After bathing, Qingge returned to the bedchamber, where Ning Wang had also finished bathing. She felt a momentary urge to retreat. She could kill, set fires, and face life-and-death situations, but being this close to Ning Wang felt far more daunting.
But she knew there was no turning back now—she had to go through with the motion and consummate the wedding night.
‘For thirty thousand taels…’
Silently encouraging herself, she approached Ning Wang with a demeanor that could almost be considered calm. “Your Highness, shall this consort undress you?” She lowered her head and said gently.
Ning Wang’s expression remained composed and serious as he nodded. “Alright.”
Qingge lifted her hand, her fingertips cautiously brushing against the jade belt at Ning Wang’s waist. Hanging on it was an exquisite jade pendant—a gift from the emperor at his birth. According to legend, a red glow had filled the room when he was born, which the Bureau of Astronomy1 later declared an auspicious omen. Around the same time, a rare jade stone had been presented as tribute from a distant land. The emperor had it carved into a jade disc with dragon and cloud patterns and bestowed it upon his newborn son.
Ning Wang wore it most of the time. In the past, when the secret guard Qingge knelt before him, the jade pendant was always around her eye level, and she had frequently caught glimpses of it from the corner of her eye.
‘Fate is such a curious thing—who could have imagined that the day would come when I would touch this treasured jade pendant, removing it with my own hands?’
“Are you very afraid?” Ning Wang suddenly asked, his voice already sounded slightly hoarse.
Qingge kept her eyes downcast and replied softly, “A little.”
Ning Wang remained silent. For a moment, only the soft sound of breathing, gently falling into her hair, was audible within the chamber,
After a long pause, he finally spoke, “You don’t need to be afraid. Since you are now my wife, this prince will treat you well.”
…
He said he would treat her well. In truth, Qingge didn’t care whether he did or not. She knew it would hurt regardless, and she was not afraid of pain. But this… seemed more painful than she expected.
It was different from ordinary pain. Ordinary pain was just pain, but this pain was accompanied by a strong sense of invading presence that heightened her senses to the limit. This intense presence, impossible to ignore, constantly challenges her limits of endurance, nearly making her cry out.
If Qingge had the luxury to choose, the icy pain that came from being stabbed by a sharp blade seemed more acceptable in contrast.
Just as she thought she could no longer endure it, everything abruptly ended. She tilted her face up, eyes half-closed, and quietly exhaled in relief.
The man above her seemed as if he had just fought through multiple rounds of sword practice. His weight pressed down on her, his scorching breath heavy and intense, as if it could melt her. Even though Qingge wanted to move away, his looming presence prevented her from getting away.
A moment later, the man moved his hands away and propped himself up slightly. Qingge knew he was still above her and kept her eyes shut, avoiding his gaze.
The thought that this man was Ning Wang, to whom she had promised her unwavering loyalty, was unbearable to her. She had to force herself to imagine him as someone else, a random nameless figure, to make it easier to endure.
Thankfully, he finally got up and moved away.
“Your Highness, do you wish to bathe again?” Qingge also sat up. At her suggestion, the man gave her a long, scrutinizing look. His expression seemed complex, almost tinged with an indescribable displeasure and even… frustration?
‘What’s going on?’ Qingge was completely puzzled. She had never seen him look at her this way before.
Suddenly, Ning Wang stood up sharply, grabbed the white inner robe that had fallen beside the bed, and strode into the bathing room without saying a word.
Qingge watched his tall, aloof figure walking away, feeling puzzled. ‘What does this mean? Is he unhappy with the consummation?’
Well, whatever it was, it didn’t matter to her. What mattered was that they had finally consummated this marriage.
‘Her thirty thousand taels!’
When Ning Wang returned from his bath, he was now dressed in a plain white robe, free of any embroidery. The simple, soft fabric gave him a relaxed appearance that was a total contrast to his usual firm, commanding look.
Qingge stood and said softly, “Your Highness, this consort shall go bathe as well.”
Ning Wang said nothing and reclined on the bed. Qingge paid him no mind, brushed past him, and hurried into the bathing room.
Once alone, she washed quickly and reflected on the events that had just transpired. She was not entirely ignorant of the affairs between men and women; not only had the people Mo Jingxi prepared taught her about bedroom matters, but during her time at Qianying Pavilion, such knowledge was also part of her education as a secret guard.
The pressing issue at hand now was to expel the essence Ning Wang had just poured into her—otherwise, she would risk getting pregnant.
Sitting in the bathtub, Qingge started channeling her qi, feeling it move through her meridians and acupuncture points. She was about to use her internal qi to dispel any remnants below. Unfortunately, the poison obstructed the flow of her internal qi; if she forced it, there was a dull pain and a sense of swelling.
Worried about causing lasting damage by overexerting herself, Qingge dared not push further. In the end, she had no choice but to clumsily use the manual method.
She carefully scooped and squeezed with her fingers, surprised to see a large amount drip out. The sensation from moments ago came rushing back—it was like a sudden downpour hitting delicate flower branches, bending them under its weight.
After a while, she let out an exhausted sigh, resting her face on the edge of the wooden bathtub. She leaned there gently, breathing in and out, to relieve the indescribable strange feeling.
She felt that she had suffered a huge loss. Thirty thousand taels were nowhere near enough!
But, of course, tomorrow she must get the silver, immediately, not a coin less!
After cleaning herself once again, Qingge stepped out of the bathtub, rinsed up, put on some clothes, and returned to the bedchamber.
What greeted her amidst the flickering wedding candles was the sight of Ning Wang, reclining on the bed, casually flipping through a book. Seeing her emerging from the bathroom, he lifted his eyes and gave her a casual glance.
Caught by that gaze, Qingge’s steps paused slightly. Nonetheless, she approached and said in a gentle voice, “Your Highness, shall we take our rest for the night?”
Ning Wang didn’t respond directly but handed the book to her. Qingge took it and set it aside. When she climbed into bed, she paused for a moment, feeling a twinge of soreness as she lifted her legs. Still, she soon lay down as if nothing was wrong.
She had faced countless battles and endured injuries since childhood. She was never afraid of pain, and she certainly would not allow herself to be defeated by the pain of the first night.
’This is nothing. Nothing.’—She repeatedly told herself.
As they lay together on the bed, the room fell into total silence. As Qingge closed her eyes, her turbulent mind slowly regained its calmness. Yet, her sharp hearing, honed through years of rigorous training, remained vigilant. She could hear Ning Wang’s steady, deep breaths, the rustling of the wind through the branches outside, and the faint presence of a secret guard nearby.
She could sense that the secret guard was none other than Baizhi. Baizhi must have caught the sounds from the bridal chamber, yet he wouldn’t dare listen too closely. He was likely holding his breath, focusing his mind elsewhere. Naturally, he wouldn’t know that the woman in Ning Wang’s bed was actually his comrade, Qingge.
Just as this thought crossed Qingge’s mind, Ning Wang suddenly moved. Startled, she opened her eyes and looked over. Before she could fully register what was happening, a pair of strong hands grabbed her arms and turned her over, pinning her frame beneath his.
Qingge tried her best to suppress her instincts, restraining herself from any reflexive counterattack.
The glow of the red candle filtered through the bed curtains, illuminating the man’s chiseled face, making it appear even more ethereal.
As the pair of dark eyes stared intently at her, she heard him say in a deep and hoarse voice, slowly and without any room for rejection: “One more time.”
…
This second round lasted so long that Qingge felt like she was stuck in an unending storm that could go on forever. Amidst the relentless tempest, the absurdity left her thoroughly perplexed. She had been rigorously trained from childhood to be a sharp weapon at Ning Wang’s disposal, ready to sacrifice her life for him, and yet, here she was tonight—becoming his woman, his bed companion, receiving his touch and caress.
She could stand firmly like a pine above a thin wooden beam, sit poised like a drawn bow, and move swiftly like a wind, but now she felt like a helpless branch buffeted by the wind and rain, quivering and breaking apart under her master’s relentless attacks, barely able to withstand it.
She felt like a dewdrop on a flower petal, tossed and turned by the fierce wind and rain.
‘It’s too unbearable…’
Fortunately, it finally ended.
When it was over, Qingge shed tears—not from pain or sadness, but from a natural response to her body. It turned out that when a woman experienced the blending of yin and yang, a flood of emotions and sensations would overwhelm her. This was a completely unfamiliar experience for Qingge, and despite her rigorous training, she had not yet learned how to navigate it.
At this moment, both of them were covered with a thin layer of sweat, their skin pressed against each other, their presences tightly entwined. Ning Wang’s head nestled in her neck, his hot and heavy breaths brushed against her sensitive skin.
Qingge felt an itch at her neck—a tingling, numbing sensation. But she held back, resisting the urge to move.
She… didn’t want to incite him. She couldn’t stand a third round.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Translator’s Note:
This is my first time translating such, uh, ‘hot’ chapter, haha.
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.