General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Today, Shen Luo had dinner with Jiang Qiqi, a rare occurrence for him, while maintaining his usual habit of not speaking while eating or sleeping.

However, based on Jiang Qiqi's experience, General Shen had something to say.

Sure enough, right after finishing their meal, Shen Luo looked at her with a conflicted and hesitant expression.

"Well, there's something I feel I need to tell you."

"Hmm?" Jiang Qiqi found it interesting; she rarely saw General Shen acting so hesitantly and reluctantly.

I couldn't resist the urge to tease him (￣?￣).

"What, could it be that you saw one of the general's old flames at the spring banquet?" It doesn't matter, everyone's new love is someone else's old flame.

Of course, she didn't say the last sentence, lest she frighten the great general who had grown up in a feudal society.

But... General Shen, what's with that shocked expression on your face?

Shen Luo: ( ?д?)

He admitted that he was a little flustered, but not in the way that he felt exposed.

"It's not what you think."

Jiang Qiqi narrowed her eyes, a look of unease on her face: "What is it then?"

"The Emperor has a fourth princess named Chen Zhizhi. She... she used to like following me around." Shen Luo composed himself before speaking.

It was common knowledge that the fourth princess liked Shen Luo, and Shen Luo himself was certainly aware of it as well.

In addition, the emperor doted on her, so he had previously thought that the emperor would wait until the fourth princess came of age before bestowing a marriage upon them.

The Fourth Princess treated him well, but Shen Luo really didn't have any romantic feelings for her. He even found it... a little annoying.

When Shen Luo heard that the imperial decree to marry the Jiang family's daughter was actually a secret relief, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The daughter of an ordinary minister is generally easier to get along with than a princess.

If he were really betrothed to that precious princess, he truly wouldn't know how to face it.

Thinking about it this way, Shen Luo looked at Jiang Qiqi with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

Jiang Qiqi: "?"

Why are you suddenly looking at her with that savior-like gaze?

"That's all? That's what General Shen finds hard to talk about?" She thought it was something serious. "It's just a young girl who's pursuing you."

"No," Shen Luo explained anxiously, "She just...she just..."

He talked for a long time but still couldn't explain it clearly.

In short, I have no feelings for her.

"Hahaha," Jiang Qiqi laughed, "No need to explain, I understand."

I never expected my general husband to be so rigid.

It's like a human-machine interface.

In truth, Shen Luo didn't know why he needed to explain, but since she was now his wife, it was only natural for him to explain some previously unclear aspects of their relationship.

"That princess has been spoiled by the emperor since childhood and is somewhat willful. What if she makes things difficult for you at the banquet..."

Jiang Qiqi understood Shen Luo's concerns; he was afraid that the princess would embarrass him in public.

"Don't worry, I won't bring shame to the General's Mansion." The other party was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, and Jiang Qiqi was confident in that.

Shen Luo felt that she seemed to have misunderstood something: "I'm not afraid that you will..." He thought for a moment, then swallowed his words.

"Okay, sure," he said.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"I don't believe you. You're definitely lying to me. I don't believe you."

The sound of porcelain shattering and a girl screaming came from inside the house.

"You must be lying to me. I've only been away for three months, how could Brother Shen Luo be married already!"

Yao Fei had just reached the door when she heard this commotion and couldn't help but shake her head.

She knew this girl would cause such a scene when she got back.

"Zhizhi, your mother is coming in," Consort Yao called from outside, then pushed open the door and entered.

The ground was a mess, littered with fallen petals, teacups, shards of porcelain, and scattered fruits, pastries, and kneeling palace maids.

"Mother!" Chen Zhizhi threw herself into Consort Yao's arms. "Mother, they said Brother Shen Luo got married. Tell me this isn't true, right?"

Consort Yao sighed softly, hugged her, and patted her back twice.

It's common knowledge that her youngest daughter likes Shen Luo.

But Consort Yao knew in her heart that, given that she and the Second Prince were siblings from the same mother, it was impossible for her to marry Shen Luo.

But she was unaware of the intricacies involved, and was single-mindedly focused on being able to request permission to marry after reaching marriageable age.

Now, the Emperor has directly bestowed a marriage upon Shen Luo before her coming-of-age ceremony and is making Shen Luo get married quickly while she is away, his attitude is already very clear.

Consort Yao's silence speaks volumes.

Chen Zhizhi looked up in disbelief: "Mother?"

“Zhizhi, the imperial decree has been issued, and the marriage is complete. Shen Luo now has a legitimate wife of a general. Zhizhi, there are plenty of good men in the world. We don’t need to keep clinging to Shen Luo.”

"No, Mother, no! We can get divorced after marriage, or even divorced if necessary." She couldn't accept it.

Consort Yao shook her head: "You child, how can a marriage arranged by your father's decree be as simple as you say, where you can just get a divorce on a whim?"

"I'm going to marry Brother Shen Luo! I'm going to tell Father Emperor!" Chen Zhizhi said as she rushed out.

Consort Yao quickly ordered her servants to stop her, her tone becoming stern: "Zhizhi, stop making a scene. Your father has a lot on his plate lately and is very troubled. Don't bother him with these trivial matters."

This was not an excuse from Consort Yao, because the matter of establishing a crown prince had recently been brought up again in the court.

The emperor had many sons of marriageable age, and the ministers had differing opinions, but the third prince was the most popular choice.

The third prince was born to the empress and was excellent in character and appearance. His maternal grandfather was the emperor's tutor and held considerable prestige in the court.

The Second Prince also had some supporters, mostly ministers who disagreed with the Third Prince's faction. However, because he did not have any outsider families, his influence in the court was still significantly less than that of the Third Prince.

As for the remaining princes, they had very few supporters.

The eldest prince has been away from home for the past two years, and now, apart from some conservative old ministers who talk about the primogeniture system, no one else in the court mentions him anymore.

The Fifth Prince has been in a semi-monastic state for years. If it weren't for the occasional stories about him circulating among the common people, everyone would have almost forgotten that such a prince ever existed.

The sixth prince was only twenty years old and had not even entered the court to participate in politics. His mother was just the daughter of an ordinary merchant family, so naturally no one cared about her.

At this critical juncture, Zhizhi, as the younger sister of the Second Prince, wants to marry a powerful general who commands a large army. Not to mention anyone else, she certainly won't be able to get past the Empress.

Although Chen Zhizhi was favored, she had grown up in the palace since childhood, so her mother's words must mean that something had happened in the court.

She understood that even a princess's lifelong happiness was incomparable to matters of state.

"This won't work, that won't work! Am I just supposed to watch like this?!" Chen Zhizhi angrily turned around, sat down in a chair, picked up a teapot from the table, and threw it away.

With a "crack," the teapot shattered into pieces, and no one in the room uttered a sound.

Chen Zhizhi sat in the chair, sulking for a while, when suddenly she seemed to remember something: "Mother, who is the person who married Brother Shen Luo?"

Consort Yao knew that this girl had temporarily given up on the path of the Emperor.

"I heard she's the daughter of the Minister of Revenue."

How can the daughter of a mere minister compare to a princess? Brother Shen Luo must have been forced into this.

"Hmph, the spring banquet is in a few days, I want to see what kind of person that woman really is."