“I’ve also said before—I’ve never had a second choice.”

Seventh Miss’s voice was not loud at all, rarely revealing weakness.

Xu Fengjia’s breathing immediately grew heavy.

“Yang Qi, with your stubborn temper toward everyone, how did you make it to where you are today?” Yet when he spoke, he clearly suppressed his own anger. Though the mockery in his words was evident, it lacked that blade-sharp edge. “Can’t you soften toward me, say a few nice words?”

Seventh Miss suddenly relaxed.

Facing Xu Fengjia, she easily pushed herself too hard. She knew he was too aggressive, too demanding, so she was especially vigilant, not daring to give Xu Fengjia the slightest opening.

But he had just let her off… let her clear refusal simply pass.

If he were to threaten her with leaving, Seventh Miss had no second choice. She needed Xu Fengjia to stay. Even if it meant unwillingly facing herself, she had no choice but to do so.

Heaven knew how much she feared this… The mask worn too long, she almost couldn’t remember what it felt like to expose her true self before another person.

“But if I said nice words,” her voice took on a trace of amusement, “I’d be lying to you.”

Xu Fengjia irritably tightened his grip on the hair in his hand, bringing a subtle pulling pain. Seventh Miss cried out softly, unhappily swatting at his hand. “That hurts! Let go.”

“Beg me.”

“Childish!” Seventh Miss simply tried to pry Xu Fengjia’s fingers open, but how could she match a military officer’s strength? “You’re shameless!”

“Beg me.” Young Master Xu was not offended, continuing his demand.

Seventh Miss had to be the more mature one. “Shengluan, please let go…”

Only then did the Young Master willingly release his grip. She quickly grabbed all her hair, sweeping her tresses to the far side before relaxing and lying back down on the pillow.

“Were all these wounds from the naval battle?” She stared at the thin white gauze in the dim light, her hands quietly clenching into fists. “Are Western firearms really that formidable? Is Great Qin’s navy completely incomparable?”

Xu Fengjia fell silent.

“The truth?” His voice held a trace of bitterness. “Compared to thirty years ago during the maritime ban, Westerners have already changed their firearms several times over, while we’re still… This battle’s failure was certainly related to my lack of skill in naval warfare, but underestimating the firearms in Prince Lu’s hands was also a reason.”

Seventh Miss frowned, constantly telling herself in her heart: This is the march of history. No matter how capable she was, she couldn’t reverse the nation’s fortunes. Besides, she was just a small woman struggling desperately to survive—where did she get the ability to concern herself with national affairs?

She sighed deeply, murmuring, “Going to the Southern Seas, if you can bring firearms back to the country, that would at least be a good thing. But however you look at it, you’re the most suitable person for this—the navy was trained by you, the ships were built under your supervision. Even without Prince Lu’s matter, the Emperor probably would have put you with the fleet. Once you go, whether you can return is another matter entirely…”

Not to mention Great Qin—even in modern times, deaths during ocean voyages were commonplace. Though Xu Fengjia was young and valiant, at sea, many things were simply beyond his control. Compared to ocean voyages, she’d rather he go to war—at least on land, he fought the kind of warfare he excelled at.

Xu Fengjia made a low sound of agreement, then reminded Seventh Miss, “Never mind the Emperor—even with Father, without a passable reason, it would be very difficult to decline this assignment.”

Only then did Seventh Miss remember that Xu Fengjia was ultimately still the heir apparent. If one were strict about it, Duke Pingguo was the family head. Whether Xu Fengjia went to the Southern Seas or not—his own word counted for nothing.

Just from the information Xu Fengjia had provided, this Southern Seas voyage seemed inevitable.

“What exactly are you scheming?” She asked Xu Fengjia softly. “Things have reached this point—can you really not go?”

Xu Fengjia’s voice took on more amusement.

“Want to know?” The familiar teasing emerged again.

“Obviously.” Seventh Miss responded without thinking, blurting it out.

Soft laughter immediately echoed through the quiet room.

“Beg me.”

Seventh Miss was instantly speechless. She turned her eyes away, grinding her teeth, ultimately humbling herself and compromising. “Shengluan, please tell me?” If this matter weren’t truly intimately related to her… she absolutely wouldn’t beg Xu Fengjia!

Being away on official business for a few months versus going abroad for several years were ultimately two completely different matters. Just for the sake of the twins, he shouldn’t be away from the family for so long… In the deepest corner of her heart, she sneered coldly at the excuses she was finding: No matter how many excuses, they were ultimately just excuses.

Seventh Miss shook her head again, shaking off inappropriate wild thoughts.

“Even if you beg me, I won’t tell you yet.” Xu Fengjia laughed genuinely, ruffling Seventh Miss’s head. “Sleep! Tomorrow after discussing with Father, I’ll give you an answer.”

Creating mystery!

Seventh Miss turned over, glaring at Xu Fengjia’s profile. Seeing that after speaking, he turned on his side and seemingly truly didn’t plan to discuss this topic further, she could only reluctantly accept this reality: Regarding the question of whether Xu Fengjia would leave the capital, she was truly completely passive.

Countless thoughts churned in her mind. After consummating the marriage, there were many matters waiting for her to handle… She calculated for a while, couldn’t help yawning slightly, thinking only that with someone sharing this bed, it was so cramped—she’d need to change to a larger bed another day… Then Seventh Miss fell into deep sleep.

The next day when she rose to pay respects to Grand Madam Ni, her dark circles were so heavy that even powder couldn’t conceal them, and her movements showed obvious stiffness.

Grand Madam Ni laughed when she saw this, her attitude toward Seventh Miss softening slightly. The old lady teasingly pointed at Seventh Miss’s neck. “That child Fengjia is just too impatient… still carrying wounds on his body!”

Seventh Miss’s face immediately reddened. She bit her lip without speaking.

Last night Xu Fengjia had left two or three red marks by her ear—ones that collars or face powder equally couldn’t hide.

Fortunately, the men had all gone to Menghua Pavilion and hadn’t come in, otherwise the scene would certainly have been more awkward—last night the two had talked until the latter half of the night. Seventh Miss had also slept restlessly. No matter how much she maintained composure, showing discomfort in her movements was unavoidable.

First Young Madam also couldn’t help showing a trace of teasing, smiling as she glanced at Seventh Miss, pursing her lips in a slight smile. Fifth Young Madam was even more enthusiastic, covering her mouth in continuous laughter, as if Grand Madam Ni had told an extremely funny joke.

Only Fourth Young Madam’s face showed embarrassment. She just pursed her lips, then clung to Grand Madam Ni, asking where she planned to burn incense on the second day of the second month this year.

Though Seventh Miss acted shy, the reactions of her several sisters-in-law didn’t escape her eyes.

Her finally consummating the marriage with Xu Fengjia was good news for the sixth household. After all, now she, the Sixth Young Madam, could truly be said to have both name and substance. With her husband in the capital, she could boldly undertake many matters.

First Young Madam’s gaze merely circled the marks on her neck that couldn’t be concealed, then she smiled and looked away. The reaction was both proper and detached, fully expressing her attitude as an outsider.

Fourth Young Master campaigned at the frontier year-round. Fourth Young Madam was inevitably lonely. Her avoidance of this topic and trace of jealousy were entirely normal—though this Young Madam wasn’t lacking in scheming, most of the time she never hesitated to display her willfulness and delicate nature. She wasn’t incapable of managing appearances—she was simply too lazy to bother.

Fifth Young Madam was most affected: She herself had been married three months and consummated the marriage—there were many excuses to take on household management. Yet this Young Madam’s reaction was completely opposite to her true feelings. The surface pleasantness was performed as if genuine. A method actor, wearing her mask very securely. Seventh Miss thought to herself—when encountering matters, habitually using overly false responses to conceal genuine emotions.

No matter how much a person tried to hide, they would still inadvertently reveal their character on various occasions. Careful people could understand a true opponent from these details. This just required patient grinding work and stimulation from various different events.

In the three months since marrying into the Xu family, this was the first time Seventh Miss truly “saw” the Xu family members’ characters, rather than speaking to a room full of masks.

While pondering, Grand Madam Ni spoke again.

“Why didn’t Fengjia come in to see me today?”

“The Young Master rose early this morning and was called to Menghua Pavilion by Father. They said after leaving Menghua Pavilion he still had to enter the palace—who knows when he’ll be able to come out.” Seventh Miss answered softly and gently.

Grand Madam Ni’s face immediately showed a trace of satisfaction. “He’s been this way since childhood. The Emperor and Fengjia are practically inseparable!”

She smiled and instructed Seventh Miss, “Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master’s birthday is coming. Though with young children, it’s not good to make a grand celebration, at the very least we should cook some longevity noodles for them. Also, I think they can be entered into the family register. These formal names still need to be chosen. The Duke said to let Fengjia choose himself. You two as husband and wife need to hurry and deliberate.”

Seventh Miss smiled and agreed, “We’ll discuss it when I return.”

She couldn’t help glancing at Fifth Young Madam again.

Fifth Young Madam smiled at Seventh Miss with arched brows. “This is an important matter—Sixth Sister-in-law mustn’t delay.”

Seventh Miss also smiled at her. “Fifth Sister-in-law is right. Little Seven has it in mind.”

While speaking, she watched First Young Madam from the corner of her eye.

First Young Madam remained as usual—quiet as still water.

Madam Xu’s reaction also matched her character perfectly.

She wasn’t in good spirits today. After just casually exchanging a few domestic pleasantries with her daughters-in-law, she sent them back to rest, keeping only Seventh Miss to talk.

“See how much Fengjia dotes on you!” The first sentence made Seventh Miss’s face turn bright red. “Still carrying wounds on his body!” The second sentence asked Seventh Miss, “When is your monthly cycle?”

She was truly eager for grandchildren.

Seventh Miss struggled to suppress her blush and told Madam Xu, “My monthly cycle isn’t very regular. If following normal patterns, it should be in another four or five days.”

Madam Xu became even more delighted, holding Seventh Miss’s hand and instructing her, “Good, I’ll teach you to calculate—the ten days before your monthly cycle is when conception is easiest… You also need to keep track of those two bed-warming maids in your courtyard’s monthly cycles!”

These words from Madam Xu could be considered heartfelt advice.

If Seventh Miss could calculate the two bed-warming maids’ fertile periods, she naturally held their reproductive rights in her palm. Combined with contraceptive decoctions, it could be said to be virtually foolproof. She could let whoever she wanted conceive.

Only after hearing these words did Seventh Miss remember there were still two bed-warming senior maids living in the side courtyard of Mingde Hall—these days she’d had far too many chaotic matters on her mind. She actually hadn’t considered that Xu Fengjia’s return also counted as good news for those two.

She secretly sighed, making a mental note, before smiling and thanking Madam Xu for the reminder. “Thank you for Mother’s teaching!”

Madam Xu’s attitude toward Seventh Miss was clearly much warmer and more casual. She took her face in her hands again, examining the kiss marks by her ear, giggling. “Ai, this child still does things so straightforwardly. As if afraid people won’t notice. You…” Halfway through, seeing Seventh Miss’s face full of rosy blush, she stopped, only praising her, “You look much more charming now!” Then smiling, she asked, “Did Fengjia bring back any local specialties? Seventh Young Master, Eighth Young Master, and Da Lang came early this morning to pay respects, fully expecting to find some local specialties here to eat.”

“We returned late yesterday. This morning when I woke, Young… Shengluan had already gone out.” Seventh Miss changed her address. “I haven’t asked him yet. When I return, I’ll look. If there are any, I’ll sort and distribute them. I’ll certainly need the senior matron’s guidance on portions.”

Madam Xu gave Seventh Miss an extra look, smiling with satisfaction, her attitude softening three more parts. “Good, good.” She patted Seventh Miss’s hand, laughing from the bottom of her heart. “Seeing you two as husband and wife harmonious and loving—Mother is truly happy!”

Though Seventh Miss also very much hoped to gain Madam Xu’s good favor, hearing her praise didn’t make her particularly happy in her heart.

“Grandmother…” She then relayed Grand Madam Ni’s urging to Madam Xu.

Madam Xu also deeply agreed. “Your grandmother is right. Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master are turning two—they should be entered into the family register. You need to hurry and discuss with Fengjia how to choose these formal names.”

The Xu family’s grandson generation followed the ‘He’ character generation. If there were no exceptions, Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master should also follow the He character generation ranking. However, Xu Fengjia’s elder and younger brothers all used the “Yu” character—only he didn’t follow the mainstream. Seventh Miss didn’t know if this was the Xu family’s rule—the heir apparent, or the future heir apparent, was named without following age ranking.

“I thought Father would…” She tentatively asked Madam Xu.

Madam Xu’s face took on some depth. “Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master are, after all, twins… Fengjia is also grown now. In many matters, you two need to learn to make your own decisions.”

Seventh Miss immediately grasped Madam Xu’s subtext.

She frowned, responding in a low voice, “Your daughter-in-law knows what to do now.”

This matter could indeed only be handled by Xu Fengjia, the biological father, to avoid gossip.

Madam Xu said a few more things, then sent Seventh Miss back to Mingde Hall to rest. “Go back and rest well! If you’re still uncomfortable tomorrow, don’t come out to pay respects.”

Previously, she had worked hard on morning and evening attendance to avoid causing trouble. Now with Xu Fengjia back in the capital, Seventh Miss’s days suddenly became much more comfortable.

She tugged her lips, thanking Madam Xu. “Mother is still most considerate of your daughter-in-law.”

She truly did rest in Mingde Hall the entire day.

Only at dusk did she call Bailu in to talk.

Bailu had been married for a year or two already. She’d already borne one child. Her face had rounded some, making her actually resemble Nanny Liang’s fortunate appearance. Upon meeting Seventh Miss, she immediately asked eagerly, “Miss, is there anywhere you can use me?”

Seventh Miss looked at her eager expression, quietly breathing a sigh of relief in her heart.

It seemed Nanny Liang was quite obedient—she had no intention of leaking this conversation.

For a moment, she felt somewhat troubled: Bringing Bailu to her side was her spur-of-the-moment decision. Mingde Hall didn’t necessarily have a position that absolutely required her.

She’d never dared underestimate the maids who’d left her service. Without real ability, one couldn’t rise to Bailu’s position. Using unimportant tasks to put her off could certainly work temporarily, but over time, Bailu would inevitably become suspicious.

Seventh Miss’s heart suddenly stirred.

She smiled.

She was truly foolish—she actually hadn’t thought this through.

“You also know Nanny Liang is a veteran by Madam’s side.” She smiled and held Bailu’s hand. “As I understand it, the old matron by Third Aunt’s side and Nanny Liang are old acquaintances.”

Bailu was stunned, showing a thoughtful expression, listening as Seventh Miss continued.

“Old matrons are naturally the favored ones. However, among Third Aunt’s dowry attendants back then, there are always some who aren’t so favored. Over all these years, the dowry servants have married and multiplied within the household. Though the masters maintain clear boundaries, among the servants, they haven’t necessarily grown that distant…”

Seeing Bailu’s face show sudden understanding, Seventh Miss felt reassured: After a few years of experience since marriage, this girl had become increasingly sharp.

“The tasks I give you won’t be too prestigious for now, nor too burdensome. Don’t live in the household—I’ll pay for you to rent a place in the neighboring Fourth Alley. When you’re free, just go visiting around… I don’t need to teach you how to do it, do I?”

Fourth Alley was mostly inhabited by Xu household servants.

Bailu smiled sweetly. “Miss, rest assured—I’m practiced at this kind of thing.”

She had always excelled at passing messages. These past few years following Nanny Liang in personnel matters, she’d become even better at socializing. This sort of thing was naturally her strong suit.

Seventh Miss sighed with relief. “Thank goodness you came to the capital—otherwise I’d truly have no one available!”

She also instructed Bailu, “Don’t worry about your husband. The dowry estates still need management, and I also intend to find a few shops in the capital… There are plenty of places short of people! Just focus on your work—I won’t shortchange you.”

“Miss, what are you saying?” Bailu instead turned to reproach Seventh Miss. “Don’t I know what kind of person you are?”

She blushed, lowering her head to fidget with her hem. “When I married, the jewelry you gifted even impressed my mother-in-law…”

Seventh Miss laughed genuinely from the heart.

She was about to speak when she heard Lixia’s voice. “The Young Master has returned.”

As soon as the words fell, Xu Fengjia strode into the room, removing his outer robe as he entered. Seventh Miss quickly waved Bailu away, sending her off, then stepped forward to hang up the fourth-rank military officer’s official robe. Xu Fengjia disliked outsiders coming and going in the room—she had no choice but to attend to his clothing herself first.

“Why did you leave the palace so early?” She asked after Bailu had closed the door.

“The Emperor was cornered by Grand Secretary Jiao early this morning—he’s still in Huagai Hall and hasn’t come out.” Xu Fengjia sighed. “I got impatient waiting. I’ll go find him again tomorrow morning.”

Speaking of the Emperor, his tone was quite casual, as if this unfathomable supreme ruler was nothing more to him than a childhood playmate.

Seventh Miss poured tea for him while raising her eyebrows at Xu Fengjia.

“Then this morning at Menghua Pavilion…”

Xu Fengjia seemed to finally understand Seventh Miss’s meaning.

“Oh!” He nodded, forcing out a slight smile. “Father has relented. As for the Southern Seas matter, as long as I can explain it clearly to the Emperor, he won’t have any objections.”

Seventh Miss immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at Xu Fengjia expectantly, waiting for him to continue explaining.

Xu Fengjia tiredly rubbed his face, then stared at the tea bowl before him in a daze for a long while before slowly asking Seventh Miss, “Do you know why Father changed his mind?”

Seventh Miss waited expectantly in silence.

“Mother doing considerable patient persuasion was one reason. Second, it’s also because…” Xu Fengjia’s tone dropped lower again. “The wounds on my body aren’t just three places. On my back, there’s another arrow wound that’s already healed.”