Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The rain came down in sheets.
Inside the Crown Prince’s bedchamber, Pei Yuanjin and I tangled together until dawn. Behind the fallen curtains, the corners of his eyes burned scarlet, as if he had been possessed.
“Wuzhen, look at me.”
I turned my face away, but he forced it back toward him.
“Wuzhen. Call me your husband.”
I bit my lip, smothering a moan. There was no road back from this.
Tonight should have been my wedding night, and the man beside me should have been Grand General Ye Zhaonian.
The Crown Prince was exalted, while the general commanded an army. I feared the treacherous depths of the Eastern Palace, so I had chosen Ye Zhaonian, the man who promised I would be his only one. I thought I had bought myself a peaceful life.
Then, on the very night of our wedding, his female deputy had summoned him away with a flask of wine.
I knew at once that my marriage to Ye Zhaonian was a losing wager. Marriage was a woman staking the rest of her life. If the wager failed, only a fool would cling to the gaming table and weep.
Coming to the Eastern Palace through the storm was my gamble for a second chance.
I let the tears remain in my eyes, softening my gaze.
“H-husband.”
Pei Yuanjin pressed down over me, the red in his eyes deepening.
“Again.”
I closed my eyes. “Husband.”
That one word broke the last of his restraint.
The rain did not stop in the latter half of the night, and neither did he.
Near dawn, I climbed out of bed, one hand supporting my aching waist. My wedding robes were hopelessly crumpled, and I hastily pulled the lapels together.
As I turned to leave, he seized my wrist.
“Wuzhen, don’t go.”
I looked back into eyes that were almost pleading.
“I am another man’s wife now, and last night I forgot myself. I am not worthy of Your Highness’s concern.”
“Please forget me.”
I tore my hand free and fled the bedchamber barefoot, without even stopping for my shoes.
Of course I could not stay. I had come to him of my own accord. If daylight found me beside his bed, waiting for his tenderness, I truly would become nothing more than the Eastern Palace’s secret woman.
A wife was less enticing than a concubine, and a concubine less enticing than a stolen affair.
And I was another man’s wife.
The less Pei Yuanjin could keep me, the more he would remember me. I wanted him to have tasted me, yet be unable to possess me—until he could no longer endure it and came to ask for my hand himself.
Only then would His Highness be unable to live without me.
Chuntao was waiting by the back gate. When she saw me return barefoot, her eyes reddened.
“My lady, you’ve suffered so much.”
I patted her hand. “Help me back to the bridal chamber first.”
The red silk along the corridor had darkened under the rain. The candles had burned to their ends. Ye Zhaonian had not returned all night.
Every object in the room spoke more honestly than the people in it.
My wedding clothes were badly wrinkled, so I had Chuntao dress my hair again. The coiffure need not be too neat, nor did I need fresh powder. A bride abandoned for her entire wedding night ought not look too composed.
When everything was ready, the timing was just right.
“Go to the kitchen for ginger broth. Tell them I waited all night and caught a chill.”
“Then ask the ceremonial office whether the teacups for greeting the elders are ready.”
Chunxue understood immediately. Those were the two most crowded places in the household: the kitchen was full of servants from every branch of the family, while the ceremonial office had the Second and Third Branches’ informants.
I did not need to run through the estate crying that Ye Zhaonian had stayed away all night. I only needed to proceed with the morning tea as usual. The family would ask where the groom was themselves.
Within a quarter of an hour, the courtyard grew lively.
The Second Madam arrived on a maid’s arm, claiming she had come to see the new bride, though her eyes swept the room. When she saw the untouched nuptial wine, one brow rose.
“Did our new niece sleep poorly? Why is the wine still full?”
I rose with a strained smile. “My husband drank too much last night and has not yet returned.”
The Second Madam raised her voice. “But it was your wedding night! How could the groom not even return to the room?”
The Third Madam hurried in as well. “Elder Sister-in-law has waited in the main hall forever. What is going on?”
The Second Madam drawled, “What else? The groom isn’t here.”
The Third Madam widened her eyes theatrically. “If Zhaonian isn’t in the bridal chamber, then where is he?”
I said nothing, merely biting my lip and hiding my hurt. Certain words could not come from me. They would cause far more excitement from the mouths of these women.
“Why are you all standing there? Fetch the eldest young master. What newlyweds keep their elders waiting on their first morning?”
At the Second Madam’s order, an old servant hurried away. She returned moments later, hovering at the door and stumbling over her words.
“The two madams should see for themselves. This old servant would not dare speak carelessly.”
The two women exchanged delighted looks. They had found a weakness in the First Branch at last.
The bridal chamber stood barely a hundred paces from the side room. The crowd swept over and stopped outside its door.
Qin Yilan’s voice drifted from within.
“General, what happened last night was only a dream. Now that we are awake, let us pretend it never happened.”
Ye Zhaonian was silent for a long time. “Yilan, you are still a woman. Your reputation matters.”
“What does being a woman have to do with it? I have never thought of myself as some sheltered maiden.”
“But Sister-in-law is different. She was raised in luxury and cannot bear humiliation.”
“If she learns the truth today, she will be heartbroken.”
Standing outside, I slowly turned pale.
The Third Madam rushed to support me. “Steady, Niece. Perhaps it is only a misunderstanding.”
Inside, Ye Zhaonian finally softened.
“Do not worry. I will not wrong you.”
Qin Yilan sounded alarmed. “General, you must not say that.”
“I want no status, and I do not wish to ruin your new marriage. If your wife cannot tolerate me, I will return to the army tomorrow.”
Her words sounded considerate, but every sentence was a threat. If she received no status, she was the wronged one. If she returned to the army, it was because I was intolerant.