Substitute Marriage

Xiao Lan followed the voice and saw her husband, now out of armor and dressed in his usual dark ink blue robe, with the round moon hanging high behind him, surrounded by the frost flowers covering the sky and ground.

The man exuded a cold and elegant aura, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes. He was deeply engraved with the figure of Xiao Lan not far away. She was often graced with such affectionate eyes, and even the people in the princess’s mansion thought that her husband had a deep affection for her.

Only she knew that everything was an illusion.

“Princess, I have had dinner. I’ll go and greet the Eldest Princess now.” He nodded, already turning to leave.

“No need.” Xiao Lan stopped him after recalling her senses and recounting the instructions Xiao Ming gave during the day, “Aunt has traveled a long way and is tired. It’s better to rest early. We can pay our respects tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Her husband’s words were always few.

He then assisted Xiao Lan in remembering if there was anything else to be sent.
After finishing their respective separate baths, Xiao Lan lay early on the bed, sinking deep into her thoughts, contemplating.

As usual, her husband, like every other day, left a basin of clear warm water on a low table by the bed, stating that the autumn wind was dry, and using it would moisturize the room, making the person sleeping more comfortable. He trimmed all the candle wicks in the room, leaving a faint glow with calming effects. He neatly arranged the bed curtains and positioned the slippers.

Although the palace maids could do all these things, he seemed persistent about it. After completing all these, he would go to the side hall to handle military affairs.

Seeing this, Xiao Lan hurriedly stopped him, “Wait.”

“Princess, please speak.” He paused.

“A few days ago, Mother-in-law visited.” Mentioning this, Xiao Lan felt her husband becoming more guarded.

After marrying him, she noticed that her husband and mother-in-law were not close, and there seemed to be an unknown estrangement between mother and son.

Thinking of Aunt’s guidance, she ignored those peculiarities, “There are many people in the mansion, and many things can’t be kept from Mother-in-law.”

Xiao Ming hinted to use Lady Wei and the Wei family to pressure Xiao Lan and achieve the goal. By the way, they could also test her husband. Offspring were always a major concern for the family. They had been married for half a year, and the in-laws were naturally anxious. If her husband really and truly cared for her, he would surely stay for the night.

“Since we are husband and wife, there is no reason to sleep separately every day,” Xiao Lan’s small hand tightened as she held the bedding. With a firm grip, her voice became open and calm. Even if it meant following the marital rituals, she didn’t want to lose the dignity of an imperial princess.

“If word gets out, others will only say that the princess is difficult to serve. When it reaches my uncle’s ears, won’t I be wrongly accused?”

In the dark night, her husband’s tall and straight figure resembled an unscalable mountain, giving her an inexplicable sense of oppression. But it was fleeting, almost making Xiao Lan think it was an illusion.

For a long while, the figure standing outside the curtain remained motionless, silently stretching time infinitely, each breath becoming as delicate as walking on thin ice. The silence stretched as if several autumns had passed.

Xiao Lan couldn’t help but feel a hint of sourness at the tip of her nose. Her apricot eyes slowly filled with tiny drops of glistening water, and the bed curtains on the canopy above gradually blurred.

Did her husband dislike her so much?

But how could she explain all those meticulous cares?

Just as Xiao Lan was lost in confused thoughts, the curtains beside her were suddenly pulled down. She turned her head to see her husband lying down, not on the bed but on the floor next to it! All the commotion with the curtains earlier was because he was preparing to sleep on the ground!

All the doubts, grievances, uneasiness, and confusion since their marriage surged out like a torrent at this moment, breaking through the seemingly solid barriers she had built for herself. The unstoppable fury invaded Xiao Lan’s rationality, and an unprecedented sense of humiliation crawled up her cheeks making them red.

She sat up abruptly, “If you are unwilling to share the bed with me, why did you agree to get married to me in the first place?”

Upon hearing these words, Wei Jin’s chest felt as heavy as a mountain and the defenses he had restrained for so long collapsed into a muddy mess.

He blurted out, “I never… I have never been unwilling to share a bed with you, princess.”

It was, after all, his lifelong aspiration…

The ink-black sky brought down thick dark clouds, hinting at the occurrence of a stormy night. The palace maids hesitated, glancing at the door, but their raised hands and retreated.

Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, and the snow-white curtains swayed gently. Xiao Lan found this whole situation troublesome and embarrassing so she pretended to be calm and decided to lie back down, wanting to put an end to it.

At that moment, the soft bed beside her slowly sank, slightly deepening to the weight being slowly added. A faint fragrance of dark wood enveloped her nose, making her feel particularly at ease.

Xiao Lan opened her eyes slowly, and in the corner of her eye, she saw her husband lying down. The distance between them was less than an inch. The subtle friction of the silk fabric sheets produced a soft rustling sound, gently scratching at her heart. It was ticklish, and the hidden expectation she refused to admit spread through her heart like ink spilled on a paper.

The swaying curtains came to a halt, and the surroundings returned to tranquility. The crackling sound of the burning candles was still clear as though hiding the beating hearts of the two.

Contrasting with her husband’s calm demeanor, Xiao Lan concealed her awkwardness and restraint by pretending to be carefree.

After a brief silence, her husband’s deep and slow voice resonated in the tranquil night.

“Since childhood, I have practiced martial arts and gained some scars. I was worried that the princess would be frightened if she saw them, so I hesitated.” Wei Jin pondered for a long time before finding a suitable excuse.

Those scars were not just from battles but also from the humiliations he suffered in his youth, each one inconsistent with his identity as the Marquis’s legitimate son. They constantly reminded him that he was not worthy of her.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan thought of her late father and mother.

Her father, since childhood, was skilled in martial arts, knowledgeable in military tactics, and familiar with formations. He established the empire of Da Qi through years of battles, leaving numerous scars on his body. Every time he changed his clothes, he would avoid her mother, saying that he didn’t want to frighten her and make her cry.

But every time, her mother would approach him with a smile, “Husband does not mind his wife growing old, and a wife does not mind her husband’s scars. These scars are the glory and honor of the emperor. I will love and cherish them endlessly.”

Her father and mother cared deeply for each other, and Xiao Lan vividly remembered that scene.

Like her father, her husband cared deeply about appearance and physique. He had scars, and he was self-conscious about them, feeling unworthy. Xiao Lan could understand that.

Instead of directly answering, she countered, “I will age and lose all my beauty one day.. When I lose all my teeth, my face is covered with wrinkles, and I need aid to walk, will my husband be disgusted?”

Wei Jin pictured the two of them with white hair, walking hand in hand or side by side under the eaves. How could he ever be disgusted?

He couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips, “I could never be disgusted….” Pausing, he understood Xiao Lan’s deeper meaning and was rendered silent by her thoughtful words.

She was always like this, just like when they first met. Without hesitation, she reached out and pulled him out of the filthy swamp where he couldn’t see the bottom, into a warm path filled with radiant light and singing birds.

A moment later, he looked at Xiao Lan with warmth in his voice, “Thank you, Princess.”

“I don’t need formalities between us while in the mansion,” Xiao Lan said, smoothing down the awkwardness, “We are already husband and wife.” It was as if saying this could cover up the shyness she was feeling.

Wei Jin, who had been tense, felt the string in his heart loosen. Even though he knew it was improper and undeserved, he still indulged in this warm current that didn’t belong to him. “Alright, Lan’er.”

Calling her name was so familiar and yet not at all unfamiliar, only because he had called it countless times in his heart and every time he looked up at her back.

The voice was clear and pleasant, as refreshing and pleasant as an autumn breeze.

Xiao Lan’s starry eyes sparkled like water, dazzling with brilliance as she tried to avoid her husband’s gaze.

At that moment, a sudden gust of wind outside caused the leaves to rustle amongst the bushes. Unaware of the commotion outside, Xiao Lan silently heeded her aunt’s advice during the day but tried a few times but without success. Putting aside her identity as a princess, she considered herself knowledgeable and insightful, ranking high in the capital. Marrying into the Marquis’s family, she didn’t feel wronged.

In the ceremonial courtesy, it should be the man who takes the initiative. How could she facilitate it? It was too difficult! Just thinking about it made her melancholic and embarrassed.

Crack!

A thunderous sound like a hurricane startled Xiao Lan, who was lost in thought. Without consciousness, she threw herself to the side, like a drowning person clutching onto a life-saving float. The broken syllables trembled and shivered, “Father… mother, don’t leave. Lan’er is afraid…”

There was a moist and warm feeling spreading slowly on her abdomen, and Wei Jin’s body stiffened. His heart was fiercely stabbed with pain.

The late emperor died of serious injuries, and within half a year, the grief of losing the late emperor and the sorrow of losing the empress, who left behind six-year-old Xiao Lan, were hard to bear.

Both the late emperor and the empress died in thunderstorms, and since then, every time lightning flashed and thunder roared, young Xiao Lan would have nightmares, high fevers, and speak nonsense intermittently. Although she had passed the age of adulthood, the childhood illness had left its roots and she never fully recovered.

The royal physicians said it was a heart condition.

Hesitating for a moment, Wei Jin’s hand, which was suspended in midair, slowly fell on her back.

He gently patted her, his voice soft and soothing, “I won’t leave, and I will never leave Lan’er—”

The past when there were thunderstorms, he had rehearsed in private when no one was around, never thinking it would come in handy.

The voice of her husband brought Xiao Lan back to reality. She opened her eyes suddenly, and teardrops fell onto the bedding, forming wet circles. Her gaze becoming clear.