In the Northern Song Dynasty, he started by marrying the eighth daughter of the Su family.

It was over again. Su Zhen put her hand to her lips, breathing slightly heavily, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

Sensing Han Zhi's approach, she slowly turned her eyes, letting him peck her on the cheek. She also stretched out her slender fingers and gently touched Han Zhi's face.

But soon, she yawned again, seemingly exhausted. Han Zhi gently smoothed her hair, lay down beside her, and asked, "Are you tired?"

"Um……"

Su Zhen said something else, but Han Zhi didn't hear it clearly. Looking at his new bride, whose eyes were already closed, he leaned closer and whispered:

"What did Ba Niang say?"

"I must say... my lord is truly a scoundrel, utterly shameless..."

After Su Zhen finished speaking, he slightly lifted his eyelids and smiled at him. Then he closed his eyes again, leaving only the sound of soft breathing.

Han Zhi smiled and shook his head, then tucked the blanket around her...

……

Su Zhen woke up again, but the person beside her was no longer there. She didn't think much of it, assuming that he had gone to the study to read, so she tried to get up.

But when she got up, a feeling of discomfort washed over her. For some reason, Su Zhen suddenly remembered what had happened before she fell asleep, and gently pursed her lips. Fortunately, her clothes had already been folded and placed on the bed.

After getting dressed in bed, I naturally had to get out of bed, but the discomfort in my legs returned.

As luck would have it, his door opened again, revealing Yueping and the maids. They were carrying rags and towels, seemingly intending to clean up.

"Greetings, Madam." Yueping saw Su Zhen as soon as she entered the room and quickly greeted him.

"Would you like us to help you with your hair and makeup?" Yueping asked, seeing Su Zhen's appearance.

Su Zhen nodded as if possessed, and the maids all went out, seemingly to prepare things. Yue Ping then stepped forward, gently helped Su Zhen up, and led her to the dressing table.

"Where is my husband?"

Yueping, accompanied by two maids, stood beside Su Zhen, tidying her hair as she answered:

"My lady, my husband has gone out to buy things."

"Buy things? Can't family members buy these things for us?" Su Zhen asked.

The intention was to show concern for him, since he hadn't slept for long. However, when it reached Yueping's ears, it sounded more like a reproach.

"My lady, you misunderstand. What my lord wants to buy are books. We servants are illiterate, so we cannot help him."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhen didn't ask any more questions, but instead asked them to fix her hair. After washing up, it was time to put on makeup.

The maids retrieved their makeup supplies, holding brushes, liner, and cosmetic powder in their hands. Just as they were about to begin, a voice was heard:

"You may leave, I will take care of it."

The name sounded familiar, and Su Zhen and the maids all subconsciously looked over—it was Han Zhou Shi.

She approached with a beaming smile. The maid put the things down and then left.

Han Zhou picked up the things and smiled, "You have such a beautiful appearance even before you've dressed up. In addition, you are well-read and a talented woman. No wonder Zhi'er is so fond of you."

As she spoke, she began to work with her hands. Su Zhen looked at Han Zhou through the mirror and said, "Mother, you flatter me."

“My son is lazy by nature and often acts on impulse. If you go to the capital and he treats you badly, come back to me and I will stand up for you.”

Su Zhen was somewhat surprised, as if the other party was giving him some instructions. His eyes shifted slightly as he looked at Han Zhou Shi.

"My lord... surely you wouldn't do that?" Although Su Zhen had only known Han Zhi for a short time, he could sense that the other man was very thoughtful.

"Mother, may I ask what kind of person my husband is?" Su Zhen asked bluntly.

"What kind of person?" Han Zhou looked at her new daughter-in-law and pondered for a moment:

"He doesn't have any bad intentions. He's a good person and treats others kindly. Although he doesn't socialize much, he's still gentle and kind."

"He's just carefree and doesn't care what others think. If it were before, it wouldn't have been a problem, but now that he's married you, if he still acts that way, you might suffer."

Su Zhen thought for a moment, but still chose to speak up for Han Zhi: "Don't worry, Mother, my husband shouldn't be the same as before."

“That’s good. They say marriage can change a man, and I hope Zhi’er can change too,” said Han Zhou Shi.

"Then he became a bit lazy. You went to the capital with him, so you must urge him to study more. You are also well-educated and reasonable, and Zhi'er also admits that his talent is not as good as yours. At that time, you can also give him some pointers."

But halfway through her sentence, Han Zhoushi added doubtfully, "Not really. After returning from the provincial examination, he has become much more diligent."

"But I'm afraid he'll be good one minute and bad the next, so you should keep an eye on him."

“Hmm…” Su Zhen nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

The room was quiet for a moment, then suddenly Han Zhi's voice could be heard from outside:

"Ba Niang! Ba Niang!"

Both the daughter-in-law and the mother looked over. They saw Han Zhi run in carrying a bundle of things. He had been overjoyed, but upon seeing Han Zhou Shi, he immediately became respectful.

"Mother."

Han Zhoushi laughed when she saw him like this. Su Zhen instinctively wanted to stand up, but sat back down because of the discomfort.

"Officer."

Han Zhi looked at Su Zhen with a smile on his face and placed the things he was carrying next to Su Zhen.

"My lord, what... did you buy?" Su Zhen looked at the boxes of various sizes, somewhat puzzled.

"These are books, some classics by sages, and some collections of poems. They are meant to help you relax and relieve boredom."

The first box contained some books, while the next few boxes held jewelry and cosmetics. Just as he was about to open the last box, he stopped and asked mysteriously:

"Why don't you guess what I bought in this last box, Eighth Sister?"

Su Zhen shook his head blankly, while Han Zhoushi, without stopping her makeup application, spoke:

"You bought some snacks, right?"

Han Zhi's expression changed, and Su Zhen, seeing this, knew that Han Zhou Shi was right. Then they saw the box being opened, revealing the pastries inside.

Then Han Zhi picked up a piece of pastry and brought it to Su Zhen's mouth, but Han Zhoushi slapped it away.

"What's the rush? Eighth Sister hasn't even put on her lip rouge yet. What's the harm in waiting a moment?"

Han Zhi awkwardly withdrew his hand, which made Su Zhen laugh again. Han Zhou then brought the rouge paper to her lips and asked her to smear it on.

Now, the entire makeup was complete. Han Zhi quickly brought the pastry to Ba Niang's lips and said:

"Eighth Sister, you should try it."

Su Zhen chewed it, nodded to indicate that it was delicious, and Han Zhi became happy. At this moment, Han Zhoushi stood up, laughing and scolding:

"You, now that you have a wife, you've forgotten your mother."

Han Zhi hurriedly picked up the box, wanting to give some to Zhou Han Shi as well, but she just tapped her forehead and turned to leave.