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

Su Zhen is Han Zhi's wife, so no one objected to letting her take the first punishment.

"I..." Han Zhi hesitated for a moment, then said, "I choose the big one..."

The moment the word "big" from "big adventure" left his lips, Su Zhen's gaze fell upon him—completely devoid of his former gentleness, filled only with murderous intent.

Han Zhi quickly changed his tune: "Um... let's probably choose truth first—yes, truth..."

Su Zhen's murderous gaze finally dissipated, replaced by a gentle and tender expression. She then clasped her hands together and said expectantly:

"Then I must ask."

At this moment, everyone turned their attention to Su Zhen, and Lü Huiqing even laughed with a hint of schadenfreude.

Su Zhen pondered for a moment, tilted his head slightly, his eyes sparkling, and asked, "Then, sir, please answer a secret that you keep in your heart, shall we?"

Han Zhi was a little nervous, his eyes darting around, but seeing Su Zhen's gentle yet unyielding expression, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Any secret is fine?"

"Of course, but if it doesn't touch on my heart and soul, I'll ask every time."

Han Zhi scratched his head and said, "Well... actually... every afternoon when I'm studying, I let Xiao Hei come into the study to keep me company and relieve my boredom. Does that count as a secret?"

Su Zhen's eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised by the answer. She paused, then asked in bewilderment, "But I've occasionally delivered tea there, and I've never seen you and Xiao Hei together."

Han Zhi scratched his head and said, "Since I got married to Ba Niang, she has been bringing me tea every half hour after I start studying. Then she comes again near the end of the semester. I use this time to play with Xiao Hei."

At this moment, Lü Huiqing chimed in, "Brother Han, is this a secret? Could it be that you're deliberately trying to please your sister-in-law?"

Han Zhi was about to retort, but Su Zhen didn't care and waved his hand lightly, saying:

"Young Master Lü, you are mistaken. This may not matter to others, but it is a secret between my husband and me. Besides, this round is a game between my husband and me. Young Master Lü, are you so eager to join in?"

He then gave Lü Huiqing a provocative look. Lü Huiqing, on the other hand, was somewhat disappointed that she hadn't seen Han Zhi make a fool of himself.

But he was still determined. As if he had thought of something, he said, "I remember now, the person who loses at pitch-pot has to keep going until they keep hitting the target."

At this moment, Wang Qian also said, "Lord Lü, isn't this a bit much? It's just a game, why take it so seriously?"

Su Zhen gently patted Wang Qian's hand to comfort her, then turned his gaze to Lü Huiqing, a faint smile playing on his lips, a smile that seemed to conceal a hint of composure... and also a "killing intent".

“What you say makes some sense, but since it’s a game, there should be rules. How about this: since Han Zhi has already chosen truth, I will take on the punishment until he hits the target. What do you say?”

Upon hearing this, Lü Huiqing was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and said, "This... it's probably not appropriate for Madam Su to personally go into battle, is it? What if something outrageous happens? I might end up bleeding on the spot..."

"It's alright, sir. I'll keep you in check. How about that?"

Zhang Huaimin said, "This way of doing things has a unique meaning. In that case, Brother Huiqing, you should not refuse and should do as Madam Su says."

Seeing this, Lü Huiqing didn't dare to go too far, and cautiously watched Su Zhen's actions. She saw Su Zhen walk to the pitch-pot, gently straighten her sleeves, and her eyes remained calm.

She parted her lips slightly, her tone carrying an undeniable authority: "Since the game continues, I will challenge you to the art of pitch-pot. However, if I succeed, you, Young Master Lü, will have to accept the punishment that follows, shall we?"

Lu Huiqing was taken aback: "Madam Su, you flatter me. If I can really hit the target, I'm willing to accept the consequences of my bet. I will naturally accept the punishment."

Su Zhen smiled slightly, said nothing more, casually picked up the bamboo chopsticks, and tossed them into the pot. The chopsticks traced a graceful arc in the air before landing steadily in the pot, eliciting a gasp of surprise from Han Zhi:

"Eighth Sister's divine might is astounding!"

Lu Huiqing's expression changed slightly, clearly not expecting Su Zhen to have such skill.

"The first arrow has hit its mark."

Su Zhen spoke calmly, her tone devoid of pride, as if simply stating a fact. She picked up the bamboo chopsticks again, her expression even more focused, as if announcing to everyone—

"My man cannot be taken advantage of by others!"

With each arrow thrown, Su Zhen not only hit the target repeatedly, but also gradually demonstrated his superb skills. Each throw was like an artistic performance, leaving the audience dazzled.

Lu Huiqing's expression grew increasingly solemn, while Shen Kuo, Wang Qian, and Zhang Huaimin around him were also somewhat dazzled by what they saw.

Finally, when Su Zhen hit the target again, ending the game of pitch-pot, she turned around and looked at Lü Huiqing: "Young Master Lü, I have completed the game as agreed. I wonder how you plan to fulfill the bet we just made?"

Now, everyone around could see that Su Zhen was protecting Han Zhi.

Lu Huiqing gave a wry smile and said, "Madam Su's skills today have truly broadened my horizons. I am willing to accept defeat, and as for the punishment just now, Madam Su can name whatever you wish."

"How about I give Young Master Lü a dare for the first one?" Su Zhen sat back down next to Han Zhi and gently took Han Zhi's hand.

Lü Huiqing laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright, Madam Su can bring it up."

Su Zhen smiled slightly and said, "Then how about we have Young Master Lü revise the rules of this game of pitch-pot for the first dare?"

Alright, we've already made it clear that we're "favoring" Han Zhi.

Lu Huiqing still pretended to be ignorant and asked, "How does Madam Su want to change it? You can make the decision."

“That won’t do. This game of pitch-pot was decided by Young Master Lü, so only Young Master Lü can change the rules.” Su Zhen shook his head and said:

"The part that needs to be changed is that, regardless of whether a player wins or loses, the next player in the next position immediately follows after a round of pitching. What do you think?"

Lu Huiqing nodded and said, "Then we will do as Madam Su says. The rest is for Madam Su to propose further punishments."

Su Zhen laughed at this moment, a sly glint in his eyes, and said, "I don't know how to punish Lord Lü, and I'm not very familiar with him either."

With his wife's support, Han Zhi said, "We are Brother Huiqing's good brothers. Eighth Sister may not know Brother Huiqing well, but we do. How about..."

Su Zhen raised her hand, interrupting Han Zhi, and said, "This concubine knows what my lord wants to say."

Han Zhi paused, then said in a fawning tone, "That Eighth Sister..."

"Then I'll set another dare," Su Zhen said. "From now on, all of Lord Lü's punishments will be decided by you all, how about that?"

Lu Huiqing's expression changed, and she looked distressed, while the other three young men became interested.