When Jiang Shuyue saw Sui Sui and Chang Le returning home together, she was naturally delighted and ordered the kitchen to prepare a delicious meal.

The three chatted and laughed in the warm pavilion, and Xue'er avoided Chang Le whenever she saw her.

"Sister Yue'er, Xue'er seems to dislike me?"

Jiang Shuyue: "..."

How should I respond to that?

She thought for a moment and said, "Xue'er likes to be touched gently, preferably with her hands and not her mouth."

Sui Sui touched Xue'er's soft soles and said with a grin, "Auntie can kiss its feet."

"It just pooped in the snow outside and even buried it with its paws," Chang Le said with a disgusted purse.

Xue'er seemed to understand human speech, so she simply walked to a soft cushion further away from Chang Le and lay down to take a nap.

Qiuju brought in dried fruit and chimed in, "Our Xue'er is so cute and clean. She goes to relieve herself in the grass in the garden every day, and even when I wipe her feet with a damp cloth, she doesn't fuss."

On this day, Nangong Zeyue thought he could go home early, but his colleague said that Juxian Pavilion had launched a new way of eating barbecue and insisted on dragging him to Juxian Pavilion for drinks.

Overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of his colleagues, Nangong Zeyue found it difficult to refuse and ended up drinking a few more cups than usual.

It was already late when she got home, so Nangong Zeyue went straight to bed.

Jiang Shuyue and Qiuju settled Suisui and Changle down to sleep. She told Qiuju to go back and rest, and then turned around and went into the room to wash up and go to bed.

As I lifted the curtain, a faint, cool bamboo scent wafted towards me.

"you."

Jiang Shuyue stood frozen in place.

Before the soft couch, Xiao Jingzhao held her favorite storybook and read it intently.

After a moment of stunned silence, Jiang Shuyue quickly walked over, grabbed the storybook from his hand, and hid it behind her back.

When did you arrive?

Xiao Jingzhao's lips curled slightly as he looked at Jiang Shuyue with a half-smile. "It's only been a quarter of an hour. The maid said you went to accompany Sui Sui to bed, so I've been sitting here waiting for you."

Thinking of the indescribable passage in the storybook, Jiang Shuyue's ears flushed red.

The book she was holding suddenly felt hot, so she threw it onto the chair furthest from Xiao Jingzhao.

"Qiuju bought this to pass the time."

"This is like trying to hide something obvious," Xiao Jingzhao smiled faintly. "If Qiuju likes it, I'll have someone send over some travelogues next time. Some of them are by Qingling Shanren, and some are by Zhen Jingxiu's father."

"On behalf of Qiuju, I thank Your Majesty for your kindness."

Jiang Shuyue had her own unspoken difficulties. She did enjoy reading travelogues, but she didn't read only travelogues.

She likes travelogues that include love stories, including those about unrequited love and those that are passionate and intense.

Among them are touching stories of women from the martial arts world who are just as capable as men.

Are you feeling better?

"What?"

Jiang Shuyue was stunned by the sudden question and stood there dumbfounded.

Xiao Jingzhao walked over and placed his hand on her forehead. "Hmm, thankfully you don't have a fever. You're new to the capital and not quite used to the cold winter. Remember to wear more clothes when you go out."

When he removed his large hand from her forehead, it accidentally brushed against her cheek, and her heart skipped a beat.

Jiang Shuyue was stunned for a while before she came to her senses. Her inexplicable fever was probably due to Chang Le.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, I am fine." Her words were ambiguous.

Xiao Jingzhao was much taller than her and didn't see the emotions in her eyes.

Perhaps because she was standing too close to him, Jiang Shuyue felt a strong sense of oppression.

“Chang Le is naughty; she’s caused you trouble by coming to the manor.” Xiao Jingzhao said, turning around and sitting down again, showing no intention of leaving immediately.

"Your Majesty is overthinking it. No, Chang Le is very sensible, and Sui Sui likes to stick close to her."

Xiao Jingzhao naturally did not believe Jiang Shuyue's previous statement.

He knew perfectly well how much trouble Chang Le had caused in the palace, but they were all minor incidents that didn't really matter, so he just turned a blind eye.

Only Empress Changle would dare to take someone away from the Imperial Study.

Xiao Jingzhao pointed to the small couch opposite him, "Long time no see, sit down and let's talk about the restaurant and greenhouse vegetables."

He knew that the woman in front of him would talk the most when discussing business matters.

Jiang Shuyue: "..."

The Emperor may have some misunderstanding about "it's been a long time since we last met".

She picked up the teapot and added some hot tea to the teacup in front of Xiao Jingzhao, then poured herself half a cup.

She took a sip of tea and asked, "Has His Majesty received the fresh vegetables that Hu Qing sent?"

Xiao Jingzhao nodded slightly, "The Imperial Kitchen has tried the new way of eating roasted meat, and it's very good. If this were on the frontier, the soldiers would have a way of eating meat wrapped in lettuce, which would save them a lot of trouble."

Jiang Shuyue continued, "The greenhouse vegetables are currently only a few kinds that can be harvested in a short period of time, such as tomatoes, eggplants, and some other vegetables. They will not ripen until February next year."

"Hmm, not bad. I will have people continue to research the method of making glass paste, hoping to find a way to produce more."

Jiang Shuyue ignored Xiao Jingzhao's words, saying that it was impossible to make more glass with the existing materials.

She continued, "The people are very enthusiastic about raising rabbits and goats. They have collected all the rabbit fur. The Emperor will send someone to the estate to collect it another day. The rabbit fur can be processed into clothes to keep the soldiers on the frontier warm."

This was something Jiang Shuyue had planned from the beginning, and she took advantage of Xiao Jingzhao's visit today to explain it all at once.

There aren't enough people on the estate, so it's most appropriate for him to send someone to fetch it.

"Your kindness is truly admirable. On behalf of the soldiers on the frontier, I would like to express my gratitude to you. The frontier is in dire need of warm clothing right now, and I will send someone to the estate tomorrow to fetch it."

Xiao Jingzhao looked at the woman in front of him, his eyes filled with admiration.

Jiang Shuyue smiled faintly and continued, "The restaurant has received investments in the early stages, so the profit sharing will have to be postponed until the New Year."

"There's no rush to distribute the profits. Just deposit them all together, and I'll send someone to collect them if I need them."

Xiao Jingzhao never really intended to take a cut of the restaurant's profits, and Jiang Shuyue never wanted to take advantage of him in the slightest. His words were just an excuse to appease her.

"Moon Maiden, is there anything else you need my help with? If so, please feel free to ask."

Jiang Shuyue shook her head, "No, I have nothing to trouble Your Majesty with."

Jiang Shuyue treated the man opposite her like a business partner, his star-like eyes always fixed on her. She was so focused on the business that she didn't notice anything unusual.

The two chatted for about half an hour before Xiao Jingzhao got up to take his leave.

As Xiao Jingzhao left Xingyue Courtyard, Xiang Yang hurriedly came to greet him.

Seeing Xiao Jingzhao turn his head to look at the next room, Xiang Yang said cheerfully, "Master, Young Master Nangong had a few too many drinks tonight and is already asleep."

Xiao Jingzhao's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a deep and magnetic voice, "His identity is special, so be careful."

"Rest assured, Master, I know what I'm doing."

The next morning.

An imperial eunuch arrived in the north of the city and found the residence where Jiang Zhengming lived.

Upon seeing the eunuch delivering the imperial decree, Jiang Zhengming respectfully ushered him into the main hall.

He was secretly delighted. The emperor was well-informed and must know that he was the future father-in-law of the emperor. Was he going to promote him?