Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Her cool fingertip brushed the red silk ribbon at Chen Yingchou's lips.

"Thump—"

The carriage suddenly jolted.

Chen Yingchou's lips twitched, and in alertness, his breath paused for a moment.

Jiang Mo, thrown off balance by the sudden jolt, could not withdraw her hand in time, and with too much force, pulled off the red silk ribbon.

The sudden mishap left her stunned, her hand, ribbon in it, frozen mid-air, her whole body stiff.

Chen Yingchou instinctively ducked his head, shielding his eyes with his left hand while grabbing her wrist with his right, and said sternly, "What are you doing!" as if facing an enemy.

His deep, commanding voice made Jiang Mo's hair stand on end; his cold, harsh attitude filled her with fear.

Her wrist was squeezed painfully, but she didn't dare cry out.

She looked at Chen Yingchou, shocked.

What unforgivable thing had she done to make Prince Yu this furious?

Just moments ago, at Zichen Hall, he'd handed her a handkerchief, telling her not to be afraid; when the Empress had put her on the spot, he had defended her, sparing her from punishment; he'd even called her "wife" at Yaohua Pavilion, putting on an appearance of marital harmony.

From last night until now, she could tell Prince Yu had no affection for Wei Yalan, yet due to their positions, he treated her courteously.

He could comply with the decree and marry someone he didn't love—a man who could bend and stretch, deeply calculating and patient.

She had thought that even if they couldn't be a perfect match, they'd at least be polite and proper.

Now, having accidentally pulled off his eye-covering ribbon, Prince Yu's attitude had changed drastically, showing that his earlier recognition and protection of her were just for the greater good.

This woke her up: Prince Yu's self-restraint and courtesy came only from his compromise to an arranged marriage, not because of who she was.

She also needed to understand that Duke Qingguo had arranged for her to marry Prince Yu as a stand-in, merely to keep the peace on the surface between Prince Yu's Mansion and Duke Qingguo's Mansion.

From now on, she must not be fooled by appearances; she must always remember who she really was, and always remember that the courtesy she got was because of the person she was replacing.

Jiang Mo steadied herself, not panicking or getting confused. Calmly, she continued what she was doing, brushing aside the strand of hair at Chen Yingchou's lips and said softly, "I only wanted to help Your Highness tidy your hair; I didn't mean to pull off the ribbon."

Perhaps Chen Yingchou also felt he'd overreacted; he loosened his grip, leaving a clear red mark on Jiang Mo's wrist.

Looking at Chen Yingchou, still covering his eyes with his palm, Jiang Mo said, "Let me tie the ribbon back on for you, Your Highness."

"You don't need to do that. Give me the ribbon," Chen Yingchou extended his other hand, his voice laced with suppressed anger and a firm command.

Jiang Mo put the red silk ribbon in Chen Yingchou's palm and watched him fumble to tie it back on, feeling that the person right in front of her seemed a world away.

Another gust of wind blew in, as if trying to stir up something more, but Jiang Mo didn't give it a chance; she pressed the carriage curtain down firmly.

Earlier, Duke Qingguo had warned her that Prince Yu seemed gentle and courteous, refined and polite, but was actually deep and hard to read. Since losing his sight, his temperament had become even more unpredictable, and she had to be careful.

Just now, she had indeed been careless.

It seemed that in the future, finding the right balance between closeness and distance as husband and wife would be incredibly hard.

"I overstepped earlier, and I beg Your Highness for leniency."

As a lawful wife, tidying her husband's clothes was the most ordinary thing, hardly an overstep; these words were meant to state her stance and emphasize Prince Yu's absolute authority.

Chen Yingchou was silent for a long time. Just when Jiang Mo thought they'd be quiet the whole ride, he spoke, "I heard that the legitimate daughter of Duke Qingguo had been spoiled since childhood and was domineering and arrogant. I never expected the rumors to be wrong."

A chill ran down Jiang Mo's spine. She knew that Wei Yalan was indeed willful and unrestrained. Had it been Wei Yalan today, she would have bluntly questioned the Empress during breakfast at Zichen Hall, and by now would have been quarreling with Prince Yu. But how could she dare to do that?

No, if it were really Wei Yalan, she would have immediately confronted Prince Yu about not consummating the marriage last night and would never have swallowed her grievances.

She could not let Prince Yu detect the anomaly. Seizing a flash of inspiration, she said, "I was doted on by my parents since childhood, so of course I was willful, but that was in my own household. Now that I am a wife, the 'Admonitions for Women' says, 'A husband may take another wife, but a wife has no reason to remarry; therefore it is said that a husband is like heaven. Heaven cannot be escaped; a husband cannot be parted from.' Where would I find the confidence to be willful again?"

Chen Yingchou's brows visibly furrowed, his face darkening. With a hint of self-mockery, he said, "On the way to the palace, you poured tea for me; on the palace path, you supported me considerately. I thought you took pity on my blindness and were a kind-hearted woman. At Zichen Hall, you took the blame for the unconsummated marriage, and I thought you truly protected me. At Yaohua Pavilion, you rejected Ninth Brother's reassurances, and I thought you understood my hardships."

He paused, sighed softly, and then continued, "Yet I never expected you too are a woman trapped by female precepts, willing to be a spineless one driven by interests."

Jiang Mo was baffled. What had she said? How had she been defined as a conservative, spineless, submissive weakling?

Could it be that in his view, everything she did today was merely due to rigid adherence to teachings?

Her original intention in citing the 'Admonitions for Women' regarding a husband being heaven was to show respect, but it had been so misunderstood.

Duke Qingguo was right—Chen Yingchou's mind was too difficult to fathom.

So be it. Spinelessness, interests—whatever. After all, she was always the weaker party. Facing Duke Qingguo and Prince Yu, in the end she had to yield.

Jiang Mo said, "Your Highness, please understand: our marriage is not one of mutual love; it is like many arranged marriages in this world—based on pros and cons, bound by interests, and likely to shackle us for a lifetime. Everything I did today was simply because Your Highness is my husband. As Princess Yu, it is naturally my duty to safeguard everything about Your Highness. Beyond that, there is nothing else. Your Highness need not have too high expectations of me, for I fear I may fail them."

It had nothing to do with emotions, only with identity and responsibility.

Chen Yingchou's lips curved bitterly, then slowly fell, as if in mockery or resignation. After a long while, he said, "I should be grateful for this marriage."

Jiang Mo looked at him in confusion.

"Wei Shi, you are already good enough. You regard me as heaven, protect me, respect me—that is sufficient. I was too greedy..."

Whatever had moved him earlier turned out to have nothing to do with him personally, only with the title "husband."

Thus, he could not discern whether it was hypocrisy or true kindness, driven by interest or genuine protection, feigned compliance or independent opinion.

Regardless, as his lawful wife, she had not acted rashly or spoken recklessly, nor had she disregarded the greater good. Being able to do this was already enough.

He had indeed been too greedy.

Jiang Mo probably guessed why Chen Yingchou was like this. She could explain the misunderstanding, but she did not want to.

Perhaps that teasing cold wind was fate, creating this rift between them with their words, and it had also granted her the kind of relationship she desired.

Distant but polite, cold yet stable.

Without quarrels, without

...

She could better play the role of Wei Yalan, and also better become herself.

So she deliberately misinterpreted his meaning, saying, "I understand what Your Highness means. From ancient times to the present, how many noble ladies who married into the deep palace have had their vitality completely worn away day after day. I am no exception. I will surely set aside my temperament, do my utmost, and put the Prince Yu's Mansion above all else."

Unable to see the eyes beneath the red silk, she only saw the brows above it sink.

Chen Yingchou clenched his jaw and tightened his fists, then relaxed again, as if making a grave decision.

"In that case, let's consummate the marriage tonight."

"What must come, will come. Jiang Mo remained calm."

"Yes, my lord. I'll have Xingchun prepare everything."

"As the carriage arrived at the gate of Prince Yu's mansion, Qiao Yun helped Chen Yingchou alight first. After walking a few steps, Chen Yingchou heard Jiang Mo telling Xingchun to get things ready for the wedding night behind him, speaking without any attempt at discretion, as if she wanted the entire household to know."

"Chen Yingchou's steps faltered slightly, but he did not pause and proceeded straight to the main hall."

"The darker the night, the harder Jiang Mo's heart grew. In her eyes, what was about to happen was a duty that had to be fulfilled, just as a farmer can't be afraid of the sun while hoeing, or a woodcutter can't be afraid of the heights while chopping wood."

"She sat quietly on the bed, gazing at the white cloth laid out—unlike the one hidden under last night's red sheet. Tonight, it was so obvious that it reminded her of the funeral clothes she had worn at her mother's burial."

"Before, she had loved white: white clouds, white snow, white silk, white flowers."

"Soft, pure, untouched by dust."

"But after her mother's death, she had learned to dread this stark, lifeless white."

"Cold, lonely, steeped in sorrow."

"A fire was burning in the room, yet she felt no warmth."

""Creak—" The door opened."

"Jiang Mo looked at the man at the doorway, stood up, bewildered, and stepped forward to take Chen Yingchou's arm from Qiao Yun's grasp."

"The sound of the door closing sent an involuntary shiver through Jiang Mo's heart, as if a switch had been flipped, and she had to begin its operation."

"She guided Chen Yingchou to the bedside and said softly, "My lord, let me undress you.""

"Chen Yingchou nodded."

"In Jiang Mo's mind, images from the erotic illustrations surfaced. The drawings that had once made her blush had been forced upon her by the old governess sent by the wife of the Duke of Qing, over a dozen times. After being made to describe exactly how she would attend to him, her heart had become completely numb."

"Skillfully, she unfastened his jade belt, removed his jade pendant, and took off his outer robe..."

"As she lay close to him, the warmth and firmness of his body made her hands feel icy."

"She followed the steps from the book, thinking it would be easy, but the pain was unbearable."

"Enduring the pain, she did everything the book said, yet something must have gone wrong, because the man suddenly stopped."

""Does it hurt much?""

"Chen Yingchou's voice was somewhat hoarse as his hand reached for Jiang Mo's face."

"Jiang Mo, unsure of his intent, turned her face away, bit her lip, and said through tears, "It doesn't hurt.""

"Chen Yingchou still sat up, fumbling to put on his inner robe. "Help me dress, and call Qiao Yun to take me back to the main courtyard.""

"For some reason, Jiang Mo felt a deep sense of being wronged, mixed with a nameless anger and unexplainable resentment. She refused to get up and serve him, tears rolling down like beads, falling onto the back of Chen Yingchou's hand."

"She heard Chen Yingchou sigh, then he half sat up, pulled her into his arms, and rolled over to press her beneath him. "Don't push yourself. Let me take over.""

"Author's note:"

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