After being expelled from the mansion, I changed the dynasty by writing novels.

Chapter 282 Disdain

The old lady always loved Baiweizhai's pastries, and Qiao Songqing would sometimes bring some back for her when he went out.

As soon as the old lady saw him, she warmly called him over.

"Hey son, what are you holding in your hand?"

“Mother, these are pastries from the newly opened Zhenlang Pavilion shop. I specially bought them for you to try.”

The old lady looked at the pastries he had placed on the table with a puzzled expression.

"This box is quite novel, but can a newly opened pastry shop taste as good as Baiweizhai?"

Although Qiao Songqing didn't like Ye Yuwu, he still thought the pastries made by her family's shop tasted pretty good.

"You'll know once you try it."

The old lady put the pastry into her mouth with a skeptical attitude.

"Hmm? The taste is not bad, even better than the pastries from Baiweizhai." The Grand Madam urged her again, "Quickly send some to Rui'er to try."

"Don't worry, Mother. I just sent the servants in the manor to deliver pastries to the Princess."

Seeing that his mother liked it, he told his mother and went back to his study. Then he took the storybook from his pocket and started reading.

"To me, there's nothing special about this!" Qiao Songqing flipped through the storybook with a disdainful look.

As he looked around, he realized it was getting late, but he didn't notice until someone coughed in the study.

Then, seeing that he didn't react, she grabbed the storybook with her slender hands.

When the storybook in his hand suddenly disappeared, Qiao Songqing looked up and saw the woman standing in front of the desk reading the storybook he had just read.

Qiao Songqing suddenly felt her head throbbing, and sure enough, she spoke.

"Ha! Who was it that said this book was a complete waste of time, and swore they'd never read it even if they were killed? And now what's in my hands?"

The woman standing in front of the oil lamp was none other than Princess Li Shurui, wife of Qiao Songqing.

Qiao Songqing, however, was not afraid of her. She snatched the storybook from her hand and said, "How would a woman like you understand this? This is called knowing yourself and your enemy."

If they don't try to understand Ye Yuwu, how can they possibly get their two brothers away from her?

Women only influence men.

Li Shurui was furious. She had thought that Qiao Songqing had sent his servants to deliver pastries to her today because he wanted to improve their relationship, and she was quite happy about it.

Unexpectedly, he did not appear at dinner time. After learning from the servants that he was still in the study, Li Shurui went straight into the study without saying a word.

Unexpectedly, he was here reading storybooks, and the very storybooks he despised the most.

Isn't this a slap in his own face?

Li Shurui thought he could use this to mock and manipulate him, but he didn't expect him to brush it off so casually.

What do you mean by "know yourself and know your enemy"? Anyway, she had no idea what he meant by saying that.

“If you like reading this storybook, why don’t you just ask me for it? I already have all of Mr. Wuming’s storybooks, why do you need to buy another one and secretly read it here?” Li Shurui pouted and said unhappily.

However, Qiao Songqing found her annoying and chased her out of the study.

Li Shurui stomped her feet angrily as she stared at the closed study door. "Qiao Songqing! You promised to have dinner with me every day! Are you going to break your promise?"

The only response she received was the silence of the study.

Li Shurui was so angry that she had no choice but to leave.

Li Shurui rescued him early that evening.

Before she could finish a complete dream, she was suddenly shaken awake.

Because it was the middle of the night, the room was dark, and she could only see the shadowy figure of a man. She was about to scream in fright when the shadowy figure covered her mouth.

"Shh, it's me."

Hearing the familiar voice, her terrified heart finally calmed down.

"Your Highness, what are you doing in the middle of the night?" Li Shurui hadn't forgotten how the man had kicked her out of the study and refused to have dinner with her. She was angry now, so her words were naturally sarcastic.

Qiao Songqing, surprisingly, didn't care about her sarcastic tone at this moment. Instead, after a moment's consideration, he asked her, "Didn't you say you had all of Mr. Ye, cough, and Mr. Wuming's storybooks?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?" Li Shurui didn't understand why he was sneaking into her room in the middle of the night to ask her this.

"Hmm...where is the storybook?"

Li Shurui immediately tensed up, "Your Highness, why are you asking this?"

"I just wanted to take a look."

"Huh?" Li Shurui finally realized what was happening, her confusion turning into arrogance. She raised her chin and said, "Hmph, who said that people who read these stories have nothing better to do?"

"It is I, the King, who apologizes to the Queen."

"Hmph, not enough!"

"What do you want?"

"Sleep with me tonight, Your Highness!"

Qiao Songqing refused her "unreasonable" request without hesitation, "No way!"

"Why? We're husband and wife!"

"Not tonight, I still need to read my storybook!"

"It's alright, I can watch it with Your Highness."

"Didn't you already see it?" Qiao Songqing looked at her suspiciously, genuinely wondering if Li Shurui was lusting after him and deliberately tricking him into going to bed with her.

"I can watch it again."

Qiao Songqing reluctantly believed him. Seeing that he agreed, Li Shurui got out of bed, took out a box from a hidden compartment under the bed, and then rummaged through a porcelain bottle for a long time before finally taking out a key and opening it.

"You've hidden this so well, are you hiding books like gold?"

"Of course! I heard that a thief broke into Madam Sheng's mansion. He stole her treasured collection of classic storybooks. I have to protect my storybooks; they're all precious treasures!"

Qiao Songqing looked at her speechlessly, "I really don't understand why you women are so precious. Is this book more valuable than gold?"

"Of course! You can't buy this collector's edition of the storybook even if you have money! If Your Highness hadn't wanted to read it, I wouldn't have been willing to take it out!"

Qiao Songqing ignored her and picked up the storybook to start reading.

Li Shurui leaned shyly against him, reading a storybook and occasionally saying a few words.

Qiao Songqing couldn't hold back any longer, "Could you please stop revealing the plot to me all this time!"

He looked utterly frustrated!

Li Shusi said aggrievedly, "I rarely have anyone to discuss storybooks with when I read them! I just couldn't help it."

"Never mind, you go to sleep first."

"I don't want to. It's a rare opportunity to be with the Prince, so I won't say anything!"

With Li Shurui's assurance, Qiao Songqing had no choice but to agree.

Sure enough, she didn't say anything after that.

And so the two of them watched until dawn.

"This Ye Yuwu is quite talented! I never expected her storytelling to be so good! I thought everyone in Bianjing was blind!"

Qiao Songqing took the storybook to Bai Zunyue early in the morning.

Bai Zunyue couldn't help but roll her eyes at him when she heard his words.

Qiao Songqing didn't see his eye roll and continued, "If I had known how good it was, I should have started reading it sooner. You have no idea how many books I stayed up all night to finish one of them, and there are still several more to come!"

"So? You came all this way so early just to say this?"

"And get me a seal (signature) too!"

Why don't you go and ask for it yourself?