Aunt was angry, her beautiful face as cold as frost, the kind that couldn’t be easily appeased.
Second Uncle Liu felt his scalp tingle. He complained, “Ning Yan, how nice it would be if you used your silver to supplement the household expenses. Was it necessary to buy these impractical things?”
He planned to criticize his nephew to regain his wife’s approval and dispel her anger.
Liu Yingyue said coolly, “We’re not short of food or clothing at home. Father’s meals even include Elder Brother’s salary rice.”
Second Uncle Liu was left speechless by his daughter’s retort, so he changed the subject again: “Ning Yan, where did you get the silver from?”
Xu Qi An said, “I noticed that my sister’s accessories were too cheap, so I kept it in mind. I scrimped and saved, accumulated some silver, and then there was a word-guessing game at the Treasure Pavilion with half-price discounts…”
He couldn’t very well say that he got the accessories for free. He didn’t want to suffer social death like Liu Cijiou.
Liu Yingyue’s hand holding the bowl trembled slightly, her heart instantly softening. She gazed at Xu Qi An with glistening eyes.
In this family, only the Elder Brother put her first. Father and Second Brother never thought there was anything wrong with her wearing cheap accessories.
A young lady needs to keep up appearances too.
“Elder Brother, does it look good?” She inserted the golden hair ornament into her bun. The candlelight illuminated the young girl’s delicate oval face, her features exquisite, her eyes bright and lively, a picture of vibrant beauty.
Aunt felt even more sour.
Xu Qi An felt sour too. He glanced at Liu Erlang to his left, who wore a navy blue robe, his glossy black hair tied up with a jade green hairpin, his lips red and teeth white, stunningly handsome.
Then he looked at his sister, now radiant with the golden hair ornament, and at Aunt, a voluptuous beauty.
Everyone in the family seemed to have been kissed by angels in terms of looks, except for him, who was utterly ordinary.
When he saw the little dumpling with features resembling Second Uncle Liu, looking somewhat silly, he didn’t feel sour anymore.
“Come, Ying’yin, eat some meat,” Xu Qi An picked up a piece of fatty meat for her, then some lean meat for Liu Yingyue.
“Elder Brother is so good.”
“Elder Brother likes you best.”
“Then why didn’t Elder Brother save me earlier?” The little one remembered how her Elder Brother not only didn’t save her but also laughed loudly.
“Only by tasting the bitterest can one become the best among men. Only through hardship can one become an invincible master in the world.”
“Is there anyone who can be invincible without suffering?”
“Yes, in dreams.”
…
As the meal was coming to an end, Aunt said coolly, “Ning Yan will be twenty after the New Year, right?”
“Oh, I’m surprised Aunt even remembers my age,” Xu Qi An expressed his astonishment.
Aunt ignored him haughtily and turned to Second Uncle Liu, “My lord, we should arrange a marriage for Ning Yan.”
Liu Yingyue and Liu Xinnian both raised their heads simultaneously, staring at their mother.
Xu Qi An himself was the slowest to react, stunned for a few seconds before he realized, then he was incredulous.
His unfortunate aunt cared about her nephew’s marriage. Was the sun going to rise from the west tomorrow?
It’s worth noting that getting married was a grand affair, with three letters and six etiquettes, eight sedan chairs – all of which cost money.
Aunt glanced at her unfortunate nephew and continued, “I think Lü’e would be a good match. She’s been raised in our household since childhood and is childhood sweetheart with Ning Yan.”
And it wouldn’t cost much money… Aunt was still being Aunt after all…
The coquettish Lü’e let out an “Ah,” her cheeks flushing, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Love came too quickly, like a tornado, leaving her dazed.
In her heart, she felt both shy and embarrassed, with a hint of joy.
Liu Yingyue looked at the head maid who seemed dim in comparison to herself, feeling a bit unhappy, “Mother, don’t make decisions on your own. Let Elder Brother discuss his marriage with Father.”
The subtext was, Mother, don’t you know your place in Elder Brother’s heart?
Aunt, who was still resentful towards her daughter for snatching the hairpin, scolded, “Ning Yan and Lü’e are a perfect match, we know their backgrounds well. What right do you, as a younger sister, have to object?”
Liu Yingyue turned her head away, feeling wronged.
No, no, knowing their backgrounds well is going too far, it hasn’t reached that stage yet… Xu Qi An was about to express his opinion when he heard his younger brother speak up beside him.
Liu Xinnian said, “Mother thinks that if Lü’e marries Elder Brother, it would save on the bride price and give a reason for Elder Brother to move out and live on his own.”
A direct hit.
Aunt angrily said, “You child, you’ve never known how to speak properly since you were young.”
Second Uncle Liu made the final judgment: “Alright, alright, you don’t need to worry about this. Ning Yan won’t be interested in women until he reaches the Qi Refining stage.”
Lü’e looked disappointed and lowered her head.
Except for the mistress she had served since childhood, everyone in the family seemed to oppose her marrying the eldest young master.
…
After dinner, Second Uncle Liu made a trip to the Imperial Blade Guards, then discussed tomorrow’s matters with his nephew and son in the study.
Returning to the room, he saw his wife sitting on the edge of the bed, looking angry.
“Is it really necessary? You’re still angry until now?” Second Uncle Liu said helplessly.
Aunt turned her head, glaring with her beautiful eyes: “That little brat of yours has no conscience at all. When I first took him from your hands, he was just as big as a kitten. Who raised him? He only knows how to anger me, only knows how to anger me. What’s the point of raising him so big, might as well have fed him to the rats.”
As she was muttering, she suddenly saw her husband take out a wooden box from his bosom and hand it to her. The surface of the box was carved with the words “Treasure Pavilion.”
Her rosy lips parted slightly, looking at her husband in confusion and surprise.
“Ning Yan asked me to give this to you,” Second Uncle Liu said helplessly. “Anyway, neither of you is willing to back down. He was too embarrassed to give it to you himself. That’s why he didn’t bring it out at the table earlier.”
Aunt opened the box anxiously. Inside was a golden hairpin, heavier and more exquisitely crafted than her daughter’s.
She held it preciously in her hand, took small steps to the bronze mirror, sat at the dressing table, and put it on herself.
An oval face makes a woman look dignified, especially after becoming a married woman.
Women with almond-shaped faces are coquettish, but once they become married women, they become beautiful and charming.
Aunt belonged to the latter category.
She stared happily at herself in the bronze mirror and snorted lightly, “That little bastard still has some conscience after all.”
Second Uncle Liu stood by the window on the other side of the room, looking solemnly at the quiet courtyard outside, with the standard long sword of the Imperial Blade Guards by his side.
…
The night passed uneventfully, much to the relief of Second Uncle Liu and Xu Qi An, who had been sleepless all night.
Early in the morning, Liu Yingyue, as usual, wore a single layer of clothes and opened the window, stretching her wonderful youthful figure in the cool air.
“Young Miss, what are you looking at by the window?”
“Nothing.”
After a while…
“Young Miss, are you waiting for something?”
“Not waiting for anything.”
“Young Miss, come and get dressed.”
“I know… you’re so annoying.”
Second Uncle Liu left home at daybreak to assemble his Imperial Blade Guards. Xu Qi An went out to rent a carriage, while Liu Erlang stayed at home to direct the servants in packing.
Around noon, two carriages and dozens of riders left the city gate, heading northwest towards the Cloud Deer Academy.
The carriages moved slowly, taking two hours to reach the foot of Qingyun Mountain.
The three men of the Liu family all breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.
“Were we being too paranoid?” Second Uncle Liu frowned.
Liu Erlang, skilled in military strategy, said slowly, “If it was indeed Zhou Mansion’s people following Elder Brother yesterday, then they’ve already missed two of the best opportunities to make a move. But it’s also possible that in Zhou Shilang’s eyes, we’re just insects he can crush at any time, so he’s not in a hurry to deal with us. He has bigger troubles to deal with.”
Underestimating the enemy is a major taboo in warfare, but that’s assuming both sides are evenly matched, or at least not too disparate in strength.
The Liu family was indeed no match compared to the Zhou family.
“But there’s one thing we must face: if we don’t eliminate Zhou Shilang, we’re surely doomed,” Xu Qi An said gravely.
The happy laughter of the little dumpling interrupted their conversation. She poked her head out from behind the curtain, excitedly surveying the suburban scenery.
Liu Ying’yin had always thought she was just out for a trip.
Xu Qi An found her annoying and pointed to the outline of the Cloud Deer Academy buildings in the distance, saying, “Do you know what that place is?”
“I don’t know, Elder Brother,” Liu Ying’yin giggled her round face like an apple.
“That’s Second Brother’s academy,” Xu Qi An said.
The words “academy” made Liu Ying’yin alert. She looked at her Elder Brother.
Xu Qi An nodded, “We’re planning to send you there to study. You won’t be allowed to come home anymore.”
The smile on Liu Ying’yin’s little face gradually disappeared as she stared at her Elder Brother in disbelief.
She quietly retreated into the carriage. A few seconds later, the sound of loud wailing came from inside.
“Mother, I don’t want to go to the academy, I don’t want to study, waaah…”
“You’re so noisy. Your Elder Brother is just teasing you.”
“Why would Elder Brother tease me?”
“Because he’s a bastard.”
And so Xu Qi An’s mood became cheerful.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, they climbed the steps. Xu Qi An and Liu Cijiou visited Zhang Shen, but they were greeted by the great scholar Li Mubai instead.
“Where’s the teacher?” Liu Cijiou asked.
“He’s in seclusion,” Li Mubai glanced at Xu Qi An, maintaining a poker face. “I’ve already had people arrange a courtyard for you.”
Liu Cijiou bowed in gratitude and then said, “My younger sister is at the enlightenment stage. Would the teacher allow her to study at the academy for a while?”
This request wasn’t excessive. If it were Liu Yingyue wanted to study, the academy would refuse. But Liu Ying’yin was a five-year-old child. In this era, scholars didn’t object to enlightening young children and even advocated for it.
It’s just that ordinary families couldn’t afford to educate their children.
Li Mubai nodded in agreement.
…
Two days passed quickly. On this morning, Liu Cijiou, who had been busy socializing with his classmates, Second Uncle Liu, who had been gathering information, and Xu Qi An, who hadn’t been to a brothel to listen to music for three consecutive days, gathered in the study.
Lü’e had already accompanied them to the Cloud Deer Academy, and none of the three grown men were willing to serve tea and water.
For the first time, they pooled the intelligence they had each collected, intending to formulate a plan to deal with Zhou Li.