Pei Liang’s first reaction was: What a windfall.
No threats, inducements, coercion, or intimidation were needed. This pretty boy had come knocking to offer himself.
Her eyes lit up at once, and she nearly nodded on instinct.
But then the world itself seemed to slam on the brakes, and she immediately realized something was wrong.
First of all, General Liu’s status made no sense. He was a high-ranking official of the first grade, already at the peak of his career. He no longer needed anyone’s help.
To put it more bluntly, the entire imperial court needed him. A military genius seen only once in a thousand years, with a record built on illustrious achievements, he would be treated with respect and given the position and honors he deserved by the Empress, by her, and by the future Crown Princess once she ascended the throne.
What could General Liu possibly want from her? Did he want her to steal someone else’s husband? Or was he trying to trample cabbages before her ancestral spirit?
Then there was the matter of their respective positions. When Pei Liang had first entered this instance, she had been genuinely delighted.
It was like a pig falling into a cabbage patch. But when it came to actual benefits, most of what this world offered could only be looked at, not enjoyed.
Her advantages here were simply too obvious, without question superior in every respect—physically, psychologically, socially, and in terms of the public opinion she faced.
If she was not careful, she would end up bullying the weak through sheer force. After all, the oppression of men in this world was comprehensive, just as the oppression of women had been in the worlds she knew.
So most of the time, Pei Liang was merely talking big. If she truly made a move, it would have to be with a man who clearly understood the nature of the matter and his own position in it.
Now that General Liu was offering himself as her bedmate and proposing a long-term arrangement, she was rather pleased. But why?
Pei Liang thought about it, then asked aloud, “There doesn’t seem to be anything about me worth sacrificing yourself for, General Liu.”
At her words, General Liu’s expression softened despite himself.
There was not the slightest hint in her voice that she believed herself entitled to his devotion. Instead, she seemed to think that he was the one getting the short end of the bargain.
That alone proved that, in her heart, she did not regard his offer as degrading in the least. She genuinely appreciated even his appearance and figure, which others found unappealing.
General Liu had remained silent all this time, coldly observing her seemingly outrageous behavior. Yet he had already seen that she was all bark and no bite.
He did not know what had driven her to force the marriage with her Prince-Consort in the first place, but seeing how she now treated him with respect, granted him authority, helped him achieve his goals, and never forced him into anything, General Liu knew she was not the sort of petty villain who deliberately ruined a man’s reputation and chastity.
Prince Liang had never used her Prince-Consort to pressure the Su family into taking her side. In fact, she had never once asked the Su family to compromise when their policies differed from hers.
Her seizure of the Second Princess-Consort remained the greatest scandal to ever rock the imperial family.
Yet compared with the haggard man people remembered, the Second Princess-Consort was now as if reborn. He was doing what he wished and steadily establishing himself.
She truly cared about these men. Even toward the Second Princess-Consort, her feelings were nothing but genuine pity and respect. She was not at all as overbearing as her words suggested.
General Liu had a close personal relationship with Prince Liang and saw her clearly.
In Prince Liang’s presence, he was happy and relaxed. He did not have to endure that loathsome, condescending stare inflicted on him simply because of his gender. She respected every man’s abilities and desires.
She even approved of and supported desires that challenged conventional views and threatened women’s interests, treating them as perfectly natural.
What man could fail to be drawn to a woman like that? That was why the men of the capital were so madly infatuated with Prince Liang, despite her mixed reputation.
Originally, General Liu had been content simply to stand behind her. Whether as her subject or her confidant, he could remain close enough to Prince Liang for the rest of his life.
But then that ill-intentioned immortal master, Xian Luoshan, had opened a door for him—a door to desires he had already harbored but had never dared acknowledge.
Because he had been afraid of being discovered, he had not fully heard the conversation between the two of them. Much of it had been shrouded in confusing implications, and perhaps because his attention had not been focused on it, he remembered very little even now.
But from the moment Prince Liang emerged, a voice inside him had begun shouting frantically.
What Fu Jue could do, he could do as well.
General Liu’s temperament was unlike that of ordinary men in this world. His style of conduct on the battlefield made it clear that he was the type to attack proactively.
Thus, once he realized he could no longer suppress what he wanted, he simply spoke up.
Everything that followed came naturally.
After hearing Prince Liang’s words, he said, “Your Highness is precisely what I seek.”
Pei Liang would have been lying if she said she was not pleased. In truth, she liked simple, straightforward relationships.
However, while she was prepared to bear every consequence of her own choices, she was not sure whether General Liu had truly thought this through.
She hesitated before saying, “General Liu, you are now a high-ranking official with a bright future ahead of you. Your position and honors were earned through your own hard work.”
“I admire your great abilities, General Liu. But you should know that the world is already harsh toward men. Your very existence has offended the interests of many people.”
“There are plenty of incapable men in this world who do nothing but pick holes in others. You are different from me, General Liu. No matter how debauched and dissolute I may be, the criticism I receive is neither painful nor consequential. Most people are even secretly envious of me. But if your private conduct were ever deemed improper, everything you had fought to build would be stained.”
By the time Pei Liang finished speaking, she sincerely felt there was no need for this.
For General Liu, this would bring no benefit and countless disadvantages.
He was clearly a male general worthy of being recorded in the history books. Yet simply because he had slept with a more powerful noblewoman, Pei Liang could already imagine how the unofficial histories would portray him.
They would even turn his military achievements and extraordinary promotions into proof that he had slept his way up the ladder—a tactic commonly employed by the people who controlled the world.
But General Liu merely looked at Prince Liang, his expression calm and resolute.
“Seeking what one desires—how could that constitute a lapse in private virtue?”
“Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, but you and your Prince-Consort are less like husband and wife than colleagues. As for your relationship with the Second Princess-Consort, it is entirely innocent. Though Your Highness has a reputation for debauchery, you have no actual partner.”
“If that is so, then I have harmed no one. So long as I have a clear conscience, on what grounds can outsiders define my private virtue?” His gaze was unwavering. “If Your Highness is worried that rumors and gossip might wound me, there is no need.”
“I, Liu, have never cared what those beneath my feet think.”
That was true as well. General Liu could hardly have faced little pressure at court. The scholars and officials of the bureaucracy were not to be underestimated when it came to grinding a person down.
If General Liu had been a man who cared about his reputation or allowed himself to be bound by conventional beliefs, even his greatest military achievements would not have been enough to secure his current position.
Pei Liang continued, “But are you not worried that, by doing this, you will set a bad example for the men of the world?”
General Liu replied with certainty, “I will not. I, Liu, am ugly, with a face like a yaksha’s—hideous enough to frighten children into silence at night.”
“Your Highness, on the other hand, is breathtakingly beautiful, a peerless beauty of the human realm—the ideal wife every man in the world can only dream of but never hope to obtain.”
“If I am with Your Highness, no one will think I was constrained by your power, or that after struggling all my life, I still could not break free from the shackles of convention.”
“They’ll only think that as long as a man gives it his all, even if he looks like a yaksha, he can still pluck the stars from the sky. Rather than discouraging him, it’ll only spur him to work harder and challenge fate.”
That made far too much sense. For a moment, Pei Liang didn’t know how to argue.
In her eyes, of course General Liu was perfect in every way. He was steadfast, exceptionally capable, and blessed with an outstanding physique and appearance. In this world, he was also rare in that he stood apart from the crowd.
But ordinary people did not see him that way. To them, General Liu was hideous beyond compare. An aesthetic standard that had been shaped over a thousand years was not something Pei Liang could change overnight.
Even in modern times—in the world she knew—the fair, youthful, slim ideal shaped by the male gaze was still in fashion.
If the two of them became paramours, outsiders would probably see things exactly as General Liu had described.
They would assume that Prince Liang, in order to obtain military power and win the support of the military, had been willing to sacrifice her virtue and sleep with a man of unparalleled ugliness.
General Liu’s clear, flawless eyes curved slightly, as if hinting at a smile.
He said, “If you hesitate, Your Highness, you should be thinking about yourself, rather than worrying about me at every turn.”
His tone was frank and resolute. “I will never marry. From now on, I need not make plans for anyone else. Life lasts only a few short decades, so naturally one ought to enjoy it to the fullest.”
“I, Liu, am fond of Your Highness. If Your Highness has someone else in your heart, I will naturally cease to trouble you. But if Your Highness also intends to remain alone, coming and going unburdened…”
“Then perhaps you should consider enjoying life with me. Whatever Fu Jue can do, I can do as well.”
Following his words, Pei Liang could not help glancing at General Liu’s waist and legs.
With General Liu’s build and physical strength, what kind of tricks couldn’t he manage?
Besides, though General Liu spoke so calmly, Pei Liang could still see the nervousness and embarrassment in his expression.
There was nothing more enticing than a strong, muscular man blushing shyly. In an instant, Pei Liang’s mind raced through countless scenes that could not be put into words.
So she asked, “Oh? You can do it too, General?”
A flush of awkward red appeared on General Liu’s face. He stepped forward and kissed Pei Liang on the lips.
*
Su Yue knew that Prince Liang had gone with General Liu early that morning to meet Fu Jue.
He had met Fu Jue only once, but just as Prince Liang had judged, he was no simple character.
Fu Xin’s recent death was further proof of that. In the eyes of outsiders, Fu Jue’s position was now precarious, and he seemed to be miserable and utterly alone.
But Su Yue saw the exact opposite. Fu Jue had killed Fu Xin at the best possible moment, from a position that could never arouse suspicion, and then taken advantage of the upheaval caused by Fu Xin’s death to prevent the imperial family from continuing to pressure him.
He had accomplished several goals with a single stroke.
Dealing with someone like that naturally required extreme caution. Thus, from the moment Prince Liang left, Su Yue had felt restless and uneasy.
His unease did not merely stem from his keen political instincts. It was also mixed with a man’s intuition.
Yet Su Yue did not understand where that intuition came from. After puzzling over it to no avail, he had little appetite at noon.
Seeing this, Consort Zhou prepared a fine soup for him that afternoon. By the time they heard that Prince Liang had returned to the residence, the soup was just about ready.
Su Yue was unusually eager for Prince Liang’s return, and went personally to her courtyard to invite her to dinner.
On the way, Su Yue came up with an excuse for his own impatience. He was merely anxious to learn what Fu Jue intended to do, and what sort of clash had taken place between him and Prince Liang after Xian Luoshan’s involvement.
As members of the same faction, they naturally had to worry about the greatest threat before them.
But as soon as Su Yue reached Prince Liang’s study, he heard voices coming from inside. He assumed that Prince Liang and General Liu were discussing Xian Luoshan.
Then, in the next instant, he heard General Liu’s voice.
In unmistakable terms, General Liu was offering himself to Prince Liang.
Su Yue’s pupils contracted, and his face suddenly went pale.
In that moment, he understood where his earlier unease and apprehension had come from.
He should have realized it sooner. Given Prince Liang’s reputation for romantic indulgence, how could an ambitious schemer as cunning as Fu Jue fail to exploit it?
Prince Liang might appear reckless, but when it came to such matters, she was clearheaded and rational. Otherwise, she would not have seen through his thoughts at a glance back then.
Sure enough, Fu Jue’s temptation might not have actually borne fruit, but it had driven General Liu to recognize his feelings completely.
Just as Su Yue had once done after seeing Fang Jiu.
General Liu’s feelings for Prince Liang were something Su Yue had noticed long ago. And the Second Princess-Consort, Fang Jiu—of all the men who had appeared around her, who could possibly resist her radiance and charm?
He had originally thought that, constrained by General Liu’s conservative nature and all the shackles he placed upon himself, his affection for Prince Liang would never cross the line.
But now it seemed that Su Yue was the only one who had been binding himself hand and foot.
Su Yue heard Prince Liang’s voice. She was tempted by General Liu’s proposal.
At that moment, two voices were waging a fierce battle within him. One urged him to leave at once, seal away his heart from now on, and devote himself entirely to state affairs.
That was what he had always wanted. With the faction he belonged to and the opportunities before him, rising to prominence was within reach.
One day, if he could attain the highest rank in the court as a man, he would not even trade that achievement for the position of imperial consort.
But another voice urged him to face himself honestly. He longed to display his grand ambitions and spend his entire life filling the bottomless pit of his desires—but what conflict was there between that and pursuing the person he loved?
If he truly intended to advance without hesitation, he should not regard the same desires as stumbling blocks, much less flee in shame.
The two thoughts battled in his mind. Su Yue had no skill at concealing himself, and both his breathing and heartbeat grew heavier.
The two people inside soon noticed him.
“Who’s there?”
The study door flew open, and Prince Liang appeared before him.
She was standing so close that Su Yue’s mind instantly returned to the day of the assassination attempt.
He had been in the carriage, protected by Hongxiu and Qingyi as they fled. Her figure had grown farther and farther away, while the despair of losing her had swallowed him whole.
Su Yue did not want to experience that feeling a second time.
So, before surprise and a trace of embarrassment could appear on Prince Liang’s face, before she could speak, he spoke first—
“What a coincidence. Su Yue was thinking the same thing as General Liu.”
*
When Pei Liang opened the door, she felt somewhat awkward. Perhaps because she had been caught in a compromising situation with Fang Jiu at the tavern before, she always felt inexplicably guilty when facing Su Yue at times like this.
But what sort of person was Su Yue? After a few more incidents like this, he would probably have seen through her completely and grown used to it.
She had not expected him to speak first, however—to say something like that.
For a moment, Pei Liang did not understand. “Thinking the same thing about what?”
Su Yue looked at her with extraordinary calm.
“Su Yue’s ambition is nothing more than a desire to prove that men are no worse than women.”
“I want to climb higher and gaze farther. I want to be worshiped by all. I want power over the entire court. I want supreme honor and glory—” He paused, then looked directly into Pei Liang’s eyes. “And of course, I want even more to control the rules and do as I please, just as women do.”
“Your Highness is also someone Su Yue desires. I had intended to pursue you gradually, but General Liu has taken the first step. Naturally, Su Yue must follow close behind.”
Pei Liang’s eyelids began twitching violently.
Was this situation developing in a rather strange direction?
Yet the strangest part was still to come. The moment Su Yue finished speaking, Consort Zhou’s voice came from not far away.
“Imperial Sister, may I join in as well?”
