Xiao Qing followed Liang Xiao's gaze, remembering the small whip she hadn't hidden well, and panicked.
"I, I, I..." Xiao Qing stammered, speechless.
She had originally intended to reveal her female identity to Liang Xiao, surprise him, and then subdue this scoundrel. Perhaps the plan would be perfect!
But now that she knew Liang Xiao was the Heavenly General himself, she suddenly felt timid!
Liang Xiao picked up the small whip and examined it, a wry smile on his face. "You wanted to mistreat your husband?"
This little rascal, she actually wanted to tame her husband?
Ning Xuejun watched, a half-smile playing on her lips.
Xiao Qing gathered her courage and chided, "You always bully me, saying bad things about Shuang'er to Xiao Shuangzi, and bad things about Xiao Shuangzi to Shuang'er~"
Liang Xiao blinked and handed the whip back to Xiao Qing. "Then hit your husband."
Xiao Qing casually threw it away and hugged Liang Xiao. "I was just trying to scare you; I couldn't bear to..."
As the couple shared tender moments, Wang Canghai and Lu Yi outside had already dismissed the officials and waited at the entrance of the West Palace Villa for the female imperial physician, Yuan Jin.
Lu Yi whispered, "Is the fertility medicine prepared?"
After receiving Yuan Jin's affirmative reply, Lu Yi asked again, "Does that fertility medicine work? Is it harmful?"
Yuan Jin replied, "It's a secret recipe passed down from my master's master. It focuses on nourishing the body and relieving pain. It's extremely gentle and will absolutely not harm the body. It's most suitable for His Majesty, but there's a slight side effect..."
Lu Yi frowned. "You said it's not harmful, so why is there a side effect??"
Yuan Jin sighed helplessly and confessed, "It's not harmful, it's just that after taking it with wine, after a while, one will feel a strong desire... Ah, let's consider it as an aid for the wedding night."
Wang Canghai and Lu Yi blushed simultaneously.
"Then let's proceed!" Lu Yi said, then remembered that Lu Changhe only had one son and one daughter, and pouted. "By the way, my son Changhe has a friend who has recently been asking him to find this item. Can you get some for him too?"
Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing sat on the bed, their affections rekindling, feeling like the happiest and luckiest people in the world.
After a moment, Ning Xuejun entered with a pot of wine, urging them on.
"My Lord,驸马爷, it's time to drink the cross-cupped wine."
The couple, suspecting nothing, drank the wine under Ning Xuejun's watchful eye.
Only then did Ning Xuejun breathe a sigh of relief and say, "An hour of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. This minister shall take his leave..."
Xiao Qing, blushing, watched Ning Xuejun leave as the door closed, her heart pounding.
Now it was truly just her, facing her new husband alone!
"Should I call you 'wife' from now on, or Shuang'er, or Xiao Shuangzi?" Liang Xiao dotingly pinched Xiao Qing's nose.
Xiao Qing shyly replied, "Whatever you like to call me, it's fine..."
Liang Xiao, gratified, lifted Xiao Qing's chin and kissed her deeply.
Xiao Qing finally mustered the courage to ask, "Is Shuang'er the... the first woman of Brother Xiao..."
Liang Xiao blinked, then answered solemnly, "The Bodhisattva wishes for you to be my first woman, so we haven't taken the final step..."
Xiao Qing's face instantly turned crimson. Her gaze darted away, unable to meet Liang Xiao's eyes. Suddenly, she cried out "Ah!" as Liang Xiao scooped her up.
"Don't you want to continue the imperial lineage? Your husband will fulfill this small request of yours!"
"Please have pity on Shuang'er, my lord husband..." Xiao Qing merely murmured softly, allowing Liang Xiao to carry her away.
The red canopy descended...
As a gentle, drawn-out cry escaped the maiden's tear-filled lips, the bright moon in the sky slowly hid behind the clouds, and the song of life's elegy was played by billions of beings.
On the wedding bed, Xiao Qing slowly regained full consciousness. Her eyes were languid and alluring. She secretly glanced at the bloodstain on the sheet, shamefully burying herself in the covers.
Liang Xiao, his old face blushing, gently stroked Xiao Qing's slightly disheveled dark hair and whispered, "Was I too rough just now?"
The bride in the covers gently shook her head and held Liang Xiao tighter.
Liang Xiao quickly covered her properly, fearing she might catch a chill.
After a long while, a hesitant voice, like heavenly music, emerged from the covers.
"You, you be a bit rougher..."
After saying it, Xiao Qing suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting Liang Xiao's in surprise, unable to believe she had said such a thing.
"Really?" Liang Xiao's expression was tense.
Xiao Qing buried her face in the covers and nodded softly. "Mm..."
Another prolonged and fierce battle ensued...
Deep into the night, Xiao Qing, wrapped in Liang Xiao's arms, rested her head on his chest, her breath soft and fragrant.
Liang Xiao looked at the exhausted Xiao Qing and tenderly kissed her forehead. "Shall we rest now?"
Xiao Qing, who had been about to beg for mercy, her beautiful eyes lit up. With a look of triumph, she gazed at Liang Xiao and mischievously licked his cheek with her small, sweet tongue. "Then, I won, right?"
Liang Xiao's expression changed. His gaze sharpened, and he turned over again.
...
This night, it was sometimes a gentle breeze and fine rain, sometimes a storm, sometimes a low murmur, sometimes a high crescendo, determined to decide the victor and vanquished.
Until the first light of dawn, Xiao Qing finally begged for mercy, and only then did Liang Xiao relent.
"Do you still want to tame your husband?"
"I was wrong~ I dare not~"
Liang Xiao hugged the beautiful woman in his arms, his eyes full of tenderness.
She had shown her Xiao Gege everything beautiful about being a maiden and a woman.
"Will Brother Xiao think Shuang'er is very bad..." Xiao Qing asked weakly.
She had finally calmed down.
"Am I worse than your Brother Xiao?" Liang Xiao countered.
Xiao Qing, who had been somewhat nervous, was now filled with a resentful gaze. "You're just a scoundrel~"
The sun was high in the sky, and the young couple was still fast asleep. Ning Xuejun dared not enter to wake them.
Wang Canghai, Lu Yi, and Ding Wu Yi stood at the entrance of the West Palace Villa, falling into silence.
How long had they been going at it last night...
In the afternoon, Liang Xiao helped Xiao Qing to the secret tomb deep within the West Palace Villa to pay respects to the late Crown Prince.
Looking at the simple four characters "Tomb of my elder brother" on the tombstone, Liang Xiao inexplicably felt a pang of sorrow.
The true Crown Prince, Xiao Qing, was buried here, yet could not be honored by the world.
"Imperial brother, it was you who fulfilled your promise to Shuang'er, allowing the most outstanding and virtuous official in the realm to become Shuang'er's驸马..." Xiao Qing lamented as if weeping.
Liang Xiao had given her immense courage to face everything.
She was named Xiao Shuang, but she was still Xiao Qing.
For her parents and imperial brother, for the nation and its people!
Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing then went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay respects to the late Emperor and Empress.
Seeing the statue of the Heavenly General at the entrance of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Xiao Qing chided, "Look at you, you're such a scoundrel~"
Liang Xiao chuckled, holding Xiao Qing's hand tightly.
He was still alive, yet honored by the people of Great Gan, and even enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. It was currently awkward that the statue had not been removed!
The four Grand Ministers followed, finally relieved.
Now, they only hoped that Xiao Qing would live a long life and that Liang Xiao would have many descendants.
Neither of the couple could die!
No one understood better than the four Grand Ministers that if Liang Xiao were to die young, even if Xiao Qing had no heirs, she would never consider anyone else and might even die of grief.
Liang Xiao's injuries had already improved, but the physique of each generation of the Xiao family was not very reassuring. The Crown Prince had died young...
What should they do next?
Zhuo Zifang, far away in Jiangnan, was resting in his courtyard.
"Counting the time, Liang Xiao should have married Princess Ning Shuang by now, right?" Zhuo Zifang said with a gratified expression, then pouted. "This blockhead finally knows how to harvest a field of white cabbage."
A moment later, the steward, San Quan, rushed into the courtyard with a secret letter, his face anxious. "Lord Zhuo, a letter from an old acquaintance from Great Liang!"