The accusation was so heavy it was practically treasonous.
Xu Youde panicked instantly, his neck stiffening as he retorted, "Utter nonsense! How can a father be unfilial to his son? That’s a lack of paternal kindness! No, wait, that’s not it—it’s just unkind!"
"What’s the difference? Either way, you’ve wronged me!"
With reddened eyes, Xu Wuyou advanced toward the desk step by step. Xu Youde was so terrified he clutched a toilet seat cover and shrank back into the corner.
"Who’s the head of this household now? Who’s out there risking their life to save face for all of you? Who is the pillar of this Xu family?"
Xu Youde instinctively glanced at Xu Qinghuan, who was sitting nearby eating a tangerine.
His gaze seemed to scream: Daughter, help! Your brother has gone mad.
Xu Qinghuan swallowed the last segment of the tangerine. Sensing her father’s gaze, she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and slowly wiped her hands.
"Brother."
She spoke softly, her voice flat and calm.
But the murderous aura radiating from Xu Wuyou instantly deflated by half.
He turned his head to look at his younger sister.
In his memory, she was just a snot-nosed little girl who cried for candy. Now, she wore a well-tailored gown with auspicious cloud patterns. The light reflecting in her eyes felt both strange and familiar.
It was the kind of look one gave a fool.
"Have a drink of water and soothe your throat."
Xu Qinghuan pushed another cup of hot tea toward him. "Are you tired from all the shouting? Take a break. Father was just afraid you’d worry back in the capital; he wanted to give you a surprise."
"A surprise?"
Xu Wuyou looked at the tea and let out a cold laugh. "This is a shock! This is a scam! This is rubbing my IQ into the dirt!"
"That’s enough."
Xu Qinghuan stood up, brushing non-existent dust from her skirt. Her presence suddenly felt ten feet tall.
"Since you’re here, don't bother leaving. It just so happens that Jiangning City is crawling with too many demons and monsters for Father and me to handle alone."
She walked up to Xu Wuyou and gauged their height difference. Though she had to look up at him, her aura was entirely one of looking down.
"Before, you protected us. Now, it’s our turn to protect you."
Xu Wuyou froze.
Looking at his sister’s calm face, he suddenly felt as though all the resentment boiling in his gut had nowhere to go.
When did this girl become so worldly and sophisticated?
"Protect me?"
Xu Wuyou sneered, trying to reclaim a bit of his dignity as the eldest brother, though there wasn't much left.
"With just you? Or with that old man clutching a toilet seat?"
He flicked his sleeve and sat back down in the chair, picking up the hot tea and draining it in one gulp.
"The waters in Jiangning run deep. You’ve got the Four Great Families, the Canal Gang, the salt merchants, and the eyes watching from the capital."
Xu Wuyou toyed with the empty teacup, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes that stood in stark contrast to his previous rowdy behavior.
"Since I’ve arrived..."
He set the teacup down on the table with a crisp clack.
"...the colors of the sky over Jiangning are about to change."
Xu Youde poked half his head out from behind the desk and asked weakly, "What color? Can we pick something auspicious? Like gold?"
Xu Wuyou: "..."
Xu Qinghuan: "..."
"Shut up," the siblings snapped in unison.
***
The air in Jiangning City was thick with the cloying scent of rouge and powder.
Xu Wuyou stepped out from the dilapidated gates of Liu Garden, raising a hand to brush the ancient dust from his brocade robes.
He had just spent a fortune on a flamboyant, moon-white robe. At his waist hung a turquoise-encrusted sword that was useless for anything but looking good, and in his hand, he flourished a folding fan that was entirely unnecessary for the current season.
One had to maintain appearances.
Even though he had been so thoroughly pranked by his sister and father at the edge of a dry well last night that he’d considered buying a one-way ticket back to the capital, now that he was out in public, the prestige of the Eldest Young Master of the Xu family could not falter.
His stomach gave an untimely growl.
He was starving.
Last night’s so-called "welcome feast" had consisted of nothing but air and dust. Even the sip of hot tea he’d had was leftovers from those two heartless relatives.
He strolled along the banks of the Qinhuai River.
The water was murky, topped with layers of oil slicks and wilted flower petals. The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments from both banks were loud enough to make his head ache.
This was the legendary, filthy-rich Jiangning?
It didn't look nearly as pleasant as the big smokestacks back in Taoyuan County.
"Oh, my, what a gallant young gentleman~"
A voice saturated with three extra helpings of sugar drifted over from the side.
Xu Wuyou stopped and turned his head.
Standing by the most prominent vermilion building on the Qinhuai River, the three gold-leafed characters for "Drunken Red Pavilion" shimmered in the sunlight. A girl standing at the entrance waved her handkerchief, her eyes flirtatious yet carrying a perfectly calculated hint of timidity.
Gallant?
Xu Wuyou looked down at his outfit, which possessed zero intimidation factor despite its price, then felt the sword that would struggle to even slice a watermelon.
This girl...
How should he put it?
She had a fiery figure.
And she was clearly a woman of integrity and truth.
"You have good taste." Xu Wuyou snapped his fan shut, tapped it against his palm, and stepped inside. "For that bit of honesty, I’ll be having my meal here today."
"This way to a private seat on the second floor, Young Master—"
The madam greeted him, the powder on her face so thick it looked like it might flake off if she smiled too hard.
Xu Wuyou tossed out a two-tael silver ingot. He had no patience for verbal sparring with these people and headed straight for a window seat on the second floor.
The view was excellent, overlooking the painted pleasure boats passing by on the Qinhuai River.
"Sweet and sour Squirrel Fish—make sure it’s piping hot, the sauce thick, and not too tart. Braised Lion’s Head meatballs, seventy percent lean and thirty percent fat—not a percent less. And a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green wine. Don’t try to fool me with watered-down swill; my palate is sharp."
Xu Wuyou sat down, slapped his sword onto the table, and crossed his legs.
He might not have many talents, but when it came to eating, drinking, and merrymaking, he was a professional who could make the old scholars of the Hanlin Academy hang their heads in shame.
The food arrived quickly.
The Squirrel Fish was fried to a golden crisp, drizzled with a steaming, bright red sweet-and-sour sauce, and placed right in the center of the table.
Xu Wuyou picked up his chopsticks and was just about to dig in.
*Smash!*
A sharp crack followed by the sound of shattering porcelain erupted from the neighboring private room.
The delicate strumming of the pipa ceased abruptly.
Then came the sound of a woman’s suppressed sobbing, as if someone were clutching her by the throat.
Xu Wuyou’s hand froze mid-air.
He sighed.
He couldn't even eat a meal in peace.
"What are you acting all pure for? It’s an honor that I’m asking you to have a drink!"
A raspy, duck-like voice drifted from next door, laced with heavy intoxication and extreme arrogance. "Don't you know who we are? In the South, if the Wang and Zhao families want to play with someone, who dares say no?"
Xu Wuyou set his chopsticks down.
The Wang family. The Zhao family.
Them again.
"Young Master Wang, Young Master Zhao... I only sell my art..." The woman’s voice was trembling.
"Sell your art? Ha!"
Another voice rang out, sounding younger and more vicious. "Even that new magistrate who arrived at the yamen yesterday—that fat pig named Xu—wanted to play the part of a clean official.
And the result? He couldn't even find a place to stay! In the end, he had to take that country-bumpkin daughter of his and move into a haunted house!"
Xu Wuyou’s finger began to tap rhythmically against the table.
Once.
Twice.
“I heard that Xu daughter is some kind of County Princess? Pfft! What County Princess? She’s nothing but an uneducated village wench!
Now that she’s in Jiangning, she better learn her place. I don’t care if she’s a soaring dragon or a crouching tiger—she better stay pinned to the ground. Forget some little brat; even if the Heavenly Emperor himself showed up, he’d have to get on his knees for our families!”
“Just wait until that girl is alone. We’ll show her how we do things in Jiangning...”
Raucous laughter followed.
It was vulgarity at its peak.
Xu Wuyou stood up.
He didn't reach for the sword on the table.
The blade was too expensive, inlaid with turquoise; blood would be a hassle to wash off, and if the edge chipped, it would be a poor business move.
Instead, he picked up the plate of Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, fresh from the wok and still piping hot.
The neighboring private room was separated from his only by a carved wooden screen.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, but it wasn't particularly sturdy.
Xu Wuyou raised his leg.
There was nothing fancy about the kick; it was pure explosive power honed from years of causing trouble abroad.
As one reader once commented: This guy must have been a physical education major.
Boom!
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
The carved screen was like tissue paper, exploding from the center and collapsing directly into the next room.
The men inside, who had been busy clinking glasses and swapping toasts, had no time to react before they were pinned beneath the wreckage.
“Agh—!”
