That night, Sima Jing did not come to the bridal chamber.
Yun Ran was utterly exhausted after a whole day of activities and didn’t even have time to think about whether Sima Jing would show up or not.
She hastily ate her meal, then bathed and prepared for bed.
Only when she lay down on the large red dragon-and-phoenix auspicious bed did she belatedly realize that one person was missing beside her. The bed suddenly felt especially spacious.
This—
Was wonderful!
She thought about lying sideways, diagonally, rolling around — she could sleep however she wanted!
On the outer couch, Qingling, who was on night watch, carefully listened to the quiet inside, afraid that her young mistress would be so worried she’d be restless and tearful.
After all, this was only the second night of the new marriage. For the prince to leave his young wife alone in the empty room seemed too heartless.
After listening for a while, the chamber remained completely silent.
Qingling, puzzled, tiptoed to the bedside and peered through a crack in the curtain.
Inside the dimly lit bridal bed, her young mistress was lying stretched out in the middle, hugging the bright red embroidered quilt, softly snoring in deep and peaceful sleep.
Qingling: “……”
Great, she was worrying for nothing again.
It was good that her mistress was carefree about everything, but if she stayed this careless, wouldn’t she be destined to remain a separate-room couple with the prince forever?
Unaware of Qingling’s concern, Yun Ran slept deeply and soundly, dreaming of her Master and Senior Sisters from Shuiyue Temple.
Upon waking, she looked at the exquisitely carved red lacquer bed with a hint of disappointment.
But the disappointment quickly melted away with the joy of returning—
Today she would see her father, mother, and brothers and sisters-in-law again!
Though it had only been two days, she felt as if separated by a lifetime. Without wasting a moment, she sprang out of bed and began her morning cultivation routine.
Her agreed departure time with Sima Jing was the si hour, and with a quarter to go, Yun Ran boarded the carriage.
As she sat inside, pondering the taste of the Western Market Brew Fourth Brother had bought— wondering how it compared to the Peach Blossom Brew she used to drink— a chorus of greetings came from outside the carriage: “Your Highness, many blessings.”
Yun Ran blinked, sitting up straighter.
The next moment, a slender, long-fingered hand lifted the sapphire blue carriage curtain.
Against a wash of bright and gentle early winter sunlight, a tall, slender figure clad in smoky ink-colored robes bent down and entered.
Yun Ran’s gaze involuntarily fell on the man’s face—
In truth, when someone’s appearance is exceptionally striking, it’s hard to resist looking longer.
Sima Jing noticed her gaze as soon as he entered.
From the time he was two or three years old and had conscious awareness, he knew he was born with good looks.
Whether the imperial consorts and maids inside the palace, the Noble Ladies with Imperial Decree outside, or even the Grand Tutor who first instructed him, their first words upon seeing him were always to praise his handsome and refined appearance, unlike any mortal child.
Yet that face brought him as much admiration as it later brought humiliation and trouble. He hated it with a passion.
“Stop staring at me.”
Sima Jing sat by the window, his dark eyes quietly glaring at Yun Ran. “Or I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Yun Ran was about to greet him, but his abrupt and harsh words froze her smile.
Had he eaten sulfur for breakfast? So sharp and unfriendly?
She reined in her smile and frowned. “What’s wrong? I haven’t even said a word. How did I offend you?”
Sima Jing said nothing, only ordering outside: “Move out.”
Seeing him deliberately ignore her, Yun Ran felt even more vexed. Two voices rang in her head simultaneously—
One voice, hands on hips and gritting teeth: “Who does he think he is, acting all arrogant every day like she owes him a fortune? Fine, ignore him! She doesn’t care!”
The other voice, waving a handkerchief: “Forget it, didn’t you know he’s always been this way? Why bother arguing with a weirdo? She still has to go home today. If things get too tense, she’s the one who loses. These are the three demands she made just to get the Return Home Ceremony!”
For the sake of today’s flawless Return Home plan, Yun Ran silently recited the “Book of Clarity and Tranquility” and decided to keep the big picture in mind, not letting him see her temper.
But that didn’t mean she’d swallow her anger silently—
After all, she was a very reasonable person.
“Your Highness, have you heard of the ‘Food and Color’ principle?”
“It refers to eating and desire, which are natural to humans.”
“For example, a newborn baby, though ignorant and without thought, knows to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, sleep when tired, cries loudly at frightening things, and instinctively seeks out beautiful things. These are all natural instincts.”
“Maybe I stared at you a little too long just now…”
She said this with a hint of defiance, muttering softly, “But not that long, right?” Then she straightened her tone and continued, “If you felt offended, just tell me plainly. I’ll apologize— rather than threatening to gouge my eyes out.”
“Besides, when I looked at you just now, there was no ill intent.”
As she spoke, her eyes involuntarily drifted back to the truly handsome face before her. “I really couldn’t control my eyes… okay, I’m done now.”
Saying that, she turned away.
Sima Jing: “……”
He had only said one sentence, yet though she said she wouldn’t make him apologize, her tone betrayed her stubbornness.
“Is that enough?”
Yun Ran faced the carriage wall but kept her ears tuned to the silence behind her. “If Your Highness won’t say it, does that mean I agree? Then next time before you speak, remember to give me a heads-up so I can turn around.”
Sima Jing: “……”
Though unwilling to entertain such childish antics, he thought of the Gift List in his sleeve and sighed: “Turn around.”
Yun Ran didn’t look back. “Your Highness, is there something you need?”
Sima Jing: “Take it.”
Yun Ran: “What?”
Sima Jing: “Take it and you’ll know.”
Yun Ran: “If I turn around, I’m sure I’ll just end up staring at you again. What if you get mad and gouge my eyes out?”
Sima Jing: “……”
“Oh, right, I could just close my eyes.”
She answered herself, then turned around and extended her small hand. “Your Highness, give it to me.”
Seeing her tightly shut eyes, Sima Jing was momentarily speechless.
He placed the Return Home Gift List onto her open palm but couldn’t help noticing the calluses on her fingers and a faint scar at her thumb’s base.
After a moment’s thought, he asked, “What’s that scar on your hand?”
Yun Ran took the list and swiftly turned away.
Hearing his question, she casually replied, “A few years ago, I went to the back mountain to chop firewood and fell without noticing. My palm hit a sharp stone. Luckily, it wasn’t deep. I treated it with some herbal paste, and in four or five days it scabbed over and healed.”
To Yun Ran, it was just an ordinary little thing.
But Sima Jing looked at the small figure turned away and couldn’t help imagining the scene.
A few years back, she was just an eight- or nine-year-old child, arms probably no thicker than a stick of firewood, going up the mountain to chop wood. When she fell and got hurt, did she cry?
She must have.
The wound that left the scar surely opened the skin and flesh. How could she not cry?
The first time his own flesh was whipped open, he cried in pain. She was a little girl after all.
“Yun…”
Sima Jing pressed his thin lips together and called softly, “Yun Ran.”
Her figure paused but didn’t turn around. “Your Highness, do you still need something?”
Sima Jing: “Turn around.”
Yun Ran felt inexplicably amused but obeyed, though keeping her eyes closed. “Speak quickly, Your Highness. I haven’t finished reading the list yet.”
For a moment, Sima Jing thought she was deliberately teasing him.
But her expression was innocent, her tone sincere, as if truly afraid he would gouge her eyes out.
He exhaled deeply, then said, “Open your eyes and speak. I promise I’ll listen.”
Before he finished speaking, the young lady in the pink dress suddenly opened her eyes: “Really?”
Sima Jing had never seen such bright and lively eyes.
Though the carriage was dimly lit, the moment she opened her eyes, they sparkled like a clear mountain stream — shimmering, verdant, and moist.
One couldn’t bear to look away.
“Really? I can look at you as much as I want, and you won’t get mad or gouge my eyes out?” Her eyes were full of delight, and on closer look, a hint of cheeky triumph. “A real man keeps his word. The Masters are all watching from above!”
Sima Jing: “……”
He didn’t believe it, whether they heard it or not.
But looking at those joyful, sparkling black eyes, he pursed his lips slightly. “Fine.”
Let her look. He just wanted some peace and quiet.
–
The sky was clear and bright with not a cloud in sight.
Because the newlywed Great Aunt was returning home today, the Marquis of Changxin Manor began preparing from early morning.
The large red lacquered front door was wide open, the big red lanterns from two days ago still hung high.
The two Auspicious Stone Lions flanking the entrance were polished to a mirror shine, their bronze rings gleaming warmly in the early winter sunlight.
“Faster, faster! The Wangye’s carriage has already arrived at the ward’s gate!”
The house steward of the manor had changed into a brand-new dark blue robe, briskly directing the servants, “Today is Great Aunt’s first Return Home after marriage. If there’s any mistake, we’re all in for a beating!”
The servants, well aware of how highly their master valued the Great Aunt, and knowing the prince she married was an unforgiving and ruthless man, immediately stood straighter and focused fully.
Outside the manor in Xuanhua Ward, the street was already packed with curious onlookers.
“Hey, I have to say, this Marquis’s daughter really is blessed! She was kidnapped by human traffickers and taken so far away as a child, yet after all these years, she was found safe and sound. Now married to that infamous Heavenly Curse Wangye, she’s still alive and well. That’s some serious luck!”
“No kidding! When I saw her get into the bridal sedan the other day, I was squeezed in the crowd and broke out in a cold sweat. I was afraid she’d be carried in upright but carried out sideways.”
“Bah, don’t say that! Don’t you know this Jing Wangfei is a practitioner? Maybe her Daoist heart has mercy and she’s been blessed by the Three Pure Ones.”
Hearing this, the crowd suddenly understood. “No wonder she survived— it’s because she’s a disciple of the Three Pure Ones.”
“In that case, the Three Pure Ones really are powerful. I should go worship them sometime too.”
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Here they come! It’s the Wangye’s procession!”
The previously noisy crowd instantly quieted down, like puppets pulled by invisible strings. Everyone stood on tiptoes, craning their necks, staring toward the street entrance.
Accompanied by the tinkling of imperial bells, a long procession approached the ward gate.