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

"tired?"

Xiao Qingyan seemed to have heard some utterly absurd words. The raging anger in his eyes strangely froze in that instant, replaced by a deeper and colder scrutiny.

He let go.

Jiang Zhenxue slumped against the wall, clutching her chest and breathing heavily. Her eyes were red, half from anger and half from being forced into it by him.

"You find me annoying, you find me a burden." He paced slowly, his voice returning to its usual calm, yet more chilling than when he was furious. "So, you want to push me onto another woman?"

"Should I treat you like an ancestor?" Jiang Zhenxue blurted out, immediately regretting it, but it was too late to take it back.

Xiao Qingyan stopped in her tracks.

He turned around, his unfathomable phoenix eyes appearing dark and unfathomable in the dim light. "Jiang Zhenxue, look at me."

Jiang Zhenxue stiffened her neck and met his gaze.

"If I were truly the kind of man who couldn't resist women, do you think I'd still be here?" He said clearly, word by word, "There are countless beauties in the capital who are far more attractive than the two you sent."

"If I wanted someone to amuse me, why would I have waited until today?"

This was the first time Jiang Zhenxue had heard him say something like "explanation".

She was stunned. She had always thought that he had chased her here because of an offended authority, because of his twisted desire for control.

But his words were like a key, unexpectedly prying open a door she had never thought to explore. Behind that door, something seemed to be hidden—something she was unwilling to admit, yet which truly existed.

"I..." She was speechless for a moment.

"Stop with your self-righteous tricks." Xiao Qingyan's tone carried a hint of weariness she had never heard before. "I'm not as stupid as you think, and stop doing things that disgust me."

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee I won't go easy on you next time."

After saying that, he stopped looking at her, walked straight to her bed, lay down fully clothed, and closed his eyes.

A storm powerful enough to blow off rooftops ended abruptly and in a very unpleasant way.

Jiang Zhenxue stood there, her emotions a complex mix. She admitted that she had truly made a mistake this time. She had used the most foolish method to test the bottom line that least needed testing.

Looking at the man on the bed with his back to her, she realized for the first time that perhaps their relationship wasn't as simple as she had imagined: "imprisonment" and "resistance."

……

In the following days, Qingyun Pavilion fell into an eerie calm.

Xiao Qingyan stopped bothering her. Most of the time, he stayed in his room upstairs. Occasionally, Night Hawk would appear like a ghost, delivering urgent secret letters.

He seemed genuinely preoccupied with his own affairs, treating her small Qingyun Pavilion merely as a temporary palace.

Jiang Zhenxue, on the other hand, devoted all her energy to the upcoming literary appreciation meeting.

The price war waged by Sihai Bookstore was fierce, but she remained calm in the slightest. She knew very well that the foundation of Qingyun Pavilion had never been cheapness, but scarcity.

She personally selected several "treasures of the shop" to be displayed at the literary appreciation event, including the 500-tael Hanlin manuscript, and repeatedly scrutinized every detail of the process to ensure that everything went perfectly.

Shen Yu's injuries are improving, and he is now able to get out of bed and walk slowly. Although Kang Mingyan has not come to the shop again, he has sent a letter privately, saying that his father has contacted several well-known scholars in the prefectural city, who will come to support Qingyun Pavilion.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

If Jiang Zhenxue ignored the man who would appear in her room every night and take over her bed without a care in the world, she would almost think that she had completely escaped the crisis.

This day was the last day of the seven-day period.

The academic conference was a great success.

When the renowned scholar invited by the Kang family publicly verified the authenticity of the Hanlin manuscript and praised the internal notes of Qingyun Pavilion, all the rumors about the "scam" were dispelled.

Those who had cancelled their reservations earlier were filled with regret, while those who persisted felt honored. Qingyun Pavilion's reputation in Yunyang County was unparalleled for a time.

After seeing off the last guest, Jiang Zhenxue stood in the empty lobby and let out a long sigh of relief.

She won this battle.

However, before she could even savor the joy of victory, that familiar voice drifted down slowly from the second-floor stairwell.

"The show is over, it's time to leave."

Xiao Qingyan, dressed in black, stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at her with no congratulations in his eyes, only cold urging.

"Seven days have passed."

Jiang Zhenxue's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

She knew he had been waiting, waiting for her to finish her performance.

"My lord," she looked up, her face now bearing a polite smile, "you see, my literary appreciation event has just ended, and orders have tripled compared to before. The storeroom is almost empty of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and we haven't secured new supplies yet. If I leave now, wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?"

She tried to use her business success as a new excuse to procrastinate.

"Oh?" Xiao Qingyan slowly walked down the stairs, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Out of stock?"

"Yes," Jiang Zhenxue nodded quickly, "especially the paper. Sihai Bookstore has cut off all the suppliers, so I..."

"Are you talking about that supplier in the south of the city, the one surnamed Qian?" Xiao Qingyan interrupted her.

Jiang Zhenxue was taken aback, then remembered that this person was the one Xiao Qingyan had "given" to her that night. She had been so busy these past few days that she hadn't had time to contact him yet.

"I've already taken care of it for you." Xiao Qingyan walked up to her, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"It's resolved?" Jiang Zhenxue was both surprised and delighted. "You...you captured him?"

"Hmm." Xiao Qingyan responded lightly, "He owed the gambling den a huge debt, which I paid off for him. In exchange, all the Xuan paper he had will henceforth be supplied exclusively to your Qingyun Pavilion at a price 30% lower than the market price."

Jiang Zhenxue could hardly believe her ears.

This... this is like a windfall! They've monopolized the largest paper source in Yunyang County, and at 30% below market price—this is tantamount to directly strangling Sihai Bookstore!

"My lord, you..." She was so excited she didn't know what to say, and blurted out, "You are truly my virtuous and capable wife!"

"A virtuous wife?" Xiao Qingyan's face darkened instantly.

Jiang Zhenxue realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself: "No, no, no, what I meant was, you are truly a man of great talent and strategic brilliance! Thank you for your help, Lord Marquis! Now, my supply of goods is..."

"Your source?" Xiao Qingyan interrupted her again, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Jiang Zhenxue, are you mistaken about something?"

"Boss Qian's indenture, along with the land deed to his paper mill, are now in my hands."

He watched as the smile on her face gradually froze, and a twisted sense of pleasure rose within him.

"In other words, whether your Qingyun Pavilion can obtain a single piece of paper in the future, and at what price, depends entirely on my mood."

"You..." All the color drained from Jiang Zhenxue's face.

She finally understood that his inaction these past few days was not just watching the show, but a strategy to undermine his resolve!

He helped her solve her biggest problem, but at the same time, he put the most fatal shackle around her neck.

"Xiao Qingyan, you are shameless!" She was so angry that she trembled all over.

"Likewise." Xiao Qingyan ignored her angry curses. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him, his voice as cold as if it were poison.

"I gave you a chance. It was you who insisted on choosing the most difficult path."

"Now, your confidence and your livelihood are in my hands."

He leaned close to her ear and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, announced his verdict, word by word.

"Manager Jiang, do you still need me to escort you on your way?"