She reached out and traced her fingers against the back of her neck. Fu Rong's smile was bone-chilling as she continued to press her: "Husband, did he say anything to you?"
"The master had been drinking last night..."
Jiang Yue parted her lips, a flash of last night's memory crossing her mind—being praised for her soft waist...
Meeting Fu Rong's murderous gaze, she quickly composed her expression and softly added, "He only said that husbands and wives should get used to doing this early on, and there's no need to be shy."
Half-convinced, Fu Rong increased the pressure of her hand slightly: "Is that all he said?"
"Yes!!"
The pain in her neck intensified, and Jiang Yue couldn't help crying out.
Yet amidst their struggle, the collar of her robe loosened, revealing even more ambiguous marks. They contrasted sharply with the uncleaned bed behind them, making Fu Rong's just-subsiding displeasure spread like wildfire and sparking a flurry of wild imaginations.
"Teach me. How did you serve him last night, so I don't give myself away to my husband in bed in the future?"
In an instant, Fu Rong grabbed her collar and violently ripped it open, exposing a large patch of skin to the air. The cold made Jiang Yue tremble uncontrollably, pushing her to the verge of breakdown: "Milady, this maid did everything according to your instructions!"
Fu Rong's eyes narrowed, and she stopped moving.
The woman before her looked utterly drained and pitiful, several of her bruises turning a bruised purple. Fu Rong pressed her finger against one of the marks, watching Jiang Yue's eyes turn red with pain as she held back her tears. Fu Rong's expression softened slightly; she loosened her grip and smiled faintly: "You silly girl, why didn't you say a single word about these injuries?"
Jiang Yue shuddered all over, fighting back her inner terror as she let Fu Rong look her up and down, and replied in a low voice, "This is what I ought to do."
Compared to what she was asking for, these injuries were truly nothing.
Fu Rong casually pulled out a bottle of ointment, took her hand, and applied it to her wounds herself: "Your body represents me now; you must be careful in everything you do. As long as you do this well, you will be my own sister. Your sister will be my sister, too, and you won't have to worry about the cost of her medical treatment. Just remember: you must never let him find out, and you must never let a single soul know about this. Do you understand?"
Having just been put through the torture, those words—though spoken in a gentle whisper—landed on her ears like a giant hand clamping around Jiang Yue's throat.
Terrified of displeasing her once more, she could only nod obediently and in a hurry.
Her younger sister had been born with a heart condition; without proper care, she might not even live to see her tenth year.
She had sought help from physicians everywhere, and finally managed to catch wind of a medical officer in the Imperial Medical Academy who specialized in heart ailments and might just be able to save her sister's life.
If it were any other famous doctor, Jiang Yue could have found some way to beg for treatment, but the Imperial Medical Academy only treated the nobles of the palace and the Son of Heaven.
Without a tally token from the Marquis Manor or a royal prince, it was impossible to summon anyone out.
Driven to desperation, she had entrusted someone to plead on her behalf before Fu Rong, praying only that her mistress would show mercy and save her poor sister. She was willing to trade everything she had.
She had thought her plea would sink like a stone, but that very night, Fu Rong had summoned her and agreed to her request.
The only thing she had to do was disguise herself as Fu Rong every night after the wedding and share the bridal bed with Xiao Yunsheng.
Though she didn't understand the purpose behind it all, this was the only way she could find to save Xingxing.
***
Night fell.
Outside the corridor, the young page strained his throat to remind the General in the courtyard that it was time to return to the mansion. Three knocks sounded against the windowpane, accompanied by the dimming of the lamps.
Jiang Yue tiptoed over stealthily.
Just as she untied her outer robe, the door was pushed open. Xiao Yunsheng had finished his bath and entered the room ahead of time.
Jiang Yue hurried onto the bed and lay down flat without checking what she had grabbed to cover herself with, playing fast asleep and not daring to make a single sound.
Hearing his footsteps stop by the bedside, she secretly prayed in her heart that she might escape detection for today.
Yet the next moment, the world spun around her. She was pressed tightly against Xiao Yunsheng's chest like an infant, in a posture utterly devoid of modesty.
"Madame is truly full of clever ideas tonight."
His low, husky voice carried a trace of amusement. Jiang Yue propped herself up and took a stealthy peek, her face flushing crimson in an instant.
In her panic, she had grabbed nothing more than a sheer veil of gauze. Though no candles were lit in the room, the moonlight outside the window fell directly upon her, making her skin look as dazzling as fresh snow. Her loose black hair half-concealed her features, adding an air of reluctant yet alluring passion.
Perhaps her stiffness betrayed her inner turmoil, for Xiao Yunsheng did not rush straight to the point as he had the night before. Instead, his hands slowly and meticulously measured her limbs.
Every single touch felt like the striking of a spark, burning Jiang Yue's reason away to nothing.
From her thighs up to her waist, his hand finally came to an abrupt halt at the back of her neck.
Jiang Yue trembled as she waited for his next move, unaware that against the backdrop of her dark hair, that stretch of her neck was blindingly white—like a fine piece of jade ru-yi, waiting to be fondled and caressed.
A long while later.
The atmosphere lingering throughout the room was joined by a faint trace of medicated ointment used to disperse blood stasis and reduce swelling.
It seemed that having tasted the pleasures of the flesh for the first time last night, he had been far too rash and truly bruised the delicate wife in his arms. She felt like a pool of water, making Xiao Yunsheng fear that the rough scars on his hands would cause her pain.
Yet holding such soft, fragrant jade in his arms only made him instinctively yearn to lavish her with fierce affection. No wonder the married soldiers in the army always reminisced about the comforts of a woman when they were out in the field.
From his first taste last night to today, he had actually grown somewhat addicted. A stir in his heart made him urgently wish to hear his own name fall from her lips.
"Call me."
Jiang Yue opened her hazy eyes and subconsciously murmured, "General."
The moment the word escaped her lips, she realized she had used the wrong form of address.
Her mind snapped back to clarity, her blood seeming to freeze solid, and she did not dare move an inch.
Fortunately, Xiao Yunsheng did not detect anything amiss; he only let out a low chuckle at her charming foolishness, patiently correcting her word by word:
"Madame, you and I are already husband and wife. In private, you may call me Lang-lang."
The vibration of his solid chest made Jiang Yue's heart suddenly start pounding along with it. Those two words seemed to carry a magic spell, making her head as giddy as if she were drunk on wine. Only after repeated prodding did she finally release her tightly bitten lip:
"Lang... lang..."
Another night of utter sinking into passion.
The next day, Jiang Yue forced herself to stand in the dining hall and serve, despite her aching body.
When Xiao Yunsheng walked in, his armor flashed with a glare that dazzled her eyes. The tray in her hands slipped from her grasp and crashed straight onto the floor.
The man, who had been striding forward with large steps, somehow turned around abruptly, intercepted the tea pitcher just in time, and handed it back to her.
"Thank you, General."
Jiang Yue hurriedly bowed in salute.
The man, who hadn't even bothered to lift his eyelids earlier, heard the word "General" from her mouth and inexplicably linked it to the tender, melodious endearments his wife had used during their intimacy in bed the night before. He couldn't help casting a sidelong glance at Jiang Yue.
Seeing it was the same clumsy maid from before, his brow naturally furrowed into a cold scowl:
"Second time."
Jiang Yue froze.
Then she heard him continue.
"Utterly careless. Get someone meticulous to serve around Madame."
Today was the second day after their grand wedding.
According to the rules, Fu Rong was to share her very first morning meal together with the Old Madame of the Xiao Mansion, who was Xiao Yunsheng's grandmother.
As a maid who had come along as part of the dowry, making a blunder on such an occasion meant losing face for her mistress and violating the rules of the Marquis Manor.
Jiang Yue's heart had already been pounding anxiously, and upon hearing these words, her heart turned instantly cold by half.
Helpless, Jiang Yue collapsed to the floor, her face as pale as paper as she looked up at Fu Rong. If someone else were to be swapped in to serve at close quarters, she feared everything would be over.
The woman sitting there still wore a smile, but when she turned her head back, her gaze had already frozen into ice.