Chapter 43: His Size

Pei Zhouwu suddenly opened his eyes, then after a moment turned over and sat up.

Vaguely, it seemed he had opened his mouth, yet after waiting for a long while, no sound came out. Perhaps he found it too absurd and didn’t know what to say.

“You…”

He tried to respond, but then stifled it back as if both angered and amused.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Fuying asked deliberately, feigning innocence. “Could it be those rumors are true?”

Pei Zhouwu was frustrated for another long moment, holding back for ages before finally speaking.

“So, is that why you couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night?” he retorted to Liu Fuying.

“Not exactly.” Liu Fuying couldn’t stay crouched any longer and stood up, sitting down beside him. “I was thinking… since you’ve already seen my… would you marry me?”

Pei Zhouwu turned his face to look at her. In the darkness, his eyes were bright and intense.

“A Ying, do you understand the weight of marriage?” he asked solemnly.

Hearing his question, Liu Fuying was unusually at a loss for words.

She knew. Of course she knew.

But what other choice was there? Trying to deceive him into having a child was so difficult; even stripping him bare hadn’t worked.

“Of course I know,” she said, the words coming out with a tone of longing. “Husband and wife support each other, share joys and sorrows, sleep under the same quilt in life and rest in the same grave in death, never parting until old age, growing old together.”

“Then, have you thought it through?” Pei Zhouwu asked again.

“I have. From the moment I decided to stay here, I’ve thought it through clearly. But you…”

Liu Fuying pretended to be melancholy, her words hesitant and fearful.

“Do you… do you even want to marry me?”

The only response was Pei Zhouwu’s prolonged silence once more.

“I know what you’re worried about,” Liu Fuying turned sideways, groping to take Pei Zhouwu’s hand. “You’re afraid I’ll be wronged, afraid I can’t endure the hardships here, and even more afraid that if the guards outside discover me, it’ll bring disaster. I’ve already thought about all these worries of yours. I’m willing.”

She gripped his hand tighter, urgently expressing her resolve.

“I truly am willing. I want to stay with you. I really, really like you—so much that I’d willingly face ruin for you.”

After a pause, she continued with deep emotion.

“I want to marry you. I want to be your wife.”

“…”

Pei Zhouwu didn’t respond, only gently turned his head away. The night was quiet, but his heart was anything but calm.

Waves of turmoil churned in his heart, making it impossible for him to think clearly.

Liu Fuying didn’t press him further, giving him time to think it over slowly.

She estimated he was nearly ready to decide.

After a long while, he finally spoke again, asking, “If those rumors circulating in the capital are true, would you still be willing to marry me?”

“Of course I would.”

Liu Fuying answered without hesitation, her heart steady and her breath calm.

“I want to marry you and be your wife, not just for… that.”

This was naturally a lie; from start to finish, her goal had been precisely “that” with him.

“Besides, I know the rumors must be false. You’re not… incapable.”

Hearing this, Pei Zhouwu turned back, his tone surprised. “What do you mean by that? How do you know?”

“I know,” Liu Fuying shifted closer, sitting right next to him, wrapping her arms around his arm and almost pressing against him. “Because I already felt it underwater earlier.”

“You…”

The words “shameless” were swallowed back by Pei Zhouwu.

Recalling earlier, her restless hand had indeed ventured down from his abdomen.

“When you ask like that, it means you agree, right?” Liu Fuying tilted her head; even without light, one could imagine the brilliant smile on her face.

Pei Zhouwu took a deep breath, having indeed made up his mind.

“I’ve seen it all and touched it all—how could I not take responsibility for you?” His tone carried a mix of helplessness and affection.

“That’s wonderful.”

Liu Fuying clung tightly to his arm, nestling her head against it affectionately.

“Tomorrow, let’s get married tomorrow,” she said excitedly.

“Tomorrow?” Pei Zhouwu was taken aback and replied calmly, “Isn’t tomorrow a bit too rushed?”

“Not rushed at all. I’ve been thinking about this for more than just a day—it’s not rushed at all.”

She giggled, and even the night seemed to grow sweeter.

But Pei Zhouwu’s reaction was subdued. His heart was filled with many concerns, and he wasn’t as overjoyed as she was.

“A Ying.” After thinking for a long while, he finally spoke.

“Our marriage will have no elders to witness it, no blessings from family or friends, and no formal ceremony. But marriage is a lifelong commitment, and I still feel ashamed and sorry for you.”

“I don’t care.”

Liu Fuying reached forward, slipping one hand into his palm and covering the back of his hand with the other, holding it tightly.

“You just agreed to it, so you can’t go back on your word.”

Then, with righteous conviction, she added, “Heaven and earth as witnesses, the sun and moon as witnesses—isn’t that more romantic than those stuffy rituals and rules? As for the ceremony, we can do without other things, but wedding attire is a must. I’ll go down the mountain tomorrow to buy it. Oh, right, stand up first.”

She pulled Pei Zhouwu to his feet and wrapped her arms around him, measuring from his back to his waist.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing? If we’re buying wedding attire, of course we need to take measurements in advance.”

“Turn around.” She spun Pei Zhouwu so his back faced her, carefully measuring again from behind. “Stop overthinking things. Since you’ve already made up your mind, we’ll get married sooner or later. If not tomorrow, then someday. Why not sooner, so we can put our minds at ease?”

“Raise your arms.”

She acted as if she knew what she was doing, her joy at the impending marriage bursting forth in that moment.

Feeling her enthusiasm, Pei Zhouwu gradually relented and began to cooperate with her.

She was right.

Since he had resolved to take responsibility and marry her, they would have to wed sooner or later.

Could it be that he would wait until he was pardoned and released before marrying her?

That day would likely never come.

The emperor was deeply suspicious; whether he had plotted rebellion or not, he would rather kill him wrongly than let him go.

Once he settled on this thought, he felt much lighter.

A faint smile crept onto the corner of his lips, and his anticipation for the marriage grew stronger.

“All done.” After finishing her measurements, Liu Fuying threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “When I go down the mountain tomorrow, I’ll definitely buy you a well-fitting wedding outfit. And wedding candles, wedding cakes… but not the wedding quilt—it’s too big and hard to hide. Anyway, as long as I’m with you, I’d even be willing to sleep on a stone slab.”

Pei Zhouwu listened quietly, his eyes crinkling into a smile as she spoke.

“And tonight…”

“Tonight what?” Pei Zhouwu tensed up abruptly.

The scene at the pond resurfaced in his mind, making his entire body stiffen again.

“Why are you so flustered?” Liu Fuying pulled back from his embrace, looking up at him and deliberately teasing him.

“I… I’m not flustered.”

“Clearly there is, you’re even stammering when you speak. Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Usually, an engaged couple isn’t supposed to see each other the day before the wedding, but we’ve already spent the whole day together today. So, let’s just sleep in separate rooms tonight to keep up appearances. Originally, I thought about having you sleep in the back room, even if it meant one of us on the bed and the other on the floor.”