"Alright, go quickly and come back soon," Qi Huan replied casually.
About half an hour later.
She had just finished her evening meal and removed her makeup when Li Shuchen strode in with long, purposeful steps.
...He really did go and return quickly.
In the flickering candlelight, the dragon-like man approached her step by step. Waves of sweetness welled up in her heart, and her mind seemed to bloom with thousands of flowers.
"Shu, have you eaten?"
"No."
"Tao Su, bring the meal."
"......."
Soon, the table was filled with delicious imperial dishes.
Seeing the emperor eating faster than usual, the attending eunuch thought to himself: It seems today's imperial kitchen has prepared an excellent meal!
After hastily finishing dinner and bathing, Li Shuchen hurriedly entered the inner chamber.
At this moment, Qi Huan was admiring the decor of the bedchamber. All the wedding items she had given to Li Shuchen earlier had been put to use.
The entire hall blended ancient and modern styles, decorated to the height of festivity.
If there was any imperfection, it was probably the lone balloon on the wall that had popped.
Her gaze lingered there, and she couldn't help but giggle.
In the next instant, she was suddenly lifted into a warm embrace.
"Shu, has your cold poison been cured?"
Li Shuchen let out a muffled "Mm" from his throat, his gaze burning as he looked at her pretty face. He added with pleasure, "But the aphrodisiac hasn't been fully resolved yet..."
Seeing his eyes darken, Qi Huan quickly felt the effects of the drug taking hold.
The bed curtains were quietly lowered...
The system was quietly blocked...
First time...
Second time...
Third time...
Fourth time...
Fifth time...
Sixth time...
Seventh time...
Before passing out, Qi Huan only wanted to stab the pharmacist and ask the system if it had any kidney tonic pills...
On the green-glazed peacock multi-branched candelabra, the red candles burned in harmony until dawn before finally extinguishing.
The next day.
When the last rays of the setting sun shone through the carved window into the hall, she finally awoke groggily.
Oh no!
According to ancestral custom, on the second day after the royal wedding, she and Li Shuchen were supposed to pay respects to the Empress Dowager!
She nudged the calm culprit beside her. "This is all your fault. What should we do?"
Li Shuchen poked her puffed-up cheek and said with a slight smile, "After Li Shuyu's untimely death, the Empress Grandmother was heartbroken and went to Shengjue Temple to become a nun. She no longer concerns herself with worldly affairs. Huan only needs to think about tomorrow's celebration, and... what would you like for dinner?"
"...I don't want to eat. I want to rest."
As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach growled twice, as if protesting: I want to eat!
Li Shuchen gently lifted her into his arms and didn't put her down even when it was time to eat.
Having expended too much energy, Qi Huan ate with great appetite.
The attending eunuch thought to himself again: It seems the imperial kitchen has prepared another delicious meal today!
News of the imperial wedding reached the front lines—
Yan Qinghe deeply regretted not being able to personally witness Shu and Huan's joyous occasion.
...Moreover, he hadn't gotten to eat at the banquet.
Channeling his food cravings into righteous fury, over the next few months, he successively captured three cities from the Jin Kingdom, sending them as wedding gifts to Shu.
When news of his illustrious military exploits reached the capital, Li Shuchen immediately issued an edict, conferring upon him the title of Marquis of Wei Yuan, inheriting his father's legacy.
As the war at the front lines progressed, supplies became increasingly strained.
With limited points, Qi Huan donated 100,000 taels of silver.
...Of which 90,000 taels came from selling night pearls.
After getting married, she rarely used the secret tunnel anymore.
Rather than letting the night pearls gather dust underground, it was better to sell them to support the front lines.
Li Shuchen had the news spread, and while Qi Huan was praised as a wise empress of her generation, the families of officials also followed suit with donations, showing their astuteness.
Military funds became unprecedentedly abundant!
As did Qi Huan's points!
"Charitable act +100,000, Points +100,000!"
"One point for one tael of silver?" Qi Huan asked in surprise. "Shouldn't it be one point for one copper coin?"
"Host, this system agrees with your statement, but the point-awarding rules don't. We can file a joint complaint against it!"
"Seconded."
After their secret discussion, they reached another consensus to upgrade the system to level nine.
"Hello, Host. This is your level nine mini-system."
"The new feature Host has unlocked is the ability to throw things out from within the space!"
Qi Huan rested her chin on her hand, pondering for a moment before saying, "So if I fire a gun from inside the space, wouldn't that make me like an invisible assassin?"
"......."
The system was utterly speechless. The Host's career aspirations were becoming more and more "ambitious" indeed.
From wanting to be a spy at level seven, to a master thief at level eight, and now an assassin at level nine...
"Host, can't you just be content with being an empress?"
Qi Huan nodded obediently, then changed the subject, asking, "Today is June 18th. Is there a 'buy 300 get 30 off' promotion for redeeming deliveries?"
"Not necessarily... some only offer 20 off for every 200 spent."
"I've never redeemed a 10,000-point delivery before. Let's go for it this time!"
Whoosh whoosh—
The deliveries piled up like a small mountain.
Half of the inner chamber was filled.
Qi Huan was surrounded by packages...
She took out a small knife from her space, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Soon, the first package was opened.
It was a book—"Steel Production Technology."
Next, the second package contained a set of knives, from kitchen knives to cleavers to fruit knives, a complete assortment.
Putting the two together, she suddenly had a bold idea.
At present, most weapons were made of wrought iron. Although there was a chance of producing refined iron during the forging process, the quantity was limited and couldn't be used on the battlefield.
Given the hardness of their current iron, even modern kitchen knives could slice through it like butter.
But kitchen knives were too short, limiting their use in battle.
Melting down kitchen knives required high temperatures and advanced techniques...
Qi Huan didn't know how, but the book might.
She carefully placed the knives and book together, planning to discuss it at length with Li Shuchen.
Considering she might need a large number of points later, she had no choice but to return the remaining deliveries she couldn't use for now.
Such as baby strollers, baby onesies, baby vitamin D3 supplements, and so on...
She suspected this series of items had been deliberately selected by the system.
Which household was the best at urging childbearing?
Her system was the most skilled!
Returning to her thoughts, Qi Huan temporarily repurchased 100 sets of knives, and along with the book, handed them over to Li Shuchen.
"Shu, the blacksmith who made the gun for me before must be very skilled, right?"
"Since he was able to melt down the steel before, he should also be able to melt these knives to make weapons for the front lines!"
"Here's also a book about steel-making. Let's transcribe it into Li Country's writing system and then give it to trusted blacksmiths to train a group of talents in this field."
"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. The same applies to warfare. If we can possess more advanced weapons than other countries, we can cut down enemy soldiers with great swords, one slash for each small enemy..."
After hearing her ideas, Li Shuchen's first thought was, "Buying so many items must have cost you a lot of... points?"
Qi Huan took the initiative to wrap her arms around his waist, looking up at him with a grin. "It did cost quite a bit, but I can earn some back. Most importantly, I'm willing to spend points for Shu."
Hearing this, Li Shuchen's lips curled into a slight smile, a flash of darkness passing through his eyes.
"Huan, tell me more about the rules for earning points."
