Wei Li felt a heat in his nasal cavity. He subconsciously wiped it, and thankfully there was nothing wrong with him. He hadn't lost face.

He instinctively turned around, quickly grabbed the box, slammed the door, and left, nearly tripping over his right foot with his left as he was leaving.

Zhao Xiheng finally managed to grab a blanket from the side and drape it over herself, making sure not a single seam was exposed.

Seeing Wei Li slam the door and leave, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The maids were so frightened by Wei Li that they knelt down. They stared at each other wide-eyed. What was wrong with their lord and mistress? Something was off. Their reactions were nothing like those of a married couple.

Wei Li took two steps and then realized something was wrong. What right did he have to leave? That was his home, and Zhao Xiheng was now his wife!

What's with him running away as soon as he saw it? Anyone who didn't know better would think he's ignorant and a greenhorn. If Zhao Xiheng can't do something like this, fine, but he can't show that he can't!

Before Zhao Xiheng could catch her breath, the door was kicked open again with a dull bang. It was unusually heavy, probably because the door was decorated with gold.

Wei Li strode back, looking nonchalant and unrestrained, but only he knew how heavy his steps were, how stiff his body was, and even how hot his ears and face were.

Zhao Xiheng's snow-white back, slender legs, and waist that could be encircled with one hand—it wasn't that he was deliberately recalling them, but rather that they were unconsciously flashing before his eyes.

Zhao Xiheng, wrapped in a blanket, knelt up from the couch and watched Wei Li turn back, getting closer and closer to her until his hair almost stood on end.

"Everyone out." Wei Li tossed the box in his hand onto the small table and sat down next to Zhao Xiheng.

The maids ran away as fast as they could, as if their lives depended on it.

Zhao Xiheng felt a chill run down her spine; her entire body screamed: Danger!

"My...my lord, good afternoon." She chuckled awkwardly, then wrapped the blanket around herself even tighter, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

"That's good." Wei Li nodded in a deep voice, raised his hand, and tucked a strand of her hair. He felt that this was the right thing to do.

Wei Li noticed that her hands were trembling slightly. After a moment of silence, she let her hair down.

His hands were still scented with the fragrance of Zhao Xiheng's hair, a rich aroma of gardenias.

The two faced each other without speaking. Zhao Xiheng looked into Wei Li's eyes, which were dark and bright, with an even brighter hue when viewed from the side. She moved further into the couch, trying to avoid him.

People with warm bodies probably breathe warm air too. The room was already quite warm, and Zhao Xiheng didn't want to get too close to him.

When it's cold, Zhao Xiheng subconsciously rubs against Wei Li, but as soon as it gets hot, she becomes heartless and complains that he's too hot.

Wei Li grasped her slender shoulders to stop her from moving. Zhao Xiheng threw herself and the blanket into Wei Li's arms, not forgetting to cover her chest before doing so.

She was caught between a rock and a hard place, so she nestled stiffly against Wei Li's chest, and their body temperatures gradually blended together.

The main problem is her current status... something just doesn't seem right.

Before she could finish thinking, Wei Li spoke up.

He spoke in a serious, deliberate manner, as if stating an objective fact: "No need to cover it up, it's quite small."

Wei Li felt that by doing and saying these things, he should appear quite experienced, like a seasoned veteran.

Zhao Xiheng: ? ? ?

Her complexion changed from rosy to white, from white to blue, and then from blue to purple.

You're so small! Wei Li, all you ever do is chatter on and on, never saying anything nice, right? If you don't need your mouth, donate it to someone who does!

She was so angry she was about to explode like a pufferfish when Wei Li suddenly grabbed her chin and pulled her close to his face. Their breaths mingled, and Wei Li touched her cool hair before moving even closer.

Zhao Xiheng clearly saw that his long eyelashes were trembling violently, and felt that something was wrong.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly lunged forward, her lips just a sheet of paper away from touching Wei Li's. Wei Li's pupils contracted, and he recoiled in shock, his ears turning as red as a ripe shrimp.

Zhao Xiheng's mind suddenly cleared. Ah, Wei Li was just a paper tiger, all bark and no bite, but he! No! Dared not!

She knows it, she knows it.

Having discovered this by chance, and even startling Wei Li, Zhao Xiheng was in an incredibly good mood, as if she had finally gotten her revenge.

Wei Li pursed his thin lips and frowned deeply, feeling ashamed, especially since he could clearly feel Zhao Xiheng's joy.

He picked up the box from the small table, showed it to Zhao Xiheng, and gave her a wicked smile. "Familiar? Want it?"

When Zhao Xiheng saw the box, her smile froze instantly.

"I won't give it to you." Wei Li smiled so hard her eyes were crescent-shaped, then ran out, leaving Zhao Xiheng to watch as Wei Li's long, shiny black ponytail swayed behind her.

Zhao Xiheng wasn't wearing anything under the blanket, and she was too ashamed to chase after him. She could only angrily pound the bed.

She maliciously added a curse: that Wei Li's wives would all run away after he married one, and that Wei Li would lose five hundred hairs every day.

She wasn't worried that Wei Li would damage the box of letters; at most, she would just glance at the contents.

To be honest, even as her daughter, she felt a pang of sadness reading those letters her parents wrote. If Wei Li were to read them, she would only be making things worse for herself.

Wei Li had managed to turn the tables, but his heart was racing. He put the box back in the study and subconsciously touched his lips, feeling a lingering softness. It turned out that being close to a girl was a wonderful feeling—soft and fragrant.

Recalling Zhao Xiheng's mischievous leap forward, his pearly white teeth ground together with a grinding sound.

The deputy general, like a mother hen, wandered around the new palace, making sure everything was arranged properly for Wei Li.

He wasn't saying this outright, but given Wei Li's unpopular nature, even if he gathered his men in the manor and attempted to assassinate Wei Li in the middle of the night, it wouldn't be impossible for him to succeed.

But he admitted that he didn't have the courage, ruthlessness, or ability to do it. He would rather be someone else's assistant than do the job of killing Wei Li himself.

Chen Ruojiang felt that, putting aside Wei Li's unpleasant side, Wei Li was ruthless, decisive, and highly skilled in martial arts, making him a good candidate for supremacy.

Wei Li saw Deputy General Chen wandering around the palace and waved to him, "Have all the books from the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion been moved here?"

The deputy general thought that after Wei Li got married, he decided to turn over a new leaf and work hard, which was a good thing. Wei Li's willingness to work hard meant that his job was becoming more and more stable, and he wouldn't have to rack his brains to find another one.

"They've all arrived; we should be able to sort and categorize them by tomorrow."

"Hurry up." Wei Li may not have eaten pork, but he has seen pigs run. He knows that there is something called erotic pictures in the world. The Zhenbei Prince's Mansion has a messy collection of such pictures.

He felt it was necessary for him to take a look at this now, since he had heard it was all pictures and shouldn't be too difficult to read.

The lieutenant moved his lips, and for the sake of securing his future job, he finally dared to speak up, "Now that our lord has a family, he is no longer alone. If he has children in the future, the responsibilities he will bear will be even greater."

Therefore, stop acting recklessly and give him a stable job.

Wei Li lifted his eyelids slightly, "You've actually thought further ahead than I have."

Few people look good with single eyelids, but Wei Li is an exception. Her single eyelids are thin and long, and when she lifts them slightly, she looks both alluring and cold.

"To share the burdens of our lord," the lieutenant said hastily, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Since you're here to share my burdens, find a few people to guard the door and prevent Madam from stepping out of the room," Wei Li said.

The lieutenant was startled and tried to find some clues on Wei Li's face, but to no avail.

Wei Li was a capricious man, and nothing he did seemed unusual.

Even if he were to order someone to kill Zhao Xiheng now, the deputy general wouldn't think it was a lie.

However, he hesitated and said, "My lord, you know your current situation. It may not be easy to find a few reliable people, including the maids who serve the lady, who are not exactly trustworthy."

These words were practically a direct accusation against Wei Li, implying he was unpopular. Given Wei Li's strong sense of pride, he was likely to become angry.

As expected, Wei Li grabbed the riding whip beside him and was about to lash the deputy general's face, but suddenly stopped half a moment later.

"Get lost." Wei Li lashed out at him with his riding crop, shooing him away impatiently.

The deputy general broke out in a cold sweat in the dead of winter.

He said those words with almost no intention of leaving Wei Li's side unscathed. He even made up his mind that if Wei Li continued to ignore his advice, he would seek refuge with someone else. Now that the Great Zhou was on the verge of chaos, if Wei Li did nothing, he feared that following Wei Li would only lead to his death.

Fortunately, Wei Li has a family now, which makes things a little different.

Chen Ruojiang touched the back of his head, wondering if he should get married too.

Wei Li was so idle that he didn't seem like the overlord of Pingzhou. He didn't care about anything. He even took his horse and went for a ride.

Wei Li was infamous, but few people had actually seen him in person. So when he led his horse outside, everyone just assumed he was some rich young master.

It was the start of the evening market, and the sky was just beginning to darken. The streets were bustling with people, but it was far less lively than usual. At least now, everyone had put away their smiles, afraid of causing trouble.

It wasn't just men who set up stalls; women did too. In Pingzhou, the separation of men and women wasn't strictly enforced, and there was no idea that women couldn't show their faces in public. If a woman could earn money through her own abilities, it was considered an honor, and others would only praise her for her competence.

In Pingzhou, the more fierce a woman is, the more popular she is.

There are sugar figurines being made on the street.

A few little kids surrounded him, the smallest of whom only reached his calves, drooling over the sugar figurine.

Several women carrying vegetable baskets came over, spanking the children and scolding them for running around, while also taking out money to buy them candy figurines. The children were happy even though they were being spanked.

Wei Li was black-hearted and rotten-necked, and he couldn't stand seeing others do well. So he stepped forward, took out a small piece of silver from his waist, and threw it on the table, saying, "I've bought them all."

The children were stunned for a moment, then realized they had no more candy to eat, and cried with tears and snot streaming down their faces, looking as miserable as could be.

Upon seeing Wei Li's attire, adorned with gold and silver, they knew he was not someone to be trifled with. Knowing it was better to avoid trouble, the women quickly picked up their wailing children and left.

Wei Li casually picked up a straw from the haystack, took a bite, and spat it out; it was sickeningly sweet.

He looked at it over and over, thinking to himself, "These rare and exotic things that I never saw when I was a child are nothing special after all. What's so great about them?"

The sugar figurine was like this, and Wei Li suddenly thought of Zhao Xiheng again.

What about Zhao Xiheng? She's probably no different from this sugar figurine; once he gets her, there's nothing special about it. Why should he hesitate about her? What does her possible death have to do with him?

Wei Li, with a candy stick in his mouth, crossed his arms, and bowed his head, walked away leisurely.

He felt that things should be done as they are, and whether he was popular or not didn't matter. He believed that he was only alive because God had been lenient and had spared him a little more lifespan.

When that day finally comes, he will first strangle Zhao Xiheng, and then commit suicide, taking her with him even in death.

Wei Li took a few steps, then suddenly turned back and said, "Wrap up all the candy for me."

The vendor thought Wei Li didn't want it anymore, so he quickly picked up his tools and made it for him. It was getting dark, and he should pack up his stall. The remaining materials were only enough to make five or six servings.

He asked, "Young master, what kind do you want?"

Wei Li said impatiently, "Whatever."

The stall owner, who was busy making food, started chatting with him, saying, "Young master, the scent of gardenias on you is wonderful."

Pingzhou is a warm, outgoing, friendly, and free-spirited place. Perhaps it's a local characteristic, but the people here are talkative, not shy, and always want to chat with someone whenever they get the chance.

Wei Li's face turned pale, then red.

He didn't fuss over himself with perfume; it must have been from Zhao Xiheng, who was very close to him.

Zhao Xiheng always smelled of gardenias, even in her hair.

It's so annoying. People who don't know him might think that this grown man has some kind of weird fetish.

"Can you draw gardenias?" he asked impulsively.

The vendor smiled proudly, "Let me tell you, don't think I'm exaggerating. When I was young, my hands were incredibly skilled. Don't even mention gardenias, I could draw a whole garden for you!"

Wei Li twitched the corner of his mouth. "Then draw me a garden too."

The vendor's face stiffened, and he muttered under his breath, "Wasn't that me when I was young? I'm so old now, I'm dizzy and my eyesight is failing."

Wei Li looked at him with his bright black eyes, silent, but the sarcasm was obvious.

Yes, you're already old even though you still have a full head of black hair.

Zhao Xiheng was used to being a good friend and praising others, while Wei Li was good at undermining others and making them lose face.

After all, no one in this world can show off in front of him; he's the coolest.

The glorious history was obviously out of the question, so the vendor changed the subject: "Young master likes gardenias? Gardenias are wonderful, so white and fragrant."

Wei Li didn't give him a direct answer, but simply placed his hand on the table and tapped, "Are you married?"

The vendor shook his head. "No."

Wei Li smiled and nodded, raising his chin slightly. "I don't like gardenias, but my wife does. She always likes to snuggle into my arms and ask me to hold her. It's always annoying when she smells like them."

As he wished, the vendor's face turned blue and purple, and he finally managed to utter a single sentence, "It's fine."

This conversation is going on forever.

He quickened his pace, making several gardenias of different shapes for Wei Li. Having used up all the ingredients, he quickly wrapped the candy in glutinous rice paper, stuffed it into Wei Li's arms, and gestured for him to leave, saying, "Goodbye, my lord." Don't come again next time.

Wei Li left satisfied. There are many ways to make others unhappy, and he suddenly learned a new one.

Zhao Xiheng was startled when Wei Li came in that afternoon. After quickly applying the ointment, she wrapped herself in thick undergarments.

As darkness fell, the maidservants set out her meal. Tonight's dish was Korean hot pot, where all the ingredients were grilled together in a hot pot.

The maid also brought her rice wine.

A fire was burning under a steaming brazier, on which various ingredients were roasting, including rice cakes, beef tendons, beef, pork, and tofu.

Next to it is a plate of dipping sauce, made with sesame paste, sugar, salt, vinegar, cumin, minced scallions, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.

Zhao Xiheng pointed to a purple substance in the pot and asked, "What is this?" She had never seen it before.

"It's rice sausage, Madam. Try it; it's very chewy and glutinous." The maid knew she wasn't from Pingzhou, so she explained it to her enthusiastically.

“Pingzhou has many ethnic groups, and each ethnic group has its own unique cuisine. However, many people are not used to some of the food, so they have been modified and the taste has changed.”

The integration and coexistence of different ethnic groups have given rise to unique cultural customs and cuisines.

Zhao Xiheng eagerly awaited them to start grilling the ingredients.

Most of the food in Pingju is really suitable for winter; it's the kind of food that makes you feel warm and cozy just by looking at it, even before you eat it, and it's mostly meat.

She touched her still-flat stomach and felt she couldn't keep eating like this.

"Where is our lord? Has he eaten?" Zhao Xiheng asked.

She heard that Wei Li had only prepared this one courtyard for the time being, and that he was probably living with her. Since they were living together, they couldn't possibly not eat together. If he ate outside, he wouldn't even inform her.

The maids exchanged glances. To be honest, if Wei Li weren't so ruthless and they weren't afraid of being punished, they wouldn't have cared whether he had eaten or not. They were just worried that their beautiful mistress was going hungry, and it was time to prepare food for her when it was mealtime.

"Go out and ask him. If he hasn't eaten, call him over for dinner. Let's wait a bit." Zhao Xiheng swallowed hard as she looked at the ingredients beside her.

Wei Li is as tough as iron; he doesn't feel hungry even when he doesn't eat.

Zhao Xiheng wasn't a malicious person, so waiting for him to eat wasn't a big deal.

Honestly, Wei Li needs to be in great shape to protect her, right?

The maidservant, carrying a lantern, was about to go out to look for Wei Li when Zhao Xiheng stopped her.

"Wear more clothes, it's cold outside. If you can't find it, come back."

The winters in Pingzhou were truly terrifying, and she didn't want to experience even a little bit of the cold outside anymore. Putting herself in others' shoes, Zhao Xiheng sent someone to fetch an extra garment for her maid.

The maid froze, her eyes welling up with tears. She quickly wiped them away, bowed her head, and rushed out.

A biting wind howled, whipping up snowflakes like salt from the ground that stung faces, making it hard to breathe. Against the backdrop of the endless sky, humanity seemed so insignificant and powerless.

The horse neighed and tilted its head to avoid the wind and frost, and Wei Li tied it up.

Zhao Xiheng's maid learned that Wei Li had left the manor during the day and did not know whether he had returned. So she went to block him at the gate of the palace. She saw Wei Li coming towards her and went up to him, "Madam asked if the lord has eaten outside? If not, we will wait for you to come together."

Wei Li didn't say anything, but took a step forward.

The maid ran to hold a lantern for him, but the wind blew her away and she couldn't catch up.

The guards at the gate swayed from side to side in the cold wind, some even burying their faces, resting like quails at the entrance.

Wei Li pursed her lips, stepped forward and kicked them twice, "Change the people."

When Zhao Xiheng tried to run out, she saw these oddballs blocking her way. She probably laughed herself silly and took the opportunity to mock Wei Li for being incompetent, with only a bunch of lousy and inferior soldiers.

Just thinking about that scene made Wei Li feel a burning pain on her face, as if she had been slapped.

As the deputy general subtly suggested, he was unpopular.

He needed to find a time to visit the military camp, lest he constantly appear incompetent and become a laughingstock for Zhao Xiheng.

Wei Li entered with a cold face, passed through the outer hall, and arrived at the central hall where they ate, bringing with him a desolate and chilly atmosphere from outside.

Zhao Xiheng shuddered.

A pile of candy was placed in front of me. "I just bought it on the spur of the moment. It tastes awful, but here you go."

After saying that, Wei Guoli went to wash his hands.

"Have you eaten?" Zhao Xiheng asked, chasing after his retreating figure.

If he doesn't speak, it means he hasn't eaten.

Zhao Xiheng unfolded the translucent glutinous rice paper and found that it contained sugar figurines, drawn in the shape of gardenias, and looked extremely exquisite. There were one, two, three, and four of them.

But she was getting hungry while waiting, so she didn't bother to appreciate the food and took a bite of what she thought was the ugliest one.

What's so bad about it!

It's so sweet! It seems to have honey mixed in, and it smells like flowers and herbs.

Now that Wei Li had returned, the maids put the ingredients in one by one, making a sizzling sound.

Seeing that the sugar figurines were about to melt, Zhao Xiheng ate a few more.

When Wei Li returned after drying his hands, there were five or six candies, but Zhao Xiheng had already eaten only one left.

His previously low mood suddenly improved, and he flicked Zhao Xiheng on the forehead, saying, "You'll have cavities tomorrow."

Zhao Xiheng pouted and handed the last sugar figurine to the maid, telling her to put it outside to freeze.

The two remained silent, with only the crackling of the embers beneath the brazier.

"Where did you go, my lord? Did you have fun?" Zhao Xiheng took a sip of rice wine, which was sweet and sour with a rice aroma, and spoke to him while waiting for the food to be cooked.

The stagnant atmosphere made her very uncomfortable.

“We went to the street. It was fun, lots of people, and very lively.” Wei Li deliberately tempted her. “There was also a lot of food, Pingzhou specialties.”

"That's wonderful!" Zhao Xiheng's eyes sparkled.

Wei Li described it a few more times, and when Zhao Xiheng couldn't resist the urge to go out and play, he firmly refused, telling her to stay in the house and not to step out. He figured she would be extremely annoyed and sad, and might even cry. If she really wanted to go, she might even cry and beg him, her eyes brimming with tears.

The pleasure of imprisonment probably lies in this.

He smiled and took a sip of the rice wine. It was warm, but actually, rice wine tastes better chilled.

But after waiting for a long time, Zhao Xiheng didn't say anything more. Instead, she saw that the beef in the brazier was cooked, so she happily took it out and gave half to Wei Li and half to herself.

In this freezing weather in Pingzhou, who would want to go out and freeze like a dog? She swore that she wouldn't step out of her room even once this winter, and that old dog Wei Li wouldn't be able to drag her out to freeze.

She didn't make the request that Wei Li expected, which made him even more eager. He took another sip of rice wine and continued to observe Zhao Xiheng's reaction, while describing how much food was available on the street.

Zhao Xiheng nodded perfunctorily in agreement, but her attention was entirely focused on the brazier, staring at the beef and rice sausage, which she had never eaten before...

"I'm talking, did you hear me?" Wei Li's displeasure was almost palpable.

The maids all sensed that something was wrong.

"I heard you!" The marinated beef was juicy and tender after roasting. Dipped in the sauce, Zhao Xiheng ate with great satisfaction and didn't forget to use serving chopsticks to put a piece on Wei Li's plate.

"Eat quickly! It'll get cold!"

What's so cold about it? There's a fire underneath, how could it be cold?

Wei Li felt like he had punched cotton, and angrily snatched a piece of meat from her bowl.

Zhao Xiheng wasn't a stingy person, so she gave him the other piece from her bowl, and then took some rice sausage from the pot.

It's really delicious, soft and chewy, unlike the sticky, chewy kind of glutinous rice balls. It's chewy and springy, with a very substantial texture, although its dark purple color doesn't look very appetizing.

Wei Li wrapped a piece of meat in a piece of kimchi and a piece of lettuce leaf and gave it to her.

The flavor is sweet, sour, slightly spicy, and refreshingly cool on the outside. But when you bite into it, it's piping hot, bursting with juicy, tender beef and sauce, creating distinct layers of flavor.

Zhao Xiheng's eyes lit up as if she had opened the door to a new world.

Wei Li seized the opportunity to mock her, saying, "You're ignorant."

"Hmm." Zhao Xiheng was already used to Wei Li's old dog-like way of speaking, and most of the time she wouldn't get angry at him, since it wasn't worth it.

"My lord, I want to eat more." She wanted to continue eating, but found it troublesome, so she tried to coax him to see if Wei Li would satisfy her.

Wei Li curled up the corners of his mouth and scolded her, "Troublemaker."

Then I wrapped another piece for her.

He made it just right, not too big at all, so that Zhao Xiheng could eat one in two bites.

Men, their bottom line is tested little by little and then eroded. Zhao Xiheng sighed.

However, one should not be greedy. A little sweetness is enough. Zhao Xiheng stopped acting coquettish and ate quietly by herself.

Wei Li was still waiting for her to act cute again, but she didn't, and he felt a little empty inside.

When everyone had almost finished eating, the maid cleaned out the brazier, poured the rice mixed with a special sauce into the brazier and stir-fried it, then waited for the bottom layer to form a crispy rice crust.

Zhao Xiheng regretted it after finishing her meal; she smelled terrible, even though she had finally managed to take a shower and wash her hair.

But she couldn't sleep with that smell on, so she forced herself to take another bath.

Wei Li watched her wash twice a day in the dry Pingzhou and felt that if she continued like this, she would easily develop a skin disease.

The afternoon's events left Zhao Xiheng with a lingering fear; this time, she would definitely wait until the perfume was applied inside before coming out.

Zhao Xiheng sat in front of her dressing table, drying her hair and applying a thick layer of rose oil to her lips to prevent them from drying out and peeling.

In the stillness of the night, the atmosphere was tranquil. As the saying goes, "when one is well-fed and warm, one thinks of lustful desires," and one felt that it would be a waste of the precious night not to do something.

Wei Li remained soaking in the hot spring, not getting up for a long time. His pale skin turned pink from the steam. Should he do this or that? He knew that doing this for the first time could easily ruin his image, so he decided to learn first…

Zhao Xiheng asked the maid for some things.

When Wei Li came out, he was calm and his undergarments were fully on. Zhao Xiheng was sitting on the bed, waving at him with a very sweet smile.