Ling Buyi effortlessly lifted Shao Shang to shoulder height, as if holding a delicate kitten by the scruff of its neck with just his fingers. The girl's feet left the ground, her safety entirely dependent on the strength of his grasp, and she immediately began shrieking in terror. At this moment, the disparity in their strength was glaringly obvious. But Ling Buyi asked himself—what now? Was he really going to hurl her to the ground?
He thought to himself: striking her was out of the question. If beating someone could solve problems, he would undoubtedly be one of the most "reasonable" men in the world. Nor could he engage in a battle of words with her, for this girl possessed a bizarre yet self-consistent logic of her own. If they truly argued, it was hard to say who would come out on top.
Since he could neither strike nor scold her, the only option left was to frighten her. He tightened his arms slightly, lifting her even higher, intending to toss her up and catch her before biting her somewhere—just to vent his frustration first...
Meanwhile, though suspended mid-air, Shao Shang remained sharp-eyed and clear-headed. The moment she saw Ling Buyi’s expressionless face, his dark and ominous gaze clearly indicating his intent to punish her, she immediately cried out—
"You’d better worry about the Empress first before bothering with me!"
Ling Buyi paused, then casually draped the girl’s soft, slender waist over his shoulder.
Hanging upside down against him, Shao Shang flailed her arms wildly, scrambling up his broad back until she managed to perch on his other shoulder and catch her breath. Without delay, she blurted out, "Today, Her Majesty mentioned that the Fifth Princess has been secretly hoarding land and concealing laborers—over ten thousand acres, yet only twenty laborers reported! This is no small matter! And now Consort Yue knows about it too. If His Majesty finds out—"
"His Majesty already knows, because it was he who informed the Empress." Ling Buyi, having just been groped by the girl in her flailing, found her touch light and soft. Even through her clothes, the skin beneath his palm was smooth and supple, tender yet firm. So, he was in no hurry to scare her anymore.
The news stunned Shao Shang into momentarily forgetting her struggle. "His Majesty knew all along?" Hmph, then Consort Yue must have been informed by the Emperor as well. That old man truly was a hopeless Libra!
Ling Buyi tilted his head to look at the girl, amused. "Why would you think His Majesty wouldn’t know something that even the consorts in the inner palace are aware of? Were you also secretly resentful that despite such a grave offense, the Empress let the Fifth Princess off without punishment? Rest assured—after the Empress’s birthday celebrations, the Fifth Princess will discover that all the lands, estates, and wealth she painstakingly schemed for have long been confiscated by His Majesty. Years of effort, gone in an instant. As for the retainers who incited her to commit such greed and tyranny, they’ve all been captured and executed."
Shao Shang’s mouth fell open, breathless, and for a moment, she even felt a twinge of pity for the Fifth Princess. "...So, so the Empress already knew His Majesty had taken action?" No wonder she couldn’t be bothered to scold her daughter.
A hint of mockery laced Ling Buyi’s smile. "Someone advised His Majesty to send the severed heads of the chief instigators among the princess’s retainers to the Fifth Princess as a warning. But out of consideration for the Empress, His Majesty allowed them to keep their bodies intact. The day after tomorrow, the Fifth Princess will return home to find the corpses of her once-trusted retainers neatly lined up in her main hall, awaiting her arrival. Now then—enough stalling. It’s time we discussed matters between us..." His voice deepened as he spoke.At that moment, while his mind was distracted, Shao Shang quickly reached out to tickle his waist, hoping the mighty tiger might be careless and the divine dragon ticklish, allowing her to escape his grasp. Once she slipped out of this palace chamber, she refused to believe Ling Buyi would dare chase her down in front of everyone!
But Ling Buyi's reflexes were extraordinary—every muscle in his body was alert and powerful, reacting faster than thought itself. Immediately, his left hand loosened as he pivoted, executing a reverse grab that spun the girl like a top midair before slamming her onto the floor with one palm.
Though he hadn't used much force, Shao Shang still felt numb and sore all over, her head spinning as a kaleidoscope of colors flashed before her eyes: the man's jade belt inlaid with luminous pearls, the gold-threaded lapels exuding faint sandalwood fragrance, the wrist clasps shimmering with deep emerald light. Finally, her gaze landed on the intricate gold-and-silver embroidery draping from his robes.
She now resembled a little tortoise sprawled on all fours, its shell crushed beneath Ling Buyi's twin Five Finger Mountains. Even breathing was a struggle. Summoning all her strength, she shouted defiantly, "If you're so capable, use just one hand!" A surge of stubborn courage filled her—she'd never lost a fight before, after all!
Ling Buyi knelt on one knee beside her. With a derisive snort, he released his right hand and clasped it behind his back.
Shao Shang struggled fiercely but remained hopelessly pinned. Undeterred, she shamelessly yelled again, "If you're so capable, don't use your hands at all!"
The corner of Ling Buyi's mouth curved upward. Without argument, he placed both hands behind his back and bent his kneeling leg, pressing his knee against her shoulders. His legs were so long that even folded, his knee extended beyond her back.
Shao Shang made another futile attempt to overturn the Five Finger Mountains before abandoning all pretense of dignity: "If you're really capable, don't use your hands or legs!"
Ling Buyi suppressed a laugh but complied, withdrawing his leg. Just as Shao Shang felt the weight lift slightly, she was immediately crushed anew—Ling Buyi had indeed stopped using his limbs, opting instead to press his entire body atop hers.
The man was tall and robust, his broad shoulders and lean, powerful frame packed with dense muscle. His weight squeezed nearly all the air from her lungs, leaving her too breathless to even protest. All she could manage was to pat the floor weakly with her small hands.
As Ling Buyi shifted slightly to ease the pressure, Shao Shang gulped in air, her stifled chest finally relieved. Too exhausted to shout, she could only glare at him over her shoulder, eyes burning with indignation—only to find Ling Buyi's face hovering above her left shoulder, staring at her intently.
The girl's skin was translucent, white as fresh snow, her cheeks flushed crimson from exertion, accentuating the pitch-black depths of her eyes. Her emotions flickered rapidly—resentment, regret, then fear—each shift making her gaze shimmer with unparalleled brilliance.
His thoughts suddenly drifted to years past.
At fourteen, with the Emperor's reluctant approval, he had disguised himself as part of a merchant caravan with Cui You, journeying to the snowy western regions. Though Cui You held neither the title nor the role of stepfather, he harbored a heart brimming with volcanic paternal fervor, attending to Ling Buyi meticulously throughout their travels. They trekked for months before finally glimpsing the snow-capped peaks towering against the sky.There, he encountered a tiny snow weasel, its fur as clear as ice and snow, with jadeite-like translucent eyes, its left front paw pitch black, and its body petite, no larger than two palms. He was utterly smitten at first sight—adorable when it nibbled hazelnuts, adorable when it wiggled its short body to bite its own tail, even its angry hisses and snarls seemed adorable to him.
However, this little snow weasel was far from friendly. Not only was it fierce and cunning, with sharp teeth, but its delicate claws even carried a faint toxicity. Yet, back then, he was full of youthful exuberance, and with Cui Hou’s unconditional indulgence, he gathered a team to meticulously plan and set up an inescapable net, finally capturing the little creature alive.
At first, he worried the snow weasel would be too wild and difficult to tame. But to his surprise, within just a day, it obediently ate the food he offered, allowed him to stroke its smooth, soft fur, and even curled up on his desk when he ground ink to write, tilting its little head to watch him—his heart melted. Even Cui Hou remarked that the little thing seemed quite docile and could be kept as a pet.
So he let his guard down and removed the silver clasp from the snow weasel’s ankle. The very next day, it vanished without a trace.
Later, he consoled himself—such creatures of nature were free-spirited and agile. Even if mountain folk coveted their fur, they were hard to catch, and they could live well on their own. Why had he insisted on capturing it?
On their return journey, they passed that same snow ridge again. While chatting with the locals, he learned that long ago, there had been many snow weasels in the mountains. But then a den of Snow Ridge Red-browed Stripe-eyed Tigers migrated there. Fierce and cunning, they were natural predators of the snow weasels, and within a few decades, the weasels had nearly vanished.
The villagers hadn’t seen a snow weasel in seven or eight years. In hushed tones, they told him the little one he had caught might have been the last of its kind.
Just as the young man stood frozen in shock, an old hunter suddenly spoke up—he had seen that snow weasel.
That day, the hunter had been lying in wait in the snow to hunt tigers when he spotted a majestic beast prowling past, its jaws clamped around a snow weasel matching the descriptions passed down by elders. The tiny body was stiff and lifeless, its belly torn open, its fur stained with blood, its slender left front paw pitch black—by the timing, it must have been the very one that had escaped from him not long before.
The young man grieved for a long time. Even after returning to the Capital City, he remained despondent. Cui Hou secretly reported this to the Emperor, who hurried over to console him with the old adage, "You are not a fish; how do you know what brings fish joy?"
He understood the logic, but he utterly disagreed.
If that were truly the case, why should parents discipline their children? Why should Teachers guide their students? Just let them all seek their own happiness! If he swept a hand through the Imperial Academy, he’d bet not even thirty percent of the scholars truly loved studying and found joy in it.
What nonsense about not being a fish—it depended on what kind of fish! If it was a foolish little fish with no sense, of course you had to catch it and teach it patiently. Otherwise, what if a bigger fish ate it? Where’s the joy in that?
And what about letting ignorant children stumble and bruise themselves to learn their limits? If they were tough, spoiled brats from powerful families, they could handle it. But what if they were like that little snow weasel—fragile and delicate, doomed with the slightest misstep?Ling Buyi snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the girl pinned beneath him—youthful yet indignant, defiant yet beautiful, and... utterly reckless.
Hmph. Thinking she could go off to some remote place with Lou Yao, far from the Emperor's reach, to make her mark? She probably had no idea how terrifying those barren, lawless lands could be, nor how deeply entrenched the local aristocratic families were in their domains.
A few years ago, two commoner-born scholars, driven by idealism, volunteered to govern the most unruly regions. The Emperor couldn't dissuade them and reluctantly appointed them as local officials. Poor souls—they didn’t even have proper guards or family generals, just a handful of hired escorts.
One died in office, allegedly struck down by accident while mediating a brawl among mountain folk. The other was cautious and mild-mannered, but his beautiful, gentle wife caught the eye of the region’s most powerful family head. Somehow, they forced her to divorce and remarry. With Lou Yao’s straightforward, guileless nature, unless he did nothing and stirred no trouble after taking office, even if the Lou and Cheng families provided ample guards and family generals, those local snakes would find a way to scheme against him. It’d only be a matter of time. And then, what would Cheng Shaoshang do?
At this thought, Ling Buyi’s gaze darkened. Shaoshang grew uneasy under his stare and mustered a breath to protest, "...How long are you going to keep pinning me down?" If he wanted to change fiancées, he could just say so—no need to crush her to death.
Ling Buyi’s voice turned icy. "You laughed so merrily watching that vile maid humiliate and slander me. If it were Lou Yao in my place, could you have sat still?"
"No, no, no! I avenged you!" Shaoshang hurriedly defended. "I tampered with that Purple Nectarine—if she’d eaten the whole thing, she’d be vomiting and... well, worse! But..." She gave an awkward laugh. "You brought the Fifth Prince as a witness, so she only took one bite. Who knows if it’ll work now?"
Ling Buyi’s expression softened slightly, his tone easing. "Always resorting to underhanded tricks." With that, he pushed off the floor with his left hand, sitting up and pulling the girl—still sprawled on the ground—into his lap with his right.
Shaoshang finally escaped the Five Finger Mountain, one hand pushing against his shoulder, the other patting her chest as she gasped for air.
Ling Buyi soothingly rubbed her back, amused. "You actually dared to fight me. If I truly exerted myself, I could crush ten of you."
Once she caught her breath, Shaoshang retorted, "I had to try! Did you expect me to surrender?" She wasn’t the type to sit and wait for doom! And besides, the self-defense techniques Cheng Shaogong taught her were utterly useless. Honestly, trusting a charlatan to teach martial arts—what was she thinking?
"...If you want to learn martial arts, I’ll teach you." The girl’s breathing had steadied, but his hand remained on her back, tracing the delicate curve of her spine down to her slender, willow-like waist.
Shaoshang squirmed uncomfortably in his embrace, especially with that firm grip around her waist. She tried to shift away, only for Ling Buyi’s arm to tighten around her, enveloping her in his cool, sandalwood scent. Her cheeks flushed as she scowled. "Stop touching me! We haven’t made up yet!"
Ling Buyi lowered his head with a faint smile, fingers tracing the embroidered floral patterns on her sleeve before lightly stroking the tender skin of her wrist—soft as a lamb’s. "Hmm. 'Made up'? So we were 'together' before?"Shao Shang nearly spat blood. Fortunately, she had some street smarts, or she would have been thoroughly teased! As she snatched back her tingling wrist, her face flushed, but she stammered out a righteous retort: "What happened before doesn’t count! What matters is the future! And whether the future is good or not depends on how Lord Ling conducts himself from now on!"
"Then tell me, how should I conduct myself in the future?" Ling Buyi asked with a smile.
Shao Shang lifted her chin high, putting on an air of arrogance—whether it worked or not, she had to project confidence. "It’s simple. From now on, if Lord Ling makes any decisions concerning me, I must give my approval. You can’t just decide things behind my back without me knowing! Like this time—how long have you had people watching me? I had no idea!"
"That’s difficult," Ling Buyi said firmly. "First, sometimes urgent matters require swift action. Second, there are times when you don’t understand the stakes, so I have to decide for you."
"Swift action in emergencies is one thing, but what do you mean by ‘I don’t understand the stakes’? Am I an idiot? I’m not unreasonable—I just want to know what you’re planning to do to me. Is that too much to ask?"
"Such narrow-mindedness for a woman!" Ling Buyi said coldly. "Let me give you an analogy. If someone were drowning and you wanted to save them, but my men stopped you, what would you do?"
"Hah, that’s easy," Shao Shang replied carelessly, convinced she wasn’t a good person to begin with.
"What if the person drowning was your family or a close friend?"
Shao Shang immediately flew into a rage: "Couldn’t you have picked a better analogy?!"
"Fine. What if it was a helpless child?"
Shao Shang froze.
After a long pause, she looked into those deep brown, handsome eyes and said with painful sincerity, "Lord Ling, could you really stand by and watch an innocent child drown? I know you’re not that kind of person."
Ling Buyi gazed at the girl for a long time, his stern expression softening unexpectedly. "I know you’re not that kind of person either."
Shao Shang responded with a radiant smile—the first genuine one she’d given in days.
"...But what if the child was actually a dwarf assassin sent by an enemy?" Ling Buyi ruffled her hair.
Shao Shang blinked.
"Or what if saving the child would ruin an entire plan and cost many lives?"
Shao Shang continued to stare blankly.
"Some choices are painful to witness and agonizing to consider. In such cases, it’s better if my men simply keep it from you—if you hear cries for help by the water, they’ll say you misheard. Wouldn’t that be better?" Ling Buyi spoke slowly.
At first glance, the logic seemed sound, but Shao Shang vaguely felt something was off. She could only mumble, "...I... I need to think about it..."
Ling Buyi seemed satisfied with her hesitation. Twirling a lock of her silky hair idly, he asked, "For Her Majesty’s Birthday, what gift have you prepared?"
The mention of it only stoked her anger. "You’ve trapped me in the palace—what gift could I possibly prepare?! Do you know how frantic I’ve been these days? I think you’re enjoying watching me make a fool of myself!" The worst part was that the situation had arisen so suddenly she hadn’t even brought her fine iron tools. Otherwise, she could have whipped up a couple of trinkets to pass off as gifts.
"Don’t worry. I’ve prepared a gift for you," Ling Buyi said with a smile."No need for your concern," Shao Shang said with an air of pride, looking quite pleased with herself. "I've already prepared a congratulatory gift." As she spoke, she pulled out her beloved green bamboo flute from her sleeve and waved it in front of Ling Buyi, like a child showing off to an adult.
"I'm going to play a tune for the Empress... Don't frown, and don't say it's too simple a gift. Last month, my uncle and aunt finally finished composing a new piece and sent me the score. I've been practicing it at home for ages—it's truly a wonderful composition! Not to boast, but it's elegant and refined, unlike anything ever heard in the entire Capital City! When I perform it before His Majesty, I'll tell him afterward that the credit goes to my uncle and aunt—their marital harmony and shared devotion brought forth such a marvelous melody! So, what do you think? Not a bad gift, right?"
Ling Buyi listened quietly as the girl bragged, then suddenly asked, "Since this piece was composed by your uncle and aunt, I assume it was originally meant for a duet between the qin and xiao, wasn't it?"
Shao Shang froze. "Uh, yes, but it can also be played on the flute. I just made a few adjustments. The artistic conception isn't quite the same, but it still sounds lovely."
Ling Buyi nodded and pressed further, "Then what if His Majesty asks why you're playing the flute alone instead of performing the duet with me, since the original piece was meant for two?"
Shao Shang's mouth fell open. She had never imagined such a scenario. She was utterly dumbfounded.
No matter how quick-witted she was, she couldn't outmaneuver her fiancé's convoluted reasoning. Flustered and panicked, she stammered, "Wh-why would His Majesty ask such a question? Why would he pose such a tricky question...?"
Ling Buyi pushed the girl away firmly, stood up with a cold expression, and said, "I can play the qin as well."
With that, he strode out of the chamber, leaving Shao Shang sitting alone on the floor in stunned silence.
—So, not only did she have to fuss over his material well-being, but she also had to tend to his emotional needs? And they were still in the middle of an argument—a cold war, no less! Did he really have to be so petty?!
Author's Note:
There are still a few chapters left in this volume, and I want to write them carefully. If the ending of this volume isn't well done, the next volume will be hard to start. Impatient readers can wait until this volume is complete before reading—it's perfectly fine.
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