Xiao Jingxi glanced at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi nodded. "You should go."
According to etiquette, after completing the rituals in the bridal chamber, Xiao Jingxi still needed to make an appearance before the guests outside. The Yanbei Prince's Mansion hadn't hosted such a grand, joyous occasion in a long time. Nearly everyone qualified to offer their congratulations had arrived today, all of them heads of the major noble families in Yanbei.
The Yanbei Prince's Mansion had to show these people some face.
When outsiders were present, Xiao Jingxi would never act like a reluctant, coy woman. To date, Ren Yaoqi was the only person who had ever seen Second Young Master Xiao act spoiled and playful.
So, regardless of whether Xiao Jingxi wanted to leave or whether he resented Xiao Jinglin for appearing at an inopportune moment and interrupting his happy occasion, he still spoke to Xiao Jinglin in a pleasant tone, instructing, "If you're not going out, then stay here and keep... your second sister-in-law company."
Xiao Jinglin was very agreeable. "I know. I'll stand guard here, you don't have to worry."
Only then did Xiao Jingxi feel at ease. He smiled at Ren Yaoqi again before finally leaving the bridal chamber.
After Xiao Jingxi left, Xiao Jinglin and Ren Yaoqi stared at each other for a while, until Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but laugh. "What is it?"
Xiao Jinglin looked Ren Yaoqi up and down for a good while, consciously ignoring the slightly faded rouge on her lips. After thinking seriously, she said with some awkwardness, "I was thinking about what to call you from now on. According to etiquette, I should call you Second Sister-in-law, but it feels a bit strange... Calling you by your full name would be impolite."
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but chuckle. "I was wondering what it was. From now on, call me Second Sister-in-law when we're in front of others. When it's just us, with no outsiders, you can call me what you always have."
Xiao Jinglin blinked and whispered, "Does Xiao Jingxi count as an outsider?"
Ren Yaoqi gave a light cough and also whispered, "He counts if you say he counts, and he doesn't if you say he doesn't."
Princess Xiao was easy to please, and her heart was immediately put at ease.
What Xiao Jinglin would never admit was that she had actually been thinking about whether Ren Yaoqi, now that she was married to Xiao Jingxi, would start treating her only as a sister-in-law and no longer as a good friend. In Xiao Jinglin's heart, she could have many sisters-in-law, but she had only one good friend, Ren Yaoqi.
"Are you hungry? I'll have someone send some food in," Xiao Jinglin thought for a moment and asked.
She had heard that brides were often starved for the entire day and was worried that Ren Yaoqi was hungry too.
Ren Yaoqi quickly stopped her. "I'm not hungry. I ate quite a bit just now during the ceremony here."
The wedding customs of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion were more numerous than in most places. Just now, she and Xiao Jingxi had to eat something after every bow. Although these rituals were complicated and time-consuming, the benefit was that her stomach was full and she wasn't hungry.
Xiao Jinglin nodded and didn't insist.
"By the way, the Heir of the Prince of Hezhong is here too. Do you want to see him?" Xiao Jinglin said to Ren Yaoqi.
The Heir of the Prince of Hezhong was Ren Yaoqi's maternal uncle, Li Tianyou. The dowry from the Prince of Hezhong's Mansion had arrived in Yunyang City first, while Li Tianyou himself had only arrived today. Ren Yaoqi had already heard the talk outside about Li Tianyou's arrival while she was still at the Ren Family, so she wasn't surprised to hear this.
"It's not convenient today. We'll see when there's another chance," Ren Yaoqi said, shaking her head.
It was definitely impossible for Ren Yaoqi to meet outside guests today. This was the first time someone from her maternal grandmother's family had appeared in Yunyang City since they left. Besides representing the Prince of Hezhong's Mansion at her and Xiao Jingxi's wedding, Li Tianyou surely had other matters to attend to. If Li Tianyou stayed in Yunyang City for a few more days, she would be able to see him.
"Someone from the Zeng Family of Ningxia also came," Xiao Jinglin said, chatting with Ren Yaoqi to keep her from getting bored.
"Who came?" Ren Yaoqi was still very concerned about the Zeng Family.
"It was just one of Zeng Pu's stewards. The actual masters of the Zeng Family wouldn't dare show their faces at the Yanbei Prince's Mansion right now. Otherwise, the Old Princess Consort would probably raise an absolute storm," Xiao Jinglin said sarcastically.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel a little curious. "What happened?"
Xiao Jinglin hadn't wanted to talk about such unpleasant things with Ren Yaoqi, but since Ren Yaoqi asked, she didn't hide it. She chose her words carefully, "A while ago, Wu Yiyu became pregnant, but she miscarried not long after. This is already the second time."
Ren Yaoqi was stunned by the news, her jaw dropping. "Pregnant? But... but isn't Zeng Kui..." If she remembered correctly, Zeng Kui was no longer capable as a man. Could it be that the Zeng Family had found a miracle doctor to cure him?
Xiao Jinglin said calmly, "The child naturally wasn't Zeng Kui's."
Ren Yaoqi still couldn't understand. "Weren't Miss Wu's movements being controlled by the Zeng Family?" How could she still get pregnant with someone else's child?
Xiao Jinglin frowned, a look of disgust on her face. "Zeng Kui is an inscrutable person. Who knows what he's thinking!"
Ren Yaoqi understood immediately. Wu Yiyu's pregnancy was definitely not because she had a lover outside. This was just one of Zeng Kui's methods of torture—to make her pregnant with some other man's child, and then make her miscarry.
At this thought, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but shiver. She understood even more clearly why, in her previous life, Ren Yaohua would rather choose to perish together with Zeng Kui than continue to live with him. A person like Zeng Kui had lost all humanity. To call him a beast would be an insult to beasts.
This topic was truly far from pleasant, even though they had once despised Wu Yiyu.
"You've never been to Zhaoning Hall before, have you? My second brother's place is usually the quietest. Because of his strict rules, he never receives outside guests in Zhaoning Hall, as if he's afraid others will dirty his place just by stepping inside. He's incredibly hard to serve. But Mother said that now that he's married, some rules have to be changed. You can't be expected to run off to some other place just to entertain guests in the future, right? So, take a look around and see if there's anything you find displeasing or don't like. Tomorrow, we'll have the steward in charge of internal affairs come over, take notes, and make some changes." Xiao Jinglin deftly changed the subject.
Ren Yaoqi was grateful for the Princess Consort's thoughtfulness, but if these were Xiao Jingxi's habits, she was unwilling to make him break them as soon as she arrived. After all, they weren't major issues. She could accommodate him where she could; otherwise, when they encountered something she truly couldn't accommodate, it would be harder to resolve.
Although Ren Yaoqi had no experience in the ways of husband and wife, she was earnestly trying to figure it out.
The two of them chatted on, one sentence after another, without calling any servants in to attend to them. Time passed surprisingly quickly. By the time Xiao Jingxi finished socializing with the people outside and returned, Xiao Jinglin was telling Ren Yaoqi amusing stories about his childhood.
"...Mother heard from somewhere that boys are easier to raise if they're dressed as girls when they're little, so she had the sewing workshop make some little girls' clothes and even planned to style Second Brother's hair in the looped buns that only little girls wore..."
"Ahem!" Two sudden, heavy coughs interrupted Xiao Jinglin's words.
Ren Yaoqi, who was already laughing so hard she could barely stop, looked up to see that Xiao Jingxi had come in. He was smiling at Xiao Jinglin, but his eyes held a hidden warning.
"It's getting late, you should go back. Mother was just looking for you," Xiao Jingxi said to Xiao Jinglin calmly.
Xiao Jinglin showed not a hint of embarrassment at being caught red-handed telling embarrassing stories behind someone's back. She relaxed her smiling lips and, before getting up, said to Ren Yaoqi, "We'll talk next time. I'm leaving now."
Ren Yaoqi nodded and watched Xiao Jinglin leave. It was inconvenient for her to see Xiao Jinglin out at the moment.
Xiao Jingxi walked over to Ren Yaoqi and smiled. "Is it that amusing to laugh at me?"
Ren Yaoqi was still immersed in the joy of hearing so many amusing stories from Xiao Jingxi's childhood. She didn't feel uncomfortable with his approach and instead looked up at him with a grin, asking, "So, did you or did you not wear little girls' clothes when you were a child?" Ren Yaoqi looked at the Xiao Jingxi before her and imagined a tiny Xiao Jingxi dressed in a little red jacket, his hair styled in buns...
"Pfft—"
Xiao Jingxi sat down beside her, leaned in with a smile, and whispered in her ear, "You really want to know?"
Only when she felt the warm breath by her ear did Ren Yaoqi realize they were already face-to-face, pressed close together. Remembering what Xiao Jingxi had done to her before he left, her face instantly turned red. She couldn't help but try to lean back, to escape this distance that made her feel so flustered.
But Xiao Jingxi gave her no chance. Before Ren Yaoqi could pull away, he pulled her into his arms, and then his warm lips covered hers.
Although she had experienced it once before, Ren Yaoqi's mind still went blank when Xiao Jingxi kissed her. She could only lie limp and unmoving in his arms, letting him do as he pleased.
Xiao Jingxi plundered relentlessly within Ren Yaoqi's mouth, his kiss gentle yet lingering. Unconsciously, Ren Yaoqi became immersed in his kiss, and finally, she instinctively moved her tongue.
Ren Yaoqi's response pleased Xiao Jingxi, making his kiss even more tender as he guided her to play along with him between their lips and teeth.
Only when Xiao Jingxi's hand began to untie her lapels did Ren Yaoqi come back to her senses. She was a little nervous, but she didn't shy away. She knew what the two of them were supposed to do in the bridal chamber.
Her outer robe was untied. Xiao Jingxi's warm palm slipped under the hem of her inner garment and rested on her waist, caressing it gently.
Ren Yaoqi's waist felt weak. Unable to support herself, she went limp and fell onto the bed, and Xiao Jingxi followed, covering her. Her senses were filled with Xiao Jingxi's scent, and her eyes could see only his handsome face. Unwittingly, she was bewitched by him.
There was a type of man in this world who, when he looked at you with such a focused gaze, would make you forget everything, wanting only to sink into his endless tenderness and deep affection.
Xiao Jingxi gazed at Ren Yaoqi, dotting light kisses on her lips and cheeks as if he were handling a rare treasure.
"Yaoyao?" Xiao Jingxi called in a low voice.
"Hm?" Ren Yaoqi looked at him, her eyes moist with nascent desire.
"Yaoyao." Xiao Jingxi pecked her lips and called again.
"Mm."
"Yaoyao..."
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