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

In the afternoon, Cui Zhi lay in the courtyard basking in the sun, while his concubine peeled grapes and fed them to him one by one.

Life is so uncomfortable.

Since that Tiger General arrived, he has taken over all affairs of Longcheng, leaving the real governor to stay at home in idleness.

Cui Zhi remained completely calm, as everything was under his control.

Since someone is willing to do the work, he's happy to have some free time.

Three days ago, he received a message from above saying that the Emperor had sent a General to protect the country.

He panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down.

Although the General of the Nation's fame spread throughout the land, his arrival disrupted many of my plans, but as the saying goes, even a mighty dragon can't suppress a local snake.

Especially since the opponent is a military general who only knows how to fight and kill.

After receiving the news, Cui Zhi began to make preparations in earnest.

Remove what needs to be removed, and hide what needs to be hidden.

However, time was of the essence, and he had no time to meet with that person again. He could only send a message to tell them not to take any action for the time being.

Longcheng is backed by continuous mountains, so there are plenty of places to hide people.

As long as the rebels don't take action, Shen Luo won't be able to find their stronghold.

If he dares to forcibly attack those counties in Longyou, threaten him with the massacre of civilians. Given the fear of inadvertently harming the innocent and the lack of troops, Shen Luo, unless he's a fool, won't act.

After going back and forth without making any progress, he lost heart.

As for his deal with the rebels, he could have continued it after the court officials left.

He happily took a bite of grape, marveling at how flawless his plan was.

It's a waste of talent to be relegated to the position of governor in the small city of Longcheng.

Fortunately, if the plan goes smoothly, he will soon be more than just a prefect.

……

Cui Zhi squinted, imagining himself being promoted and ennobled.

Then he saw his daughter come in through the front door, rushing into the house like a gust of wind, without even giving him a glance as she passed by.

"What's going on?" Cui Zhi called out to the maid who was standing next to his daughter and hadn't had time to sneak into the room.

"Master," the maid said, her voice hesitant and barely daring to speak.

"Say!"

"It's like this, sir." The maid trembled with fright and immediately recounted everything that had happened that afternoon.

It would have been fine if he hadn't listened, but Cui Zhi almost fainted when he did.

How could someone as intelligent as him have such a stupid and dull daughter?!

Are the people around the General Who Protects the Nation no ordinary people?! How dare they say such arrogant things as he could kill them with a flick of his finger!

And the woman she met, even General Huwei treated her with such respect…

Cui Zhi had been an official for many years and was a shrewd and astute man.

Knowing that the general was coming, they inquired with their superiors beforehand.

Coincidentally, the person above mentioned that the general had just married a wife two months prior.

That general's wife is probably the one Ling'er met.

That brat really knows how to cause him trouble.

He immediately stopped basking in the sun and eating the grapes, went to the storeroom to pick out some things, and hurried off to apologize to the Nineteenth Prince.

General Huwei's situation is manageable, but what about the General's wife?

Cui Zhi had no other choice but to arrange this welcoming banquet for the general and his wife, hoping that they would eat and drink well and forget about Ling'er's previous offense.

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.

Cui Zhi's meal was perfectly timed to please Jiang Qiqi.

Since leaving the general's mansion, she and Lin'er had been eating dry steamed buns and drinking cold water the whole way.

Although there was food at the Riyuan Hotel, the taste was... just enough to fill your stomach.

I didn't expect to have such a good meal on my first day in Longcheng.

So she really enjoyed her meal.

Cui Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the general's wife did not intend to blame him.

However, he also noticed the lady across from him eating heartily without any regard for her image, and the General Zhenguo who kept putting food on her plate and staring intently at her.

My mind suddenly became active.

It seems that the General Who Protects the Nation is not as averse to women as rumored.

His own daughter knows it herself.

Although Ling'er was a bit slow-witted, reckless, and domineering...

But her looks are absolutely flawless!

If she could stay by the General's side... then why would he bother with all his efforts, or even have to listen to Wang Liang's every word?

Cui Zhi realized that the General Zhenguo's visit to Longcheng was also an opportunity for him. If he could really get in touch with this person, he could soar to great heights.

Thinking of this, Cui Zhi stood up excitedly and raised his glass.

"General, Madam, I would like to offer you both a toast. I am foolish and incompetent, unable to even handle a small rebel army, and I have troubled you to come. I am ashamed."

“Madam,” he turned to look at Jiang Qiqi, “this afternoon my daughter was unaware of your identity and offended you greatly. Please forgive her. Tomorrow I will bring her here so she can personally apologize to you.”

Jiang Qiqi, who had been showing off her food with her head down, suddenly looked up, glanced at him, and smiled: "Okay."

Cui Zhi was very clever. When the General Zhenguo said he would not see anyone, he broke through by working on his own.

That just so happened, she was worried that the fire wasn't burning bright enough.

……

Jiang Qiqi felt that there was a reason why Cui Zhi was able to become the governor.

After all, nobody wants to be the one offering a warm welcome but getting a cold shoulder.

He, on the other hand, is quite diligent in his work.

Jiang Qiqi did nothing but eat throughout the meal.

Shen Luo watched her eat, and casually picked up some food that was out of reach for her, and wiped the rice grains off her face.

Only Cui Zhi was there, finding various topics to talk about...

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.

After meal.

Jiang Qiqi and Shen Luo returned to their room.

Since the study was destroyed, the two have been living together for some time now, and they've gotten used to it over time.

Jiang Qiqi was physically weak, and her hands and feet were always cold all year round. She quite liked having such a natural heater next to her.

(=′?｀)

Moreover, since this person is impotent, she is not in any danger.

Shen Luo wasn't used to it at first.

As a result, in the few days since he left the capital, without anyone to keep him in check, he didn't sleep well and felt like something was missing.

……

For a long time, Shen Luo couldn't sleep at night, not understanding why his principles would be greatly compromised whenever he was around Jiang Qiqi.

Later he figured it out.

Allowing someone of unknown power to live with him in the mansion, even sleeping with him, was not because he was being reckless.

This is actually the most appropriate course of action right now!

Firstly, this marriage was bestowed by the Emperor, and he would be unable to explain himself if he were to do anything to her.

Secondly, she was very clever and had even helped him catch spies in the mansion; he couldn't repay kindness with enmity.

Thirdly, with Jiang Qiqi around, fewer women were being placed around him, both openly and secretly, which saved him a lot of trouble.

Finally, the most dangerous enemy is when they are out of his sight. Now that they are with him every day, he has no chance to do anything he wants.

not only.

From a broader perspective, he should make more contact with Jiang Qiqi to find out what faction she belongs to.

Yes, that's logical and reasonable.

……

……

……

but now.

He wanted to say: all that logic about loyalty to the emperor, benevolence, righteousness, and repaying kindness is just nonsense I made up.

I'm coming clean: I've fallen for Jiang Qiqi.

What's wrong with it being of unknown origin?

What's wrong with all these suspicious points?

Sleeping... so what if you're pressing down on me?

I just love it so much!