Chapter 60: Overlooking the Imperial Guard

The next morning, Liu Tan, dressed in white and armed with his spear, stood in the training ground. Suddenly, he shouted, "Watch as my spear strikes like a dragon!"

"Again, see my spear strike like a dragon!"

...

Having grasped some of the basics over the past couple of days, Liu Tan couldn't help but repeatedly practice the "thrust" technique of spearplay. When he finished with his right hand, he continued with his left! With each round of practice, combined with techniques for channeling his energy, he not only felt his arm strength gradually increasing but also his control over the spear growing ever more refined.

According to Zhao Yun, the highest realm of spearplay was to become one with the weapon, wielding it as naturally as one's own arm.

Liu Tan was resolutely striving toward this ideal.

In recent days, he had thoroughly adjusted his training schedule, rising an hour earlier and going to bed an hour later.

After practicing his martial arts, he returned to the front hall; the Empress had already left, likely to fetch her younger sister.

"Your Majesty, is something troubling you?" Lady Li asked as she ladled medicinal water from a wooden bucket and poured it over the Emperor's shoulders.

She had noticed the Emperor's brows furrowed all day, his gaze contemplative and eyes slightly narrowed, betraying nothing of his inner thoughts.

Liu Tan shook his head. Indeed, he was pondering some matters.

First, he wondered what the former Liu Shan had actually done with his young sister-in-law—was it mere affection, or something more depraved?

He had always considered himself a normal man—he did favor married women, but if someone else touched his own woman, he would be extremely displeased.

So this question seemed very important.

At this moment, he once again deeply felt the helplessness of being a transmigrant.

Another question was: before he crossed over, how many secrets did the previous owner of this body have that he himself didn’t know, and others didn’t know either?

Just like his uncertainty over Liu Shan’s attitude toward the young sister-in-law.

As an emperor, no matter how weak he appeared, he would still have a few confidants or secrets unknown to others.

Just as he himself, unable to change much for now, still wanted to do something to improve the current situation.

He brushed off Lady Li’s concerns, changed his clothes, ate breakfast, and after a while, heard a young girl’s voice outside.

"Your Majesty, brother-in-law, I've come to see you!"

Her voice was as crisp as the oriole’s song.

Soon, Liu Tan saw a little girl dressed in a pale violet Han robe appear in the courtyard. She gathered up her long sleeves, shook her hair, and ran straight toward the main hall.

"Siru, slow down! Mind the steps!" The Empress followed closely, calling anxiously.

Liu Tan rose to walk outside, but he was a moment too late; the girl had already entered the hall.

"Ah!"

In the next instant, the girl leaped onto him like a little koala, her legs wrapped around his waist.

His face instantly darkened.

In contrast, the girl’s enthusiasm was overflowing.

She wept softly into Liu Tan’s ear, "Brother Emperor, you haven’t come to see me for so many days. I missed you so much!"

Liu Tan took a deep breath, inwardly fuming, "Damn you, Liu Shan! No wonder you ended up like this—how could you bear to lay hands on such a young girl!"

While he did feel a bit regretful, his main feeling was anger toward Liu Shan.

He himself, Siru, would never touch a girl this young—that would be inhuman.

But the next moment, the girl slid down from him, bashfully saying, "I forgot, Brother Emperor said I’m a big girl now, and I can’t be so close to him anymore!"

"Ah?" Liu Tan’s mouth fell open. Perhaps he had misunderstood Liu Shan.

But he couldn’t be certain—he needed to test a bit more.

"Little sister, I missed you too!" He bent down, carefully examining his young sister-in-law.

Indeed, Liu Tan found himself at a loss for words to describe her.

If he had to pick a phrase, it would be "carved with exquisite care."

He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly; his young sister-in-law would surely grow into a woman of peerless beauty.

No wonder Liu Shan had made her empress after her sister’s death.

His sister-in-law was only ten years old, yet already had the power to stir forbidden desires in the hearts of men—never mind when she grew older.

Liu Tan reckoned that even the legendary beauty Diao Chan might not surpass her.

Diao Chan’s fame perhaps only endured because she was Lu Bu’s woman, and together they helped reshape the fate of the late Han dynasty.

Had Liu Shan made a name for himself, perhaps posterity would have commented on his Empress Zhang as well.

Alas, all that Liu Shan left to history was the phrase, "Here, I find such joy as to forget Shu."

"Empress, go personally summon the palace seamstresses to take my sister-in-law’s measurements. Look, this violet robe is already too small for her," Liu Tan instructed as he gazed at his young sister-in-law.

"Yes, yes!" The Empress replied, though she felt a pang of jealousy in her heart.

Indeed, her own charms could never compare to her younger sister’s!

"Yes, that’s right! Brother Emperor, this is the best-fitting dress you’ve ever given me; the others are all too small!" The little girl pouted. "And you haven’t come to play with me in such a long time!"

"Your Majesty, I’ll go to the kitchens myself and order some dishes. I suppose you plan to have lunch with your little sister today," Lady Li said.

Rather than wait for the Emperor’s orders, she chose to be tactful and excused herself, sighing inwardly. It seemed the Emperor’s affection for Zhang Siru had not diminished in the slightest.

Liu Tan, on the other hand, was not thinking along those lines. He merely wanted a chance to be alone with his young sister-in-law.

Don’t misunderstand—he was only interested in asking her some questions. Certain matters could only be discussed in private.

Once they were alone in the room, Liu Tan unabashedly took in the sight of his rosy-cheeked sister-in-law, even unconsciously rubbing his hands together.

"Damn!" he silently cursed himself. "Why am I rubbing my hands together?"

"Brother Emperor, why are you scaring me again? Didn’t you promise you wouldn’t do that anymore?"

The little girl gazed at him with her big, innocent eyes.

Liu Tan scratched his head, coughed twice to clear his mind, took her hand, and led her to a corner seat. Squatting down, he said, "Little sister, you don’t know this, but a few days ago I hit my head, and now I can’t remember some things from before. Can you tell me—did we have any secrets between us?"

"Secrets?" The little girl licked her lips and thought for a moment.

Heavens, this is nerve-wracking.

Liu Tan swallowed hard and nodded solemnly. "Yes, secrets—are there any?"

At this moment, Liu Tan was like a cunning wolf, patiently coaxing a little white rabbit.

"Little bunny, open the door for me!"

The girl nodded quickly. "Of course, Brother Emperor and I have secrets—huge secrets!"

"Damn!" Liu Tan leapt up in shock. "There really are secrets!"

In his previous life, he’d heard of scoundrels who, after molesting a young girl, would give her some treats and tell her, "Don’t tell anyone—this is our biggest secret!"

And now it seemed this had actually happened!

Although perhaps even Liu Tan himself didn’t realize that he was also a bit jealous.

A faint fragrance wafted from his young sister-in-law—subtle, neither the scent of soap nor flowers, something he couldn't describe, but it only made his jealousy burn brighter.

Suppressing his displeasure, Liu Tan asked, "Then, little sister, can you tell your brother—what is the secret between us?"