Liu Chang didn’t even look at the beauty. He waved his hand impatiently, and the beauty, understanding his mood, withdrew her smile and silently left the bed, exiting the room and leaving him alone. Liu Chang didn’t notice her departure. He continued staring blankly at the canopy for a while, then habitually reached out to touch the space beside him. Instead of the smooth, jade-like skin of beauty, his hand met cold silk. He despised this feeling and took a deep breath, calling out loudly, “Where have you all gone?”
Several beauties waiting outside rushed in, looking at him with a mix of eagerness to please and panic. His gaze swept over their bodies and faces, but he found them utterly uninteresting. Unable to sleep, he decided to get up and ordered someone to prepare a bath and incense for him.
At dawn, he encountered Jiang Changyang outside the imperial court. Jiang stood in the early morning light, backlit, looking at him with a faint smile. His smile seemed gentle, but the corners of his mouth held a mockery that only Liu Chang could understand. Liu Chang frowned slightly, then walked towards Jiang Changyang with his head high and chest out, thanking him casually for the Yulou Dian Cui and Yan Rong Zi peonies. He had already lost once; if he lost again now, it would be utterly humiliating.
Jiang Changyang smiled lightly, “They’re just from my garden. There’s nothing precious about them. Minister Liu needn’t take it to heart.”
“From his garden?” Jiang Changyang was once again asserting his ownership. Liu Chang gritted his teeth in hatred. He thought bitterly, “Those were all things I didn’t want. Otherwise, how would Jiang Changyang have gotten them?”
As he seethed, he heard Jiang Changyang raise his voice, “I heard Minister Liu build a tall tower in his new villa. It can be seen from quite a distance…”
Liu Chang perked up, nodding proudly, “Oh, it’s not that tall.” Several early-arriving colleagues gathered around, praising his Chenxiang Tower and inquiring about its cost.
Before Liu Chang could speak, Jiang Changyang continued, “I imagine the view from up there must be spectacular. You can probably see many things that are usually hidden from view?”
Liu Chang chuckled, “Naturally. It’s a panoramic view.” He emphasized the words “panoramic view,” believing Jiang Changyang would understand – especially when looking at Fang Garden, it was indeed all-encompassing. It was just a pity he couldn’t see through the windows into the rooms. That would have been even better. Thinking of this, he felt a bit wistful.
Jiang Changyang raised an eyebrow, “Does Minister Liu know about the Construction Decree?”
Liu Chang wasn’t ignorant of court laws. Of course, he knew about the Construction Decree. He was about to respond when he caught Jiang Changyang’s cunning look and malicious smile. Suddenly understanding, he became furious. Although the Construction Decree explicitly prohibited building towers in public or private residences that “overlook other homes,” weren’t there many houses in the capital with tall towers? No one had reported them or torn them down, had they? Did Jiang Changyang expect him to demolish his tower?
Despite his extreme anger, Liu Chang maintained a calm expression and smiled faintly, “Of course I know.” He brushed his sleeve and said arrogantly with half-lowered eyelids, “My tower is called the Flower-Viewing Tower.” I’m just admiring peonies from up there, what’s wrong with that? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to report me? Go ahead. It’s not just my house that has a tall tower. The law doesn’t punish everyone. Making me tear it down is one thing, but can you make other families tear theirs down too? Jiang Changyang, who was so good at managing relationships, wouldn’t do something that offends so many people, would he?
Jiang Changyang just smiled slightly, cupped his hands in salute, and turned to leave.
Liu Chang had been prepared for Jiang Changyang to argue with him and had many retorts ready. But Jiang Changyang’s abrupt departure, without another word, left him bewildered and at a loss. He stood there for a moment, grinding his teeth in frustration. “That cunning bastard,” he thought, “he’s probably planning to keep He Mudan away from Fang Garden from now on.” But that wasn’t so bad. As they say, out of sight, out of mind. If the Jiang family couldn’t stay at Fang Garden anymore and had to hide in You Garden, that could be considered a small victory. With this thought, Liu Chang exchanged greetings with his colleagues, smiling, and walked in leisurely.
After the court session, his superior sought him out for a private talk. The gist was that as an imperial official, he should set an example by obeying the law, not knowingly violating the Construction Decree. This showed disregard for the law. His superior spoke earnestly, “I’m saying this for your good. I understand your bitterness, but constantly holding grudges isn’t good for you. You’re not like me, an old man. You’re still young with a bright future ahead. Losing your reputation over petty grievances isn’t worth it. A real man should know when to let go.”
The accusation of disrespecting the law was serious. Liu Chang could immediately cite countless examples in rebuttal – whose family didn’t have towers taller and grander than his, overlooking more neighboring houses? At most, he could only see Fang Garden and some fields. But faced with his superior’s stern gaze and meaningful tone, he couldn’t say a word. He could only lament how cunning Jiang Changyang had become. No wonder he hadn’t argued at all and only asked if Liu Chang knew about the Construction Decree. He was stabbing him in the back. Such underhanded methods were despicable. If he had any courage, he’d confront him directly (although Liu Chang’s actions were underhanded, he felt justified, while others doing the same were dishonorable).
His superior’s attitude was clear – he wouldn’t let it go unless Liu Chang agreed to tear down the tower. This old man had always been good to him, and there weren’t many people who truly cared about him. So Liu Chang grudgingly thanked his superiors for his concern and said, “I’ll go back and have that tower demolished right away.”
His superior stroked his sparse, yellowing goatee, half-closing his eyes and nodding slowly as he drawled, “A teachable youth indeed.”
“Damn this ‘teachable youth’,” Liu Chang thought irritably, wanting to scratch the walls. He pinched his palm hard to maintain a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. “Was it Jiang Changyang who reported me?” he asked.
His superior opened his eyes wide in displeasure. “You, you… how can you be so ungrateful? You were the one spying on others first. Jiang Changyang didn’t hold it against you, he just hinted at it, hoping you’d restrain yourself. How could he do such a petty thing? I heard some murmurs and spoke up for your good. Do you think you haven’t offended enough people? Do you think I’m meddling? I’d rather not bother with this at all!”
Liu Chang was thoroughly chastised. Indeed, he wasn’t as good at pretending as Jiang Changyang. He had achieved success at a young age, was handsome, and was fond of showing off his wealth, which made people envious and offended many. His recently retired father also had old enemies, and people were waiting to catch his mistakes. Jiang Changyang’s cunning lay in not needing to report or make a fuss. He only needed to mention it casually in public, and others would be eager to intervene on his behalf… The newly built tower had to be torn down – how could he swallow this anger? Liu Chang was so furious his sides ached. But seeing his superior turning to leave, he had to chase after him. He didn’t know why, but as he grew older, he found it harder to disappoint those who truly cared for him.
His superior, usually flattered by Liu Chang, saw his good attitude in admitting his mistake and relented. He spoke earnestly, “Zishu, you’re not getting any younger. You can’t go on like this forever. How about I arrange a good marriage for you?”
Liu Chang felt as if he’d been stung by a hornet. His eyelid twitched violently as he looked up at his superior. It was hard to refuse his superior’s offer to matchmake, but if he didn’t, who knows what kind of person he’d be stuck with? How could he accept that? He didn’t want to give Jiang Changyang any reason to mock him.
Liu Chang looked sincerely at his superior, “That would be nice, but I’m afraid I’m too picky. I don’t want to embarrass anyone. I’ve been wild for years, and I’ve always thought I needed someone from a good family, beautiful and talented, to keep me in check. Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be satisfied.” He didn’t say he wanted to marry the most beautiful woman in the world, but she had to be more beautiful than He Mudan and more talented too. Otherwise, how could he be content?
“A woman from a good family, beautiful and talented, would marry a man who’s been divorced twice, caused a huge scandal, and has a house full of concubines and illegitimate children? Are you still drunk?” The superior stared at Liu Chang for a long time, then patted his shoulder heavily and sighed sympathetically, “How many such women exist in the world? They’re hard to come by. You should be more realistic.”
Liu Chang nodded in agreement, but then heard his superior continue earnestly, “I think you shouldn’t expect too much. Someone about your level would be fine. A proper wife isn’t like others; what you need is someone steady and virtuous. The rest doesn’t matter much.”
“What do you mean ‘don’t expect too much’ and ‘someone about my level’? Am I that bad? Am I not talented and handsome?” Liu Chang almost choked, spreading his arms to prove to this annoying old man that he was not yet thirty, but still strong and fit, tall and handsome, outstanding. How many men were there with his family background, achieving the position of Lang Zhong in the Ministry of Personnel at such a young age, with both wealth and talent?
Before he could strike a pose, he saw his superior looking him up and down, saying, “I remember your eldest daughter will be ready for marriage in a few years, right?”
This was true, but wasn’t it still a few years away? Girls did marry young. He was even a year or two younger than Jiang Changyang.
His superior sighed lightly again, “You’re almost going to be a grandfather. You should make proper arrangements. Without someone managing the household, it doesn’t look good for your children either.”
He was almost going to be a grandfather… Liu Chang found it hard to breathe. He watched helplessly as his superior’s lips moved rapidly, enthusiastically discussing his lifelong affairs as both a close friend and an elder – his age, his future, his reputation, what kind of woman would be suitable for him. He finally couldn’t bear it anymore. He bowed deeply to his superior and said bitterly, “I’ll go tear down the tower first…” Then he fled in panic. How had he ended up in this situation? It was all He Mudan’s fault. If she hadn’t insisted on divorcing him, scheming against him, how would he have gotten entangled with Qinghua? How would he have ended up in this state?
He Mudan, this grudge is irreconcilable. Jiang Changyang, we’re not finished yet. Watching his tall tower becoming shorter and shorter, Liu Chang ground his teeth and said, “Throw some bricks and tiles over to the other side for me!”