Chu Lian frowned and stared at He Changdi's tall figure. Her brows were furrowed as her gaze took on a tinge of a probing glint when she looked at him.
She was very confused. The He Changdi in the novel was supposed to be easygoing and open-hearted. He was a rare stalwart gentleman. However, the person before her had nothing in common with the male lead who had been described in the novel. Apart from his looks, his personality was completely different.
If the He Changdi in the novel was like a noble, unsullied bright moon, then the He Changdi before her was like a cold wind cutting through the night, bringing chills wherever he went!
How had this happened?
Chu Lian thought long and hard, but she still couldn't understand. Everything had gone exactly like the novel had described, except when it came to He Changdi!
As for the newlywed groom standing with his hands behind his back, he tossed his sleeves and heartlessly walked right out of the bridal chamber. It was as if gazing upon his pretty bride for a moment longer would make him blind, so the only answer left was to leave!
After He Changdi had left, Senior Servant Gui and Chu Lian's personal maidservants rushed in.
When they saw Chu Lian sprawled on the ground, eyes blank and hair a mess, the phoenix crown unceremoniously lying on the floor, Senior Servant Guis eyes reddened as her mind filled in the details of the events that had just occurred in the bridal chamber.
"Sixth Miss, please stand up. The floor is cold; you have to take care of your body."
Senior Servant Gui discreetly wiped the corners of her eyes and pulled Chu Lian up with the help of Jingyan, letting her rest on the bed.
After sending Xiyan to the bathroom for hot water, Senior Servant Gui gently asked, "Sixth Miss, what happened with Young Master just now? Did Sixth Miss suffer any grievances?"
Chu Lian finally regained her senses. She still couldn't wrap her head around how He Changdi's personality had changed so much.
Raising her head, she took a look at the nursemaid and maidservants who had accompanied Chu Lian when she had left her maiden home. Chu Lian bore with the pain in her neck and the doubts in her heart to smile at them, trying not to look so pitiful. She knew that these servants cared for Chu Lian wholeheartedly.
"It's nothing. You dont have to worry about it, momo. (1) Let Xiyan and the others prepare some hot water. I want to bathe and get out of this cumbersome bridal dress."
It seemed like she wanted to hide what just happened by changing the topic, so Senior Servant Gui felt that she shouldn't continue pursuing her line of questioning.
However, she couldn't stop worrying and urged, "Sixth Miss, don't forget. You have this servant and these few girls by your side!"
Chu Lian nodded absentmindedly, making Senior Servant Gui anxious.
While Fuyan was helping Chu Lian wash in the bath, she discovered the bruises ringing her fair neck. Fuyan jumped in shock, but with a quick turn of wit, she didn't ask Chu Lian how she had gotten those bruises. Instead, she went to report this matter to Senior Servant Gui without Chu Lian's knowledge.
After having a hot bath and changing into a thin, red nightgown, the lighter weight on her body finally helped dispel the rest of the fright He Changdi had given her.
When she came out of the bathroom, Mingyan had already tidied up the conjugal bed. Fuyan supported her as she walked to the dressing table and helped her remove her makeup. By the time Chu Lian finished drinking a small cup of fragrant tea, it was already 9pm.
The groom should have returned to the bridal chamber by now.
Although Chu Lian didn't understand why He Changdi's personality had changed so much, she still waited patiently.
Finally, a maidservant dressed in green came
The maidservant passed on a message: "Third Young Madam, Third Young Master drank too much at the banquet just now because he was receiving toasts from a few princes and close friends. He was afraid of disturbing Young Madam with the smell of alcohol, so he's already settled in the study. He says to let Young Madam rest earlier."
When Senior Servant Gui and the other maidservants heard the green-clad maidservants words, all of their expressions turned blank in shock!
He Sanlang wasn't going to enter the bridal chamber!?
If this were to spread out of the estate, how would their young miss be able to raise her head outside?!
"Sixth Miss, how could this be? Why don't you let this old servant send someone to invite Third Young Master over?" Senior Servant Gui couldn't understand why He Changdi had refused to even enter the bridal chamber. There were no grudges between the two families, and Sixth Miss hadn't offended anyone in the House of Count Jingan (2) either, let alone He Sanlang. The two of them had not even met before the wedding, so how could there be any resentment between them?
However, Chu Lian shook her head and sent the green-clad maidservant away.
"There's no need for that. Momo, why don't you all go to bed? There's no need for us to invite him; He Sanlang will return to the bridal chamber by himself."
As for why Chu Lian would say something like that, it was purely because of what she had just experienced. He Changdi had nearly strangled her to death, but he had left her hanging by a thread in the end: frightened, but alive. Combined with the mysterious things that she couldn't make head nor tails of, it was highly unlikely that He Changdi was avoiding the bridal chamber because he was drunk. Besides, when he had come in just now, she hadn't smelled a trace of alcohol on him.
He was clearly doing this on purpose to humiliate her!
Since he was doing this on purpose, why would she try to invite him back? Wasn't that just asking to be humiliated?
Furthermore, when had a bride ever needed to beg for her husband to enter the bridal chamber?!
"Sixth Miss!" Fuyan stubbornly refused to go to sleep. "How could Third Young Master act like this? Sixth Miss was his formal and legal wife!"
"Alright, alright. Go wash up and go to bed. We still have to get up early tomorrow. Nothing will change even if you fuss around here. "
Senior Servant Gui could only bring the other maidservants out with her as she left, leaving Chu Lian alone in the bridal chamber.
Chu Lian sat on the side of the bed and ran through everything that had happened in her mind, trying to recall some details that she had read in the novel. Then she removed the white handkerchief hidden under the bedsheets. (3) Using a silver needle that she had found, Chu Lian pricked her ring finger, letting the blood well up and drip onto the white handkerchief. Finally, she stored the handkerchief away.
She had been orphaned at an early age in the modern world and had grown up poor. After a period of hardship and hard work, dueling back and forth with the schemes of others on her career path while learning how to be two-faced, she had finally made a better life for herself. Thus, Chu Lian wasn't naive at all. In fact, she was rather smart and tenacious. She knew how to wait and observe the situation.
Although she had been hoping for a perfect and genuine romance, it didn't mean that she was an absolute fool.
Everything that had happened just now was already enough food for thought. She was even starting to suspect that the current He Changdi could be in a similar situation as hers, and was no longer the original He Changdi.
Chu Lian believed in herself. She wasn't a softie that someone could just trample over.
The most important thing right now was to make sense of the situation.
That said, Chu Lian felt rather lucky that she had some foreknowledge of what was going to happen.
Although she wasn't too clear on the current situation anymore, she wasn't going to just sit there and be humiliated! If He Changdi was still the original He Changdi, then she wouldn't mind playing nice with him and treating him as her actual husband. However, if He Changdi had changed and become a bastard, then she wouldn't let him play around with her as he liked.
After consolidating her thoughts, Chu Lian burrowed into the auspicious red blankets and slipped into dreamland within a few short moments.
"What's the situation over there? " A tall, lanky figure hidden under the dim candlelight questioned an inconspicuous maidservant.
Replying to Third Young Master, "Third Young Madam has already gone to bed."
"What! " The hand He Changdi had been holding behind his back abruptly tightened into a fist, his knuckles turning white.
Chu Lian's reaction was completely out of He Changdi's predictions. He had avoided going to the bridal chamber in order to humiliate her, but he hadn't thought that that bitch could still sleep this easily!
Recalling all the events that had happened in his past life, He Changdi felt only hatred welling up inside him. He couldn't change his marriage, but he wouldn't let this woman occupying the position of his legal wife pass her days peacefully. Otherwise, how could he bear the pain she had inflicted on him in her previous life?!
While most people treasured every moment of their wedding night, He Changdi hated that this night couldn't pass quicker. He wanted to see his good wife's ugly expression when she wouldn't be able to hand over the white handkerchief that acted as a virginity test the next day.
As expected, before the sun rose, after waking from her deep sleep, Chu Lian heard the soft rustling of clothes being taken off. The wedding candles were still lit up, so she could clearly see the person standing by the bed just by opening her eyes a little.
He Changdi was tall and slender, but he didn't seem too skinny or weak. With long brows and handsome features, he exuded a heroic aura. Looking at him under the dim light, the cold and gloomy expression he had during the day was gone. Without it, he appeared as handsome as a god. He really lived up to his title of He Sanlang the Fair.
At this moment, He Sanlang finally fit with his description in the novel.
However, upon thinking of He Changdi's changes, Chu Lian rolled her eyes and shut them, going back to sleep once again.
He Changdi had stayed in the study for more than half the night with an uneasy state of mind. It was the start of winter, so no matter how strong and healthy he was, he still felt cold all over in the end.
He casually took off his outer robe and threw it to one side before pushing aside the curtains on the bedchamber. (4) The scene that unfolded before his eyes caused his dormant temper to ignite again, as if it had been doused with gasoline.
Chu Lian was curled up in the warm blankets, sleeping soundly. Her hair was slightly messy, and her lips were tilted upwards. She was clearly very comfortable, and she didn't look the slightest bit troubled!
Meanwhile, he had been suffering in the cold study, stifled by his emotions, without even the appetite to finish his dinner.
Suddenly, He Changdi felt that his ploy to give Chu Lian the cold shoulder had been completely ineffective, as if he had been punching cotton.
He took in a deep breath and coldly watched the girl wrapped in the warm blankets. Then he pulled away the blankets wrapped around Chu Lian with a strong tug.
Chu Lian was already used to sleeping alone, and she liked to wrap herself up in her blankets when she slept to preserve warmth. When He Changdi tugged the blankets like that, it wasnt only the blankets that were pulled away. Chu Lian rolled along with the tug and ended up sprawled over the outer half of the bed.
He Changdi let out a depressed sigh and could only bring out another set of blankets and move them over to the now empty inner part of the bedchamber. He crawled in silently to sleep.
However, the cold blankets on his body made him feel even worse. There wasnt a single spot on his body that was warm anymore.
Chu Lian shifted a little and wrapped the warm blankets around herself more tightly. In her heart, she thought to herself in bad taste that He Sanlang could simply freeze to death.
He Changdi took in a deep breath to calm himself down and shut his eyes.
However, before the icy cold blankets on He Sanlang could warm up, some older servants from the main house came to invite the newlyweds to wake up.
Senior Servant Gui was standing in the outer chamber, exchanging greetings from the two servants from the main house with her heart in her throat. If Countess Jingan or Matriarch He found out that Third Young Master had not stayed in the young mistress room last night, then how would the young mistress be able to comfortably live in the estate of Count Jingan from now on?
Although Senior Servant Gui was still carefully receiving the older servants together with Xiyan, she was close to collapsing inside. Finally, she heard Chu Lian calling for Jingyan to enter in a soft voice.
-------
1. Momo means senior servant, referring to an older, married female servant. Chu Lian is speaking in a more casual tone, so having senior servant in the dialogue didnt quite fit. Ill be using momo in dialogue and Senior Servant as the full title in narration from now on!
2. The House of Count Jingan refers to the He Family. Jingan doesnt refer to the familys surname, but is more of a title bestowed along with the peerage.
3. This white handkerchief is used as a test for the brides virginity. If theres no blood on it after the wedding night, it either meant that the bride was not a virgin (a huge thing in ancient China) or that the couple had not consummated the marriage. Either one could cause the marriage to be annulled, and the brides future would be ruined, as well as the reputation of her family. Other families will think twice about marrying the single ladies of the brides family as well.
4. The bedchamber here refers to a very specific type of bed used in ancient China, called qian gong chuang, literally bed made with the labour of a thousand men. Heres a pic!