On the day the Xianluo Mountain Sect Master and his party entered the capital, Pei Liang was still at home, surrounded by handsome men and enjoying herself immensely.
Ever since she had caused a tremendous commotion in court and given the political landscape a thorough shake-up, the capital had been relatively peaceful.
At least, everyone knew that the Empress and the Eldest Imperial Daughter had made up their minds to attack Xianluo Mountain, and that no amount of persuasion would change their decision. Regardless of their position, anyone who was not a complete fool understood that this was not the time to court disaster.
The Second Imperial Daughter had been thoroughly humiliated that day. Her original plan had been to use the Empress’s punishment as an opportunity to join forces with those officials who supported Xianluo Mountain and launch an attack on the Eldest Imperial Daughter.
Instead, the Eldest Imperial Daughter had suffered no consequences whatsoever. She had treated the Empress’s reprimand as though it were nothing, even clashing with the Empress from afar. In the end, the Empress had not stripped her of a single position.
The Second Imperial Daughter, on the other hand, had exposed the hidden pieces she had spent years cultivating. The Eldest Imperial Daughter immediately branded them as members of the Xianluo Mountain faction and swept them all out of court along with the rest.
She had tried to steal a chicken and only ended up losing the rice.
Now, the entire capital was spreading rumors that she was a hypocrite and a petty villain—radiant and respectable on the surface, yet cruel to her husband behind closed doors. Everyone was also treating it as settled fact that she was impotent.
The Second Imperial Daughter had vomited blood and fainted immediately after leaving court. She had been recuperating in her residence these past few days, while the Empress had expressly forbidden people belonging to the Eldest Imperial Daughter and the Crown Princess from disturbing her under the pretext of paying her a sick call.
It seemed that even while gravely ill, the Empress still understood her two daughters quite well.
She knew that one of them was doing it deliberately, while the other was doing it deliberately without even realizing it. When it came to infuriating people, both of them were highly accomplished.
The Empress still did not want her second daughter, a dignified imperial princess, to be angered to death.
The court officials had all drawn in their necks and silently waited for the people from Xianluo Mountain to arrive, preparing themselves for the second confrontation between the imperial family and Xianluo Mountain.
For the moment, there was an eerie calm before the storm. It was not only the Su family—even the Zhou family, who stood at the very center of the affair, was being exceptionally cautious.
They had sent people to Prince Liang’s residence, but after the Eldest Imperial Daughter’s outburst at morning court, Consort Zhou’s reputation had already been thoroughly ruined. Besides, she had openly declared that she would not release him.
She was clearly determined to keep her younger sister’s husband for herself.
The Zhou family sent over one of the servants who had been close to Consort Zhou since he was a boy. The servant came to visit him and, while there, tried to sound him out.
What they discovered, however, was that Consort Zhou showed none of the helpless misery one might expect from a man forcibly kept by his elder sister-in-law. His days were actually going quite well.
Although the bruises on his face had not completely faded when the Zhou family came to see him, he looked far more lively and radiant as a whole.
He no longer resembled the withered husk he had been in the palace.
By rights, the Zhou family should have been happy. But their family was conservative and rigid by nature.
Their own son had become something akin to a seductive husband who had brought disaster upon the realm, yet he showed no remorse or self-reflection. Instead, he looked happier than ever. To the Zhou family, this was like being struck by lightning.
They did not dare reprimand Consort Zhou at Prince Liang’s residence. Every person there looked like a menacing fiend.
They would not have dared to lecture him, and even one ill-chosen word might have been enough for them to be thrown out.
Consort Zhou had long known what his family was like, and he had expected their reaction. But from the moment he had willingly followed Her Highness out of the palace, he had cast off every last shackle.
If the world could not accept him, then at worst, he would die. In any case, dying outside would still be cleaner than dying in that imperial palace.
Under the influence of this almost self-destructive resolve, his days had instead become far more cheerful.
Consort Zhou was not unaware of the gossip circulating outside. It was simply that the people of Prince Liang’s residence protected him, so none of it reached him directly.
He had been living wonderfully at Prince Liang’s residence these days.
His elder imperial sister was clearly someone who loved food and knew how to enjoy it. The conditions in the household kitchens were enough to delight anyone who loved cooking.
Whenever he had free time, Consort Zhou would study new ingredients and develop new dishes. By refusing to think about the future, he had found a kind of ease he had never experienced before.
He had originally thought that his elder imperial sister merely had a discerning palate and had tasted countless delicacies. He had not expected her to have such profound knowledge of the culinary arts.
Whenever he became stuck on one step or another, a few words from her would often leave him suddenly enlightened.
Consort Zhou could not help but come to regard her as a kindred spirit in this field. At the dining table, the two of them frequently conversed with great enthusiasm.
One day, Pei Liang said to him, “Brother-in-law, your ingenuity and creativity would be wasted if they remained buried in the inner chambers of the palace.”
“A man without material resources to rely on will always lack a certain measure of confidence. Why not build up some assets of your own, Brother-in-law, so you’ll have something to fall back on?”
Consort Zhou looked up at her blankly. “Assets?”
There were several circumstances in which a man marrying into the imperial family did not need to prepare a dowry himself.
There was no need to discuss the others for now. When the Second Imperial Daughter married, she had not yet left the palace to establish her own residence, so the entire wedding had been handled differently from Prince Liang’s marriage.
Su Yue had received ten miles of ceremonial dowry, but all the preparations for Consort Zhou had been arranged by the imperial family.
Anything extra could not be brought into the palace, so there had been only so much the Zhou family could give their son as something to rely on.
Before Consort Zhou could understand what she meant, Pei Liang continued, “Did you really think I was only teasing you when I calculated those profits at the Second Imperial Daughter’s residence?”
A smile touched her lips, and Consort Zhou immediately remembered.
He hurriedly said, “Those are merely crude little things. Her Highness has seen delicacies from all over the world, so she only finds them novel and gives them more credit than they deserve. They’re hardly worth anything.”
Pei Liang smiled. “Just wait and see. If you trust me, write down all the recipes you have and authorize me to use them.”
“When the time comes, the people under me will handle the operations. Naturally, they will receive a portion of the profits as compensation for their work.”
Consort Zhou still felt that she was overestimating him, so he agreed without much thought.
Even so, he felt somewhat uneasy inside. If his creations turned out to be laughable, he would only be causing the people under her to go to all that trouble for nothing.
Su Yue watched the two of them interact, eating quietly without saying a word.
He glanced at Prince Liang. Ever since her speech in court, Su Yue had received no small amount of sympathetic looks.
They had only just married, yet Prince Liang had already forcibly taken her younger sister’s husband. In the eyes of outsiders, where did that leave him, the Prince Consort?
But the two of them had always been partners joined by mutual interests. He and Prince Liang shared a life together on the surface as a married couple, while Prince Liang gave him the opportunity to realize his ambitions.
They each got what they wanted. It was nothing more than a relationship of mutual benefit.
He had been the one unwilling to consummate their marriage in the first place. By rights, if Prince Liang wanted another man, he had no right to interfere. He should even have been pleased.
Given Prince Liang’s generosity, enduring this kind of harmless “sympathy” was nothing. Besides, it was all within the scope of his duties.
And yet, no matter how Su Yue tried to reason with himself, he simply could not accept everything unfolding before him with equanimity.
His grip tightened around his chopsticks.
This woman truly knew what men needed. She could even uncover a man’s hidden strengths—things he himself might never dare to imagine—and encourage and protect them.
She showed none of the vile contempt and belittlement that worldly women so often displayed. Instead, she welcomed the ambition men were not permitted to pursue by society.
Su Yue could see Consort Zhou’s transformation with his own eyes.
Perhaps Consort Zhou himself had not realized it. Or perhaps he had realized it and was instinctively avoiding this immoral possibility.
But the light in his eyes could not lie.
Not once had Consort Zhou looked at the Second Imperial Daughter with the focused devotion he now displayed. His entire being seemed to have come alive.
Before, it had not been so obvious when it was only the two of them—“husband and wife.” But now, there was another person at the dining table.
Su Yue could clearly feel that his relationship with Prince Liang was one of courteous cooperation. Compared with the Consort Zhou’s pure and uncomplicated relationship with the Princess, the distance and coldness between them became glaringly obvious.
This atmosphere—impossible to notice without a point of comparison, yet impossible to ignore once one had been made—had left Su Yue especially uneasy of late.
As though sensing his master’s mood, Little Sheng could not help asking after they returned to their room that evening, “Your Highness, what exactly does the Eldest Imperial Daughter mean by this?”
Little Sheng had been living quite comfortably at Prince Liang’s residence these days. The household was not nearly as strict as the Su family’s.
Because Su Yue was a Prince Consort with real authority, his personal attendant naturally held an elevated position in the household. His food, clothing, and other provisions were all far better than they had been at the Su residence.
Moreover, Prince Liang was not as violent and lustful as they had feared before the wedding. On the contrary, she respected men and was quite tolerant toward Little Sheng, who still had the temperament of a child. Her rewards were generous as well.
Little Sheng had become so comfortable that he hardly wanted to leave, and his state of mind had begun to change accordingly.
As he helped Su Yue change into his nightclothes, he said, “A few days ago, when the young masters from the Su family came to visit, Young Master Yu mentioned this very thing.”
“Don’t think I didn’t notice. Whenever Our Highness came over, his eyes followed her like hooks, staring at her without letting go.”
Realizing that he had strayed from the original topic, he hurried back to it. “The Second Princess-Consort has been staying here for no clear reason, yet Her Highness hasn’t given you any explanation.”
“An explanation?” Su Yue gave a faint, self-mocking smile. “What explanation does she need to give?”
“But… shouldn’t she at least give you an account? These days, whenever Her Highness is in the residence, she spends most of her time in the guest courtyard where the Second Princess-Consort is staying. Whenever it is time to eat, the two of them are always laughing and enjoying themselves, while you are left alone.”
“No matter what, you are the Principal Consort of Prince Liang’s residence, Her Highness’s lawful husband—”
“Enough.” Su Yue cut him off. “This was what I wanted all along. Now I have merely gotten what I asked for.”
“Even the Emperor and the Second Imperial Daughter can do nothing about it. I naturally have even less standing to interfere.”
Little Sheng fell silent. After a long while, he could not help sneaking another glance at his master.
There was no sign of relief on Su Yue’s face. Instead, the worry between his brows remained.
Before he married into the residence, he and Little Sheng had imagined the best possible outcome: that Prince Liang would have no interest in him whatsoever.
Perhaps she would have another beloved consort in the residence, or a handsome male lover outside. They would treat each other with the respect of ice and remain complete strangers. That would have been the best situation of all.
Yet the current circumstances seemed to match what they had once hoped for exactly. And still, master and servant—
In the end, after struggling with himself, Little Sheng could not hold back any longer. “Young Master, why don’t you… invite Her Highness to have dinner in your room tomorrow evening?”
Su Yue’s head snapped up. His breathing faltered, and his face instantly flushed red. Flustered, he hurriedly scolded Little Sheng, “Be quiet! I never want to hear you say anything like that again.”
Seeing that his master was truly angry, Little Sheng clamped his mouth shut and dared not say another word.
After tidying everything up, he withdrew.
But Su Yue, left alone in the room, was unable to settle down. Little Sheng’s “shameless” suggestion that he compete for Prince Liang’s favor had thrown his thoughts into turmoil.
Late that night, lying in bed, Su Yue could not help recalling what had happened on the night of their wedding.
Then he covered his face with both hands. It seemed he had already committed an even more shameless act back then.
The scene still appeared vivid in his mind. Whether from embarrassment or some other reason, his body began to grow warm, and he felt strangely empty.
In a daze, he drifted into a dream and found himself back on their wedding night.
He had still removed all his clothes, but this time there was no grief or despair in his heart. Under the woman’s gaze, there was only unbearable embarrassment—and, inexplicably, a trace of anticipation.
After ordering him onto the bed, the woman did not wrap him in the quilt like a spring roll. Instead, she toyed with him tirelessly throughout the night.
By the end, his body felt as though it had fallen apart, his throat was hoarse, and the bedsheets were torn from his clutching hands. Yet he still did not feel completely satisfied.
It seemed that something was missing.
Then he suddenly woke.
For several breaths, he remained dazed. When he sensed the mess hidden beneath the covers, his entire face flushed with shame. He wished he could simply bash his head against the bedpost and die.
At the same time, he finally understood what that never-quite-satisfied feeling had meant.
After cleaning himself up and going out to eat, Su Yue did not even dare look at the woman’s face.
Then he heard her say something about inviting someone to the residence.
That was right. Today was a day off, and the weather was pleasant. She had previously promised to invite the Crown Princess over for a visit, so the Crown Princess had probably been looking forward to it for days.
Su Yue nodded absently, indicating that he would make the necessary preparations.
Pei Liang then turned to Consort Zhou and said, “I’ll have to trouble my younger brother-in-law with today’s meal.”
Consort Zhou had helped his father arrange banquets at home, but he had never personally prepared food to entertain guests before. He was therefore quite excited by the prospect.
When the appointed time arrived, Su Yue discovered that Prince Liang had invited more than just the Crown Princess.
General Liu was there as well.
General Liu was dressed in blue that day, the color pure and clear like his eyes. A plain gray sash was tied around his waist.
Although the sash was well made, with neat stitching, the fabric was ordinary—almost crude by the standards of a wealthy household.
Yet it suited General Liu quite well. If one set aside the traditional standards of masculine beauty, he was undeniably a striking and valiant man.
Seeing him, Pei Liang smiled and praised him. “It suits you very well. Did you receive the clothing designs I had sent over earlier?”
General Liu’s face flushed slightly. “I—I did. They’re being made now.”
“There’s no need to hurry,” Pei Liang said with a smile. “Take your time. When I have some free time, I’ll design a few more pieces for you. Some styles are simple to make and inexpensive, so they could even be introduced throughout the army. You can decide what to do with them.”
It was a rare case of a handsome, rugged man whose appearance had never been properly designed because he did not conform to mainstream standards of beauty. How could Pei Liang, with her fondness for cultivating real-life subjects, resist the urge to take him in hand?
Yet the implications of her words were so shocking that everyone present was stunned.
A woman designing clothes for a man—what could that possibly mean?
At first, Su Yue had assumed Prince Liang was merely putting on an act to win over an important military official. But after speaking with her over several meals, he had discovered that her taste was genuinely unconventional. She truly admired General Liu and found his unique charm appealing.
Now, however, it seemed that her feelings went beyond admiration and respect inspired by his military achievements and character.
This was clearly—
Su Yue and Consort Zhou were both stunned. Somehow, their eyes met. Then they simultaneously realized what they were doing and quickly looked away.
Both felt guilty, their minds suddenly in disarray.
Only the Crown Princess reacted differently from everyone else. The moment she heard this, she hurried over.
“What? Imperial Sister designed clothes for General Liu? I don’t care—Imperial Sister is playing favorites! I want some too.”
Pei Liang exposed her immediately. “Are you lacking attractive clothes?”
“I am. I can’t even find a pair of trousers to wear to court tomorrow,” the Crown Princess declared.
She said it as though she could actually change into something other than court attire for the morning assembly.
Still, it was a simple enough favor. Unable to withstand her persistence, Pei Liang agreed.
During the meal, Pei Liang took out a case and handed it to Consort Zhou.
When Consort Zhou took the box, his face was blank with bewilderment. He opened it, only to find a substantial sum of banknotes inside, along with partnership contracts granting shares in many famous restaurants and taverns.
He stared in shock. The box suddenly felt almost scalding in his hands. “Imperial Sister, this…”
“These are the profits from your recipes, sauces, fillings, and other formulas.”
Consort Zhou was utterly stunned. He even suspected that Imperial Sister had taken money from her own funds to subsidize him, and hurriedly said, “However you calculate it, this is far too much.”
Pei Liang smiled. “The formulas that were relatively easy to reproduce were sold outright.”
“The people under me also contacted merchants from all over the country. Quite a number of these merchants operate restaurants, and when small amounts are added together, the profits naturally become considerable.”
“For formulas that are more difficult to reproduce, and which still leave room for further adjustments on your end, we took shares in exchange for the technology. The restaurants built around those formulas, as well as the dishes they develop independently based on them, will pay out dividends every quarter.”
“As for the formulas that are costly to produce and difficult for ordinary people to imitate, my people established a brand of their own, catering exclusively to nobles and wealthy merchants. The profits from that are being split evenly between me and my brother-in-law.”
Pei Liang looked at Consort Zhou and concluded, “My people will be responsible for operations, while my brother-in-law will handle product development and quality control. You won’t be idle from now on.”
Consort Zhou remained completely dazed. For a moment, he looked at Imperial Sister without being able to utter a word.
The box in his hands felt heavy.
Most noble families prided themselves on their moral aloofness, considering it shameful to engage personally in commerce. Yet one by one, they indulged in luxury, taking their wealth and splendor for granted.
Consort Zhou had grown accustomed to seeing the women in his family maintain an air of lofty disdain, treating even the mention of money as beneath them. But their dignity and elegance were built upon the profits their menfolk painstakingly calculated and earned behind the scenes.
The Zhou family was a respected scholarly house, but in order to preserve appearances, Consort Zhou had seen his father, grandfather, and the men of various other families struggle bitterly over money.
He was not some otherworldly person untouched by the realities of life. Yet whether in his birth family or his marital family, everyone had always regarded his talents as useless. Now, those very talents had created such immense value in an instant.
Consort Zhou, who had always felt like duckweed drifting wherever the current took him, suddenly seemed to possess endless confidence.
His eyes reddened slightly. Embarrassed, he lowered his head and took several deep breaths before looking up at Pei Liang.
His voice was still somewhat choked. “Thank you, Imperial Sister.”
Pei Liang said, “This is only the beginning. I hope that, in the future, more men will have the chance to use their abilities instead of letting them go to waste.”
Before anyone else could offer an opinion, she declared confidently, “Though it will certainly come to pass. After all, I’m the one doing it.”
In truth, it was very simple: all she had to do was advance society and allow men to leave their homes and enter the workforce.
She had already done this once before. The second time would only be easier.
Her confidence and certainty moved all the men present. Their hearts pounded wildly.
While spring stirred within Prince Liang’s residence, a procession dressed in holy-looking garments, so ethereal that they seemed almost immortal, entered the capital.
Recently, the people of the capital had been feasting on royal gossip. Thanks to the Eldest Imperial Daughter’s unrestrained tongue, even the Empress’s old scandals had been dragged back into the light.
There were also several married Imperial Sons with notoriously loose morals, whose romantic escapades had become a favorite topic of conversation. At present, the only members of the imperial family with few scandalous rumors attached to them were the seemingly innocent Crown Princess and the several unmarried Imperial Sons.
Today, the immortals of Xianluo Mountain arrived in the capital. The people of the city had seen enough of the world to exercise a little more restraint. Unlike those places along the route where people had immediately dropped to their knees, kowtowing and muttering prayers, no one here behaved quite so dramatically.
Even so, they were captivated by the immortals’ bearing, and the crowds gathering along both sides of the road grew larger and larger.
Among the procession were two enormous sedan chairs, one at the front and one at the rear. Their ceremonial escort lacked the grandeur and extravagance of the imperial family, yet possessed a more otherworldly elegance.
The sedan chairs were shrouded in white gauze, through which the figures inside could be glimpsed faintly.
There was a man and a woman. Their features could not be seen clearly, but from their bearing, posture, and presence alone, one could immediately sense an austere and lofty purity.
The disciples carrying the sedan chairs moved with effortless steps and perfect coordination, showing no sign that they were bearing any weight at all. Surely this was the manner of true immortals?
After seeing them, the doubts people had harbored earlier faded by three parts.
Someone praised them aloud, “They truly possess the bearing of immortals. No mortal in this world can compare.”
Many people agreed.
The woman in the sedan chair did not turn her gaze toward the speaker. She merely curled her lips in a proud smile.
Unfortunately, Prince Liang’s army of devoted fans was no small thing.
Praising the immortals was acceptable, but disparaging their Prince Liang was not.
A man called out, “That’s going too far, isn’t it? In terms of bearing, appearance, poise, and majesty, His Highness Prince Liang is still the finest in the world.”
“Exactly. The Immortal Masters are merely a novelty for the moment. Only Prince Liang is the real deal.”
“Wherever Prince Liang is, there I shall be.”
“…”
The woman in the sedan chair frowned. She found these mortal men utterly absurd.
It was only a minor interlude, however, and caused no real disturbance.
The people of Xianluo Mountain entered the palace in a grand and conspicuous procession, and immediately went to see the Empress, who was ill.
The Empress’s reception was cordial enough to satisfy them.
After some casual conversation, they naturally turned to the matter of Prince Liang.
The Xianluo Mountain Sect Master spoke bluntly. “Your Majesty, please comply with the divine decree.”
Her tone lacked the courtesy that would have been added by an intermediary. A cold glint flashed through the Empress’s eyes upon hearing it.
Yet she showed no displeasure on her face. Instead, she said gently, “I am old now, and my eyesight and mind have both grown muddled.”
“Perhaps because I am a dying woman, my ears have become too soft. She is, after all, my own child. I raised her as an heir all these years and placed great hopes in her.”
“If the Sect Master wishes me to order the heir put to death, you must give me a reason I cannot refuse, rather than simply repeating the words ‘divine decree.’”
The Xianluo Mountain Sect Master glanced at the Empress. She felt no reverence toward this human ruler. On the contrary, the woman’s weakness and hesitation inspired contempt.
However, Xianluo Mountain had suffered enormous losses this time, and she had come out of seclusion personally. There were many places that needed to be repaired.
Besides, that Prince Liang was more difficult to deal with than anyone Xianluo Mountain had encountered before, which left her increasingly irritated.
She therefore replied, “Your Majesty, Xianluo Mountain has never harmed an imperial heir.”
“This person is no longer Your Majesty’s daughter. She is merely a monster wearing the Eldest Imperial Daughter’s outer shell.”
The Empress’s eyes flickered. Though she had already guessed as much, hearing Xianluo Mountain state it with such certainty still stirred her deeply.
The Sect Master continued, “Our divinations at Xianluo Mountain have never been wrong.”
“I hope Your Majesty will not allow misguided kindness to cloud your judgment or let that monster beguile you.”
The Empress put on an expression of a foolish ruler who had been deceived. “Even if the Sect Master is so certain, I cannot simply accept the word of Xianluo Mountain alone. How about this? I shall summon her to the palace and have her confront the Sect Master face-to-face.”
The Xianluo Mountain Sect Master’s face showed a haughty confidence. “Very well.”
The Empress glanced at the veiled man standing beside the Sect Master. Even with his face partially concealed, his features alone revealed him to be an incomparably beautiful man.
The Empress was well informed about the changes of leadership within Xianluo Mountain. She had known for a long time that the previous Sect Master’s successor had been a pair of fraternal twins—a boy and a girl.
Yet according to the intelligence she had received in the past, it had clearly been said that the younger brother, Fu Jue, was the chosen son of Heaven. In the end, however, it was his elder sister, Fu Xin, who became the Sect Master.
At that moment, Fu Jue glanced at his sister. In his otherwise indifferent eyes, a trace of mockery flickered—so faint that it was almost impossible to detect.
Before long, the person sent to summon the Eldest Imperial Daughter to the palace returned with a response.
She looked somewhat uneasy, as though she had encountered a difficult problem. Her peripheral gaze flicked toward the Xianluo Mountain Sect Master, and she seemed reluctant to speak.
The Empress said leisurely, “Just say it.”
Only then did the palace maid speak. “Her Highness says that she is entertaining guests at the moment and cannot leave. She asks that Your Majesty summon her another day.”
Fu Xin was enraged. “How outrageous!”
The Empress merely shook her head helplessly and placated her. “Sect Master, please don’t be angry. Whenever that stubborn girl gets it into her head to be difficult, she dares even to disregard My decree. For her to act this way today, there must be a reason.”
She then asked the palace maid, “What exactly did she say?”
The maid thought that, indeed, no one understood her own daughter better than the Empress.
Thus, with considerable difficulty, she replied, “The Eldest Imperial Daughter said—‘Any stray cat or dog who claims to be someone important thinks they can see me whenever they please. I suppose it’s only because Her Majesty has lost her senses and is easily fooled at her age.’”
“She said to have you—Your Majesty—throw them out of the palace first. They can prove their identities before coming back.”
From the moment she was born, Fu Xin had been surrounded by people who treated her divine lineage as exalted and beyond question. She had never even regarded the Empress with much respect, so when had she ever suffered such humiliation?
Her chest heaved with fury.
And that was not all. Upon hearing this, the old and muddleheaded Empress actually pondered for a moment before saying, “That does make some sense.”
