Wei Caiwei had volunteered to come to Baoding.
Because Consort Shangshou was originally a candidate selected from Baoding Prefecture during the Imperial Concubine Selection.
The Directorate of Ceremonial dispatched palace female physicians to various prefectures around the capital, each responsible for the selection process in one location. Naturally, the physicians preferred postings closer to home, with the five districts of Beijing and Wanping-Daxing counties being the most desirable.
Among these palace physicians, Wei Caiwei was the youngest. She declared, "I'm young and healthy, willing to take more distant assignments. Let me go to Baoding Prefecture."
In her previous life, the two women had met in the palace. This time, to prevent any mishaps, Wei Caiwei decided to become acquainted with Consort Shangshou even earlier by coming to Baoding. As long as she firmly clung to this exceptionally fortunate candidate, even if Lu Bing were to repeat his past mistakes, their group wouldn't instantly lose their protective umbrella.
Especially for Lu Ying. In the previous life, after Lu Bing's death, the Lu family declined. Lu Ying lost her father's protection, faced ostracization in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, could no longer continue her work, shed her military uniform, returned home, hastily married, quickly became widowed, and promptly took religious vows, disappearing without a trace thereafter.
If Consort Shangshou would extend her support to Lu Ying in this life, Lu Ying would have backing in the palace and could maintain her position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. By protecting Lu Ying, Ding Wu, who was deep undercover in enemy territory, would remain safe, as Lu Ying was Ding Wu's most solid rear guard.
All of this required powerful connections. The world of fame and fortune was brutally pragmatic - influence vanished the moment one lost position.
Wei Caiwei had come precisely to seek patronage, invest in promising prospects, and secure powerful allies. Given a second chance at life, she was determined to prepare for rainy days and ensure everyone's safety, not just for her own sake.
Wei Caiwei never expected to find Wang Daxia here, unconscious and dressed in wedding attire!
In her previous life, she had never seen him wear wedding clothes.
Her first thought was: He looks truly handsome in wedding attire. Their previous union as a eunuch and maid pairing had been too rushed - the palace didn't permit elaborate ceremonies. They had merely set out a few banquet tables and dressed slightly more formally to mark the occasion, leaving regrets.
But before nostalgia could set in, her second thought emerged: Why was he wearing wedding clothes? Who had he married?
Lu Ying explained the entire story, "...Doctor Wei, is he alright?"
Wei Caiwei felt both annoyed and amused, asking, "Was he... willing to trade on his looks?"
If he went voluntarily... I won't treat him! Let them find someone else!
Lu Ying replied, "It was my order. Among my subordinates, he's the most handsome. This is already the ninth time he's been captured as a street groom - he's our most effective bait. None of us anticipated this family would be so impatient, drugging him into stupor right away."
Hearing this, Wei Caiwei's heart sank. Seeing his disheveled state, she grew urgently concerned: "This family is utterly deranged! To achieve their goals, they'd use such potent drugs. Has he—has he been assaulted?" Ah, pretty boys really need to protect themselves when outside!
Lu Ying said, "No, his virtue remains intact. Fortunately, the entire family is eccentric. The father administered drugs while the daughter spent her wedding night setting off fireworks with the groom in the bridal chamber, nearly burning it down. When we arrived, they had already set off two chests of fireworks. The place was filled with smoke and the smell of gunpowder, like New Year's Eve."
Wei Caiwei found this scene strangely familiar and asked, "Does this girl have the surname Shang?"Only someone from the Shang family would dare carry on so unrestrainedly, so naive and romantic and unconstrained."Lu Ying: "Exactly, how did Doctor Wei know?"
Wei Caiwei: "Oh, I just glanced at the roster for the Imperial Concubine Selection at the Baoding Prefecture Office. This surname is quite rare, and it was listed at the top, so I remembered it."
Lu Ying was concerned about Wang Daxia's condition, but even more so about her own duties. "Since Wang Daxia is injured, we'll leave him in your care, Doctor Wei. We must hurry to Yongping Prefecture on official business and cannot wait for him."
As a woman, Lu Ying naturally despised the Imperial Concubine Selection. Though she spent her days at the Imperial Guard Office awaiting news from Ding Wu, as a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she had no choice but to carry out the tasks assigned by Lu Bing. She wanted to complete this formality quickly so she could continue waiting for Ding Wu's message.
Thus, Lu Ying handed Wang Daxia over to Wei Caiwei and set off for Yongping Prefecture with her subordinates.
Upon hearing it was the Shang family, Wei Caiwei immediately stopped minding Wang Daxia's wedding attire. However, the thought that these wedding clothes were meant for another woman still made her uncomfortable. While preparing his antidote, she asked a young eunuch to change Wang Daxia's clothes.
His unconscious form reminded her of their previous life, when he took a poisoned arrow for her and collapsed gravely injured. She had cared for him tirelessly day and night, and though he woke after five days, he never fully recovered from the illness.
That evening, Wei Caiwei meticulously attended to Wang Daxia, administering medicine three times. She propped up his upper body and fed him spoonful by spoonful. His slow swallowing in his unconscious state caused most of the medicine to spill, so she brewed multiple bowls each time to ensure he received enough.
Wei Caiwei only managed to doze lightly through the night, never truly sleeping. Still fully dressed, she rested her head beside his pillow until faint stirrings roused her. Opening her eyes, she saw Wang Daxia had awakened.
This proved her antidote was effective, and Wei Caiwei was overjoyed. She urged Wang Daxia to get up and try walking.
But the awakened Wang Daxia showed no signs of illness—he was full of energy. He suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her onto the bed as if he'd done it countless times before. With practiced ease, he wrapped his arms around her waist, rolling to pin her against the inner side of the bed before flipping on top of her like a crushing mountain. Trapped with her hands effortlessly restrained, she had nowhere to escape.
He descended upon her with a passionate kiss, leaving Wei Caiwei's mind blank. Though they had done this innumerable times in their past life, she found herself flustered and at a loss in this one.
What had happened? In just seven days, had her obedient puppy transformed into a wolf that bites at everyone?
It felt like ice and fire assaulting her simultaneously—part of her yearned while another part resisted, her heart tangled in knots.
"Darling, the night is fleeting. We've spent half of it setting off fireworks—shouldn't we rest now?"
This dreamlike murmur shattered her tangled emotions instantly. This fool was still trapped in his hallucination!
And he was fantasizing about setting off fireworks with Lady Shang! Spending the wedding night with Lady Shang! Calling Lady Shang his wife!
Though Wei Caiwei's hands were immobilized, her neck was free. As his kiss descended, she turned her face away, letting his lips brush her cheek and land on the pillow.
Wang Daxia nuzzled and shifted like an insistent kitten seeking her lips. In their intimate closeness, Wei Caiwei's mind flooded with memories of intimate moments with Eunuch Wang from their previous life. The Wang Daxia of both lifetimes seemed to merge in this instant, yet the realization that he was still hallucinating—that it wasn't her he desired—made her struggle desperately, writhing against his hold.Wang Daxia felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down on him, unable to break free. Moreover, Wei Caiwei could clearly feel the awakened Wang Xiaoxia pressing against her thigh, growing increasingly spirited.
Wei Caiwei sensed danger and had no choice but to resort to a desperate measure. Instead of evading, she actively kissed his neck and then... bit down hard!
"Ah!"
In pain, Wang Daxia finally released her hands and covered his neck.
Freed, Wei Caiwei seized the opportunity to push Wang Daxia away, leaped off the bed, grabbed a pot of cold tea from the night before, and poured it over his head. "Snap out of it! Look at me—who am I?"
Wei Caiwei was furious. Seven days apart, and in his dreams, he had already replaced her.
The pain combined with the cold tea felt both real and maddening. Wang Daxia couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality, muttering, "Hasn't it always been you, Wei Caiwei? Marrying you, playing with fireworks in the bridal chamber, spending the night together... You kissed me, so why bite me and pour water on my head? I was just doing what any groom would do. Why are you punishing me like this?"
The bride he had almost embraced suddenly turned cold, shifting his dream from a passionate fantasy to a nightmare. Wang Daxia felt his mind was a tangled mess.
Hearing this, Wei Caiwei finally understood what had happened to Wang Daxia. After being drugged, he had mistaken Madam Shang for her.
It was she who wore the bridal gown. It was she who played with fireworks with him. It was she who spent the night with him. It was she he wanted to kiss.
Her anger vanished instantly, like a storm clearing into sunshine.
Wei Caiwei picked up a towel from the washstand and tossed it to Wang Daxia. "Dry your face and head. Wake up—this isn't a dream; it's reality. Yesterday, you were drugged by that family, taken to the bridal chamber, and went crazy setting off fireworks with the bride, nearly burning the place down."
"What?" Wang Daxia awoke as if from a dream, ignoring his wet hair and face, and immediately covered himself with the blanket. Like a chaste martyr, he inspected his body under the covers.
"Ah! My clothes! Even my inner garments aren't the ones I wore yesterday!" Wang Daxia's handsome face paled with horror. "I couldn't have been... Ah! I'm not pure anymore!"
"You weren't. You and the bride were too busy setting off fireworks to do anything else," Wei Caiwei said. "The eunuchs changed your clothes."
Wei Caiwei thought to herself: Thankfully, you encountered the playful Madam Shang. If it had been another woman captivated by your looks, by the time Lu Ying and the others realized and rushed in to save you, you might have been well and truly compromised.
Wei Caiwei also took out the Marriage Certificate he had signed in his dazed state. "Wang Boda? What were you thinking? Writing your father's name to find yourself a second stepmother?"
Hearing that his chastity was intact, Wang Daxia's sorrow turned to joy. As he dried his wet hair and got out of bed, he struck a flint and burned the Marriage Certificate. "I just signed it out of habit. In the past, when I owed money, I'd sign my father's name and let the creditors go to him for payment. But—"
Wang Daxia glanced at Wei Caiwei's expression. "I don't do that anymore."
Wei Caiwei's expression softened. Knowing his mistake and correcting it—that was more like it. He really had become much more responsible than before.Wang Daxia continued with considerable pride, "Nowadays I charge everything to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's account when I'm out, telling merchants to collect payment from the Imperial Guard Office. When I come across small shops that don't have Embroidered Uniform Guard accounts, I have the owners write receipts and take them to Commander Lu for signature and reimbursement. Just like the medicine you fed me last night - this counts as an occupational injury, so the medical expenses should be covered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. When you go back, write me a note and make the amount as large as possible so I can claim more money."
Wei Caiwei: "You... really know how to live frugally!"
"Wait," Wei Caiwei noticed bloodstains on the towel Wang Daxia was using to dry his hair. Looking closer, she said, "Your neck is bleeding."
It was from where Wei Caiwei had bitten him in bed. Who would have thought that while Wang Daxia had thick skin when it came to shame, the skin on his neck was so thin that a single bite broke through, leaving two rows of bloody tooth marks.
Earlier when Wang Daxia woke up, he had been more concerned about whether he had been *** than about the pain in his neck.
Wei Caiwei made Wang Daxia sit down. She took out medicinal powder and sprinkled it bit by bit on his neck to stop the bleeding, saying, "The tooth marks are too obvious. Remember to wear high-collared clothes until they disappear. Otherwise, if you go out with these marks and given that I was with you last night, who knows what rumors might spread."
Author's note: Wang Daxia proudly covers his bleeding neck: Rounding it off counts as kissing, so these aren't tooth marks - they're hickeys!
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