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

As soon as Han Zhi finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence. But soon, Wang Qian's two coughs broke the silence, followed by her words:

"Is it really appropriate for my lord to act this way...?"

Han Zhi and Su Zhen shrugged and said, "I don't know about that."

Wang Qian, on the other hand, patted her cheeks, changed her mood, and said, "Enough, enough. My husband will decide this matter himself. I am just a wife, what can I say?"

"Let's not talk about this anymore. If I say any more, I'm afraid I'll be seen as a nagging old woman. It's getting late, and I should leave now. If I go back any later, I might miss dinner."

After Wang Qian finished speaking, she rose, gave a slight bow to Han Zhi and Su Zhen, and prepared to take her leave. Han Zhi and Su Zhen also saw her to the door, and only after watching her enter the Wang residence did they turn around and go back into their rooms.

......

That evening, after Han Zhi finished showering and returned to his room, he saw Su Zhen sitting in front of her dressing table. She was admiring her own face while humming a little tune:

"Lantian needs to draw wine; only fine liquor can soothe a slender, beautiful jade. The highest is pure and difficult to defile; the noblest is moistened by sorrow..."

Han Zhi could tell that Su Zhen was happy—normally, even he himself would never hear Su Zhen sing a little tune unless she was exceptionally happy today.

Han Zhi's lips unconsciously curled up. He tiptoed behind Su Zhen, wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and asked with a smile, "What great joy has happened to you today, Eighth Sister? Look how happy you are, you're even humming a little tune."

Su Zhen smiled slightly and leaned into Han Zhi's arms, saying, "I wonder, perhaps it's because Lady Wang is here today. Or maybe Little Watermelon and Second Watermelon are still as lively as they used to be?"

As she spoke, Su Zhen touched her bulging belly.

Following Su Zhen's movements, Han Zhi's gaze fell on her bulging belly, and he said softly, "Eighth Aunt, when Little Watermelon and Second Watermelon are born, our house will definitely be even more lively. When they start to babble and run around playing, they'll turn this house upside down."

“Actually, there’s something even more important.” Su Zhen nuzzled against Han Zhi’s chest, looked at Han Zhi’s reflection in the mirror, met his gaze, and continued:

"When you returned home today, you didn't seem as tired or irritable as you had been recently. There must be some good news from the Dali Temple, right?"

Han Zhi gently squeezed Su Zhen's shoulder and said, "Eighth Sister, you understand me best. Today, when we went to Qin Zheng Gate for dinner, my teacher and Vice Minister Du from the Ministry of Justice were both there and sat at the same table with me."

"Master Bao?" Su Zhen blinked, seemingly understanding something, and continued to ask, "Could it be that Master Bao has brought you some good news again, sir?"

“Indeed,” Han Zhi nodded and said, “First, Vice Minister Du said that he had caught a related criminal and had now been transferred to the Court of Judicial Review. Then, you also came up with some new clues.”

"Not only that, the gentleman also promised to personally send someone to help me investigate the clues. I even specially locked the criminal next to Wei Shaoqing, planning to put on a show to give that person a little 'shock'."

Su Zhen's eyes lit up immediately, and he said, "That's great! This way we can get a lot of clues."

At this point, Little Watermelon and Second Watermelon in Su Zhen's belly suddenly moved again. It was unclear which "little rascal" had kicked inside Su Zhen's belly.

Su Zhen was amused by the sudden kick and giggled. She quickly grabbed Han Zhi's hand, pressed it to her stomach, and said with a smile, "My lord, take a look quickly. I wonder which precious 'watermelon' has come to my belly to congratulate you."

When she speaks Meishan dialect, her voice is already soft and sweet, and this time, she spoke with a smile, which made it even softer.

Han Zhi gently picked her up and placed her back on the bed, then said, "Since it's good news, Ba Niang must be happy now, right?"

“Of course I’m happy for you, my lord.” Su Zhen gently tapped Han Zhi’s nose and said, “At least, you won’t be hiding in the carriage alone like you were before, refusing to come out.”

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Eighth Sister as sensitive as usual lately."

Han Zhi smiled and said, recalling that some time ago, Su Zhen's "prenatal depression" had flared up, and he was absent-minded even at the Dali Temple.

Su Zhen pouted slightly and gently punched Han Zhi's chest. Then she gently touched her face and said, "I don't know why, but these days when I look in the mirror, I find that my complexion is better."

"Moreover, that girl Yueping also said that my figure has improved a lot, and my skin has become more fair and delicate. My lord, tell me, is it because the little watermelon and the second watermelon in my belly are secretly nourishing me?"

Han Zhi looked at Su Zhen tenderly, gently stroking a strand of hair by her ear with his fingers, and smiled, "Eighth Sister was born beautiful, and now with Little Watermelon and Second Watermelon, she is even more blessed by the fortune brought by these two darlings."

"Moreover, when you're in a good mood, you naturally look radiant. I think Eighth Sister is more beautiful now than ever before... Of course, Eighth Sister was beautiful before too."

The last sentence was added on the spot, referring to Su Zhen's sudden teasing remark, "Could it be that I wasn't beautiful before?"

Upon hearing this, Su Zhen feigned anger, lightly patted Han Zhi's arm, and said coquettishly, "Hmph, listen to what you're saying, as if you're afraid I'll blame you."

As she spoke, she gently pulled Han Zhi closer, saying, "My lord, I am sleepy."

Han Zhi smiled and gently pressed his lips to hers. Then he got up, blew out the candles in the room, and quietly returned to the bedside, lying down next to Su Zhen.

......

The next day, Han Zhi arrived at the Dali Temple feeling refreshed. He touched the dozen or so copper coins in his hand, secretly pondering what good snacks he could buy for Su Zhen that evening.

At this moment, Zhang Xun appeared out of nowhere, with a big smile on his face.

Han Zhi raised an eyebrow, watching the other person run over, and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhang Xun stopped in front of Han Zhi, panting, and adjusted his official hat. Although he looked tired, his face was full of joy, and he said:

"Reply to Han Shaoqing, the brothers in the prison and the brothers of the Right Division are all ready."

"Everything's ready?!" Han Zhi's eyes lit up with joy. "In that case, give the order: set up the stage! Let's begin!"