Chapter 88: Dominance

If he could not get any men to marry into the family, Liu She would go with his original plan: Liu Lanting would take wives and concubines, but she would also secretly have a man to continue the family line. The future Emperor Jiang would be able to do whatever she wanted! Even if she had three husbands, no one would say anything about it.

She would be the emperor, and she would not need to give a reason for anything. She should not lower herself to those men!

Liu She continued with his recommendations and tried his best to get her to agree to one of his options.

“Pretty… There is one. How about Langye’s Wei Zixiao? He’s refined and charming and more beautiful than a woman. It’s as if he was born from the gods…”

Liu She raised his eyebrows at Jiang Pengji.

If anyone else were to make such an expression, it would seem vulgar. But for Liu She, he looked elegant and could still make one’s stomach fill with butterflies.

Jiang Pengji laughed, embarrassed. “Why are they all from Langye?”

As if there are no other men left but in Langye Province.

It seemed as though her father was really drunk.

“Everyone knows that Hejian has the most beautiful people and scholars. Hejian is where all the beautiful noble ladies gather. Langye and Qiongning Counties are known for being the birthplaces of master politicians and renowned scholars… Dongqing isn’t the most insignificant of the five nations, though. If the other four nations thought Dongqing was insignificant, they wouldn’t be trying to cultivate talented scholars.”

Liu She suddenly clapped his hands and laughed. “Only an outstanding man deserves my precious and talented daughter.”

Gu Min had said that two smart people can have even smarter descendants.

Jiang Pengji smiled and said nothing as she poured the liquor for herself and her father.

Shortly afterward, Liu She’s breathing evened out. He had fallen asleep.

The courtyard’s pear blossoms fluttered in the wind, and some fell on his head.

“And just like that, he’s drunk.”

Jiang Pengji finished the leftover liquor and looked at the sky. She got up and picked up the sleeping Liu She.

Even though he was a fully grown man, she could pick him up easily.

She placed him on his bed and pulled the blankets up around him. Then she tucked in the corners. Under the candlelight, Liu She’s dark circles stood out.

“…So skinny… What happened that year to make him lose this much weight?”

Jiang Pengji frowned. When she carried him, it had felt like he was made of only bones.

When she got up, she noticed something in the corner of the room. Was that… Gu Min’s memorial tablet?

She froze before hurriedly leaving Liu She’s bedroom. She pulled the doors closed and checked to make sure the night air would not blow into the room.

She pulled on her thick cloak and looked for the quickest route back to her wing. She had to cross through the courtyard.

The corridors had lanterns, but the lighting was still poor. Along the way, she met a team of guards.

The team had five men, and the leader of the team held the lantern. They stopped and bowed.

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Jiang Pengji hummed a reply and returned to her wing without a backward glance.

“This residence isn’t small, and the secrets it holds are plentiful.”

Jiang Pengji smirked. In the dark, those dark eyes of hers seemed to glow in amusement.

The next day, Liu She held his throbbing head as he pulled back his covers. He sighed and grumbled about how his body was starting to grow weak. To think that a few cups of the pear blossom liquor could get him drunk. He could not remember how he had even gotten back to his bed the night before.

When he sat up, the maid outside his room heard him and asked, “Master, are you awake?”

“Yes. I’m awake.”

Liu She laid back down. Once his headache was manageable, he sat back up again.

After he checked his appearance and made sure nothing looked out of place, he called for the maid to enter.

Liu She and Gu Min were married for a short few years, and they had also been childhood sweethearts. Most of his habits and customs had been influenced by his wife.

The maid entered, and Liu She’s expression was indifferent when he took the towel from her. He used the warm water she had brought in to wash his face. His muddled mind was starting to become more alert.

Liu She did not stink of alcohol because he had not drunk much. But he still changed into a perfumed outfit. Only Jiang Pengji would have been able to tell that he had anything to drink the night before.

Once he looked presentable, Liu She checked the sky and gauged the time.

“Did Lanting come over this morning?”

He had slept well into the afternoon. No wonder his head hurt so badly. Too much sleep could tax the body.

“The second Langjun paid his respects this morning. But when he heard that you were still asleep, he told me not to wake you.”

Liu She was quiet, and a memory surfaced in his mind. He turned pale and resisted holding his head.

His image as a father…

The maid’s eyes were cast downward, and she did not dare to look at Liu She. She stood a respectable distance from him and therefore did not see his warring emotions. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

If the maid, especially a personal maid like her, was at any other family, she would have had another role when the lady of the house was not well. Personal maids had much higher ranks than regular maids.

“You may go. Let me have some peace by myself.”

He did need to be alone. He had been carried by his young daughter. As a father, his pride was in pieces.

Once the maid left and shut the doors, Liu She’s expression grew weary as he grumbled to his wife’s memorial tablet.

“Is this what you said would happen? Dominance?”

Outside the room, a few maids left quietly.

One of the maids stood out because she was beautiful and had a bubbly personality. She was new and had not been with the Lius for even half a year. When one looked at her, he or she always felt more cheerful.

“Ah, Sister Tong, why hasn’t the master gone to the rear wing since he’s been back?

Sister Tong was a maid from the main branch who was now serving Liu She. She was in her early twenties and did not wear any makeup. Her clothes were dark, and she gave off a gloomy attitude.

Upon a first glance, one would think she was a married mother.