Chapter 55

Chapter Fifty-Five: A Veil Preserved Her Dignity! Xiao Zhiheng hadn't expected her to misunderstand him. He quickly turned around and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. It wasn't that he found her repulsive—he cherished her, and that was precisely why he wouldn't take her the way those other men would have. Taking her now would not be good for her. His cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment, yet he still patiently coaxed her, showing none of the arrogance of the War God Prince Chu. All that remained was his genuine, heartfelt concern for her. "How could that be? You're not feeling well. Once you're better, I'll make up for our wedding night." Not feeling well? Jia Qingcheng furrowed her brows. She wasn't unwell at all—why did the Prince insist she was? "Alright, I'll have someone bring hot water. Change into clean clothes and get some rest." With that, Xiao Zhiheng coldly ordered those outside, "Someone, prepare hot water and a hand warmer." Hot water? A hand warmer? Jia Qingcheng was puzzled. What were those for? But suddenly, she felt a nagging, dull ache radiating from her lower abdomen. Could it be... After Xiao Zhiheng left, she hurried over to sit by the bed. Sure enough, she saw traces of fresh blood staining the stool. So the Prince had noticed her monthly flow had arrived... In an instant, she was overcome with embarrassment. For him to have discovered such a thing—how mortifying! No wonder he had left. "Miss, are you alright? Did the Prince mistreat you?" Outside, Chunyan rushed in nearly in tears. When she saw the blood on the stool, she mistakenly thought her mistress was injured. "Miss, what's wrong? Why are you bleeding?" Jia Qingcheng: "..." "Silly girl, stop crying! I'm fine!" "You say you're fine, but you're bleeding! Did the Prince hurt you?" Jia Qingcheng didn't know how to explain and was too lazy to bother. "Alright, go prepare a set of clean clothes for me. My monthly flow has come." Chunyan immediately stopped crying upon hearing this, her eyes widening as she stared at her mistress. "Your monthly flow?" But her mistress's period shouldn't come now—it was only the beginning of the month? As a physician, Jia Qingcheng naturally knew why her period had come early. She had endured much hardship these past days, and of course, pent-up emotions could bring on an early cycle. She just hadn't expected it to arrive so inconveniently—on the very night of her wedding to the Prince. And to think she had wrongly assumed the Prince was rejecting her and unwilling to consummate the marriage. "Now, go prepare the clean clothes." From within the bridal chamber came the sound of running water. Outside, Xiao Zhiheng stood facing the wind at the door, before him a row of guards standing as straight as pines. One of them knelt on one knee before him, unable to believe what he was seeing... The Prince Chu, whom rumors claimed was barely clinging to life on century-old ginseng, was standing before him in perfect health? "Your Highness, you're truly recovered?" Xiao Zhiheng had reverted to his decisive, ruthless demeanor. He radiated a killing aura—that unique temperament found only in military commanders—as if he had returned to the battlefield, reveling in the commanding presence of thousands answering his call! "Xiao Yu, it's been a long time." "Your Highness, this is wonderful! Our Tiger Guard has hope! The outside world is saying that you've already..." "Already what?" Xiao Zhiheng admitted he had indeed been on the verge of death. But thankfully, with Jia Qingcheng's treatment, he had successfully escaped danger and could stand again. However, he had yet to find who had schemed against him. So he had not spread news of his recovery and detoxification, which was why rumors persisted that he was dying and surviving only on ginseng. "Your Highness is blessed with great fortune! I congratulate Your Highness!" "Enough. Don't disturb the Princess Consort's rest. We'll talk in the study." Princess Consort? Xiao Yu was shocked to hear this. So the Prince had truly married the capital's infamous ugly woman. And for a mere ugly woman, the Prince wouldn't even allow any disturbance? What was going on? "Your Highness, that eldest Miss Jia is famously..." "Silence! I don't care what she was before. Now, she is your mistress. When you see her, you will show her the same respect as you would me. Understood?" ... After washing up, Jia Qingcheng went to bed early. Chunyan kept vigil by her bedside all night. It was the most peaceful sleep Jia Qingcheng had enjoyed in a long time. No need to worry about Pei Wuliang causing her trouble, no need to see people she despised. And most importantly, the Prince Chu had given her the greatest dignity and respect—something she had always wanted but never had. Returning to this life and saving Prince Chu Xiao Zhiheng was the wisest decision she had ever made. "Miss, you're awake?" Seeing her mistress awake, Chunyan hurried over to help her sit up. After Jia Qingcheng sat up, her gaze drifted toward the outer chamber, where a small bed sat—but the Prince had not come to rest there last night. "Miss, the Prince didn't come last night. Don't be discouraged—he'll come to appreciate you." Appreciate her? Jia Qingcheng shook her head. Everyone had misunderstood, assuming she would live miserably married to Prince Chu. But unexpectedly, on their wedding night, the Prince had given her complete security. It was just unfortunate that her monthly flow had chosen the worst possible timing. "Get up!" She was in no hurry to consummate the marriage with Prince Chu. After all, there was plenty of time ahead, and besides, she wanted to see whether the words Prince Chu had spoken to her were true or false. "Miss, what's the matter with this veil? Why are you still wearing it?" Chunyan didn't understand. Now that her mistress had recovered her looks, why did she still need to wear the veil, why hide such a stunningly beautiful face? Could it be that Prince Chu didn't like looking at great beauties? Jia Qingcheng merely sat by the bronze mirror and smiled. "This veil is a demon-revealing mirror. All manner of ghosts and monsters will show their true forms." A demon-revealing mirror? Chunyan didn't understand—it was too complicated. She was about to say something when, suddenly, a respectful voice came from outside. "Your Highness, the Princess Consort, are you awake?" Whose voice was that? Chunyan tensed up as if facing a great enemy. "Oh dear, Miss, that's Aunt Xiao, the fiercest one in the prince's mansion. I've heard she has a mountain of rules and is a very difficult person to deal with." Aunt Xiao? Just as Jia Qingcheng was about to say something, the door to the room was pushed open. Immediately after, Aunt Xiao led a group of maidservants toward her. When she saw that Jia Qingcheng was alone and that the prince was indeed not in the room, Aunt Xiao ordered a maidservant to retrieve the chastity cloth placed on the bed. The maidservant hurried over, picked it up, and examined it. Seeing that there was nothing on it, she shook her head with a look of disdain. "Auntie, it's clean." So the ugly woman really had been rejected by the prince. No wonder the prince had spent the whole night in his study. Well, that made sense—faced with such an ugly face, who would have any appetite for the marriage bed? And so, Aunt Xiao was going to punish her. "Your Highness, the Princess Consort, according to the rules of the prince's mansion, a new bride is supposed to serve tea to her mother-in-law on the first day. You are already late. This old servant will teach you the mansion's rules on behalf of the prince." With that, Aunt Xiao gave a cold order. "Someone, bring the washboard and take off the Princess Consort's trousers!"