Waaah, I'm being forced into loving my yandere wife's brain.

When Lin Zhiyao regained consciousness, it was already the morning of the next day.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the entire room. The pillow was already cold; Shen Jin had left sometime earlier.

She propped herself up and sat up, her waist feeling so sore and weak it felt like it was about to fall apart.

The quilt was neatly tucked in, and the bedding had been changed. The wedding dresses that had been scattered last night had been folded up again and placed neatly on the table. The phoenix crown was placed on top, and her delicate face without makeup was reflected in the bronze mirror.

Everything last night felt like a dream.

Lin Zhiyao sat on the edge of the couch for a moment in a daze, and only when she heard Xiao Tao moving around outside did she slowly exhale.

For the next few days, Shen Jin disappeared without a trace.

For the first two days, Lin Zhiyao was on tenterhooks, unable to sleep soundly at night, and would listen for a long time to hear any noise outside the courtyard.

But that person never came again.

Whether it's day or night.

Lin Zhiyao couldn't describe how she felt.

Then came the day of her wedding.

As soon as it was light, the Shen residence was already bustling with activity.

Lin Zhiyao had her hair combed by Xiao Tao, and then she put on the golden phoenix crown. Layers of wedding robes were wrapped around her, weighing her down slightly.

The sky was clear and the air was fresh.

The sound of gongs and drums came from the front yard, and she was surrounded as she walked out.

The palace's ceremonial guard waited outside the mansion's gate, and red silk stretched from one end of the alley to the other, a ten-mile-long display of red bridal attire, shimmering with pearls and jade.

Embroidered shoes stepped across the red felt laid on the bluestone bricks, the view blocked by the hanging beaded curtain, only the small square of ground in front of the toes could be seen.

When Lin Zhiyao was helped out of the hanging flower gate by Xiao Tao, the sunlight was so bright that it made her squint slightly.

She gripped Xiaotao tighter, stepped over the threshold, and looked up to see a tall white horse standing in the sunlight, its hooves lightly pausing, with a person sitting on it.

Shen Jin wore a scarlet official robe, with a jade belt neatly tied around his waist. The morning light fell on him, and the scarlet color made his features appear almost too handsome.

He held the reins, sat on his horse, and looked down at her with a perfectly measured smile on his face, truly like an older brother who had just come to see his cousin off at her wedding.

The horse snorted, tapped its hooves twice on the bluestone bricks, and then came to a steady stop.

"Cousin." Shen Jin dismounted and stretched out his hand to her, his well-defined knuckles spread out in front of her. His tone was light and gentle, revealing nothing unusual. "Get in the sedan chair."

Lin Zhiyao lowered her eyes and avoided looking at him.

I placed my fingertips into his palm.

They thought this was probably their last contact.

The warmth of Shen Jin's palm was still familiar and scalding, making her fingertips curl slightly.

The moment the two made contact.

Shen Jin immediately grasped her hand, applied slight pressure, and then helped her step onto the sedan chair bench, bending down to crawl under the curtain.

The beaded curtain fell behind Lin Zhiyao, swaying gently and cutting the blinding sunlight outside into fragments.

The sedan chair was lifted steadily, and the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out, with red silk fluttering in the wind.

Lin Zhiyao settled into the swaying sedan chair and looked out through the gap in the curtain. She saw that Shen Jin had already remounted his horse, turned it around, and was leading the wedding procession as the master of ceremonies.

His scarlet official robe shone brightly in the sunlight. His back was straight, and his posture on horseback was completely different from when he spoke to her earlier—cold and dignified.

Amidst the vibrant red bridal procession stretching for miles, the sounds of gongs and drums echoed endlessly.

Lin Zhiyao thought to herself, slightly dazed.

The man who had been entangled with her in bed just a few days ago, was now seeing her again, this time to escort her to her wedding.

She turned her head away and stopped looking.

*

Lin Zhiyao married into the palace in a grand and glorious manner.

*

The sedan chair stopped.

Lin Zhiyao was led into a palace by a palace maid.

The red silk stretched from the edge of the bath into the water, its edges hanging down onto the white marble walls of the pool, like blood seeping into it.

Steam rose up, blurring the dragon and phoenix patterns carved on the walls. In the vast hall, only the sound of hot spring water gurgling into the pool could be heard.

Lin Zhiyao stood by the pool, looking at the palace maid who had led the way through the rising mist, a look of confusion on her face, "...What's this?"

The palace maid lowered her eyes, her face revealing no emotion, and only said, "Your Highness, please take a bath first. This is the custom in the palace to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. After your bath, I will help Your Highness with your hair and clothes again."

Do you enjoy bathing?

Lin Zhiyao gripped the sash tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

She had never heard of having to take a special bath before entering the palace.

This rule was not among the rules that the nannies taught her.

But at this point, they were brought here.

Lin Zhiyao had no choice but to force herself to remain calm and simply nod.

The palace maid removed her veil and helped her take off her complicated clothes. Her outer garment slipped off, and her undergarments were also removed.

Then the palace maid retreated to the outside of the screen.

Lin Zhiyao stood beside the steaming pool.

I don't feel cold at all.

She crouched down slightly to test the pool water.

It's warm.

A layer of fine crabapple petals floated on the water's surface, and the heat carrying a sweet fragrance wafted over, making her cheeks slightly flushed.

Lin Zhiyao stood for a moment, then squatted down. When her toes dipped into the water, the temperature made her flinch, and then she slowly stepped to the bottom.

The water was above my shoulders, and the petals floated gently on the surface.

Lin Zhiyao leaned against the pool wall, the water rippling gently around her collarbone. Her fingertips unconsciously fiddled with the petals, her almond-shaped eyes slightly dazed.

From the moment she entered the palace until now, the nanny who received her only glanced at her before stepping away, without mentioning any physical examination.

The palace maids simply served her quietly as she entered the water and then quietly withdrew. She never saw the emperor or any of the eunuchs around him.

The water temperature gradually seeped into the skin and flesh.

Lin Zhiyao dipped her chin into the water, exhaled a string of tiny bubbles, and watched them rise to the surface and burst.

It's fine if you don't need a medical check-up.

The probability of being exposed is much smaller if you don't undergo a physical examination.

She looked down at her body submerged in the water; the marks on her snow-white skin had long since faded.

Shen Jin had indeed not come to see her again in the past few days.

Lin Zhiyao slowly exhaled, feeling much more relaxed.

*

Lin Zhiyao soaked for nearly half an hour, her skin and flesh were steamed with a thin layer of powder, and her whole body was so soft from the hot steam.

When she was pulled out of the water by the help of a palace maid, she realized that her knees were trembling slightly.

The palace maid gently wiped away the water droplets from her body, her movements warm and cozy.

He then helped her through another screen and into the main hall.

Lin Zhiyao was helped to sit down in front of the dressing table. She saw several small celadon boxes on the table. The palace maid opened them and found extremely delicate cosmetics inside.

She looked up again, and the person in the mirror had a rosy complexion from the steam, with a layer of moist light floating in her almond-shaped eyes. She was already extremely beautiful without any makeup.

The palace maid first wrung out her dough, then applied a thin layer of rouge, and finally used a fine brush to draw the tails of her eyebrows. Her movements were extremely light and quick, yet very steady.

As the lip rouge was applied, Lin Zhiyao couldn't help but recall the warmth of Shen Jin's fingertips as he applied the lip rouge for her that night, and she subconsciously pursed her lips.

Makeup complete.

Extreme simplicity gives rise to brilliance.

Although it wasn't drawn in many places, it still looked incredibly beautiful.

The craftsmanship in the palace was indeed much better than that outside the palace.

A phoenix crown pressed down on her hair, and a pearl hung down in front of her forehead, swaying gently.

When the red veil was lifted, all that remained of my vision was a small patch of hazy red.