Chapter 4: Caught in a Dilemma, Responding to Change with Unchanging Calm

Life is not always as beautiful as one imagines: there are many inevitable sorrows and pains in life. (Gu Long)
……
After rejecting Ah Jiu, Liu Yi returned to his private garden—a place that had always been his sanctuary. Ever since he was young, under his father’s strict supervision, he had managed to secure this garden for himself. Of course, once in this sanctuary, it became Liu Yi’s world, where he feared no one.
Liu Yi gave his garden a very elegant name—Heavenly Realm. Indeed, the garden was well-suited for this name, as it housed hundreds of varieties of flowers cultivated by experts from various places. Liu Yi had even gone to great lengths to hide various famous books beneath each flower—after all, a bookworm remains a bookworm.
At that moment, Liu Yi was sitting at a stone table in the center of the garden. On the table were four plates of delicate dishes and a pot of wine. As for Liu Yi and Shi Jieyi? They were sipping the wine slowly, listening to the guqin music played by a woman across from them, while watching another woman dance.
The woman playing the music was Liu Yi’s maid, Bing Er. In her twenties, she was extremely beautiful. She had been given to Liu Yi by his father when he was young as his personal maid. When Liu Yi was bored, he would teach Bing Er some music skills, so over time, she often played music for him.
The woman dancing to the music was also Liu Yi’s personal maid, Qing Er. She was about the same age as Bing Er, delicate and lovely. A few months earlier, Liu Yi’s father had found her for him, saying that since Liu Yi was growing up, one maid was not enough, so another was added. Fortunately, Qing Er was good at singing and dancing, making her a perfect match for Bing Er.
“Bing Er’s music comes from heaven; Qing Er’s dance makes immortals fall,” Liu Yi remarked casually after the piece ended. Shi Jieyi immediately put down his wine cup and exclaimed, “Great! Bing Er and Qing Er are getting better and better, and more beautiful too. Hehe, hehe…”
Bing Er and Qing Er came over and bowed to Liu Yi, saying, “Thank you, sir, for your praise.”
Liu Yi took a small sip of wine and said, “This Heavenly Realm makes many immortals envious. Listening to Bing Er’s music, watching Qing Er dance, and sipping a little wine—this is truly an immortal life.”
Shi Jieyi complained beside him, “It’s just that there’s not enough wine; we can’t drink to our heart’s content.”
Liu Yi ignored Shi Jieyi and said to the two women beside him, “You two go and rest for now.”
Qing Er replied, “Sir, we’d rather stay and serve you.”
Liu Yi shook his head and waved his hand, saying, “Be obedient. After all this time, you must be tired. Go and rest quickly.”
Having known Liu Yi for so long, Bing Er and Qing Er understood his temperament well. They bowed and said, “Yes, sir,” before slowly leaving.
Liu Yi poured himself a small cup of wine, picked up some food, and continued to eat slowly. But after just a few bites, he realized something was wrong—Shi Jieyi, who was always greedy for food, wasn’t moving at all. What was he thinking?
Liu Yi asked, “Shi Jieyi, what are you thinking? Is it because there’s not enough wine? We can drink more tonight.”
Shi Jieyi looked at Liu Yi and shook his head, saying, “It’s not the wine, boss. It’s Ah Jiu.”

“A Jiu? A Jiu? Is she the girl who asked me to paint?” Liu Yi seemed to recall someone named A Jiu.
Shi Jieyi immediately nodded. “Yes, that’s her. Boss, isn’t she beautiful?”
Liu Yi put down his wine glass, stood up, and walked around Shi Jieyi before asking, “Kid, there are countless beautiful women in the world. Why do you ask me this? Is there… tell me, what’s your intention?”
Shi Jieyi was an honest person by nature. He couldn’t stand Liu Yi’s questioning, so he quickly stood up and stepped closer to Liu Yi. “Boss, I… I want to be friends with her.”
Liu Yi took out his folding fan and thought for a while before saying, “I’ve forgotten what that A Jiu looks like. I didn’t pay attention last time. If you like her, go after her.”
Shi Jieyi seemed uneasy. “Boss, you still don’t know me. You told me to beat people, but as soon as I see A Jiu, my heart races and I can’t say anything.”
While the two were discussing, a short servant ran over. His name was A Shu. Because he was thin and small, Liu Yi called him A Shu. But don’t underestimate A Shu—he was a spy Liu Yi had placed beside Liu Muxi. Thanks to A Shu, Liu Yi avoided many troubles.
Seeing A Shu running over, Liu Yi knew there must be something serious—otherwise, the kid wouldn’t have rushed to the back garden so easily.
Sure enough, A Shu approached Liu Yi and said, “Young master, something serious has happened. That girl named A Jiu is talking to the master right now.”
Liu Yi waved his fan. “What’s so serious about that? Let them talk.”
A Shu continued, “No, it’s that A Jiu has gold, jewels, and even beautiful women. She wants you to paint a picture for her and is currently negotiating with the master.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi shouted, “What? Hey… That girl went to find my father? This can’t go on.” He turned and ran toward the hall.
Of course, if Liu Muxi asked Liu Yi to paint a picture, he would definitely do it. But Liu Muxi had no idea that the girl wanted a “Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness Painting.” If he agreed, he would have to paint it, but doing so would mean deceiving his lord!
Before reaching the hall, Liu Yi heard A Jiu’s voice, “Lord Liu, I’m sure you know the value of these jewels. Describing them as priceless isn’t an exaggeration. With these jewels, you could easily buy ten Liu Fus. As long as you agree to have your son paint a picture for me, all these jewels will be yours.”
Since he didn’t hear Liu Muxi’s voice for a while, Liu Yi hid behind a pillar in the hall. Even without looking, he knew his father was admiring those jewels. His father was a businessman—it would be strange if he weren’t tempted by so many treasures.
Finally, he heard Liu Muxi sit back down and say, “Miss A Jiu, your jewels are indeed wonderful. I admit that all of Liu Fu’s wealth isn’t even one-tenth of yours.”
A Jiu smiled and said, “With just one word from Lord Liu, all these jewels will be yours.”
Then Liu Muxi laughed generously and said, “A gentleman loves wealth, but he must acquire it properly. Besides, you want my son’s painting. As his father, I don’t have the right to force him to paint.”

Upon hearing this, Ajiu said in a tone that seemed somewhat displeased, “Lord Liu, you must think carefully. If you agree, all these jewels will be yours. I think as long as you agree, it doesn’t matter whether your son paints them or not—it’s only a matter of time.”

Liu Muxi shook his head and said, “I think Miss Ajiu had better go back. Or perhaps talk to Yi Er about this. I can’t make the decision. Yi Er is already grown up; he should make his own choices.”

Ajiu got up from her seat and said, “It seems Lord Liu really doesn’t want these treasures after all. Then, does Lord Liu recognize this item?” With that, she took out a piece of white jade from her bosom. On the jade were carved two dragons, clear and vivid, looking just like real ones. In such a vast world, there are many who wouldn’t recognize such an item, but Liu Muxi recognized it immediately. He quickly got up from his seat, took a look, and bowed respectfully, saying, “I do. I wonder what connection Miss Ajiu has with this jade?” His tone was now filled with respect.

Ajiu put away the white jade and returned to her seat, saying, “So? Is Lord Liu interested in taking these jewels? Think carefully—don’t do something you’ll regret, Lord Liu.”

Liu Muxi seemed to be sweating on his forehead. He hadn’t expected things to get so complicated. If he agreed to have them painted, he wasn’t sure if Yi Er would be willing to do it. If he refused, the entire Liu family might face destruction.

Ajiu smiled, but her expression changed as she said, “Lord Liu, I don’t have that much time to wait for you. If you don’t give an answer soon, I’ll have to report truthfully that you’ve refused.”

Liu Muxi’s expression became extremely conflicted. Hearing Ajiu urging him, he hurriedly said, “This… Miss Ajiu, please, give me some time to think.”

Just then, a voice shouted, “There’s no need to think. I won’t paint her picture.” From behind the Ten Greats and One, Liu Yi stepped forward.

Ajiu never expected her plan to succeed when Liu Yi suddenly appeared. Her face turned red as she snapped, “You… are you deliberately trying to oppose me?”

Liu Yi waved his fan and said, “Not at all. It’s just that the picture the lady asked for is something I can’t paint. I think it’s better if you go back, miss.”

Ajiu grew even angrier and said, “You wretched thing! How dare you speak to me like that? You rude scholar!”

At that moment, Liu Muxi said, “Yi Er, don’t be unreasonable. After all, Miss Ajiu is a guest.”

Liu Yi walked up to Ajiu, looked around, shook his head, and sighed, “How could Eleven’s judgment be so poor?”

Ajiu widened her almond-shaped eyes and snapped, “What are you looking at? Is there something wrong with my face?”

Liu Yi waved his fan, glanced at Liu Muxi, then at Ajiu, and said, “Since no one seems to understand, or some people are pretending not to understand, then I’ll make things clear.”

With that, Liu Yi waved his folding fan and continued, “I, Liu Yi, am not deliberately opposing Miss Ajiu. Moreover, my brother also wants to be friends with her. If I can help, I definitely will. But the picture Miss Ajiu wants, I can’t paint it. If I did, it would be betraying my lord.”

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Liu Muxi was the most surprised and said, “Yi’er, what do you mean by that?”
Liu Yi looked at his father and said, “Dad, do you know what painting Miss Ajiu asked me to draw? The ‘Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness Painting’ was one I gave to the emperor a few years ago. Now he wants me to draw it again. If I really do, I think it will be very difficult for anyone in Liu Family to survive.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Muxi exclaimed in shock, “Ah!” He found the matter even more strange. The jade Ajiu had shown earlier was clearly the “Panlong Jade,” a symbol of royalty only the imperial family could possess. How could she now ask for another painting of royal significance? It was truly odd—what was going on?
Liu Muxi’s face was full of astonishment, while Ajiu remained extremely calm. She said sternly, “Fine, Liu Yi. You refused to paint a picture for Liancheng Jewelry. You’ll regret this. We’ll see what happens.” With that, she waved her hand and left Liu Family with her maids and a few women.
Watching Ajiu leave in a fury, Liu Muxi’s expression grew even darker. “It seems Liu Family won’t be able to stay peaceful this time. Yi’er, the person you offended just now, Miss Ajiu, must be connected to the current emperor. She had the ‘Panlong Jade’—only those most favored by the emperor can possess it.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi was puzzled. “Dad, what are you saying? That girl has the ‘Panlong Jade’—it can’t be fake, right? If she really has some connection to the emperor, why would she still ask me to draw a painting he already has? Does she not want to live?”
Liu Muxi shook his head. “I haven’t figured that out either. It seems this matter is quite complicated. We can only take things one step at a time. We can’t afford to anger either the emperor or Ajiu…”
Listening to his father’s words, Liu Yi realized he was worried that this might harm Liu Family. He said, “Dad, don’t worry. If trouble comes, I’ll face it. If Ajiu comes, I’ll stop her from doing anything harmful to Liu Family.”
Liu Muxi looked at Liu Yi and nodded. “It all depends on how you handle this. Go now. I need some time to think things through.”
Liu Yi replied, “Yes, Dad,” and turned to lead the Ten Heroes back to the rear garden…