With his ambiguous attire, neither fully masculine nor feminine, and the mischievous glint in his eyes, how could anyone think he was a good person?
“I’m like you?” Qian Baimei was startled. He touched his face and turned to Taohua, asking, “Does my pure and innocent face look as venomous as his?”
Though she shouldn’t have, Taohua couldn’t help but laugh. Her master truly saw people the same way she did!
Shen Zaiye turned and glared at her, frightening Taohua into instinctively shrinking behind Qian Baimei.
Grown so capable now, have you? Hiding behind others? Shen Zaiye gritted his teeth, reaching out to grab her. However, despite his carefree appearance, Qian Baimei’s reactions were incredibly swift. He blocked Shen Zaiye, raising an eyebrow, “You dare to touch my disciple in front of me?”
“She is my lawful wife,” Shen Zaiye said, his face darkening. “If you wish to see her, you should come through the main gate with proper etiquette, not break into the Chancellor’s mansion in the dead of night. Now I need your permission to discipline my wife?”
Qian Baimei chuckled lightly, “I don’t care about lawful wives or Chancellor’s mansions. If you don’t want me here, try and stop me. My disciple, even if she’s married or buried in someone’s ancestral tomb, I’ll dig her out if I want to protect her. What can you do about it?”
“You…” For the first time, Shen Zaiye was rendered speechless by such brazen words. He laughed bitterly, “With a master like you, no wonder she turned out so lawless!”
“Lawless?” Qian Baimei was displeased. He pulled Jiang Taohua out, saying disapprovingly, “Look at how meek she is. Where’s the lawlessness? A perfectly good person married off, and now so mistreated? On Mid-Autumn Festival night, she’s squatting in the courtyard eating mooncakes with a maid. Is her husband dead?”
“Master,” Taohua felt a chill run through her body and quickly said, “The Chancellor had business to attend to today. He usually keeps me company!”
“Business?” Qian Baimei glared at her, “What business is more important than you?”
“It’s complicated to explain right now,” Taohua glanced cautiously at Shen Zaiye, feeling guilty. “The situation here is different from what we expected. Please calm down first?”
Shen Zaiye took Taohua from him, gripping her waist and looking down at her, “So you’ve brought reinforcements?”
“It has nothing to do with me!” Taohua looked utterly innocent. “I had no idea Master was coming.”
Not knowing was one thing, but all this touching and pulling once he arrived – whose fault was that? Shen Zaiye snorted coldly, looking up at the man before him, “What exactly is your purpose in coming here?”
Qian Baimei replied, “It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival. What else could it be? My disciple married far away, and I don’t know how she’s doing. Can’t I come and see?”
“Now that you’ve seen her, when do you plan to leave?” Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together. “It seems you entered the capital without proper documentation.”
This was illegal trespassing!
Qian Baimei snorted with laughter, tossing his peony-red robe aside and sitting on a nearby stone bench. He looked sideways at Shen Zaiye, “I originally thought if the little one was happy, I’d continue my wanderings. But things don’t seem quite right, so I’ll stay in your mansion for a while longer.”
Not quite right? Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes at Jiang Taohua, “What’s not right?”
Taohua’s face spelled “innocence” in capital letters. She shook her head, blinking her eyes, “I don’t know either.”
Qian Baimei looked at her disapprovingly, “The things I taught you before, you haven’t used any of them. You’ve become so constrained, and you don’t think anything’s wrong?”
“But…” Taohua looked back at him, pointing at Shen Zaiye, “This man can’t be swayed by feminine charms. Master, you overestimate me.”
“Useless,” Qian Baimei snorted, pulling her into the main room with a sweep of his sleeve. He then turned to Shen Zaiye seriously, “Would the Chancellor be willing to have a private word?”
Shen Zaiye nodded, “After you.”
Xu Yangui and Zhanlu followed nervously, fearing another fight might break out. Unexpectedly, both men seemed to have suddenly calmed down. They sat opposite each other in the garden, sizing each other up.
Qian Baimei spoke first, “She doesn’t seem very happy here. If you want beauty, I can send you some even more beautiful ones. Then I’ll take her out to broaden her horizons.”
“Impossible,” Shen Zaiye smiled faintly. “She’s already mine.”
“Don’t you have enough people in your household?” Qian Baimei chuckled. “She didn’t come here just to get married. Her purpose in marrying you wasn’t pure either. Surely you’re not reluctant to let such a person go?”
Shen Zaiye’s heart skipped a beat. He lowered his gaze, “It’s not that I’m reluctant. It’s just that no man in Great Wei would willingly give up his woman. I can’t control why she married me, but now that she’s here, there’s no reason for her to leave.”
“How open-minded of you,” Qian Baimei smiled. “Even if she doesn’t love you, you’d still force her to stay by your side?”
Shen Zaiye’s hand tightened slightly. He looked up at Qian Baimei earnestly, “How do you know she doesn’t love me?”
“Can’t you feel it yourself?” Qian Baimei looked at him with disdain. “Why ask me?”
Shen Zaiye fell silent, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.
His mood had been quite good tonight. He had planned to surprise Jiang Taohua upon his return, to tease her a bit. Who knew he’d end up being the one shocked? The already unstable relationship seemed to become even more precarious with this man’s appearance.
Did she not love him? Did she not care for him at all, just staying by his side to help her brother? Now that Jiang Changche had become the commander-in-chief, did she feel she could leave?
Slowly rising, Shen Zaiye laughed lightly with an air of nonchalance, “If she wants to leave, and you take her away, it just means I’m not capable enough to stop her. But if she doesn’t want to leave, surely you won’t force her?”
“I’m just giving you a heads up,” Qian Baimei smiled. “If you agree, I’ll ask for her opinion later.”
“Fine,” Shen Zaiye nodded, clenching his fist. “If she wants to leave, I won’t stop her.”
“You’re that confident?” Qian Baimei laughed, cupping his hands in salute. “Then I thank you.”
With that, he swished his robe and ran back to Zhengchun Pavilion, his silver hair striking in the night.
“You’re letting her go?” Xu Yangui frowned. “Won’t you regret it?”
Sitting calmly on the stone bench, Shen Zaiye said, “Forced love isn’t sweet. If she feels unhappy in the Chancellor’s mansion, she’s free to leave. There’s no point in keeping her here, but… she’ll have to bear the consequences.”
Hearing those last five words, Zhanlu felt a chill down his spine and instinctively glanced at his master.
“Are you… planning to deal with them?”
“Deal with them? How so?” Shen Zaiye chuckled softly. “Your lady is a very intelligent person. She knows clearly whether staying in this mansion or leaving with her master is more beneficial. I don’t need to do anything.”
He wasn’t confident in himself, but in knowing that Jiang Taohua hadn’t yet obtained everything she wanted. Jiang Changche, a prince, surely wouldn’t be content with just the position of commander-in-chief. She wanted to elevate him to king, and that was something Qian Baimei couldn’t help with – only he could.
So he was betting that Jiang Taohua wouldn’t leave.
“But…” Xu Yangui frowned. “Women can be unpredictable when emotional. You’ve been so close with Lu Zhilan lately and have been neglecting her. What if she decides to leave with her master on impulse?”
“She won’t,” Shen Zaiye shook his head, his tone firm, though he wasn’t entirely confident.
He rose and walked towards Zhengchun Pavilion, taking a few steps before stopping. He sneered at himself, then turned back to his courtyard. “Master Xu, I’ll leave Zhengchun Pavilion to you.”
“Me?” Xu Yangui’s hair stood on end. “My lightness skill isn’t as good as her master’s. I’ll be discovered!”
“That’s not my concern,” Shen Zaiye smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes, and quickly disappeared into the night.
Xu Yangui’s face fell as he sighed heavily, shaking his head as he walked towards Zhengchun Pavilion. “If you can’t let go yourself, why don’t you just keep watch yourself? Why drag me into this every time…”
Jiang Taohua was recounting the events in Great Wei to Qian Baimei, who frowned repeatedly as he listened.
“This man is so formidable? His martial arts aren’t much though.”
“He’s not a martial artist, and besides, how many in these three kingdoms could beat you in a fight?” Taohua shook her head. “You can’t set such high standards!”
“But I just don’t like him,” Qian Baimei said seriously. “His aura is irritating. He seems hard to deal with.”
Taohua thought for a moment, then nodded emphatically, “He is difficult to handle. So you can’t blame me for being useless. He can see through my charms and doesn’t fall for that at all.”
“That is quite impressive,” Qian Baimei snorted lightly, then beckoned to her. “Little one, come here.”
Taohua obediently crouched by his knee. “Yes, Master?”
“Do you want to go to Mount Kunlun with me?” Qian Baimei looked at her lovingly. “Changche has gained military power now. You should take a good rest. You can’t do everything for him; he needs to grow on his own.”
“But…” Taohua frowned. “The future is uncertain and dangerous. How can I let him face risks alone? Even if I don’t help him, I need to watch over him. Otherwise, I won’t be at ease no matter where I am.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to leave this place?”
“Mm,” Taohua smiled, wagging her tail metaphorically. “I know you love me the most, Master. Don’t worry, I’m quite well off here. It’s just that you came at an inopportune moment tonight and didn’t see me at my best.”
“Is that so?” Qian Baimei reached out, gently stroking her hair. “Then I’ll stay a while longer, waiting to see you at your best.”
(End of Chapter)