Her gaze flickered momentarily before she averted her eyes elsewhere. "There's nothing I want to do."
He gripped her wrist, halting their steps, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "You do. I know exactly what you desire."
Her heart clenched abruptly, as if he had seen right through her.
He stepped closer. "Use every person and opportunity at your disposal to maximize your gains, to seize everything you want. Xie Sangning, I know you’re capable of it."
Her heartbeat suddenly quickened. The ambition that had sprouted but been buried when she was eight years old, confined and stifled, now seemed reignited.
A surge of restless energy.
A sharp glint flashed in her eyes—why shouldn’t she?
The next day at noon, Sangning finally rose from bed.
Xia Zhu deftly styled her hair and applied powder to the love bites on her neck without batting an eye.
"Third Master left early for court today. He mentioned there’s a backlog of affairs, so he’ll likely return late," Xia Zhu said.
"Hmm." Her voice was thick, likely from sleep.
"Now that Third Master has resumed his duties at court, he’ll probably be busier from now on."
She opened her eyes, glancing at her weary reflection in the mirror, and replied hoarsely, "Busy is good."
Xia Zhu: "..."
Once her toilette was complete, Sangning was about to have lunch when a young maid hurried in with news.
"Madam, someone from the palace has arrived—they’ve come to deliver an imperial decree."
Sangning froze. An imperial decree? For her?
She rose and strode to the main hall.
Eunuch Zhang was already waiting there, smiling warmly. "Third Madam, I’ve come on His Majesty’s orders to deliver the decree."
Sangning lifted the hem of her skirt and knelt in reverence. "This humble subject receives the decree."
Eunuch Zhang unfurled the bright yellow scroll and proclaimed loudly, "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The wife of He the Third, virtuous and dignified, intelligent and talented, is hereby conferred the title of Second-Rank Commandery Lady. So it is decreed!"
Sangning’s eyes widened slightly—a noble title?
She hurriedly raised her hands to receive the decree. "This humble subject thanks His Majesty."
Eunuch Zhang respectfully placed the scroll in her palms and urged, "Please rise, Madam."
With Xia Zhu’s support, Sangning stood and nodded slightly. "You’ve worked hard, Eunuch Zhang."
"Madam is too kind!" The eunuch replied with equal courtesy.
Given Young General He’s rising prominence in court, it was only natural for him to curry favor with his wife.
After seeing Eunuch Zhang off, Sangning unrolled the decree to examine it once more.
Xia Zhu exclaimed excitedly, "Madam has only just entered the household, yet at such a young age, you’ve been granted the title of Second-Rank Commandery Lady! His Majesty truly holds you in high esteem!"
Sangning shook her head lightly. "His Majesty doesn’t value me—he values Third Master."
She didn’t need to guess who had sought this favor for her.
She recalled He Siyu’s words from the day before:
—Do whatever you desire.
Her fingers tightened around the decree as she pressed her lips together. So, he had secured her a noble title.
He Siyu returned to the estate under the cover of night, finding a faint candlelight still glowing in their chamber.
Pushing the door open, he stepped into the warm, dim glow that lent the room a cozy intimacy.
The space was quiet. He parted the beaded curtain to the inner chamber and found her reclined on the daybed, asleep, a book still in hand.
His brow furrowed slightly as he approached silently, plucking the book from her grasp before lifting her into his arms and carrying her to bed.
The moment he set her down, her lashes fluttered, and she stirred awake.
Pausing, he watched as her drowsy eyes opened before murmuring, "Did I wake you?"
Her voice was muffled as she rubbed her eyes. "No."
She hadn’t meant to sleep anyway.
"If you were tired, why not sleep properly in bed? What if you caught a chill?" He took her hand—soft and warm.
She frowned. In the height of summer? A chill?
Pushing herself upright, she met his gaze. "The palace sent an imperial decree today."
His eyebrow arched. "So you waited up for me?"
She sidestepped the question. "You asked His Majesty to grant me a noble title?"
The corner of his lips lifted. "Do you like it?"
She pressed her lips together. "Why?"
"What do you mean, why?" His tone was casual. "You’re my wife. You deserve the best. In a few years, once I’ve earned another military merit, I’ll secure you a First-Rank title."
Staring at his matter-of-fact expression, the weightlessness in her heart suddenly settled into something steadier.
He continued watching her. "Do you like it?"
She hesitated, finding herself unable to lie, and nodded. "I do."
His expression brightened, his dark eyes gleaming as he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. "Then how will you thank me?"
She stiffened, catching the sudden shift in his gaze—the earlier warmth dissipating in an instant.
She pressed a hand against his chest, turning her face away. "I need to sleep!"
"You just woke up," he countered, nipping at her earlobe.
"I have matters to attend to tomorrow!"
She was at her limit with him—couldn’t he think of anything else?!
Even if they wanted a child, this was excessive!
"What matters?" His arms encircled her waist, his lips trailing from her cheek to her ear as he asked distractedly.
She clutched his collar. "Tomorrow is the Duke of Ning’s grandmother’s birthday banquet."
His mouth stilled against her ear before he abruptly lifted his head.
"The Duke of Ning’s household?"
She nodded. "Mother said the invitation arrived. If I don’t attend, it’ll seem like I’m avoiding it out of guilt. Since there’s nothing between us, there’s no need to deliberately stay away."
His dark eyes bore into her, studying her calm expression as she uttered the words "nothing between us." The tension in his chest eased slightly.
Of course. How could Pei Songhan ever occupy her thoughts?
Someone as dull as him—even in their past life, she’d never spared him a second glance.
No matter how many times they lived, people’s preferences didn’t change.
He exhaled slowly, feigning nonchalance. "Then I’ll accompany you tomorrow."
She blinked. "Don’t you have court?"
"Nothing urgent. Taking another day off won’t hurt. The Duke of Ning’s grandmother’s birthday is reason enough to pay respects."
She murmured, "Oh."
His chest tightened abruptly, and he captured her lips in a punishing kiss. "Try being this dismissive with me again!"
The next morning, He Siyu and Sangning set off together for the Duke of Ning’s estate.
The Marchioness had originally intended to accompany Sangning, but since He Siyu was going, she decided to leave it to the young couple.
Outside the Duke of Ning’s residence, carriages crowded the street, the bustle lively enough to cause a brief delay before their own arrived at the gates.
"Master, Madam, we’ve arrived."
Sangning roused from her drowsy state against He Siyu’s shoulder before taking his hand to descend from the carriage.
As she stepped off the footstool and moved to withdraw her hand, his fingers closed firmly around hers, leading her inside.
"Young General He!" The Duke of Ning himself came forward to greet them.
He Siyu strode in with Sangning before releasing her to clasp his hands in salute. "Duke Ning."
His gaze lifted to Pei Songhan trailing behind the duke, his tone cooling. "Heir of the Duke of Ning."
Pei Songhan returned the gesture. "Young General He."
He paused, his eyes shifting to Sangning. His lips parted with visible difficulty before he managed, "Madam He."
