The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

When Jiang Zhenxue woke up the next day, she didn't feel the soft bed, but rather an extremely hot and oppressive living thing next to her.

She opened her eyes.

Xiao Qingyan's magnified handsome face was right in front of him. He was sleeping soundly, and his long eyelashes cast small shadows under his eyes. The fierce aura of the day had faded, and he even had a somewhat harmless illusion.

The two were lying on the same bed.

Jiang Zhenxue was not particularly moved. In modern society, it was not unusual for men and women to be in the same room, let alone just sharing a bed.

She propped herself up, trying to sit up quietly, but the memory of him choking her and slapping her yesterday flashed through her mind.

The burning pain seemed to be scorching my cheeks once again.

I've never been hit by my parents in all my years!

Who do you think you are?

The anger that Jiang Zhenxue had forcibly suppressed suddenly flared up three feet high.

She was by nature a vengeful person, and she remembered this debt.

A gentleman takes his revenge, even after ten years.

But Jiang Zhenxue is not a gentleman.

She sought revenge from morning till night.

Jiang Zhenxue's gaze fell on Xiao Qingyan, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips. She subtly shifted her body, gathering her strength, and then—

Aiming at his strong waist and abdomen, he kicked him hard!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud was followed by a sudden, unexpected groan from the man.

Xiao Qingyan was kicked off the bed by a tremendous force and slammed heavily onto the floor.

Who is he? Marquis of Ningguo, who has practiced martial arts since childhood and has an alarmingly high level of alertness. He can be instantly awakened by the slightest disturbance in his sleep.

But he never imagined that one day he would be kicked off his bed.

She was still the woman he believed he had firmly in control of.

Almost the instant he landed, Xiao Qingyan rolled over and stood up. His phoenix eyes, which had just been closed, snapped open. There was no trace of sleepiness in them; instead, they were filled with overwhelming anger and chilling killing intent from being disturbed and offended!

"Jiang Zhenxue!" he gritted his teeth, his voice sounding as if he had been pulled out of an ice cellar.

However, the person on the bed seemed to be awakened by his voice. He rubbed his eyes, sat up with an innocent look on his face, and even gave a delicate yawn.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" She looked at him sleepily, as if she had no idea what had happened. "My lord, why are you sleeping on the floor? You'll catch a cold."

The veins on Xiao Qingyan's forehead throbbed.

She still dares to pretend?!

He stepped forward, reaching out to grab her, wanting to lift this reckless woman up and interrogate her properly.

Jiang Zhenxue seemed startled by his movement, shrinking further into the bed with a perfectly balanced look of bewilderment and a hint of grievance on her face.

"My lord, why are you being so fierce?" She blinked, her tone completely innocent. "Did I just bump into you?"

Before Xiao Qingyan could react, she sighed to herself and explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I'm not a very restless sleeper. Before, I was just pretending in front of you, afraid of upsetting you, so I held back."

"Things are different now," she shrugged, speaking with an air of self-righteousness. "We've already fallen out, so there's no need for me to pretend anymore. I do kick and punch in my sleep, so please bear with me. Or... how about you sleep on the floor tonight?"

Xiao Qingyan's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

He wanted to explode in anger, to grab her by the neck and ask her if she was tired of living.

But her words stifled all his anger.

Restless sleeper?

Was it all an act before?

What could he say? Should he tell her that it's inappropriate for a woman to be punched and kicked in her sleep? Or should he charge her with "deceiving the emperor"?

absurd!

He had lived for over twenty years and had never been in such a frustrating and ridiculous situation.

Looking at his face, as black as the bottom of a pot, yet unable to lash out, Jiang Zhenxue was overjoyed.

I'll teach you to hit me!

Kicking you would be too lenient!

She was secretly thrilled, but on the surface she maintained that innocent expression that said, "I didn't mean to, but I'm just restless, what can you do about it?"

The two remained locked in a stalemate.

One stood by the bed, seething with anger with nowhere to vent it.

One sat on the bed, looking innocent while secretly gloating.

After a long while, Xiao Qingyan finally managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "You're very good."

"It's alright," Jiang Zhenxue readily replied, "It's mainly because of your magnanimity, Lord Marquis."

Xiao Qingyan was so choked by her words that he almost couldn't breathe.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to take the woman right there and then. He realized that using force against her seemed to have no effect whatsoever. She was like a ball of cotton; you punch her, she takes it softly, and then bounces back hard from some unexpected place.

If force doesn't work, then we have to try another method.

He suddenly sneered, sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Alright." He looked at her, his eyes once again filled with that hunter-like scrutiny and amusement. "Since you like doing business so much, and like being a shopkeeper so much."

He paused, then said clearly, word by word, "Then I, this Marquis, will stay and see for myself."

"Let's see how long this run-down shop of yours can stay open."

"Let's see just how capable you are, 'Manager Jiang'."

He stopped mentioning sending her back to the capital.

He changed his mind.

He wanted to stay, like a cat watching a mouse, to watch her, to see all her struggles, all her scheming. He wanted to see her fall from grace, to see everything she was so proud of vanish into thin air.

At that time, he would like to see if she would still be as sharp-tongued and rebellious as she is now.

Hearing these words, Jiang Zhenxue finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.

Should we stop pressuring her to go back?

Okay, let's call this a partial victory.

As for whether he wants to stay and watch the show?

Go ahead and watch.

It's still uncertain who will be watching whose show.

She was pondering to herself, but her face remained impassive. She simply nodded, her tone as indifferent as if she had heard something trivial.

"That would be wonderful. Your Excellency, you can watch it anytime you wish."

She threw off the covers and prepared to get out of bed without any regard for the fact that she was still wearing her undergarments.

"However, my Qingyun Pavilion is small, and with you, such a large figure, standing here, I'm afraid it will affect business. How about... we stick to what we discussed yesterday, you become a shareholder, and I'll give you dividends?"

She casually tossed out yesterday's suggestion that "a virtuous husband should help me achieve my lofty ambitions."

Xiao Qingyan's hand, which was gripping the teacup, tightened suddenly.

Looking at her face, which seemed to say "Let's talk business," he felt for the first time that his once-proud sense of control was slipping away little by little through his fingers.

"Jiang Zhenxue." He called her name, his voice carrying a warning tone.

Jiang Zhenxue had already put on her outer robe and was slowly tying her belt. Upon hearing this, she looked up and smiled at him.

"My lord, if you don't want to invest, then forget it."

"However, let me make this clear from the start: if you dare to sabotage me behind my back or ruin my business..."

Her smile remained unchanged, but a chilling glint flashed in her eyes.

"I have no idea what other 'restless' things I might do while I'm sleeping."