Gu Ningning reluctantly walked over.
He had just entered the room, still carrying a heavy chill with him. She didn’t feel like attending to him, so she thought she would just stand in front of him and see if he would take off his clothes by himself.
After all, even a mature His Highness the Crown Prince could manage himself, yet she was suddenly pulled into his arms.
They were too close; the cold kept seeping into her clothes, and she couldn’t help shivering. Then Shen Que asked in a cold voice,
“Why are you standing barefoot on the floor?”
Gu Ningning sensed that he was somewhat mercurial. She pointed innocently at the expensive jade stone floor,
“I just thought the jade tiles were beautiful and that they give off some warmth, so I was curious to step on them.”
After hesitating for a moment, she coquettishly wrapped her arms around his waist, brushing his chin with her hair like a little cat seeking the favor of its master,
“Your Highness, if you don’t like this concubine doing this, this concubine won’t do it again.”
Shen Que fell for it. He just frowned slightly and said, “Forget it here. The ground in Chaoyan Courtyard is cold; you’ll catch a chill.”
Gu Ningning agreed. She thought this man was strange—he knew she couldn’t bear children, yet still cared whether she caught a chill.
But with the main heroine back, she could collapse on the spot and die, so she didn’t bother arguing with Shen Que and forced a faint, dutiful smile as she helped him remove his outer clothing.
After changing, Shen Que still wore the jade pendant she had casually given him a few days ago.
She casually placed the pendant on the table, but her eyes inadvertently landed on a pile of memorials. One of them was opened.
She read Shen Que’s official reports daily but had never peeked inside the memorials themselves, so curiosity made her glance a little longer.
Shen Que lifted her and made her sit on his lap, asking,
“Want to see the official reports?”
Gu Ningning jumped in surprise.
According to the story’s rules, only the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince had access to official reports. Later in the story, because the heroine Gu Qingcheng was clever, Shen Que would show her some memorials to discuss them.
Through this, the heroine learned politics and, after Shen Que’s death, could control the government, ruling from behind the curtain.
She hesitated. Learning could be done anywhere, but this kind of official report was a rare opportunity.
Seeing Shen Que in a good mood, she softly said “Mm,” and genuinely hugged his neck, planting a sweet kiss on his Adam’s apple,
“Your Highness is so good.”
Shen Que picked out two relatively simple and readable memorials from the pile and handed them to her.
“Read these first. Tell me if you don’t understand.”
Gu Ningning obediently sat aside and began reading while Shen Que continued going through the more complex reports.
After being forced to study the Four Books and Five Classics for several days, she finally made some progress. She studied for a little while and roughly understood the content of this memorial.
Shen Que happened to glance over and asked,
“Do you understand it?”
Gu Ningning nodded,
“This memorial is about… the illegitimate son of Duke’s Mansion forcibly taking a common girl in the street. The Prefect of Jingzhao has detained him. He’s afraid the Duke of National Defense will intervene, so he submitted this memorial asking Your Highness what to do.”
She painstakingly dug back into the classical Chinese she had abandoned after college, her watery peach blossom eyes looking at Shen Que expectantly.
Shen Que was about to say it was a simple memorial, but he remembered the Deputy Minister of Revenue’s advice about balancing kindness and authority in educating children. After a moment of thought, he reluctantly praised her,
“Not bad.”
He had dealt with state affairs for years; a single glance at this memorial was enough to know what to do. Yet he deliberately asked,
“Any ideas on how to handle it?”
The chair was wide, designed for a man. Gu Ningning, small in stature and awkwardly seated, curled up on it, appearing soft and floppy.
Shen Que, a man from the military, hated seeing people sit or stand improperly. His temples throbbed, yet he held back.
If anyone else had been present, they would have marveled at how someone could constantly test His Highness the Crown Prince’s temper and still live comfortably.
Gu Ningning admitted honestly,
“This concubine can’t think of a solution.”
Fearing Shen Que might notice her lack of thought, she looked at him sincerely with her peach blossom eyes,
“He forcibly took a common girl. He must pay some price.”
Shen Que, long used to her clumsiness, didn’t embarrass her this time. He even went along with her idea,
“Then beat him first.”
Gu Ningning froze, pen in hand. Could she write that down?
After a moment of hesitation, she obediently wrote it. Shen Que frowned at her handwriting, probably thinking it too messy.
When she finished, Shen Que explained with pursed lips,
“Anyway, no one can prove that the son belongs to the Duke of National Defense.”
Seeing Gu Ningning’s clear but naive eyes, Shen Que sighed,
“Duke’s Mansion is a prestigious family. The sons of the Duke of National Defense are all well-read and polite. The one who forcibly took the girl is definitely not a true son of Duke’s Mansion, but a fraud using their name to make trouble.”
Gu Ningning finally understood,
“Ah! Using this explanation, the Duke of National Defense can’t complain, no matter how bitter it is.”
Shen Que nodded, stiffly praising,
“Good.”
Though it sounded like praise, it came off more like criticism. Luckily, she was shameless enough to accept it and flopped in his arms,
“Thank you for your praise, Your Highness.”
Shen Que pressed his lips together, recalled the Minister of Revenue’s advice about balancing kindness and authority, and patted her head.
By the time Gu Ningning was sent back to Chaoyan Courtyard, it was already late at night.
She spent just one hour copying the reports; the rest of the time she accompanied Shen Que in handling state affairs, preparing ink, and occasionally being touched or kissed.
Shen Que truly enjoyed himself, indulging in both business and beauty that night.
Once she had money, she vowed to find two handsome men to work overtime with her as well.
After everything was done, she could finally sleep. Shen Que instructed Chang Yue to escort her back to Chaoyan Courtyard.
Finally home, Gu Ningning was ecstatic, yet when Shen Que looked her way, she instinctively gave him a wistful, reluctant expression.
Life tried to chew her up, only to find she melted in its mouth.
Messing with this working woman had, after all, turned out to be like touching cotton.