02. Matriarch.

"Where am I being barbaric? How am I bullying you now?"

He lived in the Shaofu office of Weiyang Palace for eleven years, where all the residents were men, most of whom were eunuchs. He had long been accustomed to a carefree and unreserved lifestyle, but now he suddenly realized that he had already left Weiyang Palace and started a family, and that his life was completely different from before

Ping Jun laughed and said, "Go! I would rather compete with Brother Peng Zu than play this with you"

Shi then hurriedly changed the subject: "Today is the wedding ceremony for the bride, and as an uncle, I have nothing of value to give you. Here, take these two small trinkets and play with them."

His tone was teasing, and his expression grew increasingly ambiguous. Pingjun was afraid of being overheard by others, so she quickly pulled him away, saying, "You still claim you are not a wild man, yet you have so much hair on you..." Remembering how they had candidly revealed themselves to each other the night before, she felt a rush of embarrassment at the stark difference between their naked forms. Her face turned bright red, and unable to contain herself, she drew her long sword and pointed it at him, exclaiming, "You still say! You still say you didn't bully me! I... I will chop you..."

Shi Zeng smiled and said, "Good child, from now on we are family, so there is no need to be too formal; just treat it as if you are still at home." He turned to look at Liu Bingyi, who was beaming with joy, and couldn't help but sigh, "Today, it should have been your parents and elders receiving this great honor..."

Ping Jun, feeling both shy and angry, suddenly stamped her foot and said, "You barbaric person, if you continue to bully me, I will truly be rude to you."

Shi Zeng returned the greeting, bowing deeply to her. She remembered her mother's instructions and, as a younger generation, turned to the side to indicate that she did not dare to accept the courtesy. After Shi Zeng completed his greeting, she knelt down again to pay her respects to her uncle.

A soft "no" was heard from outside the door

Shi once sat at the head of the table, smiling gently as he observed his niece-in-law before him. Seeing her pure and gentle face, still bearing traces of youth, his feelings of affection deepened.

The beautiful woman, soft and fragrant in his embrace, could be seen and heard but not touched. This night had truly tormented Liu Bingyi, his heart felt like it was being clawed by a cat, yet he could only grit his teeth and endure. In the end, he did not even know what time it was when he could no longer hold on and fell into a drowsy sleep. When he awoke, the space beside his pillow was already empty, and a thin layer of morning light was cast upon the window.

Um... the voice was very low, "Is there... something wrong?"

I have gotten up, you go boil the water... he responded loudly

You... you...

It was only then that he recognized the voice as belonging to Xu Hui

After Ping Jun and the others had settled down, they entered the room holding the round tablet. Shi Dan stood beside Shi Zeng, while Liu Bingyi stood beside Ping Jun. Ping Jun knelt down, placing the round tablet at his feet, and respectfully bowed to Shi Zeng, then carefully placed the tablet on the mat where Shi Zeng was seated.

Returning to the room, the illness had already hung two wooden swords on the wall in front of the bed. Upon careful examination, he spoke with conviction: "Madam said that there is hair beneath my feet, and I consider it precious. If that is the case, one of these swords shall be named 'Hair' and the other 'Precious'. What does Madam think of this?"

Bing casually took the package in hand, weighed it a bit, and curiously asked, "What did your second uncle give you?"

"Ping... Ping Jun..." he called helplessly, "please come here!"

Shi Zenghan smiled as she reached out to grab a handful of jujubes and chestnuts from the basket, indicating her acceptance of the bride's gift. Then she stood up, and upon seeing this, Pingjun hurriedly stood up in a flustered manner.

Liu Bingyi's smile suddenly faded, and his expression turned somber.

"How could it not be your fault?" He stepped over the threshold, took her hand along with the book, and whispered in her ear, "It is all due to the bride's beauty..."

Ping Jun, feeling shy, cast a sidelong glance at Xu Hui, who was stifling a laugh, and said to the sickly one with a hint of petulance, "What are you still dawdling for? Uncle has already woken up"

He smiled wryly, quickly put on his underwear after putting down the tiger cub, to avoid Xu Hui accidentally walking in.

Ping Jun did not argue with him, but finally could not help but burst into laughter, "Is it expensive? Can it be sold for money?"

There was no sound from outside for a long time, so he had to ask again: "Pingjun, are you there?"

The illness has already become severe, and I hurriedly waved my hand: "It's all your fault, you almost caused me to miss an important matter."

The perception of the bride by her in-laws, whether positive or negative, entirely depends on this one visit

She was captivated by his low, husky voice, momentarily forgetting her surroundings. He cradled the back of her head with one hand and grasped her chin with the other, leaning down to kiss her.

She raised her sword, but he suddenly exerted his strength and rushed over, lifting her up and throwing her over his shoulder. "The wild man is taking his bride! The wild man is taking his bride!" He unabashedly disregarded the gazes of the servants in the house, laughing all the way as he carried his wife back to the room

Under the influence of Lady Xu, Pingjun felt an unprecedented pressure. Last night, when she personally welcomed so many people who were watching and playing, she did not feel as suffocated with anxiety as she does now

He pressed further, asking: "Where has your daughter... oh, no, madam, where have you gone?"

The two individuals walked hand in hand to the door of Shizeng's dormitory. The maid who had officiated their wedding ceremony the previous night was waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing the newlyweds arrive, she entered to announce their presence. After approximately a quarter of an hour, the door was fully opened, revealing a quiet outer room with no one in sight. At that time, the sky was just beginning to brighten, yet the candles inside the room had not yet burned out. The maid laid out the mat on the ground outside and then spoke a few words towards the inner room.

Shi then asked, "Have you ever had breakfast? Don't forget that you still need to pay a visit to the ancestral temple later."

She noticed that his eyes were fixed on her, staring incessantly, and could not help but ask, "What are you looking at? Is there something wrong with my face?"

After he finished his bath and put on his leather cap again, he turned around and saw Ping Jun standing at the door in a simple black silk gown. She had removed the wig she wore last night, and her dark hair was styled into two buns, secured with two golden hairpins. Her face was free of makeup, yet a delicate layer of rosy hue radiated from her fair complexion, making her even more captivating than the appearance she had with rouge the day before.

The lady is combing her hair, preparing to pay her respects. Xu Hui's voice paused, and a vague voice murmured a few words, then Xu Hui said again: "The lady asks the lord to hurry, lest the time be missed"

Liu Bingyi embraced her waist, gazing at her affectionately, "Are you willing to sell it?"

Standing beside her, Stan handed over a long rectangular package. Xu Pingjun received it with both hands respectfully. It was not particularly heavy, and inside the package seemed to be two flat, elongated objects, but she could not discern what they were.

His eyes lit up at the sight, and holding two swords in his hands, he was visibly delighted: "Could this be made by my second uncle himself?" Remembering the small wooden sword that Shi had given him to play with during his childhood, he was filled with excitement and joy. He handed one of the swords to Pingjun, saying, "This one is for you." He drew the long sword from his hand and pretended to demonstrate it towards her, laughing, "Come, come, come, let’s have a contest to see who is stronger!"

When Madam Xu married Xu Guanghan, as the legitimate wife of the Xu family's eldest son, the next day, the bride's formal greetings were quite overwhelming due to the numerous elders of the Xu family. Therefore, regarding the Heqin ceremony, she did not explain much to her daughter, but she meticulously reminded her daughter several times about the details of the formal greetings to the elders before her marriage.

He promptly wrapped his arms around her waist, and she anxiously clutched a corner of the package in her hand, her fingers trembling slightly

Then go quickly

I... I merely heard her voice, yet unexpectedly, the image of that pure, lamb-like body writhing beneath him from last night surfaced in my mind. He swallowed hard, his ears buzzing, and in a daze, he replied, "No, nothing... nothing is wrong." After saying this, he couldn't help but punch his own head.

Ping Jun raised an eyebrow and said, "You are truly unreasonable. Why do you blame me for your own late rising?"

He was so frightened that he nearly slipped and dropped the tiger on the ground, and the urge to urinate, which had only been half released, was forcefully held back. A voice from outside the door asked again: "If you are awake, shall I prepare water for you to wash up?"

The package was opened, and inside were two lacquered wooden swords, each approximately three feet long. The blades were crafted to resemble real swords indistinguishably, with wide black scabbards and hilts inlaid with tortoiseshell patterns, showcasing exquisite workmanship

Oh, good, good... Although Xu Pingjun's instructions to Xu Hui were not clear just now, the vague feeling was like a kitten's paw gently scratching his heart, making him feel both tender and itchy, causing him to inexplicably blush. He hurriedly put on his clothes, yet in his flustered state, he could not manage to tie the right side of his garment.

The small, red earlobe swayed before his eyes, and the more he looked, the more his heart stirred. Unable to restrain his feelings in that moment, he leaned down and pecked at her earlobe. Pingjun trembled all over, stumbled, and nearly fell down the steps

A faint sound of clearing the throat suddenly echoed from the inner room, causing Pingjun to feel an increase in pressure. Nervously, she took the round tray filled to the brim with dates and chestnuts from Xu Hui's hands

His ears felt slightly warm, yet his mood was as soft and bright as the morning glow outside. He turned over and got out of bed, discovering that the clothes he had scattered all over the floor last night had been tidied up. In addition to a fresh set of clean underwear, there was another new outfit placed on the bedside.

"Rest assured, I will give you three points." The long sword was extended, the tip lifting her chin, "How could I bear to hurt you?"

With sleepy eyes, he slowly sat up, only to realize that after a night of being a human pillow, his back ached and his entire left arm was so numb that he could hardly lift it. He grimaced as he felt the muscles in his arm, and inadvertently noticed a dark red stain of blood on the bed. He froze in place, as memories of the previous night gradually returned.

The sickly person sighed, "Is it not so? The flowers adorn your face, yet you are three parts more beautiful than the flowers."

She blushed and spat, "Indeed, you are not serious."

The illness has taken Pingjun's hand, and with a smile, said: "I remember, I will not forget."

No

With great effort, he steadied his mind and fastened his clothing belt. Xu Hui reported from outside, "My lord, the water has boiled." He lifted the curtain to step outside, but there was no sign of Ping Jun; only Xu Hui was smilingly gazing at him.

He got out of bed, found Huzi under the bed to relieve himself, and just made a sound when he heard a woman outside asking loudly: "Has the lord awakened?"

The bamboo curtain in the inner room was lifted, and Shi Zeng entered Ping Jun's line of sight with his nephew Shi Dan. Although she had previously heard about this distant uncle from her husband, and the overall impression was that he was very amiable, it was still her first time meeting a senior member of her husband's family, so Ping Jun did not dare to show the slightest negligence.

The illness had pulled Pingjun out the door, whispering in her ear: "Once you have paid homage at the ancestral temple and entered the family register, you will be a member of the Liu family."