Lu Jinchen raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the pouting girl in the bronze mirror with a half - smile. In a good mood, he reached out and hugged her, whispering, "If we wait for you to take them off slowly, the night will be over. Do you know that every moment of the wedding night is precious?"
Gu Liyue felt her whole body heating up and could only let him do as he pleased.
After Lu Jinchen gently took off all her hair accessories, he picked her up in his arms.
Gu Liyue let out a startled cry and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. When their eyes met, she quickly turned her face away and then stubbornly refused to look at him.
Lu Jinchen put her on the bed. Before he could get on himself, Gu Liyue rolled over and wrapped herself tightly in the brocade quilt, almost falling off the other side of the bed.
Lu Jinchen looked at her helplessly, reached out and pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "I've been drinking. I was afraid the smell would bother you, so I didn't even dare to give you a kiss first. I had to go wash up."
Gu Liyue was stunned for a moment. Was he... explaining?
Lu Jinchen hugged her tightly and kissed her hard on the forehead and cheeks. "Liyue, do you remember what I told you before? If there's anything, you must tell me directly. I'll explain it to you," he said.
That was when Shu Mingzhu had appeared. He had been extremely busy and gone all day long. She had been extremely anxious, with so many thoughts in her mind but didn't know how to relieve them.
Gu Liyue lowered her head shyly, grabbed the clothes on his chest with her hand. She was a bit bashful but didn't know what to say.
Lu Jinchen's hand reached over, lifted the brocade quilt off her, and then loosened the clothes on her body. Unable to contain his inner excitement any longer, he leaned in and kissed her lips, taking what he wanted and reluctant to part.
His hands also became a bit unruly.
Gu Liyue was a bit nervous and couldn't catch his wandering hands. Moans escaped from her mouth.
Lu Jinchen rolled on top of her.
Her clothes were taken off. Even though it wasn't cold in the room, Gu Liyue still shivered and instinctively hid under him.
Lu Jinchen was gentle but also a bit rough. He left red marks all over Gu Liyue's body. He also suppressed his voice for fear that others might hear and laugh at them.
"You..."
Lu Jinchen paused. "What?"
Gu Liyue buried her face shyly in his chest. "The candles... haven't been put out."
"Those are wedding candles. They have to burn all night until dawn. They can't be put out," he replied.
Gu Liyue's hands climbed onto his shoulders. As his strength increased, she couldn't bear it. She grabbed at him randomly, sweating profusely. It was both painful and unbearable. She moaned softly and looked at him with tear - filled eyes. Her eyes and eyebrows were full of charm.
After tossing and turning for half the night, things finally calmed down.
Without asking for water, Lu Jinchen carried her to the bathroom.
Gu Liyue held down his moving hand. "I can do it myself..."
Lu Jinchen looked at her blushing face and the smile on his face deepened. "Can you even get up?"
Sure enough, she couldn't.
Gu Liyue's face was bright red. She asked in a low voice, "Is this... your first time?"
Lu Jinchen paused. "Do you mind?"
Gu Liyue bit her lip. "Among the common people, one person only has one partner in a lifetime. But I know it's different for you..."
After Lu Jinchen washed her up, he carried her back to the bed. The maids had already come in and changed the bedding.
He hugged her and didn't want to let go. He still squeezed her body gently and whispered, "It's my first time, Liyue. You know how much suffering my mother endured. How could I let you go through the same thing?"
Gu Liyue leaned against him. "But you... seem so familiar with it. It doesn't seem like your first time."
Lu Jinchen tapped her nose. "Have I spoiled you too much? How can you doubt me like this?"
Gu Liyue said, "You said if there's anything, I shouldn't keep it in my heart and should tell you."
Lu Jinchen laughed and nodded. "In matters between husband and wife, men are naturally intuitive. However, I heard that a woman might feel pain for the first time, so I checked some books. Madam, did your husband serve you well?"
Gu Liyue turned her back to ignore him and said coquettishly, "You... are being naughty."
Lu Jinchen immediately moved closer, kissed her neck, and his hand slipped into her clothes.
Gu Liyue was startled. She blushed and moved away from him. "Why are you doing this again..."
"Don't move," Lu Jinchen hugged her tightly and whispered. "If you move around again, I can't guarantee I won't bother you one more time."
Gu Liyue was extremely weak. Hearing his words, she immediately didn't dare to move. If it really happened one more time, she was afraid her whole body would fall apart.
Lu Jinchen whispered in her ear, "In a while, we'll go back to my mansion. Then if you miss Yunniang, you can invite her to stay with us."
"Yunniang?"
"Yes," Lu Jinchen said. "At that time, I met Yunniang on the street. She told me about your childhood. She said you're gentle and considerate, but just too timid. You like to keep everything in your heart and not tell others... Liyue, in the past, I always dealt with things on my own. I was used to shouldering everything by myself and didn't need to tell others. When I met Yunniang that day, I realized that I had made you suffer."
Gu Liyue was touched. She turned to look at him. "You met Yunniang? Yunniang never told me."
Lu Jinchen kissed her. "In the palace, I found out that when I wasn't around, Shu Mingzhu had made you so embarrassed. Liyue, thank you for always believing in me and waiting for me."
Gu Liyue shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
"Liyue, I love you."