Song Shuhao thought Zhang Yu had forgiven her joke, but she forgot his tendency to hold grudges. Once she was on the carriage, she had nowhere to escape on the way back.
He was forced down on the small couch and entered her. While doing his evil deed, Zhang Yu covered Song Shuhao's mouth and whispered in her ear, "If you want people outside to hear, you can resist as you please."
Song Shuhao: "..." Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she had only herself to blame. Panting, Song Shuhao could only curse Zhang Yu's shamelessness and bastardness in her heart.
·
The results of the assessment were finally in, and Song Shuhao was selected, though not as first as Zhang Yu had predicted, but she still met her expectations. After that, she would have things to do, and she wouldn't be too idle. She might not have felt this way in the past, but now, if she were to spend all her time alone, she feared she would constantly feel bored and uninterested, and Zhang Yu couldn't always have time to spend with her.
However, there is something more important to do before that.
More than a year ago, Zhang Yu had forcefully announced in front of all the officials that Song Shuhao would be made empress, but he had not yet prepared for the investiture ceremony. Having settled several matters on his mind and confirmed Song Shuhao's feelings, he directly turned the investiture ceremony into their wedding.
The Marquis's mansion was transformed into Song Shuhao's wedding venue. In the blooming March, red lanterns and red silk cloths were hung, and the entire mansion was enveloped in joy. For both Zhang Yu and Song Shuhao, the wedding came too late, yet it was also perfectly timed.
Ling Xiao and Zhang Xin escorted Song Shuhao to her wedding, and even the Eldest Princess came. Du Yuqing, who had passed the assessment, also came to add to the festivities. Even the old ladies and girls who had spent a long time together at the border were secretly invited by Zhang Yu. Even without parents or relatives, the atmosphere was still lively, filled with laughter and merriment.
Song Shuhao sat upright in front of the dressing table, trying to suppress her nervousness and maintain a smile. The old woman who had been invited to comb her hair sang loudly as she combed it: "First comb to the end, second comb to white hair reaching the eyebrows, third comb to children and grandchildren all over the ground, fourth comb to four silver bamboo shoots standing tall and straight."
Everyone laughed.
Zhang Yu personally went to the Marquis's residence to fetch the bride. As always, he was composed, his face beaming with joy yet maintaining his composure. Sitting on horseback, his wedding robes accentuated his unprecedented dignified bearing and radiant appearance. Prince Ning acted as the elder brother, carrying Song Shuhao out of the mansion and onto the bridal sedan chair.
Sitting in the sedan chair, listening to the deafening sounds of gongs and drums and the blaring of firecrackers outside, with her red veil obscuring her view, Ah Hao lowered her head and stared at the bright red skirt with its intricate embroidery. She couldn't help but press her hand against her chest.
In that place, a multitude of emotions surged—joy and elation, excitement and unbearable tension. She had thought she would remain calm and composed, but in the end, she couldn't control herself. She probably liked Zhang Yu more than she imagined, and therefore looked forward to this day even more than she thought.
The bridal sedan chair was carried all the way to the palace gate, its red decorations drawing attention wherever it went. Song Shuhao was helped down from the sedan chair, her red embroidered shoes stepping onto the red carpet laid out beforehand. She stood still, vaguely seeing Zhang Yu take a bow and arrow handed to him by someone beside him. One arrow shot into the sky, two into the ground, and three into the distance; each arrow was a prayer.
Afterwards, the matchmaker helped her walk forward, stepping over the brazier, and heard people nearby laughing loudly, "The bride steps over the brazier, may her life be prosperous and thriving." She then stepped over the saddle, and heard people nearby continue to sing loudly, "The bride steps over the saddle, may everything go smoothly and peacefully."
It was a perfectly ordinary blessing, yet Ah Hao couldn't help but tear up. She followed him into the palace, where Zhang Yu led her to pay respects to heaven and earth—completely contrary to palace etiquette.
His hands were warm and dry, and when he held hers, she was willing to give him everything. Zhang Yu personally escorted her into the bridal chamber and helped her sit down on the edge of the bed.
Although she couldn't see clearly, Ahao could sense that this was Xuanzhi Hall, which Zhang Yu had converted into their bridal chamber. No one dared to come in and make a scene; all was quiet. Zhang Yu stood before the bed, neither speaking nor moving. Ahao felt neither nervous nor why she felt this way.
Standing before Song Shuhao, Zhang Yu felt just as nervous, and even less sure why he was nervous than she was. Amidst the nervousness, he was filled with anticipation. He carefully and gently lifted the veil, and saw Song Shuhao look up at him, her eyes glistening with tears, like a docile little animal needing caress. He was immediately filled with tenderness.
Ah Hao laughed, met Zhang Yu's gaze, and stood up. She saw a thousand stars in Zhang Yu's eyes, so she took his hand, twirled it in front of him like a butterfly, and asked, "Does it look good?" She showed no shyness whatsoever.
Zhang Yu smiled and nodded, saying, "It looks good." Ahao laughed again, "But the jewelry is too heavy...it's so tiring..." She moved closer to Zhang Yu, tiptoed, and offered him a kiss, her lip rouge staining his lips in a comical and incongruous yet alluring way.
She chuckled, squeezing Zhang Yu's hand, who was also laughing, "Your Majesty, go ahead with your business. I'll wait for you." Zhang Yu still had social engagements to attend to, unlike her who seemed to have nothing else to do.
Zhang Yu didn't respond to her. He raised his eyebrows and stroked her cloud-like hair. In an instant, all the pearls and jade ornaments disappeared, her hair became loose, and her black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. A-Hao looked at him. Zhang Yu smiled and used his fingers as a comb to loosely tie her hair into a bun, securing it with a gold and jade hairpin.
After doing all this and making Ah Hao feel a little better, Zhang Yufang said, "I'll be right back." He then grabbed Ah Hao's hand, his slender fingers brushing against his lips to wipe away the lip rouge. He had ill intentions, his tongue licking the pad of his finger, a tingling sensation instantly spreading through him. Ah Hao wanted to pull his hand back, but he couldn't because his hand was being held too tightly.
Ah Hao lowered her eyelids slightly for a moment. When Zhang Yu finally let her go, she looked up and smiled, leaned closer and hugged him. She was equally malicious, and reached into his clothes to tease him deliberately.
Her soft hands caressed his taut waist and abdomen, moving downwards, almost touching a certain spot, then stopping, moving upwards, resting on his chest, then sliding down his back, gently grasping. She tilted her head back and kissed his Adam's apple, nibbling softly. She climbed onto his shoulder and lightly bit his chin.
Zhang Yu's aura changed, but Ahao suddenly withdrew, took two steps back, smiled innocently, and said, "Your Majesty should go." She had deliberately provoked him and was not going to take responsibility. She wanted to make him itchy and tormented until he returned.
"I'm not in a hurry anymore." Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes and smiled casually. He took a step to Ahao, put his arm around her waist, and with another movement, he had already pushed her onto the bed.
He didn't care about getting lipstick on Ah Hao's lips; his tongue plunged in without hesitation, swirling and entwining between her lips and teeth. His large hands untied her wedding dress, writhing around, forcing her to feel the same passion as him.
The peanuts, dates, lotus seeds, longans, and other auspicious fruits beneath her were digging into Ah Hao's soreness, but Zhang Yu, preoccupied with "punishing" her, ignored it. She finally couldn't help but beg for mercy. Zhang Yu smiled at her, raising an eyebrow slightly, "I'll deal with you properly when we get back."
Ah Hao bent one leg and rubbed it between his legs. Knowing that he would eventually have to attend to social obligations, she boldly teased him, saying provocatively, "Okay, wait for His Majesty." Her clothes were disheveled, and one of her round and fair shoulders was exposed. Her lips were red, and she was breathing softly, looking charming and alluring.
Zhang Yu was almost amused by her. She had spoiled him so much that he was becoming increasingly fearless, but he just couldn't bring himself to get angry. He lightly bit her shoulder to vent his anger. Knowing that A-Hao was doing it on purpose, he had no choice but to get up, straighten his clothes, calm his breathing, suppress the agitation in his heart, and leave for the time being.
After Zhang Yu left, Ahao felt that her makeup was too thick and that she had been entangled in a sweat, so she wanted to wash herself off and called someone in. Unexpectedly, the person who came in was Lanfang, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
It had been quite a while since the two had last met, and Ah Hao had promised Lan Fang to tell Zhang Yu to keep her here, which Zhang Yu had indeed done. Lan Fang smiled and curtsied to her, saying, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Ah Hao stood up in surprise, took Lan Fang's hand, but didn't know what to say. She hadn't deliberately thought about whether she would ever see her old friends from the palace again; seeing them was a joy. But thinking about it, Lan Fang should be twenty years old this year, and it was time for her to be released from the palace to get married.
"Your Highness, I am relieved to see you are well." Lanfang chuckled as she released her hand, lowered her voice, and continued speaking.
"Originally, I was to be released from the palace and would not have been able to see Your Highness again. His Majesty said that Your Highness was returning to the palace for the first time and might not be used to it, so he asked me to stay in the palace for two more months. I am not used to serving His Majesty. Fortunately, Your Highness has returned and I am so happy to see you again."
"Yes, thank you." Ah Hao nodded with a smile, and after exchanging pleasantries for a while, she explained her needs. After bathing and washing, she still loosely tied her hair up in a bun, but without applying makeup. Only at Lan Fang's insistence was a peach blossom decoration placed between her eyebrows.
Zhang Yu sent over some snacks and soup, just in case she got hungry. Ahao ate some, mostly chatting with Lanfang, and also heard that Xiaodouzi had been transferred to serve her. This was Zhang Yu's thoughtfulness, Ahao thought with a smile, but then felt a little guilty thinking about how she had just bullied him.
Zhang Yu, who had promised to be back soon, was still held up for quite some time before he could finally get away. When he returned to Xuanzhi Hall, he saw that Ahao had already changed out of her elaborate wedding robes and into a much lighter, equally bright red silk dress.
The heavy makeup was washed away, revealing her true appearance: pure and gentle. A delicate peach blossom adorned her forehead, making her face appear even whiter. A pink and white bodice covered her snow-white breasts, embroidered with a pair of lifelike butterflies, as if about to take flight.
Ah Hao stepped forward and, seeing that Zhang Yu had finished washing up before entering, couldn't help but smile. She then pulled Zhang Yu to the table and sat him down. Ah Hao said, "Your Majesty must have eaten very little; it would be best if you had something to eat." She poured a cup of wine for each of them, adding, "Shouldn't we drink the nuptial wine as well?"
Zhang Yu rested his chin on his hand, smiling at her. Ahao, wanting to make amends, proactively placed her wine glass in his hand. Knowing full well what he was about to do, Zhang Yu drank his glass down before Ahao could even pick it up.
Ah Hao, unaware of his thoughts, was about to ask a question when Zhang Yu grabbed the back of her head, forcing her close. The next moment, her lips were sealed by his, and the fine wine was brought to her throat. Some of it was about to drip down her lip, but his tongue twirled it back into her mouth, swallowing it and licking it clean.
Such actions were far too intimate, ambiguous, lewd, and shameful. After being kissed to the point of near-hysteria, Ah Hao, regaining her composure, felt both embarrassed and annoyed, glaring at him. Zhang Yu, however, remained calm and composed, placing the remaining glass of wine into her hand and casually saying, "Hmm, it's time to exchange the nuptial wine." His gaze was deep and his eyes were red, clearly showing he was enduring something.
Zhang Yu's boudoir, bedroom, and romantic interests were too shameful and distasteful, and A-Hao felt she didn't want to associate with him. However, Zhang Yu saw through her thoughts in advance, and as she got up to escape, he immediately grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and made her fall down in front of him.
"Why are you running?" Zhang Yu chuckled and kissed the back of her ear, his breath carrying a hint of alcohol. His hand, however, had already wandered into her bodice, covering her breasts and kneading them gently.
Brushing aside a stray lock of black hair, Zhang Yu seemed to have found an amusement. He reached out and tore off half of her dress, then picked up a wine glass and poured it down her snow-white shoulder. The wine slid down her soft, tofu-like skin, glistening with a translucent sheen. Zhang Yu lowered his head and kissed her shoulder, his tongue sweeping across her back, inch by inch downwards.
The strange stimulation made Ah Hao tremble slightly, yet she couldn't escape, and her body went limp. If she had known he was a wolf, she shouldn't have run into him; instead, he had come up with all sorts of tricks. Thinking about how she had bullied him out of guilt and wanted to make amends, knowing that he would always get his revenge, yet she still felt soft-hearted, Ah Hao bit her lip, wanting to cry but having no tears.