Chapter 71: If I Move, Don’t Move Recklessly

Although he was still under someone else’s control, revealing his true identity brought more benefits than just that. For instance, the Qiao sisters, who had always been somewhat distant toward Liu Xie, seemed to undergo a breakthrough in their relationship with him recently. Whether it was because Liu Xie bested Sun Ce on the martial stage or because he announced the relocation of the capital, the change was palpable.

The key lay with Qiao Feng, the elder sister. Liu Xie had long noticed that she was the backbone of the pair. Though she couldn’t perform the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Liu Xie saw clearly her unyielding, upright temperament. If he could win her over, surely the two sisters would not be out of his reach.

Truth be told, given Liu Xie’s status, he could have used force without a second thought. Yet he found the notion of coercing a lifeless partner intolerable. He always believed that, in any activity involving more than one person, there must be some mutual cooperation—even if skill was lacking, sincerity was essential.

From the first time he went out with Fu Shou, Liu Xie made it a habit to bring small trinkets from the marketplace for the sisters, exchange pleasantries in their chamber, and then promptly return to his own palace, never lingering or entangling further. This routine left the sisters puzzled. They weren’t naïve girls anymore; they understood perfectly why Sun Ce had sent them here. Yet the emperor kept them at arm’s length, while nightly indulging in passionate revelry with his empress—so loud in the quiet palace that the sisters could hear everything.

“Elder sister, do you think His Majesty is dissatisfied with us? It must be because you startled him when we first met!”

Qiao Shuang always had a favorable impression of Liu Xie, especially after discovering his martial prowess. She genuinely hoped for something more between them. But her elder sister was an immovable mountain in her path; all Qiao Shuang dared was to complain to her in private, never bold enough to sneak into Liu Xie’s palace herself.

“Hmph, he’s the emperor. Does he expect us, two weak women, to crawl into his bed unbidden?” Qiao Feng evidently shared some of her sister’s thoughts but refused to act like unsold goods, desperate to market herself. She waited for Liu Xie to invite them into his palace, but his ambiguous attitude left her uncertain and frustrated.

Seeing her sister’s annoyance, Qiao Shuang quietly stuck out her tongue and fell silent.

In his previous life, Liu Xie dedicated all his time to the well-being of the people. In this life, he resolved to add more color to his existence—like the suave techniques he once only read about in books, now ready to be put into practice.

After a few rounds of ambiguous interactions, Qiao Feng finally appeared in Liu Xie’s study one night when the moon was high and winds were rising, but Liu Xie was still working.

“Oh? Who might this be? Isn’t it the pure and virtuous Miss Qiao? Was the dessert I sent you today unpalatable, or were the silks from the market not pretty enough?” Liu Xie’s tone carried a hint of mockery that Qiao Feng easily detected. She wanted to retort, but remembered she was here to improve relations and make her and her sister’s stay more comfortable. If she angered Liu Xie, their days in the deep palace would only become harder.

These were the reasons Qiao Feng forced upon herself, but another, less admitted motive lingered: the memory of Liu Xie’s duel with Sun Ce on the martial stage. She had seen, behind her, Fu Shou’s tightly clenched fists and her unwavering, tearful gaze, trembling with concern for Liu Xie’s safety. Such things could not be feigned—clearly, despite Liu Xie’s reputation as a puppet emperor, Fu Shou’s feelings for him were genuine.

As a woman herself, Qiao Feng was deeply curious about what qualities Liu Xie possessed to inspire such devotion. She suspected that the rake he presented to them was not his true self.

“I… came specifically to thank Your Majesty. You have sent us gifts for several days now. We are overwhelmed by your favor.”

Lost in her thoughts, Qiao Feng replied somewhat perfunctorily, not quite matching her inner feelings.

“I thought you’d at least bring some home-cooked food as thanks. Who would have guessed you’d come empty-handed?” When it came to verbal sparring, Qiao Feng could never match Liu Xie. His words left her embarrassed and speechless.

“All right, if I continued teasing, it would be undignified. You’re here to see how I really feel about you and your sister, aren’t you?”

Qiao Feng hadn’t expected Liu Xie’s mood to shift so quickly, nor that he would so sharply expose the thoughts she harbored. Her cheeks flushed crimson.

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? Sun Ce did send you both to me, though not willingly. He had planned to keep one of you for himself and give the other to Zhou Yu. But since I arrived, I had to rescue you from such a fate. For your sake, I not only saved Sun Ce’s life but also sacrificed a perfect opportunity to leverage him!”

This explanation stunned Qiao Feng. If Liu Xie truly went to such lengths for them, his current attitude seemed unexpectedly detached.

“Are we truly worth so much from Your Majesty?”

Hearing Qiao Feng’s somewhat affected words, Liu Xie felt an urge to give her a playful kick.

“Do you not know what you both look like? Shall I drop you in the wilderness for a night and see if you can still be found in the morning?”

“Your Majesty, that’s not what I meant.” Faced with Liu Xie’s rapid-fire retorts, Qiao Feng was utterly overwhelmed.

“I think I understand your meaning now. The empress isn’t feeling well tonight—come with me to the palace. As for your sister, I’ll leave that up to you.”

To go to the palace, the implication was clear—a mature woman of this era wouldn’t ask such a question. Though she hung her head and blushed, Qiao Feng did not refuse this time, moving aside to stand at the door and wait for Liu Xie.

“By the way, remember this—soon it’ll matter: If I don’t move, you don’t move. If I move, don’t move recklessly.”

“???”