Chapter Five (Part 2 of 2)

The emperor held a wedding banquet for Pei Jin and Yan Shi Ning at the palace.

The emperor wasn't close with Pei Jin, but the emperor ordered the palace servants to prepare an extravagant banquet worthy of a prince.

Everyone were captivated by ninth gentle prince's handsomeness in his wedding attire and many unwed women were envious they weren't the bride.

But everyone understood that both the handsome groom and the bride were unfavored children in their families, which made them the perfect pair.

The crown prince and seventh prince's supporters were relieved that gentle ninth prince married someone with no family connections that had power in court. They were happy gentle ninth prince truly didn't want to be emperor.

All the wedding guests were curious why there was a bruise on the groom's forehead.

'I was too excited about marrying Lady Yan that I walked into a door,' Pei Jin explained to the wedding guests.

The wedding guests believed the groom's explanation without suspicions. But the bride's mouth frowned under the red veil.

The sounds of firecrackers thundered throughout the palace.

The bride and groom kowtowed to the heavens, their parents and to each other. Afterward the bride was brought to the bridal chamber.

Yan Shi Ning kept silent and was unhappy throughout the wedding ceremony. But the moment she sat on a bed, her nervousness surfaced. Mouthy boy didn't follow tradition and stood in front of the bed for a long time instead of immediately leaving the bridal chamber to drink congratulatory wine with the wedding guests.

Yan Shi Ning wanted to pull her veil off to see what mouthy boy was scheming. But there were still other people inside the chamber so she didn't want to shock them by not behaving like a virtuous lady.

Pei Jin didn't want to leave the bridal chamber. He stood silently thinking of a way to discreetly look at his wife's face. A while later he smiled.

'Something fell on the floor!' Pei Jin cried out.

Pei Jin crouched and his wife's veil 'accidently' fell. He stood up and whispered in his wife's ear. 'Wait for me, I'll return soon.'

Yan Shi Ning saw the fake apologetic expression on mouthy boy's face and she used all her will strength to suppress her anger.

Pei Jin was satisfied he got to see his wife's face and happily left the chamber. The little lion was indeed beautiful on their wedding day.

After Yan Shi Ning was left alone in the chamber, her pained body collapsed on the bed. Unfortunately her back landed on countless jujubes (Chinese red dates). Her stomach rumbled, at least the jujubes were edible and she quickly ate the jujubes.

Pei Jin kept his promise, Yan Shi Ning didn't get to blink many times before he returned to the chamber. She hurriedly put her veil back on and sat upright on the bed.

'No one needs to support me,' Pei Jin said. 'I'm not drunk! Ninth prince? Who is ninth prince? I'm not ninth prince. Are you Gentleman Li? No? Who are you? Seventh brother? Perhaps I'm drunk. I'm not a good wine drinker, forgive me. Today is such a happy day and I drank too much wine... don't need to support me. I can walk on my own. Everyone can continue drinking... where is the door? There's the door... no? Why is the door so high?'

'Ninth prince, that's a window!' a wedding guest warned.

Yan Shi Ning almost laughed loudly. Of course mouthy boy would climb through a window. She remembered that year he drank many wine jars yet he was still sober. What not a good wine drinker? What a liar!

A sober Pei Jin entered the chamber, closed the door and rushed to the bed. 'Wife, did you wait long?'

Pei Jin pulled off the veil. Under the lit red candles, he stared at the soft glow of Yan Shi Ning's beautiful face.

'Big brother, what are you looking at?' Yan Shi Ning asked impatiently.

Pei Jin raised his hand and touched Yan Shi Ning's lips.

Yan Shi Ning's body stiffened at the warm touch of Pei Jin's fingers on her lips. She looked at his intense gaze and her heart pounded.

Suddenly Pei Jin laughed. 'Look at how nervous you are. I was looking at what was on your lips.'

Yan Shi Ning looked at Pei Jin's fingers, it was the skin of a jujube. Heavens! She received a deadly scare.

'Someone was thinking too much before,' Pei Jin teased. He sat on the bed and took off his shoes. 'It's alright to think too much, sooner or later it will happen. Wife, come here and we can perform the main event together.'

'What main event?' Yan Shi Ning asked in a panicked tone.

'What did you say?' Pei Jin teased and took off his outer robe.

The words 'wedding night' echoed in Yan Shi Ning's head.

Pei Jin saw the anxiety on Yan Shi Ning's face and he laughed loudly. 'What other main event is there? Of course bathing then sleeping.'

A while later the wedding guests that were eavesdropping outside the bridal chamber were smiling slyly.

'Big brother, be gentle!' Yan Shi Ning cried out.

'Is this spot more comfortable?' Pei Jin asked.

'It hurts!' Yan Shi Ning said.

***

End of Chapter Five (Part 2 of 2)