Transmigrated into the body of the vicious first wife of a fallen prime minister

Qi He leaned against the couch, holding the letter Shang Jue had sent her, caught in a brief internal struggle.

Shang Jue has already treated her to a meal, so he doesn't seem to dislike her that much, right?

After spending more than half a year together, she and he had developed a certain level of friendship. Should she try to curry favor with him again?

High diving is difficult, but cliff diving is even more difficult. I really don't want to practice anymore.

Qi He tossed and turned on the bed for a long time, but her will to survive eventually overcame her wishful thinking.

After all, Shang Jue is the kind of person who is good at hiding his strength without making a sound. Who knows if his current amiable demeanor is just an act?

What if he's a master of acting?

Men are completely unreliable.

The only thing you can truly rely on is your own skills.

Qi He, holding the brocade pillow, suddenly had an idea and picked up the dark blue velvet box from the bedside to admire it.

This was the birthday gift she had ordered for Shang Jue a couple of days ago—a cornflower blue sapphire jade pendant worth a thousand gold pieces. This morning, it was personally delivered to Qianjinlou by the shop assistant along with the treasure appraisal document.

They were supposed to receive it the day before yesterday, but Qi He instructed them to add an extra step: engraving a line of tiny characters on the back of the gemstone: "Shang Jue is a dog."

I wonder how long it will take before I realize I've insulted him after I put the mask on.

Qi He felt secretly pleased for a while, and after looking at it enough, he put the box back in its original place.

Speaking of which, when Shang Jue invited her to dinner, he didn't specify whether it was lunchtime or evening, so Qi He naturally assumed it was nighttime.

After all, doesn't it take her time to do her makeup and choose her clothes?

Even if a sophisticated young lady from a wealthy family goes to the clinic in the middle of the night, she will still try to be a beautiful patient.

Qi He changed into a champagne-colored brocade jacket, looked in the mirror, and was very satisfied.

How could someone as beautiful as her go unappreciated?

She picked up a brush and drew a self-portrait, then instructed her maids to deliver it to Hu Ying and Shang Jue separately.

Replies came quickly from both sides.

Hu Ying wrote a long and eloquent essay: "Your beauty is like that of a fairy descended from heaven. If looking at you a little longer could prolong my life, I would probably be immortal by now."

Below that, a string of fancy patterns were drawn.

Shang Jue's reply consisted of only one sentence: "The neckline is a bit low; fasten the top button."

Qi He rolled her eyes and wrote on the back of the letter: "Fun fact: The Great Jing Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years and has long since abandoned those old rules."

Shang Jue replied with a "?".

What a scoundrel of a man! Only a good girl in this world truly understands her.

Shang Jue sent another note: "The color suits you very well. Depart at 5 PM tonight, I'll come pick you up."

Without saying a word, Qi He crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it away, then picked up a pen and wrote: "Who are you? I don't know you."

When the merchant sent the document again, it was a verbatim copy of the previous sentence, with an additional line: "Isn't he your husband?"

Qi He's ears burned at the sight of the word "husband," and she cursed him again, but ultimately didn't throw it away.

......

On Shang Jue's birthday, Qi He wore that red and gold jacket for the first time ever, with two emerald collar buttons and a thin silver chain hanging from the lapel, swaying gently as she walked.

Shang Jue waited for her in front of the carriage for half an hour. When Qi He came out, he noticed that she seemed to have "grown" two inches taller, and his gaze lingered on her thick-soled embroidered shoes for a moment.

Qi He looked back with a righteous indignation.

So what? She just stuffed height-increasing insoles inside!

Shang Jue silently looked away.

Actually, Qi He isn't short, but for some reason she's particularly concerned about her height.

Shang Jue could never understand the eccentric thoughts of this expensive vase with its staggering maintenance costs.

He lifted the carriage curtain, and Qi He bent down to get in. The expensive jacket fit her slender figure perfectly, and the top button of the collar was indeed fastened.

Qingweizhai is located on a long street by the Cangjiang River. It is a private restaurant that is only open to regular customers.

Seating requires an introduction, and only a few tables are accepted each month.

The shop owner was the third young master of the Zhou family in the city. Due to the dispute between the legitimate and illegitimate sons in the family, he simply converted some of his properties into silver and took over this riverside pavilion to start a business.

He was a smooth talker with a wide circle of friends, and his business was thriving. Qi He was one of his major clients.

When Qingweizhai opened, Zhou San Gongzi invited Qi He to cut the ribbon.

Tonight's seat was a private riverside room reserved in advance, separated by two sandalwood screens, about ten feet square. Outside the window was the quietly flowing river, with the lights on both banks reflected in it, a dazzling sight.

A girl holding a pipa was already waiting outside the screen. As soon as Shang Jue and Qi He sat down, the melodious music drifted over.

When Young Master Zhou heard that Qi He had arrived, he specially came from the backyard to exchange a few pleasantries.

Qi He also smiled and engaged in a back-and-forth exchange with this friend on the surface.

When Qi He became impatient, Young Master Zhou, sensing his impatience, quickly apologized and took his leave.

Qi He gets annoyed as soon as she hears about business. She finally dressed up as a rich young lady who doesn't have to worry about food or clothing, so why would she want to talk to people about such nonsense?

I get a headache just saying one more word.

The two had barely sat down when the waiter brought over an exquisitely decorated food box.

Qi He's earlier impatience vanished instantly, and just as Shang Jue was about to pick up his chopsticks, she suddenly called out, "Wait!"

Shang Jue looked at her, puzzled.

Qi He took out paper and pen and drew a small picture of each dish that she thought was beautifully presented. She adjusted the angle for a while before finally putting down her pen with satisfaction.

Shang Jue's voice was cold: "What are you doing?"

Qi He replied matter-of-factly, "Just to keep as a souvenir."

I couldn't help but think to myself that men don't understand the finer things in life; if they don't write down what they eat, it's like they've eaten for nothing.

Now that I can't take photos, I'm forced to draw simple sketches.

Although she had been looking forward to coming to Qingweizhai, when the food was actually served, Qi He's enthusiasm for eating was not so strong.

She ate two snacks in the afternoon and isn't very hungry yet. Besides, she's a very picky eater; she won't touch onions or ginger, won't eat garlic or leeks, and won't eat any root vegetables...

He doesn't eat offal, radishes, coriander, or celery. When steaming fish, he only eats a few bites from the belly and gills. He doesn't eat cooked eggplant or cabbage, nor does he eat shredded potatoes, but he can eat them cut into chunks.

So after a table full of dishes, she picked and chose a few bites before modestly putting down her chopsticks and starting to add color to the painting she had just drawn.

Shang Jue was already used to her picky manners, and he ate almost all the dishes on the table himself.

"I'm going to wash my hands," Qi He said and went out.

Shang Jue had no choice but to sit at the table and wait for the young lady to return after washing up.

It was lunchtime, and more and more customers were coming in to dine outside the screen.

......

Lu Jingxing is returning to Jinling today, and his former classmates have prepared a welcome banquet for him at Qingweizhai.

Most of the people at the banquet were old friends who had become prominent figures in Jinling. Lu Jingxing was parachuted into a high position at the Lu Family Business Company upon his return, with a bright future ahead of him.

Because of their classmate relationship, everyone wanted to get close to him, and they flattered and joked with him throughout the meal.

They started by talking about the Lu family's situation, but somehow the conversation suddenly shifted and they mentioned Qi He.

Behind the screen, Shang Jue leaned back in his chair, listening to the discussions not far away, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Jingxing, do you still remember the second young lady of the Qi family?"

Lu Jingxing's voice was gentle: "How could I not remember? It's been many years since we last met."

One person laughed and said, "That's right, who in Jinling doesn't know the reputation of Miss Qi the Second?"

Another person chimed in, "Does Qi He know you're back?"

Someone else said, "I still remember when you were about to go on a long journey, Qi He sat in your carriage and wouldn't let you go, crying until her eyes were swollen."

A few light laughs broke out during the meal.

"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. How old was she back then? Thirteen or fourteen? She looked like a jade doll."

"That's right, Yuwawa. She's always following Jingxing around. Her clingy nature is incredibly endearing."

"Jingxing, do you know that Qi He is getting married soon?"

There was a moment of silence behind the screen.

Lu Jingxing's gentle voice rang out: "I don't know."

There was a hint of surprise and displeasure in his voice.

"It's normal that you don't know because you're out there. The news of Qi He's engagement spread throughout Jinling. Nobody expected that she would marry a live-in son-in-law, and that the engagement was arranged by her grandfather himself."

Lu Jingxing's hand tightened slightly as he gripped the rim of his cup and asked, "Is she already engaged?"

The classmate explained, "Yes, a poor boy who was nobody appeared out of nowhere and became the son-in-law of the Qi family. In less than a year, he took control of the Wanxing and Juxian businesses."

Someone else lowered their voice and said, "If you ask me, Qi He would be better off marrying you than that greenhorn. Jing Xing, I think Qi He is quite fond of you. I heard from her cousin that she even specially picked out a homecoming gift for you when she knew you were coming back."

Lu Jingxing's expression had been somewhat displeased, but it eased slightly when he heard that Qi He had picked out a gift for him.

"Don't make jokes like that, it will cause trouble for Xiaohe."

The classmates, oblivious to Lu Jingxing's expression, continued to whisper among themselves, "But few people can stand Qi He's temper. She's arrogant, spoiled, and a spendthrift. Besides her older brother Qi Zheng, who can afford to support her?"

"Yes, it's a good thing Jingxing didn't get together with her back then, otherwise she would have really become our 'sister-in-law,' and that would have been really tough."

"Besides that face, he doesn't have any other skills."

The murmurs faded into the distance, seemingly disappearing once they entered the adjacent private room.

Qi He came out of the purification room, sat down, and complained under her breath, "The lights in that purification room were too dim; they made people's faces look pale."

She looked up and saw Shang Jue's expression, and was taken aback.

Why do you look a little unhappy?

Did something happen while she was in the washroom?

Who upset him?

Qi He looked around but didn't see anything suspicious.

"Have you finished using it?" Shang Jue asked coldly. "If you have, then leave."

Qi He quickly stood up: "Hey, wait a minute."

Shang Jue was tall and had long legs. He coldly uttered a sentence and strode towards the stairwell.

Qi He was bewildered by his cold treatment. When she caught up with him at the stairwell, the bastard Shang Jue had already gone downstairs without waiting for her.

Qi He was completely bewildered, staring at the staircase extending downwards floor by floor, cursing it a hundred times in her heart.

The evening breeze from the river caressed Shang Jue's face, and he finally came to his senses, realizing what he had done.

Why was she so angry when she heard Lu Jingxing talking to his friends?

He felt a lump in his chest, making him so irritable that he had no way to vent it.

This feeling is so strange...