Huo Yanxing finally reacted, leaning back slightly to put some distance between them.
"A son of the Huo Clan honors his word. We keep our promises and never go back on them."
Seeing his serious expression, Lu Qingyuan’s heart blossomed with joy. Her mind began racing with plans: once the divorce was finalized, she would find an excuse to leave the Capital, return to her maternal grandfather’s home, or perhaps seek out some hidden paradise to live her own quiet life!
"Rest assured, I, Lu Qingyuan, swear that if I ever harbor even a shred of malice toward the four children, may the heavens strike me down."
Huo Yanxing cast an unexpected glance at her. Her oath had a surprisingly adventurous, roguish flair to it.
However, since the matter had been settled, he prepared to leave.
"The night is deep. You should sleep. I am heading to the Study. From now on, I will sleep in the Study; you don't need to wait for me."
"Wait!"
In her urgency, Lu Qingyuan reached out to grab him. She hadn't accounted for the fact that Huo Yanxing had long legs; one of his steps was equal to two or three of hers. She missed his arm entirely and, in a stroke of sheer bad luck, yanked on his belt.
Huo Yanxing had changed out of his ceremonial wedding robes into daily attire. Because the summer heat was stifling, he wore only a light blue long robe over his undergarments, secured by a matching satin sash.
With that single pull from Lu Qingyuan, the belt slid away like a serpent. His once-snug robes loosened, faintly revealing his firm chest.
The cicadas outside the window suddenly fell silent, and a night breeze crept into the room.
The candlelight flickered, its dancing glow seeming to be enchanted, tracing the contours of the man's rising and falling chest muscles.
Lu Qingyuan felt her throat grow even parched.
"You!"
Huo Yanxing clutched his loose lapels, took a few steps back, and hurriedly retied his belt, his voice tinged with irritation.
"Did I not make myself clear enough?! I have no intention of taking a wife, and there will be no intimacy between us. You don’t need to waste your energy on me!"
Lu Qingyuan silently rolled her eyes.
*Is it just a belt? You'd think I’d compromised your virtue. Is it really that dramatic?*
But then again, one must bow their head when living under another’s roof.
"Marquis, please hear me out!" Lu Qingyuan rushed to explain, pouring out the information about the handmaids the Empress Dowager had planted in the Marquis's Estate like beans from a bamboo tube.
"...Every one of them is a spy for the Empress Dowager. If you sleep in the Study, she will know we are at odds as a married couple, and she will naturally find every way to keep arranging bedfellows for you. It will be even harder to handle then."
This was something Huo Yanxing had not failed to consider.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were locked in a power struggle, with the factions in court clearly defined. The Empress Dowager stood behind the aristocratic clans, while the Emperor promoted talented scholars from humble backgrounds. Because the Huo Clan was a prestigious family and Huo Yanxing was a rising power, the Empress Dowager had been keen to align them, which was why the Lu family had been wed into the Huo Clan.
Huo Yanxing followed up, "Then what do you propose we do?"
Lu Qingyuan stood up from the bed and turned to blow out all the red candles.
The room was plunged into darkness, with only the moonlight filtering through the window, spilling thinly across the bed.
Huo Yanxing frowned. "Lu Qingyuan, what trick are you trying to pull now?"
"Naturally, we must commit to the act and show them a loving couple." Lu Qingyuan pressed her hand against the wooden bedpost and pushed hard.
The bed didn't budge.
Though Lu Qingyuan was stronger than the average woman, she couldn't move it. She let out an awkward chuckle. "Why is this bed so sturdy?"
"Naturally. It is made of the finest yellow rosewood my grandmother personally sought out. She had a master craftsman spend a full year building this canopy bed."
Though Huo Yanxing was only twenty-five or twenty-six, he had handled affairs for the Emperor and had seen enough of the world's ways to grasp what she was aiming for.
He walked silently to the other side and began pushing the post back and forth.
*Creak, creak—*
The bed emitted an intimate sound.
For some reason, Huo Yanxing’s face felt hot.
What was worse, Lu Qingyuan was still giving directions from the side: "Marquis, watch the rhythm—start slow and build to fast, light to heavy. Otherwise, it will look too fake."
"Hmph. You aren't doing any of the actual labor, but you're certainly quick to wag your tongue," Huo Yanxing sneered.
Upon hearing this, as if remembering something, Lu Qingyuan walked closer to the window and turned to the side.
Moments later, the sound of soft, feline-like moans began to fill the air.
Huo Yanxing’s hand, gripped tightly around the bedpost, tensed. His Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he finally squeezed out through gritted teeth, "Why... why are you making those sounds!"
Lu Qingyuan didn't respond, continuing to play her part.
Her whimpers were high-pitched and delicate—nothing like her usual clear voice—as if they were spilling slowly from deep within her throat, lazy and lingering.
She noticed the creaking of the bed had stopped and urged him, "Marquis, don't stop your hands, or we'll give ourselves away."
Huo Yanxing remained silent, mindlessly shaking the bed.
*Creak— creak— creak-creak-creak—*
After a while, Lu Qingyuan whispered, "This is the joy of the boudoir; it makes it more convincing."
The *joy* of the boudoir?
Huo Yanxing was struck dumb. If the room hadn't been so dim, Lu Qingyuan would have seen his ears turn a deep shade of crimson.
Huo Yanxing felt as if the sky were collapsing.
He had fought many difficult battles, but none were as arduous as this night.
*Wait,* he thought, *Lu Qingyuan is also a first-time bride. How does she know all of this?!*
"That should be enough."
Lu Qingyuan realized it was getting awkward and her mouth moved faster than her brain: "Since this is the Marquis's first marriage, this should suffice."
*What does she mean, "this should suffice"?*
After understanding her implication, Huo Yanxing’s face turned darker than the bottom of a pot, though unfortunately, Lu Qingyuan could not see his expression.
"No. Continue."
His hands suddenly moved with much more vigor.
*CREAK!! CREAK!!*
The canopy bed let out an even louder, faster rhythm.
Lu Qingyuan sensed something was wrong. Just as she was about to tell him it was enough and he could stop—
*Crash—*
The bed collapsed.
To be precise, the bedpost on Huo Yanxing’s side snapped, causing the canopy bed to tilt sharply to one side.
The heavy, intricately embroidered red curtains on the bedframe came tumbling down, completely covering the unlucky couple.
Lu Qingyuan pulled the curtain off her face.
*This is the "finest" canopy bed? Old Madam Huo must have been scammed!*
The collapse was worse on Huo Yanxing’s side, and the layers of curtains, weighed down by various gemstones and pearls, had draped over his head. In the soft moonlight, he looked quite dazzling—more like a bride than Lu Qingyuan was.
Lu Qingyuan couldn't help it; she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Huo Yanxing, already feeling stifled, reached out and ripped the curtain down forcefully. As he looked up, the hazy moonlight revealed the person who was secretly giggling at him.
Lu Qingyuan’s bright red hibiscus wedding dress was wrinkled and messy, and her hair was in disarray, with a few stray locks hooked into the corners of her eyes.
As she laughed, her shoulders trembled slightly, and her brows curved.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and locked gazes with him.
Huo Yanxing suddenly remembered a spring hunt from his childhood, when his second brother had gifted him a fire-red little fox. He had kept it in his room, and when he caught it red-handed on the table stealing beef, it had looked exactly like this.
Exactly the same look she had now.
*Knock, knock, knock—*
Someone knocked on the door.