On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 45

The Phoenix Carriage traveled steadily with the rhythmic rumbling of wheels, offering only a slight swaying sensation. It was indeed far superior to the carriages used by ordinary concubines.

However, Liu Qinglan’s heart was thumping wildly, unable to settle.

Xie Xuanzhao’s finger hooked the sash of Liu’s waist, appearing as if she might untie it at any moment. Her voice was low and seductive. “Do you have nothing you want to say to me?”

Liu Qinglan nervously clutched Xie’s sleeve. What was coming was inevitable, so she asked cautiously, “Last night… weren’t we under the peach blossoms? Did… did anything happen after that? Like… something supernatural?”

Xie Xuanzhao leaned in, staring into those guilty, wide eyes. Looking at them now, she realized those round pupils must have come from her original cat form, exceptionally vivid and lovely.

Xie couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke her long eyelashes, her expression remaining calm. “Nothing. You couldn’t handle your liquor; you passed out after two cups. I had no choice but to carry you back to the guest room.”

“Ah, we didn’t do anything?” Why did that sound so full of regret! Liu Qinglan accidentally let her true feelings slip.

Xie Xuanzhao suppressed a smile and let out an “Oh?” “Did you want to do something else then?” She leaned in mischievously toward the nervous girl, her fingers tenderly entwining with the already loosened sash. “Is it… like this?”

With a soft pop, the knot of the ethereal palace skirt was undone by the beautiful Empress.

Liu Qinglan took a deep breath, remaining stubborn. “I am very pure, okay!” As she spoke, she didn’t re-tie the sash, nor did she push the Empress away, allowing her to continue. Internally, she was rejoicing, so she hadn’t revealed her true form after all!

Xie Xuanzhao looked at the “pure” little cat in front of her and poked her waist, making Liu Qinglan feel itchy and weak, causing her to slump softly against Xie’s body.

Xie Xuanzhao caught her in a full embrace, stroking the long hair falling down Liu’s back. “Pure maiden, then why did you go to attend the Emperor last night?”

“I didn’t!” Liu Qinglan grabbed her sleeve and looked up, saying seriously, “Wasn’t I with you the whole time? That one was a fake Consort Yue!”

“Oh, so there’s a fake Consort Yue.” Xie Xuanzhao smiled secretly. It was likely some mountain spirit taking her place with the Emperor. Had she not known Liu Qinglan was a demon and seen the cluster of small animals surrounding her, she wouldn’t have thought of it.

“Then in the future, how am I to tell you apart from the fake one?” Xie Xuanzhao asked, just to be safe.

Without thinking, Liu Qinglan proudly pointed to her own eyes. “Look at my pupils. If you look closely, there is a hint of dark green. That is something they cannot fake.”

Following her words, Xie cradled her face and looked closely. Indeed, beneath the black, a faint shimmer of emerald green was flowing.

“I only show it when you are looking at me, so I’m easy to recognize.” As she spoke, Liu Qinglan retracted the emerald hue, returning her eyes to normal black.

So that’s why I never noticed before. Xie Xuanzhao kissed her eyes, her voice low and husky. “I will remember.”

Liu Qinglan took the opportunity to lean against her chest, nuzzling her softness. “So, you mustn’t misunderstand me. I’ve already… ahem… formed a bond with you. I only acknowledge you.” As a FeiFei, I am very devoted!

Xie Xuanzhao smiled and rubbed the tip of Liu’s ear. “I also only acknowledge you. We have already shared the nuptial cup.” As a human woman, I am also very devoted.

“Mhm.” Liu Qinglan felt the Empress’s words were exceptionally tender, making her want to cling, lean, and nuzzle even more.

The two had essentially confirmed their relationship to one another, acting as a stabilizing force for both their hearts.

Xie Xuanzhao looked down at the “Little Cat Liu” rubbing against her, and a small flame flared up in her heart.

Things were different now. They had bowed to the peach blossoms, shared the wine, and tied their fates. They were officially a couple. The girl in her arms was now her legitimate wife!

Xie Xuanzhao’s phoenix eyes darkened, it was time to finish what was left undone last night.

Everything that needed explaining had been explained. The restless little demon began to stir again, clinging to the Empress while reaching out a “paw” toward the dried fish on the low table.

History repeated itself. A fair, slender hand reached out again, pinning her paw down.

Liu Qinglan’s eyes widened. Meow, my dried fish!

Xie Xuanzhao coughed lightly, looking mysterious. “There is something more important than eating right now.”

“What is it?” Liu Qinglan’s attention was instantly captured. She sat up straight, though the corner of her eye still drifted toward the snacks.

Xie Xuanzhao straightened Liu’s head, forcing her to look directly at her. Now, my wife can only look at me! She didn’t believe she was worth less than a piece of dried fish.

Liu Qinglan blinked, looking at the Empress in confusion. In her mind, there was nothing left to do.

Xie Xuanzhao’s expression was calm as water, but her heart was racing. “We are still missing the final step of last night’s ceremony. Only after this step are we truly together.”

“What is that?”

“The bridal chamber.”

Suddenly, Liu Qinglan felt the world spin. She was pushed back onto the carriage seat, her legs dangling near the window, her embroidered shoes nearly falling off.

Xie Xuanzhao pressed down on her. Noticing her misplaced legs, Xie leaned to the side to help her remove her shoes, then signaled for her to bend her knees.

Liu Qinglan ignorantly followed suit. Seeing the Empress’s strained expression and feeling her own clothes half-removed, the slow-witted little demon finally realized what “bridal chamber” meant!

She tried to sit up, stopping the Empress, and said earnestly, “Spring hasn’t arrived yet.”

Xie Xuanzhao, who was pulling at her sash, froze with her fingers against Liu’s snowy shoulder, looking blankly at her righteous wife. “Huh?”

Liu Qinglan explained patiently, “Mating can only happen in the spring. When all things grow and spring comes, then we can reproduce.”

For the first time, Xie Xuanzhao wanted to ignore her dignity and let out a string of curses.

She took a deep breath and temporarily moved off the demon. Liu Qinglan sat up immediately, not even bothering to fix her disheveled clothes, which remained half-off.

Xie Xuanzhao glanced at her and forced her gaze away. “Then, in the spring… have you ever reproduced?” She almost forgot besides humans, there were other creatures in the mountains. Surely she hasn’t already kept a little lover!

Liu Qinglan gave a shy smile. “I always endured it by washing under the waterfall.”

Xie Xuanzhao felt much better, mentally praising her wife’s strong willpower. She couldn’t help but hug the little cat again, her voice husky. “In the future, you have me. You don’t need to wash under waterfalls anymore, it’s bad for your health. A girl’s body is precious. Don’t use cold water again, okay?”

As she spoke, she gently rubbed Liu’s belly.

The disheveled Liu Qinglan began nuzzling the Empress again, squinting her eyes and humming comfortably. She then asked secretly, “Can I eat the dried fish now?”

Xie Xuanzhao hesitated but finally granted permission.

With one shoulder exposed, Liu Qinglan sat by the table and began happily eating, completely unbothered by the previous interlude.

Xie Xuanzhao suppressed her desire, watching the oblivious cat nibbling on fish. The snowy shoulder, the loose palace dress, and the pair of tender white feet bare because she had just removed the socks, were all right before her eyes.

Her charming wife was right there, her clothes already half-stripped. How could she stop now and wait until next spring? Impossible!

Xie Xuanzhao narrowed her shimmering eyes and waited patiently. Just as the little demon joyfully dangled a piece of fish in her mouth to swallow, Xie lunged with lightning speed and snatched the fish right from her lips.

The Mother of the Nation was actually shamelessly fighting a cat for a snack! What a decline in public morals!

Liu Qinglan slammed her hand on the table and stood up, glaring at the food stealing Empress.

Xie Xuanzhao held the half-piece of fish in her mouth and calmly picked up the entire plate. She blinked and gestured to the half of the fish sticking out of her lips.

Liu Qinglan understood instantly. With a “Meow!”, she lunged forward.

She was fast, but Xie Xuanzhao was faster. With a movement of her lips, the whole fish was taken inside. Liu Qinglan, unable to stop her momentum, crashed her mouth against Xie’s, her tongue sliding inside.

Xie Xuanzhao let out a muffled laugh, catching the little beauty in her arms. A lingering kiss, flavored with dried fish, began.

Liu Qinglan felt this kiss was different from the previous medicine-feeding kisses or the coaxing ones. Those were simple, this was not.

It was full of small movements, wandering hands that showed no restraint, lighting fires everywhere.

Liu Qinglan’s breathing became difficult, her face flushed, and her limbs turned weak. By the time she regained her senses, she had become a “naked little fish,” with her clothes discarded on the seat.

Xie Xuanzhao grasped her slender, snowy ankle as white as the first snowfall of winter.

“See? Even if it isn’t spring, you can do it.” Xie Xuanzhao curled her lips into a smile, holding her hand up so Liu Qinglan could see the moisture on her fingers.

Indeed, the little cat had uncontrollably become aroused.

Liu Qinglan let out a whimper and turned her head away, too shy to look. At the same time, she worried: What if my tail suddenly pops out!

She remembered what the Rabbit Spirit had said, humans can become aroused anytime, anywhere, they don’t wait for spring. It seemed true. Thinking of this, she realized she had never actually seen the Empress in such a state.

So, suppressing her shyness, she peeked up at the Empress.

Her clothes were mostly intact, only the sleeves and collar slightly wrinkled. Even her hairstyle seemed undisturbed, she still looked dignified, elegant, and breathtaking.

Liu Qinglan widened her eyes, trying to find anything different about her.

But before she could finish looking, she was pressed down again. Being stared at like that made Xie Xuanzhao’s blood boil. However, this time, she mainly wanted the little cat to experience the taste of human intimacy and make her fall in love with it. So, Xie suppressed her own needs to ensure her wife felt good first.

Xie Xuanzhao had no experience, but fortunately, she had read many “storybooks” and “illustrations” currently hidden at the bottom of a chest in Chenxin Palace. As she applied what she had learned to Liu Qinglan, she thought about how she must share those books with her later so she could learn too.

Between the Empress’s green but seductive touch and her accurate “scouting of the terrain,” Liu Qinglan was indeed well-served. Halfway through, she became completely immersed, forgetting where she was or who she was.

Xie Xuanzhao leaned down, her eyes deep, watching the blurred and intoxicated expression of the little beauty in her arms. She knew she was close.

Because her fingers had just brushed against a furry tail.