Golden Branch

"Diaoqing?"

The usually calm and composed secret guard was stunned for a moment when he heard these two words.

Diaoqing, also known as tattoo.

In ancient times when people believed that "our bodies and hair are given by our parents", it was mostly used as a punishment.

For example, Wang Heng’s former tutor, Zheng Yi, was confiscated and imprisoned in the imperial palace because of her family’s crime, and a blue tattoo was tattooed on her forehead.

In order to cover up the tattoo, Zheng Yi painted flower ornaments all year round.

However, there were also "very rare" cases during the Dayu Dynasty.

Perhaps it is the great ethnic integration in recent years, or perhaps it is the prevalence of Buddhism. In addition to criminals, idle people and hooligans in the streets will also tattoo themselves in order to scare others or show their personality.

For example, in a case that Lou Yu once tried, the bandit leader involved was a notorious bandit.

He is full of brute strength and seems to be a bit reckless.

There are words tattooed on both arms, the upper couplet is "Not afraid of Jingzhao Prefecture in life", and the lower couplet is "Not afraid of King Yama in death".

On his back, there was also a tattoo of a whole set of Arhat images, with their eyes wide open and murderous aura, which was quite intimidating.

Wang Heng drew a red line on Lou Yu's thumb. When he saw the red line, the image of that rough man with tattoos all over his body emerged in his mind.

As a descendant of a noble family and a traditional scholar-official, Lou Yu should have despised such vulgar and barbaric behavior.

But, Lou Yu is a little pervert who acts recklessly at heart.

He used the Crucible given to him by Wang Heng to restrain himself and suppress the darkness in his heart.

And, whether it is the Elephant Bone Crushing Technique, the White Jade Crushing Technique, or the Agate Crushing Technique that may appear in the future, they will all be crushed by Lou Yu.

There are always times when he loses control, and the precursor to losing control is to crush the shackles that Ah Heng has placed on him.

"The Crushing Technique is fragile! But what if I were to stab this bondage directly into my hand?"

The needles piercing into his flesh, along with the colors, became a cage from which he could never escape.

This cage bound Lou Yu, but it was also a pure land where he found inner peace.

"Ok?"

Seeing that the secret guard did not respond immediately, Lou Yu glanced at him indifferently.

The secret guard came to his senses in an instant and quickly bowed and replied, "Yes! As you command!"

So what if it's shocking?

My husband has always acted like this.

Besides, how could a mere servant like him be allowed to interfere in the master's affairs?

……

Wang Heng didn't know about Lou Yu's plan. After getting married, Wang Heng's life didn't change much.

Before getting married, Wang Heng took over the household management of the Lou family.

The construction of the Duke of Qi's Mansion was also presided over by Wang Heng himself.

Wang Heng was very familiar with all the stewards, big and small, in the inner and outer courtyards of the Lou family, and the stewards had great respect for this young lady.

Over the years, Wang Heng has managed both the Wang and Lou families in an orderly manner.

Ahem, Wang Heng will not do everything herself. She will formulate detailed rules, select suitable managers, and delegate all the tasks.

She also has supervisors who are specifically responsible for supervising and reviewing the management personnel.

What Wang Heng has to do is to manage these affairs and supervise them.

She looks sweet and sweet, but in fact she is well versed in rewards and punishments.

Don't be stingy with rewards, and don't be lenient with punishments.

By combining kindness and strictness, and maintaining a proper balance between relaxation and tension, the inner courtyard can naturally be managed properly.

After marrying into the Duke of Qi's mansion, Wang Heng didn't need to familiarize herself with the new environment and people, because this was also her territory.

At most, it can just be renamed to make it more legitimate.

In the past, she was just a "sister", but now, she is the legitimate wife of the main house.

The managers of the inner and outer courts, as well as the managers of the shops, farms, workshops, etc. under the name of the Duke of Qi's Mansion, became more and more in awe of Wang Heng.

To trip someone up?

Discontinued?

A wicked servant bullies his master?

None of it exists.

Wang Heng didn't have to worry about the affairs of her new home, nor did she have any high-ranking relatives.

In the eldest branch of the Lou family, there was only one male, Lou Yu, in two generations.

Most of the relatives of the grandparents' generation are old or have passed away.

There are very few people who are qualified and capable of reaching out to the Duke of Qi's Mansion.

Lou Jin's room is one of them.

However, Lou Jin already understood Lou Yu's attitude, and even if he still had some hope, he would not do anything openly.

He would even stop Dugu.

Otherwise, Dugu would have been furious when Lou Yu got married but did not invite Lou Jin and Dugu to sit in the main seat and accept the kneeling worship of the newlyweds.

Dugu is not like Lou Jin. Deep down in her heart, she still considers herself Lou Yu's biological mother.

The eldest son is getting married, and as his biological mother, she should be invited to the hall.

Instead of joining other Lou family relatives, he could only watch from the sidelines in the hall.

On the day of the wedding ceremony, Dugu was very angry, but fortunately Lou Jin pulled her back and persuaded her——

"Jiaojiao, Hanzhang has been adopted out!"

"If you don't care about your status, then start making noise."

Lou Jin always hits the snake at its most vulnerable part and can always accurately grasp Dugu's vital point.

Dugu's pretty face was filled with confusion and anger, but she finally endured it.

In order to maintain her status as a noble lady, she even refused to acknowledge her own son. In the past few years, she had to endure the bloodsucking of the Zhao and Wu families. She paid too much.

Like Lou Jin, she was also placed on a high platform.

She couldn't come down, nor did she want to.

Otherwise, all the sacrifices and years of hard work will become a joke!

If she doesn’t want to sit in the hall, then don’t do it. Her blood relationship with Hanzhang is inseparable.

There was no one else on Lou Yu’s throne, only Lou Lian’s tablet.

With the idea of ​​"no me, no others", Dugu's heart achieved a delicate balance and he stopped making a fuss.

Afterwards, Lou Yu did not bring his new bride to pay his respects to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, and Dugu once again endured it under Lou Jin's persuasion.

A cousin is a cousin, even if she is not a real relative, she is still an elder.

She waited and saw when this brat Lou Yu would come to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion!

Lou Yu & Wang Heng: …

The young couple have very similar backgrounds and experiences.

The two of them didn't dare to say that they had no relatives, but they also had no parental ties.

On the second day of their wedding, Lou Yu and Wang Heng paid homage to the ancestors of the Lou family, and then the young couple spent time together, you put on makeup for me and I grind ink for you.

On the third day of their wedding, according to custom, Lou Yu accompanied Wang Heng back to the Wang residence.

There is only one respectable elder in the Wang family, but he has been paralyzed in bed for many years.

Fortunately, thanks to the help of Dr. Li, Mrs. Xie was able to sit up and even utter a few words with difficulty.

This is already a miracle!

I don’t dare to hope for more.

Wang Heng and Lou Yu paid their respects to Madam Xie, instructed the servants to serve them well, and then left.

Apart from Madam Xie, Wang Heng is the most powerful person in the Wang family residence.

Wang Yao and other younger siblings had long regarded Wang Heng as an "elder sister who is like a mother."

They only have gratitude and respect for Wang Heng, and would never be so conscienceless and ignorant as to find fault or create obstacles for her.

There was peace and tranquility in the royal residence. A young couple had dinner with their six younger brothers and sisters. They were then tested on their homework. In the afternoon, they returned leisurely to the Duke of Qi's residence.

On the fourth day of the wedding, Concubine Jiang sent someone to summon him.

Wang Heng and Lou Yu entered the palace, first paid their respects to the emperor and Queen Li, and then went to pay their respects to Concubine Jiang.

The most distinguished people in the harem couldn't help but feel pleased when they saw Wang Heng and Lou Yu, a perfect match made in heaven.

Although there is no blood relationship, he is a younger generation that I am familiar with and trust.

The children were doing well, and the saints and others were happy for them.

The emperor and the empress each had their own admonitions, but of course, the one she confided in the most was Concubine Jiang, her own mother.

When Concubine Jiang saw Wang Heng's rosy complexion and cheerful spirits, she knew that she was living a very good life.

However, the question should still be asked.

Concubine Jiang took Wang Heng's hand and asked her in detail about the wedding ceremony, the bridal chamber, and the days after her marriage.

Wang Heng answered all of them in detail.

Imperial Concubine Jiang nodded from time to time. "Although I already knew you would live a wonderful life, as your mother, I still can't help but worry about you."

"Hearing you say this now, I can finally put my mind at ease."

This is the advantage of marrying a friend who grew up with you. You know each other well and have a deep affection for each other.

Even if there are occasional setbacks after marriage, it will not have a big impact.

Concubine Jiang hopes that her daughter and son-in-law can always be like this, loving and affectionate.

Wait, Concubine Jiang has a sharp eye and has the experience of being a veteran.

She could tell at a glance that her own Ah Jiu seemed to have not yet come to her senses.

It just so happens that matters between men and women are difficult for outsiders to interfere except for the parties involved.

Concubine Jiang could only hope that her son-in-law would try harder and let the little girl truly experience the taste of love as soon as possible.

Wang Heng and Lou Yu took a tour of the palace, received encouragement from their elders, and received many rewards, and finally returned home with a full load.

On the way back home, Lou Yu did not ride a horse, but took a carriage with Wang Heng.

However, Lou Yu did not sit opposite Wang Heng as he did in the past. After he sat firmly, he stretched out his long arm and pulled Wang Heng across his waist.

Before Wang Heng could react, she was already sitting in Lou Yu's arms.

"Brother?"

Wang Heng called out softly.

"Ok!"

Lou Yu responded softly and rested his head on Wang Heng's shoulder.

"W-what are you doing?"

Why are you holding her?

There are other empty seats in the carriage.

Besides, she is not a child of six or seven years old, how can she still be carried around?

"Hold you!"

Lou Yu answered confidently, "Aheng, we are husband and wife!"

We've done more intimate things before, so what's wrong with just hugging?

Wang Heng: ...That makes so much sense, I'm speechless.

Just hold her, Wang Heng doesn’t dislike her actually.

My brother is tall and has a broad chest. Even though I am trapped in his arms, I don’t feel cramped or crowded at all.

Moreover, the meat pads are indeed softer than the seat cushions.

Wang Heng shifted her body to make herself more comfortable.

"Well!"

Lou Yu couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across his cold and deep eyes: Is this asking for trouble?

I thought I was getting closer to the little girl, but it ended up making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Brother, you still have a dagger?"

"...No! Ah Heng, don't move!"

Wang Heng was not really stupid. She did not react at first, but she soon understood what made her uncomfortable.

With a light cough, Wang Heng didn't want to discuss the issue of whether it was painful or not. Instead, she quickly found a new topic: "By the way, brother, let's go to the academy tomorrow."

After all, it was her family's property. Wang Heng had planned to become a female teacher at the academy. She had been in mourning, then busy with her wedding. Now that she had finally finished her work, it was time for Wang Heng to visit Mount Li...