Cheng Chi immediately understood Zhou Shaojin’s meaning.

He was somewhat surprised.

In his view, eating and sex were human nature—nothing to be embarrassed about.

He hadn’t expected her to be concerned even about his mother.

Did this mean she would also be concerned about the servants attending to her?

Cheng Chi kissed her cheek, saying softly: “Have Nanny Fan manage the affairs around you, and have Nanny Shang manage the matters in your chambers. What do you think?”

Zhou Shaojin thought this was quite good.

Nanny Fan wasn’t originally that formidable a person. In her previous life, it was only for her sake that she had no choice but to step forward and shield her from the wind and rain. In this lifetime, why not let her have it easier if she could? Moreover, that Nanny Shang was no ordinary person—Fourth Brother had his reasons for arranging things this way.

She nodded obediently.

Cheng Chi cupped her face and kissed her for a long while before saying softly: “You should wash up too, and we’ll go see Mother.”

Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief.

She had been so afraid that if Cheng Chi continued, more complications would arise.

Before Cheng Chi could get out of bed, she had already hurriedly slipped on her shoes.

This brought another bout of hearty laughter from Cheng Chi.

After dawdling in the room for quite some time, the two went to Old Madam Guo’s quarters.

Old Madam Guo had received word upon waking that Cheng Chi had returned and had gone to the main chamber first.

A brief separation was better than a new marriage.

But the matters in Jining were significant affairs.

She wasn’t quite sure whether her son would see his wife first before discussing the Jining matters with her, or discuss the Jining matters first before seeing his wife… She had slowly gotten out of bed and was sitting before the mirror having Chenxiang comb her hair when Zhenzhu walked in with a beaming smile, saying: “Fourth Master and Fourth Madam have arrived.”

Old Madam Guo couldn’t help but smile and nod.

In such a short time, the two couldn’t possibly have done anything.

To be able to climb out of the warm embrace of one’s beloved showed he was someone capable of great things.

Old Madam Guo quickly said: “Invite them in quickly. The weather is so cold, we mustn’t let them catch a chill.”

Her tone couldn’t help but reveal her joy.

Zhenzhu smiled in acknowledgment and went to invite Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi inside.

Seeing her son wearing a half-worn indigo blue fine cotton-padded robe, his hair combed neatly, his face clean—dressed as he would be at home—Old Madam Guo knew he had been attended to during his washing, and felt even more pleased. She then looked at Zhou Shaojin, who wore her hair in a bun, a pink plain jacket, and an oil-green eight-panel skirt, standing gracefully beside her son like a matching pair of jade discs. Old Madam Guo’s smile spread uncontrollably across her face. She pointed to the master’s chair beside her for her son to sit, but beckoned Zhou Shaojin to sit next to her.

This put Zhou Shaojin sitting higher than Cheng Chi.

She felt slightly uncomfortable.

Old Madam Guo smiled: “We’re family, no need to stand on such ceremony.” Then she asked Cheng Chi about the matters in Jining Prefecture: “What exactly happened? Your eldest brother has one version, Grand Secretary Song has another, and your second brother yet another.”

Cheng Chi then recounted how he had been sent to Jining Prefecture on Grand Secretary Song’s instructions, how he had used force to counter force to control those officials who had incited the civil unrest, how the Commander of the Jining Guard had been too timid and afraid to step forward, and how he had forced that Commander and the prefectural offices of Jining, Qingpu, and other places to come forward to pacify the laborers and punish the officials… Even hearing about it after the fact made Old Madam Guo and Zhou Shaojin’s hearts hang in suspense, not to mention what the actual situation must have been like.

Old Madam Guo sighed and patted Zhou Shaojin’s hand, saying: “Fortunately you handled it properly. Your brothers and Grand Secretary Song both had people speak for you before the Emperor, which is why you were able to get through this danger unscathed. In the future, when you encounter such situations, you mustn’t try to be so brave. You must know that matters in this world cannot be decided by any one person. Even the Emperor sometimes must yield to the Cabinet, and even the Cabinet sometimes must yield to the Inner Palace. I don’t need to tell you this—you understand. In being an official, the most important thing is knowing how to balance these relationships. Otherwise, you’ll be unable to move forward. Even if you want to do something for the common people, you’ll have the will but lack the power.”

Cheng Chi respectfully accepted her teaching.

Seeing the atmosphere suddenly become serious, Old Madam Guo smiled: “Alright, alright. I’m old now, past my time. The future is yours. If there’s reason in what I say, listen to it. If there’s no reason, just take it as your mother’s moaning and groaning without real illness, and don’t take it to heart.”

Zhou Shaojin greatly admired her.

Though the Old Madam was advanced in years, her thinking was clear—her mind was more active than those of young people.

She couldn’t help but think of her former mother-in-law, Lin Shisheng’s mother.

Mother Lin didn’t manage any affairs outside the household, but everything in the inner residence had to be according to her wishes. When Zhou Shaojin wanted to eat Longjing shrimp, the cook had gone to great lengths to make it. When Mother Lin found out, she had frowned and criticized her: “What strange and peculiar tastes. In the future, don’t always be thinking of these unsuitable things.”

In Mother Lin’s heart, only Beijing cuisine was the proper way of the world.

Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

In her previous life, Mother Lin had passed away in the winter of the second year after she married into the Lin family.

Which meant that around this time next year, Mother Lin would die of illness.

And Mother Lin’s death was entirely due to a minor cold.

She should inform Lin Shisheng.

But how could she tell Lin Shisheng?

She didn’t want to have too much contact with the Mu family’s eldest daughter.

In her previous life, she had been jealous that she had both sons and daughters.

Although she knew full well that this jealousy of hers was unreasonable, it was like a knot in her heart—thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable.

That evening, she lay on Cheng Chi’s body discussing this matter.

Since Cheng Chi knew about her reluctance regarding their bedroom matters, how could he destroy his own foundation by greedily seeking momentary pleasure?

He wore only underpants and had stripped Zhou Shaojin down to just her undergarment and silk pants, holding her while talking under the covers.

Zhou Shaojin’s body indeed became soft.

When he occasionally took small liberties, she would only blush and gaze at him plaintively with her misty eyes.

Cheng Chi sucked in a cold breath, finally understanding what was meant by “bringing disaster upon oneself.”

He had just barely managed to cool down when Zhou Shaojin brought up the Lin family matter.

“Wealth and rank are determined by heaven.” Cheng Chi breathed in the fragrance at her neck, playing with her slender fingers, saying somewhat distractedly, “How long a person lives is all recorded in the Book of Life and Death by the King of Hell. How could you control it? You’ve already interfered in the Lin family’s affairs once—don’t interfere again.”

Zhou Shaojin really liked lying on Cheng Chi’s body like this.

When he wore clothes, his body didn’t seem like anything special, but stripped like this, it was quite solid, and his scent was so pleasant… She wanted him to hold her while sleeping.

Hearing Cheng Chi say this, she couldn’t help but tilt her head, finding a more comfortable position for herself, and said hesitantly: “Is this alright? Master Lin did take me in after all…”

Cheng Chi smiled: “He did take you in, but you also made that Mu family eldest daughter his wife in fact if not in name. Think about it—besides you, who else would respect that Miss Mu like that? You’re even. This was just a transaction, mutually agreeable.

“If he had any improper thoughts toward you, that would be his fault. For him to treat you this way is as it should be. Moreover, after your rebirth, the first thing you did was help the Mu family out of their predicament.

“By bringing the two of them together, even if you wanted to repay a debt of gratitude, you’ve more than done right by him. Think about it—if not for you, could he have smoothly married the Mu family’s eldest daughter? After the Mu family’s incident, could the Mu family’s womenfolk have remained safe and sound? If you hadn’t helped him, where else would he have found someone as good as you to help him buy back the Mu family’s eldest daughter? Who else would be willing to be only his wife in name?

“Stop worrying about their family’s affairs. If they notice you’re helping them, how will you explain it? And what if they misunderstand you—how will you explain then?”

That was true!

She could help Mu Shisheng for a time, but she couldn’t help him for a lifetime.

But to know clearly that Mother Lin would die from a minor cold and remain indifferent—her heart still couldn’t quite accept that.

Yet what Fourth Brother said also made sense.

How could she go against Fourth Brother’s wishes?

Seeing her face show hesitation, Cheng Chi knew her heart couldn’t let it go. He smiled, sighed, and ruffled her hair, saying: “When the time comes, give them a warning. If they can heed it, fine. If they can’t, you mustn’t force it. Understand?”

“I understand, I understand!” Zhou Shaojin happily agreed, and couldn’t help but extend her frost-white arms around Cheng Chi’s neck and kiss his face.

Cheng Chi hummed in dissatisfaction, saying: “Is that how perfunctorily you treat me?”

“No!” Zhou Shaojin blushed, murmuring. Thinking that between them it was always Cheng Chi who took the initiative, she gently kissed Cheng Chi again.

Those pink lips were like the first flower blooming on branches in early spring—tender, delicate, and carrying a hint of timidity.

The blood in Cheng Chi’s entire body boiled.

He smiled bitterly.

Sometimes one truly couldn’t be a gentleman!

He and Zhou Shaojin’s lips and teeth entwined as he intimately explored the secrets of her body.

Zhou Shaojin burned, trembled, convulsed, moaned, whimpered… Her memory became fragmented, only remembering that she clutched his neck tightly, pleading softly in his ear “don’t do this… I feel uncomfortable… take me, won’t you… please don’t do this anymore…”

It seemed the entire night was spent in the agony of seeking but not obtaining.

Yet she didn’t know what she was seeking.

When she woke the next day, Cheng Chi was no longer in bed.

But unlike usual mornings when even with the heated brick bed there would be a hint of chill within the bed curtains, there was an indescribable warmth flowing within the canopy.

She lay properly under the covers, the pillow beside her neat and square, as if no one had used it.

Zhou Shaojin thought of last night’s absurdity.

Was it a dream?

She bit her lip and anxiously looked down, pulling open her collar to look inside.

The pink paired-lotus undergarment wrapped her fullness.

Even the friction of her collar against the peaks made them ache slightly.

Zhou Shaojin’s face suddenly burned hot.

From the corner of her eye, she saw marks blooming like flowers near her collarbone.

Like a finger being pricked, Zhou Shaojin hastily let go and wrapped herself tightly in the covers.

Fourth Brother… was so wicked!

Although he hadn’t actually made love to her, those actions and behaviors… she really hadn’t known there were so many variations… it might have been better if he had just taken her…

Zhou Shaojin bit her lip, gazing at the blue-green lotus pattern on the canopy overhead, her face alternating between red and pink. After a long while, she kicked the covers in frustration, threw them off, got out of bed, and rummaged through the trunks containing her dowry… Behind her came Chun Wan’s surprised voice: “Madam, what are you doing? What are you looking for? Why didn’t you tell us when you got up?” As she spoke, she had already draped a garment over her shoulders, saying: “Madam, quickly get back in bed and keep warm. Just tell me what you’re looking for.”

Zhou Shaojin’s shoulders drooped.

She was looking for that spring picture book she had thrown somewhere… How could she tell Chun Wan that!