Chapter 26: In Six Days, You Will Regain Your Sight!

Chu Ruoyan’s home was in the eastern district; she was the first to return to the mansion.

As soon as she entered the main hall, her mother rushed over, anxious.

“Daughter, how did you buy so much? Didn’t I teach you to show the Emperor your virtue and grace? That’s how he’ll take to you.”

“Mother, I didn’t even speak—he bought it all for me. Do you think I dared refuse?”

Chu Ruoyan sighed, yet her eyes gleamed with delight as she gazed at the treasures filling the room.

At her age, this was the first time anyone had spoiled her so thoroughly.

Women say they don’t want things—but their hearts are honest.

Hearing this, her mother exhaled in relief, then smiled brightly.

Clearly, the Emperor has taken a real fancy to Chu Ruoyan; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bought so much.

As her mother, I’ve benefited from her favor today.

These clothes and ornaments are the finest from the capital.

If I wore even a few out, the other families’ gossips would die of envy.

The mother and daughter began trying on the garments and jewelry.

After much bustle, Chu Ruoyan grew weary and returned to her room.

Just as she was about to close the door, the mysterious shadow appeared again before her room.

“Xiao Ming, you’ve finally come.”

Chu Ruoyan thought: last time I didn’t explain clearly—I must make it clear now.

But Xiao Ming heard it differently.

He believed his goddess had been waiting for him to take her away, unable to bear staying in the capital even a moment longer—that’s why she spoke with such urgency.

Xiao Ming’s heart ached again; he cursed his own helplessness.

He glanced at the room full of treasures and clothes, gritting his teeth: “That dog Emperor dares to insult you with mortal trinkets? What does he think you are? It makes me furious!”

After years of being a yes-man, Xiao Ming knew Chu Ruoyan despised such vulgar things.

Even her attire was always plain.

She had firmly refused gifts from Liu Hao and Wu Qi alike.

She made it clear: she only wished to cultivate earnestly, to elevate the Chu family through her own efforts, to become one of the capital’s top clans.

What an unshakable woman, untouched by materialism! What an independent, self-reliant woman!

This was precisely why Xiao Ming loved Chu Ruoyan most.

If Chu Ruoyan knew how he thought, she’d say: “I dressed plainly before because I couldn’t afford anything better!”

If these treasures and silks were an insult, Chu Ruoyan wished the insult would come even harder!

As for why she refused Liu Hao and Wu Qi’s gifts, it was simply feminine reserve.

Once she accepted, they’d press for more.

Until she decided to go further, she could never accept such things.

But before Li Chen, she had no chance to refuse—even no reason to.

Women who aren’t swayed by material things fall into two categories.

First: they already have everything.

Second: your offerings aren’t enough.

No, Xiao Ming must have misunderstood—Chu Ruoyan felt she must clarify.

Before Chu Ruoyan could speak, Xiao Ming vanished again, leaving only a mysterious silhouette. A final phrase lingered in the air.

“In six days, you will regain your sight!”

Chu Ruoyan’s eyes widened in shock—does this man never give me a chance to speak?

Does he think this makes him look cool?

Indeed, Xiao Ming, hiding in the shadows, couldn’t suppress the grin on his lips.

He’d spent the entire afternoon preparing this act.

Every detail—the entrance, the exit, the lines—was meticulously crafted.

He wanted Chu Ruoyan to know: he was the capital’s most devoted lover!

After the battle in the marketplace, Liu Hao returned to his mansion.

While the Chu household buzzed with joy, Liu’s mansion was tense.

As soon as Liu Hao arrived, he plopped down beside his father’s seat, picked up the teapot, and drank straight from it—so brazenly defiant.

The Liu family had strict discipline; nearby servants’ eyelids twitched at the sight.

!

They thought: Has the young master gone mad? How dare he sit beside Master’s seat?

Some sensible servants had already shut the mansion gates, to avoid outsiders witnessing the impending “filial piety” scene.

Liu Hao’s father was a hot-tempered man; seeing his son sit beside him without so much as a greeting, he thought: Is this boy itching for a beating?

Just as Liu Hao’s father rose, fury blazing, and pulled his belt from his waist to teach his son a lesson—

Liu Hao set down the teapot, smirked slightly, and said: “Today, I dined with the Emperor.”

In an instant, not a single person in the Liu mansion moved—not even his father, whose belt hung frozen midair.

To have even a sliver of connection with Li Chen—that was Liu Hao’s license to act like this today.

He didn’t believe his father would dare strike him.

Today, Liu Hao was definitely putting on this show.

As expected, his father’s aura vanished instantly; he began pressing Liu Hao for details.

Liu Hao had planned to say he was thirsty and ask his father to pour him tea.

But fearing he might actually be beaten to death, he held his tongue.

A small show was enough.

“I was at the commercial street today and happened to meet Chu Ruoyan.”

He recounted how he’d deduced Li Chen’s identity through Chu Ruoyan, observed secretly, seized a chance for a “chance encounter,” pretended not to know Li Chen, and used Chu Ruoyan’s connection to flatter him.

As he spoke, he grew increasingly excited.

“Good! Excellent! My brilliant son! Even such a scheme could occur to you—our Liu lineage has a worthy heir!”

Seeing his father’s beaming face, Liu Hao felt triumphant.

He grew even more convinced he’d made the wisest decision of his life.

Liu Hao began boasting further—when he mentioned introducing his clan sister to Li Chen, his father gave him a thumbs-up.

“Brilliant! The Emperor has no consorts yet. If you arrange this well, our Liu lineage will return to court!”

Perhaps Li Chen didn’t care for court politics—but that was the very place countless noble families of the Tian Ce Dynasty spent their lives trying to enter, even just to stand at the very back.

The Liu family once had a Grand General on par with Guo Po Yun, but no successors arose, and now they’d lost all standing in court.

In Liu Hao’s father’s eyes, this two-pronged strategy—whether Liu Hao himself or his clan sister drew close to Li Chen—meant ancestral glory was within reach.

Liu Hao’s father immediately ordered: the clan sister Liu Hao mentioned must be on standby 24/7; the moment the Emperor summoned her, she must enter the palace.

Best to bear him a child while he has none, to secure their position.

“And then? What did the Emperor say?”

Liu Hao’s father urged.

(End of Chapter)