“Think you’re the only one with strength?!” Ah Jiao slammed her hand onto the table with even more force than Liu Che.
The crystal lamp on the desk rattled, though fortunately, it remained upright.
Liu Che was momentarily stunned by her outburst.
Shaking out her sleeves, Ah Jiao stood up and marched toward the door. After a few steps, she whirled back, pointing a finger at Liu Che in a rage. “Liu Che, this is exactly how you are! Even when you’re wrong, you refuse to admit it. You’d rather find any way possible to shift the blame onto others. If you were truly a paragon of virtue like Liu Xia Hui, would you have been ‘seduced’ into bed by women time and time again?”
The surrounding palace maids and eunuchs wished their mothers had never given birth to them. If they hadn't been born, they wouldn't have to witness such a scene!
“You… you… you!” Liu Che was choked with fury.
“Bah! Lust is lust. You dare to do it but don't dare to own up to it—what kind of man are you?!” Ah Jiao spat the words out and walked straight out, ignoring how Liu Che’s eyes had turned blood-red with rage.
Ah Jiao climbed onto her palanquin in one breath and gave a sharp wave of her hand, ordering the procession back to the Hall of Cloud Light.
Her courage was growing, and that was a good thing. Ah Jiao knew her mother had emphasized repeatedly that Liu Che was an Emperor; one could not measure such a man by feelings alone. Achievements were the only standard for an Emperor. As long as he ruled well, his private morals were nothing more than idle gossip for the masses.
However, while feelings might not be important to an Emperor, they were very important to her. Was she not the one directly facing Liu Che’s emotions? She knew Liu Che would eventually hold a place of power in Yidu, but that didn't stop her from thinking he was a… what was the word?
Oh, right. As Lin Gao put it: a scumbag!
Back at the Hall of Cloud Light, Ah Jiao finished washing up and dismissed all the servants. She drew the bed curtains tight and carefully took out the book Master Shen had given her.
After flipping through a few pages, she found the Mind-Clearing and Evil-Expelling Incantation. Ah Jiao studied it; as expected, it wasn't difficult to learn. She cast it upon herself, and her head, which had been heavy and groggy from a long day’s toil, instantly cleared.
She summoned Nan Ke and told her to guard the door while she made her way to Princess Dangli’s manor.
Nan Ke lowered all the veils in the bedchamber. The Empress and the Emperor had quarreled again; she estimated the Emperor wouldn't be coming tonight.
In truth, she couldn't quite understand why the Empress dared to fight with His Majesty. One had to know that faking a pregnancy in the palace was a capital offense. When His Majesty discovered it, he hadn't punished her; instead, his favor remained as strong as ever. Shouldn't the Empress love His Majesty even more for that?
Why did there seem to be an even greater rift between them now?
Nan Ke sighed for a while until she suddenly heard a commotion outside.
“May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, with joy without end!”
The synchronized voices struck Nan Ke like a bolt of thunder, freezing her in place.
A knock sounded at the door, followed by Yu Li’s voice: “Nan Ke, open up! His Majesty is here!”
Nan Ke paced in a frantic circle.
“Nan Ke?” Yu Li’s voice rose in pitch.
Before Nan Ke could even walk over, she saw the doors being shoved open with a crash.
Nan Ke hurriedly fell to her knees.
Yu Li scolded, “What are you doing? Didn't you hear us?”
Nan Ke stammered, unable to find words. Seeing Liu Che stride inside, she blurted out, “Your Majesty, the Empress said she…”
“Get out!” Liu Che’s anger had subsided slightly, but Ah Jiao’s refusal to open the door had stoked the flames once more.
Seeing that Nan Ke didn't react, Yu Li felt a pang of suspicion but quickly dragged her out.
Through the closing gap of the door, Nan Ke saw the Emperor lift a curtain.
Liu Che walked straight to the bedside. Seeing no movement at all, he said irritably, “What? Have you even forgotten your manners?”
No response.
Liu Che sat on the edge of the bed, his voice simmering with anger. “Chen Ah Jiao, don't just put on this act whenever you feel like it. I’m telling you, I won't fall for it. If you put on airs with me, you’re the only one who will suffer. There are thousands upon thousands of women in this world; you are not the only one I can have.”
He took a breath. “I only tolerate you because of your deep affection and the fact that we grew up together. Do not presume upon my favor to be so willful!”
Still no reaction.
Liu Che yanked the bed curtains aside, only to find the space completely empty.
His pupils constricted violently. Then, remembering the technique of instantaneous movement Ah Jiao had used that day, the doubts in his heart multiplied.
Reincarnation.
Resurrection.
Magic.
Ah Jiao said she had returned to his side because her emotions had moved Heaven and Earth, but… even so, why would she have magic? Could it be that the gods saw her as pitiful and taught her spells as well?
The City God.
Ghost Immortals.
Liu Che’s body trembled, but he didn't want to believe it.
It wasn't that he hadn't suspected, but he was unwilling to accept it.
He had spent so many years laboriously seeking immortals and asking the Way, spending untold amounts of wealth and energy without ever gaining such an opportunity. Yet Chen Ah Jiao had simply lived comfortably in the Longmen Palace for a few decades and obtained it?
He remembered when they were being pursued outside the city; Ah Jiao seemed to have said something about "colleagues of the Underworld"?
Huan Jun had said that the Underworld was the realm of Ghost Immortals and Earthly Immortals, where they worshipped the Great Goddess of the Earth, just as the Heavenly Immortals and Gods of the Celestial Realm worshipped the August Emperor of Heaven.
The Underworld and the Heavens stood opposite each other across the Great Void, equal in status, both being possible destinations for those seeking immortality.
The Great Han sacrificed to the Five Emperors and the Great One, and likewise to August Heaven and Sovereign Earth.
Liu Che squeezed his own hand.
He realized he was jealous.
If Ah Jiao truly had the opportunity to become an immortal, he felt he might go mad with envy.
He felt the gods were unjust. No matter how he looked at it, he—the Emperor—should be far more suited to becoming an immortal or a god, far more suited for eternal life, than a woman like Chen Ah Jiao who cared for nothing but love!
Liu Che was so angry he was nearly in tears when Ah Jiao’s figure suddenly appeared in the hall with a soft *shoo*.
Ah Jiao: “…” She had been caught using magic by Liu Che. What should she do? This was urgent!
Then she remembered she had already used magic while saving Liu Che’s life that day, so she didn't feel too awkward. She simply stretched, then leaned toward the brazier. It was still quite cold, with spring less than a month away.
The snow outside was slowly melting; she had nearly slipped while crouching on the eaves of Liu Qing’s roof!
Liu Che stared at Ah Jiao for a long time, watching her contentedly warm her hands.
“Chen Ah Jiao!” His voice was hoarse as he called her name.
Ah Jiao blinked. Why did she think she heard a hint of grievance in his voice? She replied casually, “What is it?”
Liu Che stood up, walked to her side, and grabbed her hand. “What is going on with you? Have you… have you become an immortal?”
Ah… this…
Had Liu Che finally guessed it? Or should she be impressed he guessed so quickly?
Ah Jiao hummed twice but didn't speak.
Liu Che took this as a silent admission. He slumped onto the floor, dejected.
After a long silence, he suddenly lunged forward, his eyes turning red again. “Chen Ah Jiao, by what right?!”
“What do you care by what right?” Ah Jiao felt she might be adopting a "broken pot" attitude—letting it all shatter—but on second thought, she felt this wasn't a bad thing. It was the mindset of a servant finally becoming the master!
She tilted her chin up and, in a flash, moved to the opposite side of Liu Che.
Liu Che stared at her with those red eyes. Ah Jiao felt a bit uncomfortable and gave a dry cough, picking up the warm honey water from the small side table.
To be precise, it was pomegranate juice, sweet and delicious. She poured a cup; the crimson juice looked beautiful against the white jade.
Liu Che rushed over, snatched it, and downed it in one gulp.
Ah Jiao: “…”
Liu Che: “Hmph!”
Ah Jiao stood up gracefully, not even giving Liu Che a sidelong glance. “Suit yourself. By the way, I’m not going with you on this southern tour. Go by yourself.”
Liu Che flared up again. “Why?”
Ah Jiao thought to herself: *To look after Master Yun He, of course!* But aloud, she said, “Liu Che, we are not suited for each other.”
Liu Che frowned. “But didn't you come back specifically for me?” Unless she was lying to him, and Huan Jun was lying to him too.
Ah Jiao turned back. “I did come back. I used to think it was because I wasn't good enough, but now I realize we are simply incompatible. You are suited to be a high and mighty Emperor, holding the power of life and death, awe-inspiring in all directions. And I… what I want is perhaps exactly what Zhuo Wenjun said: ‘To win the heart of one, and never part until our hair turns white.’”
“You refuse to change for me, and I refuse to bow to you. If that isn't incompatibility, what is?”
Liu Che was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. “If you loved me enough, why wouldn't you give up that stu—that ridiculous idea for me?”
Ah Jiao laughed at his words. “How interesting! Why should I be the one to give it up?”
When Lin Gao spoke of his past with his wife, Lady Qu, he said that two people in love were like two people walking toward each other from opposite ends of a path. If the path was a hundred steps long, and you didn't move, I would walk.
But if she had walked ninety-nine steps, why wouldn't he take even a single one?
Lin Gao had laughed mockingly: *“Why else? He just doesn't love you!”*
Loving someone can make a person change for the other; that was true. But she felt Liu Che had never changed.
In another world, "Hiding Jiao in a Golden House" had become a joke. In this world, when had Liu Che ever truly loved her?
She was indeed weary of this relationship.
She didn't like Liu Che that much anymore.
It was as simple as that.
