The candlelight flickered in the corridor, bright as daylight, illuminating the man’s familiar face— refined and handsome, with clear eyes and well-defined brows— in perfect detail.
This really felt like seeing a ghost.
How could it be him?
The Green Serpent Gentleman she had met once before in the bamboo grove!
Yun Ran stood frozen in place, her mind unable to catch up.
At the doorway stood Sima Jing, clad in a resplendent red wedding robe, frowning at the dazed and fully adorned young lady before him.
Firstly, he had never expected she was truly alive and had actually come to marry.
Secondly, he had no desire to come to this so-called bridal chamber, but Lady Empress Dowager Zhao had sent Langui Mama to pass along a message: that she was left alone in the chamber, restless and sorrowful, weeping quietly.
Recalling the faint kindness Yun Ran had shown Cui Bao’er in the bamboo grove that day, he had decided to come check on her.
But upon opening the door, he was immediately splattered with a pasted note.
Looking at the heavily made-up young lady before him, barely resembling the gentle figure he once knew, with a compass tucked at her waist and a yellow talisman gripped in her hand, lively and spirited— how was there any trace of the sadness and tears he was told about?
His perception was deceived once again, and Sima Jing’s expression darkened.
“Sorry, truly sorry!”
Seeing his face turn grim, Yun Ran quickly reacted, tucking the talisman back at her waist while raising her hand to wipe the glue residue from his forehead. “I really didn’t want the wind to be so strong…”
Her delicate fingertips barely touched his brow before her wrist was gripped tightly.
She blinked in surprise and met a pair of cold, deep black eyes.
“Don’t touch me.”
Yun Ran: “…”
Once released, she took a step back.
Thinking about how coldly he had said “Don’t touch me,” she felt a bit annoyed, as if she were the one desperate to touch him.
But since she was clearly at fault, she took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to snap back.
“I really didn’t mean it. You’re generous, so don’t take it to heart. If… if you’re really angry, well…”
Biting her lip, Yun Ran held out a talisman. “I’ll let you put one on me too.”
Seeing the resolute expression on her pale face, Sima Jing was momentarily speechless.
After a few steady breaths, he lowered his gaze, fixing it on the talisman in her hand.
The vermilion lines were bold and solid— no ordinary trinket.
According to the informants planted in the Marquis of Changxin Manor, she hadn’t left the mansion since returning from Xuandu Temple. It seemed this talisman was exactly what she had requested there.
Her visit to Xuandu Temple was ostensibly for leisure but in reality was to seek a talisman for warding off evil… to protect herself from him?
A faint smirk curled at the corner of Sima Jing’s lips as his gaze returned to the extravagantly made-up face.
Yun Ran noticed he neither took the talisman nor spoke, only quietly staring at her, sending a chill down her spine.
But it was just a talisman pasted on, not a dagger piercing her. Was it really necessary to be so angry?
Could it be… he was truly possessed by some evil spirit and afraid of talisman magic?
At that thought, Yun Ran swallowed hard and instinctively took another step back.
Unfortunately, her cumbersome skirt was already bunched up. As she retreated, her foot caught on the fabric, and in an instant, she stumbled—
“Ah!”
She screamed, her hands flailing forward in a reflex to grab anything for support.
Perhaps the man before her would reach out to catch her. Yun Ran hoped silently.
But he remained standing with his hands behind his back, his handsome features utterly unmoved, as if she were nothing but air.
His indifference was infuriating.
Resigned, she closed her eyes and fell backward, grinding her teeth in silent fury.
What a cold and heartless bastard! She would never forgive him!
The next moment, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.
Before she could react, the force pulled her forward, and with a “thud,” her face was pressed against a broad, firm chest.
She cried out in pain, grimacing and gasping for breath, convinced her nose was broken.
A low grunt seemed to come from above her head.
Yun Ran froze, thinking it might be her imagination, but still clutched her nose and looked up, meeting the sharp lines of the man’s jaw.
To her surprise, what had been a smooth, jade-like jaw was now marred by a thumb-length bloodied scratch.
“Your chin…”
Yun Ran was startled, realizing that with all the hairpins in her head, she must have accidentally scratched him while he pulled her in.
Sima Jing, unable to see the wound clearly, only frowned as his gaze swept over her dazzling and inconvenient head ornaments, then lowered his dark eyes to the woman in his arms.
She tilted her face up, her makeup thick like a mask, yet her eyes were remarkably clear, filled now with shock, panic, and… concern.
She was worried about him?
Sima Jing’s brow twitched slightly. Seeing their intimate proximity, he tightened his jaw and quickly released his grip.
“Stay away from me.”
With that, he turned and strode out.
Yun Ran stood dumbfounded at the doorway, utterly baffled.
What on earth was going on with this man?
He was the one who helped her, yet also the one who looked at her with disdain…
Though the man was difficult, Yun Ran couldn’t help but wonder—
Was he ill?
If not for some kind of sickness—
“Madam! Madam!”
Qingling hurried in from outside and stopped short at the sight of Yun Ran’s disheveled gown and crooked hair. She gasped, “Madam, are you alright? Why are you in such a state? Did you quarrel with Wangye? Did he lay hands on you?”
Because Langui Mama had specially reminded them that Wangye preferred peace and disliked crowds, none of the servants had approached the bridal chamber’s main door.
Seeing Jing Wang arrive from afar earlier, Qingling had quietly breathed a sigh of relief on behalf of the young lady.
After all, the fact that Wangye didn’t come to greet the bride signaled his displeasure with the match.
If he also failed to show up on the wedding night, Yun Ran would become the laughingstock of all Chang’an.
Not expecting that after Jing Wang pushed open the door, an apology was heard, followed by a scream.
Qingling’s heart clenched. She wanted to rush in but was firmly held back by the palace maid, “Don’t act impulsively. Wait and see. If you ruin the good relations between Wangye and the Princess Consort, I’ll be responsible.”
Qingling had no choice but to grit her teeth and wait. But the next moment, Jing Wang came striding out of the bridal chamber.
In the bright moonlight, his face was as cold and pale as jade, revealing no emotion— only a red mark scarred his jaw.
Not just Qingling, but all the maids in the corridor were flustered, exchanging worried glances and silent guesses.
“Madam, please say something. What happened?”
Qingling thought she had been frightened speechless by Jing Wang, hurried forward, gripping Yun Ran’s hand and shaking her gently. “I’m timid— don’t scare me like that.”
Yun Ran was brought back to her senses and shook her head, “I’m fine.”
Qingling didn’t believe her. “If you’re fine, why did you scream? And why did Jing Wang suddenly leave?”
“Uh, I screamed because the wedding skirt was too long, and I nearly tripped. As for why Jing Wang left…”
Yun Ran gazed at the courtyard outside, lanterns hanging high and the moon bright and clear, her face full of confusion. “I don’t know either.”
Could it be… just because she bumped into his arms?
But she didn’t mind him holding her waist. He was a grown man— would he really care about that?
Strange, very strange.
Seeing Yun Ran’s only disarray was her clothing and hair, Qingling let out a long breath.
“But madam, why were you at the door?”
After a pause, Qingling’s eyes flicked to the compass and talisman tucked at Yun Ran’s waist, her lips tightening. “When did you put those on?”
“Tsk, that’s a long story.”
Seeing that the figure outside had already disappeared and thinking he wouldn’t be coming back, Yun Ran gathered the heavy layers of her skirt in her arms.
“Let’s go inside and talk. You can help me take down this hairdo. It’s so heavy. After a whole day, I feel like I’ve got a pig’s head sitting on my neck.”
Qingling: “…”
She joked, so it seemed there really had been no quarrel.
Supporting Yun Ran to the vanity, Qingling hesitated slightly while undoing the hair. “Are you sure you want to take it down?”
Yun Ran nodded, “Yes. I’m not lying, it’s really heavy.”
Qingling glanced around the richly decorated wedding chamber— red candles burning bright, the Hejin Wine untouched on the rosewood table, the wedding couch laid out perfectly— and couldn’t help but ask, “But madam, tonight is your wedding night. Why did His Highness leave?”
“…I honestly don’t know.”
Yun Ran didn’t even know how to explain Sima Jing’s strange personality to Qingling. Since their encounter in the bamboo grove, she couldn’t understand him, let alone after today.
“Anyway, I don’t think he’ll come back tonight. You’d better help me take these off quickly, so I can wash up and sleep early.”
As she spoke, she began to remove the heavy, jewel-encrusted pure gold earrings.
“Tiring myself out all morning has worn me out.”
She thought bitterly that getting married was even more exhausting than a full day of planting vegetables. She probably would only marry once in her lifetime.
Qingling watched her calm composure and was at a loss for words.
Back at the Marquis’s mansion, the young lady had always been easygoing and carefree.
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