My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Fang Xuanling stood to one side. His hands were hidden in his wide sleeves.

My fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

Cold sweat slid down his temples and into his neck.

The inner garment on my back was soaked through and clung to my skin, feeling icy cold.

His mind was filled with Cheng Yaojin's words.

"Cheng Chuliang was law-abiding, while his grandson rebelled."

Fang Xuanling bit his lower lip.

Old Cheng is a rough man.

The son born was reckless, but straightforward and honest.

Even so, by the time it reached the grandchildren's generation, there were still traitors among them.

What about my own home?

Fang Xuanling closed his eyes.

The face of the second son, Fang Yi'ai, flashed into my mind.

He is ignorant and associates with scoundrels.

They spend their days fighting cocks and chasing dogs; they're reckless and brainless.

In the future, it will only bring eternal infamy.

The Cheng family at least didn't fall into complete ruin until their grandchildren's generation. But this son of mine...

Fang Xuanling dared not think any further.

It felt like a millstone was pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Xuanling," Li Shimin called him.

Fang Xuanling snapped back to reality. "Your subject is here."

"Have the accounts been reconciled?"

"Your Majesty... I suddenly feel dizzy and lightheaded. I fear I have caught a cold." Fang Xuanling bowed, his voice trembling. "I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to take half a day's leave."

Seeing that his face was indeed pale, Li Shimin waved his hand. "Go. Call the imperial physician to take a look."

Fang Xuanling bowed.

A step backward.

He turned and walked out of the warm pavilion.

As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, he practically ran to climb into the carriage.

"Back to the manor! Quickly!"

The Duke of Liang's Mansion.

Fang Xuanling jumped off the carriage, tripped on the threshold, and nearly fell. The steward quickly helped him up.

"Sir, please slow down."

Fang Xuanling pushed him away, panting heavily. "Where is the Second Young Master?"

The butler paused, then said, "In the backyard. We just bought two crickets, and they're..."

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Xuanling strode off towards the backyard.

Passing through the passageway.

He saw a jujube wood bolt, as thick as an arm, leaning against the door.

It's usually used to prop up the main gate.

He grabbed it. The wood was heavy.

Shouts came from the backyard.

"Bite it! Bite its leg! Yes! Go for it!"

Fang Yi'ai squatted on the ground, holding a straw stick in his hand, poking at two crickets in a blue and white porcelain basin.

Several servants stood nearby and joined in the commotion.

A shadow fell.

It blocked the sunlight.

Fang Yi'ai looked up.

He saw Fang Xuanling standing in front of him.

His face was ashen, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Father? You dismissed court so early today..."

Fang Xuanling remained silent.

He gripped the jujube wood door latch with both hands.

Raise it high.

He used his waist to generate force. The door latch slammed down with a whoosh.

"Bang!"

It hit Fang Yi'ai squarely on the back.

"Ah—!" Fang Yi'ai screamed and fell to the ground. The porcelain basin was overturned, and the cricket jumped into the grass.

"Dad! What are you doing!" Fang Yi'ai rolled on the ground, clutching his head.

Fang Xuanling remained silent. He followed. Another blow landed on his leg.

"Bang!"

"Ouch! My leg is broken!"

The servants around were terrified, all kneeling on the ground trembling, and not one of them dared to stop them.

"Even Old Cheng's son knows how to behave!" Fang Xuanling gritted his teeth, cursing with each strike, "You good-for-nothing beast!"

"Bang!"

"You're not even as good as Cheng Chuliang!"

"Bang!"

Fang Yi'ai was beaten so badly he crawled on the ground, crying and shouting, "Dad! Stop hitting me! I'm going to die!"

Fang Xuanling was panting heavily from the beating.

My hand was numb from the impact. The door latch fell to the ground.

He pointed to Fang Yi'ai, who was wailing on the ground.

My fingers are shaking.

"Lock him in the woodshed. No food without my order. Only water." Fang Xuanling turned to stare at the steward, his eyes murderous. "If he takes even half a step out the door, I'll kill you first."

The butler kowtowed desperately.

Fang Xuanling leaned against a pillar, looking at his good-for-nothing son, and a deep sense of despair welled up inside him.

The Duke of Zhao's Mansion.

study.

Changsun Wuji sat in a grand chair. A cup of cold tea sat in front of him.

He didn't go crazy like Lao Cheng, nor was he terrified like Fang Xuanling.

He was unusually calm.

Since returning from Taiji Palace, he has been sitting here, repeatedly replaying in his mind every detail of Cheng Yaojin's act of carrying thorns to apologize.

"The History of Time"

To foresee the future.

For a military general, the future is nothing more than the success or failure, honor or disgrace, rise or fall of his descendants.

But for a powerful civil official, the empress's own brother, and a top-tier aristocratic family that controlled the core power hub of the Tang Dynasty...

Knowing the future is an invincible weapon.

"The Cheng family will produce traitors." Changsun Wuji dipped his finger in cool tea and slowly drew circles on the table. "And the Changsun family?"

My younger sister is the Empress. My nephew is the Crown Prince.

The Changsun family is now at the height of its power. They're like oil on a raging fire.

But the moon wanes after it's full, and water overflows when it's full. Can the Changsun family prosper forever? Will anyone be envious? In the future, who will bring them down in the court?

If only we could see the history books in advance.

To know in advance who it is.

Kill him now.

Changsun Wuji stopped pointing. His eyes sharpened like a blade.

He stood up. He walked to the bookshelf in the study. He turned an inconspicuous incense burner.

"Click".

A hidden compartment popped open in the wall.

Changsun Wuji took out a sandalwood box from inside.

turn on.

Inside lay two pieces of translucent Western jade and a mature old ginseng.

This was his most treasured possession. He had originally intended to save it for a life-saving purpose.

He closed the box.

"Someone come here."

The butler pushed the door open and came in. "Master."

"Prepare the car, we'll leave through the back door." Changsun Wuji hugged the box tightly, his voice calm and even. "Go to the Prince of Qin's residence, be quick, and avoid being seen by anyone."

Night falls. The backyard of the Prince of Qin's residence.

Down in the corridor.

The red oil in the copper pot was bubbling.

The aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers wafts straight into your nose.

Li Chen rolled up his sleeves, picked up a thinly sliced ​​piece of mutton, swished it seven times in the pot, scooped it out, dipped it in sesame sauce, and popped it into his mouth.

"That feels good." He sighed.

Qin Huaidao walked over and stopped three steps away.

"Your Highness."

"Have they arrived?" Li Chen asked while chewing on mutton.

"They've arrived. It's Duke Changsun Wuji of Zhao. He brought lavish gifts and entered through the side gate very discreetly."

Li Chen put down his chopsticks and rinsed his mouth with the water beside him.

A smile, full of amusement, curled at the corner of his mouth.

Old Cheng was just an appetizer. Fang Xuanling's beating of his son was also a minor matter.

The real big money has come knocking on their door, hasn't it?

"Please let him in." Li Chen wiped his hands and picked up a silver skewer to pok at the charcoal fire.

A series of light footsteps sounded. Changsun Wuji, with his signature gentle smile on his face, carrying the wooden box, slowly walked into the backyard.

He looked at Li Chen sitting in front of the hot pot, just about to perform a grand salute.

Li Chen raised his eyelids and looked at him with a half-smile.

"Duke Zhao, visiting so late at night, are you also here to look at history books?"

Changsun Wuji bowed, smiling like an old fox: "Indeed. I hope Your Highness will grant my request."

Li Chen tossed aside the silver skewer and picked up a white towel to wipe his hands.

"You can watch," Li Chen said, staring into his eyes. "But I must warn you. Old Cheng just went home and beat his son after watching it. You've watched it..."

Li Chen leaned forward slightly, the firelight illuminating his ambiguous smile.

"...I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep at night."

Changsun Wuji's smile froze slightly.