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That was also the reason for Longyang's existence. He had heard that, in order to give birth to him, his father had clutched a medicine jar and taken medicine for an entire year, finally bringing forth this symbol of victory.

The Long Household had two sons, while the Li Household had only one heir. The Long Household had won by a landslide.

From the time Longyang could remember, the only fruit served after meals in their household had been "plums." No matter how sour they were, they had to bite into them loudly. While other families gathered round on New Year's Eve to set off firecrackers, the activity in their household was for the three men—the Old Master and his two sons—to take an axe each and hack furiously at the plum tree planted in their own courtyard.

But even that wasn't enough to vent their anger. He had heard that the Eldest Miss Li had a face like a peony, skin fairer than snow, and fragrant breath. Given a little more time, she would surely bloom like a peony and become the foremost beauty among the capital's official families.

Why had their family produced another number one?

Absolutely not, not, not!

And so—

"Ang'er. Don't you like the gauze dress your father bought you?"

"Father, I'm a boy."

"From today onward, you must strive toward the title of the foremost young lady among the official families. Do you understand?"

"..."

Sometimes, Longyang was very glad he hadn't been born before Long Ang. If Long Ang had been raised as a daughter and made to wear women's clothes to compete with the Eldest Miss Li in beauty, he probably would have drawn his sword and killed himself on the spot. Long Ang had not disappointed their expectations. After several years of training, he wore gauze dresses with ease, his steps swaying gracefully, his charming eyes blinking as he learned every bit of feminine allure in his gestures. He was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and forcibly kicked the Eldest Miss Li down from her position as the "foremost young lady among the official families."

For a very long time, the threshold of the Long Household had been trampled flat by men coming to propose marriage.

With his elder brother dealing with the Eldest Miss Li, his own task was naturally to deal with the Li Household's only heir, Li Chenjing.

His father's education had indeed worked. From childhood to adulthood, he had always been at odds with anyone surnamed Li. Whenever he thought of Li Chenjing, sour hatred churned in his heart. Because of that bastard, he and his elder brother couldn't play with the other children and set off fireworks on New Year's Eve; they could only stay home and hack plum trees until they were exhausted. Because of that bastard, he and his elder brother had been deprived of their childhood!

But that bastard was completely unlike his elder sister—he was far harder to deal with. He was first-rate at studying, first-rate at calligraphy, and first-rate at both music and chess. He was a super model student who practically wished his teacher would praise him eight hundred times a day, only to lazily say, "Too easy."

Unable to find Li Chenjing's weakness, Longyang had even been made to go hungry for several meals by his father and forced to eat plums as a form of reflection.

As he gnawed on a sour plum and imagined Li Chenjing's smug face saying, "Compared with an idiot, there's no pressure at all," he ground his teeth with hatred.

He had entered Dongxu Mansion with a score that left the second-place candidate far behind, and the Holy Emperor had personally selected him to serve as his study companion and attendant. Whenever Longyang had the slightest thought of catching up to him, Li Chenjing immediately found a way to throw him far behind.

Now that he finally had a chance to bring him down, how could he let it go easily?

Unlike Longyang's indignation, Long Ang toyed with the petals of the White Peony on the table between two fingers, his lips curved in a faint, unhurried smile.

"Hey, Brother, have you forgotten who was responsible for forcing you to be raised as a girl when we were children?"

His soft red lips curved into a bright arc. "I don't regret it." In fact, he was grateful.

"Brother, fooling around in the past was one thing, but you aren't really going soft on Li Chenjing and the Li Household, are you? You're the eldest son of the Long Household. You ought to—"

"Xiaoyang, don't mention the matter of the 'eldest son's' succession to me again. I have already made sacrifices for those two words. I have neither the intention nor anything left to sacrifice."

Sure enough, that thorn lodged in his elder brother's bones had not faded. His usual appearance of having moved on was merely an act. Even the slightest tug was enough to leave him battered to the bone.

"Brother, you haven't forgotten that person, have you? Where's your Seal?" After pondering for a moment, Longyang asked.

"Xiaoyang, you underestimate your brother. The Seal is a sacred object bestowed by the Holy Emperor. How could I show it to just anyone?" He smiled and drew out the Seal, which had been hidden inside his collar, but his eyes remained fixed on the peony, unwilling to move away.

"That is for the best. The Long and Li Households should never have had too many entanglements in the first place." Crossing his arms over his chest, Longyang stated this with certainty.

"Should never have had any entanglements? How could that be something you or I can decide? Xiaoyang really has never loved anyone. I would truly like to see what you look like when you seriously fall for a woman."

"Me? Fall for a woman? Are you making fun of me? Seeing the two of you like this is more than enough for me. Love? Whoever gets involved with that deserves whatever happens to them! It's fine to have fun with someone you like, and it's fine to marry someone proper. Love? Ha, can you eat it?" Longyang crossed his long legs and raised his brows smugly. "I've only just sent out my three-hundred-and-thirtieth purse, and there are still plenty more where that came from. What man worries about not finding a wife? Unlike you people, losing your souls over one person or another. Forget it—even if you butchered me, I couldn't do it."

"By 'you people,' you mean—"

"You, that fellow surnamed Li, and that increasingly strange fellow from the Ministry of Revenue, Nian Youyu."

Oh—right. It seemed he hadn't seen the Ministry of Revenue Seal hanging around Nian Youyu's neck lately. Who knew which young lady he had given it to? Heh...

"Spring has arrived—"

For some people, spring had just arrived, and the first stirrings of love were bound to come in the warmest season. But for others, spring had already been framed in a painting and hung high on a wall, frozen in the warmest season while the person himself had grown cold.

After taking a sip of fragrant tea and watching several tea leaves rise and sink in the cup, Long Ang suddenly spoke. "Xiaoyang, I will say this only once. Remember it, and when you have an answer, come and tell me."

"Hmm?"

"If you want me to compete with the Li Household for power and influence, I can't do it. But if you have greater ambitions and want Xiao Jing's position, let me know. I will certainly help you."

"..."

"You don't need to look so surprised. This way, Mother won't have to worry anymore, right? My feelings for Xiao Jing go no further than this."

No further than this... because he hadn't lost his memory. He hadn't forgotten that he was a member of the Long Household, hadn't forgotten that he was one of those Long Household people who had eaten plums and chopped down plum trees since childhood, and hadn't forgotten that the Long Household had never been willing to come second.

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Historical Romance

Woman Dressed as a Man