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

After several more days on the boat, Su Zhen's seasickness gradually subsided, and he was finally able to go up to the deck with Han Zhi to enjoy the scenery of the Three Gorges.

Han Zhi gently supported Su Zhen, letting her lean against his chest.

“It truly is the Yangtze River. Being in it, I feel a sense of grandeur.” Su Zhen’s face was a little pale, but that didn’t stop her from expressing her opinion.

Han Zhi gently touched her face and said with a smile, "Why don't you compose a poem, Eighth Sister? I'd like to see just how magnificent the Yangtze River is in your heart."

At this moment, Su Zhen grabbed Han Zhi's restless hand and said, "If you can't compose one, why don't you compose one for me to hear?"

"Does Eighth Sister want to hear it? My poems are far inferior to Eighth Sister's."

Su Zhen gently pinched Han Zhi and said, "You're such a chatterbox, my lord, hurry up, I want to hear it."

"no problem."

Han Zhi supported her, slightly raised his eyes to think, and then recited:

"The Yangtze River flows eastward for thousands of miles, its waves crashing against the shore like flying snow. A thousand peaks, verdant and layered, reflect the heavens. A small boat cuts through the waves, reaching for the moon on the horizon."

A lone sail disappears into the vast blue sky, while the waves of the Three Gorges surge endlessly. I think of the heroic spirit of the ancients, their past deeds like smoke, their blood still flowing.

Today, we lean together on the railing, raising our cups in the breeze and singing aloud. Amidst laughter and conversation, we gaze at the full moon, as the wind makes the mountains on both banks appear to stand tall.

The sun sets over the river, painting the sky with rosy hues; my heroic spirit lingers, and I remain awake in my dreams.

After he finished reading, Han Zhi lowered his head and asked, "Eighth Sister, how was this one?"

Su Zhen tasted it carefully, then shook his head and said, "No, it's a bit mediocre."

"Isn't this good enough?" Han Zhi seemed to have underestimated his wife's taste. "This is my masterpiece! Could it be that Eighth Sister is suffering from dizziness, hence..."

"Pooh--"

Su Zhen spat at him and said, "My lord, you're always talking nonsense. I do have dizziness, but I'm not mentally impaired. I can still tell right from wrong."

"What counts as good? What counts as bad?" Han Zhi asked deliberately, while not forgetting to leave a "little strawberry" on Su Zhen's face.

"Oh dear~" Su Zhen exclaimed somewhat reluctantly, "Let's put it this way, your poem 'Xizhou Qu' is good, but this poem 'Linjiang Xian' is bad."

"So, sir, why don't you compose another one?"

"Alright." Han Zhi began to ponder at this moment, and suddenly thought of a poem, which he then recited aloud:

"The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past. Right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in the blink of an eye. The green hills remain, witnessing countless sunsets. White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the riverbank are accustomed to the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of wine brings joyful encounters, and all the events of the past and present are consigned to laughter and conversation."

Su Zhen listened carefully for a while, and then nodded and said, "This time it has that manly spirit, unlike the previous one, which was affected and pretentious."

"Then what does Eighth Sister think?" Han Zhi said with a smile.

"It sounds somewhat desolate and tragic, but it also creates a tranquil and serene atmosphere, evoking a sense of historical rise and fall, and a profound reflection on the ups and downs of life. The heroic deeds of the past, all of them, are like the river flowing beneath our feet, drifting away into the past," Su Zhen said.

"This sense of confusion is exactly the same as that of an official."

As she continued, Su Zhen covered her mouth and laughed again. Han Zhi was taken aback and asked, "And how is it exactly the same as mine?"

Su Zhen turned around and leaned against the railing. Han Zhi, worried that she might get dizzy and fall, reached out and pulled her up, which made Su Zhen laugh again.

"When you're out in public, you're incredibly shrewd, as if you see through everything. But when you're with me, you're rather dull and simple-minded, as if you'd believe anything I say, even if I call a deer a horse."

"Of course!" Han Zhiwei pulled her back slightly. "In our Han family, the mistress of the house has always been the most important person. Even if the mistress of the house asks her husband to sleep on the streets, he cannot disobey."

Su Zhen looked at him with a hint of mockery and said, "If the lord heard such words, he would probably have another falling out with the official."

Han Zhi waved his hand and said, "Impossible, this really happened."

"Is that really true?" Su Zhen was somewhat taken aback, her mouth slightly agape. Han Zhi could take advantage of her vulnerability at any time if he wanted to.

Han Zhi nodded and said, "At that time, I came home from school with a bruised and swollen face, having just gotten into a fight. But the adults beat me up without saying a word."

"Then my mother didn't believe I would fight for no reason, so she ordered someone to investigate. She found that it was not my fault, so she was furious, then drove the adults out and spent the night in the courtyard."

Su Zhen frowned and asked, "Does that gentleman have any lingering ailments? Are they serious?"

"No, that happened many years ago."

Su Zhen gently touched Han Zhi's hand and said, "Could it be that because of this matter, the relationship between you and the lord has so soured?"

Han Zhi shrugged as usual, remaining noncommittal. But soon, he pulled Su Zhen back into his arms, making her look in the same direction as him.

"Why didn't you explain things clearly then? Now that things have accumulated, it's even harder to explain," Su Zhen said worriedly. "Why don't you find some time to write a letter to the magistrate to apologize? That way, you won't be living under the same roof but having nothing to say to each other."

Han Zhi shook his head, unsure whether it was the original owner's instinct or his own willingness, but he simply rejected Su Zhen's suggestion.

"why?"

Logically speaking, shouldn't we be in a period of "filial piety and parental love" by now? Su Zhen was somewhat puzzled by this. In her understanding, when father and son quarrel, the son should apologize instead of ignoring each other.

"No reason."

Su Zhen gently stroked Han Zhi's hand, seemingly trying to calm him down. After thinking for a moment, she said, "My lord, would you listen to me this time?"

“Sir, please write this once. If you still do this, we will stop interfering. If you don’t want to write it, I can write it for you. In any case, we need to make things clear.”

Han Zhi shook his head again and said, "No, other things are fine, but this is not."

"Is my lord still feeling guilty?" Su Zhen began to worry about Han Zhi. "Just now, my lord said 'A pot of wine brings joy to our reunion,' so why is he still thinking about it now?"

"It's not that I feel bad, it's that the fault wasn't mine. I don't need to take any responsibility for the party who's at fault." Han Zhi sighed. "Even if I apologize, I'm still the one who's wronged. What's the difference between that and not apologizing at all?"

A breeze picked up, making Su Zhen feel unwell again. Han Zhi helped her up, saying, "Eighth Sister, it's getting windy."

"Ah."

Su Zhen felt the river breeze, which eased the dizziness in her head slightly, but the worries in her mind still lingered. Her eyelashes fluttered slowly in the breeze, but her eyes remained fixed on the river.