Han Zhi had consumed quite a bit of wine, yet for some reason, his eyes remained clear and bright. Raising his head and seeing that it was growing late, he smiled and replied to the guests who were still lingering with unexhausted spirits:
"My esteemed guests, thank you all for coming to grace us with your presence today. However, my bride has yet to have her evening meal, and I must go and deliver some food to her."
At this, the guests protested: "The groom is getting impatient! He has no regard for us guests anymore!"
"You flatter me, gentlemen. To show my sincere apologies, I shall drain three more cups as a penalty." With that, he picked up his wine cup and drank three cups in succession.
"Well done!"
The guests began to applaud, offering congratulatory words. Even when Han Zhi went to the kitchen to fetch the food and dishes, they crowded around him, escorting him all the way from the kitchen to the nuptial chamber, though they remained very polite and did not spill a drop of the food.
Arriving back at the wedding room, Han Zhi stepped inside and placed the tray on the table. Su Zhen was still sitting by the edge of the bed, her bridal garments unchanged, holding and reading one of Han Zhi's favorite books.
Noticing his return, she looked up and heard him say, "Come and eat. I figured that after all this time, you must not have had anything to eat yet."
"My husband is very thoughtful."
Su Zhen smiled, put down the book, and walked over. Fearing that the guests might still want to play pranks in the bridal chamber, Han Zhi instinctively glanced toward the door, but the guests had all dispersed and seemed to have no such intention.
"What is it, husband? Have the guests all left?" Su Zhen stood beside him and asked.
"Not entirely, but almost." Han Zhi closed the door, led Su Zhen to the table, and reached out to set the bowls and chopsticks before her himself.
"Eat quickly. If it's not to your liking, I can go get Banniang something else." Han Zhi sat beside her and smiled.
"Mm."
Su Zhen ate very slowly, while Han Zhi sat on the edge of the bed, picking up the book Su Zhen had just been reading.
Before long, Su Zhen returned to his side and softly called out:
"Husband?"
Han Zhi raised his head slightly, his gaze meeting Su Zhen's eyes, and he found her eyes remarkably beautiful. Instinctively, he reached out and gently pulled her to sit beside him.
"Husband, look at this." Su Zhen then placed a scroll into Han Zhi's hands.
Han Zhi took the scroll, unrolled it, and found a long piece of lyric verse:
"Whence is this heart born, feeling the deep chill of late autumn, the white frost gathering in my eyes, wishing to keep still, the ink hard to hold. Residual snow covers the path, a lonely shadow reflects in the icy serenity, looking back at the days when we once walked hand in hand, the south wind is gentle... Wings frozen in ice, red threads concealing heaven and earth, where love runs deep, this heart finds it hard to seek its homeward voyage."
Han Zhi felt for a moment that this verse bore some resemblance to his "Ballad of West Zhou", so he asked, "This is..."
"My husband composed the 'Ballad of West Zhou', so I have replied with a 'South Wind Ode'." Su Zhen said.
"Yet my learning is ultimately lacking; I failed to recreate the mood within it, and merely filled in the meaning missing from my husband's verse."
"Meaning? What meaning?" Han Zhi blinked and asked.
Su Zhen replied, "Though that 'Ballad of West Zhou' speaks of love, it carries a hint of longing for what cannot be attained. Yet today, I have already married my husband, so I cannot understand why my husband should have felt such unrequited longing."
Han Zhi placed the scroll beside the pillow, then took Su Zhen's hand and said, "Earlier, it was indeed true that I longed for Banniang and could not have her, but now I have won you."
Su Zhen started, a rosy blush instantly rising across her cheeks, her misty eyes drifting, unsure where to look. She stole a quiet glance at Han Zhi, only to find him gazing steadily at her all the while.
"Husband..."
"What is it?"
"It... it is time to retire for the night..." Su Zhen's face turned crimson, and she blurted out the words as if under a spell.
She looked at Han Zhi, who was also blushing slightly. Cautiously, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, but like a dragonfly skimming the water, she touched him and instantly pulled back.
"Did my husband rest well yesterday?"
"Well... very well..." Han Zhi's mind went completely blank from Su Zhen's sudden kiss.
"That's good."
Instantly, she felt herself being lifted up, her whole body settling onto Han Zhi's lap. A trace of hesitation rose within her, but his arms wrapped securely around her waist. With no other choice, she simply reached up, plucked the floral crown from her hair, tossed it beneath the bed, and yielded to him.
"Husband..."
"Hmm?"
"Do not fail me..."
With that final whisper, no more words were spoken through the night. The candle flame burned long into the night, their bodies melting together like milk and honey, mandarin ducks entwined in an endless embrace.
At the fifth watch, the newlyweds had to rise. Han Zhi woke first, quickly dressed himself, and then retrieved a prepared set of clothes from the wardrobe, placing them on the bed.
"Banniang?"
Han Zhi called out softly, but Su Zhen remained curled up beneath the quilt, leaving only her eyes exposed.
"It's time to get up. We must first go pay our respects to Sir and Mother. When we return, if you still want to rest, you can go back to sleep."
"Mm..."
Only then did Su Zhen slowly sit up, still clutching the quilt around herself for modesty. Han Zhi leaned over, kissed her once more, and then turned to leave, saying:
"I am going to wash up. Once Banniang has changed, wait for me in the room."
"Alright."
Confirming that Han Zhi had left, she finally lifted the quilt, revealing her flushed cheeks, and pulled a white silk handkerchief out from under the pillow. Tucking it securely beneath the bottom of the pillow, she proceeded to put on her clothes.
Yet just as she prepared to step out of bed, she felt her legs grow weak and slightly sore, nearly stumbling.
Steadying herself against the bed, she slowly stood up, then pulled the silk handkerchief back out from under the pillow. Looking at the "spot of red" upon it, memories of the previous night rushed back, and she could not help murmuring a mild scold:
"Such a tormentor, so devoid of shame..."
She shook her head, made her way to the dressing table, and retrieved a small box to place the handkerchief inside. Then, taking a silk cord, she bound it tightly and placed it in the very innermost compartment.
Outside, Yueping and the other maidservants had been waiting for a long time. With her sharp ears, Yueping heard movement inside the room and approached the door.
She knocked gently and asked, "Madam?"
Su Zhen instinctively replied, "Come in."
Yueping entered with the other maidservants, then bowed deeply to Su Zhen in a grand salute:
"Greetings, Madam."
Su Zhen looked at the leading young woman and asked, "And you are?"
"This humble servant is the master's personal maidservant, named Yueping. From now on, I am here to serve the master and Madam."
Su Zhen nodded, and Yueping continued, "The master gave orders for us to come and tend to Madam, and to assist you with your morning adornment."
Su Zhen nodded once more, and Yueping led the maidservants forward to attend to Su Zhen. Before long, Su Zhen looked at herself in the mirror as her hair was gathered into a bun, hairpins were inserted, and various ornaments were fastened into her hair.
Then, two more maidservants entered to help Su Zhen wash her face and hands. Once Su Zhen had been attended to, Yueping explained from the side:
"Today is Madam's first day crossing the threshold, so we maidservants have come to pay our respects and introduce ourselves, hence this formality."
At this moment, Su Zhen was seated before the mirror once again as several maidservants fussed over her makeup.
"Does Madam prefer light makeup or heavy makeup?" asked one of the maidservants.
"Light makeup will do."
Receiving their instructions, the maidservants resumed their work. Before long, they stopped, having apparently finished.
As the surrounding maidservants withdrew, Su Zhen instinctively looked toward the door, where Han Zhi was already standing.