Love and Crown

Though it was supposed to be a period of rest, Xiao Huan hardly took any time off. With Su Qian shuttling records between the Imperial Villa and Jinling, he worked overtime handling affairs for the Phoenix Come Pavilion.

Li Mingshang was so angry his beard quivered, but there was nothing he could do. He took out his frustration on his new patient Xiao Qianqing instead. Though it was just a minor cold, Xiao Qianqing got needled from head to toe and had to drink medicine bitter enough to kill an ox.

Under such intensive care, Xiao Qianqing recovered from his cold remarkably fast. Just catching sight of Li Mingshang ambling over from afar would make his face turn pale.

A few days later, Li Mingshang reluctantly issued a reprieve, but insisted on following them to the Phoenix Come Pavilion.

So when we returned to the Phoenix Come Pavilion, our entourage had swelled to dozens of people, including Li Mingshang and a group of Imperial Bodyguards.

Outside, the Imperial Bodyguards addressed Xiao Huan as "Pavilion Master." Once back at the pavilion, they were treated as the Pavilion Master's personal guards and stationed at the One Water Courtyard.

There was indeed a backlog of matters. With the collapse of the Seven No Dock's influence that had dominated the lower Yangtze region for years, Wen Yingtian—a renowned silk merchant from Jiangsu and Zhejiang—entrusted all his shipments to the capital in the latter half of the year to the Phoenix Come Pavilion. This presented a great opportunity for the pavilion to expand its canal transport business, but also kept everyone busier than ever.

Back at the One Water Courtyard, Xiao Huan immediately buried himself in the accumulated paperwork. Time passed quietly, just like in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, as he kept his head down reading and writing, barely looking up from the thick stacks of records.

As night deepened, he finally raised his head and picked up the cup of medicinal tea that had long gone cold on the table. He brought it to his nose, then frowned and set it back down.

Only then did he notice my presence. Pointing to another chair by the table, he smiled, "You should sit and rest too."

I pulled up the chair and sat down. The candlelight flickered before us, and sitting together now felt somewhat awkward.

Picking up the teacup on the table, I sniffed it—the medicinal smell hit my nose sharply. I didn't need to taste it to know it was bitter. "Did Mr. Li make you drink this?"

He sighed helplessly. "It's practically lethal."

Remembering those sugar-coated pills, I couldn't help laughing. "You're still so averse to bitterness."

He seemed momentarily surprised, then smiled. "Has the wound on your arm healed better?"

I quickly raised my arm. "I don't even feel any pain anymore. I'd almost forgotten there was an injury there."

He smiled. "That's good." After a pause, he added, "I've been thinking these past few days about what kind of martial arts would suit you best—what you should learn. Today it finally came to me. There's a particular weapon that should be very suitable for you, and your progress would likely be faster too."

"What?" I was puzzled. "Learn what?"

"Didn't you pledge yourself as my disciple to learn martial arts from me?" He chuckled. "The Willow Wind is broken, so it's time to find you a new weapon. Besides, I've always felt swords don't suit you."

It finally dawned on me, and I smiled. "It doesn't matter what I use. I'm mediocre at everything anyway."

"Don't say that," he said with a smile. "Everyone has different innate talents. Even the most gifted person will achieve nothing if they choose the wrong path. I don't think you lack talent for martial arts—you just haven't found the right path. Swords don't match your temperament."I nodded. "That's true. I never liked learning swordplay since I was a child, and all those mnemonic chants are so tedious—practicing them is a real headache."

The waterside pavilion was very secluded, and the surroundings were unusually quiet. He suddenly spoke up, "Also, I hope you will adhere to the proper master-disciple relationship from now on."

The air seemed to freeze. His profile showed no expression. "Otherwise, I would feel embarrassed." The last sentence was as light as a breeze rippling a pond, effortlessly leaving no trace.

My nails dug into my palms. I raised my head and met his eyes directly. "What do you mean by that?"

He smiled faintly. "I said I'm a bit tired." His tone was flat, without a ripple, and those deep pupils remained as still as water.

Taking a deep breath, I smiled. "Alright... From now on, I and the Pavilion Master will maintain a proper master-disciple relationship."

I stood up, still smiling. "Since we're master and disciple, I should perform the formal bowing ceremony."

Without waiting for his response, I knelt down and performed the grand ritual of three kneelings and nine prostrations.

This was my second time bowing to a master. The first was when I was only seven or eight years old, and my father made me bow to the man who would later become his advisor—my Master then.

I had served the ceremonial tea, knelt respectfully, and kowtowed nine times. From then on, I was the Sword Fiend Li Lu's closed-door disciple.

Now, Bai Chi Fan's reputation in the Martial World was probably even greater than the Sword Fiend's back then. So, though I was useless, the masters I bowed to were each more renowned than the last in the Martial World.

I didn't hold back at all. After finishing the kowtows, my knees and forehead ached faintly, but I remained kneeling and smiling. "It's a pity the ceremony was rushed, and there's no tea. Should this disciple go fetch a bowl for you?"

His face was somewhat pale, but he still smiled. "Originally, I wasn't your teaching master. The formalities are sufficient. Please rise."

I stood up and smiled, bowing. "Then I shall take my leave first."

He smiled. "Alright. You may come tomorrow."

I bowed again before turning to leave.

According to the rules of Phoenix Come Pavilion, newly accepted disciples were to visit their master before Chen hour to receive teachings and the day's assignments.

The next day, before Chen hour, I got up and hurried to the waterside pavilion.

Just as I stepped out, I ran into Su Qian. She grabbed me. "Did you and the Pavilion Master quarrel last night?"

It wasn't unusual for women to be enthusiastic about gossip, but seeing Su Qian—whose cold, aloof beauty could scare off petty thieves—so eagerly digging for rumors was a bit... Some women, you could never judge what they were really like by their appearance.

I shook my head. "Not at all. Last night, I formally bowed to the Pavilion Master as my master. We got along just fine."

Su Qian sighed softly. "Then why did the Pavilion Master's injury flare up last night, alarming that newly arrived Physician Li to rush over in the middle of the night?"

I nodded. "Is that so? Then since Master is unwell, I should go check on him."

Su Qian scrutinized me. "I still feel something's off."

I didn't feel like explaining further. Smiling, I brushed past her and headed to the pavilion.

Entering the inner chamber, I saw Xiao Huan sitting in a chair, giving instructions to a hall master. His face was paler than yesterday, but otherwise, there were no other signs of abnormality.I stood to the side, waiting for the hall master to leave before stepping forward and cupping my hands in salute. "Master, Hall Master Su mentioned you were unwell last night. It was my duty to attend to you, yet I failed in my responsibility."

He shook his head with a smile. "It was nothing." As he spoke, he stood up, covering his mouth as he coughed lightly a few times. "Come with me."

I said no more and followed him out.

He led me to an open space in One Water Courtyard. The area was narrow and long, bordering the lakeshore, with a target set up several zhang away.

Servants brought over a small table and placed it beside Xiao Huan. He pointed at it and said, "These are the weapons I mentioned yesterday."

I lowered my head to examine the items on the table—strangely shaped, each less than a foot long, resembling neither throwing darts nor daggers. Beside them were two piles of differently colored powders and some small steel pellets.

I couldn’t help but ask, "What are these?"

"Do you remember firearms?" he countered instead of answering.

"The firearms equipped by the Imperial Guards' Divine Machine Battalion?" I recalled the firearm drills I had seen as a child. "Smaller than cannons, with a long barrel in front. They made a loud noise with each shot."

"Exactly those," he said with a smile.

I remembered how fascinated I had been by these novel weapons that could kill with just a "bang," and how I had pestered a clerk with endless questions about them. "In the Song Dynasty, they were called 'sudden-fire guns,' in the Yuan Dynasty 'stone-fire arrows,' and in the previous dynasty 'bird-beak guns' and 'Rumi guns.' Only in our dynasty are they uniformly called firearms. They’ve always been the Divine Machine Battalion’s decisive weapons."

"Correct, you remember well," he nodded approvingly, picking up a thin copper tube-like object from the table. "This is also a firearm, but it can be fired with one hand. It’s smaller in size, and its mechanism and craftsmanship are more intricate and complex than those used in our military." He placed the object back on the table. "This is the weapon I want to teach you to use."

He smiled. "From the structural principles of firearms, their components, the preparation of gunpowder, and the techniques for loading bullets, to the method of aiming and firing—all of this is what you must learn."

"All of this?" I repeated, reaching out to touch the instruments on the table. The cold, smooth metal pressed against my palm, and for the first time in my life, an unfamiliar emotion swelled in my heart.

"I want to learn this," I heard my own voice, surprisingly resolute. "Where do I begin?"

"From how to use it," a glint flashed in his deep eyes as he smiled slightly. "First, you must remember—this is a weapon. All weapons are instruments of slaughter; they exist to kill."

The only weapon I had ever owned was Yang Liu Feng, which Master had once placed in my hands. Back then, he had simply handed me the sword and said, "This sword is yours now."

He had never said those words. It was as if he had merely passed me a symbol—or perhaps a toy—without expecting me to actually do anything with it.

To exist for slaughter... In that instant, I suddenly understood. What was being placed in my hands now was a true weapon, one with the power to destroy—powerful and brutal. And what I was about to learn was the ability to wield that power.I nodded and smiled. "I understand."

In half a day, I familiarized myself with every component and function, completely assembled a gun, then disassembled it flawlessly. Next, I learned the method of preparing gunpowder and how to load gunpowder, the ignition mechanism, and the crucial steel pellets into specific paper casings to form a bullet.

All of this took two hours. I had never realized that before using a weapon, the user needed such a thorough and deep understanding of its characteristics—as if it were another form of life.

That was the feeling. When I finally raised it level to my eyes and fired the first shot at a target several yards away, in that moment, I felt the thing roaring in my hands had a life of its own.

It was touched and perceived by me, then transmitted its vibrations into my body. We resonated, as if it were an extension of my own life.

"That's enough for today. Your arm injury hasn’t fully healed yet, so practice preparing gunpowder more these next few days. We’ll resume shooting practice later," Xiao Huan said to me after the session, smiling. "I have matters to attend to this afternoon, so you don’t need to come."

I nodded in agreement, clasped my fists, and took my leave.

Tired but exhilarated, I returned to my room and pushed open the door, only to be greeted by the aroma of food.

Xiao Qianqing sat leisurely at the table, which was laden with various dishes and soups.

Starving, I immediately spotted the lotus root and pork rib soup at the center, rushed over to ladle a bowl, and only then found the breath to ask, "What are you doing in my room?"

"Of course, I came to reward you for your hard work in training. I had my meals brought here specially for you," Xiao Qianqing said with a smile.

Suddenly, he looked at me and grinned. "I heard you’ve had a falling out with my imperial brother?"

I had just swallowed a whole piece of taro and nearly choked. "Who told you that?"

"Su Qian, that hall master, came to inform me," he replied, his eyes shimmering like water. "She said your relationship with the Pavilion Master seems a bit off, and such significant news should be shared with more people."

I sighed. Some women—you can never judge what they’re truly like by their appearance.

"There’s really nothing between us… We’re just master and disciple now."

"Master and disciple?" Xiao Qianqing looked genuinely surprised. "So it really is a falling out."

I waved him off, unwilling to engage further. "Let’s not talk about this, alright? I want to eat."

Days passed in this manner. Xiao Huan taught me to practice shooting daily, while Xiao Qianqing shuttled between the capital and Jinling. When he was away, I occasionally chatted with Ying and Hong Qing after training or ran into Shu Qinghuan and Fang Chuxue in the main hall. Now that there were no barriers between Shu Qinghuan and me, we conversed happily.

My archery skills had never been poor among women, and my eyesight and arm strength were decent. After over a month of practice, my bullets weren’t hitting the mark every single time, but they came close.

Though gunpowder was tricky to handle, as long as I was careful, mishaps were rare. Gradually, I learned to control the force of a bullet by adjusting the amount of gunpowder in each casing.

Beyond the initial few days, Xiao Huan’s guidance in shooting became almost unnecessary. His duties were always numerous, so he gradually stopped checking in on me as often.In my free time, I would take my spear and head to the more open outskirts of the city, spending entire days practicing.

As I kept at it, one day after hurriedly returning from spear practice in the suburbs, I passed by the lotus pond and suddenly noticed—the once-full pond of lotus flowers had withered.

Thus arrived the autumn of the ninth year of Virtuous Blessing.

The weather grew colder day by day, and Xiao Huan's health gradually declined. The faint sound of coughing from the waterside pavilion often lasted through the night.

One evening after dinner, Hong Qing and Ying came to chat with me. After rambling about all sorts of topics, Hong Qing suddenly asked, "Cang Cang, do you really want to master the spear?"

I smiled. "Is it strange? A good-for-nothing suddenly putting in effort?"

Just then, Ying, who rarely spoke much, suddenly said, "Working hard to learn the spear is good. Brother always says that although martial arts can often be brutal, they can also be used to protect people. Evil and harmful forces are always too strong, so we need strength to protect those who are important to us and the weak who are often bullied."

Neither Hong Qing nor I expected her to bring up Xiao Huan, and we both fell silent.

Ying continued, "But then Brother always sighs and says he can't devote all his strength to protecting those he wants to protect—he still has many other things to do." She shook her head. "I don't understand. If a person wants to do something but can't, why keep living? Isn't it painful? Isn't it dull?"

From the open window came the faint sound of distant coughing. On a night like this, that person must be busy working alone under the lamplight again.

After a moment of silence, I smiled and said, "Pain or not—that's a personal choice. Others can't do anything about it."

"Mm," Ying nodded in agreement. "Yes, others can't do anything."

After another stretch of silence, Hong Qing brought up an anecdote from one of his missions, and the conversation moved on.

Another ten-plus days passed in a flash. It had already been two months since I began learning martial arts under Xiao Huan, and by convention, I could now follow qualified seniors from the pavilion on missions to hone my skills.

I had been waiting for Xiao Huan to assign me a mission, but when he summoned me, he didn't give me orders for an external assignment. Instead, he led me through the entrance in his room to the stone chamber beneath the waterside pavilion.

This chamber had two exits—one in Xiao Huan's room, and the other was the one Zhong Lin and I had used to escape.

I hadn't paid much attention last time, but now I noticed how complex this underground structure was, divided into multiple rooms. It was unclear what purpose the person who built it years ago had in mind.

This time, Xiao Huan led me to an especially spacious stone chamber. Many oil lamps illuminated the red characters carved into the walls, ceiling, and floor—characters that filled every surface at strange angles.

Xiao Huan motioned for me to enter, then paused before asking, "You've been practicing diligently these past two months. So, in your own estimation, what level of martial artist in the Martial World could your current spear skills contend with?"I thought for a moment, carefully choosing my words: "Gunplay is too different from the martial arts I've practiced before. I'm not sure what level of martial artist I can handle with my current skills. However, I believe the firing speed of a bullet surpasses any weapon. The legendary hidden weapon, the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, was considered the pinnacle of mechanical projectile speed—even top-tier masters couldn't dodge them at close range. Yet, bullets are even faster than those needles. So I think if I strike suddenly without warning, even first-rate masters might not avoid my shot. But if they're prepared, it's hard to say."

"Your understanding is fairly clear," he nodded. "You mentioned the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles just now. Indeed, bullets are faster and have longer range, but guns have one weakness the needles don't—they're loud when fired. The moment you shoot, the sound immediately reveals your position. From that point onward, whether your second or third shot hits depends entirely on your real skill." As he spoke, he nodded at me. "Now try shooting at me and see if you can hit me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Shoot at Master? Isn't that disrespectful?"

He smiled. "It's fine. Don't hold back." He extended the index finger of his left hand and raised it to chest level. "Shoot with all you've got. I won't hold back either. Let's see how many shots you can fire before this finger touches your throat."

"Not even drawing your sword? Just one finger?" I smirked. "Master, you're really underestimating me."

He chuckled lightly. "Whether I use a sword or not isn't the point. I'll attack you with everything I have, so you'd better assume that if you miss, you'll die." With that, he nodded. "Fire."

His expression wasn't joking. I focused, nodded, and stepped back to a suitable distance before quickly raising my arm, leveling the gun, and pulling the trigger.

The bullet roared from the barrel, streaking straight toward the figure in blue.

Like a phantom, the figure vanished from the bullet's path. A flash of blue light darted from the front left, and without hesitation, I fired a second shot at the blur.

The hem of a blue robe flickered at the corner of my eye—then a cold touch at my throat. His finger was already pressed against it.

For a moment, I forgot to breathe. His gaze was icy, those dark pupils filled with nothing but killing intent.

At that moment, I truly thought he would crush my throat.

The murderous glint in his eyes gradually faded. He withdrew his finger, coughed lightly, and smiled. "Against my full effort, having time to fire a second shot is quite good."

I lowered my arm, an unflattering layer of cold sweat on my forehead. "I was planning to fire all six.""Then let's make that the goal," he said with a smile, pointing to the stone blocks with red characters carved on the indoor walls. "These red characters are arranged according to Fuxi's Prior Heaven Sixty-Four Hexagrams Diagram. You must memorize these positions thoroughly. Starting today, I'll call out these positions from outside. Your task is to find and shoot the corresponding stone block in the shortest time possible. The gun can fire six consecutive shots at once—within these six shots, you must strive to hit the correct position with each bullet. Only when you've mastered this can your gun truly be effective in real combat against moving enemies."

I glanced at the stones carved with characters like "Inner Truth," "Returning Maiden," "Opposition," and "Lake," then nodded and asked, "Master, what else would I need to do to surpass an expert like you?"

He paused, then smiled. "If it were me, then when facing an opponent much faster than you, you'd need to accomplish two things. First, try your best to clearly see my movements—if you can't even see my figure, then everything else is out of the question. Second, find a way to corner me within five shots. Don't think you can finish it with just one or two shots. Against such an opponent, you must go all out, predict his movements, block all his escape routes, and land the final hit."

"So besides moving fast, I also need exceptional eyesight and familiarity with all martial arts techniques. That's really not easy," I sighed, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "But once I can match you, I'll become incredibly strong too, right?"

"Right," he chuckled. "Take it step by step—it won't take too long."

I nodded with a smile, and without another word, he pushed open the door and walked out of the stone chamber.

A moment later, his voice came from outside—soft, yet as clear as a whisper in my ear, using the profound skill of sound transmission through inner energy.

He called out the names of positions, and I did my best to shoot in sequence.

Behind the stones marked with positions, something else seemed to be placed. The sound of hitting them was noticeably different from hitting ordinary stones, making it immediately obvious whether I'd hit the target.

From then on, every day was spent practicing like this. Though Xiao Huan had many duties, he always found time to come to the stone chamber and teach me how to shoot. If I calculated carefully, the time spent on practice each day—excluding mixing gunpowder and loading bullets—was even more than the two months I'd spent practicing alone.

Every few days, Xiao Huan would spar with me to test my progress. At first, I could only fire two shots, but gradually, I managed three, then four, and finally all six.

After reaching six shots, my marksmanship seemed to stagnate for a while. During our spars, though I could empty my gun, I always felt like I was rushing to fire in a panic. Forget accuracy—I could barely even see his figure clearly.

And every time we sparred, he would give me that same icy stare as the first time. Each glance sent a shiver down my spine—the pressure was immense.

I became obsessed with catching that fleeting blue shadow, almost to the point of madness. Even while walking, if I saw something blue, I'd stop and instinctively reach for the gun at my waist.

One day, as I mentally rehearsed my shooting techniques while scanning my surroundings for moving objects to use as imaginary targets, my gaze followed a bird flitting through the air. I tried imagining it as Xiao Huan.

The bird darted and soared, moving too fast for me to keep up. Suddenly, it hit me—why had it taken me so long to realize something so simple?

Just like archery, I didn’t need to chase the target. I needed to predict where it would fly and strike there in one shot!

Excited by this revelation, I rushed into the waterside pavilion and up to Xiao Huan’s desk. "Master, this time I’ll definitely make you draw your sword!"

He looked up in surprise from the pile of Records and documents, then quickly smiled in understanding. "Alright, let’s go."

He stood and opened the hidden passage, leading me back into the stone chamber.Standing in the center of the stone chamber, I closed my eyes and reviewed the pre-planned strategy once more before raising the gun: "Get ready, here I come."

The first bullet was fired toward the "Kan" position, shooting straight at Xiao Huan's forehead. He moved, shifting to the "Lv" position to his left front. I knew he would move there—everyone has habits, and even Xiao Huan was no exception. I was far too familiar with his.

The second bullet was aimed at the "Xiaoguo" position adjacent to "Lv," grazing past his sleeve.

The third and fourth bullets targeted "Jian" and "Guan."

The fifth bullet, "Yi"—the figure in cyan finally approached the position I had anticipated.

The sixth bullet was fired without hesitation, "Zhen"—Xiao Huan's chest had already moved into the "Zhen" position.

With a sharp "clang," the mournful howl of King Wind reverberated through the confined space. The bullet, deflected by the blade, clattered noisily across the stone floor. With that final strike, I had finally forced Xiao Huan to draw King Wind and block the lethal shot.

I exhaled deeply and lowered the gun. "It actually worked—I finally made you draw your sword!"

Xiao Huan moved King Wind away from his chest, his fingers lightly brushing the blade. After confirming it was undamaged, he smiled. "Well done. Such rapid progress is beyond my expectations."

"And there's more you won't expect," I said, raising an eyebrow. "One day, I'll defeat you—I'll become stronger than you!"

"I look forward to that day," he replied with a light cough and a smile.

I grinned, my mind already racing with plans to corner him further.

Forcing Xiao Huan to draw his sword once was no longer difficult; making him do it repeatedly wasn't impossible either. But after he drew his sword, I could make no further progress.

I hadn't fully grasped it before, but now, after truly crossing blades with him, I understood—his swordsmanship had reached perfection. Whether defending or attacking, he was flawless. No matter how hard I tried, no matter what tricks or traps I employed, I couldn't find the slightest opening.

I practiced shooting until my eyes were bloodshot. Even when Xiao Qianqing came from the capital to visit me, I was still angrily tracing bullet trajectories with my hands as we sat in the tavern.

Xiao Qianqing rambled on about many things before suddenly grabbing my flailing hands. "Cang Cang!"

I looked up at him. "I know, I'm listening. You said the civil officials have split into two factions, scheming and slandering each other daily, and even my father can barely keep them in check." I started gesturing again.

"Cang Cang!" Xiao Qianqing pulled my hands into his lap.

I was practically sprawled across him by then and quickly glanced at the young ladies in the tavern, their eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Most of them had followed Xiao Qianqing from the streets into the tavern, glaring at me as if they wanted to tear me apart. Now their hostility was even fiercer—if looks could kill, I'd have been reduced to dust.

I couldn't stand Xiao Qianqing. With a face so divine it invited envy, he still insisted on dragging me around in public. When I asked why we couldn't just talk in Phoenix Come Pavilion, he said the thought of being on "that elder brother of his" territory made him uncomfortable.To avoid being pulverized under those venomous gazes, I quickly nodded. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Xiao Qianqing gave a light hum and finally loosened his grip on my hand. Seizing the opportunity, I promptly sat up straight to put some distance between us.

His eyes swept lazily across the room, deliberately or otherwise, until those dagger-like stares softened into tender glances. Only then did he turn back to me with a reproachful look. "The affairs in the capital are so tedious. I barely managed to find time to travel all this way to see you, and this is how you treat me?"

No more pondering over those matters. Resting my chin on my hand, I replied boredly, "Well, thank you for your trouble. How would you like me to treat you then?"

"Cang Cang," Xiao Qianqing called out with a hint of displeasure before abruptly saying, "The New Year is in two months. Once it passes, the one-year deadline will be up."

"Ah, yes," I realized and smiled. "Congratulations. Once the deadline arrives, you can ascend the throne. Have you decided on the era name yet?"

He glanced at me indifferently. "The era name doesn't matter. I don't have a consort, so after ascending, I'll need to choose someone to enshrine as empress."

I gasped. "Who? Have you decided?"

"Who do you think?" he countered coolly.

I gasped again, pausing before saying, "Xiao Qianqing, what do you even like about me? I'm not particularly beautiful, and I've been married before. To put it bluntly, I'm just a withered flower..."

"Don't speak of yourself so lightly!" he interrupted angrily, gripping my chin to make me look at him. "That man lacked the courage to cherish you, but you shouldn't belittle yourself either!"

Turning his face away, a faint blush—unprecedented—appeared on his jade-like cheeks. "I truly like you."

I was stunned. After a moment, I burst into laughter. "Xiao Qianqing, why do you like me?"

His face reddened further, now tinged with embarrassment. "Liking someone doesn't need a reason!"

"Nothing, nothing," I quickly waved my hands, suppressing my laughter. "I'm just considering the reputation of your Xiao clan. If you enshrine me as empress, the history books will surely write nonsense—about us being immoral, licentious, and so on. How would they describe me? Definitely as a seductress, shameless... A twice-wed empress, scheming and ruthless, plus a temptress in the palace—my portrayal in history would be quite vivid." The more I thought about it, the harder I laughed.

Xiao Qianqing was both exasperated and amused. "Enough, look how smug you are!"

"Smug?" I composed myself, feigning dignity. "I was hoping to leave a virtuous and demure image for posterity."

"You?" Xiao Qianqing scoffed. "I think you'd be happier if future generations called you a fox spirit."

I shot him a glance. "Must you say it so plainly? How annoying."

Xiao Qianqing snorted coldly and turned to gaze out the window. After a while, he asked softly, "Cang Cang, do you like me?"

"Of course," I replied with a smile. "You're so handsome—how could any girl not like you?"

"To say such a thing... Cang Cang, you're truly cruel," he said, his light jade-green eyes shimmering with a mix of reproach and anger. "If I weren't good-looking, you wouldn't like me?"

Whenever he adopted this bewitching demeanor, I knew nothing good would come of it. Hurriedly, I placated him, "Of course I'd still like you. How could I not?""Since you like it so much..." He gave a radiant smile.

It was truly sinful. Even after all this time, that smile of his could still leave me momentarily dazed in admiration. Before I could recover from its brilliance, a tight grip around my waist pulled me into Xiao Qianqing's embrace.

His thin lips descended, and in an instant, the taste of Xiao Qianqing filled my mouth—sweet like honey, fragrant as flowers. How could a man have such a delicious flavor?

As my breathing grew increasingly ragged, I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.

When he finally pulled away, I leaned against his shoulder, trying to steady my breath while laughing weakly. "You're taking advantage of your superior martial arts to bully me, aren't you? I... I almost suffocated."

"Did you like it?" He murmured the words against my ear.

I've always been an honest person, so I nodded truthfully. "I liked it quite a bit."

Xiao Qianqing chuckled softly and helped me sit up, then pointed out the window. "And what about with him? Do you like it when you're with him?"

Following his finger, I looked across the narrow street to the teahouse opposite our restaurant. Through the window, I could see Shi Yan standing rigidly at attention, while in the seat before him, Xiao Huan sat facing a middle-aged man who looked like a wealthy merchant.

Our table was also by the window, and the street was so narrow that the distance between the two buildings was minimal. Even if they hadn't meant to look, every move we'd just made must have been clearly visible to them.

Turning back, I smiled. "With him... my heart races so fast I can't think of anything else in that moment."

Xiao Qianqing gave a faint smile and said nothing more.

After that, Xiao Huan never mentioned the incident, and I was happy to pretend it never happened.