The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Shen Qingruo returned to Yilan Palace and dismissed the palace servants.

The room quieted down, and she walked to the dressing table, sat down, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Today in the Taiji Hall, she deliberately asked about the child in an attempt to divert Shen Wangxi's attention.

But in her heart, she wasn't ready to welcome a new life.

Shen Qingruo called softly in her heart, "Xiao Jiu".

The sphere of light immediately lit up: "Aruo, I'm here."

Shen Qingruo raised her hand, her fingertips tracing her flat stomach, her voice low and soft: "Is it really true that my body is not good at conceiving?"

Xiao Jiu's aura flickered a few times: "Aruo, your body is indeed weaker than that of ordinary people, that's true."

"But the pulse diagnosis showing difficulty conceiving in the past two years is false; you are actually more likely to get pregnant than others."

Shen Qingruo lowered her long eyelashes. "Actually, I haven't decided yet whether to have his baby."

"Sometimes I think having a child is great, but other times I wonder, I'm already struggling to make ends meet, can I really protect a tender new life?"

She opened the system store, wondering whether she should take a contraceptive pill.

"Don't eat that!" Xiao Jiu hurriedly interrupted her, the ball of light getting closer, "Wait a little longer, Aruo, you don't need to eat it now, and you won't have a child for the time being."

Shen Qingruo raised her eyes, somewhat puzzled, "Why?"

"Didn't you say I'm easily fertile?"

"He's slept with me so many times, I'm afraid I might get pregnant by accident?"

Xiao Jiu said seriously, "I was also very confused before, so I secretly checked the experience of the seniors in the System Bureau."

"Not long ago, I learned that your fate had already reached a dead end when you went to Daliang to marry in place of Shen Jingyan."

"Following the original trajectory, your fate was sealed: death."

Shen Qingruo's fingertips twitched slightly as she recalled her leap from the palace wall in her previous life.

"The fact that you're alive and able to change so much is already defying fate and forcibly reversing destiny," Xiao Jiu continued to explain.

"But the rules of the world have their own self-correcting power. The seasons change, spring, summer, autumn and winter, and it takes a whole year for the rules of the world to truly recognize your new destiny, to make it completely stable, and to get it back on track."

"Only at that time will your body be able to nurture a new life belonging to this little world."

"That's why, even though your luck has increased and you're fertile, and Shen Wangxi is also very strong, you two still haven't had a child in the past few months."

"It's not a problem between you and him, it's just that the timing isn't right."

Shen Qingruo listened quietly, a look of realization dawning on her eyes.

It turned out to be the case.

She nodded slightly and didn't go to exchange for the contraceptive pills.

-

That evening, in the bridal chamber of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The bright red wedding candles were burning brightly.

Shen Jingyan sat on the edge of the bed covered with a bright red brocade quilt with mandarin ducks on it, with a red veil in front of her.

She could hear her own heartbeat quickening, and her hands, clasped together on her knees, tightened slightly.

Slightly disordered footsteps came from outside the door, along with the low voices of a servant trying to dissuade them.

"Your Highness, please slow down..."

"It's alright." It was Xiao Yu's voice, clearly tinged with alcohol, and lower than usual.

Shen Jingyan's heart beat faster, filled with the nervousness and anticipation of a new bride.

She finally married Xiao Yu, leaving that suffocating palace and escaping Shen Qingruo's control.

From this day forward, she will be the heir apparent of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and Xiao Yu's rightful wife.

The door was pushed open, reeking of alcohol.

The servant seemed to have helped the person to the door and then tactfully withdrew, the footsteps fading away as the door was gently closed.

Through the gap under the veil, Shen Jingyan saw a pair of feet wearing black brocade boots, walking towards her somewhat unsteadily.

She held her breath.

The next moment, the red curtain was lifted, and light flooded in. She blinked instinctively and looked up at the man standing in front of her.

Xiao Yu was dressed in a bright red wedding robe, which made his face look even more handsome, but his face was flushed from drinking, and his eyes were not as clear as usual.

Shen Jingyan's cheeks flushed under his gaze. She lowered her eyelashes slightly and said in a shy voice, "My consort."

Xiao Yu looked at her.

Dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, Shen Jingyan was indeed stunningly beautiful.

He reached out and touched her cheek with his finger, his voice slightly hoarse: "Princess, you look beautiful today."

A sweet feeling spread through Shen Jingyan's heart. She took the initiative to reach out and hold his slightly hot hand, looking up at him with her eyes full of happiness: "Xiao Yu, we are finally married."

Looking at the undisguised affection in her eyes and feeling the softness of her hand, Xiao Yu felt the effects of the wine intensify.

He grabbed her hand in return, with a bit of force, and pulled her up from the edge of the bed.

"Yes, we're married." He repeated, his gaze fixed on her lips, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He lowered his head, his breath, tinged with the smell of alcohol, brushing against her cheek.

Shen Jingyan closed her eyes, her heart pounding like a drum, anticipating her new husband's kiss.

However, just as their lips were about to touch, Xiao Yu turned his head slightly away, buried his face in her neck, and breathed heavily, with a suppressed feeling that Shen Jingyan couldn't understand.

"Ah..." he uttered a single, barely audible sound, almost drowned out by his breathing.

Shen Jingyan's body stiffened slightly.

The pronunciation of that word sounded so much like "ruo," and her heart tightened inexplicably.

But Xiao Yu quickly raised his head. He looked at her, his eyes hazy, as if trying to focus, then forced a smile, changed his words, and said gently, "Your Highness."

Shen Jingyan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Yes, he was drunk, so his speech was a bit slurred.

He must have meant to call out to Ayan, but he was too drunk to call out the whole name.

She softened again, nestled into his arms, and said in a voice so gentle it could melt your heart, "My husband..."

That one word, "husband," made Xiao Yu's body stiffen for a moment.

But he quickly lowered his head and this time took her lips into his mouth.

The kiss was hot and alcohol-scented, somewhat rough, and left no room for refusal.

Shen Jingyan awkwardly endured it, being pulled by him to fall onto the bright red brocade quilt behind her.

The phoenix crown was hastily removed and thrown aside.

The elaborate wedding dress was peeled away layer by layer, revealing the bright red nightgown underneath.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the intertwined shadows on the bed curtains.

Xiao Yu's movements carried a drunken urgency and an inexplicable ruthlessness, as if he wanted to confirm something, or rather, forget something, through this method.

Shen Jingyan, experiencing her first sexual encounter, frowned in pain, her fingertips digging into his strong arm.

She looked up at his handsome face, flushed with intoxication and passion, and felt a sense of fulfillment.

"Xiao Yu..." she couldn't help but call his name.

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, sweat trickling down his forehead and dripping onto her neck.

He looked into her misty, tearful eyes, which held trust and affection.

Xiao Yu closed his eyes.

He lowered his head, his voice hoarse, tinged with barely perceptible self-loathing: "Your Highness, I am here."

He no longer gave her a chance to speak, and with even more drastic actions, silenced all her cries.

The red candles crackled, and the atmosphere inside the tent was thick with the scent of spring.

Shen Jingyan was swept up and lost in the waves brought by her husband.

She clung tightly to him.

She thought this was the beginning of her happiness.

Little did she know that, in the moment of intense passion, the man on top of her was seeing another delicate, fragile, and pitiful face.