Ji Jun suddenly looked up.
Shangguan strolled to the curtain, his robe just covering Xiao Kuang behind it, and said, "Asking for favors always comes at a price. If Your Excellency kowtows to me three times..."
"Uncle..." Before Xiao Kuang could speak, Yu Zigui pressed all the acupoints on his body.
“Impossible,” Ji Jun refused outright.
As he expected, Shangguan Yi smiled lightly: "That would be difficult." Though he said this, there was no trace of distress in his voice. He glanced at the bamboo curtain, his gaze seemingly penetrating it. "Just now, you said you and A-Kuang had a deep affection for each other?"
He pondered meaningfully, and Ji Jun, upon hearing this, showed a pained expression on his face: "I'm sorry to A-Kuang."
"Just guilt?"
Seeing Shangguan's somewhat cold expression, Ji Jun intensified the ambiguity in his eyes. Although he didn't answer, his hesitant expression was enough to delight Xiao Kuang. His eyes trembled slightly, so cautiously, as if his joy would overflow if he wasn't careful. Yu Zigui felt a pang of sadness at the sight and dared not look at him.
"Then this price is nothing to you, sir." Shangguan Yi clapped his hands with joy. "Shangguan has always been protective of his own. As long as you and I become relatives, everything is fine."
Relatives? Ji Jun was dumbfounded.
"True love will prevail in the end. Although I, Shangguan, disdain pedantic scholars, I understand that as an official, you cannot afford to leave room for gossip. Let's hold a private banquet at home another day, and that will complete the ceremony for you and Ah Kuang. That would be perfect!"
As Shangguan Yi was speaking to herself, a sound of shattering porcelain was heard, and the blue-and-white brush washer cracked all over the ground.
"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!" Ji Jun's chest heaved violently.
"Humiliation?" Shangguan narrowed his eyes. "Just now, when I made you kneel down, you couldn't even utter the word 'humiliation,' but being with A-Kuang is considered humiliation?"
"How can a real man be a man's wife!" Ji Jun retorted angrily.
Shangguan Yi pressed on: "So that's what you're arguing about. Who is husband and who is wife is between you two. If A-Kuang is willing to be a wife, I won't stop you."
"Wishful thinking!" Ji Jun roared in a low voice, as if he had been humiliated.
Xiao Kuang closed his eyes, his heart filled with joy as he shattered along with the azure brush washer.
The surroundings were quiet, except for Ji Junze's furious panting. He braced himself on the table, his eyes piercing Shangguan like swords.
With a hint of coldness on his handsome face, Shangguan Yi slowly raised his eyes: "Choose one: marry into the Shangguan family or sever ties with Xiao Kuang, and I will lend you the money."
He was stunned for a moment. "Severing ties."
Seeing the calculating glint in Ji Junze's eyes, Shangguan looked at the bamboo curtain. "And you?"
"The same." The bamboo curtain was lifted, and Xiao Kuang's eyes were firm.
"Ah Kuang... How could this be? You haven't returned yet!" Ji Jun was so surprised that he lost his composure.
Xiao Kuang didn't look at him, but knelt down heavily before Shangguan Yi. "I was ignorant in the past and implicated you, Uncle. Please forgive me."
Shangguan Yi smiled with relief. "It's good that you're awake."
Xiao Kuang bowed solemnly, stood up, and strode away. Watching that figure, Ji Jun felt somewhat lost. When he looked away, he saw Shangguan Yi flick her wrist, and a silver note flew down lightly.
He caught it with both hands. One or two? "You!"
"What, you think it's too little? But in my opinion, this price is too high. Is the Minister's 'righteousness' worth only one tael?" Shangguan raised an eyebrow with a sarcastic tone.
Ji Jun's eyes widened, and he coughed heavily in anger. Shangguan Yi closed his eyes and enjoyed the silence until the coughing subsided, then took out a huge silver note. "I want maritime iron certificates."
Despite their intense hatred, who wouldn't bow down before money?
“Fine,” said Ji Junze, the most powerful minister in the court, gritting his teeth.
That night, Chen Sheng, who had succeeded in the uprising, collapsed on a low couch and became the sickly Lord Shangguan again. Unfortunately, Wu Guang's younger sister did not want to turn back into her personal maid.
"Get up and drink the soup." Nutting the master, Wu Guangdi felt around and realized, "Hey, where did that book go?"
"Cough...cough...Zigui...cough...what are you looking for?"
"Looking for—" She turned around, speechless.
The old man leaned against the couch, his bright eyes glistening with tears. With a slight cough, a few strands of black hair fell, the ends brushing lightly against his half-open chest, as if stirring her heart.
The ticklish sensation is truly delightful.
For a moment, she wanted to heed the Yu family's teachings and push it down first, but then she thought about the consequences—
"A wise man keeps his talents hidden until the right time to act."
"Zigui, what are you reciting?" The master leaned closer.
She jumped up as if her hair had been blown off. "It's nothing, it's nothing, I'll get you some soup."
And so, Wu Guangdi transformed.
The maidservant blew on the soup, and the ailing old man drank it very, very slowly, guided by her hand. Something was strange today; the old man's gaze was far too suggestive, forcing her to find a safer topic.
"Ziyu, didn't you say you were going to kill Ji Junze?"
"I've changed my mind."
"Huh?" She was genuinely surprised. She had thought that even if mountains crumbled and the heavens and earth merged, Lord Shangguan would still make sure someone was killed.
"Killing him like this is too boring. It's better to leave him half-dead before letting go. So what if he wields immense power? If I want, Ji Junze can live his whole life..."
They can't escape my grasp.
"..."
The topic is even more unsafe. Wiping a bead of sweat, I decide to switch!
"Ziyu, I saw you engrossed in reading a book during the day. Have you finished it yet?"
"Hmm." The master's attention was entirely on the soup, very good.
"You can't just leave it lying around after you've finished reading it. Where did you put it?"
That's a rare collection! Tell me, where is it?
Her heart was anxious, but her eyes remained calm. She endured it all, and after a long while, she heard the old man say leisurely, "Forgot."
"..."
"What, does Zigui want to see it?" Master Shangguan asked considerately.
"Of course I don't want to." If there were a mirror that could see through to the heart, one would surely see that she was bleeding profusely at this moment.
Cut your losses on one topic, then switch to another!
"During the day, did you ask Uncle Lin to stop Xiao Kuang?" Shifting the blame eastward is perfectly safe.
The old man took a sip of soup and nodded obediently.
"Alas, Uncle Lin is too old to stop a young man," she sighed.
"Although he is old, his memory is very good."
The old man raised an eyebrow; something was amiss.
"A libertine lusts after a sick woman and even brings his servants to harass her? This plot sounds familiar, as if it were exactly the same as the book I read during the day."
Uncle Lin, you're so disloyal!
From somewhere, the master pulled out that fine book. "The Fragrance of Yichun: A libertine lusts after a sickly scholar, while a wicked servant abducts a beauty?" His dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "Little girl, are you thinking of taking a concubine?"
She threw the book aside, and the master pounced on her fiercely, leaving the little girl speechless with grief.
The sky has fallen, the earth has cracked, the sickly scholar has transformed, but she is clearly the libertine! She is the one!
Chapter Three
After the court minister, despite his illness, left Jinling, someone finally decided to stop living in seclusion. On this day, Master Shangguan, supporting himself on his arms, let the young maidservant cheerfully dress him.
"Was Zigui very happy when I went out today?"
The voice was casual and slightly amused, but even she, in her naiveté, could tell it was not what it seemed. She looked up and, sure enough, saw those dark eyes that were curved like knives.
She had been too careless. Even if she couldn't wait for him to leave, she should have waited until he was gone before laughing heartily. She reflected deeply on her actions, but didn't rush to stop laughing. This man was too shrewd; changing her expression now would be tantamount to admitting defeat. She said, "Seeing that you are in much better health, I am naturally overjoyed."
"I am overjoyed."
She nodded, and looked at how sincere her gaze was.
Shangguan Yi glanced at her slowly. "Since Zigui is so concerned about my health, why don't we go out together? You'll feel more at ease if she stays by my side."
Sincerely, she blinked rapidly and said, "I'm relieved that you're going out today."
Upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat displeased.
Sigh, does this man really force her to put all her attention on him? People say serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, but for her, serving Shangguan is like serving a little child. She sighed inwardly. "I guessed it the day you exchanged silver for sea freight, Ziyu, you dug another pit for Ji Junze to fall into."
"You really do understand." Shangguan looked at her and smiled gently.
“I understand, and Ji Junze naturally understands too. He agreed because he had no other choice. Who knows if he might be setting a trap for you behind your back?”
"These past two weeks have been a trap set for him."
Moon-like eyes glared at him.
Shangguan Yi leaned down and gently touched her red lips. "I love it when you look at me like this."
Her face flushed, but she pretended to be calm as she helped him get dressed. "Since you know he has ill intentions, and you're not stupid, you called back nine stewards this time. You were just setting a trap for him when you left, weren't you?"
Shangguan laughed heartily, and with a flick of his wide sleeves, he pulled her into his arms. She tilted her head slightly and saw him nodding and looking at her. His dark pupils were unfathomable, like the ripples on a lake in the spring breeze. His handsome face was already elegant, but now it was tinged with a captivating spring passion, like peach blossoms.
"Zigui, how much longer are you going to make me wait?" The voice was a little soft, a little resentful, so resentful that she almost agreed, almost.
"It is impolite not to reciprocate," as the Yu family patriarch once said. "One should be kind; if someone punches you, you should punch them ten times back." Since Master Shangguan used his charm on her, she couldn't be petty.
"Ziyu."
With a gentle, soothing sound, the handsome man was stunned.
Very well, she narrowed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and, mimicking the man's words, gently blew into his ear: "Ziyu."
The veins on his forehead bulged, and the handsome man looked ferocious.
Indeed, one cannot live without reading; books hold a wealth of knowledge and even the art of exorcising demons.
"What's wrong, Ziyu?" She kept blowing, glancing at his clenched fists, and narrowed her eyes. "Does your wound hurt again? Let me rub it for you?"
Seeing that he didn't object, Yu Zigui smiled slightly, her small hand sliding towards his narrow waist. Through her thick, long eyelashes, she secretly glanced at him and saw that his dark pupils, devoid of any light, were fixed on her without blinking. His gaze made her eyelashes tremble, and she immediately withdrew her outstretched hand.