Chapter 365 - Happenings in Shangjing (21)
Chapter 365: Happenings in Shangjing (21)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Are you reluctant to part with the second niangzi?” Xu Ke had already broken away from the class of rabbles. He got himself a seat in the corner as Liu Xi’s right-hand man, and ate delicious food.
Upon seeing Jiang Pengji’s somewhat unpleasant facial expression, he was afraid that she would do something against the rules, so he secretly sounded her out.
“Why do I have to be reluctant?” Jiang Pengji looked askance at him and continued, “I just remembered a past event. A few years ago, Shangjing was this lively when the second prince married the princess of the Northern Borderline. It was a world of ice and snow, but hundreds of tables were set up and many guests were invited. Hence, the atmosphere was lively… Thinking about it now, the scene today is actually highly similar to it…”
Xu Ke stayed silent. Of course, he knew what had occured that year. There was a severe snowstorm in Shangjing, but the marriage of the second prince and the princess of the Northern Borderline was still very festive. Hundreds of tables for the banquet were set up for nine days and nine nights. However, people hardly ate the food… In a world of ice and snow, the food was bad because it had turned cold.
Not far away, there were commoners who starved to death. The back door of the residence of the second prince was full of dumped food, which filled up buckets and buckets of swill…
It would be weird if his Langjun felt happy while thinking about such things.
The hundred-table banquet was originally intended to be joyful––to celebrate the wedding with the people and congratulate the newlyweds.
In fact, the commoners could not even get close, let alone sit at a table.
“Langjun, today is the red-letter day of the second niangzi. Even if you…” Xu Ke sighed and trailed off. “You should look happy…” Xu Ke suddenly lost his appetite after being interrupted in such a way.
Like Xu Ke, the groom had no appetite, either. He drank two glasses of wine as a courtesy. Wuma Jun entered the bridal chamber, reeking of alcohol. It was already night time. However, looking at the bride, who had a young appearance and a bony figure, he did not have the slightest bit of excitement for sex.
The servant girl helped Liu Huan wash off her makeup and remove the heavy headdress.
Without the cover of heavy makeup, she looked even more immature and young. Even if her facial features were beautiful, she was still a young beauty at first glance, and she would have an unlimited potential in the future. However, Liu Huan was still too young and looked like an unripe fruit. How could he eat it?
Wuma Jun was not willing in his heart, but it was wedding procedure.
If the groom did not want to have sex with the bride on their wedding night, it would humiliate the bride. If Liu Huan’s maiden found out about it, many rumors could spread.
Liu Huan glanced at her husband timidly. She suddenly became so shy that her face was flushed.
Wuma Jun was not a gentleman, but he was still very handsome and could deceive ignorant, young girls.
Both of them drank the nuptial wine. Even though the alcohol content of the wine was low, Liu Huan felt that her head was a little groggy, as if she was walking on cotton. Her head felt light and fluttery… Wuma Jun secretly frowned and pursed his lips even more tightly.
According to royal customs, some drugs, which were used to jazz things up, would be added into the nuptial wine to help the newlyweds overcome their shyness and strangeness and enter the bridal chamber comfortably. Liu Huan could not taste it, but Wuma Jun, who was a veteran and had messed with all kinds of women, could taste it.
Wuma Jun said thoughtfully, “You must be hungry. We’ll go to bed after you eat something.”
Although Liu Huan was young, she had a youthful tang in her. He would not be the one at loss, anyway.
Liu Huan’s ears felt hot. She nodded shyly and secretly tightened her grip around the bottle in her sleeve.
She asked someone to ferret out the bottle in Huijun’s room. Huijun was secretive and valued the bottle very much. The paranoid Liu Huan thought that Huijun used it to harm her, but it was said to be a pregnancy aid pill after it was examined by a physician.
Liu Huan did not believe it and secretly asked a few other physicians to examine it. The same conclusion was obtained.
The pill was harmless to the human body, and it contained a lot of precious herbs to aid pregnancy in women! Liu Huan did not want to use it at first, but she could not help but feel attracted to it. After that, she secretly grinded some herbal powder and mixed it into her food. It was then given to a woman who was doing menial jobs after it had changed hands several times.
The woman did not have any children after being married for three years and was detested by her husband. She had a bleak status in her family. Liu Huan ordered her trusted servant girl to secretly bribe a cook, and instructed him to defile the woman at night in secret. She was pregnant after a month!
All of that had happened when she was on her way to Shangjing for her marriage. She did things secretly and cautiously, so no suspicion was raised.
Liu Huan was determined to grab hold of her husband’s heart. In order to have a footing in the residence of the fourth prince, she definitely regarded having children as an important matter.
She had already secretly taken the pregnancy aid pill when she had breakfast earlier that morning. She had also asked someone to send some food to Huijun.
As a result, she believed she could give birth to a son before Huijun.
Liu Huan and Wuma Jun ate something and she asked lovingly, “It’s getting late. Do you want to go to bed?”
Perhaps the nuptial wine had started to take effect. Wuma Jun felt hot from head to toe. He nodded and carried her to bed.
After some time, the medicinal properties in Wuma Jun’s body had reduced. He got up and ordered his servant to prepare a hot bath.
He looked at Liu Huan, who was sleeping in his arms, and had a somewhat disgusting, tear-stained expression on his face. He secretly pouted. Her bony figure was like that of a man.
“Your Highness, I’ll assist you while you bathe.” Wuma Jun just happened to feel that the wedding night was extremely boring. Suddenly, a refreshing fragrance assailed his nose, causing him to tighten his abdomen. He listened to the voice carefully, and it stirred up some emotions in his heart. It felt tingly and shook one to the core.
“Okay. Come in…” Wuma Jun answered in a slurry manner. A slender figure came from behind the curtain with a basin of water. Her footsteps were light and graceful.
She was dressed in clean and neat clothes, and her hair was not overly ornamented. She was like a lovely lotus standing in the breeze. However, her seductive eyes seemed to be able to take one’s soul away. Her plump lips were red without putting on lipstick, making people feel tempted to have a taste of them.
“What’s your name?”
She seemed to have been confused by the sudden question. She lowered her head and answered timidly, “I’m Huijun.”
“What a nice name.” Wuma Jun could not help but stare at her voluptuous breasts. He asked, “Are you a servant girl in the residence?”
“No. I’m the second niangzi’s… I mean the fourth princess’s servant girl. I accompanied her here…” She spoke while biting her lower lip when she mentioned the last part. The servant girl that accompanied the bride to her husband’s home also had an obligation to serve the man of the house.
Wuma Jun’s eyes lit up when he heard what she said. However, he was a hypocrite. He could not immediately carry her off and do something to her. Instead, he asked while acting aloof, “Why haven’t I seen you?”
Huijun replied, “Tonight is wedding night of Your Highness and the fourth princess.”
Wuma Jun was in a slightly bad mood when that was mentioned. However, thinking about the dazzling beauty in front of him, his lower abdomen could not help but tighten. “Come over and assist me while I bathe.”
“Yes, Your Highness!” Huijun soaked a cloth with hot water. She was just about to help him wipe his back when he suddenly grabbed her wrist. Wuma Jun only felt that he was holding a soft, boneless hand. Her skin was even more delicate and smoother than a shelled egg.
The two of them grew closer. The refreshing fragrance on the tip of his nose became even more distinct.
“Your… Your Highness…” Huijun was in a flurry and did not know what to do. She looked like she wanted to struggle, but how could she escape from his grip with her strength?