Touched by Yan Jingshu’s understanding and consideration, Jiang Chenghan’s expression softened. Gently, he said, "It’s alright, they can wait a little longer. Are you hungry? I had the kitchen prepare some light dishes, they’ve been kept warm. Would you like to eat something?"
Yan Jingshu had only eaten a little at noon and hadn’t had a drop of water since. He was indeed hungry, so his cheeks flushed slightly as he nodded.
Jiang Chenghan smiled, then walked to the door and instructed the two maids assigned by the general’s residence to fetch the food from the kitchen.
Hearing the commotion up front growing louder, Jiang Chenghan worried they might come to cause trouble again. Returning to the inner chamber, he said to Yan Jingshu, "You’ve had a long day—you must be tired. I might be a while at the front, so after you eat, you should rest. No need to wait for me."
Those guys had finally gotten their chance and wouldn’t let him off easily. Since it was already late, he didn’t want Yan Jingshu to stay up waiting.
Yan Jingshu blinked but neither nodded nor shook his head, only smiling faintly. "I understand. Go ahead."
Jiang Chenghan nodded, assuming Yan Jingshu had agreed, then left the bridal chamber for the front courtyard.
Just as he expected, the moment he arrived, his colleagues surrounded him and began pouring him drinks one after another. Though his alcohol tolerance was decent, so was theirs, and facing four of them alone, he soon found himself struggling.
Fortunately, Kou Shijun was also present. Worried they’d go too far and ruin Jiang Chenghan’s wedding night, he stepped in to stop them, finally giving Jiang Chenghan some relief. Even so, the drinking lasted nearly two hours.
Kou Shijun took charge of the heavily drunk subordinates and escorted them back to the general’s residence. Jiang Chenghan, though slightly tipsy, was in much better shape than his comrades—one of whom was so drunk he clung to a horse’s leg, mistaking it for his wife and kissing it. Jiang Chenghan was still sober enough to personally see Kou Shijun and the others off, instruct the servants to clean up the banquet leftovers, and then fetch two buckets of water to wash off the alcohol scent, not wanting to overwhelm Yan Jingshu with the smell.
His clothes were all in the bridal chamber’s bedroom. Though it was already mid-autumn and the nights were chilly, Jiang Chenghan’s robust constitution and the alcohol’s heat left him feeling unbearably warm. After bathing, he didn’t even bother with an outer robe, just threw on thin inner garments and headed straight for the bedroom.
When he entered the inner chamber, however, he found Yan Jingshu still awake. Having removed his wedding robes and phoenix crown, Yan Jingshu was dressed in comfortable everyday green robes, his raven-black hair loose down his back. He sat by the window on a large kang (a traditional Chinese heated brick bed), brush in one hand and a scroll in the other, intently writing something.
Surprised, Jiang Chenghan said, "You’re still up?"
"You’re back—"
Hearing Jiang Chenghan enter, Yan Jingshu looked up and smiled. But when he saw how lightly Jiang Chenghan was dressed, his brow furrowed. "Why are you wearing so little? Aren’t you afraid of catching cold?"
With that, he set down his writing tools, stepped off the kang, and walked toward the wardrobe by the bed. To the maid nearby, he instructed, "Go to the kitchen and fetch the sobering soup that’s been kept warm."
Jiang Chenghan hadn’t expected to be scolded the moment he returned, but knowing Yan Jingshu was concerned, he didn’t mind. Smiling, he said, "I’m fine. I drank a bit too much today, this feels cooler."
Yan Jingshu, however, disapproved. "Don’t indulge in momentary comfort. If cold seeps into your body and leaves lasting harm, you’ll suffer for it later."
As soon as he finished speaking, he had already taken out a lined coat from the wardrobe and walked straight to Jiang Chenghan’s side, draping it over him without leaving room for refusal.
Seeing Yan Jingshu’s insistence and knowing it was for his own good, Jiang Chenghan could only nod earnestly and say, “I’ll remember. I won’t do this again in the future. Don’t worry.”
Only then did Yan Jingshu smile in satisfaction, stepping forward to adjust his collar.
The two stood extremely close, and Jiang Chenghan caught a whiff of a fresh, clean scent from him (strangely pleasant), so he instinctively inhaled lightly again. When he snapped back to his senses and realized his somewhat frivolous and impolite behavior, he hurriedly turned his head away, not daring to look at Yan Jingshu anymore. “Thank you, I can do it myself,” he said, taking a small step back and swiftly putting on the coat.
Noticing Jiang Chenghan’s avoidance, Yan Jingshu’s hands stiffened, and his eyes dimmed. But he said nothing, silently walking to the kang by the window to tidy the items on the kang table.
Seeing Yan Jingshu wordlessly organizing things without looking at him, his earlier soft smile gone, Jiang Chenghan belatedly realized that his earlier words and actions might have been inappropriate—perhaps even hurt Yan Jingshu. He felt a pang of regret but didn’t know what to do about it.
After standing still for a few seconds, Jiang Chenghan decided he should still try to make amends. He walked over to Yan Jingshu and asked, “What are these? Let me help you tidy up.”
Yan Jingshu didn’t ignore him, but his tone was noticeably flatter and quieter than before. “It’s nothing, just my dowry list.” As he spoke, he stacked the papers and booklets together and placed them directly into the huanghuali wood box beside the kang table, leaving no opportunity for Jiang Chenghan to help.
“I see…” It seemed Yan Jingshu was truly upset. Jiang Chenghan grew even more regretful, pondering how to make it up to him, when the maid returned with the hangover soup.
Yan Jingshu stepped forward first to take it, testing the temperature with his hand. Finding it warm but not scalding—just right for drinking, he handed it to Jiang Chenghan, who quickly accepted it with both hands and drank it all in one go.
After finishing, he noticed Yan Jingshu’s gaze still fixed on the bowl, so he lowered it slightly to show he had drunk every last drop. Peeking at Yan Jingshu’s expression, he saw that, though subtle, his eyes had softened slightly, and the corners of his lips curled in an almost imperceptible smile as he reached out to take the empty bowl. Jiang Chenghan felt a faint relief in his heart.
After giving the empty bowl to the maid and dismissing her, Yan Jingshu said to Jiang Chenghan, “It’s late. Let’s sleep, shall we?”
Without waiting for a response, he began unbuttoning his outer robe with natural ease, hanging it on the clothes rack.
By now, Jiang Chenghan also felt somewhat drowsy and naturally had no objections. He nodded and said, “Alright.”
After removing his own outer robe and hanging it up, Jiang Chenghan remembered the significance of this particular night and wanted to say something to Yan Jingshu. But when he glanced at the bed, he saw Yan Jingshu had already lain down on the inner side, eyes closed as if asleep.
The thin, close-fitting satin underrobe was pure white and soft, clinging to Yan Jingshu's body and clearly defining his slender yet well-proportioned figure. Recalling how light Yan Jingshu had felt when he carried him out of the Duke’s residence earlier, Jiang Chenghan thought to himself that he should encourage him to eat more in the future.
Since Yan Jingshu was asleep, Jiang Chenghan didn’t dare disturb him. He quietly climbed into bed, drew the bed curtains, and leaned over to reach for the quilt tucked at the innermost side.
Just then, he suddenly felt a tug at his chest. Looking down in surprise, he saw Yan Jingshu’s hands clutching the front of his underrobe. A flicker of astonishment passed through his eyes.
By the faint, soft glow of the dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles—thick as a child’s arm, shining through the bed curtains, he lifted his head slightly to look at the person lying beneath him, so close their breaths mingled. Yan Jingshu’s eyes remained closed, but his thick lashes trembled like butterfly wings, and a faint blush spread across his cheeks.
So he wasn’t asleep after all. Jiang Chenghan froze for a moment before hazily realizing something…
He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but his mind flashed back to how he had hurt Yan Jingshu earlier. Hesitating, the words died on his tongue.
Jiang Chenghan remained motionless for a long while. Yan Jingshu’s originally rosy lips gradually lost their color from being pressed together, and his hands seemed to lose strength, slowly loosening their grip on Jiang Chenghan. A glimmer of moisture seeped from beneath his fluttering lashes.
Jiang Chenghan’s breath hitched, a sudden ache spreading through his chest. He knew those words could no longer be spoken.
Slowly lowering his head, Jiang Chenghan pressed his lips gently against Yan Jingshu’s in a tender kiss.
Engrossed in the kiss, Jiang Chenghan didn’t notice the silent, pleased curl of Yan Jingshu’s lips or the fleeting glint of slyness in his half-lidded eyes.
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