His gaze was too calm, making Qin Zheng somewhat doubtful if she had misunderstood him.

But at such moments, she couldn’t afford to show weakness.

Qin Zheng pursed her lips and said, “Today, I heard someone say they saw the Wang family girl from halfway up the mountain crying as she ran out of the courtyard.”

Even at this moment, she hadn’t sold Aunt Lu.

Her words seemed to trigger something in Chu Chengji, his eyes grew colder, and seeing Qin Zheng’s stern face, there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

He reached out and pinched her cheek, “If she ran out crying, how could I ask her to sew clothes for me?”

Qin Zheng had never thought that Chu Chengji himself sewed the clothes, nor Aunt Lu.

It must have been someone else.

Now, caught off guard by Chu Chengji’s question, she forgot to free herself from his grip on her face. “What if… you’ve seen her more than once?”

Chu Chengji pinched her cheeks again, a bit harder this time, with a hint of punishment.

He remained silent, just staring at Qin Zheng, staring so intensely that she couldn’t maintain her composure and turned her face away.

With one hand gripping her cheeks, he forced her to turn her head back, saying, “If you hadn’t mentioned her running out of the courtyard crying, I wouldn’t even remember her existence, let alone know her surname.

She brought steamed buns over, I refused, she left them and tried to go, I crushed them to feed the chickens, then she ran away crying.”

Her soft cheeks were squeezed by him, her red lips pouted from the pressure.

She naturally had a cold and beautiful face, but now she looked somewhat charming.

Chu Chengji stared at her pouted lips, momentarily lost in thought.

Qin Zheng hadn’t expected such a misunderstanding.

Waiting for him to come back in the middle of the night was just to ask about this?

She felt her face flush with embarrassment.

To salvage some dignity, she pretended to remain calm and said, “So that’s it, I misunderstood you, husband. But in the future, if you fancy a girl, just tell me directly. Spreading rumors like this isn’t good for the girl’s reputation… um…”

Chu Chengji suddenly leaned over and silenced her with a kiss, his grip on her cheeks unusually forceful.

Qin Zheng was dumbfounded.

He seemed gentle on the surface but had a hint of ruthlessness in his bones, yet his lips were surprisingly soft.

Their lips touched, and they could clearly hear each other’s breath.

Qin Zheng felt as if she were under a spell, her whole body stiffened, with only the warmth of his lips against hers.

Her first kiss in two lifetimes was gone in an instant.

Although it was just a moment, it felt like an eternity.

The wind blew in through the crack in the door, causing the candle on the table to flicker, almost extinguishing.

When Chu Chengji pulled back, Qin Zheng was still in a daze.

He glanced at her, his dark eyes profound. “Don’t say such irritating things again. Do you think so little of me? Or do you think so little of yourself?”

As he withdrew his hand from her cheek, his fingertips curled up under the wide sleeves.

His heartbeat raced uncontrollably, unlike his calm voice.

Chu Chengji stood up, intending to go outside for some fresh air, but Qin Zheng grabbed a corner of his sleeve.

He stopped, lowering his gaze to her. Because of the unfamiliar emotions pressing on his heart, his expression looked somewhat cold.

Qin Zheng saw his stern expression and felt her heart in turmoil, unconsciously pursing her lips where he had kissed. “Does that mean, from now on, my husband will only have me by his side?”

Chu Chengji looked at her hand clutching his sleeve, feeling as if his heart had been gently hooked by something soft.

He wasn’t good with words, especially not sweet talk, but he could sense that his little wife lacked security when she asked like this.

His gaze softened as he said, “Do you think I have multiple lives to risk for others?”

Qin Zheng’s heart fluttered like a startled deer.

Chu Chengji squatted down to meet Qin Zheng’s eyes. “I’m not good at making promises, nor do I understand how to treat someone well. But whatever you used to have, even better than that, I will provide for you.”

Qin Zheng’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she instinctively tightened her grip on his hand, asking, “Is my husband trying to provide for the past me, or the present me?”

Chu Chengji looked at her for a while before reaching out to rub her hair. “Do you want to hear the truth?”

Qin Zheng nodded.

He confessed, “At the Eastern Palace, I actually didn’t want to take you with me.”

After Chu Chengji said this, Qin Zheng felt like she was getting closer to the answer she had been contemplating.

She asked, “Then why did you decide to take me later?”

Chu Chengji replied, “After all, you are my wife.”

Her thoughts drifted away.

In his memories as the former Crown Prince, she was cold and aloof.

During the palace coup at the Eastern Palace, despite being isolated and helpless, she managed to face the commander of the Imperial Guards calmly and deal with the hidden assassins.

Facing him, the ‘villain’, she still cowered.

Chu Chengji knew she did it to survive, but he found this side of his Crown Princess intriguing.

He couldn’t just leave this nominal wife alone, especially after she chose to follow him instead of waiting in the stable as he had expected.

Her nervous yet hopeful gaze, like an abandoned little animal, had seemed pitiful at the time.

Unexpectedly, as they traveled together, she not only didn’t drag him down but also made him take notice of her time and time again.

Vaguely, there was a suspicion in his heart, but he had been too scared to bring it up again.

If it was truly what he thought, her strict adherence to learning construction work wouldn’t be surprising.

Qin Zheng didn’t expect that the answer she had been pondering for so long would be just “After all, you are my wife”.

She thought the Crown Prince in the book was just a useless person.

Could he really have such a strong sense of responsibility?

But thinking about their interactions, leaving aside the setting of the original book, he indeed was such a person.

Qin Zheng looked up at him. “And now?”

He didn’t want to take her with him at the Eastern Palace.

What about now?

Chu Chengji stared at her and said slowly, “You got lost, and didn’t I find you again?”

Qin Zheng blushed at his words but retorted, “Is it also because we’re husband and wife?”

Chu Chengji raised his hand to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear but didn’t withdraw it.

His fingertips lingered close to her ear, trailing down to her neck.

In his deep, cool eyes, there was a hint of darkness. “What do you think?”

Qin Zheng’s neck was sensitive, and she tilted her head slightly to avoid his hand.

But her lips curved up in a good mood as she directly pushed away his hand and pinched his chin, saying like a spoiled young master, “As my man, you’re not allowed to attract other bees and butterflies in the future!”

Chu Chengji raised an eyebrow slightly. “Speaking of attracting bees and butterflies, nobody has given me hairpins, or gifted me with unique travelogues, cats, or dogs…”

His voice was faint, carrying a hint of chilliness.

Qin Zheng didn’t expect him to bring this up now, and his demeanor as the spoiled young master was no longer appropriate.

She awkwardly withdrew her hand, saying, “I haven’t taken them anyway.”

Chu Chengji replied, “I haven’t either.”

Qin Zheng paused, unsure how to respond.

Looking at the immaculate face in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding; she might not win arguments with him in the future.

She cleared her throat. “Let’s just forget about this.”

Her gaze fell on the patched clothes, and she couldn’t help but mutter, “Why would you sew clothes?”

In a place as large as the Eastern Palace, surely there were enough embroiderers?

Chu Chengji didn’t directly answer the question. “It’s better if there’s someone between us who can sew.”

Qin Zheng looked at the two clumsy stitches she had made and suddenly felt like he was implying something about her.

She felt a bit resentful but then thought, wasn’t he unable to perform in bed?

People with such deficiencies in that aspect often have some peculiar preferences, like Dongfang Bubai, right? Maybe playing with needles and threads was something he secretly learned in the past!

His refusal to give a straightforward answer made sense.

Chu Chengji watched his wife, sometimes pouting like a pufferfish and sometimes seeming to have a sudden realization, wondering what was going on in her mind.

He said, “It’s late, let’s rest.”

But Qin Zheng looked at him expectantly and asked, “Husband, can you embroider?”

Chu Chengji hesitated. “…No.”

Repairing clothes was something he had learned during the years of rigorous training in the temple in his previous life.

Who would embroider on monk robes?

Qin Zheng felt a little disappointed. “I see.”

After extinguishing the lamp and lying down, Qin Zheng didn’t think much of his lack of embroidery skills.

But when she remembered how he had helped her with her hair in the morning and his skilled embroidery work, she couldn’t help but feel that they were becoming more and more like the powerful officials and imperial concubines in historical dramas.

A smile crept onto her lips.

As she chuckled to herself, Chu Chengji, who had been lying flat, suddenly rolled over and pressed down on her, propping himself up on one hand beside her pillow, glaring down at her with a hint of fierceness in his gaze.

Qin Zheng’s smile froze, and she quickly composed herself. “Husband, what’s wrong?”

Chu Chengji looked at her and said in a low voice, “Don’t tell others about me sewing clothes.”

Qin Zheng wouldn’t speak carelessly; she knew he might have misunderstood her joy.

She gently touched his other hand and lightly scratched his palm with her fingertip.

A playful smile sparkled in her eyes like scattered stars. “I won’t tell others. This is our secret, husband.”

Chu Chengji was momentarily dazzled by her smile.

After a while, he said, “Let’s go to sleep.”

As he rolled over to sleep, his entire back felt somewhat stiff, and the hand she had touched was tightly clenched into a fist.

The next day, when Aunt Lu saw them eating, Qin Zheng casually put a piece of fat meat into Chu Chengji’s bowl.

She knew that their marital discord had been resolved, and the anxiety that had lingered all night finally settled.

After the meal, Qin Zheng went to the threshing ground to make clay tiles, while Chu Chengji went to train the troops.

Yesterday afternoon, they had cleared a flat area outside the village for military exercises.

After rearranging the mountain bandits, they needed to assign tasks today.

Chu Chengji had anticipated that there would be trouble from the mountain leaders, especially since rearranging their formations would weaken their cohesion.

However, before he could leave, someone from the Qi Yun stronghold hurried over, saying that a strongman under a mountain leader at the training ground was unwilling to accept the new formation and had injured Wang Biao, who was still recovering from a waist injury.

“The strongman is incredibly powerful. The leader’s waist injury hasn’t fully healed yet, and he may not be able to handle it,” the messenger said anxiously.

Moreover, Lin Yao was the leader in public matters at present.

If he were to lose in battle, the reputation of the Qi Yun stronghold would suffer.

Chu Chengji started walking outside. “Come with me to see.”

The messenger hurried to catch up with Chu Chengji. “Military advisor, if you confront the strongman, be careful. I heard that he practices Shaolin kung fu and possesses extraordinary strength.”

When Chu Chengji heard “Shaolin,” his gaze darkened slightly.

When they arrived at the training ground, people from various mountain factions were gathered there.

The training ground, cleared out just yesterday, still carried the scent of fresh mud.

Several people from the Qi Yun stronghold lay scattered on the ground in disarray, with Wang Biao lying on the side, his clothes stained with coughed-up blood, being supported by others.

Lin Yao was facing off against the people from the mountain faction, his expression extremely grim. “Is Chief Ma determined to break the rules today?”

Behind him, more than ten people from the Qi Yun stronghold held bows and crossbows, aiming at the opposing faction.

It was precisely because they feared the crossbows in their hands that the mountain faction didn’t dare to act too recklessly.

The mountain leader sneered, “You claim to be ready to take over the world under the banner of the Qi Yun stronghold, yet you can’t even handle a fight.

How can I, as the head of my stronghold, trust you with my brothers? Lin, as the head of entire stronghold, how can you reassure me? Let’s each take a step back.

You let the people under my command form their own team and continue to be under my jurisdiction. As for me, Ma, I will still defer to Lin as the head of the stronghold.”

The man standing beside him, who was over nine feet tall and as solid as an iron tower, made Wang Biao, who was already muscular, look puny in comparison.

After Chief Ma spoke, he let out a cold snort through his nose, causing his fat to tremble.

He scanned the training ground and said, “Who else dares to come forward and spar with me?”

When his gaze landed on Lin Yao, he pointed directly at him and said loudly, “You’re the head of the Qi Yun stronghold. Do you dare to fight me?”

Immediately, those around Lin Yao shouted, “How dare you! You dare to disrespect the chief!”

The big man threw the sledgehammer he was carrying on his shoulder to the ground and shouted at Lin Yao, “Come!”

The heavy sledgehammer, weighing over a hundred pounds, slammed into the ground, causing it to tremble.

Lin Yao was in a dilemma.

In the past, he could have sparred with him and accepted defeat if necessary.

But now, with his injury and the eyes of the leaders from various mountain factions on him, if he were to lose, he would lose face.

Just as the atmosphere became tense, the people from the Qi Yun stronghold on the sidelines saw a savior and shouted excitedly, “The military advisor is here! The military advisor is here!”

The crowd automatically made way for Chu Chengji, and a few people from the Qi Yun stronghold followed him towards the center of the arena.

When Lin Yao’s eyes met Chu Chengji’s, he looked somewhat embarrassed. “Military advisor.”

Chu Chengji nodded lightly and then glanced at the big man, saying, “I’ll spar with you.”

Dressed in scholarly robes today, with one hand behind his back, Chu Chengji appeared even more slender.

Some believed he was a noble son.

However, challenging someone three times his size was undoubtedly seeking trouble.

The training ground erupted into commotion.