Xu Nian cried terribly. She didn't even know how long she had been locked in the room. Every day after court, Zhao Zhen would look at her with a gloomy expression.
"Husband, I want to go for a walk. Will you come with me?" After finishing lunch, Xu Nian felt that things couldn't go on like this any longer.
Going against Zhao Zhen would be bad for her, while he seemed perfectly fine, full of energy as if he had been replenishing his yin and yang.
"Where would Madam like to go?" Zhao Zhen put down his chopsticks, his expression indifferent.
"Let's just walk around the mansion. I saw last time that many of the flowers in the garden are about to bloom." Xu Nian admitted that she was a coward, so she only dared to make these simple requests.
Seeing the expectation in Xu Nian's eyes, and that she wanted him to accompany her, Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Let's go then!"
Finally out of the room, Xu Nian was so excited looking at the world outside!
This flower is beautiful, this tree is growing well, and the fish in that water are really plump.
Although she didn't encounter a single person along the way, Xu Nian didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Zhao Zhen held Xu Nian's hand as they walked through the familiar mansion, feeling a rare sense of peace and tranquility.
“Madam, the Xu family has recently encountered some trouble. Would you like me to help them?” Zhao Zhen thought it would be good for Xu Nian to know about this.
He didn't know how much Xu Nian cared about the Xu family, but if the Xu family declined and he stood by and did nothing today, Xu Nian might resent him later.
"Encountering trouble?" Xu Nian asked in surprise; the Calamity Talisman was starting to take effect.
"Minister Xu has been impeached in court for several days in a row. Emperor Rong is biased and has already sent Minister Xu home to await orders." Zhao Zhen's words were conservative. "Sending him home to await orders" meant that he could lose his official position at any time.
Xu Nian: "How is the Xu family?"
“The Xu family has been having a lot of bad luck lately. Several of their shops have closed down due to product quality issues. The eldest son of the second branch of the Xu family got into a fight with the son of the Vice Minister of War over a courtesan. As for your brother, he’s supposedly become addicted to gambling, and debt collectors are coming to the Xu residence to collect their debts.” After Zhao Zhen finished speaking, he noticed that Xu Nian not only didn’t seem sad or upset, but even had a smile on her lips.
Zhao Zhen suddenly realized: "Madam, do you have a grudge against the Xu family?"
"After you received the letter of severance, people from the Xu family came to the General's Mansion to see me, right?" Xu Nian wasn't afraid that Zhao Zhen would think she was of bad character, and instead generously nodded in acknowledgment.
"They did come, but I sent them all back." Zhao Zhen was obsessed with Xu Nian during that time. Whenever the Xu family wanted to see her, he would send them away without a second thought.
"They came to me not to make me go back to the Xu family, but to make me die for their reputation!" Xu Nian sneered.
"What? How could you? You left the General's Mansion and went back to the Xu family that day." Zhao Zhen quickly figured it out.
"The Xu family is doing quite well now. The reputation they valued so much is gone, and their days of luxury are coming to an end." Xu Nianqing smiled, but perhaps due to the original owner's emotions, tears kept falling.
But the joy she felt made her feel so relaxed.
"Madam, don't cry. If you don't like the Xu family, I won't mention it again." Zhao Zhen wiped away Xu Nian's tears and gently coaxed her.
"Zhao Zhen, you're all I have left." Xu Nian took the opportunity to feign pitifulness.
Since she's going to spend her whole life with the male lead, constantly giving him attitude won't work. Occasionally, she should act cute and play the victim to make him happy so that they can have a long-lasting and harmonious relationship.
She didn't want to be locked up and forced into sexual acts by Zhao Zhen at the drop of a hat.
"Don't cry, madam. You're all I have."
...
Zhao Zhen was actually very busy. Apart from eating and sleeping with her, Xu Nian didn't see him at other times.
Seeing that she was sullen, her head maidservant tried to tell her some interesting stories about the capital.
But all the funny stories eventually come to an end, and Xu Nian got bored again.
Realizing that he had never read any of the storybooks from this era, his curiosity was immediately piqued, and he promptly ordered his head maid to buy all the popular storybooks in the capital.
Leaning back on the couch, Xu Nian flipped through the storybook, the lyrical content even accompanied by illustrations.
Xu Nian glanced at her head maid and was certain that she had bought a storybook, not some kind of picture book.
"Madam, what's wrong?" The head maid was very uneasy when she saw Xu Nian looking at her without saying a word, afraid that she had done something wrong and made the lady angry.
"It's nothing, Cui Cui, go make a cup of tea." Xu Nian put her eyes back on the storybook and continued reading.
Wow! This drawing is so lifelike. It would be even more perfect if the people in the drawing were a little more attractive.
Wow! I didn't know you could do that. Amazing!
Hmm! Is this a movement that a human could make?
After finishing reading the storybook, Xu Nian put it down, picked up the tea that had long since gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Cui Cui, put these storybooks away and hide them. I'll read them next time."
It was almost time; Zhao Zhen would be back soon. She couldn't let him know that she was reading storybooks.
"Yes, Madam." The head maid, Cui Cui, took the storybook and put it away.
As soon as the book was put down, Zhao Zhen pushed the door open and came in. He went straight to Xu Nian and picked her up.
"Zhao Zhen, what are you doing?" Xu Nian wrapped her arms around the man's neck and said coquettishly.
"The border is in dire need of information, and Emperor Rong has ordered me to lead an expedition. I am worried about leaving you alone in the General's Mansion." Zhao Zhen was mainly worried that Xu Nian would stay in the General's Mansion waiting for him to return.
He feared that once the war was over, his wife would be gone too.
"Wait, are you taking me to the battlefield?" Xu Nian remembered that there was a rule that women could not be brought into battle.
"Madam, I can only fight with peace of mind if I bring you along." Zhao Zhen practically had it written all over his face: he was afraid Xu Nian would run away.
"Okay, but have you prepared clothes for me?" Xu Nian and Zhao Zhen both understood that Xu Nian couldn't go openly; she would have to disguise herself.
"Everything's ready. The clothes will be delivered soon. Let's eat first." Zhao Zhen let go of Xu Nian, and Cui Cui came in just then, carrying the food for the two of them.
One should not speak while eating or sleeping.
After dinner, her clothes were delivered. Xu Nian changed her clothes, and Zhao Zhen combed her hair.
Although Xu Nian had changed into men's clothing and styled her hair with a crown, she knew it wouldn't work when she saw her cold yet charming face in the mirror.
So, under Zhao Zhen's gaze, she took out all the rouge and powder and began to apply them to her face.
Her fair skin was covered up, her delicate eyebrows were thickened, her rosy lips were whitened, and then various makeup was applied to her face, transforming Xu Nian from a cold and beautiful young lady into a sickly young master.
"Madam's skills are quite impressive. Is this a disguise technique?" If Zhao Zhen hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have been able to tell whether the person in front of him was a man or a woman.
"It's not disguise, it's makeup." Xu Nian smiled. What she did was just makeup; truly skilled makeup could actually change one's face.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen did not ask any further questions, but instead said, "Madam is ready, let's go!"
"Okay." Xu Nian thought to himself that this battle was really urgent, since Zhao Zhen was ordered to set off overnight.
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