Study Teaching
“I’ve naturally changed too.”
Shen Qianyue adjusted her sitting posture slightly, her back still as straight as a pine tree, her demeanor solemn and dignified, with a sense of heaviness that came from having experienced the trials of life.
"As a child, you owe filial piety to your elderly parents. As a wife, you manage the household, balance internal and external affairs, and deal with the undercurrents of the court. As a mother, you protect your young children, devoting all your energy and planning for them. With so much on your shoulders, it would be foolish to cling to the old ways and never change."
Xie Shangjia fell silent and turned his gaze back to the scenery outside the window.
Her words "foolish beyond measure" were like a heavy shackle that weighed on his troubled soul. In his eyes, Shen Qianyue had not changed. She was still like the bright moon hanging high in the sky, out of reach. Although many years had passed, her appearance was still outstanding.
But she has indeed changed. After being tempered by time, she has become stronger and more resolute than before.
Shen Qianyue didn't care whether he replied or not. She didn't need Xie Shangjia's approval, let alone his understanding.
Her change is the inevitable result of responsibility, the law of survival, the ironclad evidence that she controls her own destiny, and the iron wall she has built for herself and her daughter in this vortex of power.
The only sounds in the carriage were the sound of the wheels rolling over the ground and the occasional crackling sparks from the charcoal brazier.
When she returned home, Jinyu was already waiting for her with Li'er in her arms.
"Thank you, Madam. Dinner is ready. The princess wants to wait for you, so I brought her out to wait."
Chen Qianyue had already put on the snow-white fox fur she wore when she left and handed the gray squirrel cloak to Jinyu.
"Mommy, hold me!" Li'er was wearing very thick clothes and looked like a small glutinous rice dumpling.
Shen Qianyue touched her head and turned to look at Xie Shangjia, who was looking listless.
Xie Shangjia didn't understand, and Jinyu teased him.
"Thank you, Master. Madam is tired. Could you please take the trouble to hold the little princess?"
Li'er smiled and said, "Then Daddy will hold you!"
Xie Shangjia picked her up and touched her head. Li'er rubbed Xie Shangjia's face with her furry head, and Xie Shangjia curled his lips and smiled.
"Mom! Daddy is unhappy, and Li'er made him laugh!"
Shen Qianyue raised her hand and flicked her little head: "You."
Li'er made a face and then, smiling, began to talk about interesting things in the mansion, the swallow's nest on the eaves, the cat running through the bushes...
The heavy red door of the Shangshu Mansion closed behind them. Jinyu smiled secretly as she watched the three of them walking side by side. The Shangshu was really not very smart when he was young.
Dinner was served in silence.
Li'er ate a lot of cakes while waiting for them, so she wasn't very hungry. Xie Shangjia was in a bad mood and had no appetite, so Li'er picked up a lot of dishes for him. Xie Shangjia was a little embarrassed, so Shen Qianyue put down the silver chopsticks.
"Don't force yourself to eat if you can't. I should probably go to the study soon."
The maid came forward silently and cleared away the dishes.
She stood up and walked calmly to the study to deal with the pile of documents. That was Xie Shangjia's responsibility, and now she was responsible for handling it all.
As long as the imperial edict does not arrive and Xie Shangjia is not announced to be suspended, these documents will be sent to the Shangshu Mansion without fail.
"Chen Qianyue, I'll go with you." Xie Shangjia rubbed his fingers awkwardly.
Shen Qianyue's gaze lingered on his face for a moment. Without asking why, she simply nodded calmly, "As you wish."
The study was brightly lit with candles.
Chen Qianyue sat down behind the large rosewood desk, spreading out rolls of documents, her eyes calm and focused, her whole body emitting a solemn aura that brooked no disturbance.
Xie Shangjia was lying on a small couch covered with a thick velvet blanket in the corner of the study. He was playing with Li'er's childish toys. Little Li'er was holding a cloth tiger and was having a lot of fun playing with Xie Shangjia, making "cackle" sounds.
Shen Qianyue looked up at them in the corner, and her eyes met Xie Shangjia's who was looking at her. She smiled and continued to deal with the paperwork.
Xie Shangjia lowered his head guiltily, the image of Shen Qianyue's gentle smile lingering in his mind.
The candle was half burned.
Li'er began to twist restlessly on the couch, and her eyelids began to twitch.
"Daddy, Li'er is sleepy, can you sing?"
Xie Shangjia held Li'er awkwardly in his arms. His voice was dry as he tried to comfort her, humming a tuneless nursery rhyme with words that were jumbled and disjointed. It was more like a stuttering recitation than singing, with no rhythm at all.
Li'er's big black eyes were half-closed, and gradually, her tense little body relaxed.
Shen Qianyue raised her eyes from the document and quietly fell on the corner.
The candlelight softly outlined the silhouette of Xie Shangjia squatting beside the small couch. His tall body was hunched, his posture was awkward, and his face had an almost pious clumsiness and caution.
The discordant humming sounded particularly clear and awkward in the silent study. A very faint, indistinguishable emotion flashed across her eyes, as fast as a shooting star.
Shen Qianyue lowered her eyes again, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, and made clear and powerful comments on the document, as if she didn't care about the clumsy warmth in the corner.
Li'er finally couldn't resist the sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep to the discordant "lullaby", her little face peaceful.
Xie Shangjia let out a long sigh, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He tucked in the corners of the quilt for his daughter, then froze, staring at his hands. It seemed like tucked-in quilt corners for Li'er had become a muscle memory.
He tiptoed to the armchair below Shen Qianyue and sat down, his eyes involuntarily drifting to the quiet figure behind the desk.
Shen Qianyue had just finished reviewing a document and closed it. She raised her eyes and swept her gaze calmly over Xie Shangjia. It seemed like just a casual glance, but she accurately captured the remaining confusion in his eyes and a hint of curiosity about the matters on the desk.
"Come here." Her voice was not loud, with her usual coldness, but it was not an order, but more like a natural guidance.
Xie Shangjia was stunned for a moment, then his heart skipped a beat. He stood up as he was told and walked to the desk and stood still.
Shen Qianyue casually picked up another unopened document, placed it on the edge of the desk, and motioned for him to read it.
"This is the Ministry of Works' proposal on the repair of the Qin Grand Canal." Her voice was steady and clear, as if she was teaching the most basic lessons.
"Look at the opening paragraph, which describes the current situation and the need for repairs, focusing on 'siltation,' 'years of flooding,' and 'obstruction of merchant ships.'"
She turned slightly to the side, motioning Xie Shangjia to come closer.
A faint, cold fragrance belonging to her quietly entered Xie Shangjia's nostrils as she moved. He subconsciously held his breath, but his body involuntarily leaned forward, his eyes falling on the words she was pointing to.
Shen Qianyue stretched out her slender finger and pointed somewhere in the middle of the document.
"Look here again." Her fingertips were white and her nails were trimmed cleanly and roundly. When she touched the ink-colored handwriting, there was a strange attraction.
"This is the budget and construction period they proposed. The figures must be carefully checked and compared with previous years' practices and the actual market prices of materials to see if the construction period is reasonable. We also need to consider the season and the difficulty of recruiting laborers."
Her voice rang in his ears, and her cool breath brushed against his earlobe faintly.
Xie Shangjia only felt his ears slightly burning, and his attention was completely unable to focus on those boring numbers and descriptions of the fortifications.
His gaze involuntarily shifted from the paperwork to the hand so close at hand, pointing out the world, then slid down the elegant, wide sleeve to her calm profile. The candlelight cast a small shadow under her long, thick eyelashes, making her expression even more focused and... charming.
Shen Qianyue didn't notice or care about his momentary distraction and continued, her fingertips sliding to the end of the document.
"Finally, there's the closing request for approval. Whether the wording is respectful and sincere is secondary. The key is whether they have clearly stated all the necessary information and whether their demands are clear. If there are no omissions, then we can consider approving the request."
As she spoke, she picked up a spare fine-bristle pen, dipped it in ink, and handed it to him naturally: "Try to write your opinion in the blank."
Xie Shangjia took the pen almost stiffly. The cold pen made his confused thoughts clear up a little. He looked down at the document. The handwriting seemed to be jumping. He tried hard to recall the main points he had just said and tried to organize his words, but he felt that his mind was blank. The tip of the pen hung on the paper, and he couldn't put it down.
At this moment, a slightly cool hand gently placed on the back of his hand holding the pen. The touch was delicate and carried unquestionable strength.
Xie Shangjia's whole body stiffened, his blood seemed to solidify instantly, and then suddenly boiled again. He raised his head and met Shen Qianyue's eyes, which were still so close to him. There was still calmness in her eyes, only pure guidance, as if a teacher was just correcting a student's wrong pen-holding posture.
Shen Qianyue's voice remained steady, and her breath brushed across his cheek, carrying a hint of cool fragrance.
"Relax your wrist and use your strength in your fingertips, not your wrist. This way, your writing will be steady and the ink color will be even."
Her fingers guided Xie Shangjia to slightly adjust the angle and strength of his pen grip, and her movements were smooth and natural.
However, for Xie Shangjia, this brief touch of skin and the blending of breath so close to him were like a stone thrown into the lake of his heart, instantly stirring up waves.
A strange and burning throbbing surged from the backs of their touching hands, rushing straight to the top of his head, burning his cheeks hot and his heart beating like a drum. He froze there, not daring to move, only feeling the slightly cool and soft hand covering the back of his hand, making his whole body stiff and numb.
Shen Qianyue seemed to have completed the "guidance" and naturally withdrew her hand, as if the touch just now was just to brush away a piece of dust.
"Write it." She said calmly, her eyes returning to the documents on her desk, as if the ambiguous moment just now had never happened.
Xie Shangjia, however, seemed to be under a spell, standing stiffly in place, holding the pen. The lingering cool touch on the back of his hand and her cool breath were like a lingering brand.
The documents and ink in front of him were a blur. The only sound was the deafening thump of his heart in his chest. He raised his hand and touched his heart, thinking that it was beating too loudly. Would Shen Qianyue hear it?
In the study, candlelight flickered, and warm light filled the air. Li'er was sleeping soundly in the corner, while beside the desk, a soul was completely lost in the chaotic interweaving of ice and fire.
This silent "teaching" in the quiet night stirred his heart more deeply than any storm.
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