When Fan Changyu awoke from her slumber, she had no idea what time it was. Despite her body being conditioned by years of martial arts training, she still felt sore all over. As she changed her clothes, she glanced at her wrists, unsurprisingly noticing faint bluish fingerprints.

They were caused by Xie Zheng tying her hands to the bedpost last night when she struggled too fiercely. These minor injuries weren’t painful to her, not as severe as the bruises she got from her own martial arts practice.

But Xie Zheng last night… was a bit too unusual.

When sweat dripped from his eyelids onto her body, making her shiver uncontrollably, his obsidian-like eyes remained fixed on her, like a wolf staring at prey it had finally caught.

After their marriage, his vigor was indeed alarmingly abundant. After all, before their wedding, they only had two reckless encounters – once when he returned from a palace banquet under the influence of drugs, and another time when she rushed to save him after the coup attempt. He had been restraining himself ever since.

During the seven-day honeymoon after their wedding, except for the third day when she had to return to visit the Tao Grand Tutor, they hardly left the bedroom for the rest of the time.

After those seven days, the marriage bed in the room was directly replaced with a new one.

Last night, his fervor surpassed even those seven days after their wedding. It was also the first time he questioned her about military tactics while tormenting her. By the end, Fan Changyu’s memories were all jumbled, and she couldn’t remember what he had asked.

She vaguely recalled that when he pushed her to the point of collapse, and she said anything between sobs, he seemed to be stimulated and became even more aggressive, his eyes turning red.

When she couldn’t bear it anymore and tried to kick him, he simply grabbed her leg and hoisted it onto his shoulder…

Fan Changyu stopped her train of thought and expressionlessly tightened the soft armor on her body. As she moved, her finger joints cracked audibly.

She couldn’t confront him today. With her strength inferior to his, it would only be asking for humiliation.

The maid waiting outside heard movement from within and lifted the curtain to enter, asking, “Has the General awakened?”

As soon as she spoke, the tips of her ears turned slightly red, and she dared not look at Fan Changyu directly. “The Prince instructed the maid early this morning not to disturb the General’s rest. He also excused the General from today’s morning court session.”

“Crack—”

Another faint, crisp sound came from between her finger joints.

The maid secretly glanced up at Fan Changyu, but only heard her ask calmly, “What time is it now?”

Her voice was a bit hoarse.

The maid answered, “It’s the Hour of the Rooster (5-7 pm).”

Fan Changyu: “…”

No wonder the sky looked so gloomy; it was almost dark!

As the maid poured tea for her, Fan Changyu glanced at the surface of the dressing table. Fortunately, not only had the quilt, mattress, and soft pillows all been changed, but the dressing table had also been wiped clean…

She disliked having servants witness the aftermath of their intimate moments. Usually, it was Xie Zheng who tidied up these things.

The chaos from last night when he pinned her against the dressing mirror still made her ears burn. Fan Changyu averted her gaze, preferring not to see. She took a sip of warm tea to soothe her throat and asked, “Where is the Prince?”

At this hour, Xie Zheng would have finished the morning court session.

“The Prince returned to the mansion and saw that the General was still asleep. He sat in the room for a while and then went to the study,” the maid carefully raised her eyes to observe Fan Changyu. “Should we send someone to the study to inform the Prince?”

Fan Changyu said, “No need. Bring Ning Niang over, and have the stable prepare a carriage. The Empress Dowager has been longing to see Ning Niang. I’ll take her to the palace tonight to visit the Empress Dowager.”

The “Huainanzi • Military Strategy” states: “When the enemy is strong, fight; when weak, retreat.”

With the enemy at full strength, she couldn’t fight. Retreating was the best option.

The maid stared at Fan Changyu in surprise, uttering an “Ah,” clearly finding it odd that Fan Changyu would flee to the Imperial Palace after sleeping for a day.

Fan Changyu gave the maid a cool glance, “Do you have any doubts?”

The maid quickly shook her head, “This servant will relay the orders right away.”

When Xie Zheng received the news in his study, Fan Changyu’s carriage had already left.

Unusually, he wasn’t wearing his usual narrow-sleeved long robe, but instead a light-colored scholar’s robe. His jade-like countenance appeared even more refined, though his brows still concealed a hint of coldness from a long-held high position. The sight stunned Xie Wu, who had come to report.

Xie Zheng was holding a brush, and making annotations on a book page. Hearing the news, he only said, “She has a deep affection for the Empress Dowager. Let her go. I’ll go to fetch her in a few days.”

Xie Wu found it strange that after the Prince discovered Li Huai’an’s annotated military book, the Great General had felt unwell and stayed in her room for an entire day, and now suddenly wanted to visit the Empress Dowager in the palace.

Seeing Xie Wu still standing below, Xie Zheng’s brush paused slightly, and he raised his eyes to ask, “Is there anything else?”

Xie Wu hurriedly said, “Nothing, this subordinate will take his leave.”

As he bowed his head and cupped his fists, he noticed a book wedged under the desk. Observing its cover, he could faintly make out the character “Tiger Strategy.”

Wasn’t this the military book that Li Huai’an had annotated for the Great General…

Xie Wu’s face went through a range of expressions. Pretending he hadn’t seen anything, he bowed and retreated.

Only then did Xie Zheng set down his brush on the white porcelain brush rest. He raised his hand to press his temple, and said with an indecipherable tone, “She ran away quite quickly.”

Meanwhile, after entering the palace, Fan Changyu consumed three bowls of rice from Yu Qianqian’s Cining Palace before putting down her chopsticks.

Chang Ning had already fallen asleep in the side hall, having become drowsy during the carriage ride to the palace.

Seeing her famished state, Yu Qianqian asked in surprise, “Is the Regent Prince mistreating you? Not giving you food to eat?”

Fan Changyu waved her hand, unwilling to say much, only stating, “Qianqian, I’ll stay in your Cining Palace for a few days.”

Yu Qianqian naturally agreed, but Fan Changyu’s sudden arrival and appearance of not having eaten for a day made her ask with a strange expression, “Did you fight with the Regent Prince?”

Fan Changyu mumbled, “No.”

It wasn’t a verbal fight, but a physical one, which she didn’t win.

She didn’t know what madness had suddenly possessed Xie Zheng. To avoid falling into the tiger’s mouth again, it was best to stay away for a couple of days.

Having just finished eating, she felt a bit choked and poured herself a cup of tea, gulping it down.

As she tilted her head back, Yu Qianqian noticed the deep and light marks on her neck, immediately understanding the situation.

She teased, “So our Great General Fan, who fears nothing in heaven or earth, is afraid of the fierce husband at home.”

Fan Changyu, caught off guard, choked and coughed repeatedly. After finally calming down, she said dejectedly, “Qianqian, you’re teasing me too.”

Yu Qianqian poked her forehead, “My silly Yu’er, you’re hiding in my Cining Palace for this little matter? You’ve truly lost your general’s might.”

Fan Changyu held her teacup, the tips of her ears turning red, finding it a bit difficult to speak, “I can’t handle him.”

Yu Qianqian gave her a reproachful look, “You just give in when he wants you? You can’t just let a man have his way. Even in bed, do you want to train him like a dog? There are plenty of methods.”

Fan Changyu looked bewildered.

Seeing this, Yu Qianqian leaned over and whispered a few words in her ear. Fan Changyu’s face instantly turned red down to her neck, stammering, “I did say some soft words.”

But it seemed to have the opposite effect; he nearly broke her bones with his intensity.

Yu Qianqian looked Fan Changyu up and down, suddenly muttering, “With the Regent Prince’s… vigor, it’s no wonder you ended up in this state.”

It was the first time Fan Changyu had heard such an expression. Thinking about Xie Zheng’s narrow waist, her face reddened, but her eyes showed a hint of foolishness, “…vigor?”

Although there was no one else in the hall, Yu Qianqian still looked around cautiously before coughing twice and saying, “It’s an expression from our place, praising a man’s… prowess.”

Fan Changyu fell silent. Xie Zheng’s… stamina was indeed impressive.

Yu Qianqian noticed the faint dark circles under Fan Changyu’s eyes and, knowing from Qi Yu that she had taken sick leave from the morning court session, pondered for a moment before saying to Fan Changyu, “Since the Regent Prince is so dominant in that matter, you shouldn’t confront him head-on, but don’t be too soft either. In the former case, he’ll only want to subdue you, and in the latter… the only time you can show weakness to him is in bed, so how could he not go all out in tormenting you?”

Fan Changyu: “…”

Yu Qianqian, seemingly thinking of something, leaned over and whispered a few more words in her ear. Fan Changyu let out an “Ah,” her clear eyes showing a hint of helplessness, her face turning even redder.

Yu Qianqian rested her chin on her hand, smiling, “I think this is the only way to control that husband of yours.”

She then winked and pulled out a book of erotic illustrations from a drawer, handing it to her, “Take this and study it. Learn a few more positions. When I saw these illustrations, I thought the ancients were much more adventurous than the people of our time.”

Fan Changyu was thus pushed into the side hall by Yu Qianqian, clutching the book of erotic illustrations.

She sat on the edge of the bed, flipped through two pages by the light of the palace lantern, and promptly stuffed the book under her pillow before lying down to sleep.

Early the next morning, Yu Qianqian was awakened by the sound of staff practice in the courtyard. After being dressed by palace maids, she opened the door to see Fan Changyu in tight-fitting clothes, wielding a long staff in the courtyard. Her movements were swift and powerful – thrusting, parrying, striking, and chopping – flowing like water. Many young palace maids stood under the palace corridor, watching Fan Changyu practice with flushed cheeks.

Yu Qianqian yawned and asked, “Why are you up so early? Didn’t you want to sleep in?”

Fan Changyu ended her staff routine. Sweat-dampened strands of hair clung to her forehead. On one side, she wore soft silver armor; on the other, a diagonally cut tea-white brocade robe with both civil and military sleeves. She exuded a heroic aura, her eyes reflecting the morning light with an unconscious allure.

She said, “I’ve figured it out. No matter how much I learn, nothing is as effective as having a strong fist. Practicing martial arts is more practical.”

Yu Qianqian: “…”

Suddenly, she wasn’t so alluring any more, just that silly girl again.

As it happened to be a rest day, the officials didn’t have to attend the morning court.

Qi Yu came to Cining Palace to pay his respects to Yu Qianqian and learned that Fan Changyu and her sister had entered the palace the night before. He accompanied Yu Qianqian for breakfast.

While Fan Changyu and Yu Qianqian chatted about family matters, he focused intently on putting various foods into Chang Ning’s bowl, eventually piling it into a small mountain.

Chang Ning kept shoveling food into her mouth but still couldn’t keep up with the speed at which the food was piling up in her bowl. Finally, she became agitated and mumbled, “Stop adding more! I can’t finish it!”

Her outburst drew the attention of Fan Changyu and Yu Qianqian to the two little ones.

Qi Yu sat upright, and if it weren’t for the small mountain of food in Chang Ning’s bowl, no one would have known what he had been doing.

Yu Qianqian couldn’t help but laugh, “In the year since our treasure ascended the throne, he’s only been happier when Long Ning comes to the palace with you. I think it’s because this child is too lonely, and the burden on his shoulders is too heavy, making him more and more withdrawn. I was discussing with the Imperial Tutor a few days ago about selecting some study companions for him.”

At this point, Yu Qianqian suddenly paused and looked at Fan Changyu, “Aren’t you still worried about finding a tutor for Ning Niang? Why don’t… we let Ning Niang come to the palace?”

Fan Changyu hurriedly said, “Selecting study companions for His Majesty means they’ll be learning statecraft with Master Gongsun and will help His Majesty share his burdens in the future. Ning Niang is still young and mischievous. I’m afraid she might disturb His Majesty instead.”

Qi Yu suddenly spoke up, “We won’t be disturbed.”

Fan Changyu was somewhat surprised. She looked up and met a pair of sincere puppy eyes.

Although he was already a young emperor, when he looked at people this way, he still revealed a pitiful and lonely air.