Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 62 Making a Bet with Shangguan Wan'er

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun welcomed Shangguan Wan'er together.

But Liu Jianjun kept a dark face the whole way, just walking forward with his head down without saying a word.

Shangguan Wan'er followed behind Liu Jianjun with her head down.

The three of them arrived at Liu Jianjun's courtyard. Li Xian saw Shangguan Wan'er sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard by herself, while Liu Jianjun also ignored her. He simply dismissed all the servants in the courtyard before looking at Shangguan Wan'er with a hint of sarcasm: "Miss Shangguan, you've arrived quite early."

“But I’m here.” Shangguan Wan’er met Liu Jianjun’s gaze without the slightest fear.

The two acted like a young couple having a tiff.

"That just means you're not hopelessly stupid!"

Shangguan Wan'er seemed unconvinced, looking up at Liu Jianjun.

"Then let me tell you what you think." Liu Jianjun walked up to Shangguan Wan'er and looked down at her.

"You're thinking that since the late emperor's edict has already ordered the crown prince to succeed to the throne, and at this time the virtuous prince is just a powerless prince, you can completely switch allegiance to the crown prince and rely on his power to clear the name of your Shangguan family, right?"

"So what?"

"Heh, you even plan to do this secretly, so that even if the Crown Prince can't defeat Empress Wu, you can still stay by her side and continue to be the pen that drafts edicts and decrees for her, right?"

"So what if it is!"

"Is it because you came to the Prince of Pei's residence today only because you were worried that we would fight to the death with you and tell Empress Wu about your conspiracy with us?"

"Yes... so what!"

"Then let me tell you, you're incredibly stupid!" Liu Jianjun leaned forward, his face almost a foot away from Shangguan Wan'er's. "Following the strong is not wrong, but you shouldn't be swaying back and forth like a weathervane, especially before you've even determined who's stronger!"

"You mean Prince Pei is stronger than the new emperor who has the late emperor's edict, and also stronger than Empress Wu who has half the power in the court?" Shangguan Wan'er met Liu Jianjun's gaze without backing down.

"That's right, because Xianzi has me."

When Liu Jianjun said this, he turned and glanced at Li Xian, causing Li Xian to instinctively straighten his chest.

“I know you don’t believe me, but let’s make a bet, shall we?” Liu Jianjun asked again.

"How to bet?"

"One month, just one month, and you'll see that the new emperor is doomed to fail!" Liu Jianjun paused, then added, "Of course, if you're even smarter, you might not need a month to see it."

"But whether you can see it in advance or not, I don't need you to pass on any messages during this month, and I won't contact you proactively. You just need to continue to hide yourself, okay?"

To put it simply, it's to let you observe for another month.

"What if I still can't tell after a month?"

"The situation will become very clear. If you still can't see it, it just means you're incredibly stupid. At that point, I won't need you anymore."

Shangguan Wan'er hesitated for a moment, then looked up and met Liu Jianjun's gaze: "What about the bet?"

"If I win, I will want you."

Shangguan Wan'er blushed and said angrily, "What do you want me to do?"

"I said I wanted you. Your performance this time has made me uneasy. So, on the day you see the new emperor inevitably lose, I need you to come to the Prince of Pei's residence and leave behind incriminating evidence against you."

To put it bluntly, I want you...

"What if you lose?" Shangguan Wan'er interrupted, "Or what if the new emperor surpasses Empress Wu?"

She clearly understood what Liu Jianjun meant and didn't want him to continue his lewd behavior towards her.

"Do as you please, even with Xianzi." Liu Jianjun smiled at Li Xian. Li Xian nodded without hesitation: "What Liu Jianjun says is my word."

"it is good!"

Shangguan Wan'er nodded vigorously, then suddenly stood up and stretched out a hand towards Liu Jianjun.

Liu Jianjun was taken aback.

"A handshake, just like last time," Shangguan Wan'er said solemnly.

Liu Jianjun chuckled wryly: "This is a gamble, not a collaboration... Never mind."

As he spoke, Liu Jianjun reached out and grabbed Shangguan Wan'er's hand, grinning, "Don't reveal this when we get back. To be honest, I quite like you. If you're exposed and die young, I'll be heartbroken."

"If the new emperor wins, I will kill you."

Shangguan Wan'er met Liu Jianjun's gaze without fear, then shook Liu Jianjun's hand.

……

After Shangguan Wan'er left, Li Xian shifted his position and sat down next to Liu Jianjun.

Curious, I asked, "Are you interested?"

"A little," Liu Jianjun shrugged indifferently. "This woman's personality is indeed likable."

Li Xian laughed and said, "Last time she worked with you, you were only interested in her body. How come you're suddenly interested in her now that she's betraying you?"

Li Xian wasn't stupid; this time, he was finally able to keep up with the conversation between Liu Jianjun and Shangguan Wan'er, albeit barely.

"Well..." Liu Jianjun rubbed his chin, "The fact that a woman is carrying the hatred of an entire family is quite pitiful in itself. Her wavering actions, like a reed in the wind, make me admire her even more."

Li Xian smiled and shook his head.

Liu Jianjun's behavior just now didn't seem like he admired Shangguan Wan'er.

Li Xian thought for a moment and then asked, "Then why was your bet with her just now for a month?"

"Didn't your father's edict say that when the emperor was in mourning, he should 'follow the Han system and use days instead of months'? Doesn't that mean he should observe mourning according to the Han Dynasty system and use one day instead of one month?"
"Twenty-seven months, which is also twenty-seven days." ①
"Rounded up, it's been a month."

Liu Jianjun continued, "Although your father is gone, the faction he left behind for Xianzi in the court is still there. With the support of these people, Xianzi will at least be able to compete with your mother after he ascends the throne."

"Therefore, if your mother wanted to seize the throne, she would definitely take advantage of the twenty-seven days that Xianzi was in mourning and unable to govern to completely replace the team that your father left to Xianzi."

"This is the origin of the term 'month'."

Li Xian nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Then... why are you so certain that Mother will win?"

"The imperial edict also stated, 'When there are unresolved matters concerning military and national affairs, the Empress Dowager's opinion shall be consulted.' Doesn't this mean that your father has handed over the duties of the regent to your mother?"

Liu Jianjun rolled his eyes: "Your mother is such a smart person, and she holds such great power in her hands. Dealing with Xianzi, a useless emperor who only knows how to fight cocks all day long, is a piece of cake for her."

At this point, Liu Jianjun's tone was full of emotion: "Twenty-seven days! Less than a month! It's truly unimaginable that your mother, that old woman, stole your Li family's empire in just twenty-seven days..."

Li Xian was somewhat unconvinced.

Although Liu Jianjun's analysis was reasonable and well-founded, how could he be so certain that the Empress Dowager would definitely defeat Li Xian?
"What? You're not convinced?" Liu Jianjun seemed to have read his thoughts, glancing at him sideways: "Then how about we make a bet?"

……

　①The Han Dynasty's mourning custom was that when a father died, the son had to observe a three-year mourning period, but this three years was not a full three years; it was twenty-seven months. Emperor Gaozong's will stated that the months would be replaced by days, meaning twenty-seven days.

　　I've been working on the chapters a lot lately, so the updates have been a bit late.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)