This was a punishment specifically used in Zhaoyu to torture people in the palace. The needles were extremely thin and could deeply pierce into the knee joint gaps, causing heart-piercing and bone-gnawing pain. The cold qi would seep into the bone marrow along the silver needles, as if nails were constantly being hammered into the bones, a fate worse than death. Yet it was not easy to damage the skin. Even if needle marks were left, they could recover within two days. By the time he went to serve Lord Qiu, it wouldn’t be noticeable.

As soon as Liangchun knelt on the wooden board, he let out a piercing scream.

“Hold him down, he must kneel for the entire night,” Chang’an ordered the other palace servants, then entered the inner hall, Yue Guanyi’s sleeping quarters, to report.

“Your Highness, Liangchun has been punished.”

Liangchun’s miserable screams were incessant, constantly seeping through the window cracks, hoarse as if a vengeful ghost was wailing.

Chang’an frowned as he listened: “This noise might disturb your rest. Should this servant go stuff his mouth with a cloth?”

Yue Guanyi looked at the warm jade in his hand expressionlessly, pressing it to his chest, but his face remained gloomy: “Let him scream like this, he must not stop all night.”

Such an alluring voice should scream until his heart and lungs are torn, until he coughs blood, until he can no longer seduce Lady Qiu.

“Forgive this servant’s improper words, but if Your Highness dislikes Liangchun so much as a trial marriage prince, why not simply beat him to death and replace him with an ugly man?”

Yue Guanyi’s eyes were as cold as ice: “You think I don’t want to? But the Empress Dowager is determined to go against me, to insert a spy into my marriage with Lady Qiu, to constantly seduce Lady Qiu and make me lose favor. Even if I could beat Liangchun to death, I can’t stop him from continuously sending other men to tempt Lady Qiu.”

So that’s how it is.

Chang’an finally understood. He smiled and said: “Your Highness, please rest assured. Lord Qiu’s heart is with you. No other man can steal her away.”

Yue Guanyi smiled bitterly, especially bitter amidst Liangchun’s piercing screams.

As beauty fades, so does love. Even he couldn’t guarantee how long Lady Qiu’s momentary fondness for him would last. All he could do was constantly remind himself not to let his guard down because of Lady Qiu’s momentary warmth towards him. He must be wary of the men around him, and not only cater to her and please her, but also have a few more children in the future.

This way, even if Lady Qiu no longer liked him, she might still look at him a couple of times considering he was the father of her children. That would be enough to satisfy him.

“But this Liangchun doesn’t seem to be one to behave himself. When you marry into the Qiu mansion in the future, I’m afraid Liangchun will always be trying to compete for favor with you…” A vicious look appeared on Chang’an’s face: “I think we might as well take the chance now to ruin this slut’s face. Let’s see how he seduces Lord Qiu then.”

“That won’t do.” Yue Guanyi frowned.

Liangchun was meant to serve Lady Qiu. How could he deliberately send a disfigured monstrosity to Lady Qiu’s bed, making her bedroom pleasures unenjoyable?

No matter how jealous or mad he was, he couldn’t ruin Lady Qiu’s mood.

Moreover, if Lady Qiu found out it was him who made Liangchun’s face like this, wouldn’t it make her think he was someone who couldn’t tolerate the small servants in the back courtyard, someone overly jealous?

Absolutely not!

“You people are as stupid as pigs. It’s just a small servant, why go to such lengths?”

The voice was as delicate and smooth as pearls falling on a jade plate. If Liangchun’s voice was as soft and seductive as a fox-like oriole, alluring to the bone, then this person’s voice was like the pipa sound on a spring night with flowers and moon – though enchanting, it was elegant enough to be written in ink and poetry. The difference between vulgar and refined was clear.

From the direction of the voice, pearl curtains swayed. Under the light tapping of jade, a man in magnificent and dignified red robes approached gracefully. The red robe was as brilliant as a blood-dripping rose, with a national beauty peony embroidered on the sleeve cuffs, blooming in a bright red posture, making his skin appear even more beautiful and fair, as delicate as if it could break at a touch. His features were even more intensely beautiful with a hint of heroic spirit, a heavenly and national beauty, perfectly fit for a painting.

“What do you mean?” Yue Guanyi’s eyes darkened slightly.

“I thought you Imperial Guards would have more sophisticated methods, but it turns out you only know how to torture.” Jiang Si played with his waistband, swinging it round and round. The flickering candlelight cast a soft glow filter on his already bewitchingly beautiful face, making him as beautiful as a spirit that had run out of a painting.

Chang’an said angrily: “Then what brilliant ideas do you have, Lan’er?”

Jiang Si had placed a curse on Qiu Shuzhi. If she died, no one could break it. Yet Jiang Si was also stubborn. In the end, Yue Guanyi and Jiang Si reached an agreement: he would help Jiang Si fake his death, and Jiang Si would help him break Qiu Shuzhi’s curse.

But the curse wasn’t easy to break, especially when it had to be done secretly, making the process even more prolonged.

To prevent Jiang Si from escaping privately, Yue Guanyi disabled his martial arts and kept him as a palace servant in Fengyang Pavilion, renaming him Lan’er.

Jiang Si shook his head and sighed: “Although the Crown Prince is invincible in court affairs, you seem to have not learned the dark arts of competing for favor in the back courtyard.”

“It’s just a trial marriage prince. Since the marriage must be tried, let him try. It’s not your Lady Qiu who’s at a disadvantage anyway, it’s these men who debase themselves by throwing themselves at her.”

Jiang Si had spent his days in the back courtyard of the Dian Wang mansion watching his father and the small servants there compete for favor. Various insidious schemes emerged endlessly, and he had learned a thing or two by osmosis.

“Once you’ve officially entered the household and established your footing, you can secretly tamper with Liangchun’s food and drink.”

“You mean to poison him? Poison that slut to death?” Chang’an said.

Jiang Si shook his head disapprovingly: “To deal with such a person, there’s no need for such a low-level method as poisoning him to death. You just need to put some slightly stronger medicinal herbs in his food. Before long, it will cause Liangchun’s skin to deteriorate, become ulcerated, and his figure to become bloated. By then, even if it’s investigated, it can only be attributed to Liangchun’s own gluttony, and can’t be blamed on Your Highness.”

Chang’an’s eyes lit up: “Brilliant! Indeed, only Lan’er could come up with such a poisonous and damaging scheme.”

Jiang Si played with his gold thread waistband, his phoenix eyes lazily glancing at Chang’an, too lazy to bother.

“Your suggestion is not bad.” Yue Guanyi smiled coldly: “What do you want?”

“Your Highness is indeed clever.” Jiang Si’s beautiful lips curved: “I want to enter the Qiu mansion with you.”

September 14th, night

A soft sedan chair was brought into the Qiu mansion, from which emerged a timid and soft young lord. The managing palace servant said this was the ‘trial marriage prince’.

When Qiu Shuzhi heard the news, she was completely stunned. How could there be such a thing as a trial marriage prince?

“Servant Liangchun pays respects to the Consort. Tonight, this servant will serve the Consort.” Liangchun, wearing thin transparent gauze, knelt before Qiu Shuzhi. Under the lit red candles, his skin appeared even more delicately rosy.

Qiu Shuzhi kept backing away: “No need, no need.”

She finally understood why Yue Guanyi had that expression when she told him earlier that all rituals needn’t be simplified. It was because of the trial marriage prince.

“Consort, this cannot be. Rituals cannot be abandoned. The trial marriage is necessary,” the managing palace servant said somewhat sternly.

Qiu Shuzhi was a bit embarrassed. She knew the trial marriage prince was mainly to test if the consort’s abilities in that area were up to par. She had indeed appeared too disinterested in men before, but there was no help for it. Even if she wanted three husbands and four servants, her equipment wouldn’t allow it.

“Alright.” Qiu Shuzhi closed the door herself.

Looking at Liangchun kneeling on the ground, she draped a thin blanket over him: “The ground is cold, come up to the bed.”

Liangchun was overjoyed. He had heard that the Consort was extraordinarily beautiful and talented. Seeing her tonight, it was indeed true. She was so beautiful he could hardly take his eyes off her.

“Consort, let this servant serve you.” Liangchun saw Qiu Shuzhi actively pull down the bed curtains. With a face blushing red, he grabbed her hand and pulled open his thin outer robe, lowering the neckline even more.

“Shh!” Qiu Shuzhi pressed her index finger to his lips.

Under Liangchun’s dazed gaze, she said, “I know you’re not willingly serving me. As long as you help me this once tonight, I will help you change your name in the future, give you a large sum of money, and let you leave the mansion.”

Liangchun’s delicate face instantly became pitifully sad. He threw himself into Qiu Shuzhi’s arms: “This servant truly admires you and wants to serve you for a lifetime.”

Qiu Shuzhi smiled faintly. She didn’t believe there could be much true sincerity in people meeting for the first time.

She gently patted Liangchun’s thin back, which was trembling from constant sobbing: “If you want to serve me, that’s fine too. But have you thought it through? The Crown Prince is a jealous person. Once he enters the household, he will surely torture you. I naturally wouldn’t dare to restrain the Crown Prince and could only let him do as he pleases. In the end, would you rather be beaten to death with sticks, or beaten, scolded, and sold to a brothel? Have you thought it through?”

Liangchun’s eyes widened. Before coming, he had already thought of countless ways to please Qiu Shuzhi, but he never expected that such a stunningly beautiful person would use such a gentle tone to say such cruel words.

September 15th,

The entire capital was immersed in joy. Even the streets were crowded with people watching the excitement and seeking blessings. Qiu Shuzhi rode a tall horse, followed by a wedding procession with musicians playing drums and pipes.

Qiu Shuzhi wore a proper red wedding robe, a floor-length immortal dress with layer upon layer of skirts covered in cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread. The waistband tightly constrained her waist, with the jade pendant that symbolized their love tied at her waist. The blood-red jade stone was even more ornamental at this moment. Her thick black hair was all tied up, with a golden jade hairpin in the shape of a lotus flower in her hair. Pearl and jade tassels hung down her back like a hairband with several top-grade red agates, revealing her slender white neck. Her already exceptionally beautiful and cold face was tinged with a faint blush from the bright red clothes at this moment.

The royal etiquette was complicated. After Qiu Shuzhi paid respects to the Empress Dowager and Empress, she finally received her heart’s desire from Fengyang Pavilion.

Yue Guanyi wore a proper red groom’s outfit. His face couldn’t be seen clearly under the veil, but the red color, brighter than thick blood, made his tall figure even more prominent. The heavy wide-sleeved wedding clothes were layered, with only slender jade-like fingers slightly visible from the sleeves. Green as jade, only the fingertips showed a hint of red from nervousness. The gold-woven fabric was embroidered with mandarin duck patterns, symbolizing eternal love between husband and wife. The brocade was further adorned with jewels and red jade, exquisitely beautiful.

“Yue’er, I’ve come to marry you,” Qiu Shuzhi said softly, holding his hand.

The faint, shallow voice was lost in the noisy music, but Yue Guanyi heard it clearly. His hand holding the red silk trembled even more nervously.

Lady Qiu, I have yearned and longed for you up and down for so many years, today I can finally marry you.

Under the bright red veil, a hot, scorching tear fell on the back of his hand, quickly swallowed up in a sea of surging red.

“The ceremony is complete, lift the sedan chair!”

At this moment, he could no longer hear the celebratory shouts of the master of ceremonies. Before him was only an endless sea of red, and beyond the red, the blurry figure of the person he had waited for so long.

He followed the blurry figure, allowing her to lead him, watching as his view from under the red veil changed from the unique floor tiles of the imperial palace to the elaborately decorated soft sedan chair, and then to a place he had never been before. The sound of firecrackers was deafening, each burst more enthusiastic than the last, as if trying to wake him from this beautiful dream.

Yue Guanyi’s heart suddenly clenched, his body trembling slightly. This was Lady Qiu’s home… his and Lady Qiu’s home.

“Sit over here, be careful not to hurt yourself.” Qiu Shuzhi’s voice came slowly from outside the veil, soft and low like a whisper in the ear.

Yue Guanyi’s ear tips turned as red as blood. Holding her hand, he slowly sat down. It was so soft he almost sank into it. This seemed to be a bed!

A sickly flush suddenly appeared on Yue Guanyi’s face. This was his and Lady Qiu’s marriage bed. Soon they would be tumbling here like mandarin ducks… He bit his lip tightly, suppressing what almost leaked out.

“The Consort truly cherishes our Crown Prince!” the master of ceremonies said cheerfully.

Qiu Shuzhi smiled faintly. On this joyous day, she was also rarely happy: “A reward!”

The master of ceremonies’ face bloomed with joy. After receiving the reward, the master of ceremonies tactfully retreated, leaving the newlywed couple to their wedding night.