Chapter 5: Why Are You Blushing?

Inside the bridal chamber, the wedding candles burned brightly.

Qin Lang had waved away the maids and matrons, including Shijian. The boisterous noise from outside the room gradually faded, leaving a sudden, heavy silence within.

As Shen Ruojin’s red bridal veil was lifted, her eyes met the amorous, smiling peach-blossom eyes of the young Prince Qin.

This husband, switched at the last moment, was truly a stunning sight. His features were peerless, unrivaled in this world. Even if their life together proved difficult, looking at this face would surely make things better.

Alone under the glow of the red candles, draped in the silken canopy, Shen Ruojin found herself locking gazes with him. Even she, having grown up surrounded by handsome men, felt her heartbeat falter and her ears grow warm.

"Shen Ruojin, why are you blushing?" Qin Lang leaned in, his fingers lightly flicking her earlobe.

The bride’s fair, delicate skin was flushed with a peach-blossom hue that made one want to take a bite.

Qin Lang chuckled near her ear, "Your ears are burning. You seemed quite bold before getting into the sedan chair, didn't you?"

She had dared to ask him in public if he wanted to swap brides. Yet, here she was, clearly nervous and unable to relax.

Shen Ruojin was usually unflappable, rarely letting her emotions show on her face, but she was only eighteen, and this was her first marriage. However, she was never one to admit defeat. Provoked by his teasing, she reached out and grabbed Qin Lang’s hand, pulling him down onto the wedding bed.

The red silk curtains swayed as the peanuts, longans, and red dates scattered across the bed.

Shen Ruojin held Qin Lang’s hand and pinned it against the bedpost. "It isn't that I am blushing or that my ears are burning, but rather that your eyes have turned red and your palms are heating up, my husband."

This sudden address of "husband" caught Qin Lang off guard. He paused, then quickly reacted, grabbing her hand in return and pinning her down onto the bed.

Qin Lang’s thin lips curled, "You certainly don't stand on ceremony."

Shen Ruojin went to kick him, but remembered that this man was her newly wedded husband, not a rival in combat. She pulled back her leg and forced herself to relax. "Aren't you quite anxious yourself? We haven't even shared the nuptial wine, and you're already talking about consummating the marriage?"

With their bodies pressed together, they could clearly feel each other's warmth; the posture was undeniably intimate. It felt as if they were truly about to consummate the marriage right then and there.

Just then, a servant called out from outside: "Second Master, the Heir is looking for you. It is time to go out and entertain the guests."

"Not going." Qin Lang remained in his position, pressing Shen Ruojin against the bed, refusing without a second thought. "What guest could be more important than accompanying the bride? If he wants to entertain, let him do it himself."

Shen Ruojin nudged him, but instead of getting up, Qin Lang reached out and removed the phoenix crown from her head, tossing it aside.

Shen Ruojin’s three thousand strands of dark hair cascaded down, spilling over the red silk quilt. Her already beautiful appearance instantly reached a peak of stunning allure. In the intimacy of the chamber, the atmosphere grew increasingly sultry.

The servant, unable to summon the groom, retreated with his head bowed. Moments later, the estate’s steward arrived, standing outside the window to say respectfully, "Second Master, the Prince requests your presence."

"Not going!" Qin Lang laughed in exasperation. "Disturbing a couple on their wedding night—what kind of father is that?"

"Second Master, you mustn't say such things..." The steward, also failing to bring out the groom, turned to report back.

"Are you truly not going?" Shen Ruojin couldn't help but laugh, exerting a bit of force to push Qin Lang over. The bed was full of peanuts and dates, which felt quite prickly.

Qin Lang, however, seemed perfectly comfortable, winding a strand of her hair around his finger. "If I left, wouldn't that leave you to keep an empty room alone?"

Before Shen Ruojin could reply, someone else arrived outside, their voice urgent.

"Young Prince, it's bad! Haitang Hong is performing on stage, and a rowdy noble, drunk, has gone up and started tearing at her clothes, threatening to force himself on her—"

Qin Lang braced himself against the bedpost and sat up slowly. "What sort of play is this?"

The person outside said, "It—it’s the second son of Minister Li! That Li fellow only dared to take advantage of the situation because he knew you were getting married today. If you were there, how would he dare?"

Qin Lang let out a sneer but said nothing. Instead, he stood up and began to unfasten his wedding robes.

Seeing that he hadn't left after three requests, Shen Ruojin couldn't help but ask, "Are you truly intending to consummate the marriage tonight?"

Qin Lang raised an eyebrow, replying with a question, "Are you afraid?"

"I wouldn't call it fear." Shen Ruojin simply found it strange. "But Qin Lang, you are the young Prince of the Zhenbei Prince’s mansion. It is already bizarre that you suddenly took a fancy to a concubine-born daughter of a Marquis to be your primary wife, and even more so that you chose to marry on the same day as me. When the situation arose today, you agreed to swap brides without a moment's hesitation. And now, you are even abandoning the courtesan you spent a fortune to promote just to stay here with me in this bridal chamber..."

She looked at him, listing the inconsistencies in his behavior, and concluded, "You are truly acting very strange, young Prince Qin."

For a split second, Qin Lang’s eyes flickered, as if a corner of a deep, hidden secret had been pried open. The man who was known to outsiders as a lover of the pleasure quarters and a romantic in the boudoir found he could no longer meet Shen Ruojin’s gaze.

Qin Lang turned his back to her, hung his wedding robes on the wooden rack, and grabbed a set of casual clothes to put on. Taking the moment to tie his sash, he calmed himself, then walked back to the bed and looked down at the bride. "Shen Ruojin, what is going on in that head of yours? You don't actually think I was undressing just to sleep with you, do you?"

Shen Ruojin said nothing. After all, that was exactly what she had thought.

Qin Lang added, "You wish."

Shen Ruojin was momentarily speechless. How could this young Prince change his tune so quickly?

Qin Lang continued, "I was merely testing you. I didn't expect you to take the bait so easily." His thin lips curled into a smirk, looking as if he had seen through her completely. "You really do have ulterior motives toward me."

Could he really do that? Shen Ruojin was both angry and amused. "You’ve said it all; if I don't harbor some motive, I would be the one losing out."

She had, in fact, married into the Zhenbei Prince’s mansion for power and wealth, so Qin Lang’s accusation wasn't entirely wrong.

Qin Lang looked at her deeply. "Know what you can covet in this mansion, and what you cannot."

"Naturally," Shen Ruojin nodded. Power and wealth were fair game; love and sincerity were not. She had known that all along.

Qin Lang turned and walked out of the chamber, signaling a few guards to follow him as he departed the estate in the middle of the night.

Listening to the commotion, Shen Ruojin knew he was off to play the hero at the theater. With him gone, he likely wouldn't return tonight. She thought this, then stood up to remove her heavy wedding dress, leaving only her white undergarments.

Qin Lang’s departure caused quite a stir; the maids and matrons outside whispered among themselves, saying that since they weren't sharing a bed on their wedding night, this marriage was unlikely to last.

Shijian brought in hot water and whispered, "It is your wedding night; why did the young Prince leave you here alone?"

"He was afraid I had ulterior motives."

Shen Ruojin touched her earlobe, which still felt warm. However, watching the back of the young Prince as he left, she wondered why his hurried, aggressive departure looked so much like he was fleeing the scene.

Strange things happen every year, but today, they were particularly abundant.