Ling Buyi easily lifted Shaoshang to shoulder height, as if pinching the delicate, fragile scruff of a kitten with his fingers, effortlessly. The girl’s feet left the ground, her life and safety entirely dependent on the looseness or tightness of his two hands. She immediately cried out in alarm and fear. At this moment, the strength disparity was clear. But Ling Buyi asked himself—after lifting her up, what then? Could he really throw her down to her death?

He thought, hitting was not an option. If a beating could solve the problem, then he would definitely be one of the most ‘reasonable’ people in the world. Then, he also couldn’t match wits with her verbally, because this girl had a set of bizarre yet self-consistent crooked logic. If they really quarreled, it was still unknown who would prevail.

Since he couldn’t hit her or scold her, only the path of ‘frightening’ remained. He exerted his arms slightly, lifting the girl even higher, planning to toss her up, catch her, then pick a spot to bite, first venting his anger…

At the same time, though Shaoshang was suspended in mid-air, her ears were sharp and eyes clear. She saw at a glance that Ling Buyi’s face was expressionless but his eyes were deep and dark, ominous and ill-intentioned—clearly looking to deal with her. She immediately called out loudly—”You have time to fuss with me? You’d better worry about the Empress Your Majesty first!”

Ling Buyi’s hands stopped, smoothly settling the girl’s soft, slender waist on his shoulder.

Shaoshang hung head-down and feet-up on him. Her hands frantically scrambled along his broad back to climb up to his other shoulder before she could catch her breath. She immediately hastened to say: “Today Her Majesty said Fifth Princess enclosed land outside and concealed people—over ten thousand acres but only reported twenty registered people. This is no small matter! Who knew Consort Yue also knows about it. If His Majesty finds out…”

“His Majesty naturally knows, because it was His Majesty who told the Empress in the first place.” Just now being randomly felt up by the girl, Ling Buyi only felt her body was light and soft. With one hand pinching the girl’s waist, even through clothing the skin under his palm was indescribably smooth and soft, boneless. So he wasn’t in a hurry to frighten her anymore.

Shaoshang was so shocked by this news she momentarily forgot to struggle: “His Majesty knew all along?” Mm, then Consort Yue’s knowledge must also have been told by the Emperor. This old uncle truly is advanced-stage Libra!

Ling Buyi turned his head to look at the girl, saying with interest: “Why would you think that matters known to the deep palace consorts would be unknown to His Majesty? Are you still secretly complaining that despite such a great fault, the Empress actually didn’t punish Fifth Princess but let it pass lightly? Don’t worry—after the Empress’s birthday passes, Fifth Princess will discover the fields, estates, and even money she painstakingly schemed for have long been confiscated into the treasury by His Majesty. Years of effort, gone in an instant. As for those several advisors who originally instigated her to commit crimes of greed and tyranny, they’ve all been captured and executed.”

Shaoshang’s mouth gaped open, unable to catch her breath. For a moment she even pitied Fifth Princess: “…This, this—the Empress already knows His Majesty has acted?” No wonder she couldn’t be bothered to scold her daughter.

Ling Buyi’s smile carried a hint of mockery: “Someone remonstrated to His Majesty, suggesting they send the heads of those principal villains under the Princess to Fifth Princess as a small warning. However, His Majesty, considering the Empress, left the whole corpses. The day after tomorrow, Fifth Princess will see the corpses of her formerly trusted advisors arranged in a row, displayed in her residence’s main hall, respectfully awaiting her return home. Alright, enough rambling and delaying. Now we can discuss our matter…” At this point, his tone deepened.

Just then, Shaoshang, taking advantage of his diverted attention, quickly reached out to tickle his waist, hoping the fierce tiger’s carelessness and dragon’s fear of tickling would let her escape by chance. As long as she slipped out of this chamber, she didn’t believe Ling Buyi would capture her in front of everyone!

However, with Ling Buyi’s skill, every bundle of muscle on his body was alert and strong, his reaction even faster than thought. His left hand immediately released, he turned sideways with a reverse capture, spinning the girl like a top in mid-air, then with one palm pressed her flat onto the floor.

Though he didn’t use force, Shaoshang still felt numbness and pain throughout her body, dizzy and disoriented. Before her eyes flew a spectrum of colors—the man’s jade belt inlaid with luminous pearls, the gold-threaded collar emitting a faint sandalwood scent, the bracelet clasp glinting with a faint jewel-green light. Finally settling in her sight was the gold and silver embroidery on his hanging robe hem.

She now resembled a little turtle on all fours, with Ling Buyi’s pair of hands pressing on the turtle shell. Even breathing was difficult. Using all her strength, she shouted: “If you’re capable, use only one hand!” Her brute strength surging, her heart full of fierce courage—back in the day when she fought, she’d never lost to anyone!

Ling Buyi knelt on one knee beside her. Hearing this, he snorted and released his right hand behind his back.

Shaoshang struggled with effort but still couldn’t turn over. She could only thicken her face and shout again: “If you’re capable, don’t use your hands!”

The corners of Ling Buyi’s mouth curved up. Without arguing, he immediately placed both hands behind his back, bent the knee he was kneeling on, and pressed his kneecap onto the girl’s shoulders and back. Because his legs were extremely long, even bent and folded they were longer than the girl’s shoulders and back.

Shaoshang tried again to turn over the Five Finger Mountain, but it was still futile. She simply abandoned all face: “If you’re capable, don’t use hands or feet!”

Ling Buyi suppressed his laughter and still did as she said, withdrawing his leg. Shaoshang had just felt the weight on her body lighten when she was immediately covered as if by Mount Tai pressing down—Ling Buyi truly used neither hands nor feet. He directly pressed his whole body onto her.

The man was tall and healthy, his shoulder bones especially long and powerful, his muscles tight and firm. This pressure nearly squeezed out more than half the air from Shaoshang’s chest. This time she didn’t even have the strength to clamor, only her two small hands patting the floor.

Ling Buyi slightly shifted some weight. Shaoshang quickly took a deep breath. Her stifled chest finally found relief. Without strength to shout, she could only turn her head to glare at him forcefully, expressing her bellyful of dissatisfaction—who knew Ling Buyi’s face was suspended right above her left shoulder, staring at her intently.

The girl’s skin was translucent, white as first snow. Due to violent struggling, her face flushed pink, further setting off her pupils black as lacquer, emotions variable—one moment resentful, one moment regretful, and one moment afraid. Truly her eyes brimmed with waves, incomparably gorgeous.

His thoughts suddenly flew to many years ago.

That year he was fourteen. With the Emperor’s difficult consent, he disguised himself with Cui You as a merchant caravan and traveled far to the western snowy regions. Though Cui You had neither the name nor reality of a stepfather, he held a heart of magma-like passionate stepfather feelings, caring for him thoroughly all along the way. They walked for several full months before seeing the towering snow mountains reaching to the sky.

There, he saw a tiny snow ferret—ice and snow crystalline fur, jade-green translucent eyes, its left front paw ink-colored, body petite, only two palms in size. He liked it at first sight. When it nibbled hazelnuts, he found it adorable. When it twisted its small body to bite its own tail, he found it adorable. Even when it roared and hissed at him, he found it adorable.

However, this little snow ferret was not at all friendly. Not only was it violent and cunning with sharp teeth, its delicate claws even had slight toxicity. But at that time he was full of youthful spirit. Under Marquis Cui’s unconditional indulgence, he organized people to carefully scheme, laying heaven’s net and earth’s snare, finally capturing this little snow ferret alive.

Initially he worried the little snow ferret would be rebellious and hard to raise. Who knew after merely one day, it obediently ate the food he fed it, let him stroke its smooth, soft fur, and even when he ground ink and wrote, it would obediently lie on the desk, tilting its little head to watch him—his heart was full of tenderness. Even Marquis Cui said this little thing seemed quite docile and could be kept as a beloved pet.

So he relaxed his vigilance and removed the silver clasp on the little snow ferret’s ankle. The next day it escaped without a trace, never to be seen again.

Later he consoled himself—such creatures of heaven and earth, free and unrestrained, flexible and adaptable. Even if mountain people coveted their fur, they were very hard to capture. They could completely live well on their own. Why did he have to catch it?

On the return journey, when they again passed that snow mountain, chatting idly with mountain people, he learned that long ago there had been many snow ferrets on the snowy mountain. Who knew later a den of snow mountain vermillion-browed hanging-eyed tigers migrated there. Not only were they extremely fierce, but also clever and decisive—precisely the natural enemies of this type of snow ferret. In just a few decades they had gone extinct.

The mountain people hadn’t seen traces of snow ferrets for seven or eight years. In their words, everyone said the little snow ferret he’d caught last time might be the last member of that species.

Just as the youth was in a daze, an old hunter suddenly said he’d seen that little snow ferret.

That day he’d originally gone to hunt tigers. When he covered himself in a snowdrift to ambush, he happened to see a magnificent tiger slowly pass by, its mouth holding a snow ferret of the appearance his ancestors had described. The tiny body was stiff and limp, belly flesh torn open, fur covered with blood, the slender, delicate left front paw ink-colored—counting the days, it was shortly after escaping from him.

The youth was sad for a long time. Even after returning to the capital, he remained depressed and unhappy all day. Marquis Cui secretly told the Emperor about this matter. The Emperor quickly came to tell him a whole speech about “you are not the fish, how do you know the fish’s joy” to try to console him.

He understood all these principles, but he completely disagreed.

If it were truly like that, why would parents restrain their children, why would teachers discipline students? Just let them enjoy themselves! Take a swing through the Imperial Academy—if he could find thirty percent who truly loved reading and enjoyed it, he’d admit defeat!

What “you are not the fish”—that depends on what kind of fish it is. If it’s a small foolish fish that doesn’t understand, of course it must be caught and properly raised with patient persuasion. Otherwise, what if it’s eaten by a big fish? What joy would there be then!

And what about children going out and getting their noses bloodied and faces swollen before they understand the ways of the world? If they’re those bastard high-ranking family children, each one sturdy—they won’t easily suffer losses. But what if it’s like that little snow ferret, thin-skinned and fragile—what if one little jump means death?

Ling Buyi came back to his senses and looked at the girl pressed under his body—delicate and indignant, rebellious and beautiful, and… not knowing life from death.

Hmph, still wanting to go with Lou Yao to remote places far from the Emperor to display her talents. She probably had no idea how terrible poor and evil waters were, hadn’t experienced how deeply entrenched established families operated in local areas.

A few years ago, two Confucian scholars of common birth, full of passion, volunteered to go to the most difficult-to-govern places. His Majesty couldn’t dissuade them and appointed them as local officials. Pitifully they had no guards or household troops, cobbling together a few bodyguards before taking office.

The result—one died in office. It was said he was accidentally killed trying to mediate a brawl among mountain people. The other acted relatively cautiously and gently, but unfortunately his beautiful, gentle wife was taken with by the head of the local power families. Using some unknown method, he was forcibly made to divorce and remarry. With Lou Yao’s straightforward, uncompromising nature, unless after taking office he didn’t contend, didn’t make trouble, didn’t act, otherwise—even if the Lou and Cheng families provided sufficient guards and household troops, if those local snakes truly schemed, it would just be the difference between the third watch and the fifth watch. At that time, what would she, Cheng Shaoshang, do?

Thinking of this, Ling Buyi’s eyes deepened. Shaoshang was made uneasy by his gaze and squeezed out a small breath: “…How long are you going to press on me?” If you want to change fiancées, just say so directly. No need to crush her to death.

Ling Buyi said darkly: “Seeing me humiliated and slandered by that base slave, you laughed happily. If today it were Lou Yao receiving such treatment, could you sit still?”

“No no no, I avenged you!” Shaoshang quickly said. “I tampered with that purple plum. If she’d eaten it all, it would definitely make her vomit and have diarrhea, wishing for death! However…” She smiled awkwardly. “You brought Fifth Prince as witness. She only bit once, so I don’t know how effective it will be.”

Ling Buyi’s expression eased slightly, his tone somewhat gentler: “Only knowing how to do shameful tricks.” Then his left palm pushed, and he turned to sit on the floor, his right hand bringing the girl lying on the ground into his embrace.

Shaoshang finally escaped the Five Finger Mountain. One hand pushed his shoulder, the other patted her own chest, taking deep breaths.

Ling Buyi also reached his hand to her back to help her breathing, saying with a smile: “You actually dared to fight with me. If I truly fought, I could crush ten of you.”

Shaoshang finally caught her breath evenly: “I had to try. Should I just submit without resistance?!” She wasn’t someone who sat waiting for death! Also, the self-defense techniques Uncle Cheng taught were completely useless. At the end of the day, finding a charlatan to teach martial arts—count her stupid!

“…If you want to learn martial arts, I’ll teach you.” The girl was already breathing normally, yet his palm didn’t leave her back. Instead, it followed that slender spine downward node by node, all the way to her tiny waist as fine as a willow.

Shaoshang felt uncomfortable all over being held by him, not to mention that palm tightly clasping her waist. She struggled trying to move away, but was instead locked tighter by Ling Buyi’s arm. Her whole body was enveloped in his clear musk cold masculine scent. She stiffened her slightly reddened face: “Don’t be handsy. We haven’t made up yet!”

Ling Buyi lowered his head with a smile. His fingers followed the floral embroidery along her sleeve opening, gently stroking her small wrist—the inner delicate flesh tender as a young lamb. “Mm, make up. So before we were ‘made up’?”

Shaoshang nearly vomited blood. Fortunately she’d mixed in society, otherwise she’d have been completely flirted with! She both reclaimed her wrist that had been stroked numb and, face red and stammering but righteously stern, counterattacked: “Everything before doesn’t count! What’s important is the future! As for whether the future is good or not depends on how Master Ling conducts himself going forward?”

“Then you tell me—how should I conduct myself in the future?” Ling Buyi smiled.

Shaoshang raised her chin high, putting on an arrogant appearance—whether it works or not, the momentum must be sufficient. “Very simple. In the future, if Master Ling has any decisions concerning me, you must have my approval. You can’t decide things for me behind my back without my knowledge! Like this time—how long have you had people watching me? I had no idea at all!”

“This is difficult.” Ling Buyi’s tone was firm. “First, sometimes urgent matters require quick decisions. Second, sometimes you don’t understand what’s important, so I must decide for you.”

“Urgent matters requiring quick decisions is one thing. What do you mean ‘I don’t understand what’s important’? Am I a fool? I’m also not an unreasonable person. I just want to know what you’re going to do to me. This isn’t excessive!”

“A woman’s limited vision!” Ling Buyi said coldly. “Let me give you an example. If someone is drowning and you want to save them, but my people stop you—what would you do?”

“Hehe, this isn’t difficult.” Shaoshang was completely unconcerned. She considered herself not a good person.

“What if the person in the water is your family or friend?”

Shaoshang immediately became furious: “Can’t you use a better example?!”

“Fine. What if the person in the water is a weak child?”

Shaoshang froze.

After a long while, she looked at those deep brown handsome eyes, full of sincerity, and said with difficulty: “Master Ling, would you really stand by and watch an innocent child drown to death? I know you’re not that kind of person.”

Ling Buyi gazed at the girl for a long time. His stern brows and eyes suddenly softened: “I know you’re also not that kind of person.”

Shaoshang returned a beautiful smile. She hadn’t smiled this sincerely in all these days.

“…But what if it’s a dwarf disguised as a child by enemies, planning an assassination?” Ling Buyi rubbed her forehead hair.

Shaoshang was stunned.

“Even if it’s a real child, what if saving them would ruin the entire plan and cost many people’s lives?”

Shaoshang continued being stunned.

“Some matters are very difficult to decide. Seeing them hurts the heart, thinking of them hurts the feelings. When truly encountering such things, it’s better to have my people deceive you—you say you heard cries for help by the water, they say you heard wrong. Wouldn’t that be good?” Ling Buyi said slowly.

At first hearing, this logic seemed quite reasonable, but Shaoshang vaguely felt something was wrong. She could only say vaguely: “…I, I need to think about it…”

Ling Buyi expressed satisfaction with her wavering. His fingers wound around her smooth hanging hair, asking idly: “For Her Majesty’s Thousand Autumn celebration, I wonder what birthday gift you’ve prepared?”

He was fine not mentioning it, but once he did, Shaoshang had a bellyful of anger: “You trapped me in the palace—what birthday gift could I prepare? Do you know how anxious I’ve been these days? I think you’re deliberately watching me make a fool of myself!” Hatefully, the matter arose suddenly. She didn’t even bring those precision iron tools, otherwise making two small ornaments to get by wouldn’t be impossible.

“No harm. I prepared a birthday gift for you.” Ling Buyi smiled.

“No need to trouble yourself.” Shaoshang looked arrogant, triumphant and smug. “I’ve already prepared a birthday gift.” Saying this, she pulled her beloved green bamboo short flute from her sleeve and waved it before Ling Buyi, like a small child showing off to an adult.

“I’m going to play a piece for the Empress… don’t frown, and don’t think the gift is too light. Last month my uncle and aunt finally finished composing a new piece and sent me the score. I practiced it at home for a long time—it’s truly a good piece! Not to brag, but it’s truly clear and graceful, elegant and refined—the whole capital has never heard such a good piece! At that time I’ll perform before His Majesty, and afterward tell His Majesty this is my uncle and aunt’s achievement. They’re a loving couple, of one heart and mind, which is how they created this wonderful piece! How about it—this birthday gift isn’t bad, right?”

Ling Buyi quietly listened to the girl boast for a while, then suddenly asked: “Since this piece was composed by your uncle and aunt, originally it should be a qin and xiao duet, right?”

Shaoshang paused: “Uh, yes, but the short flute can also play it. Slightly modify a few places and it works, though the artistic conception is a bit lacking, but it still sounds very good.”

Ling Buyi nodded and asked again: “Then if His Majesty asks, since the original piece is a qin and xiao duet, why are you playing the flute alone instead of finding me to play together?”

Shaoshang’s mouth gaped open. She never dreamed there would be this twist. She was completely dumbfounded.

No matter how clever and adaptable she was, she couldn’t navigate around her fiancé’s strange and twisted thought process. Both anxious and panicked, she said: “…Why, why would His Majesty ask such a question? Why ask such a tricky question…”

Ling Buyi heavily pushed the girl away, stood up with a cold face, and said: “I also play the qin.”

Having said this, he stepped out of the chamber, leaving only Shaoshang sitting dumbly on the floor alone.

—So, not only must she show care and concern for his material life, she must also care about his spiritual life, right? But they’re still quarreling, in a cold war! Does he need to be so particular?!