The man’s voice was clear and bright, revealing a spirited young man just from the sound alone. However, his tone was utterly cold and impatient. She nodded meekly and respectfully, “I am Lu Lingyun.”
“I don’t care what you’re called. You are my mother’s wife, not mine.” The man in front of her remained cold and hard, not even bothering to lift Lu Lingyun’s red veil. Lu Lingyun stared at the red boots in front of her, responding with a perfectly normal “Hmm.”
“I will never accept you. Don’t expect anything from me!”
Lu Lingyun: “Hmm.”
“I will never touch you, and I will never have children with you!”
Lu Lingyun almost laughed, “Hmm.”
Her docile nature caused Cheng Yunshuo’s fierce arrogance to waver. The anger he tried to unleash stopped in its tracks. If he continued his outburst, it would only highlight his own weakness. Ultimately, marriage was a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaking. He didn’t want to marry Lu Lingyun, and Lu Lingyun had no choice but to comply. He couldn’t refuse his parents, and neither could she.
If he’d married a fiery woman who would have argued with him, he would have had an easy excuse to tear things apart and leave her on this night. But Lu Lingyun’s good temper, her complete lack of defiance, made it difficult for him to fault her.
However, accepting Lu Lingyun on this night was unthinkable.
Cheng Yunshuo stared at her for a long time, then softened his tone and said in a loud voice, “I have already promised Dai Rong to be with her for life, to be a couple forever. I will never accept another woman. If you stay out of my way, you will be the nominal wife of this house, and I will give you some face. If you are not obedient, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Lu Lingyun patiently listened to his words before responding, “Good.”
This “good” was a source of satisfaction for Lu Lingyun. Because that was precisely what she wanted. Lu Lingyun’s heart was at ease, her tone humble and compliant, which made Cheng Yunshuo frown. He looked more closely at the red veil that remained silently in place, then said after a while, “I won’t be staying here tonight. This is what I promised Dai Rong. You can lift your veil yourself.”
With that, he turned and left without looking back.
On the night of their wedding, the groom left with a string of warnings and walked out, clearly indicating that the new wife was not favored. But Lu Lingyun knew she had already won the first round.
In her previous life, Lu Hanying had married into the Houfu. Cheng Yunshuo had acted the same way. Lu Hanying, spoiled as she was, had argued with him that very night. On their wedding night, the marriage chamber had seen broken bowls and smashed vases. Cheng Yunshuo used this as an excuse to completely break with her. Later, when Madam Qin questioned him, he had reason and confidence to scold Lu Hanying for being a shrew. That had left Madam Qin with little to stand on in her defense. Three days later, Cheng Yunshuo had refused to return home, acting surly and dismissive. Madam Qin had been helpless.
But things were different with Lu Lingyun. She didn’t challenge Cheng Yunshuo, causing him any trouble. He still left, but it only made him appear more guilty in front of her. This would further increase her favor and standing with Madam Qin.
In this house, the person she needed to win over was never Cheng Yunshuo, but her mother-in-law, Madam Qin.
“Clean up, get ready for bed.” Lu Lingyun lifted her veil herself, stretched, and said to the servants who were standing there, stiff with fear.
The next morning.
News of the groom not staying in his new wife’s chamber on their wedding night had spread throughout the entire house.
Another piece of gossip made the rounds.
Cheng Yunshuo had gone directly to his concubine Dai Rong, and she had caused a scene for half the night. They said Cheng Yunshuo had spent the whole night comforting her, before finally calming her down.
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