Her guards

Chapter 246: First Night

As night deepened, the hustle and bustle outside the courtyard subsided.

The bright wedding candles in the hall will burn all night.

The palace maids had already extinguished the lights in the bedroom, leaving only a palace lantern placed beside the bed.

After removing her glamorous makeup and thoroughly washing up, Mo Zheng lay down on the bed and let out a long sigh: "I've never felt this tired, not even during my most difficult times."

"When was the most difficult time?" Wei Jiao asked.

Mo Zheng quickly sat up again and saw Wei Jiao come in after washing up. Because of their marriage, her nightgown was also red, but it no longer had any fancy patterns and fluttered gently as she walked.

"You are indeed more beautiful," she couldn't help but say.

Wei Jiao said calmly, "I know, everyone has said that since I was a child."

Mo Zheng paused slightly, but the people who had surrounded him since childhood were not kind...

When these people say someone is good-looking, it doesn't make you feel happy; it only makes you feel terrified.

"When was the hardest time for you?" Wei Jiao asked again.

He was really persistent in asking about her past.
Although she said she was a maid, Wei Jiao did not question or inquire, but a suspicious person like him would not easily believe it.

Mo Zheng looked at him and smiled: "Before I sold myself into slavery, I was once chased and beaten for food and drink. I hid and remained motionless for five whole days without eating or drinking."

This bastard is always lying, but after a while, you can even find the truth in his lies.

So it wasn't necessarily five days of starvation; rather, those five days were truly a brush with death, Wei Jiao thought.

Mo Zheng waved her hand to change the subject: "I was just joking. I'm well-fed, warmly dressed, and protected by soldiers. I just sit still. My body is tired, but my mind is at ease."

Wei Jiao didn't press further, and chuckled, "Then you're definitely not tired, not as tired as me."

Mo Zheng quickly smiled and flattered, "I know, I know. To give me a decent wedding, my senior brother has been handling everything here all by himself. You've worked so hard."

After saying that, he pretended to tidy up the bedding on the bed...

Although the palace maids did not serve her personally, they had already tidied up the bed before leaving.

"Senior brother, please take a rest."

Wei Jiao looked at the wedding pillows and quilts side by side and asked, "Which side are you sleeping on?" Before Mo Zheng could speak, she added, "I'll sleep on the outside."

"Why are you even asking!" Mo Zheng glared.

"Then I'll get into bed first," she said, pushing him away and slipping off her soft shoes before getting into bed.

Looking at the figure on the bed, whose red nightgown and bright red blanket blended together, Wei Jiao pursed her lips, sat on the edge of the bed, and leaned over to extinguish the palace lantern.

Mo Zheng's vision dimmed as she felt someone lie down beside her.

This bed is huge, almost like a small room.

So, you sleep like this?

She only realized this at this moment.

Of course, the couple must sleep together, especially since this is their first night as newlyweds.

Even though the courtyard is guarded by eunuchs and imperial guards, it is still Wei Family Fortress, and who knows where there might be spies hiding.

We must not let the Wei family find out that the marriage was a sham.

Mo Zheng clenched her hands at her sides. Also, if they really slept together like this, what would Wei Jiao think?
She had previously told him that in order to help Miss Yang avoid the schemes of the Marquis of Yichun, and also to leverage the power of the General of Longxi to bolster Miss Yang's confidence, the benefit for Wei Jiao would be to use the marriage as an opportunity to return to the Wei family openly and legitimately, and seize the Wei family's assets...

But what does the Wei family's business mean to Wei Jiao...?

The reason he agreed to this marriage was that he took it seriously.

So, if it's really going to happen, would you like to be husband and wife?
What newlyweds should do...
"Wei Jiao." Mo Zheng sat up abruptly and called softly, "There's something I need to tell you."

The person lying next to him gave a lazy "hmm".

Mo Zheng moved closer and whispered, "Actually, there's another secret about our marriage. It's His Majesty's order."

The person next to me gave another lazy "oh".

Mo Zheng leaned closer again: "You naturally know that His Majesty doesn't trust your father, so he had me marry into the family to find out the details of Longxi, such as how many troops they have, the morale of the people in Longxi, and so on, in preparation for... any unforeseen circumstances."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Jiao, who had been lying on her side facing outwards, rolled over to the inside. Mo Zheng, who was close by and supporting herself with her hand, was bumped and instinctively fell over...

Wei Jiao reached out in time and braced her shoulder, preventing her from crashing directly into his face.

"so what?"

Mo Zheng felt Wei Jiao's breath on her face. Her spring nightgown was thin, and she could feel the heat of Wei Jiao's hand on her shoulder...

“So,” she said softly, “in the future, His Majesty will take action against Longxi…”

"So what?" Wei Jiao said again, scoffing, "Are you going to pity my father again?"

The slightly awkward atmosphere vanished instantly. Mo Zheng chuckled and slapped him lightly, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. I am... pitying you."

Wei Jiao pushed hard with his palm, and Mo Zheng fell back onto the bed, watching Wei Jiao turn over and lie down on the outside.

“If you really have pity on me, then let me get a good night’s sleep,” he said.

He must not have been sleeping well at the Wei family's house these days, so Mo Zheng quickly said, "Okay, okay, you go to sleep." After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and patted Wei Jiao's back, "I'll watch over you."

Indeed, she was talking nonsense.

The reason she proposed marriage to Wei Jiao was because she was certain that Wei Jiao wanted to see his father, the General of Longxi, fail in his plan. How could Wei Jiao truly want to marry her?

Mo Zheng pursed her lips and smiled to herself. What was she so nervous about?

……

……

As the night deepened, the woman behind him became increasingly steady in her breathing.

Wei Jiao opened her eyes and pursed her lips.

She said she would stay by his side, but she fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

They must be really tired.

The journey from the capital was fraught with peril, marked by murder and arson along the way. She didn't even get out of the carriage for a full day and night on her way to her wedding in Qin'an...

She said she had never suffered like this even during the most difficult times, and that wasn't a lie.

In fact, given her skills, she could easily remove her makeup and hair halfway through the journey and walk around without being noticed.

But she didn't.

Following the matchmaker's instructions, "The bride must not get out of the car or remove her veil, it's bad luck," she managed to get through it.

Wei Jiao's lips curved into a smile.

Just now he was so nervous, repeating what he had already said over and over again...

This is the first time I've ever felt nervous meeting this bastard.

What are you so nervous about? Are you afraid he'll really marry her?

Wei Jiao's lips twitched slightly.

Or perhaps, it's a guilty conscience.

She confessed one secret after another to him, only to cover up the real secret.

……

……

Mo Zheng was suddenly awakened.

The moment I woke up, I felt someone beside me, and my body tensed up instantly...

Visibility was hazy, with a mixture of blue and red light.

She regained consciousness and realized where she was. She turned her head to look at the person next to her.

Her groom, Wei Jiao, was still sleeping with his face turned outwards.

Mo Zheng's body relaxed.

She actually fell asleep!

I'm really tired.

Knowing there would be no danger on their wedding night, Wei Cui wouldn't let anything happen to his bride at this time. Instead, he would be on guard against anything happening to her, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain it to the emperor or to Prince Mo.

Mo Zheng gently stretched her body. She had slept so well that night. She thought she would dream, dream of the deceased, such as Eunuch Zhang. After all, it was her wedding day...

The thought flashed through her mind, and Mo Zheng couldn't help but smile again.

Did she really take it as a marriage proposal?
Yes, the ceremony was complete: the bride's arrival, the wedding ceremony, the exchange of toasts, and sharing the same bed...

The person next to them suddenly turned around, and their eyes met through the dim blue light.

Mo Zheng's smile froze for a moment, then she grinned and said, "Husband, you're awake."

The moment Wei Jiao opened her eyes, someone called her husband. She chuckled, but also felt a little strange.

And, he's awake?
He barely slept all night, and when he was about to fall into a light sleep with his eyes closed, she woke up again.

Although he couldn't see her, the woman's aura emanated from behind him, touching and entwining him.

He couldn't help but turn around and bump into a smiling face, lying on the pillow, head to head with him.

He realized that even a big bed is still too small for two people.

"Did I wake you?" Mo Zheng asked in a low voice when she saw that he was not moving and had no smile on his face. She quickly explained, "On the first day of our marriage, do we need to visit our elders and pay respects at the ancestral hall?"

Wei Jiao's lips twitched slightly.

“My elders and the ancestral hall certainly don’t want to see me,” he said.

He even burned down the family's ancestral hall.

Later, they took strict precautions to prevent him from getting close to the ancestral hall.

Upon hearing this, Mo Zheng smiled broadly and said, "Then we should definitely go."

For some reason, even though the sentence itself wasn't anything special, the word "we" sent a strange shiver down Wei Jiao's spine.

Us.

(End of this chapter)