A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Wei Zhao almost choked.

The old lady's arrangement was too direct.

Although he was prepared for this in his heart—he said he would take on the responsibility.

They will have to be implemented one by one sooner or later—but I didn't expect the second one to come so quickly.

He was making love with Liu Jingshuang last night, and now he's with someone else tonight?

He glanced at Liu Jingshuang subconsciously.

Liu Jingshuang's face was expressionless.

It was as cold as the north wind outside the city.

But Wei Zhao noticed that her fingers, which were on the hilt of the knife, tightened for a moment.

Only for a moment.

Su Qingyun lowered her head, her ears burning so badly they could fry an egg.

She opened her mouth, but in the end only nodded slightly.

"……yes."

The sound was so faint it was like a mosquito humming.

The old lady stood up, leaning on her cane, and walked outside.

He paused briefly as he passed Wei Zhao, not looking at him, and only uttered a single sentence.

"The continuation of the Wei family line is more important than anything else."

The sound of the cane tapping on the stone slab gradually faded into the distance.

There were only three people left in the council chamber.

Liu Jingshuang turned around first and walked out with brisk steps.

I paused briefly at the door.

"Scouts outside the city report that the Northern Rong camp began slaughtering horses this morning."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

Kill the horse?

Wei Zhao's brow twitched.

The Beirong people are a nomadic people, and horses are their lifeblood.

The fact that they started killing horses to feed themselves indicates that Quan Ya Mao's provisions were being consumed faster than expected.

They can't even last three days.

As he was making plans, he caught a glimpse of Su Qingyun still standing there, her hands twisting her sleeves, her fingertips turning white.

"Pure and elegant".

Su Qingyun's shoulders twitched, and she raised her head.

"Go and rest first, we'll talk about tonight—"

Wei Zhao paused for a moment, then gave her a smile that was as gentle as possible.

"No rush."

Su Qingyun's ears turned even redder. She quickly bowed and strode out of the council hall.

Her footsteps were hurried and disordered, a stark contrast to her usual smiling and calculating demeanor.

Wei Zhao sat alone in the main seat and suddenly smiled.

The supplies have arrived, the Northern Rong are slaughtering horses, there's been some progress on the spy, and the Old Madam is about to return to the capital to deal with Lu Song.

The pieces are all moving to the correct positions.

Now it's time for me to get to the right place.

……

When Su Qingyun entered the bathroom, Wei Zhao was sitting alone on the edge of the bed, his hands on his knees, his thumbs rubbing together unconsciously.

Weird.

Although he was nervous during his previous encounter with Liu Jingshuang, his nervousness was mostly due to the novelty of the experience.

Liu Jingshuang is too direct, so direct that you don't even have time to be nervous before things have already happened.

Su Qingyun is different.

Since leaving the council chamber, she has hardly spoken a complete sentence to him.

I deliberately kept half a step away from him while walking, and my eyes kept wandering, not daring to look directly at his face.

After entering the room, she lowered her head and said, "I'll go wash up first," her voice so soft it was as if she was afraid of waking someone.

Wei Zhao sat there, listening to the rushing water from next door, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

What is he nervous about?

After thinking about it for a long time, I think I understand.

Liu Jingshuang is the eldest sister-in-law, a female military commander, and the kind of ruthless woman you can tell just by looking at her: "What kind of situation hasn't this woman seen?"

With her, you don't need to be careful.

Su Qingyun is different.

She was the daughter of a merchant family and married Wei Po, the second son of the Wei family. The couple had a very good relationship.

Although she was shrewd in the mourning hall, Wei Zhao could clearly see what was hidden in her eyes—the pain of losing her husband.

Tonight is not her wedding night.

It is betrayal.

The sound of water stopped.

Wei Zhao's back involuntarily tensed up.

The curtain was lifted, and Su Qingyun came out.

Her wet hair was draped over her shoulders, and water droplets dripped from the ends of her hair onto her collarbone, then trickled down that curve.

She changed into a very thin, plain white nightgown. Conditions in the army were simple, with no fine silks or satins.

But when the coarse cloth nightgown was slightly damp with moisture, it clung to the body, revealing an unadorned softness.

Su Qingyun's features were not as cold and sharp as Liu Jingshuang's.

She has the qualities of a woman from Jiangnan.

Her eyebrows were curved, her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were tinged with a faint pink from the steam of the hot water.

When she smiles, she looks like a female accountant reincarnated as Maitreya Buddha, shrewd yet endearing.

But there was no laughter at that moment.

She stood beside the curtain, clutching her clothes with both hands until her knuckles turned white, her eyelashes drooping, not daring to look at him.

The candlelight flickered beside her face, and the thin layer of steam made her look like a watercolor painting that hadn't fully dried.

It's soft and light; it will spread when you touch it.

Wei Zhao's Adam's apple bobbed.

"come over."

His voice was hoarser than he had expected.

Su Qingyun's eyelashes trembled, and she moved closer.

He stopped a step away from the bed, head bowed, like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.

Wei Zhao reached out and grasped her wrist.

It was cold.

If your hands are still cold after a hot shower, it means you're extremely nervous.

He didn't rush to do anything, but gently pulled her closer and let her sit next to him.

"Afraid?"

Su Qingyun shook her head, then nodded.

"A little."

Her voice was muffled.

"What are you afraid of?"

She didn't answer.

Wei Zhao didn't press the matter further.

He knew what she was afraid of.

It wasn't that I was afraid of the pain, or that I was afraid of him; it was that after doing this, the name Wei Po in my heart would be pushed to an even more distant corner.

He raised his hand and brushed aside the wet hair clinging to her cheek. When his fingertips touched her earlobe, Su Qingyun trembled slightly.

"Pure and elegant".

"Um."

"You don't need to forget your second brother."

Su Qingyun suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly reddening.

Wei Zhao looked into her eyes and said very seriously:

"He is him, and I am me."

"If you leave a place for him in your heart, I won't be jealous."

He paused, then a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"But this seat is mine tonight."

Su Qingyun's tears welled up in her eyes but didn't fall.

She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and then closed her eyes.

Wei Zhao lowered his head and kissed him.

Her lips were soft, warm from the hot water, and trembling slightly.

Unlike Liu Jingshuang.

When Liu Jingshuang kisses, she's retaliatory; for every inch you go in, she goes in a foot, like a battle.

Su Qingyun withdrew.

You advance, she retreats.

Only when there was nowhere left to retreat did they respond with a trembling, tiny bit of response.

This passivity, however, stirred up an inexplicable impulse within Wei Zhao.

When he pushed her down onto the bed, Su Qingyun's fingers gripped his clothes tightly.

Her fingernails dug into the muscles of his chest through the fabric, leaving only a faint white mark.

A body with a constitution of 105 is truly a gift.

Throughout the process, Su Qingyun did not open her eyes.

She occasionally let out a very low whimper or two, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

He was curled up like a cat that had been soaked by the rain.

Wei Zhao slowed down his movements.

Her body was much softer and more fragile than Liu Jingshuang's.

Liu Jingshuang was a martial artist with strong and resilient bones, so she could withstand any kind of torment.

Su Qingyun wouldn't do; she's just an accountant, and her heaviest job is probably moving abacuses.

(To be continued... Unlocking the ellipsis will display paid content)