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

......

Su Zhen was carried by Han Zhi to the study, which, as she had said, had been cleaned up. The desk was spotless, and she herself was placed on it, just like that day.

Su Zhen recalled the scene in the study that day, and a blush crept onto her cheeks again. Her breathing quickened; she felt strange—she wasn't like this in the bedroom...

She instinctively tried to struggle, the cold touch seeping into her skin through her clothes, leaving her feeling uncomfortable. At this moment, Han Zhi made a small move, deliberately tracing her palm with his fingers. A tingling sensation instantly spread throughout her body, causing her to stiffen involuntarily.

Han Zhi's eyes were gentle yet profound, as if they could see into people's hearts. Su Zhen could only look at him, feeling her burning cheeks and suppressing her rapid, restless breathing.

She felt Han Zhi's hand support her waist again, and then she was helped down onto the desk. It was still uncomfortable; the hard desk was cold, making her back uncomfortable, and her lower back felt especially rough.

Her mind went blank at that moment, and all she felt was his cold, red lips touching her nose.

Su Zhen felt a sudden fluster, yet inexplicably intoxicated by the subtle atmosphere. Han Zhi's kisses, like a gentle spring rain, softly landed on her neck, leaving her powerless to resist.

At that moment, the air in the study seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of two heartbeats and their soft breathing.

"Sir..."

"what happened?"

Han Zhi's voice was deep, and his breath gently brushed against her face as he spoke. Han Zhi's hand started by stroking her hair, then slowly slid down, and finally brushed across her neck, bringing waves of indescribable tingling sensation.

Su Zhen blushed, gently bit her lip, and said, "Could we go somewhere else?"

Han Zhi, however, acted like a cunning fox, saying, "A bet is a bet; there's no reason to haggle."

Su Zhen could only turn her head away, while Han Zhi's warm breath brushed against her neck, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. Then his lips lightly touched her skin, yet were captivating.

Soon, even though Su Zhen was shy, she got into the mood with Han Zhi. Her fingertips gently fiddled with the belts around their waists, and with a little effort, she untied them.

"Ba Niang?"

"My lord, please don't say any more..."

Han Zhi finally covered Su Zhen's lips with his, but she still couldn't help but let out a soft cry. However, she was too ashamed to remain composed and could only bite her lower lip, accepting everything Han Zhi did...

……

The next day, Su Zhen stayed in his room soaking his feet again, while Han Zhi went to the Imperial Academy with a radiant smile.

He had initially thought it would be just another ordinary school day, with classes today and tomorrow. But as get out of class was about to end, he heard some small commotion around him—

"Brother Han! Brother Han!"

Sitting next to him, Lü Huiqing called out in a low voice. Han Zhi looked over and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"Tomorrow is the winter solstice," Lü Huiqing said excitedly. "Brother Han, how do you plan to spend the next seven days?"

Han Zhi was somewhat puzzled and didn't understand what he meant, so he said, "Just live the next seven days the same way you would normally live the rest of the days."

Lu Huiqing was somewhat speechless and said, "No, there's a full seven-day holiday coming up, a full seven days! Are you just planning to stay home all the time?"

Han Zhi was stunned. What the heck? Winter Solstice, seven days off? He understood the two terms separately, but why couldn't he understand them when put together?

Seeing his expression, Lü Huiqing guessed wildly, and she was about 70-80% right.

"Brother Han, does it mean that Madam Su will require you to study at home for the next seven days?"

Han Zhi couldn't very well deny it, so he could only laugh awkwardly twice, remaining noncommittal. Lü Huiqing then said:

"Brother Han, this is where you're wrong. There are only two people in your family. As the head of the household, how can you let your wife dominate you? Just be more assertive and say you want to go out for a few days. Does she dare to stop you?"

Han Zhi got goosebumps at this point and said, "Brother Huiqing, don't talk nonsense. I just didn't plan it well. It has nothing to do with how strict my Eighth Madam is."

Lü Huiqing then understood. At this moment, the teacher also walked in, and all the students quickly sat down to listen to the teacher's announcement.

"Students, starting tomorrow, it will be a seven-day break for the winter solstice. After returning to the academy, the annual examinations will be held, so don't forget your studies."

The audience immediately stirred, and even Han Zhi couldn't contain his excitement, his smile was clearly visible.

"Han Zhi!"

At this moment, the gentleman called out Han Zhi's name, which startled him so much that he quickly suppressed the smile on his face, stood up, bowed, and responded:

"gentlemen."

"Since you came through the provincial examination, you don't need to participate in the annual examination at the academy. You can stay home and study for the three days of the annual examination."

"Yes, thank you, sir."

The teacher waved his hand and said, "Alright students, get out of class is over. Go home on your own."

Now, Han Zhi, Lü Huiqing, and the other students began packing their things. Originally, Han, Lü, Zhang, and Shen always traveled together, but today, Shen Kuo surprisingly chose to leave first.

Han Zhi, Lü Huiqing, and Zhang Huaimin were all somewhat puzzled. They exchanged glances and then followed, pulling Shen Kuo back.

"Brother Shen, why did you leave in such a hurry today? You didn't even say goodbye?" Lü Huiqing asked in confusion.

Shen Kuo chuckled twice, then scratched his head and said, "It's Lady Wang. She made another appointment with me today, saying she wanted to go to Pingluan Tower to listen to a new song."

"A new song?" Lü Huiqing keenly caught the key word.

Han Zhi quickly realized what it meant and asked, "Is it the poem I wrote?"

Shen Kuo nodded and said, "She had heard of the word and had seen it before, and thought it was very good. It just so happens that today is her first time performing on stage, so she invited me to come."

Han, Lü, and Zhang exchanged glances again, but this time not out of confusion, but because they "suddenly realized" something.

"Oh~"

The three of them said in unison.

"Congratulations, Brother Shen! Congratulations, Brother Shen!" Zhang Huaimin replied as usual.

Shen Kuo quickly waved his hand and said, "I...we just went to listen to the music, my good brother, please don't misunderstand."

“No misunderstanding,” Lü Huiqing said with a smile.

“We have no misunderstanding. You really did go there to listen to the music in a very simple way,” Han Zhiye said with a smile.

Shen Kuo still wanted to argue, but they had already reached the doorway and happened to hear Wang Qian's voice:

"Sir Shen?"

"Alright, alright, I won't talk to you anymore, I'm going now." Shen Kuo hurriedly ran away.

The three wanted to say something more, but ultimately said nothing. They simply watched Shen Kuo leave.

The three men, like fathers, said goodbye to each other and left once Shen Kuo and Wang Qian had disappeared.