The Empress’s men still wore solemn expressions. After all, no matter what sort of trouble Prince Liang got herself involved in these days, it would either turn into a farce that she somehow managed to derail, or acquire an unmistakably flirtatious air.
But today’s incident was no laughing matter.
A prince had been assassinated and, after narrowly escaping death, had charged straight into the Xianluo Mountain encampment. Even an idiot could connect those two events.
If the matter was mishandled, the imperial family and Xianluo Mountain would become outright enemies, to the point where they could no longer even maintain the appearance of harmony. That would be disastrous.
Without room for negotiation or delay, and without either side formally overpowering the other, the realm would be forced to choose between imperial authority and religious faith. Chaos could easily follow.
The Empress had therefore hurriedly sent people over. Never had she imagined that, by the time everyone was brought before her, they would be in this state.
The Empress glanced at the three people standing there with innocent expressions, then at Fu Xin and Second, who had been carried in.
For a moment, she felt as though she had suffered an agony no dying person ought to endure.
The veins on her forehead twitched. Her gaze swept over Fu Xin, and she could barely stand to look at the fool for even another moment.
The previous Xianluo Mountain Sect Master had at least been a formidable figure. Otherwise, the Empress would never have been wary of her, nor would she have ultimately settled for merely eliminating Consort Yan’s paternal clan.
Who could have imagined that her successor would be such an idiot—someone capable of attempting to assassinate a prince in broad daylight?
At the very least, Xianluo Mountain’s influence in the capital had long since declined. The Boss had beaten it into disarray with a wild barrage of punches.
An assassination attempt on such a grand scale, involving so many people, could not have come out of nowhere. The more people involved, the more the organization’s style would be exposed. Anyone who had operated in the capital for long would likely have seen through it.
The Empress truly could not understand why Fu Xin had made such a disastrous move, despite knowing perfectly well that the Boss never followed rules and had no regard for superficial evidence.
Now that the Empress saw Fu Xin in such a miserable state, she assumed the Boss had beaten her. As for Second—
Her gaze shifted to the Second Imperial Daughter, and the disgust in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
What a fool. She could not even tell which side she ought to stand on. For the sake of her own petty interests, she had willingly offered herself up as someone else’s weapon, making it easier for them to divide the imperial family.
She had no shortage of petty cleverness, yet from beginning to end, she radiated the narrow-mindedness of someone utterly ignorant of what truly mattered. And she still wanted to become Empress?
The Empress waved her hand and ordered someone to wake the two of them.
“What kind of disgraceful spectacle is this?”
She then looked at Pei Liang and scolded her, “I know you were enraged after being attacked in broad daylight, and that you acted impulsively.”
“But is Sect Master Fu someone you can accuse without a shred of evidence? Why must you be so reckless and unreasonable? Now look at the mess you’ve made. You injured Sect Master Fu and didn’t even spare your own younger sister. I’d like to see how you intend to clean this up.”
Pei Liang hurriedly spread her hands in a gesture of innocence.
“Heaven and earth are my witnesses—I didn’t lay a finger on Sect Master Fu.”
“As for Second, I didn’t even say a word to her. How was I supposed to know that the two of them would both suffer attacks of their old ailments, suddenly vomit blood, and faint? I’m the one who feels wronged here.”
“Could they have planned this together to frame me?”
The Empress frowned.
“You didn’t touch either of them?”
She knew the Boss was talking nonsense. There was no question that she was the culprit. But the Boss also was not the sort of person to lie in that particular way.
If she said she had not touched them, then she truly had not made any physical contact with them.
The Empress turned to look at the people who had gone to bring the Boss over.
The man wore an indescribable expression. He glanced at Prince Liang, then lowered his head and said, “By the time this servant arrived, Sect Master Fu and Prince You were already unconscious. This servant does not know the precise circumstances.”
The Empress was even more bewildered.
But then the Second Imperial Daughter and Fu Xin both began to stir awake. Fu Xin was the first to regain consciousness.
The moment she opened her eyes, she hurriedly looked around. Seeing the Empress before her, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she caught sight of Pei Liang on the other side, and her expression immediately twisted into one of furious outrage.
Looking as though she wanted to devour someone alive, she shouted, “You Liang scoundrel! Don’t you dare dishonor my husband!”
Yet Pei Liang merely wore a deeply meaningful smile and said nothing.
Fu Xin was horrified. Disbelief filled her as she looked toward Fu Jue, only to see him clutching tightly at his collar, his face deathly pale and his body seeming ready to collapse at any moment.
When he saw her looking at him, he even instinctively avoided her gaze, looking utterly mortified and ashamed.
Fu Xin’s vision went dark. She looked as though she were about to faint again, and the imperial physicians hurriedly applied their needles. At last, they managed to stabilize her.
Trembling, Fu Xin raised a hand and shakily pointed at Pei Liang.
“You—you—the Liang scoundrel, how dare you—”
Then, unable to accept it, she turned to Fu Jue. “Say something! You weren’t violated by this bastard, were you?”
The instant those words left her mouth, everyone in the Empress’s bedchamber stiffened.
It seemed they had just learned something utterly shocking.
Given that Sect Master Fu had awakened and immediately demanded to know whether Prince Liang had dishonored her husband, it meant that before she had fainted, said dishonoring had been in progress.
And according to the imperial physicians, Sect Master Fu had been unconscious for quite some time. Add to that Celestial Master Fu’s reaction—
—and, according to the Empress’s attendants, from the moment they arrived, Prince Liang had never once left Sect Master Fu’s room.
Which meant that Prince Liang had, right in front of the unconscious Sect Master Fu, done that to her younger brother and fiancé, Celestial Master Fu—
Truly worthy of Prince Liang: accomplishing with ease what ordinary people could never manage.
Even the Empress looked at Pei Liang with an expression beyond description.
In her youth, she too had been reckless and unrestrained, unconcerned with propriety—but she had never gone this far.
To violate someone else’s husband right in front of his fiancée—what kind of shameless person could do such a thing?
Pah!
Still, some people retained a shred of doubt. Surely it could not be that bad?
Then the Second Imperial Daughter slowly came to as well. Looking at Pei Liang and Fu Jue, she cried out in grief, “Sect Master, these two engaged in such illicit acts while you were unconscious!”
“Sect Master, do not place your trust in the wrong—”
Fu Xin could no longer hear the rest. To her ears, the Second Imperial Daughter’s words were merely the final proof that shattered her last lingering hope.
She spat out another mouthful of blood and glared at Pei Liang with venomous hatred. “You—you’re quite something. You really are—”
Pei Liang cut her off, nodding. “Mm. Your fiancé said the same.”
At that, even the Empress feared that the Boss, that inhuman creature, might actually anger Fu Xin to death.
Though she had long wished to see the people of Mount Xianluo wiped out and had wanted them dead for ages, for them to die in such a ludicrous fashion would make the centuries-long struggle seem absurdly laughable.
Besides, they could not very well die here.
So she rebuked Pei Liang, “Boss, stop talking.”
Pei Liang could only raise her hands in surrender and close her mouth.
The Empress turned to the Crown Princess. “Third, tell me exactly what happened.”
The Crown Princess remembered how her opening remark had angered her Second Sister so badly that she had vomited blood. By now, she felt that her Second Sister had become increasingly unreliable. Whenever her Eldest Sister and Second Sister came into conflict, she would naturally stand with her Eldest Sister without hesitation.
That did not mean she had no feelings for her Second Sister.
So she was also afraid that she might say the wrong thing and bring about some inexplicable consequence.
She stammered, “Mother, with so many people here… perhaps this isn’t appropriate?”
The Empress: “…”
It was over. There was no escaping it now.
The Empress’s headache grew worse. Exhausted, she said, “Everyone, leave for now.”
Fu Xin refused to let the matter drop. She shouted, “Your Majesty, at a time like this, do you still intend to shield this Liang scoundrel?”
“The men of Xianluo Mountain bear the responsibility of continuing the Celestial bloodline. For a Liang scoundrel to defile one of them like this—Your Majesty must give us an explanation today.”
Pei Liang could not speak, but the Crown Princess believed she could serve as her Eldest Sister’s mouthpiece.
Thus, she said, “If that’s the case, then why doesn’t my Eldest Sister marry Master Fu?”
“Bah!” Fu Xin flew into a rage. “So that was your vicious scheme all along, you cur!”
“The men of Xianluo Mountain will never marry into the mortal world. We would rather die to prove our resolve—”
“But aren’t you two the last of your bloodline?” the Crown Princess interrupted. “The Celestial Master is dead. What will you do?”
“If you find a mortal man to continue your bloodline, then the bloodline of Xianluo Mountain won’t be pure anymore, will it?”
Fu Xin was rendered speechless. Her head was filled with straw; she knew only that the family’s laws had to be obeyed, without understanding the reasons behind them.
To preserve its so-called immortal image and distinguish itself from ordinary mortals, Xianluo Mountain had established no shortage of rules.
After several hundred years, the sect had become completely detached from the mortal world, truly attaining an air of transcendence. At the same time, however, those rules naturally became shackles binding them.
This particular rule had originally been established to prevent the imperial family from attempting to annex Xianluo Mountain by marrying into it and turning it into an imperial vassal.
The ancestors of Xianluo Mountain had naturally been forced to use their strongest measure to reject the imperial family. They could never have imagined that, by this generation, only two members of the Fu family would remain—leaving them in an awkward predicament of their own making.
If Fu Xin dared to bear a child with a mortal man and have that child inherit Xianluo Mountain, the imperial family could immediately make an issue of the child’s impure bloodline.
Fu Xin looked at Fu Jue with an expression of pain, disgust, and reproach, as though something belonging to her had been defiled.
Fu Jue looked even more timid and shrinking, but inwardly, she merely sneered.
Fu Xin had no choice but to withdraw her previous defiant claim and take a step back. “Xianluo Mountain is the victim here. Yet now the imperial family of the Pei clan has forced us into an impossible position?”
“We’re trying to find a solution to the problem,” the Crown Princess said impatiently.
“Things have already come to this point. We can’t exactly have the Celestial Master die. Besides, the Celestial Master may already be carrying my Eldest Sister’s child—”
“Bullshit!” The Crown Princess had forced an immortal to swear. Fu Xin’s face twisted viciously. “How could it happen that quickly?”
“An anti-conception decoction! Quickly, go and bring up an anti-conception decoction.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t.” The Crown Princess looked as though she were making a perfectly reasonable argument. “The Celestial Master is already weak, and the Sect Master didn’t offer her a single word of comfort upon waking. Yet now she intends to do something so heartless? How could the Celestial Master not be chilled to the heart?”
She put on a thoughtful expression. “If you ask me, Sect Master Fu already harbors a grudge in her heart. Rather than that, why not marry the Celestial Master to my Eldest Sister?”
“Silence. Your Pei family has quite the scheme planned. Don’t forget how your Pei family came by this realm.”
What a fool.
Everyone present sighed inwardly, while the Empress could not even be bothered to lift her eyelids.
She had discovered that setting the Crown Princess against these fools produced unexpectedly effective results. It seemed the eldest really could make use of anyone.
Sure enough, the Crown Princess’s expression turned impatient at those words.
“Fine, fine. Since you refuse to accept my goodwill, deal with it yourself.”
“In any case, Master Fu is within the imperial palace. We of the imperial family will never stand by and watch him suffer even the slightest harm. The palace physicians will attend to him from here on.”
“Since the Sect Master refuses to let the Immortal Master marry my imperial elder sister, naturally, the imperial family will not allow the Pei family’s bloodline to be neglected, either.”
“Once the Immortal Master gives birth to an heir, the child will remain in the imperial palace.”
“You wish! The bloodline of Xianluo Mountain has never been allowed to mingle with the common world. The imperial palace is no exception,” Fu Xin said instinctively.
The Crown Princess grew even more impatient. With an expression that said, *Fine, you win*, she waved her hand.
“Very well, then take my imperial elder sister’s child back with you. You’d better raise it properly. Its treatment must not be lacking in any way, or the imperial family will not let the matter rest.”
Fu Xin: “…”
How had this—how had this whole topic somehow turned into this?
Why should she have to raise that Liang scoundrel’s bastard?
Fu Xin glared venomously at the Crown Princess. That woman had a pig’s face and was just as devious at heart.
She could not keep arguing with her. Otherwise, she would be led straight into a trap.
Pointing at Pei Liang, she declared, “This scoundrel has defiled the Sect Master of Xianluo Mountain’s husband. She must be executed.”
The Crown Princess replied coolly, “On what grounds?”
“What do you mean, what grounds? She—”
Fu Xin had not finished when the Crown Princess cut her off. At that moment, the Crown Princess seemed to reveal several traces of an emperor’s bearing.
She spoke in a clear, ringing voice.
“My imperial elder sister has only just returned from disaster relief, having rendered outstanding service. The people adore her.”
“You would have such a meritorious prince executed simply because you say so? Do you take our imperial family for dogs at your command?”
Even Fu Xin, foolish as she was, did not dare respond to that.
The Crown Princess continued, “I understand the Sect Master’s fury. But any proposal the Sect Master makes must be supported by sufficient grounds to convince the masses.”
“Grounds? This scoundrel violated my husband!”
The Crown Princess nodded.
“Very well. Since Sect Master Fu does not object, our imperial family naturally will not make things difficult for her.”
“My imperial elder sister is of tremendous importance to the Pei imperial family. Even if she has committed a crime, the imperial family cannot simply fabricate an offense and pin it on her. If the Sect Master insists, then we can only truthfully announce the matter to the world.”
“Since the Sect Master insists, I shall draft the edict now, detailing the entire affair and listing every crime my imperial elder sister committed.”
“Let the whole world know how my imperial elder sister, right before the Sect Master’s eyes, committed the crime of defiling the Sect Master’s husband. That way, the people of the world can all help seek justice for the Sect Master.”
Fu Xin finally understood why these people were so fearless. Only now did she realize that this matter could never be allowed to spread.
Even she knew that if the imperial family announced everything plainly to the world, they could indeed exploit the people’s outrage to have the Liang scoundrel executed.
But once the fury subsided, Xianluo Mountain would be stained and cast down from its pedestal.
Xianluo Mountain was like a flawless, translucent jade—something that inspired awe at a glance, but could not bear even the slightest crack.
Fu Xin discovered that the scoundrel had committed such a grave offense, yet Xianluo Mountain was instead the one constrained at every turn, unable to do anything to her.
Fu Jue was simply irreplaceable. If Xianluo Mountain had any other men to spare, it would never have come to this—
Fu Xin was beside herself with rage when the scoundrel’s voice sounded beside her ear—
“Your position as sect master of Xianluo Mountain is so exalted. How is it that you still don’t understand that before making any decision, you ought to consider the worst possible outcome?”
Her voice carried a careless, mocking note, making Fu Xin want to tear apart the face before her.
At this moment, Fu Xin deeply regretted her earlier actions. She had only wanted to resolve the matter quickly and obtain the scoundrel’s blood, never expecting to suffer such consequences.
Seeing that the Boss had gone so far and could still brush it aside so lightly, the Second Imperial Daughter had no such concerns about Xianluo Mountain.
How could she possibly let such a splendid opportunity slip by?
She hurriedly said, “Even so, Celestial Master Fu has been greatly shocked. You cannot refuse to give him an explanation.”
She turned to the Boss. “Elder Sister, you cannot, because of your dispute with the sect master, place Celestial Master Fu in such an awkward position.”
The Second Imperial Daughter spoke this way because she truly could not stand the lovey-dovey display between this shameless pair. At the very least, she had to drive a wedge between them.
Yet the Boss merely waved a hand grandly, as though being exceptionally generous. “Do you really need to tell me that?”
“I have always been generous to men who have served me. From this day forward, let it be known: Master Fu’s affairs are my affairs.”
“No matter where Master Fu may be, should he suffer even the slightest grievance, I, Pei Liang, will be his support.”
“Even if, by some chance, a child borne by Master Fu should be treated unjustly, bullied, or beaten—”
As she spoke, that shameless creature actually wore an expression of such heartfelt distress that it was unbearable to behold. “Even if the whole world stood in my way, I would bring that child home.”
Fu Xin spat up blood again. Even the Second Imperial Daughter felt that trying to challenge the Boss in shamelessness had truly been a mistake.
The Empress coughed lightly, signaling Pei Liang to stop while she was ahead. If she truly angered someone to death, today’s matter would be difficult to settle.
She said, “Today’s events have been chaotic. Let us disperse for now. Once the cause has been investigated, judgment shall be rendered accordingly.”
Then, as if merely going through the motions, she scolded the Boss a couple of times. “Return to your residence and stay there properly for me.”
Pei Liang nodded with an unconcerned expression. “It wasn’t me who struck first.”
The Second Imperial Daughter sneered. “Elder Sister truly did suffer an undeserved calamity.”
She emphasized the final four words heavily, her sarcasm unmistakable.
Yet the Boss shamelessly replied, “Exactly. I was badly frightened today. I must return home and have my husband comfort me.”
At those words, the Second Imperial Daughter, like Fu Xin before her, could not help spitting up blood.
*
Because of the Empress’s restraint and Xianluo Mountain’s own constraints, the uproar Pei Liang had caused in the palace did not expose the fact that Fu Jue had been defiled by the Liang scoundrel.
Still, after Prince Liang burst into the palace following the assassination attempt, the powerful families of the capital learned what they were bound to learn.
When Prince Liang left the palace, it was said that Fu Xin, the Xianluo Mountain Sect Master, and the Second Imperial Daughter had both vomited blood twice. No one knew whether it was from being beaten or from sheer fury.
In any case, Prince Liang had not come out of the affair at a disadvantage.
Yet after such a calamity, quite a few officials in the capital felt obliged to make some show of concern.
Thus, by the time Pei Liang returned to Prince Liang’s residence, many parties had already come calling to offer their sympathies.
When Pei Liang entered the estate, she discovered that General Liu had actually come in person.
When she returned, Su Yue, Consort Zhou, and General Liu all breathed a long sigh of relief.
Pei Liang naturally felt pleased to see such a beauty worrying over her.
So she had General Liu stay for dinner. With three beauties for company, the meal that evening was exceptionally pleasant.
But while Pei Liang was enjoying herself, Fu Xin was having a very different experience.
The assassin she had sent after Prince Liang had successfully brought something back to her.
Fu Xin stared at the bloodstained handkerchief, but there was not the slightest hint of joy on her face.
In a low voice, she asked, “Are you certain this is that wretch’s blood?”
“Absolutely,” the man replied. “I personally cut her flesh and took it.”
Fu Xin nodded and waved him away.
She fixed her eyes on the handkerchief, as though imagining it to be Pei Liang herself, wanting to hack her to pieces.
The door opened again, and Fu Jue entered carrying medicine.
He came to the bedside and said to Fu Xin, “Sister, it’s time for your medicine.”
Fu Xin glanced at him before looking away, undisguised disgust showing on her face.
Coldly, she said, “You still have the mind to fetch medicine.”
Fu Jue lowered his eyes and replied submissively, “Nothing matters more than your health, Sister.”
Fu Xin felt somewhat mollified. Since she was truly uncomfortable, she still picked up the bowl and drank the medicine in one gulp.
Then, just as Fu Jue was about to take the bowl back, she hurled it across the room.
She seized his hand and demanded, “That wretch will soon disappear. Will you feel any reluctance to part with her?”
Fu Jue said nothing. The expression on Fu Xin’s face grew increasingly scornful.
“You certainly won’t be able to forget her. After all, she was your first woman.”
Clutching the handkerchief tightly, Fu Xin seethed with hatred. “Those useless fools—if only they had acted sooner—”
“That’s impossible,” Fu Jue suddenly said.
For a moment, Fu Xin thought she had misheard him. Her head was throbbing even more painfully.
Then she clearly heard Fu Jue continue, “With a fool like you—someone who can be led around by the nose after just a few words—even if you had obtained Prince Liang’s blood before she arrived, you still could never have sent her away.”
“You…”
Fu Xin stared at Fu Jue in shock, her expression gradually turning furious.
The submissiveness in his eyes and brows slowly melted away, replaced by coldness and disdain.
A faint smile touched his lips. “Did you really think that a fool like you, who can be so easily bewildered that you lose all sense of direction, could trick her into revealing where she came from?”
“As for this handkerchief…”
He picked up the bloodstained cloth in front of Fu Xin and held it to the candle flame, setting it alight.
Fu Xin’s chest ached with rage. “Wait! What are you doing?”
“After expending so many people and so much effort to obtain even a drop of that wretch’s blood, you’re simply going to—Tell me, have you already submitted to her?”
“Cough, cough!”
Fu Xin’s throat began to itch, and she could not stop herself from coughing. Blood came up with it.
She assumed it was merely a lingering effect of vomiting blood earlier that day and paid it little attention.
Then she continued, “Men truly are useless and despicable. So long as a woman sleeps with you, she can make you submit.”
“Fu Jue, you possess the bloodline of the divine race, yet you have disgraced yourself as one of the people of Xianluo Mountain. How are you any different from those ordinary men?”
Fu Jue sneered. “Is there really anything special about being one of the people of Xianluo Mountain?”
“You…”
Fu Xin stared at him in disbelief. She could hardly believe he had said such a thing.
The mockery in Fu Jue’s eyes became even more blatant.
“You deceived the entire world, only to deceive yourself into believing the lie as well.”
“Elder Sister never tires of claiming she is above the common world, yet what Firstfall Mountain has done is just as narrow-minded and petty. What makes you any different?”
“If Mother, Father, and Elder Sister were truly as detached from worldly affairs as you claim, then why would the position of Sect Master now belong to a worthless cripple like you, who possesses no inheritance at all? While I, the one who truly received the inheritance, have been reduced to nothing more than a breeding tool.”
Fu Xin flew into a rage. “So this is what you’ve been brooding over all along. What is it you want? You’re a man—do you intend to sit upon the Sect Master’s throne? If I hadn’t kept others in check, you would have been devoured without even your bones left behind.”
Fu Jue felt that Prince Liang had indeed been right about one thing: speaking to idiots was utterly exhausting.
Fu Jue said, “The moment you chose between true inheritance rights and the mundane custom of women being exalted while men are demeaned, you ceased to be anything special.”
“Father always said that Elder Sister was my sky—that as long as you existed, Firstfall Mountain and I would be safe from oppression. But today has proven otherwise. You occupy everything that should have been mine, yet you are incapable of fulfilling the duties that come with it.”
“Why should I allow such a useless person to remain and squander what belongs to me?”
“Preposterous! Since when have you harbored such treasonous thoughts?” Fu Xin thundered. “Was it that Liang scoundrel who put these ideas into your head?”
As though recalling something, Fu Jue did not answer her. Instead, he said, “Still, Elder Sister was right about one thing. If Prince Liang were to disappear, I really would feel a little reluctant.”
“But don’t worry, Elder Sister. What you failed to accomplish in life, your younger brother will naturally carry on in your stead.”
Fu Xin’s eyes widened, as though she could not comprehend his words. Then, suddenly, warmth spread beneath her nose.
She touched it—and her hand came away covered in blood.
