Li Guangi’s pupils shrank, his mind going blank.
The Princess… kissed him.
She kissed him.
Chu Yunge had originally wanted to continue, but upon feeling his wide eyes, she paused for the moment and poked at his eyelids.
“Remember, when kissing, your eyes should be closed.”
Not closing his eyes felt a bit strange.
Li Guangi’s mind was still blank, but he closed his eyes on reflex.
However, he was too nervous, and his hand tightly gripped Chu Yunge’s clothes.
Chu Yunge watched his curled eyelashes tremble like dancing butterflies, then glanced at his hand. With a chuckle, she kissed his eyelid.
“Good boy. Wait until Sister teaches you properly how to…”
As Chu Yunge spoke and leaned in to touch his lips, intending to deepen the kiss, she suddenly sensed something amiss.
She looked up and saw Xie Wangze standing at the entrance to the hall, though she didn’t know when he had arrived.
Half his face was shrouded in shadow, his eyes dark and deep.
“It seems I’ve come at a bad time and interrupted Your Highness’s fun.”
His voice was still as pleasant as ever, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness.
Chu Yunge released Li Guangi’s chin and coughed lightly. “Does the Prince Consort have business?”
As she spoke, Chu Yunge noticed the attendant behind Xie Wangze. The attendant was keeping his head bowed low, holding a tray in his hands—unclear if it was porridge or soup.
Just as she was about to ask, Xie Wangze spoke.
“I had originally come to inform Your Highness about Young Master Li’s matter. Since Young Master Li is here, I assume he has already told you, so I won’t disturb Your Highness further.”
Without waiting for her response, Xie Wangze turned and left.
He had always been aloof before, but at this moment, watching his retreating back, he seemed even more distant.
Chu Yunge wanted to say something but ultimately held her tongue.
There was nothing to explain. They were bound to part ways eventually. Xie Wangze despised her, so seeing her take interest in someone else, he wouldn’t care—perhaps he’d even be glad that she wouldn’t bother him anymore.
Anyway, he had seen it. Today it was Li Guangi; tomorrow, there might be a Zhang Guangi.
It was just a matter of time.
And the relationship between them wasn’t something that could be easily mended—it couldn’t be forced.
Chu Yunge didn’t mind, but her mood was ruined.
Looking at the anxious-faced Li Guangi, she smiled. “Do you want to chase after him and explain? No need.”
“If you go explain and apologize, you’ll only annoy him more. He doesn’t like me, so he won’t care who I take up with.”
Li Guangi’s ears were still a bit red, but because of Xie Wangze, his face had paled somewhat. Hearing this, he couldn’t help shaking his head.
“What?” Chu Yunge asked, puzzled.
Li Guangi looked toward the door. He felt that the Prince Consort Xie did care—and was even a bit angry.
He lowered his head and wrote on his homemade notepad with a charcoal stick, though his handwriting was quite neat.
“The Prince Consort is angry?” Chu Yunge read aloud. “Is he?”
She thought for a moment. “Even if he is, no need to mind it. He’s probably just upset at being offended.” It had nothing to do with affection; any spouse fooling around would anger a man or woman alike.
“Go back and take good care of your little sister. Come find me if there’s anything.”
She had such principles—handling her own bed warmers herself, unlike those scumbags who made their main wives manage the concubines while pretending everyone was one big happy family.
Li Guangi hesitated for a moment but still took his leave.
However, once outside, Xie Wangze was already nowhere to be seen. He hesitated but ultimately followed Chu Yunge’s words and didn’t give chase.
Ju An, the attendant following Xie Wangze, glanced back. “Young Master, he didn’t chase after us.”
Xie Wangze didn’t respond, his expression indifferent.
But Ju An, having served him for so long, could intuitively sense that his master seemed angry and suppressing it.
That was normal, though—the Princess had really gone too far…
Ju An cautiously murmured a couple of sentences. Xie Wangze gave him a faint glance. “Isn’t this pretty good?”
Ju An thought about it and agreed. His master would return to the Chen State sooner or later, and the Princess constantly eyeing the young master would be trouble. Now that her attention had shifted, it was a good thing.
A similar conversation took place between Pei Ji and his attendant.
“Her taking interest in someone else is a good thing. Thank the heavens, I can finally breathe easy.”
The little monk who always followed Master Qingchen said something along the same lines.
Everyone said they could breathe easy, but that night, Xie Wangze in Wild Goose Courtyard practiced his calligraphy until late into the night.
This was Xie Wangze’s habit—he used calligraphy to calm his mind.
Curiously, Pei Ji in the neighboring Nine Heavens Courtyard practiced his swordplay until late as well.
Meanwhile, Lotus Flower Courtyard to the left of Princess Mansion was quiet, though Master Qingchen recited scriptures—and he too continued until midnight.
In the Princess’s Bedroom.
Chu Yunge bathed, enjoying top-tier massage and skincare. All her fatigue washed away, leaving her utterly languid.
“So indulgent, so luxurious—I love it.”
She sighed inwardly, feeling drowsy, but she didn’t forget her antidote task.
“Yan Feng.”
Chu Yunge called once, and Yan Feng appeared before her, utterly silent, as if melting into the darkness.
Clad in form-fitting black combat attire with a red forehead band, the stark color contrast was still pleasing to the eye.
“I forgot to tell you—you can start your antidote early tonight. Go wash up.”
Chu Yunge’s intent was simply for him to wash up, then come for the antidote and rest. But in Yan Feng’s ears, it sounded like:
Yan Feng, scrub yourself clean. You’re serving in bed tonight.
It wasn’t his fault for misunderstanding. Though he was a hidden guard, as her personal bodyguard, he couldn’t stray too far from Chu Yunge. He had to be ready for summons at any moment, watching over the Princess’s safety.
Thus, Yan Feng had heard everything.
Including the shared antidote, including Chu Yunge’s conversation with Li Guangi.
Li Guangi’s sister had been saved, so he became the Princess’s man, and she had taken a fancy to him.
If Prince Consort Xie hadn’t shown up, the Princess might have done more than kiss him.
What about him, then?
The Princess had given him Wish Fulfillment Poison too—that was a signal.
Yan Feng pondered seriously: If the Princess wanted him to repay his life-saving grace with his body, would he refuse? Or accept?
Yan Feng bathed, changed into clean clothes, and returned to the Princess’s Bedroom, still mulling the answer.
The Princess was curled up in bed reading a book, her slender waist faintly visible amid her cascade of dark hair, captivating the eye. But soon, her actions and sounds shattered the beautiful, ambiguous atmosphere.
“Hehe…”
“Whoa…”
She occasionally covered her mouth in exclamation. “So thrilling!”
“Who says ancient people are conservative? This beats ‘can’t depict below the neck’ any day—way too stimulating.”
“Giggle…”
The Princess made strange noises while reading, twisting herself into a ball.
Compared to before, the Princess seemed… even stranger.
But he was just a guard. It didn’t matter if she was crazy or not, strange or not.
Yan Feng stood by the bed, watching without interrupting.
He knew what the Princess was reading—books she had gathered earlier. Aside from some poetry collections, there were storybooks and illustrated volumes, all sharing one trait: smutty content.
Chu Yunge, starved for anything below the neck after too long with bland fare back in the modern world, had only flipped one open out of curiosity at first. But now she was hooked—these scenes were so raw, so delicious.
Lost in the steamy bliss, rolling and flipping on the bed, she suddenly spotted Yan Feng by the bedside and startled.
“When did you get here? Why didn’t you make a sound?”
Chu Yunge scooted inward. “Come up.”
Yan Feng glanced at the book in her hand and stiffened for an instant before obediently lying down.
He lay straight as a board, upright and resolute, eyes firm—yet his face betrayed a hint of panic.