Chapter 24: Lady Li and Little Lady Li (Thanks to

"Lady Li..."

The identity of "Lady Li, mother of Marquis Lieyang Yu Yu" shocked Guan Zhong, but he had no concept of who "Lady Li" was.

Before this conversation, he had never heard of Lady Li, let alone known she was Marquis Lieyang Yu Yu’s mother.

It was no fault of his; palace affairs were far removed from ordinary commoners, and even subjects of Great Qin might not know of "Lady Li," let alone the borderland vassal states, which could hardly obtain accurate news from Xianyang Palace.

Even if major news did travel from the Central Lands to the west of Liusha River, it would take years, even decades or centuries.

And Guan Zhong was merely a household servant, unable to recognize even all the Immortals of the West.

But isn’t Yu Yu a bastard?

If his mother is the Emperor’s beloved concubine, then his father must be too—could anyone dare to cuckold the Emperor?!

"This old servant doesn’t understand—if Yu Yu is Lady Li’s son, he should be a Great Qin imperial prince, then why...?"

Guan Huchen spread his hands helplessly: "Don’t say you don’t understand—I’m equally confused.

Xishu is too far from the Central Lands.

Before the Emperor personally appointed Marquis Lieyang to quell the chaos of the thirty-six western states, I had no idea such a marquis even existed.

Later, when my great-grandfather saw my determination to follow Marquis Lieyang for a 'great future,' and observed that the Fire Crow Army’s cultivation methods and battle formations perfectly suited my path and destiny, he went to great lengths to gather a copy of the 'Marquis Lieyang Records.'

The records documented many things about Marquis Lieyang.

His interpersonal relationships, life history, immortal encounters, as well as his personality, preferences, and daily habits."

"If you’ve decided to serve someone, you must learn their habits in advance."

Huchen gave a self-deprecating smile, then one of pride: "The 'bastard secret' about Marquis Lieyang was barely mentioned in the records, but the Emperor, Lady Li, and his shadow portrait all appeared within them.

Lady Li was indeed a noble, elegant, refined, and breathtakingly beautiful woman of unparalleled grace.

And my little Yu is nearly identical to her, as if carved from the same mold.

Had the timelines not clashed, I’d suspect they were mother and daughter."

Guan Zhong’s face twisted again: Master, listen to what you’re saying—noble, elegant, refined, breathtakingly beautiful... how does any of that connect to the voracious eater who devours two roast chickens, a large platter of steamed fish, a giant pork knuckle, a bowl of stir-fried shredded meat, plus two large bowls of rice and several wheat buns?

Oh, don’t forget the three vats of bone-strengthening soup.

"Miss Yu is of the Sand Barbarian tribe; Sand Barbarians resemble Central nobles, yet still differ slightly," he gently reminded.

Sand Barbarians are an alien race; compared to Central Plains people, their skin leans cold-white, their hair is not purely black but brownish, and their features are more defined.

"Hahahaha, you say that because you don’t know Lady Li’s background... have you ever seen that boy Yu Yu?

In fact, he’s a Sand Barbarian too!

Well, at least half—father unknown, at least half Sand Barbarian blood.

That’s precisely why the Emperor sent him to the West," Guan Huchen chuckled.

"Could Lady Li be a Sand Barbarian? How is that possible? How could a Sand Barbarian become the Emperor’s favorite concubine?" Guan Zhong looked utterly incredulous.

Huchen shook his head: "The Liusha Desert is vast—eight hundred li wide, stretching hundreds of thousands of li from north to south.

Such a colossal desert—even Great Qin’s Earth Gods must be numbered using the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

How could you assume Lady Li’s homeland, 'Antu,' is as barbaric as the dunes where Yu resides?

On the eastern bank of the Liusha River, closer to the Central Lands, learning from the Central Kingdom is far easier.

Lady Li’s 'Kingdom of Antu' rivals our own Shu, a 'Western Little Central Kingdom.'"

When the State of Lu still existed, though Shu people longed to call themselves 'Western Little Central Kingdom,' everyone recognized Lu’s cultural splendor and martial strength.

Now that Lu is destroyed, Huchen naturally spoke of 'Shu as the Western Little Central Kingdom.'

Seeing his master so logical and certain, Guan Zhong became uncertain—he’d never seen Lady Li’s shadow portrait.

"Master, do you still carry Lady Li’s shadow portrait on your person?"

Guan Zhong asked this without much expectation.

As expected, Huchen replied irritably: "Why would I carry Lady Li’s shadow portrait when I’m on official business?"

Besides, before coming to the dunes, he had always been captain of Marquis Lieyang’s cavalry.

To have secretly kept a portrait of someone else’s mother while serving closely beside Marquis Lieyang—what would that imply?

What if Marquis Lieyang saw it? How would he explain?

Or even get a chance to explain?

Guan Zhong added: "Master, you’ve only seen Lady Li’s shadow portrait. Master Qingsong has likely seen Lady Li in person.

Yet Master Qingsong has also seen Miss Yu—why did he react not at all?"

Huchen sneered: "How old is Miss Yu now? There’s a saying: a girl changes greatly in eighteen years.

Another says: environment alters one’s bearing, upbringing alters one’s physique.

A girl is twelve when she reaches the hairpin age; Miss Yu is eleven by lunar age.

She may be mentally mature, but she’s still a child with her hair tied in topknots.

Lady Li entered the palace already past the hairpin age, nearly twenty, at the peak of her beauty.

Miss Yu grew up in the wilds, driven by hunger and cold, unable to read or write, only skilled in fishing and hunting.

Lady Li, as the sole daughter of her king, was showered with endless favor, feasted on jade and cinnamon, surrounded by pearls and jade, never knowing the worries of life.

Even the same person, placed in the dunes versus the Antu royal palace, would grow into two different people—how much more so when they are two different people entirely.

But I possess the eyes of an Immortal and countless years of experience observing women.

Master Qingsong’s cultivation is higher than mine—that’s true.

But if you compare our skill in reading faces, he can’t even touch my little toe."

Guan Zhong had almost been convinced by Huchen, given the shadow portrait comparison.

But now Huchen clearly stated that the Lady Li in the portrait and Miss Yu looked nothing alike—even Master Qingsong saw no resemblance.

"Master, why not wait two more years? Miss Yu is still young. When her features mature, if she truly resembles Lady Li, then we can consider sending her to court."

This was a prudent suggestion.

Huchen coldly replied: "Do you doubt my Immortal eyes?"

From Xishu to Great Qin is tens of thousands of li away—who knows how many months or years it will take?

By the time Yu grows up and reaches Xianyang, she’ll be an old maid no one wants—how will she serve the Emperor then?

At eleven lunar years old, she’s perfectly timed for careful arrangements.

—I suspect you’re blind, mistaking the bad for good, the ugly for beautiful, the foul for fragrant.

Had Huchen’s scheme not been so vast, implicating the entire Guan household, Guan Zhong would never have dared to think such words in his life.

Whatever the master says is right—even if wrong, it’s right.

Now... he dared to think, but dared not speak.

"How would this old servant dare! Everyone perceives things differently... you know Master Wang, the Squire of Yingxiang Manor? He once claimed he couldn’t tell if his wife was beautiful or not.

Shadow portraits are even more unreliable.

There’s a bandit’s shadow portrait hung at the city gate.

Even his own mother couldn’t recognize him—the court painter was too incompetent.

Some palace servant’s portrait looks utterly ordinary, yet the real person is so beautiful she makes the moon hide and flowers blush—because no bribe was given to the court painter.

And there are imperial concubine portraits so divine they seem ready to leap from the canvas, bewitching the Emperor into madness—only for him to execute both the painted concubine and the painter the same night," Guan Zhong said delicately.

Huchen was about to angrily declare: My Immortal eyes perceive truth without bias, seeing every detail more precisely than anyone else.

But Guan Zhong’s next words made him pause, his expression thoughtful.

"Old Zhong, you’ve reminded me—shadow portraits are painted by humans; falsifying them is too easy.

Using Yu to fill the void Lady Li left in the Emperor’s heart is far too significant.

Success or failure could shake the entire Great Qin court’s current balance.

If successful, I’ll become a national father-in-law, soaring to glory; Yu will reign supreme in the harem, making countless noble-born concubines pale in comparison...

If Yu bears a child within a few years, she may even be drawn into the struggle for succession."

Guan Zhong’s face twisted: "Miss Yu hasn’t even set foot toward Xianyang—how can you be thinking so far ahead?"

You’re already worrying about succession battles—why not go further: what if Miss Yu’s son grows up, inherits the Emperor’s throne, and begins resenting you, this fake grandfather, for your excessive power—what if he starts suppressing the maternal relatives?

Huchen waved his hand: "It’s not that I’m thinking too far ahead.

Power is finite; positions never remain vacant.

The dynasty is now at its peak, every position already filled by Great Qin’s nobles.

If Yu enters the Xianyang Palace, she will inevitably infringe upon someone’s interests.

Power is extremely sensitive; as soon as a threat emerges, they feel thorns in their backs and bones stuck in their throats.

I’m merely anticipating their possible reactions in advance."

At this moment, Huchen had no ambition to dominate the court; merely securing a foothold in Great Qin by selling his daughter for favor was enough.

As for maternal relatives meddling in politics, palace intrigues, competing for favor or succession... unless he truly reached that rank, he would never actively court death.

"Old Zhong, prepare paper, ink, brushes, colored pigments, and offerings of fruit wine for spirits," Huchen ordered.

"This old servant has prepared a study just beside the Eastern Garden, fully equipped with the Four Treasures of the Study," Guan Zhong replied.

Huchen shook his head: "I don’t need ordinary paper and brushes—I will paint Miss Yu’s shadow portrait myself.

Best to use fire- and water-resistant fire-washed silk as paper, and the front-hair of a spirit rabbit infused with the essence of sun and moon as brush.

In short, whether paper, brush, or pigments, all must be crafted from spiritual substances, naturally imbued with spiritual energy that remains concentrated and unscattered."

Guan Zhong pondered, then asked: "Master, do you need this urgently, or should we gather materials first and return to Yingxiang Manor before hiring a painter?"

"No painter—I’ll paint it myself, as soon as possible."

Huchen paused, then added: "You know I’m not skilled in writing or painting—but the shadow portrait I intend to create is no ordinary thing."

I had you prepare fruit wine for offering precisely so I could perform the “Summon Immortal’s True Form” technique.

“Summoning immortals... are you going to deal with spirits and gods?” Guan Zhong’s expression changed slightly, and he worried: “Master, you have no magical defenses—why not wait until we return to Yingxiang Prefecture and let Grandpa handle it?”

“It’s just summoning spirits and gods—it doesn’t even count as ‘mystical art.’ A ritual is enough; why should the ancestral elder intervene?” Hu Chen said.

“Besides, I am a scion of the Huang family of Fu City. All spirits and gods within Xishu’s territory know me—they’ll surely grant me this favor.”

What he didn’t say was that in a few days, the Marquis of Fiery Sun would arrive at Feixian Ferry, and after that, he would remain constantly by the Marquis’s side, making it nearly impossible to find an opportunity to perform the “Summon Immortal’s True Form.”

With a “god of slaughter” like the Marquis of Fiery Sun, whose murderous aura surged like a storm, no spirit or god would dare answer the call.

Moments later, before the shadow wall in the inner courtyard of the second gate.

“Hey, Uncle Zhong, wait a moment!”

Xiao Yu placed the empty soup bowl on the tray, casually wiped her mouth with a silk embroidery scarf from her waist, and approached the middle-aged man with a plump, smiling face.

“Miss Yu, you may simply call me by my name, or like Master, call me ‘Old Zhong’—please don’t call me ‘Uncle Zhong.’ I am unworthy of such honor.”

As he spoke with a smile, he scanned the barbarian woman now dressed in a skirt.

She wore a crisp white training suit, her hair plain without jewels or ornaments, her face clean and unmade-up, features neat, teeth bright and clean, full of vitality.

She was passably pretty, but the peerless beauty Master had described—he truly saw little of it.

His idea of a peerless beauty was someone whose presence made you unable to look away, and even after parting, left your spirit restless and unforgettable.

Xiao Yu did not give him that feeling.

Could it be that she was still too young, not fully grown?

Possibly.

But how had Master seen through it?

“Uncle Zhong, how could I compare with Father? You are his right hand and left arm, his peer. He calls you ‘Old Zhong’ out of affection and trust.

If I called you ‘Old Zhong,’ it would be disrespectful and insolent.”

Xiao Yu paid no mind to his scrutiny, though his gaze today was peculiar.

“Uncle Zhong, are you about to go out? Yesterday, Father entrusted me to you, saying if I needed anything, I should come to you—so now...” She displayed her hesitation and uncertainty plainly on her face; as long as Old Zhong wasn’t blind, he couldn’t miss it.

Old Zhong was neither blind nor had he forgotten Master’s instructions; he immediately said: “Miss Yu, please give me any order you wish.”

“Uncle Zhong, look at me...” Xiao Yu spread her arms and turned a full circle before him.

Guan Zhong didn’t understand.

He saw clearly: she wore a training suit, her cheeks flushed, her temples damp, a faint steam rising from her head.

He also knew that since early this morning, she had been in the courtyard punching, kicking, somersaulting, leaping like a tiger...

“Uncle Zhong, do you know what I’m doing? I’m cultivating.” Xiao Yu said.

“Miss Yu is truly diligent.”

Though he held little regard for her cultivation methods, at least three-tenths of this praise came from genuine feeling.

Xiao Yu sighed: “I want to cultivate, but I don’t know any martial arts—I’m just fumbling on my own. If I keep training like this my whole life, I’ll never catch up to my adoptive father on the battlefield. So I’d like to ask: is there a more efficient way?”

(PS: Thank you to “Loli Destroyer Battleship” for the patronage! I never expected someone to become a patron so early—I’m deeply grateful. Once the novel is monetized, I’ll add extra chapters.)