After the delicate and soft-spoken wife gave up, the aloof and powerful minister embraced her and sh

Shen Fuhan's expression was very serious, as if he were only discussing whether the book in his hand was good or not.

Wen Jiayue's face inevitably burned, and she remained silent.

But Shen Fuhan seemed to take her silence as agreement, and quickly said, "I'll put Zhaozhao in your arms, and then untie..."

"Don't say anything more," Wen Jiayue interrupted him. "I... I was just asking casually."

Even though the couple has done all the most intimate things together, the way he says them still inexplicably evokes all sorts of thoughts, even if they are just plain words.

Shen Fuhan appears extremely cold, but in reality, he is extremely lustful.

For the first three nights after the wedding, Wen Jiayue woke up every day in pain all over her body.

She subtly indicated that she couldn't bear it anymore, and he finally began to restrain himself. Every three days, the sound of the clapper would ring out from dusk till midnight.

At this time of year, Wen Jiayue would get up exceptionally late, always being late for her morning and evening greetings, for which she received many scoldings from the old lady.

Thinking of the old lady, the flush on Wen Jiayue's face faded, and she even started to dislike Shen Fuhan.

"It's a day off today, why didn't the Marquis leave the manor?"

Shen Fuhan asked, "Why do you want to leave the manor?"

Wen Jiayue said, "Of course we're going to see the Eldest Princess. Isn't the Marquis in charge of the Eldest Princess's residence renovations?"

This matter should have been handled by the Ministry of Works, while Shen Fuhan was from the Ministry of Justice; they were clearly completely unrelated.

But the eldest princess has a younger brother who is the emperor. If she wants someone to renovate the princess's residence, isn't it just a matter of the emperor's word?

However, in order to cover her tracks, the eldest princess came up with a plan: she would have court officials draw up pictures, and whoever's picture she liked would be responsible for the restoration.

The person ultimately chosen was naturally Shen Fuhan.

The repair of the Princess's residence was just a pretext; the real reason was that the Princess had taken a liking to Shen Fuhan's appearance.

The eldest princess lost her husband two years ago and is now living alone in her palace, a time of great loneliness for her.

It's not surprising that someone would catch a glimpse of Shen Fuhan, the most handsome young master of the Great Zhou Dynasty, at the New Year's Eve palace banquet.

It's laughable that Wen Jiayue used to think that a great blessing had fallen on her husband's head. Being close to the Princess was the same as being close to the Emperor, and Shen Fuhan's career would surely soar.

Only on her deathbed did she realize that while the man and woman were in love, she, the lady of the Marquis's mansion, was the biggest obstacle.

Wen Jiayue exhaled a breath of stale air, when suddenly Shen Fuhan asked, "How do you know about this?"

She froze, then remembered that Shen Fuhan hadn't mentioned this matter after returning to the manor the day before.

Logically speaking, she should not have known that the person chosen by the Princess was Shen Fuhan.

Wen Jiayue bit her lip and explained, feigning composure.

"The Emperor summoned you to the palace the other day, and I heard that the Eldest Princess was also there, so I guessed it was about this matter. My lord, was I right?"

Shen Fuhan stared at her intently and slowly nodded.

Fearing he might ask something else, Wen Jiayue immediately changed the subject: "I would like to trouble Your Excellency to call Ruyi over to help me with my washing and grooming."

Shen Fuhan put down the book, got up and left.

Wen Jiayue breathed a sigh of relief; thank goodness, she almost messed up the situation.

Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to suspect anything.

Even if he had doubts, he certainly wouldn't have imagined that she had been reborn.

A seventeen-year-old body with a twenty-year-old soul—who would believe that?

After having breakfast, Wen Jiayue lay back down on the bed to continue recuperating.

She had just given birth and was exhausted. She had also been quite upset these past few days, so she felt particularly weak today and could only rest.

To her surprise, Shen Fuhan hadn't gone to the Princess's residence yet; instead, she was still reading the book she had been reading that morning.

Outside the window, birds chirped and flowers bloomed in profusion. He sat on the long couch, looking relaxed.

Even the sunlight seemed to favor him, casting a soft halo around him, making him appear like a god.

Wen Jiayue was stunned for a moment, and it took her a while to come back to her senses before turning over to look at her daughter.

No matter how good his appearance is, she shouldn't pay too much attention to him; his heart has never belonged to her.

There was a moment of silence in the room, then someone knocked on the door.

"My lord, the eldest princess summons you to her residence."

Shen Fuhan responded and put the book down.

With her back to him, Wen Jiayue couldn't control her expression and gave a cold smile.

No wonder they didn't go there on their own initiative; it turns out they were playing hard to get. They really know how to manipulate the princess's temperament.

She tried to recall whether Shen Fuhan had done the same thing in her previous life, but after thinking for a while, she still couldn't remember.

For her, this day was just another ordinary day in the more than a thousand days and nights since her marriage.

Little did they know, everything would change from that moment on.

Wen Jiayue had some difficulty breathing.

She should have said to him softly, as she always had, "My lord, please take care and come back soon," but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't utter a single word.

As the footsteps drew closer, she simply closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Shen Fuhan seemed to stand by the bed for a while before leaving.

The door closed softly, and Wen Jiayue opened her eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell silently, soaking the soft pillow.

Suddenly, there was another sound of the door being pushed open. Wen Jiayue thought that Shen Fuhan had returned, so she hastily wiped away her tears and continued to pretend to be asleep.

Judging from the footsteps, it's Ruyi.

Wen Jiayue breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a hoarse voice, "Has the Marquis left the manor?"

Ruyi responded with a "yes," but noticing something odd about her voice, she asked in a panic, "Madam, are you crying?"

"No," Wen Jiayue cleared her throat, "I just woke up, so my voice is a little nasal."

Ruyi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did you have a fight with the Marquis last night?"

Although they are mistress and servant, they grew up together and are closer than sisters. Wen Jiayue would occasionally confide in her, and Ruyi would comfort her sincerely.

Wen Jiayue said casually, "It was just a few words of argument, nothing serious."

Ruyi tucked the blanket around her and said softly, "You just gave birth to the young lady, and your body is so weak. You must take care of yourself."

“I know,” Wen Jiayue sighed, “as long as they don’t get angry, I’m fine.”

Ruyi sighed upon hearing this, saying that since the lady did not have a powerful family, her life after marriage was extremely difficult.

If the first child is a girl, she will not be able to gain a foothold in the Marquis's mansion. What should be done if the old lady takes this opportunity to help the Marquis find a concubine?

As if by magic, a sudden commotion erupted outside the door, and two voices as clear as nightingales emerged.

"Your concubine, Lin/Xu, has come to pay her respects to Madam."

Wen Jiayue raised her eyebrows slightly. No wonder the old lady hadn't made any moves these past two days; it turned out she had gone to help Shen Fuhan take a concubine. She was really quick.

Compared to her composure, Ruyi spoke up angrily: "Madam, this is simply outrageous! You are still in confinement after childbirth, and the old lady is already arranging a concubine for the Marquis. If word gets out, people will surely laugh at us!"

Then she comforted him, saying, "However, the Marquis certainly doesn't know about this, so please don't get angry."

Wen Jiayue said calmly, "Why get angry? Besides, if anyone is going to ridicule someone, it should be the entire Marquis's mansion. What does it have to do with me?"

If a husband hastily takes a concubine while his wife is still in postpartum confinement, even if he is just an ordinary person, he will be the subject of gossip and criticism from his neighbors.

However, this is a good opportunity to prevent Shen Fuhan from meeting the Princess.

Although it is unknown when Shen Fuhan developed feelings for the eldest prince, perhaps reducing the frequency of their meetings would prevent a repeat of what happened three years later.

Thinking of this, Wen Jiayue made a decisive decision.

"Send someone to find the Marquis and tell him the truth about this matter."