Nan Qing felt the round head on his shoulder and sighed in his heart.
He was increasingly at her mercy.
Although Nan Qing thought this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn upwards.
After a long while, Nian Jiaojiao reluctantly got up, took out a pen from her embrace, and chanted:
"Do not groom your hair, do not dust your clothes."
Power surged around Nian Jiaojiao, and soon, her entire being was cleansed.
Nan Qing gazed at Nian Jiaojiao at this moment, his eyes holding a tenderness he himself didn't know he possessed.
His wife was truly special. Others were extremely cautious when using their powers, but here was someone who used hers just to clean herself.
Nian Jiaojiao felt clean, and her body even emitted a faint fragrance.
After shedding her outer clothes, she lay back on the bed and beckoned to Nan Qing.
"Xiao Qingqing, come here~"
Nan Qing walked over with a blank expression. He leaned down and breathed hot air into Nian Jiaojiao's ear:
"You can call me Qingqing from now on, but not Xiao Qingqing."
Nian Jiaojiao's mouth twitched slightly.
She had forgotten that he seemed to be particularly sensitive to the word "Xiao"...
So, she took Nan Qing's arm, pulled him to lie down on the bed, and then half-reclined her entire body onto him.
"I called you wrong, I should call you Da Qingqing."
In this position, Yu Chuan, Xuan Yi, Xing Yun, and Tong Ziyao would have felt "out of place."
Because they subconsciously felt they should be lying in their wife's embrace.
But Nan Qing accepted this position readily, not even noticing anything amiss.
He wrapped an arm around Nian Jiaojiao's waist, his smile clearly indicating his satisfaction with the title "Da Qingqing."
"Wife, will there be any handsome men at today's banquet?"
Nian Jiaojiao's face darkened upon hearing Nan Qing's question.
After all, she was participating in the imperial examination today. Instead of caring about the results, she was asking about handsome men.
So, she deliberately said:
"Of course, and many. Probably one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."
Upon hearing this, Nan Qing flipped over and pinned Nian Jiaojiao in a "bed-dong."
"Oh? Then I must perform well today, so my wife doesn't see any other handsome men."
Nian Jiaojiao heard a hint of "threat" in his words.
But she was no longer the Nian Jiaojiao of the past.
Who was afraid of whom?
So, she bravely hooked her legs around his "dog-like waist" and said,
"Come on, Da Qingqing, you have to perform well. Don't give your wife any chance to look at other handsome men. Although I am very strong, you can still barely withstand it every time..."
Nian Jiaojiao's words caused a dangerous glint in Nan Qing's eyes.
They met each other's gazes, both revealing smiles that conveyed eagerness and ambition.
...
The next day.
Knock, knock, knock—
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock—
"Wife, wife!"
"Did wife not come to Nan Qing's room last night?"
"No way, she didn't come to ours either. She must be in second brother's room."
"Wife, are you in the room?"
Knock, knock, knock—
"Wife! Hurry up and get up!"
...
A commotion outside made Nian Jiaojiao turn over irritably.
"Wife, wife."
Nian Jiaojiao finally opened her eyes.
"What is it?"
Nian Jiaojiao stared blankly at Nan Qing's handsome face, then gave a simple laugh.
She got up.
*Smack—*
She planted a big kiss on his cheek.
Nan Qing said gently:
"Wife, are you going on parade today? Xing Yun and the others have been calling for a long time. The parade procession should be waiting at the door."
Hearing Nan Qing's words, Nian Jiaojiao finally remembered.
She quickly got up and opened the door.
As expected, four men stood anxiously waiting at the door.
"Wife... Wife."
Xing Yun shyly covered his eyes with his hands, though the wide gaps made the gesture seem superfluous.
"...Wife, you should at least wear clothes when you come out."
Yu Chuan looked at the scratches on her fair skin and finally managed to say this after a long pause.
Nian Jiaojiao was unfazed and said,
"There's nowhere of mine you haven't seen, and I haven't seen you..."
"Alright, Wife, change first. These are the clothes sent by the flower procession at the door."
Yu Chuan quickly interrupted her.
Nian Jiaojiao knew time was short and stopped talking. Soon, with the service of her four husbands, she quickly put on the scholar's robe.
[Flower Procession] The top three scholars in the imperial examination, the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua, rode horses a day after the examination, following the imperial guards and escort troops for a circuit around the inner city of the royal capital. The flower procession refers to the imperial guards and escort troops.
...
When Nian Jiaojiao walked out the door, she indeed saw everyone waiting for her.
Shangguan Xi, the Bangyan, rode on horseback and said to Nian Jiaojiao with dissatisfaction:
"The Zhuangyuan has quite the airs, making us wait for you alone."
Nian Jiaojiao couldn't be bothered to argue with her. Instead, she walked past her directly and bowed to everyone, apologizing for her lateness.
Being ignored again, Shangguan Xi's face turned red with anger.
No one dared to blame the popular Zhuangyuan, so they all smiled and shook their heads, saying they hadn't waited long and that the Zhuangyuan shouldn't worry about it.
After Nian Jiaojiao mounted her horse, Lou Lan whispered in her ear:
"If I had such a beautiful and charming husband by my side, I would definitely be late too."
Nian Jiaojiao knew the other person had guessed the reason.
But as a woman, what was there to be shy about in matters of love?
So, she glanced at him and said,
"It's probably hard to find anyone as beautiful as my husband."
Lou Lan instantly felt like he had been fed a mouthful of dog food.
...
Nian Jiaojiao rode her horse at the very front, with guards on either side, and Shangguan Xi and Lou Lan following behind her to her left and right.
Now, the entire populace was eagerly anticipating the parade. The commoners crowded the streets, craning their necks to see what the Zhuangyuan looked like.
"The Zhuangyuan is here!"
"Look quickly, the Zhuangyuan is here!"
"Everyone get ready!"
When Nian Jiaojiao appeared before them on her horse, everyone instinctively held their breath.
The woman's three thousand black hairs were tied up with a golden sparrow hairpin, and she was adorned in a red official robe, making it impossible to look away.
Her features were ethereally beautiful, her skin like snow, forming a stark contrast with her ink-black hair.
What made the young men on the street want to scream even more was her languid posture on the horse, as if becoming Zhuangyuan was merely a trivial matter.
This was clearly a very young woman!
At this moment, from a restaurant on the second floor of the street, someone suddenly shouted:
"Brothers, smash it for me!"
Immediately after, overwhelming numbers of sachets were thrown at Nian Jiaojiao.
Nian Jiaojiao: ...