Chapter 2.4

The dead of night was always a quiet time, for no rambunctious or boisterous humans were awake to ruin it.

This, however, was not the case for tonight. As Ling Xia sauntered down one corridor after another, the sound of arguing gradually became louder. He was nearing the source, something his energy was too drained to tame.

Pushing open the doors, he immediately felt the stuffy atmosphere. The tensions were high in this room, high enough to make him feel hot despite the cool fall weather. Men stood scattered around the room, all trying to shout over each other to make their point. They seemed to all be desperately trying to prove themselves to the man in the middle of the room, sitting on a chair like an emperor would on his throne. That man was Liu Zhaoning's father, Liu Cai, as Ling Xia recalled from Liu Zhanoing's memories.

He was a time-worn man, the roots of his hair turned grey with all the predicaments he encountered and broke through. Wise, yet unbelievably cruel, he was the head of the Liu family, a perfect leader to establish the family into prominence despite its connections with the previous Tang dynasty's leaders.

As the chaos before him ensued, he merely listened quietly while taking note of all the solid lines of reasoning somebody made, mentally adding points to their name to decide who should advise his heir in the future and who would continue to be a lackey for the rest of their menial lives.

Ling Xia presumed Liu Cai knew of his imminent death. He only had a few more years left on him, the reason he was letting the future of his family discuss for themselves. The future leader of the family, however, was not talking, only standing idly next to his father.

Ah, yes, standing. Not sitting, standing.

Ling Xia's gaze swept over to the young man on the other side of Liu Cai's chair, the most-favoured youngest son of the family who was also standing. Then his eyes scanned the entire room. It was devoid of any chairs but the one Liu Cai sat in.

Such were the rules of this world. Subservience, or what they called filial piety, to the head of the family was incredibly important, and even more so with the relationship between wife and husband.

That was why the room was so sparsely populated with women, only one elderly lady in the back corner in the room, given this privilege only because of Liu Cai's own filial piety to his mother. This world kept no place for a woman in politics.

Ling Xia decided to make his presence known, bowing and greeting Liu Cai. "Father, I have arrived at your beckoning."

The arguing quieted down instantly as everybody's gazes intersected at Ling Xia. Ling Xia's gaze was only directed at Liu Cai. Liu Cai's face twisted at the sight of Ling Xia. "Liu Zhaoning. Do you know what you have done?" His steely eyes tried to drill right through Ling Xia.

Ling Xia mocked a flinch. The steadiness of Liu Cai's voice that backed the question unwaveringly would be unsettling to Liu Zhaoning. "No, Father, I am unaware. Please elaborate."

Anger formed on Liu Cai's face, a fury that was silently biding its time. "You are marrying a man. Did you not think about the consequences for the entire family before agreeing?"

Ling Xia stayed quiet, unable to speak his mind, to tell Liu Zhaoning's father that refusing the emperor meant death. A wronged expression crossed his face, but it left as quickly as it came.

From the corner of his eye, he had noticed Liu Zhaoning's brothers Liu Zhaofa and Liu Zhaoren staring at him. The slight guilt reflected in their eyes momentarily caught him off guard before his amusement caught up.

What a pleasant surprise.

Suddenly, he knew exactly how to prevent Liu Zhaoning's imminent death.

His expression of begrudging obedience returned as he bowed his head even further. "I apologize, Father."

Liu Cai pounded his fist on the marble arm of his chair. "Do you anticipate an apology to be enough?" His voice reverberated through the room.

Ling Xia flinched once more, shock and surprise filling his face. "I-I'm sorry."

"You are an incompetent fool." Liu Cai was seemingly neutral with his tongue-lashing, but words did not have to hold emotion to be impactful. The lack of fluctuations brought some sort of credibility to his insult, one that would have shamed Liu Zhaoning incredibly.

It angered Ling Xia. He might not have been a very experienced source due to his own lack of parents, but he knew that no father should scold their child like that, no matter the reason. It only made the impact of their mistakes larger.

However, he bit his tongue, holding back the torrent of insults he could unleash on Liu Cai. He had a plan, but that plan required him to act as Liu Zhaoning did, and that was to say, foolishly obedient.

A tinge of iron on his tongue, he held himself back desperately, knowing that any flame of anger had to be snuffed out immediately with this topic, or else it would grow into a raging fire. He focused back on Liu Cai.

"Have you no awareness of what you've done? You've doomed our family." Liu Cai continued, silent anger seeping into his words.

Ling Xia's head almost touched the cold floor now, hanging as low as his neck allowed. He vaguely noted that the walls in this manor were far too thin, allowing a cold wind to hit his neck, exposed as his hair split while trying to reach the ground. The contrasting hot atmosphere and the chill of the wind sent an unwanted shiver down his back, further diminishing his dignity.

Ling Xia couldn't tell if Liu Cai noticed his reaction or not. Even if he did, it was likely that he waved it off, unbothered by the feelings of his 'son'.

He took a deep breath, pretending to compose himself. "Please forgive my sins, Father. My mind was not working when I made that decision."

"Of course not. But changing your decision now would implicate the entire family. Else you would do so immediately."

A real chill shook his body, one that bored straight into his heart. Now this man's words made sense. He was implying that Ling Xia sacrifice himself for the good of the family from the very start. Ling Xia could only lament on the cruelty of the potential decision.

"Thank you for your generosity, Father," Ling Xia said, raising his head slightly. His eyes shot to Liu Zhaoning's younger brothers discreetly. A moment later, they returned to the floor, mind consoled. The two were avidly avoiding his eyes to conceal their guilt.

It was good that they had a conscience; two less people to kill.

"May I take my leave, Father?"

A quiet scoff came from Liu Cai, almost not reaching Ling Xia's ears. "Go. More pressing matters await our discussion." He waved him off, like a master dismissing a servant, and Ling Xia took it as such. He backed out of the room, eyes trained on the floor as if frightened by the possible consequences of looking at Liu Cai directly.

Once out of the suffocating room, he slid the doors close, a satisfying click sounding when they finally touched. A breath of air left his mouth as he closed his eyes. When they opened again, his face turned solemn.

He swiveled, boots clacking on the floor as he set off, pace brisk. He had no care for the quietness he had admired only so little ago. His usually limp arms swung in giant arcs next to his body, a sign of his suppressed anger–Anger that was unjustified, given his conviction to be void of emotion toward his lives in these worlds, true, but anger nonetheless.

He was blazing with it. That man, Liu Cai–he was not a father.

Perhaps it was the lack of family in his life that brought him to this conclusion, that gave him such fairytail-like expectations of what a family should be. He knew it was not reality, but he could not stop himself from feeling as if his treatment was unjust.

Even Liu Zhanoning's brothers could not truly be considered brothers. But he could forgive that. They were still young, still learning what it meant to be on their own in this ruthless world and how important their bonds were.

But Liu Cai knew and he still—

No.

Ling Xia shook his head with vigor. Just like that horrible excuse of a father had said, there were much more pressing matters to discuss. He could not get lost in such wishy-washy things as his feelings when his survivability was so dangerously low.

Already, he had been betrayed. And by the same maid who Liu Zhaoning had thought had virtuously stayed with him throughout the entirety of his life, up until his untimely death. Chen Er was her name, the only maid in the room when the edict was given, the only person who could have possibly spread the information to Liu Cai so quickly.

He scanned Liu Zhaoning's memories, finding surprisingly that Chen Er had made the same decision even in that timeline. His heart twinged with pity for the young man who had thought that his most trusted maid was on his side. He would have been devastated if he knew such a thing had occurred behind his back.

Now the only question was if Ling Xia should kick Chen Er out, risking his exposure to the Liu family. He pondered quietly until he reached the doors of his chambers. A light smile crossed his lips, if only for a moment.

No matter his decision, it would have to wait until tomorrow, he realized, relieved. He had entirely forgotten about his desire to sleep.

…

When Ling Xia woke, dawn had not yet arrived. He rose from his bed slowly, groggy. Waking up before the sun had broken past the horizon was unheard of him, but it was considered normal for people in this world: Sleep early and wake early.

After a few long seconds of staring blankly, the haze that covered his mind was swept away by a sudden knock. His head jerked toward the source. His mind scanned through the possibilities, but he could only pass off his doubts as unnecessary at the end. It was probably just a maid to wake him.

He made his way over to the door, sliding it open to reveal a tall, broad-shouldered, and most importantly, flat-chested man. Instantly, his vigilance rose. A man could not be a maid.

Once again, his mind ran through every possibility of this man's identity. Could he be one of his brothers? His father, perhaps?

Although he could not see the man in front of him, it was apparent that he could see Ling Xia, the candles hung on the wall of every hallway aiding him. He whipped around, obviously flustered by the lack of clothes Ling Xia wore.

"I hoped to speak with you before I left, but I shall wait until you have gotten ready," a familiar voice spoke. It was strong and mellow, an uncharacteristic trait of the Liu family. Yao Ze.

"A-ah," Ling Xia belatedly responded, too caught up in his analysis of his voice, "yes, it will only take a few minutes." Ling Xia slid the door shut and quickly got ready. Soon, his unkempt hair was pulled up into a tight bun and his inner robes were covered with outer robes of a gentle blue paired with a white belt.

He opened the door once more, this time presentable. Yao Ze was still in the same spot, seemingly having never moved from his spot. "Would you like to discuss here or elsewhere?" he asked quietly.

Yao Ze turned around, slight surprise apparent on his face. "Ah, you are done. Let us stay here, then."

Ling Xia figured he would say so. It was the optimal option, with less need to be wary of malicious eavesdropping. "Of course." He moved the side to allow Yao Ze to enter his room.

As the guest of the house, Yao Ze sat in the small chair next to an equally small desk while Ling Xia stood. Ling Xia grabbed a barely noticeable matchbox on the table and struck a match, something he had forgotten to do in his haste.

Lighting a candle that only he knew the location of, he stood back, letting the light bounce off everything in his view. Suddenly, the darkness ceased to surround him.

The first thing he noticed was Yao Ze's clothing. It seemed Chen Er, that traitorous maid, did not prepare any clothes for him to change into.

He put on a smile, thinking he would be screwed if Yao Ze took this the wrong way. "What did you wish to speak about?"

"I would like to ask you about the arrangements of our cooperation."

A silent sigh of relief.

His stance relaxed as fear relinquished its hold on him. "Of course. Ask away," he genially offered.

Yao Ze crossed his legs, a serious expression taking over his face. "You will wed Scholar Feng in one week's time, yes?"

Ling Xia nodded firmly as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It was barely visible behind the long skirt-like bottom of his robes, but it showed to Yao Ze that he was listening. "Yes."

"So how often should I expect information to come in after that occurs?" Yao Ze's fingers laced together while he leaned in, intent on hearing Ling Xia's answer.

He took a few moments to think. Soon, he had formulated a response with as little vagueness as possible, but that was difficult when he was dealing with a person he had never met. "I believe it will take some time for me to earn his trust. At the latest, your first piece of intel will probably arrive one month into our marriage." Ling Xia spat the last word out as if it was the vilest thing in the world.

Yao Ze did not even wait a second before warning the man opposite him. "I understand that you are unsatisfied with your marriage, but our cooperation should be put over your feelings."

Ling Xia's expression loosened up from its mock disgust. So Yao Ze was a materialistic person. In this way, they were quite similar. It pleased him. Cooperation for the sake of mutual interests would help him solve his lately realized predicament with feelings. "No worries. I will perform to my utmost ability."

"I expect as much." A smile graced his lips. "But I hope you will prove yourself worthy of my cooperation past that necessity."

"Of course." Ling Xia gave him a tight smile. He was a conceited man, and Ling Xia supposed it was justified. However it was in stark contrast to how he acted before the emperor, so discomfort settled into Ling Xia's bones.

That meant Yao Ze thought himself to be higher than Ling Xia, that he found himself to be more important. This pride only ever led to withdrawal from a cooperation when one found a deal with better circumstances. Yao Ze was a white-eyed wolf(1), no loyalty, no care.

All of a sudden, Ling Xia realized that perhaps what he wanted was not a cooperation with only mutual interests to back it up. Betrayal came so much easier when no feelings were involved.

Then what did he want?

He took a step away from Yao Ze, from unease or his next words, he couldn't tell. "I will send you on your way, then?"

From the faint glow of the candle on his desk, Ling Xia could see the other's expression change into one of slight apprehension. Yao Ze's voice wobbled as he answered. "Of course."

He was repressing something, something Ling Xia understood very well. Anybody would be unwilling to go from a situation where they were needed, and even past that, wanted to one where they were simply given a menial job to do everyday of their repetitive lives. It was a jarring change, to say the least, one that Ling Xia had experienced.

Bitter feelings welled up inside him. His treatment after he had gotten back to the real world… he had repressed every feeling he had about it.

He was once a genius of the trainees in fleet zero, and now he was just a suspicious figure that the military reluctantly put back into action.

The higher one was, the harder they fell, and Ling Xia was sky-high. The military had guaranteed his immediate promotion after finishing training, and he was extremely close to finishing it. All he had to do was take the final test, and he had even started it.

So imagine his surprise when he entered the simulated scenario test, expecting to see the situation he was briefed on, but instead being told that he was a rich man in a world with odd genders that didn't quite make scientific sense.

Then the long chain of worlds came. Those times seemed like they had gone past in the blink of an eye and also as if they had lasted thousands of times longer than they had, the same uncontrollable, bleak days that defined his life beating down on his spirit.

The feeling of breaking free from the system was exhilarating, but even that was out of his hands, manufactured excitement for something he didn't do. Sometimes when he sat down, he felt like his life was spiralling out of his control.

Like the man across from him, there was not much that was truly and fully his anymore.

Ling Xia supposed they were more alike than he wanted them to be. He didn't want to be in Yao Ze's position, and yet it was akin to his own.

By the time Ling Xia had exited his thoughts, his smile had almost completely faded. He hastily planted another on his face to keep up pretenses. "This way," he stepped backward, his shoulders open to indicate his friendliness.

Yao Ze followed, and they eventually ended up at a carriage, one Ling Xia had the servants prepare the night before. Yao Ze stepped in swiftly to escape the cold morning. A white cloud escaped his mouth as he laughed.

"Winter has not yet arrived, but it is already this cold. Let's hope the fall hunt is warmer."

Ling Xia chuckled. "Yes, we shall hope so," he said. "Travel safely." He closed the door and signalled for the men to head off. They lifted the carriage immediately, marching into the sunrise with ease.

A smile remained on Ling Xia's face as he watched the carriage draw further and further away. Yao Ze had reminded him of the fall hunt, the time when his plans for the Liu brothers would be set in motion.

But for now, his only task was to wait impatiently for that time to come.

~~~

Notes:

1: White-eyed wolf - A person that bites the hand that feeds them. They are ungrateful for what people have given them and seek their own happiness even if it means harming those that have helped them.