The pregnant woman pressed down on the wife, and the cousin collapsed into the prince's arms.

"Men always crave what they can't have. The more you try to stop him, the more he'll want it. You might as well go with the flow and gain a reputation for being generous and reasonable. Even the most beautiful woman gets boring after a while. Besides..." Zhou Mama looked around and, seeing that the door was tightly closed and no one else was around, whispered in Su Wanrou's ear, "Miss Su's health isn't good. From what I can tell, let alone getting pregnant and giving birth, even prolonging her life would be difficult."

Su Wanrou was well aware of Zhou's mother's abilities, and upon hearing this, her expression indeed softened considerably.

My mother is right. No matter how beautiful she is, she's just a fragile glass lamp. If there's any slight disturbance, her lamp will go out! She looks like she'll have a short life. What's so scary about her?

Besides, she's not stupid; even if she wanted to stop it, she'd only be humiliating herself.

Su Wanrou became much more well-behaved after that. A month later, she was released from confinement, and it was also the day that Shen Yunshuang officially married into the family.

When a marquis's household takes in a concubine, although it is not as grand and lively as taking in a principal wife with a ten-mile-long procession, it still has its own set of ceremonies in accordance with etiquette, which cannot be compared with the ordinary taking of a concubine.

Ningxiang Pavilion

After washing her hair and applying a face mask, Shen Yunshuang sat upright in front of the bronze mirror. Lü Rui held a rhinoceros horn comb and, while styling her hair, exclaimed, "Your hair is so beautiful, so black and lustrous, like the finest silk."

Because of the many things to do today, Madam Wang was worried that Ningxiang Pavilion would not be manned enough, so she specially assigned a group of capable and competent maids and servants. Everyone was in high spirits, and as they ran back and forth, their orderly and busy figures were reflected in the bronze mirror.

Xuezhi brought over a red lacquered, carved makeup box, and with a smile, teased, "From now on, you can't call me 'Miss' anymore; you have to call me 'Consort'."

Yes, Shen Yunshuang curled her lips. In this life, she was no longer a lowly concubine who could be manipulated at will by Su Wanrou, but a legitimate concubine of the Marquis's mansion who was listed in the imperial family register.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the light red wedding gown on the clothes rack behind me. The fabric was the finest brocade satin, embroidered with intricate and exquisite patterns of twin lotus blossoms and auspicious symbols of wealth and prosperity in fine gold thread. It was incredibly beautiful and magnificent. In the sunlight, the gown shimmered with a delicate pinkish hue, but under the candlelight, it would likely appear even more vibrant, almost a true crimson.

This was embroidered by dozens of embroiderers gathered by Cuiyu Tower, who worked for more than ten days to complete it. Every stitch was exquisite and incomparably luxurious.

With her skillful hands, Lü Rui quickly styled the Lingyun bun. At this moment, Xue Zhi opened the makeup box in her hand, and on the jujube-red velvet was a filigree phoenix hairpin inlaid with red gold and gemstones. The hairpin was adorned with bright pearls, shimmering and exuding an air of nobility.

Green Bud carefully tied the phoenix hairpin in Shen Yunshuang's hair, and then helped her change into her wedding dress. Shen Yunshuang was already extremely beautiful, and in her wedding dress, she was even more breathtaking. Every move, every smile, was captivating.

"The young lady is truly beautiful." Green Bud was somewhat stunned, then suddenly came to her senses and quickly corrected herself, "It is the concubine, the concubine is truly beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunshuang simply smiled.

Although the ceremony for the concubine to enter the mansion was not as grand as that for the principal wife, Pei Jingnian and Madam Wang did not want to mistreat Shen Yunshuang in the slightest.

Therefore, although Shen Yunshuang was marrying from the Marquis's residence, she still had to ride in a bridal sedan chair around the city, then enter through the side gate of the Marquis's residence, pay respects to the Marquis and his wife in the main hall, and then offer tea and pay her respects to the heir and his wife before the ceremony was considered complete.

In the main hall, Shen Yunshuang, supported by the wedding attendant, slowly walked into the main hall. Her fair skin was accentuated by her light red wedding dress, and her delicate and aloof features were highlighted to the extreme. Coupled with her pitiful temperament, she was so beautiful that everyone in the hall forgot to breathe.

She walked into the hall, gathered her robes, and slowly bowed. Her eyelids were slightly lowered, and all she could see was a deep, vibrant red. Her voice was gentle and melodious, each word respectful: "Yun Shuang greets the Marquis and the Marquis's wife."

Even with her head down, she could feel several gazes falling on her, with the gaze from her left being particularly intense.

In the main hall, the Marquis and his wife sat firmly in the main seats, while on their left were Pei Jingnian and Su Wanrou.

Marquis Jingyuan was busy with official duties and rarely stayed at home. Including today, he had only seen Shen Yunshuang twice. However, he had no complaints about Shen Yunshuang's marriage into the family.

He respected Lady Wang, and his affection for her niece extended to her as well. Seeing her dignified and polite demeanor, he was pleased and said, "No need for formalities. Now that you have entered the Marquis's residence and been made a concubine, you can live peacefully in the manor from now on. Jingnian will not mistreat you."

Wang was dressed in a crimson brocade jacket with gold embroidery. Her eyes were filled with affection and joy. Her eyes were slightly red. She looked at her niece with a mixture of love, heartache, and relief. She spoke softly, her tone full of tenderness: "Get up quickly. You are weak and can't stand the cold."

Su Wanrou felt like she was going to vomit blood when she heard her mother-in-law's words. She couldn't help but look at Shen Yunshuang's face. Such a beautiful face not only seduced her husband but also enjoyed her mother-in-law's love. She was truly a formidable rival.

After thanking her, Shen Yunshuang was helped up by her maid. She took a deep breath, accepted the teacup from the maid, and walked steadily to the seats of Pei Jingnian and Su Wanrou on the left.

She slowly knelt down, raised the teacup above her head with both hands, and said respectfully and humbly, "Please have some tea, Your Highness."

Pei Jingnian lowered his eyes and saw Shen Yunshuang's fair and delicate chin, but he couldn't see her expression.

A deep sense of guilt suddenly welled up in his heart. Although he had done his best to get Shuang'er listed in the imperial register and give her dignity, he had still ultimately made her submit to others.

A concubine is also a secondary consort.

With her looks and talent, it would have been easy for her to marry into a wealthy family and become their principal wife, but instead, she became his concubine.

He felt guilty towards her and towards the bright moon, yet he couldn't wait to hold her in his arms.

"No need for formalities." Pei Jingnian suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and accepted the teacup.

Then, Shen Yunshuang took another cup of hot tea, turned to the side, and bowed again to Su Wanrou, who was seated above her: "Greetings, Princess Consort."

Su Wanrou was also dressed up in her finest attire today, even wearing the robes befitting a princess consort, and the phoenix hairpin she wore on her head also signified her rank.

Seeing Shen Yunshuang kneeling in front of her, she felt a moment of pleasure, but that pleasure was quickly suppressed by jealousy, unease, and dissatisfaction.

Her silence made the atmosphere in the hall stagnant, and Shen Yunshuang's fair wrist began to sway slightly. Pei Jingnian frowned, but before he could speak, he saw Su Wanrou suddenly smile, her attitude gentle and pleasant, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

She took the teacup, took a small sip, and then said, "Sister, please don't stand on ceremony. Now that you've entered the Marquis's residence and will serve the young master with me, we are sisters. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, or if you are short of supplies, please feel free to tell me."

Then, she took off the white jade bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Shen Yunshuang as a gift.