Chapter 2

Miss Zuo left without hesitation.

She said she would find a way to restore my manhood.

After that, the flock of admirers around me thinned considerably.

The emperor, however, had begun behaving strangely.

We used to argue furiously at court while the assembled officials stammered and dared not speak.

Lately, he greeted me with nothing but smiles. Whenever I spoke, he nodded his agreement with a positively bashful air.

“My minister is entirely correct.”

The other officials exchanged glances and whispered.

Worse still, he bestowed heaps of jewels and fine cloth on me.

I was supposed to be an unmarried minister with no women in my household.

What was I meant to do with them?

Rumors swept the city again.

Minister Xu had remained unmarried for so long, and the emperor had held no selection of consorts since taking the throne.

Perhaps their relationship went beyond sovereign and subject.

My brother wrote to condemn me for ruining his reputation. At the end of his letter,

he invited me to Heavenly Tiger Mountain to meet my sister-in-law.

We could have a family reunion before the New Year. He also said he would return soon, so I would no longer have to impersonate him.

True enough. Our parents still refused to accept a bandit for a daughter-in-law.

A few days before New Year’s Day, I asked the emperor for leave and visited Flying Tiger Mountain.

Torches flickered among the dense trees. From far away, I could see a great crowd waiting.

At its head stood my brother and his wife, a handsome pair.

My sister-in-law was unlike the sheltered young ladies I knew. She was tall and sturdy.

Beside her, my brother looked rather like a pretty boy living off a woman.

The moment she saw me, she put a warming bottle in my hands.

Then she took off her fox-fur cloak and wrapped me up tightly.

Her face was cold and solemn, almost unapproachable, but she was extraordinarily thoughtful.

I looked up. Torchlight stretched halfway down the mountain, a river of light flowing uphill.

“Your sister-in-law worried the darkness might frighten you. She had all this arranged. Do you like it?”

My brother looked immensely pleased, as though he deserved the credit.

“And what did you get me for the New Year?”

I couldn’t help teasing him.

He put his arm around his wife and kissed her shamelessly in front of me.

“I’m the one being kept here. My wife makes the decisions. Didn’t you know?”

Wonderful. Even more of a kept man.

My sister-in-law had prepared the largest room for me.

The moment I stepped inside, I was dazzled.

The furnishings were made of fine rosewood.

The cups and bowls were solid gold. Several large boxes of jewelry stood on the dressing table.

Pearls, agate, gemstones, gold.

A soft, layered carpet of Sichuan brocade covered the floor, embroidered with lifelike little cats and dogs.

My brother must have told her. I adored furry little creatures.

I stole a glance at her and discovered she was watching me too.

There was a hint of anxiety in her lovely eyes. Her thin lips were pressed together.

I understood.

“Thank you! I love it.”

Delighted, I took her hand and flung myself into her arms.

She seemed unused to expressing herself, but a blush rose to her face, and she could not suppress her smile.

Hesitantly, she lifted a hand and stroked my head.

So this formidable bandit chief was all gentleness underneath. No wonder my brother had fallen for her.

Our parents would probably like her too.

That night, the stronghold set off fireworks. Everyone gathered around an enormous bonfire to sing and dance.

I sat happily roasting meat, laughing so hard at my brother’s staggering attempts to dance that I nearly doubled over.

Then a boy in unusual clothes came over.

His sleeves were wide, his clothes vividly colored and embroidered with flowers, birds, and strange beasts.

I felt I had seen them somewhere before.

Smiling shyly, he scratched his head and asked me to dance.

I was about to agree when the noise around us suddenly stopped. My sister-in-law approached, looking displeased.

My brother was watching us too, his expression unreadable.

“Why are you wearing that?”

“Go and change.”

The boy was clearly frightened. He stood frozen until the people beside him pulled him away.

“Qingzhu, I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Looking at me, my sister-in-law immediately softened and reassured me.

“Those clothes are for honoring the ancestors. The child broke an old family rule,” she explained.

So that was it. Every family had its own customs. No harm done.