The alley wasn’t crowded, and the long red brick and glazed tile walls were repaired to be neither too wide nor too narrow. Although she didn’t want to greet anyone, Shen Meng still had to stop and respectfully call out, “Your Highness, this official pays respects.”

Liang Jue also took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shen Meng. He also bowed, but his posture remained straight and proud in front of his rival: “Liang Jue, the husband of the Shen family, greets Your Highness.”

“Master Shen, no need for formalities,” Xue Ning looked at the woman and man in front of him with a complex expression and added, “Master Liang, no need for formalities either.”

Shen Meng lifted her head and straightened up, “If Your Highness has no other matters, then I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Xue Ning couldn’t help but call out to her.

Haven’t seen each other for a long time, and it’s rare to encounter such an occasion, so naturally, he couldn’t help but be somewhat sentimental.

Liang Jue really didn’t want to tell him that Shen Meng was going to see him off.

But Shen Meng still responded. Although her tone was polite and distant, it sounded unfamiliar, “I’m sending my husband out, Your Highness.”

Hearing that she was sending Liang Jue off, Xue Ning’s smile became even more pronounced. His expression changed subtly, but Liang Jue caught every nuance.

If he weren’t mindful of the presence of outsiders, if he were to maintain his demeanor as a legitimate husband, be generous, and not lose face, his mouth would definitely pout like a vinegar jar.

“Then you should go send him off first, I won’t disturb you.”

When he said this, Liang Jue sensed the strong malice hidden in it. He didn’t need to exert much effort to figure out how Xue Ning would try to keep Shen Meng and chat with her after he left.

Suddenly, he felt like he didn’t want to leave at all. When they were close to the gate of the palace, he reached out and tugged on his wife’s sleeve, leaning in and asking her softly, “Wife, how about I don’t go back?”

“Nonsense, if you don’t go back, will you just stand here foolishly? Besides, there’s still a lot to do at home, waiting for you to handle.” The Shen family didn’t lack servants, nor were they short of money. Liang Jue didn’t need to handle ordinary chores, but he still had to manage those industries on ordinary days.

“Those things can be done even if I go back, and it’s not the time for those shops to report back these days. I don’t have much to do.”

Shen Meng added, “Then go back and read more books, or practice calligraphy. Your handwriting is beautiful, don’t waste such good calligraphy skills. Moreover, with your intelligence, you should read more books. Have you finished reading the ones I gave you before?”

Liang Jue is extremely intelligent and far-sighted, but the Liang family didn’t deliberately cultivate this aspect of his talent. Their main focus was teaching him how to be a capable household head, so there are inevitably some shortcomings.

In order to facilitate better communication between them, she specially selected many books, all of which she had meticulously annotated.

Liang Jue grabbed the hem of her loose sleeve and swayed it back and forth, “I’ve read most of the books, I’ll finish them in no time during this period. There’s no rush for a day or two. After all, it’s rare for me to come to the palace after our marriage. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go find the Empress.”

Shen Meng sighed, “You just want to stay here, but I can’t accompany you all day.”

After all, the Hanlin Academy was the throat of the court, and as a member of it, she needed to maintain its tranquility. She couldn’t casually bring her husband inside.

Liang Jue pouted and then retracted it, muttering quietly, “I didn’t expect you to accompany me all day either.”

Actually, he really wanted her to, but he always had to consider Shen Meng’s future and couldn’t act recklessly.

“Then why are you staying here?” Shen Meng really felt like she didn’t understand her husband anymore. The previous Liang Jue was so easy to understand. At the beginning, he was always careful to please her, never bargaining with her like this.

Even later, Liang Jue never did anything that made her feel awkward. In this life, she felt like her attitude hadn’t changed much, so why had he changed so much?

“I just want to see you more.” Her tone wasn’t gentle or patient enough, which was related to her not wanting to delay her work for too long. Liang Jue could understand this, but in front of his rival, he couldn’t help it.

And finally, the atmosphere had become so warm today, he also wanted to act spoiled a bit. After all, he had only been married for a year and was still very young.

Well, Shen Meng had no choice but to let him be. She couldn’t force him back, so she asked him again, “For the last time, have you decided to leave or not?”

Her voice already betrayed her displeasure. Liang Jue wanted to be stubborn in front of her one more time, but in the end, he chose to compromise: “Then I’ll go back. There’s nothing interesting staying here anyway.”

Although he was leaving, his rival would definitely take advantage of the situation, but compared to that, he didn’t want to have a falling out with Shen Meng in front of Xue Ning. He wanted to be affectionate with Shen Meng, making her jealous would be the best.

Liang Jue pouted, “I’m leaving. Don’t miss me too much.”

Shen Meng replied, “I’ll follow your advice. Not missing you.”

Seeing his expression change, she rubbed his cheek, “Alright, I’ll be back tonight and I’ll see you then. I’ll try my best to think of you.”

With these words from her, Liang Jue finally smiled. After spending a little while negotiating the price and arranging things with people, he prepared to board the carriage parked near the city gate.

When they arrived, there was only one carriage, but now there was also one leaving. The coachmen had some connections with the people in the palace, doing business for officials and their families.

Shen Meng also followed, standing by the carriage and watching him get on. Liang Jue had already leaned half of his body into the carriage when he suddenly pulled back and called out to Shen Meng, who was about to leave.

“Wife, I have one more thing. Can you come over for a moment?”

Shen Meng hadn’t left yet, standing in place and asking him, “Hmm? What else do you have to do?”

Liang Jue waved at her, “Come a little closer.”

Shen Meng moved forward a bit, “What’s the matter?”

Liang Jue continued, “Come a bit closer.”

When Shen Meng was standing as close to the carriage as she could, unable to move any closer, Liang Jue suddenly lowered his head and planted a firm kiss on her cheek, then immediately lifted the curtain and got into the carriage, “Please take this carriage to the Shen family mansion at Tong Street.”

“Alright, hold on tight!” The coachwoman quickly raised her whip and urged the horses to pull the carriage towards the outskirts of the palace.

Shen Meng stood in place, watching the horses trot away, kicking up bits of dust from the ground. She stepped back several steps and covered her mouth and nose with her hand to avoid inhaling the dust.

The kiss Liang Jue left on her face just now didn’t make a loud sound, but it was sudden, and she didn’t react immediately, allowing him to linger on her face for a moment.

His lips were soft and carried a hint of warmth. Shen Meng touched the spot where he kissed her, unsure whether to cry or laugh.

Liang Jue, just to prove a point, was unexpectedly impulsive in public. Shen Meng was fortunate that he didn’t wear any lipstick in the morning; otherwise, her face would have been hard to hide.

Shen Meng’s heart felt particularly subtle. Liang Jue had indeed changed a lot from the previous life. But this change wasn’t entirely bad; perhaps she should adjust her thoughts according to the current situation.

After seeing off Liang Jue, Shen Meng let out a long sigh of relief, straightened her clothes, and then turned around, heading back towards the Hanlin Academy.

At this moment, she couldn’t help but complain about choosing this route. On her way back, she naturally ran into Xue Ning again.

When Shen Meng and Xue Ning met, then sent off Liang Jue, and spent some intimate time with the latter, Xue Ning had been waiting in the same spot.

There was no way around it; she had to take this route back to the Hanlin Academy. Shen Meng couldn’t just climb over the wall.

As she made her way back, she decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything. After all, she had just greeted Xue Ning not long ago. There was no need to waste time exchanging pleasantries again.

As they were about to pass each other, Xue Ning called out to her, “Madam Shen, could you wait a moment?”

… Both of them want to stop me. Shen Meng thought to herself, but when she turned around, she put on the mask of a smile again and said, “Is there anything else Your Highness would like to discuss?”

Actually, he couldn’t remember at the moment what he wanted to say. He had called out to Shen Meng on impulse.

But since Shen Meng asked sincerely, he felt it would be inappropriate to take back his words. “I saw you go to see him earlier, and it seems like you two have a good relationship.”

After asking, he wished he could bite his own tongue. What was he even asking? Saying things like whether their relationship was good or not, and then kissing in front of so many people. Shen Meng seemed calm about being kissed, but he was burning with jealousy watching from behind.

However, he didn’t have much ground to be angry. After all, Liang Jue was Shen Meng’s legitimate husband. Even if he was angry, all he could do was grit his teeth and resent Liang Jue’s shamelessness.

With so many people watching, he really dared.

Shen Meng responded briefly, “It’s fine.”

She had already decided to limit her interactions with Xue Ning. Although they had known each other since childhood, she only remembered Xue Ning from her previous life as her husband.

She didn’t want to recall how she died in her previous life. Now that the trajectory of her fate had changed in this life, she didn’t want to go through those things again because of Xue Ning.

Xue Ning naturally couldn’t know what she was thinking. He just responded with a hint of disappointment and couldn’t conceal his frustration.

Shen Meng patiently asked him, “If Your Highness doesn’t have any other matters, then I’ll return to the Hanlin Academy.”

Just like Liang Jue, when Shen Meng turned her head, Xue Ning called out to her again, “Do you really not remember that little beggar?”

Shen Meng’s figure stiffened for a few seconds, but soon she walked away briskly, “Even if I remember, what difference does it make? Some things are not suitable for reminiscing. I kindly suggest Your Highness forget as well.”

Though her words were clearly a rejection, in Xue Ning’s ears, he selectively filtered out the parts he didn’t want to hear, only remembering that Shen Meng admitted to their childhood connection.

Compared to the previous indifference, being able to persuade her a few words now, even though her words were cold and unkind, meant significant progress to him.

Xue Ning felt relieved. Although Shen Meng’s words weren’t pleasant, she admitted it in the end. For him now, this acknowledgment was enough. After all, there was plenty of time ahead, and he wasn’t in a rush.

As Shen Meng walked ahead, he followed behind, maintaining a distance of about two or three meters between them. He waited until Shen Meng entered the Hanlin Academy before stopping and turning back.

There were hardly any secrets in the palace, especially in the Golden Luang Palace, where many palace servants served as informants for the noble consorts of the harem. He didn’t want to become a topic of gossip for others.

Anyway, tomorrow, to welcome the prince of Ganli Kingdom and his delegation, the palace would host a grand banquet. His imperial sisters, officials, and courtiers would all attend. He would prepare well and wait for Shen Meng there.