Repeatedly broken branches

At Chaoyang Palace, red ribbons hung all over the city walls, fluttering in the wind. They welcomed the future mistress of the palace, offered their blessings to the newlyweds, and cheered that today was a joyous day…

After entering the palace gates, the soldiers followed the stewards to drink, while only the joyful procession followed the bridal sedan chair, accompanied by music all the way into the Peace Palace.

The Peace Hall is where emperors of past dynasties held their wedding banquets. It is extremely solemn because there are portraits of emperors from all dynasties here. Yu Yanjing will take Xiao Mu to offer incense to them.

Xiao Shao and You got off the carriage and waited on both sides. As soon as the firecrackers went off, Xiao Mu got out of the sedan chair and went in with Yu Yanjing.

Amidst the sound of firecrackers, Xiao Mu was helped down from the carriage by Xiao Shao. Xiao Shao then placed her hand in Yu Yanjing's, whose eyes were filled with affection for her. Step by step, he took her hand and led her into the Peace Palace.

You closed the door.

With my parents above me, I can attest to my heart: in this life, Xia Yunzhi is the only one I wish for. May my wife always be by my side, and may we grow old together in peace, through fortune and misfortune.

Dear ancestors of Yu Yanjing, I hope you can bless me and Yu Yanjing to be together forever. Thank you.

The newlyweds offered incense together and bid farewell to their ancestors.

On the way to the hot spring pavilion, Xiao Mu saw that every window was covered with the character for "double happiness," without exception. The entire palace was adorned with red lanterns and red silk. At night, people set off fireworks outside the city gate, but she couldn't see them. Yu Yanjing said that fireworks were not allowed inside the city. He said that when they returned to Chaoyang, he would set off fireworks for a month to celebrate their wedding.

Yu Yanjing led Xiao Mu to the hot spring pavilion. There was only a nanny and a eunuch serving them. The nanny seemed very attentive. After the eunuch took Yu Yanjing to change his clothes, Xiao Mu followed the nanny to a room.

The nanny brought out a bright red mandarin duck-patterned bellyband. Xiao Mu's heart tightened; could it be that she was going to wear this to soak in the hot spring?

She removed all the cumbersome jewelry and phoenix crown from Xiao Mu's head, took off her gorgeous wedding dress, and gently massaged her scalp with a wooden comb. Xiao Mu instantly felt all the fatigue of the day disappear.

The nanny instructed her on what to do: she must not look the emperor in the eye, she must not be disrespectful to the emperor, and so on... in short, she must not do anything.

Xiao Mu changed into a red bellyband. The nanny said it was cold and she could wear a gauze robe. Xiao Mu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put on the gauze robe, covering her hair at her collarbone and making sure her bare skin was covered.

Stepping out of the house, she could see Yu Yanjing already in the hot spring pavilion across the way. His long black hair hung down his back without being tied up, and his bangs covered his brow bone. His long eyelashes under his peach blossom eyes were wet with water, as if veiled by a layer of mist. Further down, a pair of delicate and beautiful collarbones were revealed. The rest of his body was submerged in the water. This picture of a handsome man bathing made her unable to take her eyes off him.

She walked up to Yu Yanjing, squatted down, and reached out to touch the water temperature. It was just right, but she hesitated whether to get in, after all... she was still very nervous and shy.

Yu Yanjing turned his head to look at her, his eyes filled with unspeakable tenderness, and his voice was hoarse, "Why don't you come down? Isn't the water temperature just right?"

Xiao Mu hesitated, her voice soft, "I...I'm not ready yet. You go first, and I'll come down after you're done..."

Yu Yanjing looked at her in confusion, then turned around, nodded, his eyes filled with deep affection. His voice was so gentle that Xiao Mu's bones felt like they were melting.

"We're supposed to soak together, what do you mean 'I go first'? Don't you want to join me? What's there to be nervous about? I don't know how to do anything, it's just soaking in the hot spring, there are other people outside, what can I do?"

Xiao Mu nodded, stepped one foot into the water, and then slowly dipped the other foot in as well. She sat on the edge of the pool, playing in the water with her delicate white feet. Yu Yanjing watched her with a smile, without saying a word.

She looks so well-behaved.

After playing for a while, Xiao Mu gradually felt her feet getting a little sore.

"Alright, come down now..." Yu Yanjing stretched out his hand in front of her. Xiao Mu gritted her teeth, took his hand, and submerged her whole body in the water.

She swam to the other side of the pool, deliberately keeping her distance from Yu Yanjing. She was still very reserved and hadn't even taken off her gauze dress. Now the gauze dress was soaked and clung to her skin, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

Yu Yanjing swam over and held Xiao Mu to the edge of the pool. Xiao Mu had nowhere to go, so she could only lower her head and silently watch the water. Yu Yanjing was wearing pants, thank goodness.

Yu Yanjing lifted her chin, and she met his eyes in horror. She saw desire and a desire to conquer in his eyes, and her heart jumped and every nerve in her body tensed up.

Water droplets slid down Yu Yanjing's eyebrows and eyes, down the bridge of his nose, like a straight line across his pink lips, and hung on his chin, refusing to drip.

Xiao Mu's ears turned bright red. Her gaze fell downwards, and she saw a few water droplets hanging on Yu Yanjing's collarbone. The lines of his neck were beautiful. She felt her throat was dry and she really wanted to drink water.

Yu Yanjing looked down at her the whole time, staring at her for a long time before a passionate kiss slowly landed. He gently held her lips, gradually becoming more intense. He tentatively pressed the tip of his tongue against Xiao Mu's white teeth, and seeing that she did not refuse, he found her tongue and gently intertwined with it, kissing her until she was dizzy and almost suffocating. Then Yu Yanjing released her.

Xiao Mu, whom he looked at, had slightly flushed cheeks, slightly swollen lips, and a dazed, bewildered expression as she stared at him, seemingly still wanting more.

He held her tightly. Xiao Mu's gauze dress was wet and clung to him uncomfortably, so he removed it, revealing the girl's delicate, white shoulders and her beautiful collarbones, which were made even more alluring by the red ribbon.

The girl was trembling with nervousness. Yu Yanjing cupped her face and kissed her again, tracing her lips, neck, and collarbone...

……

After a long while, Xiao Mu put on a gauze dress, sat by the pool, and looked at Yu Yanjing, who was still soaking in the water. He was looking at her leisurely with a half-smile.

Her face flushed instantly, and she demanded, "What are you laughing at? What kind of naughty idea are you thinking of now?"

“I didn’t laugh.”

Xiao Mu said defiantly, "You did laugh, don't deny it. I always feel like you're laughing at me in your heart, I'm sure of it!"

Yu Yanjing got out of the pool, sat next to Xiao Mu, and pulled her into his arms, saying gently, "I'm not making fun of you, really. Are you tired? Are you hungry?"

Xiao Mu shook her head, then suddenly thought of something and said, "When we get back, I'm going to hold a wedding for Xiao Shao and Ci Feng, so they can always be by my side. Ci Feng is a good man, and he will definitely treat Xiao Shao well."

Yu Yanjing seemed somewhat displeased, "Why are you praising another man when we're alone together?"

Xiao Mu snuggled against him helplessly and said in a coquettish voice, "No, this is important. I just wanted to let you know. Why are you being so petty? We're husband and wife now. Can't I even praise other people? Have you forgotten what happened between us? I'm not even angry yet."

Yu Yanjing rested his chin on her head, looking down, and could vaguely see the girl's lips, delicate and tempting. He restrained his emotions and said softly.

"I want to remember too, but it's not something I can control. Am I useless? I can't even remember our things..."

Xiao Mu wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her face against his lower abdomen, and comforted him, "It's okay, we're together now, the past doesn't matter..."

Yu Yanjing suddenly pinched Xiao Mu's cheek and said with a mischievous smile, "How about we consummate our marriage right here?"

Xiao Mu suddenly let go of him, glaring at him and saying, "I was just comforting you, and now you're saying these things to bully me? I never thought you were this kind of person!"

"I was just joking, Your Majesty, please don't be angry!"

Xiao Mu pouted and said with a sharp look in her eyes, "Who is the Empress? Why do you refer to yourself as 'I'? You never used to refer to yourself as 'I' before. Have you changed after getting married?"

Yu Yanjing was both amused and exasperated. "No... really, I just blurted it out out of habit. I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I was wrong and am willing to be punished. Please favor me tonight, and I'll serve you well, okay?"

Xiao Mu's heart began to race involuntarily; what was bound to happen would happen eventually...

I heard it hurts a lot, but you'll just have to bear it...

I feel so awkward, I'll just have to bear with it...

Yu Yanjing looked at her blankly, then leaned closer and asked curiously, "I really want to know what you're made of. You blush so easily and are so easily teased. I won't tease you next time, I'm afraid you'll faint... um."

Xiao Mu moved closer and silenced him with her lips, stopping him from saying anything more. Even she was surprised; she had actually taken the initiative…

Even in this atmosphere.

Yu Yanjing could no longer restrain himself. He picked up Xiao Mu and headed towards their bedroom.

When the old woman saw them come out, she silently lowered her head and retreated.

Xiao Shao and You had already made the bed and were waiting at the entrance of the palace. Xiao Mu glanced at them shyly and looked at them for help, but You shrugged, indicating that she couldn't help. Xiao Shao was overjoyed and didn't notice Xiao Mu's distress signal at all.

She nervously hugged Yu Yanjing's neck and whispered in his ear, "Could it be... not today?"

"No."

What to do, what to do? What to do?

She was so scared, so nervous, so embarrassed—a thousand emotions surged through her. All she wanted to do was escape, but what could she do? Yu Yanjing would be furious. In this atmosphere, she still wanted to run away…

But what if it hurts a lot?

The distance from the door to the bed was so far, so far that Xiao Mu thought she would have plenty of time to escape.

Yu Yanjing held him in one arm, and with the other hand brushed aside the juicy red dates and longans on the bed, gently placed Xiao Mu on the bed, and turned to blow out the candles.

Xiao Mu tugged at his clothes and said weakly, "I want to eat red dates, longan, melon seeds, and peanuts, it symbolizes... having a son soon..."

Yu Yanjing couldn't hold back any longer. He said impatiently, "Why are you making such a fuss? Who told you that? I don't care, I don't believe in this." He made a move to extinguish the candle.

Xiao Mu scolded, "Yu Yanjing, this is what the nanny who helped me change said, don't disbelieve her!"

Yu Yanjing gave in, grabbed a handful of things from the bed, picked out red dates, peanuts, longans, and melon seeds, and ate them without waiting.

"Is it okay now? Is it alright now..." Just as Yu Yanjing turned around, Xiao Mu called out to him again.

"Yu Yanjing, I haven't eaten yet..."

Yu Yanjing was furious. He put his hands on his hips, stared straight at her, and slowly swept his gaze across her with a scrutinizing look, as if to say, "I'd like to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve to refuse me."

Xiao Mu felt that he was really going to get angry, so she obediently grabbed the messy things on the bed and stuffed them into her mouth, wolfing them down.

He was amused, turned around, and finally turned off the lights.

It was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything. Yu Yanjing relied on his senses to find Xiao Mu's side and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, I know you're scared..."

"it is good……"

Yu Yanjing pulled down the bed curtains, climbed onto the bed, and by sheer coincidence, landed on top of Xiao Mu.

He gently and soothingly kissed Xiao Mu's forehead, "Don't be afraid."

The air seemed to freeze; the only sounds were heartbeats and breathing.

Xiao Mu could sense his eagerness and enthusiasm.

He held Xiao Mu's lips in his mouth, gently comforting her, but it hurt so much; she had never realized it would hurt this much.

She could feel Yu Yanjing trying to be gentle with her, but it was all in vain.

I'm afraid of being overheard, so I'm trying hard to restrain myself.

Yu Yanjing's voice was hoarse. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Xiao Mu couldn't speak, and simply gave a faint "hmm".

Her breathing quickened and her voice became even softer, which only made Yu Yanjing more unrestrained, each time causing her pain as if he wanted to devour her.

Intimacy in the bridal chamber is something that husband and wife should do.

……

"Does it still hurt a lot?" Yu Yanjing lit a candle and looked at Xiao Mu, who was lying limp on the bed looking like she had no will to live, with a panicked expression.

Xiao Mu gritted her teeth and said, "What do you think?"

"Would you like something to eat? I'll have someone bring some food in," Yu Yanjing said, heading out to call for someone.

Xiao Mu grabbed his hand and said shyly, "No, I don't want anyone to see me like this..."

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" Yu Yanjing sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze falling on her face.

An indescribable heartache spread through his heart, and the more he felt this way, the more he wanted to become one with her, to be entwined together forever and never be separated.

Xiao Mu said softly, "Can't I go to sleep? I might have to get up very early tomorrow... Aren't you sleepy, Yu Yanjing?"

Yu Yanjing shook his head. On their wedding night, how could they go to bed so early?

"Then what do you want to do? I'm so tired..." Xiao Mu's eyes looked at her as if she was begging for mercy. Her whole body was sore and her head was spinning.

I simply have no strength left.

Yu Yanjing had no choice but to hold her and sleep with her.

She had no idea what time it was. They had been at it since the first half of the night, and it must be past midnight now. She had barely slept all night. She had just wanted to rest when Yu Yanjing woke her up and kept her up...

My throat hurts terribly, it's dry and astringent, and my back aches so badly it feels like it's going to break. But why is Yu Yanjing acting so excited? Help! It's only the first night of our marriage and he's already like this. What am I going to do in the future?

The sun was high in the sky, and they should have been up long ago. However, just as dawn broke, Yu Yanjing, who had been dozing off to recharge, dragged her back into bed. Xiao Mu was on the verge of tears, only hoping that the servants would come and rescue her quickly.

However, they waited until the sun was high in the sky before arriving. Since their master didn't open the door, they dared not come in to disturb him and spoil the mood.

"Your Majesty, why are you only just getting up? The people who came to greet you are freezing to death at the city gate!"

Shen Ruoxuan finally saw Yu Yanjing. Seeing him walk in with a beaming smile, she was furious. He had spent the whole night with a beautiful woman by his side, while she had been sitting outside in the cold wind for hours!

"What's the rush?" Yu Yanjing glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "I can get up whenever I want..."

“We should be a little more restrained on our first night together, so as not to exhaust Her Majesty the Empress,” Shen Ruoxuan said from the side.

"Who says she's tired? She's enjoying herself."

Xiao Mu, who had just finished dressing in her empress's robes, came out and felt that Shen Ruoxuan's gaze held a hidden meaning, making her feel quite uncomfortable.

What did Yu Yanjing say to him again?

It's definitely bad news.

"Yu Yanjing, when are we leaving? I'm getting impatient!" Xiao Mu said softly.

Shen Ruoxuan's eyes widened. She actually called Yu Yanjing by his given name. She was the only one in the world who dared to do such a thing.

"Almost there. Once they've packed everything, we can leave. Are you hungry? Eat something before you go..."

Shen Ruoxuan was shocked again. Yu Yanjing could be so considerate of others? She had never heard of such a thing before, nor had she ever seen him like this!