General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Jiang Qiqi knew that the general had injured his leg two years ago and could no longer walk. She also noticed that none of the doors they passed along the way had thresholds, presumably to facilitate wheelchair access.

Jiang Qiqi sat on the bed, her red veil blocking her view. She could only see two feet and a section of the lower leg on the footboard, both wearing black official boots.

strange?

If I remember correctly, his leg injury has lasted for so long, yet there's absolutely no sign of muscle atrophy in his calf.

Just then, her eyes lit up—the red veil was lifted.

The two people who had become husband and wife finally met for the first time.

The sky had completely darkened, and the noise from the guests in the outer hall had subsided considerably. The rustling of the leaves in the wind had grown louder, and a breeze was blowing through the half-open window, causing the candlelight to flicker and casting two shadows that swayed slightly inside the room.

Jiang Qiqi sat on the bed, while Shen Luo sat in a wheelchair, both at roughly the same height looking at each other.

Okay, she admitted that what those storybooks said was true, even a bit conservative; the young general was even more handsome than she had imagined.

Jiang Qiqi had always thought she wasn't a looks-obsessed person, but now she realized she probably just had high standards and only liked men who were stunningly handsome.

Although I don't plan to live here permanently, having such a handsome neighbor is pretty good. At least it makes me feel good to see him coming and going.

As Jiang Qiqi sized up Shen Luo, he was doing the same thing.

Yesterday, I heard Twelve talk about this woman, praising her intelligence. It would be a lie to say I wasn't curious, but now it seems there's nothing special about her, except that she's a little pretty.

Shen Luo didn't know what kind of special qualities she wanted, but she always felt that beautiful women were all show and no substance.

That guy, Twelve, was probably too tired from the missions he was doing recently and let his guard down, which is why he was discovered.

Thinking this, he sighed.

Jiang Qiqi: ? What's with the sigh?

Neither of them spoke. Shen Luo was somewhat disappointed, while Jiang Qiqi didn't know what to say, as it was her first time getting married and she had little experience.

Or how about I just say hello and wish you good fortune?

"You are Jiang Qiqi, the daughter of Lord Jiang?"

Actually, this was pure nonsense. The person was already sitting here; who else could it be but Jiang Qiqi? It's just that Shen Luo couldn't think of any other way to start a conversation for the moment.

“Yes,” Jiang Qiqi nodded, “I have long admired General Shen Luo, the General Who Protects the Nation.”

The room fell silent again. Shen Luo coughed twice: "The other day, Twelve went to the Jiang residence to see you on his own initiative, without my knowledge. He was just curious and had no ill intentions."

"So his name is Twelve," Jiang Qiqi replied. "It's okay, he's quite cute." Cute in his silliness.

Shen Luo chewed over the sentence, feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

While they were pondering, the matchmaker came in and served the two of them the customary nuptial wine, peanuts, red dates, and almonds.

Oh no, it's red dates, peanuts, longan, and melon seeds, symbolizing the wish for many children.

This concludes the entire wedding ceremony.

The matchmaker left, and according to custom, the newlyweds had to personally clean up any peanuts or melon seeds on the bed.

Shen Luo sat in his wheelchair watching Jiang Qiqi huff and puff as she tidied up the mess on the bed. His gaze fell on the table in the room: "Hmm? Why are the servants so lazy today? There are several empty plates on the table."

Jiang Qiqi paused, "That's not an empty plate, it's filled with happiness."

The tone was firm.

"Oh." So that's how it's said.

The bed was tidied up and it was already late at night, but the phoenix coronet and wedding robes had not yet been removed. Just as Shen Luo was about to call for the servants, Jiang Qiqi stopped him.

"I'll do it myself," Jiang Qiqi said. "Xiang'er must be exhausted after a long day; she's probably asleep by now." She walked to the bronze mirror, sat down, and began to remove the ornaments from her hair.

The phoenix coronet and embroidered robe were extremely elaborate, and in addition, there were many hairpins and headbands for fixing them. Her cervical spine had been silently bearing all of this all day.

Shen Luo was taken aback. He had never heard of someone taking matters into their own hands just because a servant was asleep. Why not just wake them up? But since it was their first meeting and they weren't very familiar with each other, Shen Luo didn't say anything. He simply said, "I'll help you."

After saying that, Shen Luo paused for a few seconds—what was he saying? When had he ever done this kind of work? Tying up hair, or tying up someone else's hair, or tying up a woman's hair!

But then again, people say that couples who are bound by marriage should tie their hair together, so it's normal for them to do so. Besides, a man of his word is not bound by it.

Jiang Qiqi: This general has quite a keen eye for things.

Jiang Qiqi sat in front of the bronze mirror, removing the jewelry from her head one by one. Shen Luo's wheelchair was parked beside her, and he took the jewelry from her and placed it on the dressing table.

Jiang Qiqi: Is it necessary to set up a transfer station for a distance of 30 centimeters?

When she got to the top of her head, Jiang Qiqi's vision was obstructed and she couldn't see anymore, so she had to ask Shen Luo for help: "I still have a few hairpins on my head that I haven't been able to remove. Can you help me with that?"

Jiang Qiqi turned to face Shen Luo. She had taken off her red wedding dress and was only wearing a pink undergarment. At this moment, she lowered her head slightly to his chest, as if he were embracing her.

Shen Luo felt that he had indeed drunk too much alcohol today, and his face was now a little hot.

He reached out to pull out Jiang Qiqi's hairpin.

"Ouch! Shen Luo, stop! General Shen, I asked you to help me remove the hairpin, not to change my hairstyle, or even give me a bald patch. You're pulling my hair."

Jiang Qiqi's motto is: I can lose my life, but I can't lose my hair.

"I'm sorry, I... I don't know how to remove it." Shen Luo apologized hastily, but the newly appointed hairstylist of the General's Mansion was still ruthlessly complained about and abandoned by his first customer.

"Go have some fun."

"..."

In the end, Jiang Qiqi managed to remove the four hairpins from her head by herself.

I, Jiang Qiqi, am here making a wish to the heavens, to the earth, to the copper coins and the copper mirror—

May the world have no weddings, no phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, and no hairstylist pulling my hair.

Okay, according to wedding customs, what should be the next step?

......

......

......

There's still the most important thing left to do on our wedding night.

The bridal chamber.

Jiang Qiqi felt a bit resistant. Although she wasn't old-fashioned, it was too presumptuous of her to be with a man she had just met.

Shen Luo thought of the malicious taunts from the group outside and felt a little uneasy. Since he hadn't originally intended to, he simply spoke up:

"This general was wounded on the battlefield and is no longer capable of sexual intercourse."

"I see." Jiang Qiqi looked at him with a hint of sympathy. Tsk tsk, no one is perfect.

“General, let’s rest early. Do you need my help?” She was referring to getting from the wheelchair to the bed.

"No need, I can manage on my own."

Jiang Qiqi wasn't being coy; since the other person had already said it was fine, she stopped worrying.

She went to the next room to change into her pajamas, and when she came back in, she found Shen Luo already lying upright on the bed.

Strange, I often dressed as a man when doing missions before, and I've lived with men quite a few times. Why am I feeling a little uneasy this time, perhaps because the other person is handsome?

Jiang Qiqi was just feeling uneasy, while Shen Luo's heart was practically pounding out of his chest.

He clutched his chest and cursed himself for being so weak: "She's just a pretty face, Shen Luo, what are you getting so worked up about?"

Ignoring her slight unease, Jiang Qiqi got into bed. Sharing a bed with such a handsome guy, she couldn't possibly be at a disadvantage.

But once she got into bed, she discovered that they not only had to share a bed, but also a blanket, and there was only one blanket on the bed.

She hesitated for a moment (not really), then groped her way in, silently chanting: "Don't look at what is improper, don't look at what is improper."

Then they discovered that the person was wearing an undergarment, completely covered from head to toe.

...Tch, I wasn't really interested in watching it either. And besides, you're really pretentious.

Watching Jiang Qiqi walk past him and lie down on the bed, Shen Luo felt his mouth go dry and his heart pounded like a drum.

She was lying right next to him, radiating warmth. He could touch her with the slightest movement, smell her fragrance, and hear her faint breathing.

My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my throat.

He tried to force himself to shift his focus, but found his mind completely blank.