Daily Dossier: Secrets of a Lazy Husband

1

The Great Wei Dynasty, Anhe 21st year, Shu Prefecture.

Spring was in full bloom, and the sky was a vast, cloudless blue.

In a quiet courtyard deep within the estate of Marquis Dingyuan, a rhythmic counting could be heard coming from one of the houses.

"...Twenty, twenty-one..."

"Fifty-two," I interjected calmly.

"...Fifty-three, fifty-four... one hundred!"

"Young Master, you've actually copied the family rules a hundred times in just fifteen days!" Luna looked at me with wide eyes, her face full of admiration.

I looked at her, suppressing a laugh. She hadn't even noticed that my count was completely off and the papers were insufficient. "Why don't you count them again just to be sure?" I suggested playfully.

"Yes, yes! I'm the best at counting," Luna chirped. "Even Miss Celeste praised me, saying she'd let me help with the manor's accounts in the future."

I looked at her earnest face and thought to myself: *Those accounts are going to be a nightmare to balance.* Still, seeing her so focused, I didn't bother her further and stood quietly to the side.

I was dressed in a long blue robe. My face wasn't breathtakingly handsome, but I had a refined, elegant air about me. There was a natural, carefree vibe in my movements that gave me a gentle and composed temperament.

In contrast, Luna wore a short jacket and a horse-face skirt, her hair tied in two adorable buns. After watching her for a moment, I walked over to the window. Not far away, I could see a red lantern still bearing the "囍" (Double Happiness) character.

Fifteen days ago, I transmigrated into this world. I woke up as a live-in son-in-law of the Xiao family—a man who had just failed a desperate attempt to flee his arranged marriage. When I first opened my eyes, I wasn't in this picturesque Spring Lotus Garden; I was in the cold, grim punishment hall.

In my dazed state, I remembered people staring at me with fierce, indifferent expressions. I vaguely heard voices debating my fate. Some said I should be beaten to death, others wanted me sent back to my family in Jiangnan in disgrace, and some even suggested drowning me in a pig cage.

Drowning me? That was a bit much. I had only run away from a wedding, not committed a crime of passion. It wasn't until Celeste—the second young lady of the Xiao family, whom I later learned was my wife—spoke up. Her voice was clear and pure, cutting through the noise:

"Now that he is my husband, everything is up to me."

And just like that, she punished me. I was ordered to copy the Xiao family rules a thousand times and stay confined to these quarters for a hundred days. A thousand times! The rules were only a hundred characters long, but a thousand copies meant a hundred thousand characters. In my past life, typing that on a computer would take ten days—writing it with a brush was a monumental task.

But I could endure it. The real problem was my identity. From the memories I inherited, I learned that Caelum was a renowned scholar in Jiangnan. He was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. His poetry and handwriting had even been praised by the masters of Jinling Academy.

His persona was so high that Luna almost caught on that I was an impostor the second I picked up a brush. I had to use "amnesia" as a temporary excuse. But I knew it was just a delaying tactic. Luna might be simple-minded, but the rest of the Xiao family weren't fools—especially Celeste. She was a female general who had joined the army at fifteen and routed barbarians by eighteen. If she saw my scrawled handwriting, she'd probably have me executed by military law on the spot.

Fortunately, after ten days of grinding, my calligraphy has improved. A virtual screen flickered before my eyes:

**[Name: Caelum]**

**[Calligraphy: Minor Success (5/100)]**

**[Font: Wei Qing (Proficient)]**

**[Opportunity: 0]**

**[Daily Intelligence - Yellow-Rank Low: At noon, Wan, the eldest daughter of the Marquis, sorted out the accounts and discovered the purchasing steward was embezzling funds. She expelled him. A small amount of Opportunity can be obtained.]**

I glanced at the screen, put my hands behind my back, and looked up at the sky. I began to count down: "Ten, nine, eight..."

Luna seemed to hear me. "Forty-three... eleven, ten, nine... Oh dear, Young Master, don't mess around! I've miscounted again!"

**[Opportunity +1.]**

**[Comment: To not seize an opportunity presented by fate before it has even arrived is the mark of a naturally lazy person.]**

I ignored the "lazy" comment and skillfully added the point to my calligraphy. I turned to the pouting Luna and smiled. "My bad. I was only thinking about lunch."

At the word "lunch," Luna's eyes lit up. A hint of shyness appeared on her face. "Young Master, the chef made ghee cakes and stewed fish..."

"Fish is good," I said, knowing she was craving it. I winked at her. "Why don't you go and urge them to bring it so we can eat together?"

"Alright!" Afraid I'd change my mind, she dropped the papers and ran out, but not before reminding the guard: "Keep an eye on him, understand?"

"Yes, Miss Luna," the guard replied.

I looked at the guard's thick arms and sighed, leaning back in my chair. My calligraphy was getting there, but I was still clueless about music, chess, and painting. Poetry was the only thing I wasn't afraid of—I had the entire history of Earth's greatest poets in my head. To avoid being exposed, I had to fill the gaps one by one.

As I sat there, more memories surfaced. Caelum, courtesy name Qingzhou, was born into the Chen family of Jiangnan. Though he was a concubine's son, his early life was comfortable. He was a prodigy, writing famous poems by thirteen and earning high praise for his talent.

But things went downhill after his mother died. His father and uncle were away, leaving the household to his stepmother, Cui Yu. She made his life a living hell for two years—confining him, forbidding him from studying, and even denying him paper and pens so he'd miss the imperial examinations.

Then, she arranged for him to marry into the Xiao family as a live-in son-in-law. On the journey to Shuzhou, the original Caelum had contemplated suicide many times, holding on only for the hope of future revenge.

"Unfortunately, he was still murdered in the end," I muttered.

I knew the truth now. On the wedding day, my predecessor was manipulated into running away by some strange means and died before the Xiao family found him. If I hadn't transmigrated into this body, the Xiao and Chen families would be at each other's throats by now, and Celeste's reputation would be ruined.

I felt a surge of resentment for him. "He really had a bad hand dealt to him."

I sat up, dipped a wolf-hair brush in ink, and began to write:

*"In the desolate land of Wushan, abandoned for twenty years.*

*A thousand sails pass by the sunken ship, ten thousand trees bloom before the withered tree.*

*Today, listening to your song, I temporarily find solace in wine."*

I blew the ink dry and nodded. "Your talent really is extraordinary."

But Luna had somehow slipped back in, carrying a steaming bowl of beef. She stared at the poem, then at me. She looked back and forth, her face turning pale.

"Young Master..."

"Huh?" I turned around.

Luna stared at me blankly for a long time. Then, she suddenly grabbed the bowl of beef and bolted out the door, screaming at the top of her lungs:

"Oh no! Miss! The Young Master is trying to escape again!!"