The new emperor of the Tang Kingdom—reigning under the title "Shenzong"—ascended to the throne by the direct mandate of the Queen Mother; hence, he chose "Shenzong" (meaning "Divine Ancestor/Lineage") as his imperial title.
As the depths of winter faded, the capital of the Tang Kingdom bustled with vibrant, lively activity.
Over the past year—or, to be more precise, the last eight months—government policies had brought newfound prosperity to the entire capital.
All of this was the result of the new reforms championed by the Emperor.
In gratitude for these policies, the people of the capital held grand celebrations—festivities even more boisterous than those seen during the autumn harvest.
Every corner of the capital echoed with praises for the new Emperor.
On one of the capital's bustling main thoroughfares, two young men strolled along at a leisurely pace. As they listened to the people singing the Emperor's praises, expressions of pride flickered across their faces—
—as if it were they themselves being lauded by the crowd.
"Look at them, all singing the Emperor's praises! Little do they know that the new reforms are entirely the handiwork of our brother-in-law!" the younger of the two complained to his companion.
"Haha! Our brother-in-law has no interest in such fame, so naturally, he lets the Emperor take the credit! It's a private matter between a husband and wife—what are you complaining about?" the older youth replied with a laugh.
"I'm not complaining! It's just that... even if our brother-in-law didn't want the credit for himself, he didn't have to hand it all over to the Emperor! He could have shared a little with us—we're still just commoners with no official rank, after all!"
The young man grumbled.
Yet, despite his grumbling, there was not a shred of genuine resentment toward his "brother-in-law" in his tone.
His words were filled with pride—and a subtle, underlying sentiment that he himself had not even noticed. The slightly older young man beside him chuckled softly, choosing not to point out that his younger brother was simply jealous of their sister's husband.
"Alright, enough complaining! Everyone's been waiting for quite a while—let's get going!" said the older of the two, Bai Mengxiang—the elder brother of the young woman mentioned earlier.
"Right!" replied his younger brother, Bai Mengfei. He quickened his pace to keep up with Bai Mengxiang as they headed toward Zui Xian Lou, the largest and liveliest restaurant in the capital.
During the Spring Festival, Zui Xian Lou was packed to capacity every single day; for anyone lacking sufficient status, getting inside was simply out of the question.
Even as the son of the reigning Imperial Chancellor, securing a private dining room was no easy feat for Bai Mengfei.
After all, everyone who dared to frequent Zui Xian Lou at a time like this belonged to the ranks of the nobility.
The sons of Dukes, the heirs to Marquises—the clientele at Zui Xian Lou consisted entirely of such figures.
In the previous two years, the brothers hadn't dared to set foot in the place, as the factions supporting the Crown Prince and Prince Jing had frequently come to blows over control of the establishment.
Neither of them possessed much in the way of martial arts prowess, so they certainly weren't about to get caught up in such brawls.
This year, however, things were different. Bai Mengfei now held the title of a "junior Marquis," putting him on equal footing with the other scions of the nobility.
More importantly, there was the matter of his brother-in-law's status. Out of respect for him, even the sons of princes would readily yield a private room.
It wasn't that they feared his brother-in-law—it was simply that they held him in such high regard. Ever since that night three months ago—when, in a drunken stupor, I and some friends forced ourselves upon my brother-in-law (the first male empress in history)—every man harboring illicit desires toward him has been trying to curry favor with me.
Yet, I have never done anything like that again since that incident.
Although my brother-in-law eventually forgave me—and even found the act of being raped rather amusing—neither I, nor my parents, nor my siblings could ever forgive ourselves.
I haven't seen my brother-in-law once in the last three months; I simply couldn't face him.
In a few days, it will be the fifteenth of the month. To ensure a family reunion, my brother-in-law's relatives have been arriving in the capital in secret—even the two Dowager Consorts, who had returned to Longyun Province, have made the journey. The goal is to surprise my brother-in-law and his wife, allowing them to spend some quality time with their family.
It is also in preparation for the upcoming wedding of my sister and my brother-in-law.
Upon arriving at the Zuixian Pavilion, Bai Mengxiang and Bai Mengfei were guided upstairs by a waiter—who knew exactly which room they were headed to.
After leading them to the fifth floor, the waiter took his leave.
While the fifth floor is technically part of the Zuixian Pavilion, it operates independently of the establishment.
Guests on this floor have no need for the pavilion's cuisine, as they bring their own chefs and provisions.
Bai Mengfei walked ahead and opened the door to the private chamber, where several people were already waiting.
Had I been there, I would have realized that almost everyone inside was someone I knew. Sitting inside were Shaoqing, Yang Zongsheng, Huang Wushang, Lan Haisheng, and Sister Qing. There was also my cousin, Lan Feng—whom I hadn't seen in a long time—accompanied by a beautiful woman; though her expression was cold, her eyes betrayed a look of pure happiness.
Except for the beauty by Lan Feng's side, everyone present was someone I knew well.
"Mengxiang, Mengfei, come over and take a seat! You two are the last ones to arrive," Yang Zongsheng called out to them.
"Sorry we're late—hope you don't mind," Mengxiang said, sounding entirely unrepentant.
"Were you two busy 'misbehaving' with the Lady Knight Bai, or perhaps taking your frustrations out on your own mother? How could you be so late?" Shaoqing asked, teasing the icy-faced Sister Qing as he spoke.
"I was 'misbehaving' with my sister, and my brother was taking his frustrations out on our mother—it felt absolutely divine," Mengfei replied with a laugh.
"You little rascal, don't go overboard! Your sister is getting married in a few days—don't go and get her pregnant," Sister Qing warned, even as she spread her legs wide to let Shaoqing toy with her pussy.
"Don't you worry about that, Sister Qing! If my sister doesn't care, why should you? You'd be better off worrying about yourself—you're the future successor of the Cihang Jingzhai, after all. If you ended up pregnant, wouldn't that just tell the whole world that you're a total slut?"
Mengfei said with a wicked grin.
"Exactly, exactly! Our 'ice-cold' Lady Knight Qing—you've been playing so hard lately; your breasts and ass have grown so much over the last six months that no one would believe you if you claimed you hadn't been fucked!"