Chapter 1526: 1521: The Pure and Innocent Rong Yun
Chapter 1526: Chapter 1521: The Pure and Innocent Rong Yun
“Why haven’t you taken it off yet? What are you doing with that thing? You are already married to Your Highness, you are Your Highness’s Princess. Are you still afraid of Your Highness seeing you?” Qin Muyan stepped onto the bed and sat down beside her.
As he approached, a strong masculine scent invaded Rong Yun, mixed with a thick smell of alcohol, which scared Rong Yun to stand up, “You… stay away from me. This princess won’t let you see! I won’t let you see it at all!”
She picked up her skirt and ran a few steps away from the bed, warily staring at Qin Muyan.
Maid Yan had told her earlier that Qin Muyan would not come back to consummate their marriage.
Although she didn’t know exactly what consummating the marriage entailed…
She just disliked him so much; he was ugly and he stank!
Seeing her run far away, Qin Muyan felt even more helpless, “I am your husband; I’m not going to eat you.”
His return today was meant to be considerate of her feelings and to prevent others from laughing at her. Yet here she was, showing such disdain for him!
“Bah, bah, bah, I don’t like you, I just won’t let you see!” Rong Yun pulled down her eyelid, making a face at Qin Muyan, prompting him to let out a laugh despite his frustration.
It looked like the marriage wouldn’t be consummated tonight. He wouldn’t go so far as to lay a hand on a girl who had not yet reached adulthood, but he had to spend the night in the wedding chamber, so he just lay down to sleep.
Rong Yun wanted to sleep too, but since Qin Muyan was occupying the bed, she could only sleep on the soft couch.
She had not slept for a few hours when it was dawn, and it was time to enter the palace to meet the emperor, the empress, and the Empress Dowager.
Rong Yun and Qin Muyan together did manage to perform all the proper rituals and manners. However, in the Empress Dowager’s palace, when Qin Ge asked her to remove her veil, she shook her head and refused, “I don’t want to take it off.”
“How presumptuous!” It was the first time Qin Ge had seen her daughter-in-law, and she was already being contradicted. A rush of unexplainable anger erupted, “Where do you get such an attitude? In front of the imperial grandmother, the emperor, and the empress, this princess’s face, you still wear that veil. Hasn’t Beiling City taught you the palace rules?”
“They did! But where did I not follow the rules? I followed the palace etiquette for entering the palace, presented a gift and a respectful tea ceremony to the emperor and the empress, and paid my respects to the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess. What did I do wrong? The palace rules do not prohibit wearing a veil; you’re just making things difficult for me on purpose!”
Rong Yun may have been young, but her words were orderly and reasonable, not brash.
She didn’t like the Great Wei Dynasty, didn’t like the Imperial family of the Great Wei Dynasty, and didn’t like Qin Muyan, but she would not allow herself to lose face for Beiling City.
She had performed all the rites she was supposed to, and she had done them well, without any mistake.
She simply didn’t want to remove her veil.
“You! Talking back to this princess on your very first day of marriage, and you say Beiling City taught you manners? Is this how Beiling City instructs their princesses? It’s simply laughable!” Qin Ge was fuming with rage, her temper flaring on the spot.
“Beiling City has done nothing laughable; I did nothing wrong,” Rong Yun, too, had a temper and was not afraid to confront anyone.
“Mother, please calm down!”
Seeing Qin Ge about to explode in anger, Qin Muyan quickly stood up and went to her side, apologizing on behalf of Rong Yun.
He didn’t ask Rong Yun to apologize, but just stood in front of her, shielding her from all of Qin Ge’s anger and taking the blame upon himself, “Your son allowed her to wear the veil. Her skin is delicate, and she is not yet accustomed to the climate of the Great Wei’s capital city. She was worried it would damage her complexion, so she wore the veil. Mother, please do not blame her.”
“How delicate can she be!” Qin Ge was so angry she clenched her teeth, Qin Muyan was clearly making excuses for her!
“Enough.”
The Empress Dowager suppressed Qin Ge’s anger with her aged voice, “Mu Yan’s Princess, he has always been protective of her, what more can you say? However, my eyesight is not what it used to be, and I wish to take a closer look at this child. Let her come closer.”
The Empress Dowager smiled at Qin Muyan, who then stepped away from Rong Yun and whispered, “The imperial grandmother is kind and amiable, you must not act against her wishes. Go and pay your respects.”
“Okay.” Rong Yun was sensible indeed. Being called a child by the Empress Dowager made her feel the warmth of meeting her own grandmother.
She walked forward, holding up her skirt, and courteously greeted the elderly lady before her, then lifted her bright eyes.
The Empress Dowager’s heart fluttered, and she unconsciously reached out to touch Rong Yun, “These eyes of yours are truly beautiful, the most beautiful I have ever seen.”
Rong Yun, having been praised, was not shy or bashful but responded naturally, “My mother also says that my eyes are extremely beautiful, even more so than hers, and my mother is the number one beauty of Beiling City!”
She spoke with an inherent pride, without pretense, an innocence that inadvertently attracted others.
Hearing her words, both Qin Rulie and the Empress laughed, “We have long heard of the unrivaled beauty of Beiling’s Imperial Consort, and seeing you now confirms it.”
“Thank you for the emperor’s compliment, but my mother is truly beautiful. Among the many wives in my father’s harem, he only dotes on my mother, and only on me.” Rong Yun was like a pampered young girl, pure and flawless, with clear eyes like limpid pools reflecting the light amidst the forests, astonishingly magnificent.
Qin Rulie and the Empress laughed even more joyously.
There was a time when they wanted a daughter, one who would be as innocently lovely as Rong Yun.
Qin Muyan also felt her vivacity was quite striking, having her by his side was like carrying a ray of sunshine.
Except for Qin Ge, who was not very pleased with this daughter-in-law, everyone else, especially the Empress Dowager, liked Rong Yun. When she left, the Empress Dowager even gave her many precious treasures. Delighted, Rong Yun ran to the Empress Dowager’s side, had the attendants pull up the curtain, and lifted her veil to show her face to the Empress Dowager.
She looked at the Empress Dowager with anticipation, “Do you see, am I not very beautiful?”
The Empress Dowager was dazzled by her.
Behind the curtain, the laughter of the grandmother and granddaughter piqued the curiosity of those outside.
After the curtain dropped again, the Empress Dowager summoned Qin Muyan and said, “My child, you have indeed married a beautiful wife. You must treat her well in the future, and never mistreat her.”
“Yes, imperial grandmother.”
Seeing that she had won the imperial grandmother’s favor, Qin Muyan was even more determined to protect her.
He took Rong Yun throughout the imperial palace, introduced her to everyone, and personally escorted her to various banquets. He was always protective of her, not letting anyone come close, not even allowing the spittle of official wives’ daughters to land on her.
Within just two months of marriage, the people were abuzz, saying that the Scarlet Flame King’s Princess was exceptionally favored, her status lofty enough to rival the Empress’s.
Even Nanny Yan was exceedingly happy for Rong Yun.
The most urgent matter at hand was to quickly let Rong Yun and Qin Muyan consummate the marriage, as producing an heir was of utmost importance.
Yet whenever Rong Yun saw Qin Muyan, she would not even remove her veil, and when Qin Muyan took her hand, she would gently pull away.
Qin Muyan indulged her and didn’t mind this, but Nanny Yan was incredibly anxious. She devised a plan to get Qin Muyan to engage in some intimate acts with Rong Yun.
When Rong Yun’s time of the month came, and she was in unbearable pain, Nanny Yan said she would go out to call for a Doctor. She didn’t return, deliberately waiting at the mansion’s gate for when Qin Muyan would come back, then hurriedly greeted him, “Your Highness, the Princess has a stomachache, please go see her quickly!”