Chapter 88 – Full of Aggression
If marrying into the family was out of the question, it wouldn’t be better to follow his previous idea, appearing to take a wife and concubines on the surface while secretly taking a man to carry on the family line. The future Cheng Emperor, Jiang Zhao, should be so willful and overbearing; even if he had three husbands and four lovers, the others would just have to hold their tongues!
Just like how a mother can slap her son without needing to explain!
No matter what, she absolutely couldn’t let her hard work go cheap to those wolves and tigers!
Thus, Liu Zhi continued to passionately recommend his own favorites.
“There’s a pretty good candidate, how about Zixiao from Langya Guard? He’s born charming, looks like a beautiful woman, and could be a celestial being…”
After speaking, Liu Zhi raised an eyebrow at Jiang Pengji, his actions light-hearted yet suggestive, giving off a vibe that all men would understand.
If someone else pulled such an act and looked that way, they would undoubtedly look sleazy; however, with Liu Zhi… it must be said, this is a world that values looks, and the way he did it carried an air of elegance that stirred one’s heart.
Jiang Pengji felt embarrassed and laughed, “Why are they all from Langya County?”
It made it seem like every man in the world aside from those from Langya County had dropped dead.
It seemed her careless father really was quite drunk.
“The world says that Hejian County has absorbed all the beauty of the world, while Langya and Huan Ning gather the talents of the mortal world. The noble daughters of Hejian County are high-born beauties, famed for their looks, praised in history books. Langya and Huan Ning produce strategists and wise ministers, truly a place where the stars of talent gather… Don’t let the smallness of Dongqing fool you; the other four nations see it as a thorn in their side. Isn’t it precisely because of the talents from these three counties?”
Liu Zhi suddenly clapped and laughed, “Only such exceptional youths are worthy of my son’s dragon-like grace and phoenix-like demeanor.”
Didn’t Ah Min also say that two smart and outstanding people would give birth to even more excellent offspring?
Jiang Pengji chuckled silently, pouring herself a drink in silence.
Before long, Liu Zhi at the other side of the table had calmed his breathing and fallen asleep.
The pear blossoms in the courtyard drifted gently with the night wind, some playfully landing in his hair.
“Ah, he’s already drunk.”
Jiang Pengji polished off the last of the pear blossom brew, noticed the time, and stood up to easily carry the drunken Liu Zhi, his face flushed red.
Although he was an adult man, he felt unexpectedly light, as if he were nothing but bones.
She placed him on the couch, covered him with a blanket, and tucked in the corners, the candlelight casting deeper shadows under Liu Zhi’s eyes.
“…He’s really thin to the point of being unrecognizable… But what on earth happened back then to make Liu Residence like this?”
Jiang Pengji hesitated, her brow slightly furrowing as she recalled that hard feeling earlier. It seemed he had become nothing but skin and bones.
As she got up, her gaze fell on the corner of the room—was that… Gu Min’s spirit tablet?
Her gaze paused for a moment before she stepped out of Liu Zhi’s chamber, closing the door carefully to ensure no night breeze would slip inside.
Wrapping her heavy cloak tighter around herself, she took the nearest route back to her courtyard, passing through the inner garden of Liu Residence.
The corridor hung with lanterns, providing dim light but enough to prevent any trips, and she encountered a group of house servants on patrol.
Five men in a team, with the first servant carrying a lantern seeing Jiang Pengji and stopping to bow respectfully.
“Mm.”
She acknowledged them briefly and walked back to her courtyard without a backward glance.
“This Liu Residence is not small; there are plenty of hidden secrets, quite deep indeed.”
Jiang Pengji’s lips curled slightly as, in the darkness, her deep black eyes shone with a gleam of light.
The next day, Liu Zhi sat up, nursing a throbbing head as he lifted the covers, inwardly lamenting that his body was getting less useful. A few cups of pear blossom brew could lay him out cold, and he couldn’t remember how he got back to his chamber from the corridor last night.
He had just gotten halfway up when a soft voice from outside the room called, “Sir, are you awake?”
“Mm, I’m awake.”
Liu Zhi sank back down, waiting for his spinning head to settle before slowly sitting up.
After tidying up his appearance and ensuring nothing was amiss, he just then called for the waiting maidservant outside to come in.
He had married Gu Min for several years, not a long time indeed, but they grew up together, which had influenced many of his habits. For instance, any intimate physical tasks were usually handled by himself.
The maidservants filed in, and Liu Zhi expressionlessly accepted the handkerchief, using warm water to wash his face, his muddled brain finally clearing up.
Although he hadn’t drunk much, a night’s rest had washed away the lingering smell of alcohol on him. Dressed in specially scented clothing, he surrounded himself in a fragrant aura; unless it was someone with a nose like Jiang Pengji’s, normal people would never guess he had been drinking.
Dressed neatly, Liu Zhi raised his eyes to see the state of the sky, quietly estimating the current time.
“Did the Second Young Master visit this morning?”
He had slept until the afternoon, no wonder his head throbbed so painfully; even too much water could leave one weary.
“The Second Young Master came this morning to pay his respects, but seeing you were sleeping so soundly, he didn’t let us disturb your sweet dreams.”
Liu Zhi remained silent, fragments of some memories floating in his mind, and his face drained of color as he fought the urge to facepalm.
His grand fatherly image… wasn’t that all gone now?
The maidservant kept her head down, her gaze not daring to rise above Liu Zhi’s chest, keeping a safe distance, so she didn’t see the indecision on his face, a mix of laughter and tears that looked quite awkward.
In other families, a maidservant who served a master closely like this would often be elevated when the mistress was unwell, gaining a particular standing, even without a formal title, quite a transformation indeed.
But this rule didn’t apply in Liu Residence; at least not when it came to Liu Zhi, the elderly in the residence all knew it.
“Leave me for now; I need some peace.”
He indeed needed peace; being princess-carried by his young daughter made him feel like his fatherly credibility was in ashes.
Once the maidservants cleared out and the door was closed, Liu Zhi wore a look of despair, mumbling toward the spirit tablet of his deceased wife.
“Could it be… this is what Ah Min meant by aggression?”
Outside, several maidservants quietly retreated.
Among them was one particularly stunning maid, lively in spirit, who had only been bought into Liu Residence for less than half a year, radiating youthful vigor.
“Hey, Sister Tong, the master has been back for a few days now; why hasn’t he gone to the back courtyard?”
The one called Sister Tong was one of the elder maidservants in Liu Residence, now serving Liu Zhi. She was just over twenty, yet her face remained stern, fresh-faced without makeup, looking rather gloomy, as if she were a married matron.
A sudden glance would give the impression she was someone’s old wife.
