“My master never liked his younger sister to begin with. After the scene you caused, things have only gotten worse. Madam must be heartbroken.”
Her master had punished his own biological sister by making her kneel in the ancestral hall. Lady Heng, already frail from years of illness, would surely be devastated.
“Big Sister, now that you’ve said that, I’m wide awake! How is this my fault? Was I the one holding a knife to their throats, forcing them to lock me up? They’re brother and sister. I’m just an outsider. It’s not like I could make them cut ties with each other.”
Zhu Xian was left speechless, her expression turning complicated.
“There are things you don’t understand, and I can’t tell you. But if you insist on knowing, I can—”
Soft, even breathing interrupted her.
Jiang Yihuan had already fallen asleep.
The rest of Zhu Xian’s words caught in her throat, leaving her thoroughly frustrated.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the officials in charge of the imperial treasury presented the year’s tribute from Jiangnan for the emperor’s inspection.
As in previous years, the emperor first offered every tribute before the memorial tablet of the late Crown Prince before distributing the gifts.
Wei Zhao stood beside the princes and princesses as the emperor smiled.
“General Wei, is there anything you fancy? These are all specialties unique to Jiangnan. Feel free to choose a few.”
Wuzhou was also part of Jiangnan.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I would like the Liuguang Brocade.”
The emperor was surprised.
Wei Zhao wanted… fabric?
Since when had he ever cared about such things?
Liuguang Brocade was incredibly difficult to weave. A single foot of cloth was worth a foot of gold, and no amount of money could buy it.
To the emperor, however, it was merely something used to please the imperial consorts. It wasn’t especially valuable, and it was rare for Wei Zhao to ask for anything.
There were only ten bolts in total.
The emperor rewarded Wei Zhao with six of them.
The princesses were stunned.
Only four bolts remained.
How were the empress and all the imperial consorts supposed to divide them?
After leaving the palace, Wei Zhao led a large entourage to the famous Letian Tavern for drinks.
He drank heavily and returned looking thoroughly drunk.
Halfway home, he waved away his guards.
“Don’t follow me. Get lost!”
The guards dared not disobey, though they continued following from a distance.
As he entered a narrow alley, arrows suddenly sliced through the air.
Wei Zhao’s eyes instantly cleared.
Not a trace of drunkenness remained.
His long whip lashed out with lightning speed, knocking every arrow aside without a single scratch on him.
More arrows followed.
His hidden men emerged right on cue and quickly subdued the assassins.
Their leader was a woman.
She cursed loudly.
“Wei Zhao! You traitorous villain! You’ll die a horrible death! You abduct innocent women—release Miss Jiang at once! If Jiang Qianli learns of this, he won’t spare you even as a ghost!”
She had been the one who set fire to Wei Zhao’s private residence in hopes of rescuing Jiang Yihuan.
Who knew that foolish girl stubbornly refused to leave?
Just as she tried forcing her way in, Wei Zhao returned far sooner than expected, forcing them to retreat.
Wei Zhao chuckled.
“So I finally caught you. Jiang Qianli’s little sister belongs to me now. And I refuse to let her go.”
“You beast! Didn’t you always claim you’d never harm women or children?”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Miss Jiang is beautiful. As a man, I’ve fallen for her. Isn’t that allowed?”
These people were fiercely loyal to Jiang Qianli.
Only by driving them mad could he vent the hatred festering inside him.
The woman was furious beyond words.
Jiang Qianli’s country-born little sister had never known a day of comfort, only to be seized and ruined by Wei Zhao.
Heavens… distinguish loyalty from treachery!
Having failed to obtain the beautiful brocade, Jiang Yihuan sat awake the next morning, clutching her blanket and worrying.
Although Zhu Xian had bought her new clothes, undergarments had to be custom-made.
Without fabric, how was she supposed to make them?
Looking utterly pitiful, she waited outside Wei Zhao’s room.
Zhu Xian immediately warned her.
“What are you planning? Don’t even think about climbing into my master’s bed!”
“Big Sister, I’m just playing outside. I promise I won’t go in.”
The young girl looked completely innocent.
Zhu Xian suspected she had ulterior motives.
Unfortunately, she had no proof.
After handing the assassins over to his subordinates, Wei Zhao hurried back to change his rain-soaked clothes.
The alcohol was finally catching up to him.
His steps grew unsteady, and he nearly tripped.
Supporting his aching head, he squinted beneath the lantern light before realizing a little girl was curled up outside his door.
The small bamboo stool she had been sitting on had tripped him.
Her delighted voice rang out.
“Wei Zhao! You’re back!”
The hot rush of alcohol hit him even harder.
His foot slipped, and he crashed heavily onto the moss-covered stone pavement.
He had always loved the moss and never allowed anyone to clean it away.
Who could have imagined…
Before he could finish the thought, Jiang Yihuan also slipped on the moss and landed squarely on top of him.
Now both his back and chest throbbed with pain.
“…Hiss… you… you…”
Jiang Yihuan lay sprawled across him.
His body was firm, lean, and pleasantly warm.
Much more comfortable than a mattress.
She tugged at his collar.
“Wei Zhao, you’re really hot. Let me loosen your collar so you’ll feel better.”
Wei Zhao: “…”
One of his arms hurt badly—perhaps even broken.
He desperately wanted to curse.
Yet no words came out.
The maids covered their mouths, swallowing their gasps.
Was their master… willing?
Or unwilling?
They hadn’t seen clearly.
Who had made the first move?
Returning from the latrine, Zhu Xian rubbed her wide eyes furiously.
There was no need to ask.
Her master was definitely the victim.
He cared more about appearances than anyone alive.
He would never willingly behave so outrageously.
But he also valued his pride.
If she stepped forward now…
Next year’s anniversary would probably be for her own funeral.
She couldn’t help recalling the past.
Years ago, when the eldest young master had been accused of not being a true son of the Wei family, the master of the house was away on campaign.
The young master and Lady Heng had struggled terribly.
The old madam had made life difficult for them.
Even his younger sister, Wei Zhilan, misled by rumors, refused to acknowledge him, treating him as a family disgrace.
Only after the eldest young master gradually grew to resemble his father did everyone stop questioning his bloodline.
The misunderstanding disappeared.
But the estrangement remained.
He never reconciled with his grandmother and remained cold toward his own sister, burying himself instead in the pursuit of power.
What a person loses in childhood…
They spend the rest of their life trying to reclaim.
The eldest young master could tolerate no disrespect.
Anyone who dared offend him…
Was killed without mercy.
Miss Jiang… may Heaven help you.
Jiang Yihuan pulled open Wei Zhao’s collar and absentmindedly touched his chest.
Beneath the thin layer of muscle, his skin felt smooth yet resilient.
It seemed almost magnetic beneath her palm.
Suppressing his voice so only the two of them could hear, Wei Zhao muttered,
“…Get up.”
The alcohol had fully overtaken him.
Combined with the brutal fall, he couldn’t move at all.
“Huh? What did you say?”
“I said… get… up…”
Wei Zhao was forced to whisper breathily.
Jiang Yihuan remained lying across his chest.
“…What? I can’t hear you.”
“…I brought you Liuguang Brocade.”
Her ears instantly perked up.
She slowly started crawling upward…
Accidentally brushing against something.
Wei Zhao struggled to suppress the overwhelming urge to strangle her.
“…Hurry… or I’ll—”
She had only gotten halfway up before slipping again and crashing right back onto him.
Wei Zhao cried out in pain.
This was going to kill him…
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll help you up.”
“…Mm. Don’t let them notice.”
“Yihuan, you’re such a good girl.”
“I’ll give you all the Liuguang Brocade later.”
Wei Zhao knew when to swallow his pride.
If anyone ever learned that the feared Wei Zhao had been forced to lie helpless beneath a young woman while she shamelessly pawed at him…
He could forget about saving face forever.
Satisfied with his promise, Jiang Yihuan struggled with all her strength to pull him to his feet.
Zhu Xian pretended she was invisible.
She even stopped the reckless maids from rushing over.
Watching her master limp awkwardly back inside, she was certain he was seething with rage.
She had guessed correctly.
The moment they entered the room, Wei Zhao dropped all pretense.
“Jiang Yihuan, you—you—”
“Don’t talk! Lie down quickly. I’ll take care of you.”
Flustered, Jiang Yihuan accidentally knocked over two rows of candle stands.
They clattered noisily across the floor.
Wei Zhao’s fury surged, hot enough to nearly dry his half-soaked robes.
His head spun violently.
Before he realized it, Jiang Yihuan had pushed him flat onto the bed.
“How much did you drink? Too much alcohol is bad for your health. Look at you—you’ve gotten completely drunk.”
Wei Zhao couldn’t understand it himself.
He had drunk plenty of alcohol before.
So why was he unusually weak tonight?
Could it be that circulating his internal energy earlier had accelerated the effects of the wine?