The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 105
Zhou Kuang did not know exactly which step he had done wrong. He thought back to the bold words he had once declared before her, “Rest assured. I will not disappoint you.”
And then there were the words she had heard from Sister-in-law a few days ago, saying that for a woman, the bridal chamber was merely like being pricked by a needle, one moment and it was over…
How had he replied? He had told her that he was afraid he would have to disappoint her, that he could not make it like a needle prick, nor would it be over in one moment.
And now, looking at the situation, was this not him slapping himself in the face?
Frustrated and guilty, he lay there with his eyes open, sinking into self-doubt, unable to calm down for a long time.
Ming Wanrou’s body felt sticky, and she likewise could not sleep. But remembering what the momo had urgently instructed her before, that water could only be called for after two incense sticks’ worth of time, she forcibly endured until the time arrived. Only then did she turn her head and ask softly, “Your Highness, are you asleep?”
“What is it?”
“The time has come. Your Highness may call for water now.”
These words were like a barbed blade, stabbing fiercely into Zhou Kuang’s already wounded pride. His eyelids trembled, and he turned his head to look at the young lady lying beside him.
When the two of them had first been betrothed, he had not been especially satisfied. It was not that he disliked her, but rather that he wanted, like his father and mother, to rely on himself to find a girl whose temperament suited his own.
But such a girl could only be encountered by chance and not sought. Twenty-one years had passed, and he had yet to meet someone who could stir his heart at first glance. So, he could only compromise with his mother and go see what this Eldest Young Lady Ming looked like.
He did see her.
Together with Sister-in-law, she had been peeking over the wall. When she smiled, the two dimples at the corners of her mouth were especially clear. His first impression was that her smile was like a blooming flower.
The price of that one meeting was that a piece of flesh from his backside had also been lost. Not knowing each other until after a fight, the marriage then became a settled matter. In the end, he accepted his fate.
From then on, his destiny became tied to hers bit by bit.
During the unrest in Fengcheng, Eldest Master Xie had surrounded the Prince Mansion. Although there was a secret tunnel to move in and out, the people in the mansion were still affected to some extent. People could not go out, and the threat of attack was constant. For a time, the situation was dreadful.
He understood perfectly well what the Ming family elders were thinking. The two families had never had much connection to begin with. They certainly would not place their entire family into unknown danger for the sake of a marriage that had not yet been completed.
Human nature was like this. He could understand it, and he had not held any hope. Yet that day, he unexpectedly encountered her at one of Cui Nian’s safe houses.
She apologized and said, “My father and elder brother have limited ability. As soon as they came, they were captured, so they could not be of much help. Shizi and Madam Zhou must take good care of yourselves. From now on, if Shizi needs to find Young Master Cui, I will run the errands.”
He had still been outside and did not know the situation in the mansion. Surprised, he asked, “How did they come?”
“They are Shizi’s future father-in-law and brother-in-law. Since Shizi is in trouble, naturally they had to come.”
She said this as if it were only right and proper, as though she had already regarded him as her unshakable fiancé. Even among married couples, there were not many who could share hardship together, let alone two people who had not yet married. At that moment, he finally understood why Mother had taken a liking to the Ming family’s eldest branch. Miss Ming was loyal and righteous, and his future father-in-law and eldest brother-in-law were not timid, cowardly people either.
This became even clearer afterward, when the former Crown Prince’s army came to attack the city.
After Father took command of Zhongzhou, he had focused on governing the people and had not raised troops privately. Almost all the capable soldiers and generals under his command had been sent to the Liao border.
When the former Crown Prince’s forces attacked ferociously, many retreated. In order to raise morale, Zhou Kuang charged at the front, and the first people to follow him from behind were Eldest Master Ming and Second Young Master Ming. The two accompanied him and fought their way out through the city gates.
Those days of defending the city were like the end of the world. Every day, soldiers were injured. At night, when he went to the military physicians’ station, he saw her running back and forth without rest, grinding herbs, preparing gauze, carrying water…
Her busy figure moved among bloodied, wounded soldiers like a bright lamp, lighting his heart and igniting his fighting spirit. No matter how difficult things became, he felt full of strength.
When he was carried back to the military camp from outside the city gate, his mind was already unclear. In a daze, he saw a face leaning close before his eyes, calling to him again and again. “Shizi, Shizi, wake up. Don’t sleep. Stay and talk with me.”
“Do you know why my elder brother’s horse always kicks up its hooves?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s happy.”
“Gao Xian said that water that has been boiled must never be drunk.”
“Why?”
“Because it burns your mouth!”
The military physician was treating his wound beside him, and he listened to her spout nonsense for half the night. Then he suddenly understood that fate never waits for you to be ready. It might appear in any way one least expected, even in the form of a clichéd marriage arrangement.
During the days he was injured, Miss Ming stayed by his side the entire time. Her half-learned medical skills were at least enough to change his dressings.
“Shizi, I am going to remove your clothes. Please do not mind. Just treat me as a military physician and do not feel any burden.”
He was a grown man. What burden could he possibly feel? But when her warm, soft hands touched his skin, the one who truly suffered was himself.
She, on the other hand, touched him as if it were completely natural, without the slightest concern for the boundaries between men and women. Her face did not even redden. Seeing her so calm and unruffled, he felt extremely unwilling to accept it, as if he had to tease her until her face turned red before he would be satisfied.
Several times, he shamelessly held her hand and refused to let go. His fingers had even deliberately rubbed against her palm. But he did not manage to make her blush even a little. Completely lacking romantic sense, she asked him in confusion, “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
A pure heart was a good thing. It was all up to him to teach her. The slower she was to understand, the more determined he became. He thought of every possible way to stay with her. On the road to the capital, he refused the military physician who had followed along and specifically asked for her to care for him. He even thickened his face and told her the reason plainly. “Your hands are so gentle, soft, and smooth. When you change my dressings, it does not hurt.”
She did not suspect him at all. She was even quite happy. “Really? I’ll use the ointment Gao Xian gave me and apply it every day.”
The process of teaching her was far too difficult and long. Often, he himself would be tormented with discomfort, while she remained clueless. Finally, unable to bear it, he pulled her into his arms inside the carriage and forcibly kissed her.
At last, he saw her face turn red. She seemed badly frightened and punched him in the chest, whimpering, “You… how could you do that? Mother said kisses must be saved for the bridal chamber and given to Shizi then. You stole it early, so what am I supposed to do on the wedding night? What will I give you…”
Ordinarily, she was sharp and efficient when identifying herbs or changing his dressings, but when it came to matters between a man and a woman, she was a complete blank slate.
Her whole body was full of treasures. Was there only kissing? Was there not plenty more…
Besides, kissing once did not mean they could not kiss again. He covered his chest and explained himself. “Do not be anxious. We are only practicing first. What if, when the crucial moment comes, we do not know how?” He asked, “Do you know how?”
She was stunned, then shook her head. “I do not.”
“Perfect. I do not know either. We can learn from each other.”
He had grown too excited for a moment and used the wrong words, letting the gray wolf’s tail show. She realized he was teasing her and became so angry that she did not speak to him for an entire day. Later, he had to pretend to be sick to win back a little sympathy.
Spending day and night together all the way to the Eastern Palace, living under the same roof. He was physically sound, a normal man. How could he possibly endure it?
He had kissed her several times before and after that. At first, his lips only held hers, gently biting her lips again and again. But slowly, that could no longer satisfy him. On the day they parted, he lost control for a moment. His tongue pried open her lips and slipped between her teeth, hooking around hers and wrapping it tightly, as if he wanted to swallow her into his stomach.
During the days they were separated, whenever night grew deep and silent, his mind was filled with the image of her losing herself beneath his kisses. He had long imagined this moment. Now, at last, he had finally married her. She was lying beside him, and he could touch her openly and properly.
Yet he had failed to live up to expectations…
Seeing him lying there for a long time without a sound, not even giving her space to get out of bed, Ming Wanrou asked softly again, “It is nearly three incense sticks now. Can you call for water?”
As soon as the words fell, the husband beside her suddenly pulled her back over. Ignoring her startled expression, he surged forward again. Enduring that first overwhelming wave of pleasure, he recalled the images from the illustrated book. Following the instructions, he grasped her shoulders, breathed in, breathed out, and moved forward…
Time passed little by little through the water clock.
When he looked again at the young lady’s flushed and dewy cheeks, his revived masculine pride finally restored his confidence. Only then did he become more composed, slowly grinding against her with ease. He spent half the night using every method he knew on his wife.
Ming Wanrou felt as if every bone in her body had come apart. No matter how much one had heard from others, it could not compare with experiencing it oneself. At last, she understood what Wen Shuse meant by feeling as though one was about to die, yet also feeling so alive.
In the end, she lay on the bed unable to move at all. The next day, she could not get out of bed. The Imperial Grandson beside her was not much better. In order to wash away his earlier humiliation, he had overindulged and could not get up either. The two of them slept late together, only waking up late in the morning. Palace maids served them as they washed and dressed. After breakfast, each sat on a soft couch.
According to palace rules, newlyweds had to remain in the bridal chamber for seven days. During these seven days, unless there was something important, no one would disturb the Imperial Grandson. The two of them had nothing to do. After sitting for a while, they looked at each other, wide eyes staring into wide eyes.
When one is fed and warm, desire arises, especially for a young man who had just tasted sweetness for the first time. His vigorous masculine energy, stored away for so many years, burst like floodwaters breaking through a dam. His mind was full of unspeakable images.
With nothing else to do and knowing that everyone was aware of what he would be doing anyway, he had no shame. After the servants withdrew, he set down his teacup and turned to his wife and asked with a serious face, “Are you feeling better?”
The moment Ming Wanrou met that gaze of his, she knew what he meant and could not help shuddering. Her heart and legs were still hurting. Did he still want to do it again…
“Your Highness, there is still a long future ahead. Tomorrow, perhaps. Today I truly cannot…”
Zhou Kuang touched the tip of his nose. After thinking for a long while, he bargained, “Tonight, then. The imperial physician said the medicine given to the Imperial Grandson Consort is the best. Half a day is enough for recovery…”
Before she married, the momo had instructed her that as a wife, her foremost duty was to satisfy her husband. Only by feeding him full would he have no mind to think of others. Since she was marrying into the imperial family, Ming Wanrou had prepared herself in advance. The Zhou family’s descendants were few. She absolutely could not monopolize him. But the requests he made, she would do her best to satisfy. Since it could heal, as long as it was not too uncomfortable, then fine.
Ming Wanrou nodded.
“Then, Your Highness, please do not make it last so long…”
These words made Zhou Kuang’s lower abdomen tighten again. During the second round last night, he had clearly felt that she had also begun to respond. She should have been happy and satisfied as well.
His heart was extremely pleased with the results of his own efforts.
Seven days of newlywed life. He and the Imperial Grandson Consort would remain together the entire time, with no one coming to disturb them. He did not know which thoughtful ancestor had established such a rule, but it was simply considerate to the extreme.
He had just finished thanking his ancestors in his heart when, at noon, a funeral bell suddenly sounded.
Deep and heavy, it struck nine times in succession.
The eunuchs and servants outside knelt all over the ground. Someone cried out in grief, “His Majesty has passed away.”
Ming Wanrou had yet to react when Zhou Kuang suddenly rose and said to her, “You stay here first. I will go over.”
He rushed out of the room and headed toward the Emperor’s sleeping palace. Outside, people were already kneeling in orderly rows. Chancellor Xie and General Yang were both there. Zhou Kuang hurried inside. As soon as he entered, he heard Noble Consort Yang’s cries. “Your Majesty, how could you bear to leave me behind…”
Zhou Kuang entered and looked toward the dragon bed. The Emperor’s burial garments had already been properly put on him. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess sat at the side, giving instructions to those below on arranging the funeral.
Noble Consort Yang was still trapped in grief. “Did you not say he could still endure for several days? What is going on?”