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

Because of his leg injury, the Emperor granted Shen Luo permission not to attend court every day. Therefore, he would only attend on the first and fifteenth of the month or when there were important matters to discuss.

Although he was spared the time of attending court, Shen Luo was actually quite busy most of the time, spending his time in his study dealing with memorials submitted by his subordinates or handling military affairs.

But today is different.

Because he moved to the main office room today.

Xiang'er and Shijiu stood guard on either side of the door, eyes downcast, like two cross-eyed door gods.

Inside the room, Shen Luo was reading a commemorative document at the table, while Jiang Qiqi sat on the other side reading a book. It looked like a peaceful and idyllic scene, or rather, they were not disturbing each other.

In reality, only Shen Luo himself knew that he had been reading that document for half an hour.

Jiang Qiqi wore a pale yellow short-sleeved dress today, with a pink and white shawl draped over her shoulders. Xiang'er had also attached several small jeweled chains to her head, making her look lively yet dignified. Compared to the General's wife, she looked more like an unmarried young lady from some wealthy family.

However, unlike General Shen who was sitting upright, the young lady was lounging in her chair, eating grapes and reading a book.

While reading, Jiang Qiqi didn't ignore the occasional glances directed at her from the side.

She was a little confused. She was pretty, but she had seen plenty of other girls before, so why was she looking at them so frequently?

And his gaze was so peculiar; it didn't seem like he was appreciating something beautiful, but rather...curious?

Yes, it's curiosity.

But what was his point of interest? Her clothes? Her books? Or her as a person?

Industry standards for clothing? The evolution of writing? Or the evolutionary mechanisms of apes?

She didn't think of herself as some kind of enigmatic woman worthy of such probing scrutiny.

Shen Luo didn't really want to, but he just couldn't control himself.

He was curious how this woman could look so serious... reading that kind of book.

as well as.

He began to consider whether, as her legal husband, he should fulfill his obligation to meet her physical needs, rather than leaving his wife to only imagine them through books…

Jiang Qiqi glanced over while turning the page and realized that the person opposite her was familiar.

?

The investigation failed; was the temperature too high?

"Shen Luo," Jiang Qiqi said, "Tomorrow is the Flower Festival, and it seems your name is on the invitation sent by the Second Prince."

She thought they should find a topic to talk about; there was no need to rush into exploring things like human evolution, as a Darwin would help with the research in a few years.

Shen Luo snapped out of her reverie about the censored image.

"My name is on it, but I'm afraid I won't have time tomorrow." Don't ask why he won't have time; the answer is that he's only been reading three memorials in an hour.

Jiang Qiqi didn't insist: "Alright, I'll go by myself then."

"What are you planning to bring? Do you need me to help you prepare?" Shen Luo asked.

"No, I'm ready."

Having heard that the Second Prince's Consort was pregnant, Jiang Qiqi arranged for Lin'er to go to a nearby temple a few days in advance to obtain a peace charm. Yesterday, when she went out, she also took Xiang'er to a jewelry store and bought a longevity lock made of pure gold.

It's not appropriate to give a gift that's too expensive or too casual for a first visit, so she decided to be creative and put some thought into the fact that the other person was pregnant.

Shen Luo nodded: "Okay."

He had always been used to doing everything himself, but now that Jiang Qiqi said she had prepared a gift, he didn't even ask what it was, and inexplicably felt that it must be something very suitable.

The two continued to look at (observe) each other's books.

After a while.

"What do you... like to do in your spare time?" Shen Luo asked somewhat awkwardly.

He had thought it over. He couldn't get over that mental hurdle if he did that, but he could agree to anything else.

Jiang Qiqi thought about it carefully. She has two goals for now: to get better and to make money.

So her daily routine consists of eating, sleeping, and shopping.

"To appreciate and learn about the food culture of Mount Heng, to close my eyes and rest to nourish my body and mind, and to observe the myriad aspects of life and the world." Jiang Qiqi felt that her literary skills had improved after reading for a while.

Shen Luo nodded: "You are physically weak, so you should eat and sleep more, but you should go shopping in moderation."

"..." To hell with literature.

“Speaking of teahouses,” Jiang Qiqi suddenly remembered what she wanted to ask yesterday, “Does the General’s Mansion have any teahouses among its properties?”

Hmm? Did they mention teahouses?

Shen Luo pondered for a moment, then looked towards the door: "Nineteen, bring the inventory of the manor's properties to Madam."

Jiang Qiqi felt that he might have misunderstood something.

"No, I don't want to take over the business. I just want to open a teahouse and I'm worried about taking away business from the General's Mansion, so I'm asking."

Shen Luo pondered for a moment, then looked towards the door: "Nineteen, bring the keys to the manor's storeroom and the account books."

Jiang Qiqi: "No, no, no! I don't lack money, I just want to open a teahouse."

Shen Luoshuang pondered for a moment, then looked towards the door: "Nineteen, go and buy the largest teahouse in the capital."

Jiang Qiqi: "No, no, no, no! I don't want a teahouse, I just want to run it and enjoy the process, understand?"

Shen Luo pondered again... Jiang Qiqi slammed a book down and looked towards the door: "Nineteen, does the General's Mansion have any teahouses among its properties?"

Nineteen: "No, Madam."

……

Jiang Qiqi strolled over leisurely, picked up the book, and gave Shen Luo a sidelong glance as she passed by.

Shen Luo: ...

Because they were going to the Second Prince's residence the next day, Jiang Qiqi then asked Shen Luo about the Second Prince's wife.

"Although the Second Prince is one of the most popular candidates for the Crown Prince position, he is actually quite low-key. On the contrary, the Second Prince's wife is more inclined to cultivate relationships with various ministers and powerful figures. Many of the ministers in the Second Prince's faction were won over by the Princess, and there are even rumors that she helps the Second Prince with his daily political affairs. Such a relationship is quite a beautiful story in Nan Yue," Shen Luo said.

No wonder.

As far as Jiang Qiqi knew, the Crown Princess was quite far along in her pregnancy, so her insistence on holding this flower-viewing banquet was probably to try and build up the Second Prince's network of connections.

But now the news of the Third Prince's marriage to Prime Minister Lü's daughter has spread throughout the capital, and she feels that the Second Prince's plan is likely to fall through.

"The Second Prince's wife is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anyang in Anyang City, west of the capital. Although her family is not in the capital, they are still a marquis and have some influence. Since the Second Prince's mother is not from the Central Plains, he naturally does not have the support of his maternal grandparents' family, and his influence is much weaker than that of the Third Prince."

What Shen Luo didn't say was: If it weren't for the support of the Second Prince's wife, everyone felt that he might not have been able to compete with the Third Prince at all.

Jiang Qiqi understood even without him saying it.

She really wanted to ask Shen Luo which prince he favored more, but she felt that the two of them weren't familiar enough to discuss such a sensitive topic.

That's right, a couple who have been married for over a month are still not familiar with each other.

The two chatted back and forth like this, and the morning passed quickly.

Strangely enough, Shen Luo is not a talkative person. In fact, he is usually very taciturn or hates being spoken to.

But today, he talked for so long without realizing it, and he didn't find it annoying at all. In fact, when Nineteen reminded him that it was time for lunch, he felt a little reluctant to stop.