Shen Meng thought of herself as straightforward enough, but she never expected Liang Jue in this life to be even more direct than her. He revealed a completely different side from the previous life, passionate and straightforward, like a blazing sun radiating heat incessantly.

She remained silent for a long time, just staring at Liang Jue. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze, his ears turning red, and finally asked, “Was what I said wrong?”

He genuinely meant it from the bottom of his heart, filled with sincerity rather than sweet words.

Shen Meng reached out and touched his blushing earlobe, watching it tremble slightly, then she ran her hand through Liang Jue’s dark hair. Liang Jue obviously took good care of his hair, and his black locks were particularly soft.

She tousled it casually, messing up his hair before withdrawing her hand. “What you said is very helpful for me. What exactly did the booklet contain? When the time comes, I will tell you everything.”

She locked the important booklet away in a beautifully crafted wooden box, then pulled Liang Jue down to discuss the situation in the court. This scene was something that could never have happened in the previous life. It wasn’t because she looked down on men or thought they lacked intelligence just because they had long hair.

Even men confined to the inner courtyard could manipulate women who thought highly of themselves. She had never underestimated a man’s abilities or believed that men were inferior to women. It was just that in the previous life, she only knew that Liang Jue was capable of managing her mansion efficiently and was good at planning and scheming, but she didn’t know he had this kind of talent as well.

Shen Meng introduced the court situation in detail to Liang Jue. “Currently, Her Majesty has three princesses. The chief minister and other civil officials mainly support the eldest princess… Do you know about these matters?”

Liang Jue nodded. “These matters have been discussed by mother.”

Shen Meng dipped her finger in some tea and wrote on the table, “What about this one?”

“I know.”

“And this one?”

“I know this one too.”

Shen Meng’s finger paused on the table, then she withdrew her hand. “If you know all of this, then there’s nothing special for me to introduce to you. You can tell me about the situation you know and share your insights with me. There’s no need to hold back; I want to hear it all.”

“This is what I think…” Liang Jue was initially hesitant and carefully chose his words after much consideration.

He spoke with tact and tried not to appear out of line. After all, his deductions were based on limited information from the past and might not all be applicable now.

However, Liang Jue’s ideas were novel and interesting, and his perspectives were unique, giving Shen Meng a sense of enlightenment. He clarified some of the things she hadn’t understood before.

Unfortunately, some things couldn’t be written down on paper, so she had to let Liang Jue speak slowly while she pondered in her heart. She would dissect reasonable statements, chew them over, and firmly remember them.

After talking with Liang Jue, she locked herself in the study for two days until the rest day passed before reluctantly coming out of the room.

Because of this incident, Shen Meng even returned home more punctually than before, not for anything else but to discuss matters with Liang Jue. Except for necessary socializing and invitations from colleagues, she declined them all with the excuse of having her husband waiting at home. Over the past half year, Shen Meng had even gained a reputation for being devoted to her husband.

But Shen Meng didn’t think this was a bad reputation. The current Empress valued talent over reputation. Not to mention, she wasn’t actually afraid of her husband. Even if she were, it would be out of respect for her husband’s authority, not because she was timid.

As the relationship between husband and wife became more harmonious, outsiders took notice as well. The fact that the master was so favored naturally pleased the servants.

Ai Ye had been Liang Jue’s personal servant before he got married. He had been given many instructions and had more thoughts than Liang Jue about various matters. In the past few days, Liang Jue had been learning to tie knots from him, and Ai Ye could see that Liang Jue was in a good mood.

He praised Liang Jue, “Young master is indeed clever. In just a few days, you’ve mastered the most difficult knots. If the madam sees this, she’ll surely be delighted. It’s not in vain that you put in so much effort.”

Liang Jue scolded him, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “You’re quite good at flattering! Tell me, why are you suddenly praising me? Do you want something from me?”

Ai Ye looked aggrieved. “Do you see me as such a person in the madam’s eyes? What I’ve been thinking about all this time is your affairs.”

Liang Jue wrapped the colorful thread around his finger three times, tying a beautiful knot as a finishing touch.

He lowered his head and said, “Pass me the scissors.”

Ai Ye quickly grabbed the silver scissors from the needlework basket and handed them to him.

Liang Jue neatly cut the thread short, then tied the finished knot onto the new embroidered purse he had made for Shen Meng.

After completing the task, he looked at Ai Ye. “So, tell me, what have you been thinking about?”

Ai Ye clenched the colorful thread in his hand, the long and straight thread wrinkled by his grip. “Since you asked directly, I can’t not say it.”

“Go ahead and speak your mind. As long as it’s reasonable, I won’t punish you.”

“You’ve been married for almost a year now, but there’s been no news. Back then, the eldest young lady’s husband had a daughter just three months after getting married. You and the madam share a bed almost every day. Haven’t you thought about having children?”

Liang Jue’s expression darkened. “Why bring this up all of a sudden?”

Every man hopes to have a child with the person they love.

He didn’t have a strong obsession with having children, but he did think about it. Having a daughter like Shen Meng wouldn’t be bad at all. After all, Shen Meng couldn’t always be with him.

Apart from helping her manage her estate and courtyard, ensuring she had no worries, he had plenty of free time. Raising a child would be easy for him. He could even make extensive plans for it. Regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, they would be raised to be outstanding. But the prerequisite was that he needed to have a child first.

“It’s only been a year; the opportunity hasn’t arrived yet.” Liang Jue murmured to himself, as if comforting himself.

Before Ai Ye could say anything, he was met with a question. “Are these your own thoughts, or did someone say something to you?”

Ai Ye was indeed considerate and would think more for him. But as for whether there were other issues between him and Shen Meng, no one had pressured him about having children. If no one mentioned it in front of Ai Ye, how could he suddenly ask him this question?

Ai Ye shook his head. “No one deliberately mentioned this topic to me. I heard someone else talking about it, so I asked you.”

Liang Jue stared at him and asked again, “Are you sure no one said anything?”

Ai Ye was about to shake his head again when someone walked in from outside with an imposing manner. “What’s wrong? I just casually said a few words, why can’t I complain?”

Liang Jue put down the scissors in his hand and hid the finished purse under the pillow before standing up to face the man who was small in stature but full of energy. “You’re overreacting. I never thought about it that way.”

The person walking in from the light was not someone else but Shen Li, who had been quiet for quite some time.

Shen Xiang, Shen Meng’s half-brother, had been married off grandly by Shen Li a couple of months ago. In order for his son to get married smoothly, Shen Li didn’t have the leisure to cause trouble for Shen Meng and Liang Jue. Not only did he not cause trouble, but he also treated Shen Meng and Liang Jue exceptionally well, allowing them to live comfortably for a while.

But not long after Shen Xiang got married, Shen Li began to feel bored. He couldn’t stand idle days; naturally, he had to find something to bother Liang Jue.

Although Shen Meng had told him that Shen Li’s words could be ignored, Liang Jue still had to show some courtesy and face to the elder. He smiled and said, “You’re right. My wife and I naturally hope to have children, but everything has its timing. We’ve only been married for less than a year, and my wife isn’t in a hurry.”

The implication of his words was to tell Shen Li not to meddle in their affairs. He didn’t think Shen Li had any good intentions to worry about Shen Meng’s offspring.

Shen Li understood the implied meaning behind his words, but if he wanted to refute him, he had to play dumb a few times. “Look at what you’re saying, getting married and establishing a career. As the sages say, ‘one should establish a family before establishing a career’. Without children, how can you say you’ve established a family?”

Seeing Liang Jue’s displeased expression, he then added in a strange tone, “Don’t blame me for saying this bluntly. Being unfilial has three consequences, and having no descendants is the greatest. Shen Meng’s father passed away early, and there are some matters that only I can worry about.”

Liang Jue maintained his smile. “You don’t need to worry too much. My wife and I are still young, perhaps the child wants to wait a year or two before coming to our side, just like you. Isn’t that good?”

Shen Li didn’t give birth to Shen Meng’s younger siblings immediately after getting married. Since he hadn’t done what he was preaching, he really didn’t know where he got the nerve to talk about it.

Shen Li was just waiting for him to ask, and he said with a smile, “Exactly, that’s why I was so anxious back then. For the sake of the Shen family’s descendants, I took the initiative to find a concubine for my wife. As a result, shortly after the concubine entered the door, I had your younger siblings. I thought, it’s been almost a year, and there’s been no news from Shen Meng. How about this, I’ll make the decision and find a husband for Shen Meng. What do you think about Ai Ye by her side?”