“Chapter 241: The Road to High Office (Part 41)

"Chapter 241: The Road to High Office (Part 41)

'Awake?' As the person in his arms stirred slightly, Xu Zeping instantly sensed it. Feeling a brief awkwardness from Cheng Ge Er, Xu Zeping gently patted his back and asked softly, 'Are you feeling unwell?'

Cheng Ge Er rested his head on Xu Zeping's arm, curling up in his embrace.

Hearing the gentle voice, Cheng Ge Er couldn't help but feel his cheeks heat up. Memories of the previous night flooded his mind...

Understanding that it was Cheng Ge Er's first time and he might be uncomfortable, Xu Zeping took a long time with the foreplay and was very gentle. He only took him twice that night...

Well, the first time he had been a bit too excited, so it was quite short.

It lasted only three to five minutes, and when it was over, Xu Zeping felt completely undone.

Looking down at Cheng Ge Er's cat-like eyes, he could read their meaning—was this real?

To save face, Xu Zeping was determined to prove himself.

So, he went for a second round, lasting nearly half an hour before they finally stopped.

By the end of the battle, Cheng Ge Er was limp as a rag doll, not wanting to move...

Xu Zeping had to carry him to the side room to clean up. Fortunately, the hot water in the bathtub had cooled to a perfect temperature, allowing them to enjoy a comfortable bath.

As Xu Zeping looked at the golden camellia on Cheng Ge Er's abdomen, his rough fingertips brushed over it, making Cheng Ge Er shiver.

Fortunately, Xu Zeping's self-control was strong enough not to fool around again.

Now, as Cheng Ge Er thought back, his whole body heated up. He remembered shamelessly asking, 'Pingping, isn't the golden camellia gorgeous?'

'It's gorgeous, there's no flower more beautiful than this.'

'Do you want to kiss it?'

'Yes.'

...

He couldn't remember how he had fallen asleep, only that Pingping had kissed him for a long, long time.

'I'm not feeling unwell,' Cheng Ge Er whispered, his pale fingers gripping Xu Zeping's clean clothes tightly. 'It's just a bit embarrassing.'

Xu Zeping could see Cheng Ge Er's red ear tips and couldn't help but chuckle softly, 'Now you know to be shy? Aren't we a little late for that?'

'Pingping, you're annoying,' Cheng Ge Er said like an ostrich, refusing to lift his head.

This only made Xu Zeping want to laugh more. With a firm push, he reversed their positions.

Cheng Ge Er was forced to lift his eyelids, his watery eyes causing a tremor in Xu Zeping's heart. His morning arousal began to stir.

Feeling this, Cheng Ge Er bit his lips in embarrassment, 'Pingping... no, it's morning.'

Xu Zeping laughed immediately, and unable to control it, he leaned over him.

'Cheng Ge Er, you're a little pervert,' Xu Zeping said with a laugh, his hoarse voice echoing in Cheng Ge Er's ears, 'I didn't say I was going to do anything, why are you in such a hurry?'

Feeling teased, Cheng Ge Er bit Xu Zeping's shoulder in frustration.

'Gently, gently,' Xu Zeping pleaded softly, 'Xiang'er, I was wrong, I won't dare again.'

Hearing his nickname, Cheng Ge Er let go, snorting softly, 'You deserve it, being teased like that.'"

Xu Zeping affectionately kissed the corner of Cheng Ge'er's mouth. "I won't dare do it again next time."

"Get up so I can check your shoulder," Cheng Ge'er said, pushing Xu Zeping's chest and glaring fiercely at him.

"Actually, it doesn't hurt."

"I still want to take a look."

In fact, Cheng Ge'er had held back his strength, and the bite only left a shallow tooth mark through his undergarment.

...

It was already 7:15 AM when the two got out of bed one after the other to wash and dress.

By this time, it was well past the usual breakfast hour at the Xu household. However, understanding the situation with the newlyweds, Xu Linshi had, at 5:30 AM, sent her maid to instruct Xia Tian and Autumn not to rush the newlyweds out of bed.

Autumn styled Cheng Ge'er's hair into the common Suirun bun, a style favored by married men in the Great Jing Dynasty. Cheng Ge'er gazed into the copper mirror, his eyes and brows glowing with newfound maturity, now that he had shed the innocence of a young master and embraced the charm of a married man.

Cheng Ge'er picked up the Four Bats Head Ornament from the box and asked Autumn to pin it on for him.

Apart from this complete set of the Four Bats Head Ornament given by Xu Zeping, the rest of his jewelry collection, though not dazzling, filled a whole box. Of course, most of them were silver accessories.

These had been accumulated bit by bit. Five or six out of ten were gifts from elders, two or three were custom-made by Cheng Ge'er at jewelry workshops, and the rest were secretly gifted by Xu Zeping.

"Young Master, isn't it a bit too plain to wear just this hairpin?" After getting married in winter, the person closest to Cheng Ge'er became Xia Tian.

Having been through many experiences with Cheng Ge'er, Xia Tian had become quite clever.

Without any prompting after the second day of marriage, he already knew to change his form of address.

"Then put on the earrings."

Men in the Great Jing Dynasty also wore earrings and studs, though differently from women. They would pierce two holes in the right ear, usually wearing a stud and a drop earring.

Considering the occasion, Xia Tian also adorned Cheng Ge'er with a necklace.

By the time all this was settled, it was already 7:45 AM when Xu Zeping and Cheng Ge'er arrived at Xiheyuan to offer tea.

"Father, please accept our offering of tea."

Cheng Ge'er and Xu Zeping knelt down together. Cheng Ge'er handed the tea to Xu Songshan, while Xu Zeping knelt beside him holding a tray.

Xu Songshan accepted the tea from Cheng Ge'er, took a small sip, and placed a red envelope onto the tray Xu Zeping held. He then said, "The most important thing between a married couple is trust. Whatever issues arise, speak openly and don't keep them bottled up inside.

Cheng Ge'er, since you have entered the Xu family, you are now one of us. In the future, if the youngest does anything to wrong you, feel free to write to me. I will be the one to settle it for you."

Cheng Ge'er nodded respectfully and said, "I will follow Father's advice."

When it was time to offer tea to Xu Linshi, she gave a teasing smile to Cheng Ge'er and Xu Zeping. "Finally decided to come offer tea, huh?"

Blushing, Cheng Ge'er held the teacup and called out, "Mother, please have some tea."

Xu Zeping, kneeling straight, shamelessly said, "I just wanted Mother to hold her grandchild soon~"

Smiling, Xu Linshi playfully poked Xu Zeping’s forehead with her handkerchief. "You shameless boy!"

Without any guilt, Xu Zeping laughed shamelessly.

Xu Linshi then smiled and accepted the tea from Cheng Ge'er, taking a small sip before placing a red envelope onto the tray.

She then said, "Cheng Ge'er, I treat you as my own child, so I will give you some advice. Whether it's a husband and wife or a same-sex couple, relationships require effort and nurturing. But if there comes a day when you feel the relationship is no longer worth your effort, you must remain true to yourself and look forward."

In marriage, it has always been the spouses who suffer more.

The fact that Xu Linshi could say these words in front of Xu Songshan and Xu Zeping was also a way to discipline her own son.

When her second son married into another family years ago, the intimate advice she gave was the same.

When a relationship is not worth your dedication, you must become self-reliant and maintain your original intentions. Eat well, drink well, and raise your children properly.

They, as spouses, do rely on men, but once they achieve spiritual independence, they can thrive anywhere.

"Yes, thank you, Mother."

Xu Linshi just smiled and patted Cheng Ge'er's hand. "Stand up, or you'll bruise your knees."

On the third day of the homecoming, Xu Zeping accompanied Cheng Ge'er and stayed at Xilin Courtyard for a night.

Taking advantage of this homecoming day, Cheng Ge'er handed over the affairs of the cloth shop to Winter.

He went over the details of procurement and accounts thoroughly with him.

Winter had just come out of postpartum recovery and was afraid she might forget, so Cheng Ge'er wrote everything down while explaining. After the final instructions, he told Winter that if she couldn't remember, she should take the notebook to Xu Songshan.

Cheng Ge'er didn't know where Lingbei County was, only that it was a long journey, so he instructed Winter to check the accounts with Xu Songshan every two months regarding the cloth shop.

On the twenty-fifth of May, Xu Zeping and Cheng Ge'er set out on their journey north with Little Tiger, as well as Xia Tian and Autumn.

They traveled by waterway from Heluo County to Jiangnan, then all the way north to Yanjing, and finally from Yanjing to Liaobei Prefecture. It took them three months to complete the journey with a merchant convoy.

After three months of travel, they all lost some weight.

But there were still three days of travel left to reach their destination, Lingbei County, the poorest county in Liaobei Prefecture, which few merchant convoys visited.

The convoy Xu Zeping and they joined terminated at Liaobei Prefecture.

By the end of August, they had arrived in Liaobei. By then, autumn had brought its coolness, and the continuous autumn rain, coupled with the cold wind, made people shiver uncontrollably.

Seeing Cheng Ge'er's thin cheeks, Xu Zeping felt deep pity. He adjusted the cloak on his shoulders and tightly held his slightly cold hands in his own. "Cheng Ge'er, I'm sorry to make you suffer by following me."

"Not at all," Cheng Ge'er said with a smile. "Once we reach Lingbei, I'll be an official consort. How could I be suffering?"

Throughout the journey, Cheng Ge'er never complained, always wearing a smile, which only deepened Xu Zeping's affection for him.

"Alright, let's find an inn to settle in for the night."

It is said that desperate times breed desperate men. Xu Zeping didn't dare to take chances, as the route to Lingbei was unknown to him. Since no merchant convoys headed to Lingbei County, he decided to seek help from the Prefect of Liaobei Prefecture.

No matter what, he was the newly appointed county magistrate of Lingbei. In the future, he would be under the Prefect's command. If he were shameless enough, the Prefect couldn't possibly ignore him, right?

After settling Cheng Ge'er comfortably, Xu Zeping went to the Liaobei Prefecture’s government office with his official token.

"What? The new county magistrate of Lingbei requests an audience?" Xu Zhizhou, who was having dinner, paused, seemingly recalling this matter. The old county magistrate of Lingbei was about to step down.

He had received a message from the Sage in the imperial city two months ago, instructing him to fully cooperate with the new policies of the incoming Lingbei county magistrate.

Who could it be that the Sage was so concerned about?

And why would they be sent to such a remote place like Lingbei?

When he was younger, Xu Zhizhou had dreamed of gaining the Sage's attention, but his limited abilities and the many setbacks he encountered in the bureaucracy left him disillusioned. Eventually, he was transferred to the barren prefecture of Liaobei, where he served as a Prefect, neither foolish nor particularly clever.

A decade of monotonous days had dulled his youthful ambition.

Now, he just wanted to retire peacefully.

Today, all his doubts would soon be resolved.