Chapter 208 — The Next Day (Extra Chapter, Begging for Pink Votes)
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Wei Fan woke to the pounding of a hangover headache. Before he even opened his eyes, a gentle voice inquired, "My Lord Marquis, are you awake?" A faint scent of osmanthus drifted to his nose, and soft arms gently propped him up, a warm porcelain bowl brought to his lips. "My Lord Marquis, drink a little of this sobering soup. It will make you feel better."
Too lazy to open his eyes, he gulped the soup down in a daze, then flopped back down to sleep a while longer, wondering vaguely who this maid was. Why did her voice sound so unfamiliar? Though it was rather pleasant. Her body was soft and fragrant, her movements gentle—far better than the servants who usually attended him... The thought flickered past, and then it struck him like a thunderbolt: he had gotten married yesterday! He let out a cry and sat bolt upright, and when he opened his eyes he saw Dou Ming sitting at the edge of the bed, still holding the empty bowl and not yet risen.
"Fifth Miss?!" Wei Fan's eyes went wide as bronze bells. "You—what are you doing here?" He cast about the room in a panic, terrified that he might have done something terrible last night. But everywhere he looked there were red wedding curtains and red wedding candles, and only then did he dare believe he was truly in his own bridal chamber. His heart settled a little, and he let out a long breath—just as Dou Ming asked him with a soft smile, "My Lord Marquis, what is the matter? Did you have a nightmare?" She hid her smile behind her sleeve, and her large almond eyes rippled with tenderness like spring water, so that Wei Fan stared, dumbstruck, and for a long moment could not come back to himself.
Dou Ming, who had taken her sister's place as bride, was at that moment caught between hope and dread. Earlier, when Wei Fan had looked at her as though she were a viper, her heart had twisted with pain—but she remembered that when she decided to marry in her sister's stead, she had resolved that whatever hardships she might face, she would not regret it, would not complain, would not pour out her grievances to her natal family. Her so-called family amounted to nothing more than a sister whose husband she had stolen—a sister she would likely never speak to again as long as she lived—and a pack of cousins and in-laws who had no liking for her. For her mother's sake, that she might live more comfortably in the Dou household, and for her own dignity, she must win this fight. She must live well with Wei Fan, no matter what.
So she put on an air of unconcern, forced down the ache in her heart, and chatted and laughed brightly with Wei Fan.
And Wei Fan, just as before, stared at her and lost himself again.
The smile at the corners of her lips deepened.
Her mother had been right. A man need only be coddled, and nine out of ten would lose their heads entirely.
She simply lowered herself further still, and asked him with a charming smile, "Is my Lord Marquis feeling unwell anywhere? Shall I make you another bowl of sobering soup?"
Wei Fan gave a start and came to his senses.
His eyes turned wary. "You—what are you doing here? Where is your sister?"
At that, Dou Ming blinked, and tears began to patter down in no time. "Yesterday—yesterday it was I who stood in for my sister and bowed to Heaven and Earth with you, my Lord Marquis, and entered the bridal chamber." As she spoke, two rosy clouds rose on her cheeks, tender and vivid as peach blossoms in spring.
But Wei Fan had no heart left to admire them. Sweat stood on his brow, and he cried out in alarm, "How could this be? Where is your sister? What happened?"
In the upper rooms of the Marquis's residence, Ma Jun's wife had been keeping watch all night in the sitting room outside the inner chamber. Now, hearing the commotion, she knew the secret was out. The Marquis of Jining would demand an accounting.