After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess - Chapter 22

Liang Xiao’s voice was already on the lower side, so dressing as a man wasn’t awkward. Now, her voice ringing in Yan Heng’s ear caused a flush of red to creep up Yan Heng’s earlobe.

She violently shoved Liang Xiao, struggling out of her embrace in a panic. “I’m not stupid.” As she spoke, she unnaturally averted her gaze, her entire face red all the way down to her neck.

Fortunately, the night market lights were dazzling and confusing, making it difficult for Liang Xiao to see her expression clearly. She just chuckled softly and said, “Let’s go, let’s look around further ahead.”

Yan Heng followed her pace, changing the subject, “Do you know that person just now? He looked like a young master from some family.”

Liang Xiao gave a faint “Mm” in response. “I know him. He’s Han Cheng, the son of the Minister of Works, Lord Han.”

“He looked like a total rake.” Yan Heng gritted her teeth in anger, recalling his recent flirtatious comments.

Liang Xiao turned her head to look at her. The lamplight shone on her, blurring her outline into a soft halo. For some reason, a strange feeling arose in her heart. She reached out and touched Yan Heng’s head.

“I’ll get back at him for you later.”

Her voice was calm, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in Yan Heng’s heart.

The blush that had finally subsided quietly crept back up. Yan Heng opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out: “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Although they were both women, hugging and touching heads should be quite natural. However, every time Yan Heng recalled Liang Xiao’s actions, she always had a difficult-to-describe feeling.

She couldn’t articulate exactly what kind of feeling it was, but it made her heart pound restlessly.

Liang Xiao didn’t reply. The two proceeded along the market.

There were so many people on the street tonight. Amidst the crowding, the distance between them grew closer, and the atmosphere became somewhat silent, as if the previous intimate actions had never happened.

The surrounding hubbub of voices masked the subtle, almost imperceptible flow of ambiguity between them.

“Miss, would you like to take a look at some jewelry?” An elderly woman smiled and called out to Yan Heng.

Women of any age are always attracted by pretty ornaments, especially someone like Yan Heng, who loved to dress up. She immediately stopped in her tracks.

The handmade hairpins and hair ornaments were not as magnificent or valuable as those in the palace, but they possessed a unique and delicate charm.

“These were all made by my daughter and me. Each style is one-of-a-kind, completely unique. They are most suitable as tokens of love,” the old woman’s gaze swept between the two, seemingly misunderstanding their relationship.

After all, Liang Xiao was currently dressed in men’s clothes, handsome and distinguished in appearance, while Yan Heng beside her had bright red lips and pearly white teeth, beautiful as a blooming peach. To outsiders, they looked like a match made in heaven.

Yan Heng was entirely focused on the hairpins and buyao (dangling hair ornaments) in front of her and didn’t pay much attention to the old woman’s words. It was Liang Xiao who heard every word.

She felt quite uncomfortable and began to say to the old woman, “Auntie, actually we are—”

“I want this one, young master, what do you think? Is it pretty?” Yan Heng held up a silver hairpin. It had two silk-thread flowers, one large and one small, crafted into jasmine flowers, with silver wire leaves hidden among them. A small white jade bead was attached to the end of the pin. It was extremely beautiful.

Liang Xiao’s words were interrupted by Yan Heng, but she wasn’t annoyed. She simply looked at the hairpin in her hand and said softly, “It’s beautiful.”

“Then I’ll take this one.” Yan Heng turned her head, looking at Liang Xiao with eager eyes.

Liang Xiao understood, took out her money pouch from her inner pocket, and handed a silver ingot to the old woman. “Keep the change.”

The old woman beamed with joy. “Jasmine is good, jasmine is good.”

Yan Heng was slightly confused. “Is there some special meaning to this?”

The old woman pointed at the hairpin in her hand. “Jasmine, mò lì, sounds like mò lí (don’t leave) in our dialect. ‘With you, my love, I ask you not to leave’—what a wonderful meaning.”

Yan Heng understood the meaning and stood there stunned for a moment. Liang Xiao gently took the hairpin from her hand and put it in her hair.

Yan Heng looked up and saw Liang Xiao’s pursed lips from concentrating on arranging the hairpin, and her gentle, watery gaze.

Suddenly, the surrounding clamor completely faded. Her eyes could no longer hold anyone else.

Liang Xiao finished putting on the hairpin, took a step back, rested a hand on her chin, and tilted her head to admire it for a moment. “It suits you very well.”

Yan Heng raised her hand and touched the hairpin in her hair. The small jade bead at the end gently swung against her fingertip. Her heart also felt as if it had been tickled by a feather, causing a shiver.

“Do you want to buy anything else?” Liang Xiao asked gently, seeing her speechless for a long time.

Yan Heng looked at the small stall and picked out a white jade bracelet from among the items.

Her eyesight was excellent; she noticed at a glance that the carved pattern on the bracelet was the same as that on the hairpin in her hair.

“If you like it, take it with you,” Liang Xiao said, reaching for her money again. However, Yan Heng waved her hand. “I’ll buy it myself.”

The old woman quickly shook her head and said, “The silver the young master gave just now is already enough, young lady, you don’t need to pay again.”

Yan Heng looked earnestly at the old woman. “Then can you return the silver to him? I will buy it anew.”

“Why?” Liang Xiao turned her head to look at her.

“No reason.” Yan Heng’s voice suddenly grew quieter.

The old woman smiled and said, “Why are you two being so formal? How about this: I’ll return the extra money from buying the hairpin to the young master, and you can buy the bracelet.”

Yan Heng nodded. She watched the old woman retrieve a pile of copper coins, and then she took a silver ingot from her own small pocket. “Take it all.”

The old woman happily accepted the money and silver, and then said several complimentary things like “talented gentleman and beautiful lady” and “a perfect match,” which startled Yan Heng so much that she grabbed Liang Xiao and fled in a rush.

After making the purchase, the two continued walking along the street market.

Yan Heng took Liang Xiao’s hand, which was resting at her side, and gently placed the bracelet in her palm.

“It’s for you.”

“For me?” Liang Xiao’s eyes widened slightly.

“Yes, it’s for you.”

The white jade was cool to the touch. Its quality was naturally not as smooth and fine as the items in the palace, but to Liang Xiao, this was a priceless treasure.

She rolled up the sleeve of her left hand and put the bracelet on.

Finally, she asked, “Do you know what it means in Da Ning if a man places a hairpin in a woman’s hair?”

Yan Heng was not very familiar with the customs of Da Ning and shook her head blankly.

“It means that the two people are of one heart, and that the man intends to marry the girl in the future.” Liang Xiao said, turning her head to look at Yan Heng’s expression.

She deliberately wanted to tease her. Sure enough, Yan Heng’s expression instantly froze, her lips half-parted, a crimson flush spreading across her cheeks.

“You, you’re not a man, you can’t m-marry me,” Yan Heng’s mind was a mess, and she stammered the words out.

Liang Xiao gave a soft “Mm” and then asked, “Among your fox… I mean, in your clan, around what age do people usually get married?”

Yan Heng composed herself. “Around a hundred years old is fine.”

Liang Xiao mused, “What a long lifespan.”

Yan Heng, instead, shook her head. “Living too long can be boring, too. The grandmothers in our clan just sit under a tree all day long with nothing else to do.”

Liang Xiao then asked, “Do you find your current life interesting?”

Yan Heng nodded honestly. “Extremely interesting.”

Liang Xiao suddenly changed the topic. “Do you want to go to a teahouse to listen to a play?”

She lifted her chin, pointing to the bustling teahouse not far away.

“Yes,” Yan Heng turned to look at her, her eyes full of curiosity.

“Folk plays are much more interesting than those in the palace. The stories they tell are exciting, and they have all sorts of genres,” Liang Xiao said, leading Yan Heng towards the teahouse.

“Welcome, customers! Would you like to sit in the main hall or on the second floor? It’s closer and clearer in the hall, but it’s quieter upstairs,” the waiter greeted them, bowing as they arrived.

Liang Xiao put her hands behind her back, gesturing for Yan Heng to choose.

Yan Heng glanced around the teahouse and finally chose the second floor.

She remembered that Liang Xiao preferred quieter places, and the center of the main hall would be too noisy, which would surely make her uncomfortable.

The waiter led the two upstairs. Liang Xiao paid a bit extra silver and selected an excellent viewing spot.

“You’ve come at a good time, customers. The newly written play is about to start,” the waiter introduced, setting down a pot of tea and some melon seeds and snacks.

Liang Xiao took a sip of tea. “What is it about?”

“Customers will know when you watch. I guarantee it’s novel,” the waiter said mysteriously, completely piquing Yan Heng’s curiosity.

They didn’t wait long before the curtain was raised, and the actors began to sing with high-pitched cries.

After listening to half of the aria, Yan Heng’s face grew redder and redder.

No wonder the waiter said the play was novel—it was about two women falling in love!

According to the play, a newly married woman named Cui Jianyun met Cao Yuhua, the daughter of a local gentry, while burning incense at a temple. The two developed a mutual affection, so Cui Jianyun set up a scheme for her husband to take Cao Yuhua as a concubine. After that, the two women were together every day, inseparable and deeply affectionate.

“Sharing dreams at night, sharing makeup at dawn, the twin blossoms of their beauty in the mirror are fragrant. Step by step, they follow each other and sing in the deep chambers. They, too, are like a married couple.”

They, too, are like a married couple…

A married couple…

Yan Heng jolted to her feet, startling Liang Xiao.

“What are you doing?” Liang Xiao looked up at her.

Yan Heng bit her lip, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

“Don’t like listening to this?” Liang Xiao stood up, ready to take her away.

Yan Heng shook her head.

“Then what do you want to do?” Liang Xiao reached out and pinched Yan Heng’s face. “Speak.”

Yan Heng, whose head was already dizzy from the lyrics, now felt so embarrassed by Liang Xiao’s intimate action that she wished she could burrow into the ground.

“It’s hot, hot. Getting up for some fresh air,” Yan Heng said, immediately regretting her words and wishing she could bite her tongue off.

“Then let’s go outside. It is indeed stuffy in here.” Liang Xiao’s tone was neutral, betraying no sign of anything unusual.

It was as if she had simply sat there listening to an extremely ordinary play, and the lyrics had had no effect on her.

Only she herself knew that her heart, pounding like a drum, had already thrown her into extreme panic.

When they came out, both had different thoughts on their minds and had no further desire to wander, so they slowly walked back along the original path.

“That play just now…” Yan Heng deliberated for a long time before speaking softly.

“It was certainly novel,” Liang Xiao said gently. “I’ve never seen a play about women falling in love.”

Yan Heng bit her lip and continued, “Me neither.”

Liang Xiao watched the lingering crowds and didn’t respond to her words.

“I only knew before that men could have ‘the severed sleeve’ affection (homosexuality), but I never expected to see a play like this today.” The night breeze cleared her dizzy head somewhat, and she no longer felt embarrassed.

Liang Xiao still nodded without speaking, slightly tilting her head to look at the hairpin in Yan Heng’s hair.

The little fox was more than half a head shorter than her, and her current height was just right for her to see the jasmine flowers on the hairpin and the small white jade bead that swung gently as they walked.

With her hands clasped behind her back, she slipped her right hand into her left sleeve, gently rubbing the jade bracelet on her wrist. Her fingertips traced the carved pattern on the white jade, stirring up layers of ripples in her heart.

With you, my love, I ask you not to leave.

Support After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess