Qingchen had been a monk for many years and was always a gentle person, so it was truly difficult for him to take the initiative to ask for the poison to be removed.
Previously, Chu Yunge had always been considerate and proactively helped him detoxify it.
He had been waiting all along, but this time Chu Yunge did not move or speak.
His face remained serious, and no one could tell that he was actually suffering greatly inside.
Finally, he spoke up, and it seemed Chu Yunge heard his plea. She moved.
Chu Yunge deliberately swung the paw that had been resting on the table, then used her index and middle fingers to imitate walking, strutting in an extremely lively and flamboyant model walk toward Qingchen’s hand.
It was the first time Qingchen had seen fingers that could walk—and walk with such personality. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
The Princess was truly… interesting. Even her fingers were so interesting.
Chu Yunge’s fingers strutted along in a model’s catwalk, then stopped three centimeters from his hand amid Qingchen’s expectant wait with bated breath.
She struck a handsome pose and then retreated.
Just like a model reaching the end of the runway, freezing and turning to leave.
Chu Yunge walked back, but stopped again, simply staring at Qingchen.
Qingchen was stunned.
When he looked up and saw the laughter in her eyes, he realized she was doing it on purpose. In a fit of anger, he reached out and grabbed Chu Yunge’s naughty finger that was about to retreat.
“Don’t run, Your Highness.”
At that moment, the restlessness and pain that had been lingering in his heart and body instantly faded, allowing him to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
But he did not know if it was because the poison had flared up without control. After the momentary relief, his heart inexplicably still itched, as if he craved even more contact.
But he could not.
Qingchen took a deep breath and only held her hand.
He silently recited scriptures in his mind, trying to divert his attention.
Qingchen restrained himself very well, and Chu Yunge noticed nothing unusual. She shook the hand that was grabbed:
“I thought even if the poison flared up, you still wouldn’t touch it.”
Qingchen opened his eyes. He knew she was doing it on purpose.
Looking at Chu Yunge’s mischievous smile, Qingchen felt a bit annoyed, and his grip tightened involuntarily.
“It hurts.” Chu Yunge’s cry of pain made Qingchen quickly let go of her hand.
“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Go ahead and detoxify while looking.”
Qingchen paused, then finally said, “Forgive me,” as his leg gently approached Chu Yunge.
Gazing at the lotus hairpin atop Chu Yunge’s head, a smile appeared on his face. His brows and eyes softened, and even his restlessness lessened.
He continued shelling lotus seeds without speaking, and Chu Yunge did not either, but it was not awkward.
After shelling a few lotus seeds and seeing that Chu Yunge had not eaten them, he took the initiative to speak: “This Monk also likes lotus seeds with hearts.”
Chu Yunge let out an “oh” and fell silent.
Qingchen paused: “Where did Your Highness find the Wish Fulfillment Poison? This poison is truly vicious and should be thoroughly destroyed.”
Having personally experienced the pain and terror of the poison flaring up, Qingchen grew even more intolerant of it. It was no wonder the women harmed by this drug had preferred to end their own lives.
Chu Yunge paused: “It was already dealt with before.”
She had dealt with it earlier, using the Princess’s high price to fish out the hidden culprits and destroying all the formulas that could be destroyed.
“That’s good.”
Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief: “Your Highness is righteous.”
A moment later, he asked again: “What book is Your Highness reading?”
Chu Yunge raised an eyebrow: “A book you can’t read.”
Qingchen chuckled at her words. He found that she always managed to make him laugh with just one sentence.
“Is there a book This Monk cannot read?”
He had just shelled another one and quickly fed it into Chu Yunge’s mouth without letting her touch it. His gaze fell on the book in her hand.
Then, his face stiffened.
Because the book Chu Yunge was reading turned out to be something unseemly.
Qingchen glanced at it once and looked away, but it still made his scalp tingle.
He had never been this curious before, but today he had childishly given in to curiosity.
Now he was getting his retribution.
Because even with just one glance, he had seen that the two people in the illustrations were not the traditional one man and one woman—one of the men was disguised as a woman.
“I told you you can’t look.” Chu Yunge found it amusing to watch him.
The book she was reading was a rarity in the Chu State.
The story was simple: two men in love could not be together due to worldly conventions, so the receiver disguised himself as a woman.
What was even more wondrous than the story was that this book had come from the Chu Emperor’s stash. The Chu Emperor had hidden it very securely, but the Princess had still found it.
The Princess had probably guessed something and hidden it away intending to use it to threaten the Chu Emperor into drinking less blood. But soon after, she transmigrated here.
Because the cover and title looked like suspenseful detective horror, Du Ruo probably had not opened it and just mixed it in.
The Chu Emperor had hidden it without destroying it, probably wanting to appreciate it often, and had long since confirmed his own fondness for men.
But aside from not yet selecting an Empress, he had plenty of women in his harem.
Perhaps he was bisexual.
Seeing her still reading it, Qingchen could not help but say: “Your Highness, it’s best to read less of such books.”
“Fine.” Chu Yunge agreed.
“The illustrations are ugly; not as good as what This Princess draws.”
Qingchen had just relaxed when he heard this, and his hand trembled.
“Your Highness, you…”
“Don’t be afraid. This Princess won’t force you to model for a painting of you.”
Qingchen looked helpless: “Your Highness, this kind of…”
As soon as Qingchen opened his mouth, Chu Yunge knew what he was going to say—advising against it again. She did not want to model for him, nor did she want to hear his nagging.
“If you want to advise someone, go tell Your Majesty. This Princess got it from His Majesty.”
Qingchen froze completely, his face turning pale: “This…”
“Shh, it’s a secret.”
Chu Yunge was very satisfied with Qingchen’s shock, confusion, and faint repulsion.
Seeing how much Pei Ji repelled the Chu Emperor, Chu Yunge had found a new pleasure—sabotaging the Chu Emperor’s chances of quietly approaching his CPs and winning them over, making them guarded against him from the start.
After all, the current customs and atmosphere in the Chu State did not welcome relationships between men. Regardless of whether she would end up falling for the Chu Emperor in the end, she just wanted to see everyone despise him.
She truly was a proper malicious supporting female.