Pearl Between the Lips

The eldest legitimate son of the century-old Xie family, Xie Zhiyan, is the very picture of refined elegance, as graceful as jade. He married the most proper young lady from a family of scholars. Everyone says they are a perfect match, a union made in heaven.

At first, Xie Zhiyan paid little attention to the marriage. His wife was there to manage the household and serve his elders, after all.

Even in their duties as husband and wife, he maintained propriety and restraint, never crossing the line.

So, not long after their wedding, he left for the border without a backward glance, clad in armor.

Fortunately, his wife was virtuous and sent him detailed letters every month, leaving nothing to be desired.

Until the ninth year of Zhen De.

On the day frost and snow blanketed Chang'an, Xie Zhiyan returned to the capital ahead of schedule.

Later, he stepped into the "Jade Pavilion," which had become famous across Yanbei in less than two years.

Beaded curtains hung half-drawn, and the room glittered from wall to wall.

Twelve young gentlemen in fine clothes, half-undressed, knelt in a row. Their bare upper bodies were adorned with all kinds of gorgeous jewelry. His usually "proper and decorous" wife, the heir's madam, held a red brush and dabbed a mark on one young man's waist. She moved the tip three inches lower and commented with a beaming smile, "The gold chain should be an inch longer. That would be just right."

"Crash."

A mother-of-pearl screen toppled over. Xie Zhiyan stepped over the shards, his dark robes dusted with frost as he stood in the doorway.

"My lady, what a pleasant pastime." His elegant, jade-like face wore a dangerous smile.

At that moment, wind and snow swept inside, and silence filled the room.

Only the soft clink of jade and pearls could be heard.

[Short scene: Marital duties are a matter of etiquette]

A rainy night.

Candles burned brightly inside the Jade Pavilion.

Sheng Puzhu was pinned against the dressing table, watching the usually dignified Young Lord Xie try on the jewelry, one piece after another.

"Is this how you wear the jade pendant?"

"How should I wrap the pearl necklace?"

"This jade bangle... It would be better if you put it on me yourself." He leaned down and bit the tiny mole on her earlobe, his voice burning with desire.

[Reader's guide:]

· A sweet, easygoing story about life after marriage.

· A model couple drops their pretenses.

· An alternate world with extensive original worldbuilding. One-on-one romance, both leads have only ever been with each other.

Theme: I am myself, the finest of all under heaven, the very best in this world.