Chapter 160: Hair Intertwined, The Bridal Chamber with Lit Candles

The night was thick, the moon bright and the stars few. For the wind-blown and sand-ridden Northwest, tonight was a rare and fine night.

After Steward Mu escorted away the last batch of guests, the Prince Xuan Manor, which had been bustling all day, gradually returned to tranquility.

The two masters of the manor, who had departed the banquet early, had already returned to their bedchamber.

The room was likewise bathed in a festive and auspicious crimson. A pair of dragon-and-phoenix red candles burned high, casting a warm, bright, and joyous glow over the entire apartment.

Old Madam Xu and Luzhu attended to Shen Qianmo, helping her remove the heavy and elaborate hairpins and ornaments from her head and body, followed by clearing her makeup, washing her face, and a thorough freshening up. Just as they were about to help her take off her bridal robes and change into comfortable loungewear, Meng Yuanheng spoke up, "I will handle this. You may withdraw."

"Yes, your Highness." The two women smiled as they glanced at Shen Qianmo, knowing that the Prince preferred to spend time alone with his lady and disliked having servants lingering about. However, they were naturally delighted that the Prince was so fond of clinging to their young mistress.

Once Old Madam Xu and Luzhu closed the doors and departed together, Meng Yuanheng had already turned around, scooped Shen Qianmo up horizontally from her chair, and carefully placed her on the edge of the bed.

The crimson brocade quilt reflected a warm, gentle radiance under the candlelight, making Shen Qianmo's smiling face appear all the more blooming, bright, and moving. Although she was already more than five months pregnant, she still looked ethereal, graceful, and refined, without the slightest trace of heaviness.

Shen Qianmo smiled silently, watching the tall, slender, and handsome man beside her sit down. He leaned forward to pick up the corners of their garments, tying them together carefully into a double knot. He wore a crimson brocade robe, the hem embroidered with a magnificent golden dragon, while her bridal gown featured a phoenix and peonies, the hem displaying the dignified grace of a phoenix. Once tied into a double knot, the dragon and phoenix intertwined, one contained within the other, inseparable.

She never imagined this fellow would know such customs. Shen Qianmo lowered her gaze to look at the dragon-and-phoenix double knot, the smile on her face deepening.

Although their wedding ceremony was somewhat unconventional, he had not neglected a single one of the traditional marital rites required for weddings in this world.

In the rosy candlelight, Meng Yuanheng's eyes held an unprecedented warmth. He picked up the wine cups that Old Madam Xu and the others had prepared by the bedside in advance, handing one to the softly smiling woman before him—the one and only wife he recognized in this lifetime.

"I cannot drink alcohol," Shen Qianmo took the cup and said with a smile.

"This is a fresh fruit brew I specifically had them prepare. Mo'er can drink it without worry," Meng Yuanheng whispered softly in her ear.

Shen Qianmo curved her brows. This fellow certainly considered everything thoroughly.

Their gazes met, and they smiled knowingly. With arms linked, they raised their heads and drained the wine in their cups.

The nuptial wine finished, Shen Qianmo looked at the empty wine cups and the dragon-and-phoenix double knot at the hem of their robes, falling into a momentary trance.

She had accidentally transmigrated to this place nearly a year ago, but the myriad experiences she had undergone since then were hard to summarize in a few words. She never could have imagined that in this unfamiliar, alternate world, she would tie the knot with a man and bear children.

The wine cup was gently removed from her hand, and a low, soft call reached her ears, carrying a trace of careful hesitation.

"Mo'er..."

Shen Qianmo snapped back to her senses, meeting the eyes of the white-haired man in red before her, which held a mixture of unease and guilt.

Her nose twitched. He always felt he had shortchanged her. Yet what he did not know was that she had already obtained the absolute best thing in this world—the complete and utter devotion of the man she loved.

"The nuptial wine is finished. Should I call you husband now?" She smiled gently, her brows curved, her usually calm and serene demeanor uncharacteristically carrying a touch of playfulness.

Hearing this, Meng Yuanheng's clear and handsome brows finally bloomed with a reassuring smile. "Then this husband must also call you wife."

Wife? Hearing this, Shen Qianmo felt a shiver run through her. The title truly felt awkward to the ear.

"Let's not play this game; calling you Mo'er sounds much more agreeable to me," Shen Qianmo said with a smile.

Meng Yuanheng looked somewhat disappointed. Actually, he thought the title "wife" sounded quite nice, but since Mo'er did not like it, he naturally would not force it.

He leaned over to untie the dragon-and-phoenix knot he had just fastened, squatting on the floor to remove Shen Qianmo's shoes and socks. He peeled off her heavy crimson bridal gown and changed her into comfortable homewear. Shen Qianmo offered no resistance, letting him take care of her as she climbed onto the bed. She watched as he lowered the bed curtains, sat down beside her, and pulled her into his embrace.

The candles in the room remained unextinguished, casting a deep amber light inside the canopy. The two of them sat leaning against the head of the bed, wrapped in each other's arms.

Shen Qianmo suddenly let out a chuckle. "A-Heng, didn't Yunyi and the others act like they were going to throw a fuss? They were shouting about storming the bridal chamber, so why are they nowhere to be seen now?"

Due to the urgency of the time, aside from Elder Piao Miao and a few elders, no one else knew the contents written on that piece of silk earlier. Yet this fellow Meng Yuanheng had insisted on making Yunyi read it aloud on the spot. No wonder when he finished reading and returned to his seat, his hands had been so nervous he didn't know where to put them.

"Storming the bridal chamber?" Meng Yuanheng raised an eyebrow and let out a cold hum. "They wouldn't have the guts to storm my bridal chamber!" He would certainly never tell Shen Qianmo that he had intentionally picked Yunyi, that troublemaker who feared the world wasn't chaotic enough, to read it.

Hmph, that was punishment for his loose tongue and nonsense in front of Mo'er a few days ago.

Shen Qianmo sighed helplessly. When this fellow acted aloof, he started referring to himself as "this prince" again. Yet what he said was true; who would dare to storm the bridal chamber of the dignified Prince Xuan? Only Yunyi, that thick-skinned fellow with his perpetual cheeky smile, dared to speak and act so wildly before him.

"Right, I noticed earlier that the Northern Di Crown Prince seemed quite unfriendly toward you. Do you have a feud with him?" Shen Qianmo could tell that Wanyan Lü's gaze toward Meng Yuanheng was undeniably and thoroughly malicious.

Meng Yuanheng shrugged indifferently. "There are simply too many people who hold a grudge against this prince; I can't possibly keep track of them all."

The corners of Shen Qianmo's mouth twitched. Prince Xuan, just how much hatred have you managed to attract!

"However, I think that Wanyan Ping seems much more reliable than Wanyan Lü, and his relationship with He Liancheng appears quite good..." Judging from their behavior at the banquet earlier, the Northern Di King's two sons were absolute mortal enemies, and the Sixth Prince, Wanyan Ping, was clearly much more socially adept than Crown Prince Wanyan Lü. One could tell simply by the fact that he knew how to court the He family.

Shen Qianmo's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she fell into contemplation, failing to notice the displeasure darkening the face of the man beside her. By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, she discovered that Meng Yuanheng's expression had turned gloomy, clearly indicating he was angry.

"What is it?" Shen Qianmo was puzzled. A man prone to temper tantrums really was hard to figure out.

Without a word, Meng Yuanheng directly captured the cherry lips of the woman in his arms with a kiss.

When the kiss finally ended, feeling Shen Qianmo's soft and docile response, Meng Yuanheng's sullen mood improved slightly. He murmured in her ear, "Mo'er is not allowed to think about other men."

Shen Qianmo was dumbfounded. Did this fellow really have to be so childish! When had she been thinking about other men?

Well, alright, she *had* indeed thought of many other men just now, but... what kind of logic was this!

Pulling away from his embrace, she faced him, pointed at her slightly protruding belly, and smiled, "What about him? Master Situ said this child is bound to be a little prince. Is he another man too?"

"Another man." Meng Yuanheng nodded, saying with an expression of absolute certainty, "Any man other than this prince is another man. Once he's born, I'll just toss him—"

Seeing Shen Qianmo look slightly annoyed, he reluctantly changed his phrasing. "I'll hand him over to a wet nurse to raise, or perhaps turn him over to Elder Piao Miao to amuse in his old age. Elder Piao Miao is a great scholar of our time with peerless wisdom; with his tutelage, this child will surely grow up to be extraordinary."

He had long found that increasingly unruly little creature in Shen Qianmo's belly an eyesore. Kicking and bounding about so restlessly while still inside Mo'er—heaven knows what he'd be like once he was born.

Faced with such an unreasonable man, Shen Qianmo was completely speechless. She raised a hand to pinch his lean cheek and sighed helplessly, "Your Highness, can we not be so childish? He's your son! Besides, have you become addicted to jealousy lately? You get jealous over every little thing, aren't you afraid of turning your own stomach sour?"

Meng Yuanheng's handsome face stiffened slightly before he pulled her fiercely back into his embrace, burying his face in the crook of her neck to mutter, "I like being jealous, is that a crime? Even if I'm childish, Mo'er is not allowed to dislike me."

Shen Qianmo patted his solid back, though she sighed helplessly in her heart. While it was true that his strong possessiveness and clinginess were signs of his love for her, this fellow was taking it a bit too far.

She truly couldn't fathom where this fellow's vigilance and insecurity stemmed from. If it were during the period right after her return when he was overly nervous, it would have been understandable. But she had been back for several months now, and instead of fading, his attachment had only grown more intense.

Raising her head to meet his aggrieved yet stubborn gaze, her heart softened once again. This side of Meng Yuanheng made him seem both endearing and pitiful, causing any trace of annoyance in her heart to instantly vanish.

She reached out to untie the satin ribbon binding his hair behind his shoulders, letting his mass of white hair cascade down. Framed by his crimson dragon robe, Meng Yuanheng lost his usual cold severity at this moment, his brows and eyes softening into lazy casualness.

She lifted a hand to gently catch a strand of soft silver hair dangling by his ear, twining it together with a strand of her own raven-ink hair that reached her waist. Her delicate, jade-like fingers moved with clever agility, quickly and gently tying the black and white strands of hair together.

"Mo'er..." Meng Yuanheng looked moved as he watched Shen Qianmo perform the hair-tying ritual. His low murmur was filled with tender, intoxicating affection, stirring boundless romance and sweetness within his heart.

Shen Qianmo leaned forward to embrace him, whispering, "To tie our hair together as husband and wife, to grow old together. A-Heng, from this day forward, whether in prosperity or adversity, poverty or wealth, sickness or health, we will face everything together, never to part, alright?"

The arms wrapped around her waist tightened. Meng Yuanheng buried his face in the crook of her neck, the cascading silver strands concealing his ecstatic and utterly fulfilled handsome countenance.

"Alright." Just a single low and satisfied response, yet it was the firmest and most solemn vow he made in this lifetime.

He parted his lips to take her earlobe into his mouth, nibbling and sucking gently. The tender, tingling sensation caused Shen Qianmo to let out an involuntary low moan.

"Mmm..." This fellow used the exact same trick every time, yet it worked on her without fail. Clever as he was, he naturally knew precisely where her most sensitive spots were.

Still, tonight was, after all, their bridal night; she might as well let him have his way, as long as they were somewhat careful.

The wedding candles burned high, the red gauze curtains were warm, and Shen Qianmo drifted into a drowsy haze within the gentle yet domineering embrace of the man beside her.