Chapter 95 Part 2

 

For this wedding, tens of thousands of people have been dispatched from various guards in the capital. Han Kerang personally selected more than a thousand Jinwu guards to take up positions every few steps tonight, and line up with spears in hand from outside Yongning Lane all the way to the front door of Pei’s house to block the people from Chang’an who want to see the princess’s appearance from all directions of the city.

Amid a wave of roars, the carriage slowly stopped outside the Pei residence.

Pei Xiaoyuan quickly stepped forward and opened the carriage door for the princess.

When the princess, dressed in gorgeous attire, holding a colorful jade-handled round fan and slightly covering her face, appeared like a goddess in front of the carriage door opened by her consort, the light was so radiant and bright that even the burning lights in front of the gate seemed to be dimmed in an instant.

After a brief silence, deafening cheers suddenly broke out around them. Then, noisy discussions poured into Pei Xiaoyuan’s ears from all directions. Some praised the princess for her beauty and elegance, some envied Prince Consort Pei for his good fortune, and some lamented the princess’ legendary experience in the past…

Under the impact of the waves of noise, Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly felt dizzy. He noticed that the princess’ eyes were turning towards him. Immediately, he focused his attention, stretched out his hand, and helped her down from the carriage steadily.

After entering the hall, Pei Xiaoyuan stood in the east and the princess stood in the west. The ceremonial officer offered wine and read the blessing, and the two bowed to each other. Moving to the bridal chamber, they repeated the ritual, facing each other and bowing again. Then they took their seats and performed the rituals of presenting food, drinking from the shared goblet, and tying their hair together, symbolizing their union. Another bow followed, completing the formalities.

During the seemingly endless long rituals, Pei Xiaoyuan suppressed the growing discomfort in his body, maintaining impeccable composure as he flawlessly carried out every duty. Finally, in the middle of the night, everyone left, leaving the bridal chamber in silence. Only he, his new bride, and He shi, who lingered out of concern, remained.

Through the pearl curtain that was gleaming with a glimmer of light under the red candlelight, Pei Xiaoyuan glanced at the figure sitting on the bed deep in the inner chamber. He turned to look at He shi who was still standing at the bedroom door behind him, and motioned for her to go out as well.

He shi looked at his injured shoulder worriedly, but finally, she said nothing, left, and closed the door gently.

As He shi also walked out, Pei Xiaoyuan secretly let out his breath, then calmed himself down and looked at the person behind the pearl curtain again. After a slight hesitation, he stopped hesitating.

He lifted the pearl curtain and walked in, stopping in front of the curtain, with at least ten steps between them.

“Thank you for your hard work today, Princess.”

He bowed deeply to the woman opposite him and said, “It’s getting late, Princess, please go to bed. I won’t disturb you.

“I will sleep in the outer room from now on.”

He continued.

Xuyu had just washed her face with the help of He shi, Zhu’er and several other palace maids, and took off her cumbersome flower hairpins and ceremonial clothes. She was now wearing casual clothes, with her long hair tied up in a bun, and sitting on the new bed that was her dowry.

“You’ve worked hard, too, Master Pei.”

She glanced at the man in front of her, standing as far away as possible, as if she were some fearsome beasts. After a brief pause, she replied.

“I’m not tired. As long as the Princess is pleased, that’s enough.”

Pei Xiaoyuan lowered his gaze, gave her another polite bow, and then turned to leave. Stepping past the pearl curtain, he walked toward the outer room.

“Wait a moment.”

Suddenly, her voice called from behind.

Pei Xiaoyuan paused and turned around. Through the pearl curtain that was still shaking as he entered and left, he saw her eyes looking at him with a hint of hesitation on her face.

“Master Pei, are you feeling unwell today?”

Pei Xiaoyuan’s heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously turned towards her, hiding his injured shoulder behind him.

“Why do you say that, Princess?” he responded respectfully.

Xuyu stood up from the fragrant wooden bed and walked towards him, but she did not pass through the curtain and just stopped behind it.

“I see that you don’t look well. And… this evening in front of the gate, when you helped me get out of the carriage, I felt your fingers were very cold.” Through the pearl curtain, Xuyu’s gaze fell on his slightly pale lips that seemed to lack blood color.

“If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, I’ll call imperial physician to take a look for you.”

Pei Xiaoyuan met her gaze and smiled slightly: “Princess, you are too worried. Chengping and the others trapped me in the restaurant early yesterday morning and forced me to drink a lot. I didn’t sleep well last night, so I look tired today.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, Princess.” He said in a steady voice.

Xuyu always felt that he didn’t look like usual self. However, it might be just as he explained, it was just a hangover. On top of that, he didn’t get enough rest. And maybe it had something to do with his mood.

After all, she was the one who schemed against him and practically forced him to become a prince consort against his will. He probably didn’t want to have any more unnecessary contact with her, and she naturally understood this.

“Alright.” Xuyu nodded, “You should have a good rest too.”

“Yes. Have a nice rest, Princess!”

Pei Xiaoyuan watched her slowly walk back to the bed and sit down again. Then he took a few steps back and continued to go to the outer room. When he passed by a screen with eight sandalwood panels that separated the inside and outside, he knew that she could no longer see him. His body, which had been tense all night, suddenly relaxed. Before he turned around the screen, a feeling of emptiness came over him again.

He paused mid-step, his right hand silently grasping the edge of nearby heavy screen. Closing his eyes briefly, he leaned against it for support, waiting until the dizziness subsided. Once steady again, he walked straight to a narrow couch in the outer room. Sitting down, he lay down slowly, still dressed.

The light from the red candles inside could not reach this part, and because of the screen, the room was dim.

He closed his eyes tightly in the dim light, lying motionless, listening to the noise coming from deep within the bedroom.

At first, there were faint rustling sounds, likely the soft swish of clothing being removed. Then came the crisp chime of golden hooks clicking together, making two clear and pleasant tinkling sounds. She must have lowered the embroidered canopy. After that, there was the barely audible rustle of bedding being adjusted, followed by the sound of her turning over a few times.

A long time passed and it was already the second half of the night. In the depths of the bedroom, there was no sound at all. It was so quiet that Pei Xiaoyuan could only hear the soft crackle of the candles as they released tiny sparks of soot.

She had fallen asleep.

He finally opened his eyes and sat up silently from the narrow couch, letting his left arm hang down, using his right hand to unbutton and take off his clothes.

When he was stopped by the women in the palace and was hit on the back with a stick, he knew that the wound had begun to bleed again.

The only thing to be thankful for was that the ceremonial robe tonight was scarlet, so even if blood seeps out, it would not be noticeable.

His injured shoulder and back on the left side were painful because he had moved too much tonight. Struggling with one hand, he clumsily untied his belt and set it aside. Then, he removed his ceremonial robe, followed by his undershirt. The back of the white garment was already soaked with blood. As he continued, he realized that the fabric, having adhered to the partially dried blood and flesh around the wound, was now stuck.

Unable to see the injury himself, and unwilling to summon He shi for fear of causing her more worry, he braced himself. With one swift motion, he tore the garment away. The sharp pain made him shudder involuntarily.

A warm current like a crawling insect flowed down along the shoulder and back below the wound.

He knew that the wound that had just healed was torn again. He used the removed undershirt to haphazardly wipe and press against the bleeding area. Then, retrieving a small bottle of hemostatic powder he had prepared earlier, he tilted it over his back, letting the powder scatter where he could reach, intending to endure the night and seek He Jin’s care in the morning. Suddenly, he heard light footsteps coming from the inner chamber. A moment later, from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a slender figure holding a candlestick, stepping out from behind the screen.

He was startled and reacted very quickly. He immediately rolled up the medicine bottle and the bloody undershirt and stuffed them under the narrow couch.

Xuyu actually hadn’t fallen asleep the whole time, but she didn’t dare to turn over because she was afraid of disturbing the person who shared the same room with her. She just heard some slight movements in the outer room, and after listening for a while, she found that it was continuous, rustling, and thinking of his abnormality tonight, she couldn’t help but quietly went out with a candle. But unexpectedly, she saw him sitting on a narrow couch facing her with his upper body naked.

Xuyu had not expected such a scene and felt a little uncomfortable. She turned away quickly and was about to go back while explaining that she did not mean to disturb him. Suddenly, she stopped and her eyes fell on Pei Xiaoyuan’s feet.

Pei Xiaoyuan knew something was wrong, he looked down, and was about to bend over to pick up the clothes that were not completely hidden, but she had already walked over and bent over to take them. After struggling for a while, he was no match for her, she snatched them away and used the candlestick to illuminate them.

“What’s going on? Where did the blood come from?” Xuyu was shocked by the blood-stained white undershirt in her hand, which was obviously taken off from him. She suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked up at him.

Pei Xiaoyuan’s right hand quickly grabbed the ceremonial robe that he had taken off and put aside, quickly draped it on his shoulders. After putting on his clothes, he smiled as if nothing had happened: “It’s fine, I’m sorry to disturb the Princess’s rest. I’ll go out first.”

He turned around and walked out of the room.

“Stop!”

Xuyu stared at his back.

“Take off your clothes!”

Pei Xiaoyuan hesitated for a moment, then finally turned around and explained, “There was an accident yesterday and I got a few minor injuries. But don’t worry, Princess. It’s just a minor flesh wound. It’s not a big deal. Go to sleep, I’ll ask He Jin to help me deal with it.”

After he finished explaining, he continued to cover his clothes and walked out again. After taking a few steps, he suddenly felt dizzy again. He stopped and swayed as if he was about to fall.

Xuyu threw away the bloody clothes and candlestick, hugged his waist from behind, and shouted: “What’s wrong with you, Pei Er!”

“I dare not trouble the Princess…”

Pei Xiaoyuan raised his right arm and gently placed his palm on her wrists that were wrapped around his waist, as if he wanted to untie her hands.

“Princess, please let me go! I… am really fine…”

He whispered again.

However, before he could finish his words, his body slowly fell to the ground.

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