Next evening, Tianqi attended a grand banquet hosted by a neutral merchant house in the heart of Jiangling City.
The event was held in a sprawling estate with beautifully landscaped gardens illuminated by countless lanterns.
Music from stringed instruments and flutes drifted through the air, mingling with the laughter and conversation of Jiangling’s elite merchants, minor nobles, and influential figures.
Servants moved gracefully among the guests, offering fine wines, delicate dishes, and rare fruits.
Tianqi arrived dressed in refined dark emerald robes that accentuated his commanding presence and renewed vitality.
Mu Ronghua accompanied him, looking every bit the elegant Matriarch in her flowing sage-green and cream robes.
Her long dark hair was perfectly arranged with the ornate pearl-flower hairpin, and her red earrings caught the lantern light with every subtle movement.
She stayed close to her son, her hand occasionally resting lightly on his arm, presenting a picture of perfect family unity.
The host, Merchant Han, greeted them warmly.
“Patriarch Tianqi, Matriarch Mu Ronghua, it is an honour to have the Wan Clan’s new leaders at my humble gathering.
Your recent reforms have been the talk of the city.”
Tianqi bowed respectfully.
“The honour is ours, Merchant Han.
We appreciate the invitation and look forward to strengthening ties across Jiangling.”
Throughout the early part of the banquet, Tianqi navigated the crowd with strategic precision.
He engaged in polite conversations with various merchants, subtly promoting the Wan Clan’s new quality standards, promissory note system, and upcoming medicinal innovations.
Mu Ronghua remained a graceful presence at his side, offering elegant compliments and supportive remarks that enhanced his image.
However, as the evening progressed, Tianqi spent a noticeable amount of time speaking with the wife and eldest daughter of a minor rival merchant family, the House Peng.
Lady Peng was a graceful woman in her early forties with a gentle demeanour, while her daughter, Peng Mei, was a strikingly beautiful young woman in her early twenties with ambitious eyes and a sharp mind for trade.
Tianqi approached them with a warm smile.
“Lady Peng, Miss Peng Mei, it is good to see you both here.
I have heard much about the Peng family’s growing influence in the southern trade routes.”
Lady Peng bowed modestly.
“Patriarch Tianqi, you honour us.
We are but a small house compared to the great Wan Clan.”
“Nonsense,” Tianqi replied smoothly.
“True prosperity comes not from size alone but from wisdom and adaptability.
I have been impressed by your family’s recent success with spice caravans despite the challenges from larger rivals.”
Peng Mei’s eyes lit up with clear ambition.
“Thank you, Patriarch.
We have worked hard to optimize our routes and build reliable partnerships.
Your recent reforms have inspired us.
The standardized weights and promissory notes you introduced are particularly clever.”
Tianqi engaged them in a lengthy conversation.
He listened attentively as Lady Peng described their difficulties with certain suppliers, offering thoughtful suggestions based on his modern knowledge.
“Consider forming temporary alliances with smaller houses for shared guard costs.
It reduces risk and builds loyalty.
We at the Wan Clan are open to such cooperative ventures if the terms align with purity of purpose.”
Peng Mei leaned in slightly, her voice eager.
“Your vision for the medicinal line sounds revolutionary, Patriarch.
The concept of layered pills with timed effects could transform the market.
Would the Wan Clan consider sharing limited insights with trusted partners?”
Tianqi smiled charmingly.
“For the right allies, yes.
The Peng family shows promise.
We should discuss this further in a more private setting soon.”
Mu Ronghua stood nearby, listening silently.
Her elegant smile remained perfectly in place, but her alluring eyes gradually sharpened with displeasure.
She watched how Peng Mei’s gaze lingered on her son and how Tianqi’s attention seemed genuinely engaged with the mother and daughter.
A subtle tension built within her, her fingers tightening slightly on the fan she held, though she said nothing.
Her obsessive love and possessiveness simmered beneath the surface, carefully controlled in public.
The conversation continued for a considerable time.
Tianqi shared select strategic ideas, discussed potential future collaborations, and even complimented Peng Mei on her understanding of market trends.
Lady Peng appeared flattered and hopeful, while her daughter grew more animated and ambitious in her responses.
“You truly see the bigger picture, Patriarch,” Peng Mei said with admiration.
“Most leaders in your position would focus only on crushing rivals.
Your approach of selective alliance is refreshing.”
Tianqi nodded.
“Strength through purity and wisdom, not mindless conflict.
The Wan Clan seeks partners who share this philosophy.”
Mu Ronghua remained silent throughout, offering only polite nods and occasional graceful comments when directly addressed.
Inside, however, her displeasure grew.
The sight of another woman, especially a younger and ambitious one, receiving such focused attention from her beloved son stirred deep jealousy.
She waited patiently, maintaining her elegant facade until they could return home.
The banquet continued with more conversations, performances, and toasts.
Tianqi balanced his time well, ensuring he strengthened multiple connections, but the extended interaction with the Peng women remained prominent in Mu Ronghua’s mind.
By the time they finally departed the estate and entered their private carriage, the Matriarch’s silence had become heavy with unspoken tension.
The carriage began its journey back to the Wan Clan residence, the wheels rumbling softly over the stone streets.
Mu Ronghua sat across from Tianqi, her posture perfectly graceful but her alluring eyes now burning with restrained emotion. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
She had said nothing yet, waiting until they reached the privacy of home, but the air between them was thick with her building possessiveness and obsessive love.
Tianqi noticed her quiet demeanour and reached for her hand.
“The evening went well, Mother.
Several new potential alliances are forming.”
Mu Ronghua smiled softly, but the smile did not fully reach her eyes.
She remained silent for now, her fingers tightening around his as the carriage carried them home.
The conversation that awaited behind closed doors would reveal the depths of her devotion and the intensity of her protectiveness over their sacred bond.
XXXX
After returning home, Mu Ronghua confronted him privately in their chambers, her alluring eyes showing clear dislike.
The lanterns had been lit, casting a warm, intimate glow over the familiar space where they had shared so many passionate nights.
She stood near the center of the room, her graceful figure tense despite her elegant posture.
“Why were you paying so much attention to those women, my son?” Her voice was soft but carried an undercurrent of displeasure and possessive intensity.
“Lady Peng and especially that ambitious daughter of hers.
You spoke with them for a long time.
You smiled at them.
You offered them future discussions and possible partnerships.
I watched every moment.”
Tianqi closed the chamber doors securely and turned to her.
He approached slowly, his expression calm yet understanding.
He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her elegant waist and kissing her gently on the forehead first, then on the lips.
“Mother, do not worry.
I have no love for them.
They are not pure like you.
I simply want to use them for the clan’s benefit.
Subtle courtship and netori will help us weaken House Peng from within.
Their women are tools to gather information and create leverage.
My heart and my purest bond belong only to you.”
Mu Ronghua leaned into his embrace but did not fully relax.
Her hands rested on his chest as she looked up at him, her alluring eyes searching his face.
“Tools?
You spoke so warmly to Peng Mei.
She is young and beautiful, with clear ambition in her eyes.
She looked at you the way only I should look at you.
Explain it to me fully, my son.
I need to hear your thoughts.
I waited the entire carriage ride home, holding my tongue in public, but here we are alone.
Tell me everything so I can understand.”
Tianqi guided her to sit on the edge of their large bed, keeping her close.
He sat beside her, one arm around her shoulders.
“Mother, you are my everything.
My true partner in every sense.
The Peng family is a minor rival with growing influence in the southern routes.
They are ambitious but not yet strong enough to challenge us directly.
By cultivating a relationship with Lady Peng and especially Peng Mei, I can achieve several strategic goals at once.”
He continued in a low, reassuring voice, his hand gently stroking her arm.
“First, information.
Peng Mei is sharp and involved in her family’s trade decisions.
If I show interest, she will share details about their routes, suppliers, and weaknesses without realizing it.
Lady Peng, being more cautious but flattered by attention, will also open up over time.
Second, leverage.
Subtle courtship creates emotional attachment.
When the time comes to absorb or undermine House Peng, their loyalty to me personally will divide the family from within.
This is netori at its most effective.
I take what they value while strengthening our own bloodline.”
Mu Ronghua listened carefully, her expression softening slightly but still showing traces of jealousy.
She pressed herself closer against him, her mature curves molding to his side.
“I understand the strategy, my son.
You have always been ruthless and brilliant in your planning.
But seeing you give them your attention, your smiles, your time…
it stirred something painful in me.
I am your mother.
Your matriarch.
Your cultivation partner.
No other woman should receive even a fraction of what I receive from you.
Tell me more.
How far do you intend to take this courtship?
Will you kiss them?
Touch them?
Tianqi turned her face gently toward his, meeting her eyes.
“I will do what is necessary for the clan, but it will never compare to what we share.
A kiss on the hand for appearances.
Compliments to stroke their egos.
Perhaps private meetings where I extract more information.
If bedding Peng Mei becomes strategically valuable, I may do so, but it will be cold and calculated.
Nothing like the sacred resonance we share.
Their blood is not pure enough.
They are tools, Mother.
You are my eternal bond.
My obsession is with you alone.”
Mu Ronghua’s hand moved to his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
Her voice grew softer, more vulnerable.
“I endured so much for you.
Even when you were cruel before your awakening, I loved you.
Now that you are the man I always dreamed of, the thought of sharing even a piece of you with outsiders hurts deeply.
Peng Mei looked at you with such hunger.
She wants power through you.
I saw it clearly.”
Tianqi pulled her fully onto his lap, holding her close.
“And I see only you.
Your elegance, your wisdom, your beauty, and your ruthless devotion.
No one else can match the purity of our connection.
When I speak to them, I am playing a role for the empire we are building.
Every word is calculated.
When I am with you, every touch, every kiss, every union is real.
You are my shield in the shadows and my light in public.
No one will ever replace you.”
Mu Ronghua’s expression softened further.
She cupped his face with both hands, her red earrings swaying as she leaned in.
“Promise me that your heart remains mine.
Promise that when you use them, you think of me.
Promise that our dual cultivation will always be the purest and most powerful bond.”
“I promise,” Tianqi replied firmly, his voice filled with conviction.
“You are my true partner.
My blood resonates only with yours at the deepest level.
These alliances and manipulating tactics are weapons.
You are my core.
Without you, none of this matters.”
They spoke for a long time, the conversation weaving between strategy, reassurance, and deepening emotional intimacy.
Mu Ronghua voiced her fears and jealousy openly, describing how she had felt during the banquet.
Tianqi listened patiently, then countered with detailed explanations of his long-term plans for the Peng family and how their eventual fall would benefit the pureblood empire.
He praised her role in the public image they were building together, emphasizing how her grace made his reforms more believable.
As the discussion continued, Mu Ronghua’s body relaxed against his.
Her hands roamed his chest and shoulders, seeking physical closeness.
“I believe you, my son.
Your words soothe the ache in my heart.
But I still need you to remind me tonight.
Remind me that I am the only one who truly owns you.”
Tianqi kissed her temple, then her cheek.
“You do own me, Mother.
As I own you.
Completely.”
Their voices grew quieter and more intimate as they continued talking.
Mu Ronghua asked detailed questions about how he would handle future meetings with the Peng women.
Tianqi answered honestly, outlining boundaries and contingencies while constantly reaffirming her supreme place in his life.
The conversation revealed the depth of Mu Ronghua’s obsessive love and Tianqi’s strategic mind, strengthening their bond through both words and proximity.
Eventually, the tension fully melted away.
Mu Ronghua’s alluring eyes regained their warm, devoted shine.
She pressed her forehead against his.
“You are mine,” she whispered.
“And you are mine,” he replied.
They ended the long conversation with a deep, passionate kiss, their lips meeting in a slow, loving affirmation of their unbreakable connection.
The empire could wait.
Tonight, they reaffirmed the pureblood bond that fuelled everything.
End of Chapter 15
Tired of waiting for updates?
Got ideas or feedback?
Drop a comment!