After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Moonlit night, East Courtyard of the Bai Mansion.

Pearl, wearing a little jacket, dangled her two chubby white feet, playing enthusiastically with her new ball.

I especially love the pink bow on it.

When Yin Cheng climbed into the room through the window, Lin Nian had just changed into her nightgown.

"Nian Nian".

Lin Nian turned around, and excitedly threw herself into the man's arms, saying, "Ah Cheng, why are you back?"

Yin Cheng caught his wife, kissed her on the forehead, and said, "Tian Hai went to see Pang Hong tonight, so I didn't have anything to do and came back to keep you company."

Lin Nian nodded. "Do you want to take a shower? I'll go boil some water."

"I can go by myself." Yin Cheng carried his wife to the bed and pinched Pearl's cheek.

"The baby's face is going to get pinched so much it'll look huge," Lin Nian said. "Don't pinch it anymore."

"How could that be?" Yin Cheng looked at his son's fair and smooth face and thought he wasn't that fat, just a little chubby and cute.

He said confidently, "It must be from eating too much."

Pearl: Hi!

Pearl pouted her little lips and complained, "Pearl, don't pinch me, give me a kiss!"

The chubby boy pointed to his forehead.

Lin Nian was both amused and exasperated, and quickly hugged Pearl and kissed him on the forehead.

Pearl said, "Father is dear to me too."

"Okay, okay." Yin Cheng kissed Pearl's forehead.

Pearl then giggled.

Lin Nian patted the man's hand, "Go wash up quickly."

Yin Cheng was too lazy to boil water, so he drew water from the well to rinse off. When he returned to the house after cleaning up, Lin Nian had already found his nightgown.

Yin Cheng went to the outer room to change into his nightgown, and there was still a chill in the air when he crawled into bed.

Lin Nian placed the man's cold hand on her warm stomach and said, "Boiling water doesn't take much effort. Don't use cold water next time, what if you catch a cold?"

"No, I'm healthy..." Through the candlelight, Yin Cheng saw that his wife's eyes were gradually becoming strange.

His voice unconsciously lowered, and he quickly changed his tune, "Okay, whatever you say."

Pearl nestled between the two men. "Little Daddy, tell me a story."

Lin Nian said, "Let your father talk."

Yin Cheng asked blankly, "What story?"

"Yesterday I told him the story of a fairy descending to earth; today I should tell him something different."

Pearl looked at her father with expectant eyes.

"A bedtime story..." Yin Chengqing cleared his throat.

"Then tell me a story about Snow White."

"...In the end, the prince and princess lived happily ever after."

Pearl yawned, hugged her new ball, and snuggled into the covers.

Lin Nian's eyes were also starting to close.

"Sleep well, honey, goodnight."

.

Zhao Su vomited all the way from the capital to Huzhou.

When it comes to the hardships of being an official, Lord Zhao said that nothing is more arduous than riding in a carriage.

By the time he reached the territory of Red Maple County, he had lost several pounds and became even thinner.

The imperial envoy was quite a figurehead, surrounded by dozens of people.

At this moment, a servant outside the carriage said, "Sir, the road ahead is blocked."

Zhao Su asked weakly, "What happened?"

The servant replied, "Lord Yi has already gone to inquire."

A short while later, Lord Yi returned. "My lord, there are people blocking the road ahead. They insist on paying fifty taels of silver as a toll before they will let us pass."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Su immediately got off the carriage. "This is an official road! Who would dare to block the road and extort money on an official road?"

Lord Xiao Yi said, "They don't look like farmers. Everyone is carrying a knife and looks fierce. I guess they are mountain bandits."

Zhao Su was furious. "These little bandits are far too audacious. Force your way through, capture them, and take them to the county town to await their fate."

"yes!"

The imperial envoy was accompanied by thirty guards, more than enough to deal with these mere seven or eight bandits.

Those people initially thought that Lord Yi was an easy target because of his young age.

Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, this fat sheep arrived with thirty guards dressed in official robes.

The group tried to run, but they were quickly surrounded by guards.

Some bandits shouted, while others begged for mercy; in short, everyone reacted differently.

Zhao Su, however, felt that there was something strange about these people.

Whether they were shouting or begging for mercy, these people did not seem to be afraid of the government. In their eyes, there was nothing that resembled fear.

Despite capturing the bandits, Zhao Su felt a heavy weight in her heart.

Ordinary mountain bandits wouldn't dare to rob on official roads, and these men's skills are only average. If it were just based on their abilities, they wouldn't be so bold.

Unless they have powerful backers.

Thinking of this, Zhao Su's face turned even uglier.

"grown ups?"

Seeing Zhao Su in a daze, the servant cautiously asked, "Would you like to rest here for a while?"

"No need," Zhao Su said. "Let's hurry to the Hongfeng County government office."

"Yes."

The officials rushed to Hongfeng County, but before they even entered the county town, Pang Hong received the news and was already waiting at the city gate.

Zhao Su was helped down from the carriage by a servant, and Pang Hong quickly came to greet him.

As an imperial envoy, Zhao Su was dressed in official robes, making him stand out among the crowd of people in coarse linen clothes.

Zhao Su stood there for a long time before she came to her senses.

He had never met Pang Hong before, so he couldn't help but scrutinize the man closely.

Pang Hong was an exceptionally ordinary man, with plain features and a height even shorter than the yamen runners behind him.

Although he was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he did not have a strong scholarly air about him; instead, he possessed the shrewdness of a businessman.

"Lord Zhao, you've had a long and arduous journey. I, Pang, have specially booked a meal at the restaurant and am just waiting for you."

Zhao Su waved her hand, "Let's put food aside for now and take me to the yamen first."

"Yes, yes," Pang Hong said. "Lord Zhao, this way please."

Pang Hong led Zhao Su to the yamen (government office). "Lord Zhao, what instructions has His Majesty given you for coming to Hongfeng County?"

Zhao Su said, "Besides checking tax revenue, His Majesty also intends to establish some official schools in Huzhou and has ordered me to select sites in various parts of Huzhou."

Pang Hong's eyes darted around, and he thought to himself, "Wherever there's a large-scale construction project, there's bound to be some money to be made."

If he were to take on the task of establishing official schools, the imperial court would certainly allocate funds, and he could pocket a portion of it.

Thinking of this, a glint of light appeared in Pang Hong's eyes. "I wonder what kind of official schools Your Majesty plans to establish?"

Zhao Su glanced at him. "You don't need to know about this."

"Yes, yes, yes." Pang Hong thought to himself, guessing that this imperial envoy wanted to skim some profits and planned to do it himself.

He immediately felt a great sense of regret, as if he had missed out on a lot of money.

"Tell me," Zhao Su asked sharply, "why haven't we been able to harvest grain these past few years? As far as I know, Hongfeng County has had favorable weather in recent years, so grain production should have increased. Why are the accounts so frequently inaccurate?"

Pang Hong used the excuse he had prepared beforehand, "Lord Zhao, to be honest, the taxes that the people pay every year are stolen by bandits before they are even handed over to the government office."

Zhao Su asked, "Why not send someone to snatch it back?"