Granny Ji looked older, and she didn't move an inch when she heard her master call her.

"No need for formalities, nanny."

Li Shiyue spoke gently, a faint smile playing on her lips, and recognized everyone else one by one.

Besides Granny Ji, there were two stewards and four maids.

Having recognized everyone, she didn't rush to speak. Her gaze swept over them indifferently, and the faint smile on her lips sent a chill down one's spine.

Granny Ji and the two stewards were fine, their expressions were normal, and they listened attentively to the instructions with their heads bowed.

Two of the four maids were young and less composed than the other two. They couldn't help but look up at Li Shiyue, but quickly lowered their heads again after meeting her gaze.

Granny Pang, however, though her hands were placed in front of her, nervously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, and her expression was not as calm as that of Granny Ji and the others.

"As you all probably know, my mother has temporarily handed over the management of the household to me."

Li Shiyue paused slightly, observing the changes in the expressions of these people, and then said, "Although I am young, I have learned some things by my mother's side. I thought that since I have taken on this task, I must do it well, so that outsiders can laugh at me and people will think that I am incompetent and hold my mother back."

"You are all senior members of the household, and you are used to doing some things. Please continue to do even better than Mother did when she was in charge of the household."

"They also said that I am young, so my mother specially sent Granny Sun and Granny Luo to help me, so that people wouldn't think that since the young master's wife has taken on the job of managing the household, the people below can be allowed to slack off, which would ruin the reputation of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion."

Her voice was gentle, as always, soft and sweet, yet she spoke slowly and deliberately, without a trace of timidity.

Li Shiyue took the teacup from Lian Dong, pinched the lid between her fingers, and looked at the expressions of the others without saying anything more.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. We have worked in the Duke's mansion for many years and will certainly manage our subordinates well, follow Your Highness's instructions, and work together to make the Duke's mansion even better."

Granny Ji stood in the middle, her expression unchanged, seemingly unaware that she was being reprimanded.

She clasped her hands in front of her lower abdomen, her head bowed, unaware of the disdain in Granny Pang's eyes.

However, Li Shiyue saw it clearly but said nothing.

Granny Pang seems to be quite clever; if she didn't have some ability, she wouldn't have reached her current position.

Today is only the first day, and it's still early. We should wait a few more days to see how things go.

Inside Tongxin Hall, Xu Yunci looked towards the direction of the courtyard gate, glanced at the sky, and was thinking of stepping into the flower hall to take another look.

But then he saw Li Shiyue leading Lian Dong and Chun Ling into the courtyard, and he was somewhat surprised to see her under the eaves.

"Why are you here instead of going inside?"

Li Shiyue looked surprised, but quickened her pace and stopped beside him.

"I'm waiting for you. If you don't come back soon, I'm going to come find you."

Xu Yunci's expression was calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Qiu Fan, who was standing under the eaves, and Chun Ling and Lian Dong, who had followed, all blushed and lowered their heads, tacitly retreating a little further away.

Li Shiyue swallowed back the words she was about to say, glaring at him with a hint of anger, but she couldn't suppress the upturned corners of her mouth. Although she felt a little embarrassed, she was quite pleased with herself.

After dinner, night quietly fell. Tonight, with the full moon and twinkling stars, I felt a warmth spreading across my bed.

"I should attend the morning court session tomorrow."

Xu Yunci was lying flat on his back, without a blanket, his indigo undershirt open, revealing his muscular chest.

There were still water droplets on his clothes, his long legs were draped over the edge of the bed, and his gaze was fixed on the person beside him.

After taking a bath, Li Shiyue changed into a clean set of undergarments, her hair loose, and lay on her side beside him.

His palm was warm and familiar when it came up to her. Li Shiyue raised her left hand and slapped his palm away, while covering her chest with her other hand.

The ends of my hair were still damp, sticking to my forehead from the humid heat of my bath.

She glared at him, her right hand still clutching her chest: "I'm tired. I still have to check the accounts tomorrow."

Xu Yunci awkwardly withdrew his hand, his gaze shifting from her face to her bare feet on the quilt.

The woman's feet were fair and white, about the size of one and a half of his palm. Her toes were round and full, and her delicate, fair skin extended to her slender ankles.

Unfortunately, her fair and slender legs were covered by her underwear, so that was all he could see.

Xu Yunci leaned down and pressed the tip of his nose against her forehead, instantly filling his nose with the scent of the person beneath him.

"Jiaojiao..."

His voice was deep, but Li Shiyue could hear a hint of tenderness in the last syllable of his tone.

Last night, on our wedding night, and just now, this person kept calling out "Jiaojiao," which felt completely different from when he usually calls her "Yanyan."

He noticed that the person beneath him was blinking and seemed to have no energy in their eyes.

Xu Yunci reached out and pinched her cheek with some displeasure, but didn't dare to pinch too hard: "What are you thinking about?"

When Li Shiyue came to her senses, she realized that he had moved even closer, and their cheeks were almost touching when she turned her head slightly.

"nothing."

Her voice was weak as she buried her face in the blanket beneath her.

The young man was tall and slender, and although he wore a long robe, his robust physique was wrapped around her in only an undergarment.

Her earlobes were red, and Xu Yunci looked closely, his eyes deepening as if turbulent emotions were hidden within them.

He deliberately lowered his body further, his nose pointing downwards, intentionally or unintentionally brushing against her earlobe.

His voice was low and lingering: "Jiaojiao... Jiaojiao..."

The bright moon and the scorching sun are also the most beloved in his heart!

Chunling, who was waiting outside the door, took a few steps down the corridor. After all, she had not yet left her husband's family, and her face was flushed with embarrassment.

The fiery red sun slowly rose from the eastern horizon, and Li Shiyue opened her eyes groggily.

She reached out and instinctively touched the spot beside her; it was empty, but still warm.

As soon as I opened my eyes, someone hugged me through the blanket.

"It's still early, you can sleep a little longer. I'm going to the morning court session and will come back to have breakfast with you."

"Then I'll wait for you."

Li Shiyue opened her eyes a crack, clearly still not fully awake. She reached her hand out from under the covers and wrapped it around his neck, her voice alluring and seductive.

Xu Yunci's gaze moved from her face to her slender neck, where her inner garment was slightly loose, revealing the outline of her collarbone.

He sat on the edge of the bed, bending over and letting Li Shiyue, who was lying in the quilt, wrap her arms around his neck.

He lowered his head and pressed his cheek against hers. It turned out that it was so hard to say goodbye to this gentle embrace; he didn't want to go out at all.

When I looked up again, the person in the blankets had already fallen asleep again, and I couldn't even see the gap between their eyes.

"Your Highness, it's time to go out."