Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 422: Half-Cup of Tea

“So, tell me, what were you planning to do in the middle of the night that you sneaked around like a thief and ended up in Buqi’s residence by mistake?”

In Tang Wanzhuang’s courtyard, she elegantly brewed tea. The fragrant aroma swirled in the moonlight, drifting into the night.

At this moment, Zhao Changhe did not show the slightest hint of preferring wine over tea. He sat there with an air of refinement, as if the only thing missing was a cup of tea for him to start reciting some poetry while shaking his head in a scholarly manner.

If Tang Buqi saw this, he’d probably look like that sweating emoji.

Tang Wanzhuang seemed graceful as she prepared the tea, but her words were far from graceful. They made Zhao Changhe break out in a cold sweat. “W-what do you mean, sneaking around like a thief? I was just looking to chat with Buqi...”

“Were you really?” Tang Wanzhuang smiled teasingly. “Who did you really think was staying in that residence?”

Zhao Changhe, feeling trapped, stiffened. “W-wasn’t it supposed to be the commander?”

“In fact, His Majesty entrusted me with overseeing all of the affairs in Jiangnan. Buqi’s status as general was given by me. I’m the true commander.” Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes scanned his face for a while. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that?”

“Ah... I forgot.” Zhao Changhe quickly seized the opportunity. “Then why are you staying in this remote corner?”

“I wanted to elevate Buqi’s image, to establish his authority and position as the commander in the minds of the soldiers. After all, I...”

Zhao Changhe’s awkwardness turned into displeasure, and he glared at her, remaining silent.

Tang Wanzhuang, seeing his reaction, cut herself off and lowered her head to sip her tea.

It was perfectly fine to promote Buqi and nurture him as a key figure for the family, but it should not be based on the notion of her not living much longer. The very thought of it made Zhao Changhe angry.

Both of them suddenly recalled his words when they were right outside the secret realm. “If you dare casually unlock the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, just wait until you’re too exhausted to move. Let’s see how I deal with you then! I’ll make sure to do everything in front of Vermillion Bird. She’ll surely be very pleased!”

Tang Wanzhuang’s face flushed involuntarily, but she could not bring herself to scold him. After all, to stop her from unsealing her cultivation to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, he had taken a slash from Fa Chi. If he only had an ordinary body, he wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed for a month, let alone sneak around.

She asked softly, “How’s your injury?”

“It’s pretty good now, thanks to the medicine someone gave me.”

Tang Wanzhuang pursed her lips. “You mean the one from the Four Idols Cult, right? My medicinal soup wouldn’t have that kind of effect. I’m aware.”

Why do you sound a bit jealous?

Sure enough, her next words were, “The Four Idols Cult seem to have everything. Your master is useless now, right? Why don’t you just go to them? You might as well help their Venerable Vermillion Bird defeat me!”

Zhao Changhe had just taken a sip of tea and, upon hearing this, nearly choked. He coughed and said, “Where is this coming from?”

Tang Wanzhuang, clearly upset, said, “Are you really going to say that one of the reasons you came to see me wasn’t to help them get the rights to interrogate the remnant soul?”

“Uh...” Zhao Changhe could only say, “Isn’t that fair? They joined the battle to learn more about the ancient souls, and they fought with everything they had. They even fought until they spit out blood. They deserve to get some benefits.”

Tang Wanzhuang snorted. “I’ll give them what they deserve myself. Why do you need to play the mediator for them?”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Tang Wanzhuang continued, “In fact, they’re already interrogating the remnant soul right now. I handed it over to them directly. They can ask it whatever they want, however they want. You don’t need to say anything. Did you hear that? You don’t need to say anything!”

Her little outburst, tinged with a childlike attitude, left Zhao Changhe completely captivated, unable to take his eyes off her.

Tang Wanzhuang fell silent, pouting as she glared at him. But inside, she felt a little smug. At that moment, she imagined a picture titled “Vermillion Bird Questioning the Ghost.”

It was Zhao Changhe who suddenly grew concerned for her. “Hey, if you hand it over so easily, what if they take it and run?”

Tang Wanzhuang sipped her tea nonchalantly, “Only rogues and those from demonic cults treat these ancient souls like treasures. It’s not like we haven’t seen them before. Why should I act as ignorant and as uncultured as the leader of such people? If they really can’t resist and steal it, then so be it. It’ll be their disgrace, not mine.”

Zhao Changhe’s face twitched, and he fell silent.

Tang Wanzhuang then asked, “By the way, do you know why Master Yuan Cheng went to see Buqi earlier?”

Zhao Changhe pondered, “I assume it’s to get the lotus platform? There’s only one lotus platform, but even if they helped in the battle, it wouldn’t be right for him to take it. If he did, others wouldn’t be pleased.”

“Yuan Cheng knows that he can’t take it for himself. It’s a trophy of the imperial court. While he has earned some merit for his assistance, he can’t just walk away with the lion’s share—unless he stoops to the level of those from the Four Idols Cult and tries to steal it.”

Zhao Changhe could not help but say, “Hey, they haven’t stolen anything yet...”

Tang Wanzhuang pretended not to hear him, “I promised him I’d request an imperial decree to repeal the imperial edict that once suppressed Buddhism. Although that edict has already been relaxed over the years and Buddhist sects have begun to flourish again, an official decree would still make a sizable difference.”

Zhao Changhe nodded, “This is the perfect opportunity to leverage Buddhism’s role in defeating the Maitreya Cult. They can pin the blame for the suppression of Buddhism on Maitreya. They could argue that it was because Maitreya’s heretical teachings misled the people that the emperor suppressed Buddhism. Now that Maitreya has been defeated, the emperor has realized that not all Buddhist sects are like that. Naturally, the edict can be repealed...”

Tang Wanzhuang chuckled but did not comment on his explanation. Instead, she said, “As for the lotus platform, it will be placed in the Demon Suppression Bureau in the capital. If they want to gain insights from it they can visit the capital.”

Zhao Changhe clicked his tongue, “You’re really holding the cards tight here...”

Tang Wanzhuang’s gaze softened, and she said in a gentle voice, “It’s thanks to your efforts. Do you... want a reward?”

Zhao Changhe looked at her intently.

There was no need for words—her question was practically a tease in itself.

Who would not know what kind of reward he was hoping for?

Tang Wanzhuang continued, “As for the lotus platform, we’ve studied it. If we take one or two petals, it won’t affect the whole. You can have a petal...”

Zhao Changhe said irritably, “What would I need that for?”

“This treasure’s properties would certainly be beneficial for your Blood Asura Body. Do you want it or not?” Tang Wanzhuang leisurely sipped her tea, “If not that, what other reward could you possibly have expected?”

“...” Zhao Changhe thought to himself. This woman is starting to become quite naughty. She’s learning to tease people now... But this kind of teasing seems to be a bit off. To someone shameless, who cares about that kind of thing?

Zhao Changhe directly said, “Does that mean any kind of reward is possible?”

Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes sparkled. “Of course. I said any reward.”

Her words were seductive, but her hand, which was holding the teacup, trembled nervously, and her gaze was filled with a hint of threat as if she would throw the tea in his face if he dared say something improper.

Zhao Changhe was almost overwhelmed by her cuteness. His eyes also twinkled as he smiled and said, “I’m thirsty. I’d like to drink some tea.”

Tang Wanzhuang replied, “Isn’t there tea right in front of you?”

“I want the bureau chief to feed me tea. The one and only half-cup of leftover tea in the world.”

Tang Wanzhuang bit her lower lip and glared at him fiercely.

Zhao Changhe looked up. That’s what you get for teasing me.

At least I didn’t say I wanted you to take a sip first... though saying that would probably get me smacked. Asking for tea like this seems to be skirting the edge of her patience.

Seeing his mischievous look, Tang Wanzhuang was both angry and amused, “There’s a priceless treasure like the lotus platform in front of you. Master Yuan Cheng practically knelt down to beg for it, and all you want is a half-cup of leftover tea! Do you think you’re so important that no matter what, you won’t be left out?”

Zhao Changhe shrugged, “I don’t care about the lotus platform. I want that tea.”

Tang Wanzhuang raised her hand as if to throw the tea at him.

Zhao Changhe stubbornly stared at her.

Her hand, poised to toss the tea, halted. She looked into his eyes, her gaze softening.

He was still recovering and his face was pale, yet there was a fire in his eyes, igniting her heart.

In front of the late spring flowers, under the midnight moon.

Even Tang Buqi knew better than to leave a man and woman alone at this hour... In this setting, with this atmosphere, even saying something random could easily lead to a romantic mood—let alone when one of them had been deliberately teasing the other.

His heart was moved, but was hers not?

Just like earlier, when she stood by the side of his bed, gazing at his pale, injured face, unable to tear her eyes away for a long time.

Zhao Changhe, gathering his courage, reached out and took the hand that was holding the teacup.

Tang Wanzhuang’s body trembled, her eyes lowered, looking at her hand in his grasp, saying nothing.

It’s just giving him a sip of tea, nothing more... He’s contributed so much to the entire operation and even got injured...

Sitting across from each other with a stone table between them, it was clear she could not feed him from where she was.

Tang Wanzhuang bit her lip and, to his surprise, actually stood up. She moved gracefully to his side and, as if coaxing a child, said softly, “I really can’t deal with you... You’re just like a child...”

What she didn’t realize was that if she had stayed seated next to him, it could still be passed off as simply going with the flow. But by getting up and moving over to his side, she was showing genuine willingness.

It meant, deep down, she was willing.

Willing to reward him, willing to fulfill this small request of his... and maybe some greater requests too.

A faint fragrance surrounded him as she spoke softly, “Here... the half-cup of tea you wanted...”

Before the words had even fully left her lips, she felt his arm tighten around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

She instinctively wanted to struggle, but she was afraid of hurting his chest wound and did not move recklessly. All she could do was stiffen up in his arms and glare at him then say, “Who allowed you to get handsy?”

Zhao Changhe lowered his head closer and said, “The half-cup I wanted is one you’ve already drunk from...”

Tang Wanzhuang watched in disbelief as he leaned in, unable to even form a coherent thought before her lips were covered by his. He took the tea directly from her mouth.

She knew, deep in her heart, that when she invited him for a late-night “talk,” just the two of them alone, it was inevitable that things would lead to this...

Meanwhile, in a hidden chamber, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise stood crouched in front of a cloth bag, hands folded in front of them. They glanced at each other, feeling a bit awkward.

“Why does this feel so ridiculous? Can’t we just take it away and question it properly?”

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