Chapter Four: No Consummation on the Wedding Night

She had neither someone she liked nor any close friends in her previous life, so she hadn’t expected that after just a week in this new world, she would get married...

To Yan Heru, all of this felt surreal, as if she were trapped in a dream. She didn’t know why she had come here; perhaps fate had not abandoned her, and heaven had granted her another chance.

During this week, Yan Heru used the simplest of herbal remedies to nurse herself back to health. At the same time, she made a few poisons for self-defense. Since she was about to be married, Madam Lin no longer had the energy to trouble her further.

It was in this period that Yan Heru discovered something deeply strange. The original host's mother had died giving birth to Yan Hecheng—a normal enough occurrence, for although this wasn’t the ancient world as Yan Heru understood it, it was indeed an ancient world in another space.

Poor medical skills meant that women often lost their lives in childbirth; it was nothing shameful, and the original host’s memories confirmed this. Yet when Yan Heru tried to ask questions about her mother, everyone in the Yan family remained evasive. After all, the original host had been only three when her mother died and remembered very little.

This roused Yan Heru’s suspicions. It was said that as soon as the mother of Yan Heru and Yan Hecheng died, Old Madam Yan took them in to raise herself.

That wasn’t right.

Old Madam Yan was the most respected matron in the entire family. There were many illegitimate children in the Yan household, but she had taken Yan Heru and Yan Hecheng without hesitation, and it certainly wasn’t out of pity.

Matriarchs of great families were rarely so kind; one could see her true nature in the way she could order a killing without so much as a change of expression.

Yan Heru saw through it all. There was definitely something wrong here—most likely, the birth mother of Yan Heru and Yan Hecheng had possessed some secret of Old Madam Yan’s, and had threatened her, which is why the old lady orchestrated their mother’s demise.

“Miss, we have arrived.”

A servant’s voice outside broke Yan Heru’s train of thought. She collected herself, pushed down her doubts, and stepped out of the bridal sedan.

Prince Jiu had spared her no courtesy; all the rites were observed. Yan Heru, like a puppet on strings, went through the motions of the marriage ceremony, never once stepping out of line, nor uttering a single complaint of fatigue.

This, in fact, astonished the matchmaker. She had seen many brides—most were obedient, but few refrained from complaining of exhaustion. Usually, they would confide in their attendant maids.

Attendant maids?

Only now did the matchmaker realize—Yan Heru had no attendant maid!

“The ceremony is complete! Escort the bride to the nuptial chamber!”

As the rites concluded, Yan Heru was led to the bridal chamber.

Beneath the ceremonial red veil, Yan Hecheng took a deep breath; she too was tired, but her willpower was strong. No matter how weary she was, she would not break protocol. She had no one to protect her, and so had long since learned to rely on her own strength.

“Bride, do not lift your veil. Wait for the prince to do it himself,” the matchmaker instructed.

“Yes,” Yan Heru replied softly.

After a few more words of advice, the matchmaker finally left. In an instant, the room fell silent; she was alone at last.

In the stillness, Yan Heru felt a sudden fear she could not explain—a vague, unnameable dread.

She waited for a long time, until she nearly drifted off to sleep. At last, Shen Hezhi returned.

“My lady.”

Shen Hezhi’s voice was so pleasing that even someone as detached as Yan Heru was momentarily enchanted, waking fully at once.

By now, Shen Hezhi had come to her bedside. He lifted the red veil and was slightly startled by the delicate beauty revealed.

Yan Heru possessed a serenity that was quietly striking.

As the light broke through, Yan Heru lifted her gaze. She was not yet prepared for what would come next.

“You sleep in the bed; I’ll sleep on the floor,” Shen Hezhi suddenly declared.

Yan Heru froze for a moment but then understood. The prince could not consummate the marriage, so he had made this arrangement.

Staying here was to protect her reputation. Though there was no affection between them, Yan Heru was a grateful person. Since Shen Hezhi was so considerate of her, she would respond in kind.

So she said, “The floor is cold, Your Highness. Please sleep in the bed.”

Shen Hezhi, who had begun spreading bedding on the floor, paused. He looked up at Yan Heru. “Are you…sure? I… I can’t…”

“You can’t sleep in the bed?” Yan Heru interrupted him. “Your Highness, the floor is cold. The bed is much more comfortable.”

Shen Hezhi smiled, nodded, and began to make the bed anew.

This Miss Yan is rather interesting, he thought. She’s not afraid of me, nor is she dazzled by my looks. Intriguing.

When the bed was ready, Yan Heru lay down. She was exhausted after the long day and cared little for how Shen Hezhi chose to sleep. She fell asleep almost instantly.

As Shen Hezhi lay in bed, wondering if he should say something, he heard the steady rhythm of her breath. He turned his head to look at her, her curled lashes casting a subtle allure.

He withdrew his gaze and thought to himself: Perhaps… this Sixth Miss Yan isn’t so bad.

—

The next morning, Yan Heru awoke very early. Shen Hezhi was still sleeping beside her, so she lay back down, not wanting to disturb him, hoping to let him rest a little longer.

But as she settled in, she realized something was off. Though nothing had occurred between them, they shared a quilt, and she could feel that Shen Hezhi’s side of the bed was icy cold.

Alarmed, Yan Heru sat up and examined Shen Hezhi. Only then did she notice his lips were deathly pale, his entire body as cold as ice.

She immediately took his hand to check his pulse—and the result shocked her.

She had learned a rare and powerful form of medicine, the knowledge of which had not been passed down—a skill she had come by chance, having been rescued from a cliff’s edge. The medical techniques in that book were nothing short of miraculous.

The moment she took Shen Hezhi’s pulse, she understood: Shen Hezhi was not unable to consummate the marriage. He had been concealing the truth. There was nothing wrong with him in that regard.

However, his body was riddled with a deadly cold poison—a rare toxin she had once read about in that very book. Immediately, Yan Heru began to apply acupuncture. The set of silver needles had been secretly prepared for her by Yan Hecheng before the wedding, just in case she needed them.

How could it be such a coincidence…

Yan Heru began to wonder if the medical book she had obtained by chance was actually from this world. She had always felt it was not from her own time, but could not tell whence it had come.

After the acupuncture, Yan Heru was so fatigued that she slumped by the bed. The procedure required intense concentration, leaving her thoroughly drained afterward.

She had only meant to rest for a moment, but exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she fell asleep by the bedside—her nerves, having been so tightly wound, finally relaxing into fatigue.

Not long after she dozed off, Shen Hezhi awoke.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his temples, his head still foggy and heavy.