T/N: Any guesses what the ‘children’s picture book’ is? 😂
“What book?” Chen Wang glanced at the small mountain of walnut kernels, picked up two, tossed them into his mouth and leaned over curiously.
Jiuzhu shifted aside, making space for him to sit. “Don’t know. Didn’t open it. There are just two figures on the cover.”
Chen Wang didn’t think much of it and summoned the palace maids and eunuchs to help them wash their faces and feets.
As the maids cleaned up the bed, the two of them sat side by side, soaking their feet. Their foot basins were nearly touching. Chen Wang glanced at Jiuzhu’s basin, stretched out his wet foot and placed it on her instep.
“Your Highness?” Jiuzhu turned towards him.
“I’m testing the water temperature.”
He realized that a little guniang’s instep was much softer and smoother than a man’s.
“There’s no difference. It’s the same ah.” Jiuzhu imitated Chen Wang and dipped her foot into his basin. His raised his toe and tickled the sole of her foot.
“Tickles.” She lifted her feet, wiped them dry and climbed onto the bed. “Your Highness, this bed is so big.”
Chen Wang awkwardly rubbed his nose and dismissed all the maids in the room. “This bed is for the two of us. Of course it’s big.”
Yun Duqing, relax. She’s your Wangfei; the one you will eat, sleep and live with in the future.
“Your Highness.” Jiuzhu sat cross-legged, picking up the picture book he had tossed aside. “Your Highness, you threw the book away.”
“Why was there a book on the bed?” Chen Wang took it from her. Were the servants of Qilin Palace that careless? Who would have the mentality to read a book on their wedding night?
He sat cross-legged like Jiuzhu and casually flipped it open. After his eyes fell on the illustrations, he remained frozen for quite a long time.
“Your Highness, what’s in the book?” Jiuzhu curiously leaned over.
“Nothing suitable for little guniangs,” Chen Wang blocked her probing head with his hand and stiffly closed the book. “Nothing worth seeing.”
“I can take a look at it even if it’s nothing worth seeing.” Humans were like that. The more someone close to them refused to show them something, the more they wanted to see it.
“What take a look. Aren’t you tired after such a long day?” Flustered, Chen Wang tossed the book away, pressed Jiuzhu onto the bed and pulled the blanket over both of them. “Sleep.”
“Tired.” Jiuzhu poked her head out from under the blanket, clutching its edge with both hands, as she whispered, “But I can’t fall asleep.”
“Why?” Chen Wang hesitated for a moment before reaching out from under the blanket. He pressed down the part of the blanket behind Jiuzhu in order to keep the cold air from seeping in and chilling her back.
“I’ve slept alone since I was a child. This is the first time I’m sharing a blanket with someone. It’s a little unfamiliar.” Jiuzhu glanced at Chen Wang. “But don’t worry, Your Highness. My sleeping posture is very good. Master said that I wake up in the exact posture I lay down to sleep. I won’t go back on my words.”
Seeing her timid expression, Chen Wang sighed. He lifted the blanket, prepared to get out of bed.
“Your Highness, where are you going?” Jiuzhu grabbed his wrist.
“Getting another blanket from the cabinet,” he looked down at her hand and yawned. “You just lie down and sleep properly.”
“No need.” Jiuzhu tugged him back under the blanket. To his surprise, he found himself unable to resist.
“I’m not familiar now, but I’ll get used to it after a few more nights,” Jiuzhu patted the quilt covering both of them. “A husband and his wife should naturally sleep together, after all.”
Chen Wang didn’t tell her that princes and their main consorts usually had their own courtyards and didn’t live together every day.
Her gaze was pure and innocent, completely unaware of the matters between men and women. In that moment, Chen Wang’s heart violently struggled between being a beast and being inferior to a beast.
“Your Highness.” Jiuzhu wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice soft. “Sleep.”
Chen Wang took a deep breath. “Are you sure you want to hug and sleep?”
“Isn’t that what one is supposed to do on their wedding night?” Jiuzhu asked, perplexed. “Is the posture not right?”
“Is this what the nanny sent by the Ministry of Rites to teach etiquette before our marriage tell you this?”
Jiuzhu thought back carefully. “Nanny said that some things are meant to be learned from the other person. Niangniang treats me like her own daughter. So if there’s anything that I don’t understand after our marriage, Your Highness will teach me.”
She truly treats you like her own daughter, while I’m just the son-in-law whom she happened to pick from outside.
“Did Nanny say something wrong?” The smile on Jiuzhu’s face slowly faded as she loosened her grip around his neck.
“No, she was right.” Chen Wang let out a long, long sigh in his heart and pulled her fully into his arms. “Sleep. From now on, I’ll teach you slowly, night by night.”
As for tonight…
Looking at the smile returning to the girl’s lovely face, he decided that, for once, it was better to be inferior to a beast.
Not even two sticks of incense later, the young girl who had claimed that she couldn’t sleep had already fallen asleep. Her breathing had also turned rhythmic.
Chen Wang carefully moved the arm on which she was sleeping. Those stories in huabens about the man’s arms serving as the pillow all night are bogus. His arm was already going numb after such a short while.
He gently tried to pull his arm free, but when the girl frowned in discomfort, he immediately gave up.
Staring at the auspicious dragon and phoenix embroidery on the bed’s canopy, he turned his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before slowly drifting off to sleep.
By the time he woke up the next morning, he was lying on the edge of the bed while Jiuzhu was sprawled diagonally across it. Her head was resting on his chest, occupying most of the space.
He moved his arm. Very good. It’s still functional.
The sunlight was already pouring through the windows. Chen Wang carefully tucked Jiuzhu’s hand, which had slipped out from under the blanket, back beneath the covers.
Even though he was only occupied a small, very small part of the large bed, he still had no desire to get up on this peaceful morning.
Outside the door, the warm water in the hands of the palace maids and eunuchs had already been replaced several times. Yet, none of them dared to make a sound.
“Chunfen guniang,” the chief eunuch of Qilin Palace walked over and quietly asked her: “Could you tell us if Wangfei has any particular preferences or taboos? That way, us humble ones can serve her better and win her favor.”
After the wedding last night, everyone in Qilin Palace knew how much His Highness valued the Wangfei. All the palace maids and eunuchs of the Qilin Palace were now on edge, afraid of incurring her displeasure.
“There’s no need to worry, Yang gonggong. Back at her natal family, Wangfei was always gentle and kind. As long as everyone does their work properly and doesn’t violate palace rules, she would never punish you.” Chunfen smiled politely. As Wangfei’s first-class dowry maid, all the palace maids and eunuchs of Qilin Palace had to treat her with respect.
“Yes, yes, yes, guniang is right. We should all be loyal and dutiful servants.” Exchanging just a few words, Chief Steward Yang could tell that this Chunfen guniang who served the Wangfei was not someone to be trifled with.
Nearly half a shichen later, movement was finally heard from inside the room. Chief Steward Yang and Chunfen exchanged gracious smiles at the door, each gesturing for the other to enter first.
In the end, both stepped inside together, their faces brimming with satisfaction.
“Congratulations to Your Highness and Wangfei on your marriage.”
“You may rise.” Chen Wang’s expression was unusually gentle as he addressed the servants. “All the servants of Qilin Palace will receive two months worth of their salaries.”
His gaze fell on Chunfen, who was standing beside Chief Steward Yang. Recognizing her as the head maid among Jiuzhu’s dowry maids, he continued: “Chunfen guniang serves Wangfei. From now on, she will be treated according to the rank of a first-class palace maid. Yang Yiduo, make a trip to the Department of the Palace today and register Chunfen guniang as a sixth-rank female official. Bring back her waist card.”
“This humble one will do as you command, Your Highness.” Yang Yiduo couldn’t help but glance enviously at Chunfen. How fortunate. Just by serving the right master, she instantly went from being a maid in an assistant minister’s household to a sixth-rank female official. He entered the Palace when he was thirteen, and after all these years, he was still only a sixth-rank chief steward.
“This slave thanks Your Highness for this great favor.” Chunfen naturally understood what the rank of a sixth-rank female official meant. She knelt and gave Chen Wang a formal bow of gratitude.
“You are Wangfei’s personal attendant. If you do not have an official rank in the inner palace, others might look down on her,” Chen Wang openly admitted to elevating Chunfen’s status solely for raising Jiuzhu’s standing. “There’s no need to thank Ben Wang. Just serve Wangfei well.”
“Yes.” Chunfen glanced at the canopy bed and saw her Young Miss stirring. She lowered her voice and said, “Your Highness, Wangfei does not like being attended to by too many people when she awakens.”
“Yang Yiduo, you stay. The rest may leave.” Chen Wang adjusted his sleeves, lifted the canopy, and sat by the bedside.
Seeing the sleepy-eyed Jiuzhu clutching the blanket, he reached out and gently pinched her cheek. “Awake?”
“Your Highness?” Jiuzhu gradually came to her senses in the unfamiliar environment. She tilted her head and stared at Chen Wang, realizing that they were now family.
“Have some honey water.” Chen Wang took the bowl of honey water from Yang Yiduo and held it to Jiuzhu’s lips. “Open your mouth.”
Jiuzhu obediently took a two sips and then asked in confusion: “Your Highness, when did I fall asleep last night?”
“Do you want more?” Chen Wang wasn’t particularly inclined to answer that question.
Jiuzhu shook her head.
“You fell asleep two sticks of incense after you said you couldn’t sleep.” He handed the cup to Yang Yiduo and flicked her forehead. “Liar.”
“I usually fall asleep within one stick of incense after lying down,” Jiuzhu sheepishly averted her eyes. “So two sticks barely count as not being able to sleep.”
Chen Wang looked at her with a smirk. “Really?”
“En!” Jiuzhu nodded vigorously, determined to prove her innocence.
Chunfen lowered her head, suppressing a laugh. Young Miss indeed usually fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, so this could be counted as her telling the truth.
“Alright, Ben Wang believes you.” Chen Wang chuckled softly. “Get up and eat. Later, I’ll take you to pay respects to Father Emperor and Mother Empress, and then we’ll just stop by to see my four elder brothers.”
He rubbed two fingers. “We should be able to get some good stuff from them[mfn]Are they going to rob? They are, aren’t they? Lmao😂[/mfn].”
Jiuzhu was instantly invigorated. “Alright.”
Thanks for reading ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶! If you found any typo or want to suggest some corrections, feel free to do so in the comment section or on our discord server. And if you like my translation, please consider rating it on NU and supporting me on:
Poor Chen Wang, it’s been hard for him 🤣
Caught up now but I see it has been awhile since you updated. I hope things are less stressful, An!
Where is the rest of it😭😭😭