TSWRLM -Chapter 96 The Wedding Night

“I am not your master—I am your husband.”

Shen Qingyuan’s low, husky voice echoed in her ears. Chun Xi felt a strange tingling run up from the base of her spine, making her heartbeat uncontrollably quicken and her cheeks flush.

She vaguely sensed that something significant would happen tonight, yet she couldn’t help but look up at Shen Qingyuan: “Master, did you drink again today?” Aside from the two times he had been drunk before, he normally wouldn’t say things like this to her.

“No,” Shen Qingyuan denied, then keenly caught the crucial point: “Why do you ask that, my wife? Did something happen the last time I was drunk with you?”

Of course something had happened—and it had been very different from usual.

But how could she dare tell the truth now?

Chun Xi quickly shook her head like a rattle: “No, no, I just… I feel that you’re a little different today.”

Shen Qingyuan, who had handled countless cases in Jingzhao Prefecture, immediately saw that she was lying.

Something had definitely happened the last time he was drunk.

“It seems no one ever taught you, my wife,” he said, “that denying too quickly when questioned is a sign of guilt.”

As he spoke, Shen Qingyuan gently took her wrist and caressed it.

The calloused pads of his fingers brushed back and forth across her skin. The faint tickling sent goosebumps all over Chun Xi’s body.

She wanted to protest, but Shen Qingyuan lowered his head closer, lightly touching her nose with his, their breaths intertwining.

So close, his presence enveloped her completely. Chun Xi felt her throat dry again.

She… wanted to kiss him.

As if he could read her mind, Shen Qingyuan squeezed her wrist and asked: “May I?”

The words were abrupt, yet loaded with seduction.

Chun Xi felt dizzily elated—she wasn’t the only one thinking such things; he wanted to kiss her too.

She didn’t answer, but tilted her head slightly and kissed him.

After a few kisses before, she had some experience now—she couldn’t just sit there like a log waiting for him to act.

Chun Xi was innocent, yet bold.

Shen Qingyuan hadn’t expected her to respond with action. The string called “reason” in his mind snapped. He tightened his arms, gripping Chun Xi’s waist firmly.

“Ah, don’t hold so tight, my waist… ugh—”

Chun Xi tried to pull back, gasping, but before she could finish, he sealed her lips again.

Unlike previous kisses, today Shen Qingyuan was fierce and relentless, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

A small whimper escaped Chun Xi’s throat. Her prior experience was useless; she was defenseless.

She instinctively tried to retreat, but Shen Qingyuan advanced step by step. Unknowingly, he pressed her against the window, her back against the glass, nowhere to go.

Yet he still wasn’t satisfied, pressing forward to fit her against him perfectly.

The heat between them rose rapidly, breaths coming in ragged gasps. Chun Xi panted heavily, only noticing that he had wrinkled his freshly changed clothing in her grip, the collar open, revealing a bit of his firm chest.

“Sorry, Master… I didn’t mean to.”

Chun Xi tried to withdraw her hand, but Shen Qingyuan suddenly caught it, pressing it against his chest: “No need to apologize. I don’t mind you touching me.”

With no clothes in between, she could feel the firmness beneath his palm, his heartbeat pounding violently beneath.

The scene was reminiscent of that first night when he was drunk, holding her and asking if she wanted to try.

Chun Xi’s fingers curled slightly—she finally realized the danger.

Yet when Shen Qingyuan, breathless, whispered at her ear for permission, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Why would she?

They were already husband and wife. Over this time, he had protected her, never letting her suffer the slightest grievance.

Whether they could grow old together or not, at least now, she truly liked him.

Chun Xi wrapped her arms around Shen Qingyuan’s neck in response. He no longer hesitated, lifting her onto the bed.

The bed curtains fell, and the room was filled with intimacy.

Though a little scared, Chun Xi told herself that short-term pain was better than long-term suffering. Yet after some time, the imagined pain never came—only a sensation she could hardly bear.

She whispered: “Master… is it enough now?”

In the darkness, the veins on Shen Qingyuan’s forehead bulged. He was like a drawn bow at its limit, but he forced himself to say: “Not yet… wait a little longer.”

“…Alright. If you’re not in a hurry, I can wait too.”

Half an hour later.

Chun Xi could no longer contain herself. She rolled on top of him, covering his mouth to prevent him from speaking and interrupting her hard-earned courage: “Don’t speak! If the master won’t satisfy me, I’ll do it myself!”

Soon, she regretted her rashness and ignorance.

“It hurts! Master, I know I was wrong!”

“Huh? That’s it? Can I go take a bath now? Wait—Master, I didn’t mean that…”

No wonder they say men change after marriage. In such matters, he was a completely different person—no trace of gentlemanly restraint!

When it was over, it was already the late hours of the night.

Exhausted, Chun Xi no longer cared about shame. Shen Qingyuan helped her clean up, and as soon as she touched the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.

Shen Qingyuan did not sleep. After listening to her soft breathing for a while, he dressed and went to the inn’s back courtyard.

There, an undercover guard reported: “Master, Liang Weimin sent a letter to the capital tonight.”

The letter had been sent via a dried fruit shop under the Liang residence’s management, which regularly sent goods to the capital.

This particular delivery contained a secret letter addressed to the Grand Tutor.

The Grand Tutor, mentor to the crown prince, was highly respected and influential. Shen Qingyuan himself had once been guided by him.

The secret letter had been sent, and the guard handed a copy to Shen Qingyuan for inspection.

As expected, Madam Liang had conveyed Chun Xi’s words to Liang Weimin. Liang suspected the Wei family was trying to undermine him and pave the way for Wei Lingze, giving the Grand Tutor advance notice.

Liang’s letter both warned the Grand Tutor of danger and sought his help.

Indeed, the relief funds had been embezzled—an undeniable fact.

Shen Qingyuan quickly read the letter, burned it with a fire spatula, and handed another pre-written letter to the guard to deliver to the crown prince in the capital.

After finishing, he returned to the room. Chun Xi was still sleeping soundly.

The chill on his body melted away as he pulled her into his embrace. Perhaps still unaccustomed to sleeping with someone, Chun Xi let out a small dissatisfied hum. Shen Qingyuan gently rubbed her head and said in a deep voice: “It’s me. Sleep.”

Chun Xi obediently lay still. After a while, she murmured:

“Husband… the first time is always like this. I really wasn’t laughing at you, honest.”

“…”