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  The door of the new house was slightly ajar, with a strong smell of wine mixed in, and heavy footsteps came from outside.

  The beaded curtain rustled as Pei Jingxuan entered the inner chamber, where she saw Ming Xuan sitting on the new bed in a bright red wedding dress. The heavy golden crown had been removed from her head, and she simply wore a high bun without any pearl hairpins. However, under the soft candlelight, that radiant figure appeared so elegant and refined, beautiful beyond this world.

  He felt a slight movement in his heart, secretly sighing at the wonder of all things in the world. He and this elegant and beautiful woman in front of him originally had no connection whatsoever, but fate inexplicably tied them together. No matter what the future holds, from this moment on, their lives are bound together, sharing honor and shame, prosperity and decline, as one.

  Ming Xuan also looked up at him, this man who had only met a few times, was already her husband!

  Under his ordinary appearance, he seems to be hiding endless worries, just like his deep and calm eyes, which appear peaceful on the surface but are actually turbulent inside. He is an extraordinary man, perhaps with extraordinary ambitions, but currently, things seem a bit dire for him.

  Is he going to continue hiding and waiting for that one hit, or will he start changing from this moment on, allowing her presence in his story?

  Ming Xuan suddenly wanted to ask about his plans, so she could plan her own. Was she going to be a detached spectator, calmly withdrawing at the most opportune moment, or stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, becoming his indispensable right-hand woman? After the dust settled, they would jointly manage a long-lasting and gentle emotion, attaining the peace and tranquility she had always yearned for.

  "What should we do next?"

  Pei Jingchen was slightly stunned, and then he found that the maids in the room had unknowingly retreated. He misunderstood Mingxuan's meaning, and his mouth corners involuntarily curled up. "The pure house has prepared hot water, after washing and dressing, rest."

  Suddenly, the curves of that night in the mountain valley and her hurried escape flashed through his mind. His throat felt a bit dry, and he asked hoarsely, "Do you need someone to come in and serve?"

  Ming Xuan's face turned bright red, and if it weren't for the thick layer of makeup on her face at this moment, she would probably want to find a place to bury herself. This awkward expression was something she didn't want others to see, so she hastily shook her head. "No need, I can do it myself."

  Although they have been human for two lifetimes, they are still married for the first time, and their marriage to Pei Jingchen is also a blind date without a foundation of love. In fact, she and he are still strangers, and it's inevitable that they feel awkward.

  She washed off the makeup on her face, revealing a delicate and tender face, sitting in front of the dresser to untie the bun on her head. The black hair flowed down like silk, looking like an ink-colored waterfall, entwining around the bright red wedding dress, making her look exceptionally beautiful and charming.

  Pei Jingxuan sat on the wedding bed, gazing at Ming Xuan with great interest, and a strange sense of satisfaction arose in his heart.

  After washing and dressing, Pei Jingchen blew out the bright candles in the house, leaving only a pair of dragon and phoenix candles on the table, emitting a faint and flickering light. He had already changed out of his festive clothes that were filled with the smell of wine, and put on a thin white silk shirt. Leaning against the edge of the wedding bed, he turned to face the inner room and said, "I'm tired from a day's work, let's rest early."

  Ming Xuan nodded lightly in bed and murmured, "Uh-huh."

  She was nervous and a little uncertain in her heart, wondering if she should just grit her teeth and go through with it. In any case, she had already become his wife, whether it was an arranged marriage or not, whether they had feelings for each other or not. This was the Zhou Dynasty, tonight was her wedding night, and emotionally and rationally, she couldn't refuse him.

  But it's not the kind of entanglement that happens when emotions run deep, and in her heart, Ming Xuan always felt a bit hard to accept.

  Just as she was having an intense internal struggle, the large red canopy came down, revealing a faint light, and Pei Jingxuan had already lain down beside her, sleeping soundly without any courtesy. His hand slipped through the soft quilt, easily unbuttoning her clothes and sliding onto her shoulder.

  Ming Xuan felt a slight itch where he had touched her, and she shifted uncomfortably, moving her body further in. However, not long after, the space beside her was once again occupied by him, his hands still resting on her shoulders, refusing to leave.

  She thought about it and felt that this wasn't the solution either. If he misunderstood her, thinking she didn't like him, which would cast a shadow of misunderstanding over their relationship before it even started.

  Ming Xuan grasped Pei Jingchen's wrist with her hand and slowly turned her body to face him.

  In the dim and flickering candlelight, she saw a pair of eyes shining like starry waves. Her heart was pounding rapidly, but she still forced herself to remain calm and asked, "From now on, should I address you as 'Master'? Jingzhen? Or... husband?"

  Conversation is a great way to relax, and if he's willing to take things slowly, she might gain a beautiful relationship. If not, she can only pretend to be interested. Although that's what she thinks, deep down she still hopes he'll give her more time, so her eyes involuntarily show some anxiety and anticipation.

  Pei Jingchen gazed at her quietly, he didn't answer her but smiled and asked instead, "From now on I'll call you A Xuan, okay?"

  Ming Xuan slightly stunned, slowly nodded, "Uh-huh."

  She secretly guessed his meaning in her heart, was he asking her to call him A-Zhen?

  His long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he turned Ming Xuan's body over, with one hand propping up her neck and the other naturally falling on her waist. He closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Are you very tired? I'm very tired too, let's sleep."

  He slowly rested his chin on her neck, his breathing gradually becoming even, and soon fell asleep.

  Ming Xuan didn't know whether to feel awkward about the intimate contact with a man or grateful that Pei Jingchen hadn't forced her to consummate their marriage. Her heart was filled with all sorts of strange and conflicting emotions, and she could hear the steady sound of the man's breathing behind her ear. Her heart was racing wildly, but she didn't dare move, afraid of startling him, so she lay there stiffly.

  Can't sleep, wanting to take this opportunity to clarify some things, but his warm breath sprinkled on her neck and hair, that strange feeling made her mind a complete blank, there was no way to think about things properly.

  In this way, she was dazed and fell into a deep sleep, all the way until the sky had a faint light, Ming Xuan did not close her eyes once.

  It was just past the hour of Mao, and Pei Jingxuan habitually opened his eyes, only to feel a numbness in his arm. He glanced over and saw that the person in his arms was staring blankly at the bright red canopy with the pattern of "Bai Zi Tian Fu" (One Hundred Good Fortunes), their eyes wide open. His eyebrows furrowed, he asked in a low voice, "Xuan, didn't you sleep?"

  Ming Xuan's face turned around in a daze, and suddenly came into contact with his face. She was startled awake, her face red, and said softly, "I seem to be a bit familiar with the bed..."

  It's not that she's shy, but it's the first time she's been so intimate with a man, and in such a posture, holding each other. She's not used to it, and with the occasional friction of their bodies at midnight, her mind easily recalls the patterns in the album that her grandmother had solemnly given her the night before.

  As a transmigrator, she had never eaten pork, but at least she had seen pigs run. With the advanced information from her previous life, although she hadn't watched any Japanese action movies, she had watched quite a few with some flesh. Pei Jingchen, such a handsome and elegant man standing beside her, saying that he wasn't nervous at all, must be lying.

  Pei Jingchen chuckled softly, "Aunt said that no matter where she was, she always slept very soundly."

  After staying at the two houses for a while, Yuan Hui had told him many things about Ming Xuan, such as her good appetite, being able to eat three white mantou in one meal, and also that she slept soundly, if there was nothing on her mind, she would usually sleep until dawn. One night when there was thunder and lightning and a heavy rainstorm, the roof of the woodshed was blown open, all the Bhikkhunis and Samaneris in the nunnery got up, but only she didn't know anything about it the next day.

  But she lay awake all night, and even found a pretext for getting out of bed alone...

  Ming Xuan was taken aback, and a flush of red clouded her face. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, and although she wanted to retort with "Do you believe it or not?", she ultimately didn't say it out loud. Although she and Pei Jingzhen were already husband and wife, they hadn't yet reached the point of complete openness with each other. He had never expressed his true thoughts, so she didn't need to appear overly familiar with him either.

  She is the kind of person who won't back down once she's made up her mind, so before fully understanding and trusting this man 100%, she chose to observe first, starting with a partnership relationship. If they understand each other better in the future, they can make other plans later. Her expectations all along have not been that high anyway.

  After a slight pause, Ming Xuan spoke up and asked, "Today we need to pay our respects and offer tea to our elders. Has anyone from the Crown Prince's wife side come to ask for an audience?"

  Grandma said that although the rules for this week's wedding are roughly similar, the specific time and content are different for each family. Since Yang is the stepmother here in the Pei family, she will not be able to take care of them, so they need to have a clear understanding themselves before taking action. Otherwise, if they make any mistakes, it will all be her fault.

  Pei Jingchen's eyebrows slightly furrowed, he shook his head and said, "No need to go offer those people tea."

  He saw Ming Xuan's puzzled face, and explained, "The Pei family has too many people, and those people are not frugal, normally if it's not necessary, I don't want to deal with them. Yesterday they were so cold, today even if we went to pay our respects and offer tea, it's likely we would still be embarrassed again. Since that's the case, let's just not go. After getting up, I'll send a maid over to say I'm ill again, and they naturally won't have anything to say."

  Ming Xuan thought for a moment, nodded, and Pei Jingzhen's "illness" was not only a handle for others to restrain him, but also the best talisman. Although it is said that a new daughter-in-law can only be considered truly integrated into her husband's family after serving tea and paying respects to her parents-in-law and other members of the household, this is in someone else's home. In the Pei family's situation, no matter what she did, she probably wouldn't be treated well anyway. Pei Jingzhen's arrangement was actually good, anyway, she didn't want to become a "Pei family person" either.

  She paused for a moment, and then suddenly asked with a red face, "What about Yuan Pa?"

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