Chương 258: Wedding Ring

The rooms in the backyard of the Prince of Yan's mansion had long been rearranged.

The main house belonged to Cai Yan; it was the most spacious and ornately decorated. The other nine side rooms were also furnished in a festive and warm style.

But tonight... Liu Ce has a bit of a headache.

Where should he go first?

According to custom, the wedding night of the principal wife, Cai Yan, was the first night, and the other concubines had to wait their turn.

He stood in the courtyard, pondered for a while, and then had an idea.

"Someone come here," he called to a maid, "invite Madam Zhang Ning, Madam Zhen Jiang... to come to the main room."

"Huh?" The maid was taken aback for a moment, then said to Liu Ce, "Your Highness, this..."

"Go quickly."

"yes......"

Before long, the ladies dressed in bright red wedding gowns arrived at the main room, supported by their maids.

They were all confused; how did they all end up together?

Liu Ce sat in the main seat of the main room, looking at his ten beautiful wives before him, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile, and said, "My ladies, your husband has arrived!"

Cai Yan was the first to raise her head, her eyes gentle yet tinged with shyness, and said, "My husband, you've worked hard."

"It's not hard work. Marrying ten beauties like you makes it all worth it!" Liu Ce strode to the bedside, reached out and took her hand, which was soft and warm to the touch.

"You must be hungry after a long day. I had the kitchen prepare some lotus seed soup. Try it."

He clapped his hands as he spoke, and the maids brought in ten bowls of steaming lotus seed soup.

Liu Ce personally handed each of his wives a bowl, watching them sip it slowly, occasionally making a teasing remark:

"Ning'er, drink slowly, no one's going to take it from you!"

"Jiang'er, how does the lotus seed soup taste?"

"Mi'er, is this lotus seed soup sweet? If it is, have the kitchen make it every day!"

The girls became even more shy after he spoke to them.

Zhen Mi took a small sip of the soup and replied, "Sweet... Thank you, my husband."

After finishing the lotus seed soup, the maids left.

The atmosphere instantly became ambiguous.

Red candles burned brightly, brocade curtains hung low, and a faint fragrance filled the air.

The ten ladies sat upright on the edge of the bed, their heads bowed low, their cheeks flushed red, and even their breathing trembled with nervousness.

Liu Ce stood up and removed the heavy veils, which made his skin look as white as snow, making him even more beautiful than before.

"Yan'er, would you like to pour your husband a cup of wine first?" Liu Ce said with a smile as he sat down at the table.

Cai Yan stood up, picked up the wine pot, and poured him a cup.

Just as she handed it over, Liu Ce grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead, saying, "My dear wife, you've worked so hard."

Zhang Ning, with her cheerful personality, couldn't help but tease, "My husband is biased; he only dotes on Sister Yan'er!"

"Of course not!" Liu Ce hugged Cai Yan, smiling as he looked at everyone.

"You're all my precious darlings, come one by one, no one can be left out!"

With that, he gestured for the girls to sit around the table, picked up the wine jug, and poured a cup for each of them, saying, "Come, let's drink another cup of nuptial wine, wishing us a harmonious and happy life together, never to be separated!"

The ten women raised their wine cups, clinked them together with his, and drank them down.

The wine, as it went down her throat, added a touch of allure.

Liu Ce's eyes lit up, and he pulled out ten gold rings from his pocket. These were modern handicrafts he had bought from the system, and each ring had the name of a woman engraved on its inner circle.

"These are special tokens of love I had the craftsmen make for each of you. Wearing them will remind you that you are my wives, Liu Ce's wives!"

The ladies accepted the rings, each one delighted with them.

Zhen Jiang touched her name on the ring and said with a smile, "My husband is so thoughtful."

Liu Ce said gently, "From now on, we're family. We'll share the good times and the bad. I'll take good care of each and every one of you and I won't favor one over the other."

Cai Yan, Zhen Jiang, Zhang Ning, and the others whispered, "Husband, we believe you."

It's almost time.

As the eldest sister of the Zhen family, Zhen Jiang was the first to stand up and say, "Sister Yan'er is the legal wife, you two will consummate your marriage tonight. We'll go back to our rooms first."

Zhang Ning, Ren Hongchang, Zou Yu, and Du Xiuniang also stood up.

The other four sisters of the Zhen family also stood up.

Cai Yan said somewhat shyly, "Sisters..."

"Sister, you don't need to be so polite," Zhen Jiang said with a smile.

"It's the custom. Let's get together again tomorrow."

The ten girls looked at each other and smiled.

Although there was some shyness, there was more understanding and tolerance.

They left the main house one after another and returned to their respective rooms.

Liu Ce escorted them back one by one.

Seeing Liu Ce enter, she quickly stood up: "Husband..."

"Sit down, sit down." Liu Ce closed the door, walked over and sat down beside her, taking her hand.

"Were you waiting long?"

Cai Yan blushed: "No... I'm just a little nervous."

Liu Ce smiled and reached out to help her remove the heavy phoenix crown from her head: "You must be exhausted after wearing it all day?"

"Mmm..." Cai Yan leaned gently on his shoulder, "My husband must be tired today too."

"It's not hard work. Marrying you makes all the hard work worthwhile."

Red candles flickered, and curtains hung gently.

Liu Ce reached out and gently lifted Cai Yan's chin:

"Yan'er, you are so beautiful."

Cai Yan's eyes flickered, and she dared not look him in the eye.

Liu Ce lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

The lips were soft and had a faint fragrance.

Cai Yan froze for a moment, then slowly relaxed and reached out to hug Liu Ce's neck.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Cai Yan was panting, her cheeks flushed.

Liu Ce looked at Cai Yan and said softly, "It's late, let's rest."

Cai Yan nodded and replied softly:

"Um......"

She helped Liu Ce change out of his formal attire.

Although she was still a little shy, her actions revealed a sense of intimacy.

A short while later, Cai Yan had changed into light nightgowns and let her hair down. She was sitting in front of the dressing table removing her makeup.

In the candlelight, the lines of her profile were soft and beautiful, which made Liu Ce's heart flutter.

He hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder: "Yan'er..."

"My lord," Cai Yan turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Tonight... I am yours."

The two were lying in bed.

The red candles flickered, casting their shadows on the wall, where they overlapped.

Cai Yan looked at Liu Ce and suddenly said softly:

"My lord, I... am a little scared."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid... I won't be a good princess. I'm afraid I won't be able to manage the palace well, I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of my sisters, I'm afraid... I'm not good enough for you."

Liu Ce smiled and reached out to pull her into his arms:

"Silly girl, how could you not be good enough for me? You are the daughter of Cai Yong, a talented woman of our time, knowledgeable, reasonable, gentle and virtuous—it is my blessing to marry you."