The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

He was so close, Shen Jin's wide sleeves fell down to cover his trembling fingertips, and the tears in his eyes were broken.

Where is the same reckless courage she once had to make him marry her, regardless of everything?

"Ah Jin, listen to me. The Prince of Yan is preparing to rise to power."

Shen Jin suddenly looked at him.

"I was just as surprised as you were."

Wei Fengyuan: "But I felt mostly secretly pleased."

"He should have rebelled long ago."

"If he had been willing, the new emperor wouldn't have been able to ascend the throne so easily back then."

"To be honest, I work for him not only because of my personal feelings for you, but also because of the Ying family's ruthlessness. If the Duke of Shun's mansion blindly obeys, it will only be devoured without a trace."

Don't feel pressured.

Wei Fengyuan: "This time, many veteran officials have joined forces in private."

"Things still need to be planned."

"But I assure you, with the help of the Prince of Yan, the 200,000 Wei family troops will one day be able to prepare torches and burn down this golden cage that imprisons you."

Shen Jin tried her best to process all of this.

Is the Prince of Yan gaining power?

How can it be?

She wanted to argue, but Wei Fengyuan would never joke about something like this with her.

While she was distracted, Wei Fengyuan got up and went to a half-open cabinet.

It was the one Shen Jin had opened before.
Her menstrual pad was hidden in a small box at the very bottom of the cabinet.

At the very top, there were clean and fresh silk sheets and blankets.

Shen Jin's eyelids twitched.

As she hurried over, Wei Fengyuan was already at the bedside. He lifted the mattress, and the dark red stain of blood on the bed sheet was particularly conspicuous.

"you……"

She only uttered one word.

Before anyone could stop him, he had already bent down and pulled away the soiled bed sheet, the blood-stained fabric brushing against the corner of his clothes.

Wei Fengyuan: "Not used to it?"

"You'll get used to it later."

Shen Jin knew that he was pulling her along.

All are adults.

I'm not young anymore.

Yet he remains just as shameless.

Shen Jin let out a deep breath, then went to sit on the chaise lounge next to her and slowly curled up.

But Yan'er was looking at him.

Wei Fengyuan was no stranger to doing this kind of thing.

He was away from home most of the year, and despite his high status, he did everything himself.

But making her bed was a first for me.

Wei Fengyuan's voice came: "You haven't been to my courtyard yet. But it's fully stocked with rouge, powder, and jewelry, and the wardrobe is filled with the most fashionable clothes from the capital."

"Do you want the veil to depict mandarin ducks playing in the water, or a dragon and phoenix symbolizing good fortune?"

Shen Jin seemed to be deep in thought.

A sense of peace, which I haven't felt in a long time, flowed through my heart.

Putting everything else aside, her eyes softened inch by inch.

Wei Fengyuan skillfully spread out the new bed sheet, smoothing out even the wrinkles at the edges.

Do you still drink alcohol?

Shen Jin: "When are you leaving?"

Wei Fengyuan paused slightly: "Are you kicking me out?"

Last time she had her period, Wei Fengyuan fled in panic.

But this time...

He remained calm.

"The palace is unlike any other place. It's the end of the year, so the guards are at their tightest. I am..."

They are worried that your whereabouts will be discovered by the royal family.

But halfway through her sentence, Shen Jin realized she was overthinking it and swallowed her words.

Now that he's here, he must have a way to get out unscathed.

Wei Fengyuan made the bed, strode over, and approached.

Do you still drink alcohol?

She did have a penchant for alcohol in her younger years.

I drank the most heavily when I entered the palace, and the water temporarily warmed my sorrowful heart. In my drunken haze, even the bells in the corners of my eyes sounded like the whispers of old friends.

But his alcohol tolerance kept increasing. The strong liquor rolling down his throat was even more invigorating than tea.

If you can't get drunk, why bother deceiving your lips and tongue?
Shen Jin said helplessly, "I'm not drinking anymore."

"My father brewed two jars of wine for my brother and me before he passed away."

"My brother's jar was used on the day he married his wife. Mine is still buried in the ground. We still have to drink the nuptial wine; a few sips are enough to make it pleasant."

Shen Jin's eyes trembled.

Wei Fengyuan put his arms under her knees and lifted her up.

Shen Jin froze.

Wei Fengyuan carried her back to the bed and settled her down comfortably.

His eyes were swirling with emotion.

He stared straight at Shen Jin.

It's like I can never get enough of looking at it.

The jade pendant was given to Shen Jin by her, but Shen Jin returned it after entering the palace.

After going around in circles, he hung it back around her waist. "You're not allowed to take it off this time."

"If your wedding dress is worn out, then we'll get a new one."

He lowered his head, his forehead touching hers, his eyes reflecting the warmth of the candlelight.

"Ah Jin, our fate has never been severed."

Their breaths mingled, and their eyes met.

He's a man after all.

Before me stood the person I had longed for for many years.

It would be a lie to say that Wei Fengyuan had no reaction at all.

As he straightened up, a pair of soft arms suddenly wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

Shen Jin used the leverage to tilt her head back, her lips brushing against the scar on his Adam's apple.

I don't know when I got injured.

It looks like it's been around for quite a while.

But when she saw him off last time, there was none.

She called out his name, her voice trembling slightly.

The two have long since shed their youthful naiveté.

Shen Jin: "When are you leaving?"

It's still the same.

Wei Fengyuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly grabbed her waist, pressing her into his arms with such force that he almost crushed her.

"Keep me here?"

Wei Fengyuan reached for her lips: "If you want me to stay, I won't leave."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day.

The main courtyard of the Duke of Shunguo's residence.

After the old woman serves the meal, the proper etiquette is to step aside.

The crystal dumplings in the celadon dish were steaming, but Ning Suchan didn't touch them.

Unlike the sharpness in Wei Fengyuan's brows, Wei Fengxing had a touch of gentleness in his expression: "There's no need to wait for him to return."

“Yesterday he went to pay his respects to the teacher at the Imperial Academy in advance. The teacher invited him to stay for dinner, and since his classmates were also gathered there, he couldn’t help but urge him to drink a few more cups.”

"You saw him when he came back. He was still sober, but he reeked of alcohol. Let him rest a little longer."

Ning Suchan wore a crimson-purple brocade jacket and skirt, and a red-gold headdress, which could not hide her noble air. Her posture was upright and straight.

"Today is New Year's Eve. After dinner, we have to go to the ancestral hall to pay respects to our ancestors. There are also many other tedious matters to attend to afterward. How can he possibly be absent?"

There's no rush.

Wei Fengxing: "It's not too late to hold the ancestral worship an hour later."

"No."

“Feng Yuan left the manor yesterday and has not returned yet. Since we can’t gather enough people, we can postpone it.”

Ning Suchan: "My uncle is a man of great things. I suppose something important has tripped him up. How can he compare to me?"

Wei Fengxing: ...

He raised his hand, dismissing the servants who were attending him.

For his son's sake, Wei Fengxing chose to drag his younger brother down with him.

"Feng Yuan went to the inner palace."

Ning Suchan: ? ? ?

She knew some of the inside story.

She looked at Wei Fengxing in disbelief.

I want to say it's absurd.

Can……

The eldest sister-in-law is like a mother to her. She also felt quite sorry for her younger brother-in-law.

"This……"

She frowned deeply, unsure how to react.

But it's also clear that Wei Fengxing's decision not to say it yesterday, but to say it now, was intentional.

She remained calm and chose to avoid the topic.

Ning Suchan: "How can these rules, which have been in place for so many years, be broken simply because of your return?"

She looked at Wei Fengxing with disapproval: "Husband, you mustn't spoil him."

Wei Fengxing: ...

If she hadn't known that Gui Zhi had been invited to stay for dinner and would inevitably have drunk alcohol, Ning Su Chan would have believed her after brewing a hangover tea and reheating it three times while waiting for him to return.

Just as Ning Suchan was about to instruct Granny Ru to call Wei Zhao, she heard the maid sweeping the floor outside respectfully call out to the young master.

She looked up and saw Wei Zhao, whose features were as clear and noble as an ink painting, enter the room. He strode in, his robes perfectly in place.

He bowed to the two of them with perfect decorum.

"Your son overslept, I hope Mother will punish him."

"What punishment? Sit down."

Wei Fengxing smiled and asked, "Are you having a hangover?"

He was about to say that his mother had specially instructed the kitchen to simmer rice, yam, and fox nuts over low heat until the rice was soft and fluffy—a truly divine porridge.

After eating a bowl, I felt refreshed.

Ning Suchan said calmly, "Considering you were drunk yesterday, you didn't arrive too late, which shows you still care about the ancestors of the Wei family. And since it's New Year's Eve, I'll let you off this time."

Wei Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.

He bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Mother."

(End of this chapter)