Chapter 180
Ye Yunniang recalled the scene from her wedding night with Li Jun.
"Yunniang, I cannot consummate the marriage with you."
"Brother Jun, you don't want to marry me." The shyness on Ye Yunniang's face froze.
"No, it's because I am going to join the army," Li Jun explained. Going to war meant his survival was uncertain. He didn't want Ye Yunniang to be trapped in the Li family because of a child.
"I am willing. I want to stay in the Li family for the rest of my life," Ye Yunniang said eagerly.
"Yunniang, you are still young. You don't understand the bitterness of living without a man by your side. Listen to me, we won't consummate the marriage. I will tell my parents that after I leave, they should take you as their goddaughter. Then they can find a good family to marry you off to."
No matter what Li Jun said, Ye Yunniang refused to agree, insisting on consummating their marriage.
Tired of arguing, Li Jun threw the quilt onto the floor and lay down directly.
He was absolutely not going to consummate the marriage today.
Faced with Li Jun acting like a rogue, Ye Yunniang was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Thinking of how good Cai Damei had been to her, Ye Yunniang jumped out of bed to pull Li Jun up.
"What are you doing?" Li Jun wrapped the quilt tightly around himself.
"Consummating the marriage." Ye Yunniang tugged at the quilt.
"I already said no."
"It doesn't matter what you say. I am going to consummate this marriage." Ye Yunniang used all her strength to pull the quilt away.
"Little girl, you have such a stubborn temper." Li Jun grabbed the quilt and bundled Ye Yunniang up in it.
Unable to break free, Ye Yunniang grew angry. "Li Jun, if you don't consummate the marriage with me today, I will... I will bite my tongue and kill myself!"
Saying that, Ye Yunniang bit down hard on her tongue.
"Don't." Li Jun shoved his hand into Ye Yunniang's mouth to stop her from biting.
"Hiss—you really bit down..." Li Jun pulled his hand out, the skin broken from her bite.
Seeing Li Jun injured, Ye Yunniang was so frightened that her tears began to fall.
"Brother Jun, I didn't mean to."
"Don't cry, I don't blame you. Stop crying, okay?" Li Jun hid his hand behind his back and hugged Ye Yunniang, coaxing her to stop crying.
Feeling embarrassed, Ye Yunniang wiped her tears away.
"Brother Jun, we have already bowed to heaven and earth. I am your wife; you can't just abandon me." Ye Yunniang gripped Li Jun's lapels, feeling wronged.
"I am not abandoning you. I just don't want to drag you down." Swords and arrows on the battlefield had no eyes; Li Jun couldn't guarantee he would return alive.
"I don't care. I just want to be your wife. To be your parents' daughter-in-law."
"Under my relentless pestering, your father finally consummated the marriage with me." Ye Yunniang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Did you love Father?"
Ye Yunniang thought for a moment and said, "Brother Jun and I only spent three days together after we married. The time was too short for love to grow between us."
Ye Yunniang held Li Pan's hand. "Pan'er, what I want to tell you is this. Whether it was back then or now, I have always felt that marrying Brother Jun was a blessing I earned in my past life."
It was just that this blessing was a bit too brief.
"Do you love Father?"
Ye Yunniang knew that this time, Li Pan's "Father" referred to Jiang Mingzhe.
"I do," Ye Yunniang answered affirmatively.
Ye Yunniang had children and a house. Her family wasn't wealthy, but they didn't lack money to spend either.
If she didn't love Jiang Mingzhe, Ye Yunniang wouldn't be having his child, let alone marrying him.
"Mother, I will study hard and pass the imperial examination to become an official. I will request an imperial mandate for you so that no one will ever bully you."
"Alright, Mother will be waiting."
"The groom is here!" someone shouted outside.
"Quick, quick, quick, close the door!" Baise urged, shutting the wing room door tightly.
"Did you bring everything?"
"Brought it, brought it." There was a clattering sound.
"Where are the cups? We didn't get the cups, go get them quickly."
"Right here." The teacup Ye Yunniang used for drinking was taken away.
"What about the rouge? Where was the rouge placed?"
"Here, here."
The rouge Ye Yunniang had placed on the dressing table was taken away, along with her lip balm and eyebrow pencil.
"Mother, will nothing really go wrong?" The more Li Pan watched, the more worried she became.
"Don't worry about it."
If those two didn't vent their frustrations today, they would be thinking about it for the rest of their lives.
Ye Yunniang let out a yawn. "I'm going to lie down for a bit."
With this pregnancy, Ye Yunniang not only suffered from severe morning sickness but was also exceptionally lethargic.
Li Pan helped Ye Yunniang lie down and stayed by her side, preventing anyone from disturbing her.
Jiang Mingzhe arrived with the wedding procession. At the courtyard gate, he saw Tie Yi holding a child.
Jiang Mingzhe took out a red envelope and stuffed it into the child's arms.
"Your bride is in the room."
Tie Yi gave a helpless smile. "Commander Jiang, please bear with us."
Baise had received the news of Ye Yunniang and Jiang Mingzhe's marriage, packed her bags overnight, and rode at full speed all the way, terrified she wouldn't make it in time.
Upon arriving at Sunset Alley, she confirmed the wedding was today.
Without even going home, she rushed straight into Ye Yunniang's room to help prepare.
Jiang Mingzhe had a feeling that picking up his bride today would not be easy.
Entering the courtyard gate, Tie Xiong stood as the first obstacle, blocking Jiang Mingzhe's path.
Tie Xiong's requirement wasn't difficult: a martial arts spar. If Jiang Mingzhe could last ten moves against Tie Xiong, he would pass.
Jiang Mingzhe had learned some martial arts, and with Tie Xiong going easy on him, he passed.
The second obstacle was guarded by Li Ping.
"If you want me to step aside, you have to pass three tests first."
"Pingping, there's no need to be like strangers." They were biological father and son, after all.
"You want to marry my mother without doing anything? Impossible." Li Ping kept a straight little face, looking completely unyielding.
"Alright, give me your questions."
"Let's start with a few simple ones."
"What is my mother's favorite color?"
"Red."
"Her favorite pastry?"
"Brown sugar cake."
"Her favorite dish?"
"Crispy fried fish."
"Her favorite jewelry to wear?"
"My lady likes jade and loves wearing jade bracelets. Her favorite is the crystal-clear celadon jade bracelet."
Li Ping nodded; Jiang Mingzhe's answers were all correct.
Then the tone shifted, and the questions became sharp.
"After you marry, who manages the money in the family?"
"My lady will manage the money. All the money I earn will be handed over to her."
"How many concubines and bedmaids are you going to take?"
"No concubines, no bedmaids. For the rest of my life, having Yunniang alone is enough." Jiang Mingzhe's answer moved many of the girls and women watching around them.
"Anyone can talk big," Li Ping said doubtfully.
"What do you want me to do?"
Li Ping pulled out a piece of paper. "Black and white, sign and put your fingerprint on it. If you, Jiang Mingzhe, violate what you just said—if you treat Ye Yunniang coldly, take concubines, keep mistresses, visit brothels, or mess around outside...
Then Jiang Mingzhe will choke to death drinking water, choke to death eating food, fall to his death walking... die without descendants, be struck by lightning, and suffer a terrible end."
After listening to the more than thirty ways to die that Li Ping listed in one breath...
The surrounding crowd: ...Too ruthless. Sure enough, stepsons don't like stepfathers.
Jiang Mingzhe: He's my biological son, my biological son... It's a joyous day, I can't hit him, I can't hit him.
"Li Ping, enough is enough," Jiang Mingzhe warned.
"What, you haven't even married my mother yet, and you already want to yell at me? Say one more word, and I'll tell Mother I don't agree to your marriage." Li Ping raised his chin, unfazed by Jiang Mingzhe's threat.
"Bring me a brush." Jiang Mingzhe reached out, took the writing brush prepared on the side, and signed his name.
"Is this acceptable now?"
"Just one?"