Chapter 87: The Teen Begins to Shine (IV)

“Let’s not continue this boring subject.” Liu She ended the conversation before his daughter could become upset about it.

But he had to confess that her response made him proud. She would become Empress Chen in the future, the first Empress of Jiang Dynasty!

Different conjectures passed through his mind, though his countenance remained the same.

Jiang Pengji frowned as she attempted to capture his thoughts. She said, “Father, you should rest. Don’t overthink things at home.”

“If you say so.” He listened and smiled. “I want egg stew for a late-night snack.”

Jiang Pengji kept her face stiff to conceal her embarrassment. “I can’t cook.”

Liu Lanting did not even know where the kitchen was, and Jiang Pengji had grown up eating anything she could to survive. The only dishes she could make were barbecue and skewers.

“I’ll make it then. And we’ll have wine.”

A sip of wine could bring people closer, and both of them wanted to liven up the atmosphere after their previous discussion.

Still, Jiang Pengji was puzzled. Why egg stew?

Besides, was it really okay for an underage person like Liu Lanting to consume alcohol?

Soon, she found the answers to all her doubts.

Liu She wanted egg stew because it was the only dish he could cook by himself.

As for the wine, they had pear blossom wine, which the family made every year and contained an almost neglectable amount of alcohol. Not even 20 bottles would make her drunk.

Yet, a few bottles brought redness to Liu She’s cheeks.

Jiang Pengji looked at the container in her hand and then at her dad.

Was he tipsy because of this nearly non-alcoholic drink?

She did not know that Gu Min had forbidden him from consuming alcohol or using tobacco due to concerns over his health. They only had a tiny cup of wine on their wedding night. Liu She usually had tea instead of wine at social events, but he began to take a few sips of wine after Gu Min passed away.

Liu She had not been born with a high alcohol tolerance, and he had never trained himself to drink more. With his unhealthy body and his overwhelming workload in Xu, he was susceptible to the alcohol in the mild pear blossom wine.

So when he drank to gain a moment of relief from reality, he would become drunk no matter what he had.

More bottles of wine blurred Liu She’s consciousness and slightly reddened his eyes.

The two rested in a corridor in the yard.

“Your mother loved pear blossoms and took care of them herself… The wine is made from the flowers, and it became our guests’ favorite beverage… We used to have a swing under this tree, and she would hold your eldest brother in her arms… They would laugh so happily…”

Pear blossoms were a symbol of separation, but Gu Min had insisted on growing them in their house, despite Liu She’s opposition.

Liu She could barely hide his emotions, and tears ran down his face as he supported his head with one hand. “Your brother… he was only two when he passed away! Your mother was weak, and I did not want her health to deteriorate… Four years later, we had your twin brother and you.

“But then he drowned before he even turned four. Ever since you two were born, your mother took care of every aspect of your lives. She prevented you from talking to strangers or walking close to water and stones… Still, we could not save our child.”

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As Liu She spoke, his eyes filled with despondency, madness, and hate.

“Lanting, women in the house may appear timid and gentle, but their hearts can be colder than that of snakes and scorpions! Do not underestimate them!”

As she listened, Jiang Pengji analyzed the information. The two brothers of Liu Lanting had been killed by a woman in the house. Liu She knew who it was, but he could not take revenge. Perhaps it was because she was too powerful. Liu She was restraining himself from avenging his loved ones.

But what were the motives behind the plots? Did the woman kill them out of love for Liu She or jealousy of Gu Min?

Jiang Pengji took a glance at her dad, who was much more mature and charming than the teenagers she had met.

Yet if it had been a crime of passion, why hadn’t she killed Gu Min directly? Instead, she had let her die of physical and mental suffering after the deaths of her children.

Dizziness caused Liu She to squint his eyes.

“My daughter will not be like those short-sighted women, competing for one man’s heart all her life.”

Jiang Pengji listened in silence. She had no intention of discussing anything with a drunk man.

“… It should be the men competing for her instead!”

She almost choked and spewed out her wine.

He should not encourage his daughter to cause misery to his fellow men.

“Feng Jin is pretty, but he is too stubborn and cold-hearted for you. He also has a wife and concubines at home.”

Jiang Pengji glanced at him. According to her own observations, Feng Jin was not married yet.

“Xu Xiaoyu is good looking too, but he is too rebellious and headstrong.”

Jiang Pengji thought her father cared too much about men’s appearances.

She waited for Liu She to continue, but he paused for a moment and turned abruptly to her with an intense gaze that flickered like fire. If she were a coward, she would have been scared by his sudden move.

He looked at her with blurred focus. “Lanting, what do you think about Cheng Youmo from Langye? He is a few years older than you, and he is temperate and discreet.”

Who is Cheng Youmo? His recommendation confused her. Yet given his comments on Feng Jin ‘s and Xu Ke’s appearances, Cheng Youmo was no doubt another pretty boy.

“Who’s that? I’m not interested.”

“Then… maybe Han Wenbin from Langye? Young, handsome, clever, and principled.”

Was he trying to find a match for her? Jiang Pengji began to feel sympathetic for the guys he had mentioned.

After all his suggestions were declined, Liu She sighed. “Why don’t you like them?”

“Perhaps because… they are not beautiful enough?”

Although she had never seen them before, she was certain those boys would not be stunning enough for her. Both Jiang Pengji and Liu She loved good looking people, and Jiang Pengji was even pickier than her father.

“Beautiful…” Liu She moved his head to one side as he scanned through a list of names in his mind. His selection for a son-in-law had begun when his child was little.

There was no way he would let her leave the family for her husband’s!

He would never, never, never let that happen!