Now he was the one in trouble.
Fang Jiu’s feelings at this moment were not as intense as when she had said she would “add to his punishment,” but the sensation of being tossed about endlessly like a small boat on pounding waves was hardly any better.
The two of them had clearly done nothing—not even come into direct contact with each other’s skin.
And yet Fang Jiu was filled with shame.
It was as though his shameless side—the part of him that had stripped naked and given himself to someone—had been seen by a child with innocent eyes.
He wanted to avoid their gazes, but neither the people upstairs nor those below were willing to let him off.
The Crown Princess even breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, that’s good. Then I’ll have to trouble Master Fang with looking after Imperial Sister.”
Fang Jiu was about to nod and brush the matter aside.
But a soft laugh came from beside him. “You’ve taken very good care of her.”
Fang Jiu’s face instantly flushed. Today, this woman seemed to possess a special talent for making the most ordinary, proper words sound indecent.
The Crown Princess was still waiting below, so although Fang Jiu’s breathing was already uneven, he had no choice but to force himself to reply, “Your Highness is too kind.”
“It is, after all, the responsibility of my Lianyi House. For Your High—ness not to pursue the matter is already, mm~ the greatest kindness. How could I dare take credit~”
“Brother, your voice sounds strange.” Fang Shi asked in confusion, “Are you itchy?”
“Heh—” The woman beside him let out a pleased laugh that only he could hear.
Fang Jiu could not help turning around and glaring at her, the corners of his eyes already red.
Then, in front of his younger brother, he still had to explain, “Mm, a little bug just crawled into my collar.”
“Are you all right?” Fang Shi immediately asked with concern. “Should I send some ointment up to you?”
“Don’t!” Fang Jiu’s expression changed. Realizing that he had overreacted, he softened his tone, though his unease was still difficult to conceal.
“No need. I’m fine. I’ll apply some medicine later.”
“But Master Fang, your neck is red.” The Third Imperial Daughter pointed at his neck.
The darkness of night hindered their vision. Fang Jiu was also standing with his back to the light, so the two people below could not see clearly.
They could only vaguely make out a trace of redness on his neck, extending all the way down toward his chest. It looked rather vivid and even somewhat alarming.
Could some poisonous insect have crawled over him?
Fang Jiu glanced at the red cord he had personally tied around himself, and his face flushed so deeply it looked ready to drip blood.
Unfortunately, the wicked woman behind him only grew more delighted, pressing on increasingly sensitive points.
Afraid that he would completely lose control in front of everyone, he hurriedly followed Pei Liang’s instructions and said to the two below, “The night is dark. You mustn’t run around in the courtyard—go play somewhere with, mm~, better lighting.”
“As for the embroidered ball, I’ll throw it down to you once I find it, ha~”
After forcing out the final word, Fang Jiu clenched his teeth so hard he nearly bit through his lower lip.
He turned back toward Prince Liang, his anger mingled with a trace of pleading.
Only then did Pei Liang rein in some of her mischief and hand him the embroidered ball.
Fang Jiu sighed in relief. He took the ball and hurriedly threw it down.
Then, without waiting for the two below to say anything else, he hastily tossed out that he still needed to apply medicine and left the window.
Pei Liang sat down on the couch and smiled at him. “Weren’t you going to come over and apply medicine for me?”
Fang Jiu had been so enthusiastic at first, looking as though he could not wait to have his way with her. Now, however, he did not dare do anything of the sort.
Pei Liang continued, “You still haven’t answered my question from earlier.”
Fang Jiu clenched his hands. He knew that no matter how reluctant he was, his misgivings meant nothing to Prince Liang.
If he refused, who knew what other tricks she might have in store for him?
Those few episodes earlier had felt as though he had been attending to her for an entire night, yet she still remained insatiable.
Prince Liang had never possessed such abilities before. He had no idea where she had learned them.
As Fang Jiu speculated wildly, he finally steeled himself and said, “Our master… intends to seize the throne.”
The room fell silent for a moment, and Fang Jiu’s heart rose into his throat.
Pei Liang merely wore an expression that said she had expected as much. Just as she had suspected, Prince Liang had probably discovered the clues long ago.
Then she asked, “What did you find out that made you request this urgent meeting?”
At last, they had returned to the matter he had come to report. Fang Jiu breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression grew much calmer.
“Previously, Your Highness instructed me to keep an eye out for any officials who were secretly associating too closely with the Second Imperial Daughter.”
“The Second Imperial Daughter has always been skilled at cultivating relationships, but she has never seemed especially close to any particular family.”
“A few months ago, she married Consort Zhou, so naturally her relationship with the Zhou family grew closer.”
The Zhou family? Pei Liang had previously assumed that none of the three Imperial Daughters were married.
As the eldest, the original host had already moved out of the imperial palace and was about to marry, making her the first. She had not expected the Second Imperial Daughter to already have a consort.
But when she connected this with the original novel, the matter immediately made sense.
The novel had never mentioned when the Second Imperial Daughter married. It was as though she had acquired a consort overnight, which meant she must have married even earlier than the Eldest Imperial Daughter.
As for why the second daughter had married first yet still had not moved out of the imperial palace, that was probably part of the Empress’s plans.
Now that both women had been enfeoffed as princes, the Second Imperial Daughter would probably be preparing to leave the palace after Pei Liang’s wedding.
Fang Jiu continued, “A few days ago, Lady Zhou of the Zhou family—that is, Consort Zhou’s elder sister—came here with some friends to indulge in wine and pleasure.”
“When she was drunk, she seemed rather dissatisfied with the Second Imperial Daughter. The attendants only overheard fragments, but it sounded as though she was saying that because the Zhou family had failed to satisfy her wishes, the Second Imperial Daughter took out her anger on Consort Zhou.”
For Fang Jiu to bring up such a matter specifically, he must have confirmed that it was an exclusive secret known to no one else.
And indeed, the Second Imperial Daughter’s characterization remained flawless through half the original novel, which was proof enough of how thoroughly she had kept everything around her under control.
Even if she had done something as foolish as taking out her dissatisfaction with her in-laws on her husband, it certainly would not have been easy for word of it to spread.
The Zhou family themselves knew only a few scattered fragments, leaving them utterly confused. That alone showed how tightly the matter had been concealed.
Thinking of how, near the end of the original novel, the Second Imperial Daughter’s schemes were exposed and all her misdeeds laid bare, Pei Liang realized that she had already played a significant role in the Eldest Imperial Daughter’s descent into madness.
If the Eldest Imperial Daughter had not brought the Crown Princess here after court that day, she would have missed this information entirely.
Sometimes, an opportunity appeared and vanished in an instant. By the time she learned that the person she truly needed to guard against was her second sister, it might already have been too late.
Then again, perhaps not. Given the original host’s arrogance, even if she had learned the truth, she would probably only have mocked the Second Imperial Daughter for being nothing like her outward image of nobility and grace—for being inwardly dark and insecure. She might even have looked down on her all the more.
Pei Liang patted Fang Jiu on the head, satisfied. “The interrogation is over. I’m very pleased with today’s results.”
“As a reward, I’ll grant your request.”
As she spoke, she looked at Fang Jiu. “Who do you hate most?”
Fang Jiu’s pupils contracted, and his breathing stopped for an instant. He looked at Prince Liang, unable to discern her intentions.
Pei Liang smiled. “There is someone, isn’t there? You are a noble son of an eminent family. Although the Fang family was severely punished in the witchcraft case, the men were not deliberately humiliated.”
“The Fang family has branches everywhere. Even if the main household was destroyed, the rest of your relatives were not all gone.”
With Fang Jiu’s looks, he should not have fallen into a pleasure house even as a bargaining chip. Someone must have arranged it—and made certain that none of the Fang family’s connections would be allowed to rescue him.
Fang Jiu’s nails nearly pierced his palms, but Prince Liang took hold of his hand and gently unfolded it.
“Why debase yourself before you’ve even brought up the matter, when they’re merely your enemies?”
“They can’t really be people you have no hope of eliminating, can they?”
Could it really be the original owner?
Pei Liang wanted to reorganize the intelligence network. Fang Jiu was quite useful, but if he had inherited the original owner’s hatred, she would have no time to smooth things over with him lately.
Still, she had been worrying needlessly. Ever since the Eldest Imperial Daughter had begun setting her sights on Fang Shi, Fang Jiu had indeed grown secretly resentful of her.
But as for the brothers not being reduced to their current miserable state, they had that woman to thank.
After all, he knew very well just how malicious the intentions of the person who had brought him here were.
He drew a deep breath and continued, “There are three people I hate most in this life.”
“First is Lord Fang, who dragged our entire family down with him. Second is Minister Du’s Third Young Master, who fell in love with my former fiancée and, out of jealousy, obstructed anyone who tried to help my brother and me, ultimately sending me into that filthy family.”
“Third is—the Xu family, my former fiancée’s family, who kicked us when we were down after the Fang family fell from grace.”
When the Fang family had been powerful, the Xu family had been all sincerity, showing nothing but genuine affection at every turn. It was only after the Fang family collapsed that they learned Miss Xu had long been carrying on an affair with Minister Du’s Third Young Master.
Pei Liang nodded, rose, and unlatched the door before walking out.
Fang Jiu, not understanding what was going on, followed her.
Qingyi had arrived as well. There were far fewer guests in the main hall than before. Perhaps doing business in a brothel had been too unpleasant, and some people had taken the opportunity to slip away.
The Third Imperial Daughter and Fang Shi had also returned to the hall and were being served sweet soup.
Pei Liang turned to Hongxiu and asked, “How many people are there in your family?”
Hongxiu looked bewildered, but answered anyway. “Only my parents and me.”
Pei Liang nodded in satisfaction. “Good. He’s your younger brother from now on.”
She pointed at Fang Shi.
Everyone present was stunned. Hongxiu assumed that their prince intended to bring the young man into his residence, and was arranging a respectable identity for him.
After all, Fang Shi had been young at the time and had rarely appeared in public. No one would bother to investigate too closely if they forged an identity for him.
But her family was hardly suitable for that.
She hurriedly said, “Your subordinate’s family is of humble means—”
Before she could finish, Prince Liang interrupted, “How could my personal attendant possibly be humble?”
“Even if his circumstances are lowly now, that is only temporary.”
Those words immediately filled Hongxiu and Qingyi with delight. They could already see a bright future ahead of them.
Pei Liang then said to Fang Jiu, “Your younger brother is now a respectable commoner. Whether you want to send him to learn a trade or arrange a marriage for him, make plans early.”
An expression of disbelief appeared on Fang Jiu’s face.
Prince Liang was… simply letting his brother go?
But that was not all. Immediately afterward, Prince Liang said to Qingyi, “Investigate the whereabouts of Master Su’s wet nurse and sworn milk brother from back then. Buy them back.”
After rattling off her instructions, she had already left the Ripple Pavilion.
Fang Jiu stood there in a daze. Before today, anxiety had weighed heavily on him, yet all the matters he had agonized over had been resolved in less than a moment.
In a daze, he followed Prince Liang to the carriage. Just as Prince Liang turned back, she said to him, “As for the Xu and Du families, it wouldn’t be appropriate to deal with them without cause or evidence.”
“How about I have those two stuffed into sacks and beaten first, just to vent your anger? If you wish, you can also gather clues about them yourself.”
That way, he could take revenge with his own hands.
Fang Jiu had never found Prince Liang so captivating.
“Your Highness~”
Pei Liang winked at him. “So from now on, work in peace.”
With that, she lowered the carriage curtain. The coachman flicked the reins, and the carriage rolled away from the Ripple Pavilion.
The Fang brothers stood there for a long time, gazing dreamily at the departing carriage.
Hongxiu said smugly, “Your Highness, you really are amazing. There isn’t a man in the capital who can escape your grasp.”
Qingyi added, “Exactly. You should have seen it when I delivered gifts to the Su family. I heard that all the young masters in their entire garden were utterly enchanted by our prince.”
Pei Liang: “…”
The original owner had truly possessed no self-awareness whatsoever. Not a single one of you was innocent.
Even the Third Imperial Daughter joined in the flattery. “That’s right, that’s right! None of the palace attendants dislikes Imperial Sister, either.”
Pei Liang patted her on the head. “We’re going back to the palace. No more bargaining.”
“Oh!” The Third Imperial Daughter looked reluctant. “Then Imperial Sister, take me back.”
Pei Liang nodded and spent the entire journey listening to her chatter as she counted up everything she had bought that afternoon.
She muttered about what each item could be used for and how much it was worth.
She sounded like an elementary school student returning from a field trip.
As they spoke, the carriage entered the palace gates.
Normally, they would have had to get out and walk this stretch of the road. But what was the original owner’s status?
Everyone under Heaven assumed she would be the next Empress, so she naturally enjoyed certain privileges. Although she had only lost her position as Crown Princess today, those privileges had not yet been directly revoked as a means of targeting her.
In the original novel, this matter had been deliberately brought up to attack the original owner. Pei Liang, however, had no intention of giving up her privileges because of it.
Thus, the carriage drove straight to the residence of the imperial daughters.
The Empress now had only three daughters left. With scarcity making things precious, all three naturally received excellent treatment.
After getting out of the carriage, Pei Liang helped the Third Imperial Daughter down. When she turned around, she saw a woman in plain clothes waiting there, her gentle and graceful bearing unmistakable.
The moment she saw them return, the woman hurried over, visibly relieved.
“Imperial Sister, Third Sister, you’re finally back. Where did you go all afternoon? You had everyone worried.”
A guilty look appeared on the Third Imperial Daughter’s face. She quickly rummaged through the things Hongxiu and Qingyi were carrying and took out two small objects.
They were two wooden rabbit carvings.
“Second Imperial Sister, these are for you. I bought them at the market today.”
“Second Imperial Sister and Consort Zhou are both born in the Year of the Rabbit, so these happened to be a male and female pair. The moment I saw them, I thought of you.”
The Second Imperial Daughter smiled as she accepted the rabbits and poked her on the forehead. “What am I to do with you?”
Seeing that Pei Liang’s hands were empty, she asked, “Did you remember your Imperial Sister?”
“Of course I did.”
The Third Imperial Daughter produced a black stone tiger.
The stone itself was not particularly fine, but the workmanship made up for it. The tiger’s expression was fierce and imposing, as though it were in the middle of pouncing on its prey.
The Third Imperial Daughter presented it proudly. “Look! Imperial Sister was born in the Year of the Tiger, and she’s so mighty. This is her.”
As she spoke, she placed the tiger in the Second Imperial Daughter’s hands. Beside it, the tiger looked as though it might swallow the two rabbits whole.
A dark glint flashed deep within the Second Imperial Daughter’s eyes, but not a trace of it showed on her face.
She smiled and said, “Only Imperial Sister could be worthy of it.”
Pei Liang nearly burst out laughing. Now she understood why, in the original novel, the Second Imperial Daughter had not only set her sights on the throne but had also gone to such lengths to create so much unnecessary trouble.
She was forever stabbing the Third Imperial Daughter in the heart.
Truly, the naturally straightforward would always be the bane of the scheming.
That poor child probably did not even realize that, despite living with the Second Imperial Daughter and thinking they had a good relationship, she was actually being tormented every day by the latter’s sensitive and brooding nature.
Pei Liang accepted the black stone tiger carving and smiled at the child. “Perfect. My study is missing a paperweight.”
The child’s face lit up like a flower.
At that, the Second Imperial Daughter’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
She had assumed that Pei Liang had taken Pei Le out with ulterior motives. Yet judging by the situation now, Pei Liang looked entirely at ease.
That reaction was far beyond her expectations. Whether Pei Liang had learned to adjust her strategy swiftly or had simply grown more calculating, neither possibility boded well.
The confirmation of the Crown Princess’s position had done nothing to stabilize the court. If anything, the undercurrents had grown even more turbulent.
What a perfect opportunity. There was no way she could simply let it pass.
The Second Imperial Daughter smiled. “Imperial Sister has been indulging Third Sister in her antics all day and must be tired. Why not come rest in my palace for a while?”
The Third Imperial Daughter eagerly chimed in, “Yes, yes! Imperial Sister, come back and rest before you leave.”
“It’s already quite late. I can give my bed to Imperial Sister and sleep on the couch below.”
The Second Imperial Daughter let out a soft laugh. With the helplessness one might show toward a child, she said, “You’re the Crown Princess now. How is it that you still speak and act with so little propriety?”
“We sisters don’t mind, of course. As the eldest, Imperial Sister naturally deserves our respect. But if word of this gets out, it will place Imperial Sister in an unjust position.”
“Don’t say such things again.”
A look of startled confusion appeared on the Third Imperial Daughter’s face. “Ah… this…”
She was at a loss, but the person the Second Imperial Daughter had been watching all along was Pei Liang.
Seeing that Pei Liang remained unmoved even by this, the Second Imperial Daughter grew even more cautious.
Pei Liang, meanwhile, was inwardly delighted. Her most urgent matter at present was dealing with the Empress. Although the Second Imperial Daughter was still no real threat, trouble from her could not be left unguarded against at critical moments.
It was time to give her a warning.
Thus, she agreed to go in and sit for a while.
The three sisters had only just taken their seats when Consort Zhou personally brought them tea.
Consort Zhou was a handsome man with a somewhat melancholy appearance. His brows seemed to be faintly lowered at all times, in stark contrast to Consort Yan’s flamboyant, uninhibited manner.
He was the classic type of reserved and virtuous husband.
Perhaps because he was still newly married, Consort Zhou was somewhat bashful.
Even when saluting Prince Liang and the Crown Princess, he was shy and awkward. Pei Liang noticed the Second Imperial Daughter frown visibly.
It was as though she could find fault with every strand of his hair.
“Crown Princess, Prince Liang, please have some tea.”
Not long after he finished speaking, the Second Imperial Daughter reached out and picked up something from the table.
But Consort Zhou reacted as though startled. He instinctively shrank back.
His hands had already been unsteady, and now they trembled violently. The teacup he had just been offering Pei Liang was knocked over.
His face went pale with alarm. He hurriedly tried to remedy the situation, only to lose his balance and nearly fall.
Pei Liang reacted in a flash, slipping an arm around his waist and catching him in her embrace.
With a sweep of her other hand, she caught the teacup filled with scalding tea. Then, with a graceful motion in midair, she gathered up the water that had spilled out, not allowing a single drop to fall.
The Third Imperial Daughter clapped her hands. “Imperial Sister, your martial arts are amazing!”
Seeing Pei Liang’s effortless elegance—and her own husband held in Pei Liang’s arms—the Second Imperial Daughter nearly lost her composure on the spot.
And yet that woman merely wore a gentle expression as she asked, “Brother-in-law, are you all right?”
