Shen Tingwei made a high-profile request for a royal decree for Ye Zhizhou, and when the imperial edict arrived, Mrs. Shen almost fainted.
"It's witchcraft, it must be witchcraft! Tingwei has been bewitched by that demon, even neglecting his own family," Mrs. Shen lay half-slumped on the bed, looking as if she had lost half her life, "He's clearly a bastard, but insists on being recognized as the legitimate son. And his face has changed so much, if it's not witchcraft, then what is it? What poison can transform a face like that?"
Shen Youpeng sat below, sipping tea, silent as if he hadn't heard a thing.
"We cannot let that monster continue!" Mrs. Shen suddenly sat up with renewed vigor, waving her hand adorned with a gemstone ring as if dispelling something dirty in the air, "I will go to the Baiyun Temple to invite a high monk to perform rituals at our home! We must expose that demon for what it truly is!"
"Mother," Shen Youpeng set down his tea cup, his gaze as calm as stagnant water, and his tone equally flat, "I have already informed the Emperor that I will depart for the border in three days. I won't be spending the New Year at home. Qingqing is a reasonable child; you can try to connect with her. I've also arranged for the theater troupe from Chunxiu Garden; they will come regularly to perform for you. You are getting older, so you mustn't exert yourself. If you desire anything in the future, just tell Qingqing, and she will take care of it for you. You won't have to go out yourself."
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Shen's face trembled, "Are you planning to confine me at home?"
"Your son has no such intention," Shen Youpeng straightened his sleeves, finally looking at her in the eyes with some emotion, "Mother, I only hope that my son can live a carefree life. The wind and sand at the border, I can handle them alone."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Mrs. Shen frozen in place. This was the first time she had seen resentment in her son's eyes since forcing her daughter-in-law to death. She opened her mouth, and suddenly, a few turbid tears fell from her eyes. She didn't know if these tears were for herself or for her son, whose hair had prematurely turned white.
Shen Youpeng hastily returned to see his healthy son, stayed for less than half a month, and then received an imperial decree to return to the border. Shortly after his departure, Shen Tingwei was promoted again, replacing his father as the top military officer.
"What did Father say to the Emperor?" Ye Zhizhou asked with some concern, holding the imperial decree, "With so much power in your hands, will..."
"It's alright," Shen Tingwei held him in his arms and glanced at the documents on the desk, "Father simply informed the Emperor about the Shen family's lack of heirs, easing the Emperor's concerns. Don't worry, with me here, you can do whatever you want. You don't need to worry about anything, I can provide you with a peaceful life."
Ye Zhizhou looked at him askance, "Whatever I want?"
From Shen Tingwei's perspective, he could see Ye Zhizhou's lashes fluttering as he looked at him from the corner of his eye. They fluttered provocatively, stirring up some carnal desires. Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed his lover's eyes, his inner desires contrasting with his outward sincerity as he nodded, tightening his hold on him, "Yes, whatever you request, I'll grant it."
"Alright," Ye Zhizhou turned around and looked up at him, extending his hand, "Give me the secret funds."
Shen Tingwei's eyes twinkled with a hint of amusement as he took a seal box from the desk and placed it in Ye Zhizhou's hand, "There's a hidden compartment by the bedside in our room. Silver notes and land deeds are all there. This is my private seal. If you want anything, just go to the storage room to get it. From now on, all the household finances are under your control."
"Is that all?" He tossed the seal lightly and continued to extend his hand, "There must be more, give it up."
Shen Tingwei put down the documents and playfully pinched his waist, "You're quite clever... Indeed, there's more, but I've used that part to support the disabled soldiers. I have the expenditure records here; would you like to see them, my little steward?"
Tickled by the pinch, Ye Zhizhou quickly moved away, "No need to see, no need to see. You can continue to support them, and if you ever can't afford it, I'll help you make money. Now, you can get back to your business, and I'll go out for a stroll."
Shen Tingwei hastily pulled him back, "You want to earn money?"
"Yes, indeed." I not only want to make money but also want to make money together with Fei Jinchu. It would be even better if I could make money and then swindle Fei Jinchu in the end!
"Is money not enough?" He furrowed his brows deeply, plunged into a crisis where he realized he couldn't support his wife, "Don't go, I'll figure something out. How much money do you need?"
Ye Zhizhou playfully tapped his forehead and explained, "It's not that we don't have enough money, it's just that I'm bored and want to have some fun. You're usually busy with military training, court matters, and governance. But what about me? I can't just sit around doing nothing every day."
Shen Tingwei's furrowed brows relaxed, and he started worrying about Ye Zhizhou's safety again, concerned that he might be unhappy if he failed to make money. After some thought, he said, "Then I'll introduce you to a few reliable shopkeepers from our household. You can practice with them first, and it doesn't matter if you incur losses. I'm here for you."
How could his lover be so adorable! Unable to resist, Ye Zhizhou cupped his face and planted a kiss on his cheek before waving his hand and running outside. As he ran, he shouted, "Don't worry, I won't incur losses! Just wait for me to make money and support you!"
Shen Tingwei helplessly watched him run off, waved to the guards to follow him, and then returned to reviewing the documents, but he couldn't help but put them down again. He raised his hand to touch his face, his lips curling into a gentle smile.
The process of getting close to Fei Jinchu went incredibly smoothly. Ye Zhizhou only needed to deliver a letter in the name of the Shen family, and Fei Jinchu immediately agreed. He even brought along a complete set of cooperation plans with remarkable efficiency.
Ye Zhizhou scanned the plans and nodded with a smile. "Mr. Fei, you've thought of everything. I have nothing more to add. Let's proceed this way." To avoid interfering with the natural development of this world, the business he brought wasn't anything particularly extraordinary. Aside from its freshness, the only highlight was the support of Shen Tingwei behind him. He didn't expect Fei Jinchu to be such an understanding person. He took the initiative to handle the rest of the matters once the ball was rolling.
"General's wife, you're too kind," Fei Jinchu bowed and offered his respects, his refined and scholarly demeanor not befitting a typical merchant but rather resembling a scholar. "Your insights are quite innovative, and I have benefited greatly from them. I hope you'll continue to look after me in the future."
"It's not a matter of looking after each other; we're simply cooperating with each other," he smiled, stood up, and took his leave directly. "I'll leave the rest to you, Mr. Fei."
"You're too kind, madam," Fei Jinchu said, and he politely got up to see Ye Zhizhou off, escorting him out of the restaurant.
After leaving the restaurant, Ye Zhizhou went to another tea house where he met a storyteller. After a thorough mental conversation with the storyteller, he returned home in a good mood.
Three days later, Zou Qing married a wealthy merchant's son from the countryside. That night, the system popped up on the screen in a rather awkward situation: "[The probability of affection between Fei Jinchu, Kang Run, Zhang Xuemi, and the protagonist has dropped to 50%. Please strive harder, host.]"
Ye Zhizhou took a deep breath, surprised. It had dropped so much? Just because the protagonist got married? At this point, the protagonist should have just finished her wedding night, right? It went straight down to 50%. So, with the storyteller's help, Fei Jinchu might be able to remove the flagpole quickly!
Shen Tingwei noticed his distraction, his gaze darkening. He lowered his head and bit his earlobe, making him let out a sudden gasp. His wandering thoughts returned, and he suddenly felt embarrassed about the current situation. He quickly closed the screen and kicked him in the leg, feigning disinterest, "I'm hungry, thinking about what to eat for supper tonight."
Shen Tingwei's face darkened. While he was working hard, his lover was thinking about supper? Holding back his irritation, he changed his position and tried even harder.
Another day of decadence passed, and Ye Zhizhou sighed while lying on the bed, "Tongtian, the pace of life here is all wrong! Is this world some kind of vacation resort? It feels way too easy." Compared to the constant life-threatening situations in the previous world, this world's peace and simplicity felt somewhat unscientific.
[Detecting task difficulty... Detection complete, mode: difficult. Would you like to enter Hell mode prematurely?]
The content that popped up on the screen startled him. He quickly sat up, grabbed the mirror by the pillow, and asked, "What is Hell mode? Is this world really difficult? Wait, are these task worlds graded?"
[Host's permissions are insufficient to access information.]
"..."
[Warning, Soul Flag status is abnormal with fluctuating trends...]
A sudden turn of events caught him off guard, and he couldn't quite grasp it. "What's going on? Soul Flag fluctuations?"
[Soul Flag status being analyzed... Analysis interrupted... Plot changes detected. Please accept the new plotline, host.]
He watched helplessly as the text on the screen continued to refresh, finally turning into the maddening "plot changes detected." He tugged at his hair. "Why did it change? Just because I sighed about it being simple?"
[Would you like to accept the new plotline?]
"..."
[The probability of affection between Fei Jinchu, Kang Run, Zhang Xuemi, Yang Qi, and the protagonist has increased to 80%. Host, please pay attention!]
A bolt from the blue! Affection probability could actually increase?
[Would you like to accept the new plotline?]
"Accept, accept, accept! Please, don't increase it anymore!" He quickly suppressed his shock, held the small mirror, and opened the new plot information.
In the new plot information, the story where Zou Qing pretended to be a fox spirit to marry the crown prince was completely scrapped. Instead, Zou Qing's health became poor, and he was abandoned in the countryside by his stepmother. Both he and his mother were helpless victims, bullied by Yuan Hui, the legitimate wife, and Zou Qing, the eldest son.
When Zou Qing turned seventeen, his wicked stepmother married him off to a wealthy merchant's son who was lazy, gluttonous, and a compulsive gambler. He thought that was how his life would be, but he didn't realize it could get even worse. It turned out that the merchant had a beloved cousin who, out of jealousy, pushed Zou Qing into a pond and drowned him on the second day of his marriage. Fearing retaliation from the Zou family, the merchant kept this information hidden and secretly rolled up Zou Qing in a tattered mat, tossing him into a pauper's grave. Then, Zou Qing, who was only pretending to be dead, was saved by a passing divine physician.
"..." The divine physicians in this world seem rather nonchalant if they can pass by a pauper's grave so casually.
After being cured by the divine physician, Zou Qing returned to the merchant's family but was shocked to find out that the entire merchant's family had been massacred by a group of bandits on the night he was thrown into the pauper's grave. He had also been officially registered as deceased. Heartbroken and helpless, he decided to go to the capital to find his father.
On his way back to the capital, he first encountered Hou Mansion's young master, Zhang Xuemi, and then had an intimate encounter with him, thanks to a dose of aphrodisiac. The day after their encounter, he felt his body had become tainted and couldn't bear to live in this world any longer. While Zhang Xuemi was still sound asleep, he rushed into the deep mountains and forests with the intention of ending his life. However, instead of ending it, he encountered a love-struck assassin named Kang Run who had been poisoned. He was forced into another intimate encounter with Kang Run.
Ye Zhizhou: "..."
Zou Qing, feeling even dirtier, suddenly decided not to die. He resolved to go to the capital to repent for his impurity in front of his father, so he made his escape while Kang Run was still unconscious after detoxification. A month and a half later, he reached the capital and found his father, pouring out his hardships before fainting. Zou's father was greatly shocked and hurriedly called for a physician. To his astonishment, he discovered that Zou Qing was already pregnant!
Zou's father firmly believed that the child belonged to the merchant's son, feeling sorrowful for their family's tragic fate. He promptly informed the surviving relatives of the merchant, including the Grand Scholar Yang Dexuan. Upon hearing the news, Yang Dexuan rushed over and strongly urged Zou Qing to give birth to the child, taking him to his mansion and meticulously caring for him. He claimed that he would support and care for both mother and child in place of their lost family members.
Upon reaching this part, Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but take a deep breath and felt a bit overwhelmed. The protagonist was amazing; even in these circumstances, they managed to gather three male leads. Impressive indeed.
After arriving at the Yang Mansion, although Zou Qing knew deep down that the child couldn't possibly be the merchant's son's, out of fatherly instinct, he didn't reveal the truth. Later, he met Yang Dexuan's recently recognized son, Yang Qi, at the Yang Mansion. They read books and played together, gradually developing a good relationship.
One dark and stormy night, Zou Qing coincidentally gave Yang Qi a hand when he experienced his first physiological response, becoming Yang Qi's dream lover.
"..."
Although residing in the Yang Mansion, Zou Qing harbored a secret desire for self-reliance, leading him to engage in covert business endeavors with a modest sum provided by Zou's father. Gradually, this venture captured the attention of Fei Jinchu, the son of a prominent merchant. After a passionate encounter fueled by alcohol, Fei Jinchu felt sympathetic towards Zou Qing and subsequently decided not to marry anyone else.
At this point, all four male protagonists have converged.
Ye Zhizhou silently closed the information, expressing his reluctance to witness the turbulent scene where Zou Qing, Zhan Xuemi, and Kang Run encountered each other again and debated the parentage of the child. It was indeed the challenging mode, and the plot changes were disheartening.
The small mirror suddenly shook, and then the light screen appeared: "[The likelihood of a romantic connection between Zhan Xuemi and the protagonist has risen to 100%, please take note, host!]"
He was taken aback and didn't want to waste any more time. Swiftly, he donned his clothing and hurried to Shen Tingwei's adjoining study. There, he grasped Shen Tingwei's collar and exclaimed, "My beloved, let's embark on our honeymoon! We don't need to venture far; Huzhou will suffice! Let's explore the Huzhou countryside!"
Shen Tingwei peered through his disheveled collar, abandoned the letter in his hand, lifted Ye Zhizhou onto the desk, and began to undress him, remarking, "I find this enticing."
"What?"
"You, in this halfway dressed state."
Ye Zhizhou, overcome with vexation, bit him forcefully, and Shen Tingwei exhaled contentedly.
"..." In this lifetime, his beloved was evidently a partner led by instincts!