The Zhang Mansion maintained a strict and dignified order. Even though an exception had been made to allow Zhang Zhixu to bring a young woman back to recover from her injuries, the head of the household had given a firm standing order that everyone in the household, from top to bottom, was to observe the proper rules of conduct and not allow even the slightest gossip to spread.

And so — a servant getting up in the night came face to face with their own young master carrying a young woman toward them, and was so startled he darted left and right in search of an escape, before finally squeezing his eyes shut and stumbling past in a sleepwalking stupor.

A patrolling guard took them for intruders and drew his blade to surround them — but the instant he made out their faces, he pivoted on the spot and retreated in haste.

A nursemaid who was about to step forward to admonish them was pulled aside by the maids, who clapped their hands over her mouth and urged her in quiet whispers. Even the servant boy lighting the lamps turned his back to the two of them and pretended to see nothing.

Everyone let the second young master — in one of his rare moments of high spirits — carry someone through the courtyard as he pleased, back and forth, from which the occasional snippet of bickering could be heard.

When the horizon began to blush with the pale light of dawn, Chen Baoxiang finally found herself resting against a pillow.

She turned over drowsily and murmured, “Lucky we didn’t run into anyone. Otherwise, not even ten mouths could have talked their way out of that.”

Zhang Zhixu, somewhat belatedly, recognized the absurdity of his own behavior.

What had possessed him to act so childishly on a whim? If word actually reached his father’s ears, there would be no escaping kneeling in punishment and copying out texts.

After a moment of quiet thought, Zhang Zhixu called Jiuquan over and whispered a few words to him.

The next morning when Chen Baoxiang woke, she suddenly found that the number of attending physicians in her room had multiplied considerably.

One specialized in the old wound on her back. Another attended to the new injuries she had sustained. One was dedicated to the recovery of her legs and feet. And one had been assigned solely to prepare her medicinal meals.

A great quantity of expensive medicinal ingredients was used without consideration for cost. A team of physicians monitored her recovery progress, even more anxious about it than she was herself.

Her injuries had not been light, yet she was nursed back to health with startling speed, and had barely scarred at all.

Chen Baoxiang was deeply moved, but also somewhat worried. “Immortal, you’re impersonating Second Young Master Zhang and spending all this money — will the Zhang family really not notice something is off?”

Zhang Zhixu settled his wide sleeves and took a sip of tea, smiling with a touch of irony. “Of course they’ll notice. Once they do, you and I will be finished together.”

The lies told before had been small ones — petty deceptions for a little money and a few goods. But this one was an enormous lie: impersonating the Zhang family heir, usurping an officially appointed government position, and misappropriating the Zhang family’s assets.

Chen Baoxiang’s face went pale. She rolled off the bed, seized his hand, and made to drag him out the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Where else? We have to leave the Zhang Mansion, of course — while they haven’t figured it out yet, we quit while we’re ahead.”

Zhang Zhixu went along with her for a couple of steps, then let out an amused snort. “You want to run away with me?”

“What do you mean run away — this is just——” Chen Baoxiang was about to say this was simply the most sensible way to preserve their lives, but upon reflection, she realized: right, the immortal was now Zhang Zhixu. If she took him away now, wouldn’t that be exactly the definition of running away together?

She dropped back onto the stool with a thud. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Don’t worry.” He replied with his characteristic unhurried calm. “I’ve already reported to the Zhang family elders. We’ll move to Mingzhu Tower tomorrow to continue recovering.”

This immortal was something else — he’d already identified the properties under the family’s name, and had even adopted the bearing and mannerisms of a noble household so convincingly.

She looked him up and down with satisfaction, then jumped to her feet and spun around in delight. “In that case, won’t I be able to follow you around openly and live in the lap of luxury? Our good days are finally here!”

The real reason for moving, in fact, was that he didn’t want to be made to kneel and copy texts.

But seeing how excited she was, Zhang Zhixu had no intention of spelling that out. He simply smiled along with her.

Out of habit, he gave the order: “Jiuquan, pack up the luggage. Bring along my usual bed as well.”

“Yes.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Chen Baoxiang let out a surprised sound.

That was Second Young Master Zhang’s habit — so why had he said it so naturally?

Zhang Zhixu caught himself just as quickly, inwardly cursing his slip. That was quite the blunder — at this rate she would surely see through him at once.

He turned his neck stiffly and was just about to cover his tracks, when the person across from him leaned in with a sly, conspiratorial look and said: “Immortal, you really put my mind at ease. Something I mentioned so casually about Second Young Master Zhang’s habit of sleeping in his own bed, and you actually remembered it. Well done, well done.”

Zhang Zhixu: “……”

He stood there for a moment, pressing his hand to his forehead in lingering relief.

He had to hand it to Chen Baoxiang — with anyone else, he wouldn’t have lasted a single day.

“The place we’re going is Mingzhu Tower, right?” Chen Baoxiang asked as she began gathering her things.

“Yes. Mingzhu Tower,” he answered softly.

The name Mingzhu Tower conjured in Chen Baoxiang’s mind only the image of a pavilion standing tall in the moonlight — perhaps with a few glazed tiles as decoration — already magnificent enough.

But when they actually arrived and she laid eyes on it, she was struck dumb.

Starting from Anle Quarter, a garden wall stretched and wound its way eastward and upward, spanning several li, enclosing within it a landscape of refined elegance — scattered pavilions and terraces, and at the center, a seven-story tower rising in solemn grandeur, with wild geese skimming its eaves and jade-pale mist curling beneath them.

From a distance, the tower seemed to glow with a pearl-like luminescence. Up close, she realized: those walls were truly inlaid, one by one, with real pearls — varying in size, nestled in the plaster, their extravagance a thing that bordered on the obscene.

“Oh heavens.” She rushed forward and ran her hands over those pearls. “Isn’t this sinful? Such precious things, used to fill a wall?”

Zhang Zhixu was unconcerned. “They’re pearls with flaws. The flaws are set into the mortar to hide them.”

“But they are still pearls — even flawed ones would be worth a thousand coins each!” Chen Baoxiang was so incensed by his breezy tone that she stamped her feet. “Immortal, you absolutely must not pick up the Zhang family’s habit of treating money as if it means nothing. I won’t be able to afford you.”

She was actually thinking of supporting him?

Zhang Zhixu choked on a laugh, covering his mouth with his fist. “Noted.”

Chen Baoxiang climbed the steps, her heart aching. She seethed at these wretched rich people, yet couldn’t help but think how truly beautiful this place was — she was itching to sketch every corner of it, and then find an excuse to show off to someone later.

“Why does each floor only have two rooms?” she said, looking left and right.

“Only the master comes up to stay here.” Jiuquan caught up and explained. “Apart from these two rooms on the sixth floor, the other rooms mostly hold precious curios, or Buddhist shrines and statues.”

Chen Baoxiang pushed open the window and looked outside, and let out an involuntary cry of wonder. “What a waste — the view from here is far better than Zhaixing Tower’s. If this place were rented out, it would surely fetch more than the top-grade rooms there. A night’s stay would bring in at least ten taels, at the very least.”

Jiuquan blinked, baffled. He thought to himself: how could something like this be measured in silver? Their master despised vulgar people reeking of the smell of coin. To say such things in the master’s most beloved tower——

He glanced over, and the person leaning against the railing was not only not offended, but actually appeared to find it quite reasonable. “Next time a guest insists on coming up to stay, I suppose I’ll have to charge at least ten taels.”

“See! I know how to make money!”

“Indeed you do,” Zhang Zhixu said with a smile, conceding the point.

Other people were vulgar souls reeking of coin. Chen Baoxiang was an endearing little price tag — in her eyes, everything had its most honest, street-level value, which she would cheerfully rattle off for him one by one.

Wasn’t that rather delightful?

He let out a low laugh.

Jiuquan standing nearby gave a slow, bewildered “Hah?”

The master had explained to them earlier that he and Miss Chen had sworn an oath of brotherhood — and not wanting to follow the conventional form, Miss Chen didn’t call him elder brother, but called him “immortal.”

That form of address was already strange enough. But even stranger was the fact that the master smiled every time he saw Miss Chen, and seemed to find everything she did utterly amusing.

Sure enough — Miss Chen muttered under her breath: “If I were a tile-setter, I’d split every pearl in half before laying them in, then report the full-pearl price to you. Wouldn’t that just be making a fortune for someone else at my own expense.”

The master laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

What on earth was so funny?!

The master even turned to give Jiuquan his instructions: “Give her the room on the left.”

Didn’t you once say that not even the Heavenly King himself could lay a finger on your Mingzhu Tower?!

Jiuquan scratched his head in utter incomprehension, then gave up trying to understand and simply went to carry out the order.