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"What do you really want?" Qi Rong stared intently at the man in front of him, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in his expression.
Su Peijiu shrugged. "I haven't thought it through yet; let the Crown Prince owe me for now." Looking at the bright moon rising outside the hall's window, she slowly stood up, not looking at Qi Rong. "If you want this Master of the Building to help you reclaim Yuan Cang, the only requirement is that Qi Mo must never enter the court again! If the Crown Prince can manage that..."
Qi Rong narrowed his eyes. He had sensed that the Master of the Building from Nan Xie Tower harbored deep resentment towards Qi Mo, but when Qi Mo was stripped of his title, she did not act on her earlier intentions to kill him... Now she was actively offering to help him reclaim Yuan Cang; what was her true purpose?
Su Peijiu certainly did not overlook the growing suspicion in Qi Rong's eyes. She said softly, "There's an old saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Does the Crown Prince not know this?"
Qi Rong remained silent for a moment before breaking into a smile, though the frost in his eagle-like eyes showed that he was not entirely at ease with her words. "What does the Master of the Building intend to do?" This was an agreement.
Su Peijiu's tone turned cold. "This is a matter for this Master of the Building; the Crown Prince only needs to cooperate... Also." The corners of her lips curled slightly. "Although the old emperor has little time left, he still holds some power. If the Crown Prince is sincere..." She left her words hanging.
The hall doors opened, and a figure shrouded in black gauze entered, taking Su Peijiu away.
Qi Rong clenched his fists and slammed them on the table, disregarding the splintered wood scattered across it, his face darkening. "Just a mere bandit dares to negotiate with me! Once I hold power, I will definitely wipe you all out!"
...
Holding a book, Su Peijiu leaned back in a soft chair in a villa on the outskirts of the city, soaking up the sun. Just as she began to doze off, she heard a commotion outside. She lowered her book from her face and tiredly asked Hua Qian, "What's happening outside?"
Hua Qian was busy sorting her herbs and looked somewhat strange and angry as she replied, "...The head of the Nangong Family and people from Cangjian Villa are causing a scene at the door."
"They actually know that this Master of the Building is at this villa on the outskirts; it seems Nangong Family has put in quite an effort." Rubbing her temples, she half-opened her eyes and sat up. "Let's go take a look."
Hua Qian quickly set down her herbs and followed her. "Actually, Master of the Building could just ignore them."
Su Peijiu smiled helplessly at her. "...Things ultimately need to be resolved." Besides, if this continued, Flower Mother would surely find out; it must be hard on her heart.
“Is Nangong Xiang still alive?” she asked while putting on a mask that she received from Hua Qianshou.
This mask was recently made by Hua Qian, as the previous one was damaged, so she specially crafted a new one for her. It was a White Jade cat face mask, covering the upper part of her lips while leaving her lips and chin exposed. It was quite elegant and beautiful.
“Nangong Xiang has been insane since the moment she was brought back.”
“Hmm.” Su Peijiu adjusted the angle of the mask, nodded, and took down the Brocade Hairpin from her hair, leaving only a White Jade Hairpin to style her bun.
The Nangong Family had already fallen from grace and posed no threat. The only tricky matter was Cangjian Villa. She was currently busy negotiating with the Zhou Kingdom Ruler, and did not want to involve Nan Xie Tower in a confrontation with Cangjian Villa, so this matter needed careful consideration.
At the entrance, she saw two palanquins, one purple-black and the other dark-colored, surrounded by many people who completely occupied the entrance of this courtyard, which displeased her.
“What a grand display.” After making eye contact with Black Crow, she slightly nodded, and Black Crow stood behind her.
The curtain of the dark-colored palanquin was pulled aside, revealing Xiao Chuxin's pale and haggard face. After several days without seeing him, he had lost so much weight that it was hard to recognize him as the previously imposing Zhuang Master.
A dark glint flashed in Su Peijiu's eyes, and her red lips beneath the White Jade Cat Face Mask curled slightly: “Xiao the Manor Master, how did you become so haggard? If matters within the manor are complicated, this Master of the Building wouldn’t mind taking on some responsibilities.”
“You arrogant child…” an elderly man stepped forward with a flushed face, ready to scold her.
Xiao Chuxin coughed: “Step back.”
“But Zhuang Master…”
“Step back!” A fierce look flashed in Xiao Chuxin's eyes, and the elderly man reluctantly retreated.
“Which play is this from?” Su Peijiu smiled, her sleeves hanging down, slowly dropping a Silver Bone Fan into her jade-like hand. She opened the fan and began to fan herself absentmindedly.
Xiao Chuxin pushed away the hands of those trying to assist him, using one hand to support himself as he stepped out of the sedan chair. His right hand was wrapped in layer upon layer of gauze, with blood seeping through that was alarming to see.
Upon hearing that Hua Qianxiao Chu Xin had chopped off his own right hand as atonement, she initially dismissed it with a smile, but now it seemed there was a hint of pity.
Her expression remained unchanged, and she did not speak. She was waiting for Xiao Chuxin to clarify his intentions. If he had come to seek vengeance against the Nangong Family, Nan Xie Tower would not mind chopping off his other hand as well!
“...Where is Flower Mother?” Xiao Chuxin coughed, his expression sorrowful.
“What do you seek Flower Mother for?” The tone was flat, revealing no emotion.
“To ask for her forgiveness…” Xiao Chuxin suddenly knelt on the ground, disregarding the Nangong Family's insults and the gasps of surprise from the Elders of Cangjian Villa behind him. He forced a smile, but his gaze was sincere: “I, Xiao Chuxin, request to see Flower Mother just once… just once…”
Su Peijiu's red lips curled into a strange arc: “But Flower Mother is not here.”
“Then where is she?” The man kneeling on the ground asked urgently.
“Is she at the edge of the world or at the ends of the sea? How would this Master of the Building know?”
“I know that Master of the Building has a bias against me, but this time I sincerely want to find Flower Mother to ask for forgiveness… I will not give up; I will come again.” With the support of the Elders, he stood up, turned his back, and walked back into the sedan chair, seemingly intending to leave.
The Nangong Family grew anxious. An elderly woman with a plump appearance and adorned with agate gold ornaments shouted anxiously: “Xiao Master, what does this mean? Have you forgotten about my Xiang Er? She is your legally wedded wife… She is currently missing; how can you remain indifferent?!”
The curtain of Xiao Chuxin's sedan chair moved slightly and then returned to calm. Only an aged and weary voice could be heard coming from within: “If one does wrong, one must accept punishment; this is the way… Let’s go back.” The sedan chair lifted and returned along the same path.
The woman’s face turned pale, and she suddenly fell to the ground. Then she quickly got up and knelt in front of the Purple-Black sedan chair, shouting loudly, “Head of the family, head of the family... please, you must save Xiang Er, she is your sister...”
Su Peijiu had been paying attention to the sedan chair. Although it was not particularly striking in appearance, an expert could tell at a glance that it was quite valuable. The finest cloud brocade was used for the sedan's surface, and the ornaments hanging from each corner were all made of dark purple glass. The carvings on the sedan door were exquisite, making it a true masterpiece.
This sedan chair could be considered a luxury among luxuries. However, it was unclear what the interior was like; if the exterior was so splendid, the inside must be even more refined.
With this thought in mind, she felt a desire to take a look inside the sedan chair. She wondered if the Nan Xie Tower, which was said to be immensely wealthy, had such an exquisite sedan chair. She had always lived a rough life and had never enjoyed such luxuries.
Black Crow noticed the jealousy flashing in his Master of the Building's eyes and stepped forward to say, “Our treasury has even better sedan chairs than this one; we just thought Master of the Building did not favor extravagance, so we never brought them out.”
Su Peijiu cleared her throat to cover up her thoughts that had been exposed by her subordinate.
The woman kneeling on the ground and crying loudly was Nangong Xiang’s mother. Nangong Xiang was the eldest daughter of the Nangong Family. Although her mother was not the legal wife, she should not have fallen to her knees before the newly appointed head of the family’s legitimate son.
However, after a while, Su Peijiu immediately dismissed her current doubts.
A slender hand gently lifted the curtain, and a man dressed in white bent down to step out of the sedan chair. His clothing was embroidered with white cranes, which seemed to come alive as they fluttered with his movements.
His ink-black hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin, and his face was like jade with red lips and white teeth.
There is a type of man in this world who stands there like a painting; every movement is poetically beautiful. Even though Su Peijiu was accustomed to seeing handsome men like Qi Mo and Ji Yu, she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter for a moment.
The man before her, Nangong Li, although not as exquisitely handsome as Qi Mo or as enchanting as Ji Yu, possessed an aloof and indifferent aura that made it hard for people to look away from him.
“Li has come unexpectedly; I apologize for any rudeness.” His eyes were brown, and Su Peijiu saw thick mist within them that obscured all probing gazes.
Before her stood Nangong Li, undoubtedly a person of unfathomable depth!
Su Peijiu slowly walked down the steps towards Nangong Li, circling around him before reaching out to lift his chin, saying something shocking: "Nangong Family Head looks quite good; how about becoming my male pet?"
The members of the Nangong Family drew their swords upon hearing this, but Su Peijiu showed no fear. She continued to hold the chin of the man in front of her, observing his indifferent expression, the corners of his lips hidden beneath his mask never faltering.
"Is the Nangong Family Head feeling shy?" Her hand slid down from his chin, gently gliding over his Adam's apple and finally resting on his collarbone, seemingly with an intention to go lower.
Let’s see if you can still hold back!
Sure enough, her hand was grasped by a cold one, and the man spoke: "Master of the Building, are you serious?"
"What if I am serious? What if I'm not? Does the family head not know that there is a saying in this world: life is but a play? Why take it seriously..."
"Master of the Building seems to enjoy playing with life." His voice remained calm, yet he continued to hold Su Peijiu's hand tightly.
"...Playing with life?" A hint of sarcasm appeared on Su Peijiu's face beneath her mask. With her other hand holding the Silver Bone Fan, she aimed a strike at Nangong Li's hand that held hers, only to see him dodge even quicker. She chuckled lightly: "Life lasts only a few decades; it's best to enjoy it."
"Li has learned." The man took a small step back.
In that instant, a phrase flashed through Su Peijiu's mind: "A gentleman is like cutting and polishing; like carving and grinding..."
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