Cui Ming and Hong Ye have already placed the meat sauce and wine goblets on the table beside the bed.
The couple should eat the meat sauce together, then drink the cross-cupped wine, and then consummate the marriage.
Qin Yuan’s right sleeve was pinned down by Gu Jinghui’s left sleeve for quite a while.
This signifies the husband’s authority over the wife.
It implies that in the future, Qin Yuan is to follow wherever Gu Jinghui leads.
She had rehearsed her words, just as she was about to speak, her chin was gently lifted by two of Gu Jinghui’s fingers, and when she raised her eyes, she met his bright, star-like eyes, his pupils reflected only her.
Qin Yuan’s throat suddenly felt a bit dry, her fingers slightly curled, clutching her sleeve.
"Marquis..."
"Call me husband."
"Husband."
Qin Yuan’s voice was soft, with a faint hint of shyness.
Only then did Gu Jinghui lower his hand, saying, "We should eat and drink now."
"Mm."
Qin Yuan stood up, faced west, and sat behind the table, while Gu Jinghui came over to sit opposite her. They both raised their chopsticks and picked up the meat sauce.
This meat sauce was made from the same animal, and after eating it, they could truly be considered as one flesh.
Then came the drinking of the cross-cupped wine.
Gu Jinghui squinted slightly, watching as her little face gradually turned red, his Adam’s apple moved as he said, "Your tolerance for alcohol is indeed poor; truly the daughter of a civil servant, so delicate and weak."
Qin Yuan lowered her eyelids and said nothing.
The wine goblet in her hand was taken by Gu Jinghui and placed aside.
"Clear it away."
Hong Ye and Cui Ming cleared the items away and closed the room door, waiting outside.
Only the two of them were left inside the room.
Gu Jinghui held Qin Yuan’s hand, pulling her into his arms, his warm chest behind her, the smell of wine blending with his deep breathing enveloped her ears.
"Should we go to bed now?"
Qin Yuan’s phoenix coronet had not yet been removed, and the maids had been sent away by him, so she had to do it herself. Qin Yuan fumbled clumsily, and when Gu Jinghui tried to help, it only became more chaotic.
Qin Yuan urged him, "Husband, why don’t you first go and change?"
Gu Jinghui seemed to realize he was just causing trouble, and reluctantly withdrew his hands to the washroom.
Qin Yuan called Hong Ye and Cui Ming back in to help remove her hair ornaments and change into her nightclothes.
The nightclothes were also rushed by the Jixiu Pavilion, embroidered with a pattern of a hundred sons, with a lining of mandarin ducks playing in the water. The waist was slender, and the chest bulged slightly, looking extremely attractive.
Hong Ye muttered, "I just can’t believe the Marquis would bear it."
Qin Yuan urged her, "Just find the Marquis’s nightwear and place it on the embroidery stool by the bed."
Dispelling Hong Ye, Qin Yuan went to the washroom to freshen up.
When she came out, the room was silent. Gu Jinghui lay on his side of the bed, also wearing red nightclothes, with long hair like ink spread over the jade pillow, his eyes closed tightly as if he had fallen asleep.
Qin Yuan moved quietly, and as she approached, Gu Jinghui opened his eyes and softly said, "You sleep inside."
"I’ll sleep outside to serve you better."
These were things taught before marriage.
Qin Yuan’s voice was soft and gentle, yet very firm.
"No need," Gu Jinghui said, "I usually get up early to practice martial arts, better not disturb you. I used to have servants serve me, and in the military, I’m used to doing things myself."
Qin Yuan understood this was about his habits.
"Alright."
Qin Yuan sat at the end of the bed, took off her red embroidered shoes, revealing a pair of delicate, fair jade-like feet. Gu Jinghui’s gaze inadvertently fell on her, causing Qin Yuan to feel uneasy. She climbed over him clumsily, and felt his body suddenly stiffen. Then everything spun around, and she was pulled into a broad, solid chest.
It was warm and smelled of soap.
"Husband," Qin Yuan exclaimed softly in surprise.
Outside, there was a stifled laugh, someone eavesdropping at the wall.
Qin Yuan’s face grew hotter.
Outside the curtain, dragon and phoenix candles cast their light inside, rendering Gu Jinghui’s face even more handsome in the red candlelight, featuring a resolute face, a graceful chin, a high nose bridge, and deep eyes, truly entrancing.
Qin Yuan stopped struggling, softly cuddling in Gu Jinghui’s embrace, smiling as she said, "Husband, I have a question for you."
Gu Jinghui’s hand, reaching for her collar, slowly wrapped around her waist.
"What is it?"
Qin Yuan asked, "Why do men and women marry?"
Gu Jinghui seemed slightly taken aback, then said, "To honor the ancestors above, to continue the lineage below."
Continuity, perpetuating the family line, isn’t that what it’s about?
Qin Yuan continued, "Since that’s the case, why did the Marquis delay marriage?"
Gu Jinghui’s hand slipped from her waist, his voice cooled, "I was busy with warfare, where was the time to return and marry? Could it be you mind my age, or that I am crude?"