Yuanbao glanced around, followed the soldiers out, and closed the door behind her.

Yu Zhiguang, still veiled, found her wedding fan and gently fanned herself.

It was so stuffy; the silk was really not breathable. After being veiled for so long, her cheeks were even hotter than when she first entered the bridal chamber.

Suddenly, a cool breeze swept past her, and the bright candlelight flickered in her vision. Xue Shen had silently approached, lifting the edge of her veil, pausing for a moment before completely removing it.

Her vision cleared.

Unexpectedly, she found herself face to face with Xue Shen.

He was different from the fierce image she had in her mind. The dark red wedding robe softened his usually stern and imposing aura.  Only when his martial aura lessened could she clearly see his handsome features.

Xue Shen strolled away, casually pulling up a square stool and sitting down. He found the wine jug on the round table and drank directly from the spout.

The small jade wine jug was emptied in a few gulps and placed on the table.

The food on the table was untouched.

“Didn’t you have dinner?”

“I’m…not very hungry.” Yu Zhiguang had just finished speaking when her stomach, accustomed to regular meals, let out a clear rumble.

Xue Shen tapped the table with his finger, “Come and eat.”

Yu Zhiguang sat opposite him.  The dishes were mostly rich and oily meat dishes. She scooped up a bowl of lighter mixed vegetable porridge, took a couple of small sips, choked, and put down her bowl.

Xue Shen frowned, “Is it not good?”

She shook her head repeatedly, “…It’s a bit cold.”

“So?”

“Cold…so I eat slowly.”

The rice and broth had separated into clumps, and the vegetables were wilted and yellow, with a layer of oil floating on top.  She had to pause between each bite.

Xue Shen: “Then go bathe first.”

Yu Zhiguang instinctively stood up, feeling like she was influenced by his men, becoming a new recruit who acted on every command.

The largest bathroom in the General’s mansion was a hot spring room.

The mansion originally belonged to the former dynasty’s Generalissimo, who had old battle wounds and needed hot springs for therapy. The former emperor had specially built the mansion and diverted a spring for him. After the dynasty changed, the mansion eventually fell into Xue Shen’s hands.

The newly renovated bathroom door was opened, revealing an irregularly shaped bath large enough for several people, steam rising, the water shimmering.  On the low table beside the pool were bath beans, brushes, and other items.  Thick, clean robes, clothes, and towels hung on the screen.

Xue Shen lit several lamps on the lamp stand, making the bathroom brighter.

“Should I call your maid to attend to you?”

“No, Yuanbao is also tired after a long day.”

Yu Zhiguang looked at the pool of water, hesitant.

Xue Shen retreated, “No one has used it.”

He took a cold shower in the small bathroom in the bridal chamber and returned to find the bathroom still quiet.  He was about to knock when he finally heard faint splashing.

He waited an eternity, long enough for a whole battalion of his soldiers to bathe, before the bathroom door slowly opened.

Did she soak until her face wrinkled?

Xue Shen looked back in disbelief, stunned.

Her phoenix crown and jewelry were removed, her golden wedding dress gone.

The bride, who had been strikingly beautiful under her veil, was now washed clean, looking like the bright young lady she was before her marriage. Her oval face was smooth and delicate, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with moisture, and strands of soft black hair curled around her cheeks in a charming way.

Xue Shen said nothing, turning to signal her to follow.

Yu Zhiguang, wrapped in an oversized robe, followed him.  As she stepped out of the doorway, she almost tripped over the hem of her robe. Looking up, she saw the tall man already walking away.

“Wait…” for me.

She hadn’t looked carefully at the path when she came.

She gathered the hem of her robe and walked along the moonlit stone path.  Around a corner, she saw his long legs, the man standing with his arms crossed under a dragon claw elm tree.

He frowned, “Hurry up, or the food will get cold.”

The food was back on the table, steaming and fragrant.

Yu Zhiguang was indeed hungry. She picked up her chopsticks and ate politely, only taking food from the two dishes in front of her. Xue Shen sat opposite her, watching, not eating, only drinking the refilled wine, calmly and steadily, cup after cup.

After finishing his wine, he suddenly asked, “Miss Yu, who is Wufu?”

“…?” Yu Zhiguang held her bowl, gulped, and a half-chewed meatball rolled down her throat, choking her.

“Wufu, at the Princess’s banquet, you said I was more terrifying than Wufu, that you absolutely couldn’t meet me again.”

“…”

“Wufu sounds like a dog’s name.”

Yu Zhiguang, struggling to breathe, stood up abruptly, wanting to quickly change the subject: “It’s getting late, General Xue, let’s…let’s go to bed.”

You guessed right.

Wufu was a fierce black Great Pyrenees dog kept at the Yu family’s ancestral home in Yun City.

His two greatest loves were meat bones and licking her face.

Moonlight streamed into the room through the high, rolled-up blinds.

The wide space between the canopy bed and the tables and chairs was filled with a thin mattress. Xue Shen, wearing only his undergarment, lay on his side, his head resting on his arm, a thin quilt draped over his stomach.

Yu Zhiguang pulled back the curtains of the canopy bed, peeking out.

Xue Shen didn’t open his eyes, “What?”

“I’ll sleep on the couch, General, should you move over? It’s almost September, the floor is cold.”

She had prepared for a separate bed or room on their wedding night, but Xue Shen had brought out a mattress and made a bed beside hers, saying the couch was too short for him to stretch his legs.

Xue Shen didn’t move, turning his back to her.

His broad, strong shoulders were encased in soft undergarments, half in the moonlight, half in shadow.

Yu Zhiguang sat up, her toes just touching her slippers.