Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C057 pt2

Wedding cloth?

What the devil is a wedding cloth?

Ji Yang stood up and stretched, then sat down again.

The wine-induced discomfort of Prince Wei was just right for him. Seeing her sleeping soundly, and her small mouth so rosy and alluring, Ji Yang could not resist leaning closer.

Since that day of their first intimacy, Ji Yang had become enamored with tasting her small mouth, needing to indulge in it every day to be satisfied.

He had just taken a taste when the person beneath him awoke, opening a pair of hazy eyes to look at him.

Ji Yang, heedless, took a few more tastes, and the person beneath him became fully awake.

"Your Highness, you have returned? Has the gathering dispersed?"

He lay languidly, pinching her rosy cheek, "It has."

"Then, would you like to change and bathe?"

Ji Yang readily agreed, standing up and saying, "Then I shall go first, and return shortly."

Wushuang thought that those currently serving in this room were all her maids, and she had yet to see any of his servants. She wondered if he required anyone to attend to him, recalling how in her previous life, Ji Yang had been most impatient with palace attendants surrounding him.

She decided to get up and go to the cabinet, tentatively rummaging through it.

Not only did she find her own clothes, but also Ji Yang's, all neatly folded in sets. She chose a set that looked like sleepwear and carried it to the bathing chamber.

Upon reaching the door, she hesitated.

It was nothing more than shyness.

She recalled the layout of the bathing chamber, mustered her courage, and quickly walked in. Without raising her head, she placed the clothes on a low table and then exited.

From outside the door, she said to the inside, "Your Highness, the sleepwear is on the table."

At this moment, Linglong entered, not daring to make a sound, only looking at her questioningly. Wushuang did not speak either, waving her hand to signal her to leave.

Wushuang returned to the bed.

Now that the matter that had worried her was resolved, and it was Ji Yang who had appeared, what should she do when it came to the wedding night?

Before she could resolve her dilemma, Ji Yang emerged, his hair still dripping with water. His robes were half-open, revealing a chest as firm as jade, and his long hair was draped over his shoulders, making him appear both forthright and unrestrained, yet also languidly handsome.

Wushuang felt somewhat breathless. Seeing that his hair was still dripping, she got out of bed to find a dry cloth to wipe it for him. As she was wiping, Ji Yang suddenly asked, "What in the world is a 'wedding cloth'?"

He was still preoccupied with this matter.

Wushuang's face flushed red, and she said weakly, "Why do you ask about this?"

"Someone said that tomorrow morning, someone will come to collect the cloth."

Wushuang automatically understood 'someone' to be Fusheng. She had not expected that Chamberlain Fu would even mention this. If he had mentioned it, why had he not explained the matter clearly, instead leaving it for her to answer?

"The wedding cloth is the yuan cloth," she said, choosing her words carefully.

"Then what in the world is a yuan cloth?"

Wushuang was at a loss, not knowing how to explain. She went to the bedside and picked up a piece of white cloth.

"This is the wedding cloth."

"What is it used for? Shouldn't the wedding cloth be red?"

He pulled the cloth over, holding it up to examine it. Wushuang felt like she was going mad, just thinking about how this thing would soon be spread beneath her, yet now he was holding it in his hands.

"This is for spreading on the bed later."

Having already lost all face, Wushuang simply went to retrieve the cloth and spread it on the bed. Ji Yang stood beside her, watching her arrange it; the scene was as bizarre as could be.

She buried her head and quickly climbed into bed. Ji Yang followed, sitting on the outside.

"Perhaps, we should sleep," she said, her face flushed.

He nodded, but this time he did not extinguish the candle. Instead, he lowered the bed curtains.

The two lay quietly on the bed. Wushuang's heart was both nervous and apprehensive. She wondered if he truly knew what to do, and why he hadn't made a move yet. She also felt a sense of shame; in short, her emotions were a complex tangle.

Little did she know, the person beside her was also in a state of complex thoughts. As if he had finally figured things out, he turned to embrace her, saying, "We are about to consummate our marriage. It will be very pleasurable for you, but it seems it will hurt a little at first. Please bear with it."

Wushuang did not understand why he could utter such words, yet they sounded somewhat strange. However, she was too consumed by shyness at the moment, so she closed her eyes and softly hummed in agreement.

***

In the end, it was Wushuang who cried and begged repeatedly before he finally ceased.

She was completely limp, as if paralyzed, while Ji Yang was full of vigor, as if ready for another three hundred rounds.

She felt extreme hatred and annoyance in her heart. Seeing the satisfied smile on his face, she could not help but boldly strike him a few times, ordering him to carry her to bathe. After he placed her in the pool, she ordered him to tidy the bed, especially the wedding cloth, which was to be placed separately in a box.

Taking advantage of his absence, she supported her exhausted body and quickly washed herself.

When she came out, she saw him holding the wedding cloth again, examining it.

It had been one thing before, but now the object was stained with unspeakable substances. She felt both shame and annoyance, and rushed forward to snatch it away.

"Why are you looking at it? Aren't you ashamed!" she said, on the verge of tears.

"I think this thing shouldn't be seen by others!" he declared, clapping his hands.

"What?" Wushuang was somewhat confused.

"Forget it. You take this one and hide it. I'll have someone make another one tomorrow to hand over."

Who wanted to hide this thing? Wasn't he saying that someone from the palace would come to collect the yuan cloth! Though she thought this, Wushuang still folded the item and stuffed it into a corner of the wardrobe, planning to deal with it tomorrow.

Returning to the bed, Wushuang only wanted to sleep, but Ji Yang did not want to.

"Tell me, how do you know so much? Did the teaching grannies teach you?"

Wushuang wanted to cover her face again.

"Your Highness, why are you asking this?" she said, her face flushed. "Before a woman marries, her family will teach her some things. I was taught by the grannies in the palace. They said a woman must serve her husband and cannot be ignorant of these matters."

In fact, Granny Wang had told her even more, saying that while the art of the bedchamber was not something to be discussed openly, it was indispensable. The relationship between husband and wife, whether it was good or not, depended entirely on this.

Ji Yang muttered, "Then why didn't anyone tell me?"

Because his voice was too soft, Wushuang did not hear clearly. However, she could guess what he was wondering. Thinking of something she had not understood in her previous life, she pretended to be casual and said, "I heard that when the princes in the palace grow up, there are palace maids who teach them about these matters. Did Your Highness not have any?"

It seemed he really did not, because at that time, Prince Wei's illness was in its early stages, and no one had time to think about such things.

Seeing that he really did not, Wushuang felt a secret joy. She could not help but lean closer, acting coquettishly, "Your Highness, shall we talk about these things tomorrow? I'm really sleepy. I have to get up early tomorrow and go to the palace. Let's sleep."

"Sleep, then, sleep."

Though she said that, Wushuang was already half-asleep, but Ji Yang had no intention of sleeping at all. Instead, he looked at the person in his arms as if she were a rare treasure, touching her face one moment and her waist the next.

Only after he had gazed and touched her to his fill did he finally yawn, embracing her as he drifted to sleep.

***

The morning light was faint, the east beginning to break.

Weak morning rays seeped into the room through the window gauze.

At the bed, the amorous scene was concealed behind the large red gauze curtains, only through the minute gaps could one discern two figures seemingly asleep on the bed.

Even in his dreams, he possessively held her entirely within his embrace, his chest serving as her pillow, his other arm encircling her slender waist.

A commotion arose outside, and Ji Yang, who had not been awake, was roused.

Seeing that the person in his arms was still asleep, he did not disturb her, gently placing her down before casually throwing on an outer robe and going out.

"What is it?"

Fusheng dared not peek behind the screen into the inner chamber, bowing his head as he said, "A palace female official has arrived."

"To collect the wedding cloth?"

Fusheng nodded.

"Go and procure one for them."

He issued the order with ease, but Fusheng hesitated, his mind filled with various speculations.

Ji Yang glanced at him and said, "What are you thinking about, you old thing? How could this Prince and the Princess Consort's belongings be shown to those people?"

Fusheng nearly knelt on the spot, realizing it was this difficult-to-serve ancestor, but then he thought, the palace rules were indeed great, but could they be greater than His Highness and the Princess Consort?

"This servant will go and take care of it."

Ji Yang raised an eyebrow and said, "You don't need to go and take care of it, just do it here."

As he spoke, he rose and retrieved a piece of white cloth from the inner chamber's cabinet, then tossed a dagger to Fusheng. Fusheng, holding the knife, initially intended to cut his finger, but then thought that a finger injury would be too obvious, so he switched to cutting his wrist. Unexpectedly, he cut too deeply, and blood gushed out.

Ji Yang clicked his tongue and went to find wound medicine for him.

Had he known it would be like this, he would have done it himself; truly clumsy!

Fusheng, feeling extremely wronged at being called clumsy, was nonetheless grateful that the medicine stopped the bleeding quickly. He quickly dabbed some blood onto the white cloth, then used another piece of white cloth to bind the wound. Finally, he placed the white cloth into a box and carried it out to the person waiting outside the door.