Pei Ji separated their hands with the speed of lightning.
“Chu Yunge, do you have a heart at all…”
He stopped abruptly midway through his words when he saw the expressions on Chu Yunge’s and Qingchen’s faces.
Chu Yunge shook off Pei Ji’s hand. “I only held his hand to detoxify him. Why are you making it sound like I was deliberately taking advantage?”
Pei Ji felt stifled and uncomfortable. “You said before that you’d let us go after the detoxification, but with you holding his hand so blatantly, how could Master Qingchen possibly keep his purity?”
Qingchen withdrew his hand into his sleeve and said nothing.
“You do have a point.” Chu Yunge did not argue further. “Then we’ll hold hands once we’re in the carriage.”
Worried about being late, she turned and walked out without looking back after she finished speaking.
Qingchen hesitated for a moment under Pei Ji’s furious gaze before following her.
Pei Ji’s mind was filled with her words about holding hands in the carriage. He turned back and saw Xie Wangze, who seemed utterly unconcerned, and could not help but speak up.
“Young Master Xie, why didn’t you say anything?”
Xie Wangze lowered his gaze to the cloud patterns on his cuff. “The Little Marquis must be joking.”
“How is this a joke? You’re the Prince Consort.” Pei Ji was exasperated with him.
Xie Wangze paused at his words. “Her Highness said it was for detoxification. It seems the Little Marquis cares a great deal about whose hand Her Highness holds.”
“I didn’t! Where did I show that I cared?” Pei Ji denied it immediately. Realizing his voice was too loud, he coughed. “I just can’t stand seeing her pawing at a monk like that.”
With that, he quickly walked past Xie Wangze.
Xie Wangze watched his retreating back with an indifferent expression, his thoughts unreadable.
Meanwhile.
Once they were in the carriage, Chu Yunge had Qingchen sit directly beside her. She grabbed his wrist, reflecting that Pei Ji’s reaction made holding a wrist seem better than holding a hand.
“How is it? Is it working?”
Qingchen let out a soft hum, though he still felt somewhat uneasy.
Chu Yunge’s attention had already been drawn to the food box. She opened it and saw walnut pastries and red date cakes. She pushed the box toward Qingchen. “Help yourself. Don’t stand on ceremony.”
She then picked up a piece of walnut pastry and ate it slowly.
By the time Qingchen reacted, he already held a piece of walnut pastry in his hand.
The carriage fell quiet, but the odd silence eased Qingchen’s unease.
The Princess Mansion was very close to the imperial palace, and they arrived soon.
Chu Yunge released Qingchen’s hand, and the two parted ways.
Li Chengzhe’s disciple was already waiting at the palace gate. Little Xin had a very sweet mouth and carefully attended to Chu Yunge as she boarded the palanquin.
Yan Feng, who had been following silently, stayed outside the palace and did not enter.
The Great Chu Palace was divided into the outer court and the inner court. Bright Light Hall was the main hall, also known as the outer court. Proclamation Brightness Hall was where the emperor held court and attended to government affairs, called the middle court.
Light-bearing Hall was the inner court, where the emperor handled daily affairs. It was also known as the Emperor’s Convenience Hall. North of Light-bearing Hall was a transverse street, and beyond that was the area where the consorts resided.
Chu Yunge rarely went to Bright Light Hall or Proclamation Brightness Hall, but she was very familiar with Light-bearing Hall.
When she saw the Chu Emperor, Chu Yucheng, it was as if she were looking at another version of herself dressed in men’s clothing. Their features were identical and coolly aloof, but the emperor carried an added air of majesty.
“Imperial Sister has arrived.” The Chu Emperor’s eyes were deep and dark, his skin as pale as snow from years without sunlight, carrying a sickly pallor.
“I’ve come to pay respects to Imperial Brother.” Before Chu Yunge could curtsy, the Chu Emperor pulled her to her feet. He was only three or four centimeters taller than her.
“There are no outsiders here. No need to be so formal with your Imperial Brother.”
They swapped identities and clothes. Chu Yunge changed first, and the Chu Emperor personally checked and adjusted everything.
“This is our first swap since your marriage. We had hoped marriage would make you more steady, but you’ve only grown more reckless. You even resorted to the forbidden drug Wish Fulfillment Poison, which the court has explicitly banned.”
“The night before last, it was Pei Ji. Last night, Xie Wangze. What exactly did you do with them?”
Chu Yunge was not surprised that the emperor knew. After all, anyone at the Princess Mansion could be a spy for the emperor or the empress dowager. Especially after the princess had escaped once last year, the surveillance had tightened, and she did not know how many shadow guards were secretly following her.
“Doesn’t Imperial Brother already know everything? It was just holding hands to detoxify.”
“Are you blaming your Imperial Brother for watching over you? We do it for your safety, and to avoid any slip-ups.” The Chu Emperor tapped her forehead before looking at her wrist.
“Has the wound improved? Let Us see.” Without giving her a chance to refuse, the emperor rolled up her sleeve. When he saw the Palace Guarding Sand on her arm, his expression softened.
Chu Yunge took note. No wonder they bothered marking a princess with Palace Guarding Sand—it was just another way to monitor her.
Even though he clearly knew nothing had happened, the Chu Emperor still checked personally. It seemed his paranoia ran deep.
The Chu Emperor looked at her wound. “Imperial Sister has suffered. It’s all Our fault for dragging you into this.”
Guilt and gratitude filled his eyes. He pointed to the jewelry and fabrics nearby. “We can’t do much else, so We can only give you some worldly possessions. These are tribute items that arrived yesterday. Pick whatever you like.”
No matter what fine tribute arrived, aside from what went to the empress dowager, the Chu Emperor always set it aside for her to choose first. Only after she passed on something did it go to the rear palace.
The Chu Emperor had a fine reputation. He respected the worthy, was gentle with others, possessed the emperor’s decisiveness, and doted endlessly on his sister. He truly seemed like a good brother.
In contrast, the princess had a bad temper. She was always told by their mother how well her imperial brother treated her and how she should be grateful, which was why she could not refuse even when it came to giving two bowls of blood.
Chu Yunge sighed, then nodded. “They’re all quite nice. Have someone send everything to the Princess Mansion, Imperial Brother.”
These were things she deserved, and she would not refuse them.
A flicker of surprise passed through the Chu Emperor’s eyes. In the past, though the princess enjoyed this privilege, she had wanted for nothing since childhood and often heard how well the emperor treated her. She rarely bothered to look closely and seldom took anything.
Surprised, the Chu Emperor did not reply at once.
Chu Yunge looked at him. “Why isn’t Imperial Brother answering? Getting stingy now?”
If the princess would not take them, she would. These were the fruits of her “selling blood.” Since she had shouldered the reputation and earned the hatred and enmity of the consorts, refusing would only make her lose out more.
“Of course not.” A glint of scrutiny flashed in the Chu Emperor’s eyes. “If Imperial Sister likes them, We are only too happy.”
“Don’t mention these trifles. As long as it’s not the moon or stars in the sky, if We can find it and Imperial Sister asks, your Imperial Brother will get it for you.”
The Chu Emperor’s face was full of indulgence, but then he turned serious. “Even with men, it’s the same. As long as it doesn’t violate ethics or morality, Imperial Sister can have whomever she wants. If they don’t serve you well, We’ll reward you with others. You really shouldn’t have risked using forbidden drugs.”
“If they harmed you under the guise of detoxification, what would We and Mother Empress do? We’ve already ordered the imperial physicians to find an antidote as quickly as possible. You must be extremely careful yourself.”
The Chu Emperor was truly skilled with words. Chu Yunge nodded and played along. “Thank you, Imperial Brother. I knew you were the best to me.”
If he intended to help them, he would likely do his utmost to find the antidote. She wanted it sooner too.
The Chu Emperor before her showed no flaws or malice. He seemed like the perfect doting brother, a total siscon, genuinely caring for his sister.
But perhaps because his skin was too pale, Chu Yunge always felt something off about him, somewhat fake and uncomfortable. Since she had just arrived, she decided to play along and act according to circumstances.
“Imperial Brother, rest assured. I know my life isn’t just mine—it’s Imperial Brother’s life, the life of Great Chu. I’ll cherish it even more.”