The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 14

After Xie Zhizhen left, the prison cell fell into a brief silence. Lin Chenzhi sat quietly in a corner. Although he had carelessly let someone seize his weakness this time, he wasn’t worried.

His father would find a way to rescue him, of that much, he was confident. So even though he was behind bars, he remained completely unruffled.

About the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the quiet cell was disturbed once more by the sound of the door opening.

Then, a fiery red dress appeared, as bright and radiant as the sun. The woman’s tightly pressed lips gave her an unapproachable air, while her delicate, arched brows carried a hint of heroic spirit. Her features had matured, shedding some of the childishness from two years ago, yet making her all the more captivating.

As she drew closer, Lin Chenzhi noticed the patterns on her dress were identical to Xie Zhizhen’s. Recalling Xie Zhizhen’s obviously deliberate attire and makeup earlier that day, a bitter realization settled in.

He had long known Xie Zhizhen was fond of her, but having the fact laid bare before him was still hard to accept.

Why, even after two years of absence, did Gu Qing still occupy her heart?

Why, despite all his efforts, did she still fail to see him?

At Daidai’s flower-viewing banquet, he had seen it clearly. Xie Zhizhen still recoiled from the touch of other women, yet with Gu Qing perhaps she could endure it. Perhaps she was even willing to.

If her acting were a little better, she might have truly fooled Gu Qing completely.

Following Xie Zhibai’s orders, the jailer withdrew, leaving only Gu Qing and Xie Zhibai in the cell.

“What exactly did you do to Zhizhen during those three months?” Gu Qing demanded.

If Xie Zhizhen had concealed things so well, how could he drive a wedge between them?

It didn’t matter if she didn’t like him, he would never let Gu Qing have it easy either.

With that thought, Lin Chenzhi curled his lips into a malicious smirk. “Nothing much. I just saw how much she liked you, so I gave her a taste of what intimacy between women feels like. Who knew she’d react so strongly?”

Gu Qing’s brows furrowed, and even Xie Zhibai looked stunned.

A taste of intimacy?

The phrasing inevitably conjured unpleasant implications.

Xie Zhibai, imagining his pampered elder sister subjected to such treatment, was overcome with fury. He nearly lunged into the cell to strangle Lin Chenzhi. “My sister is a princess! How dare you?!”

Gu Qing, however, remained composed. She held Xie Zhibai back. “Calm down. Don’t let him manipulate you.”

Xie Zhibai’s eyes widened in disbelief. How could Gu Qing tell him to stay calm when his sister had suffered such a thing?

Seeing that Xie Zhibai’s anger had clouded his judgment, Gu Qing had no choice but to remind him, “Think carefully. With Zhizhen’s temperament, if something like that had really happened, how could she not have resisted at all?”

If she had truly endured such humiliation, Xie Zhizhen would have surely told the emperor, demanding punishment for the State Preceptor’s household. At the very least, she would have confided in Consort Shu, her beloved aunt who had doted on her since childhood.

Xie Zhibai took a moment to consider and realized Gu Qing was right. Gradually, he reined in his emotions.

After all, he was the future emperor in the novel. Though still young, he had learned to control his temper with relative ease.

Lin Chenzhi scoffed, disappointed that his attempt to mislead had failed. “Indeed. No matter how heartless I may be, I would never harm Zhizhen. She is, after all, my betrothed.”

Someone he hadn’t even touched, how could he let some lowly scum lay hands on her?

“I just showed her some live spring palace scenes, between women and women.” Thinking of Xie Zhizhen’s increasing emaciation over those three months, Lin Chenzhi actually felt quite bad after all, she was someone he liked. But he had to admit, his method was effective.

However, in front of Gu Qing, he still had to put on the act of a victor. “After seeing it enough, she naturally grew disgusted. Besides, you didn’t think I showed Zhizhen normal spring palace scenes, did you?”

If it had just been ordinary activities, prolonged exposure might have only led to boredom, not necessarily the deep revulsion Xie Zhizhen had developed.

The moment Lin Chenzhi said this, Gu Qing immediately understood. Her eyes blazed with fury. “You!”

In modern times, she had also watched some adult films. Some of the more extreme ones didn’t arouse desire at all instead, they made people feel nauseated inside and out, instantly killing any interest. She had clicked on one once and immediately closed it.

It was hard to imagine what kind of eye-searing filth Zhizhen had been forced to watch for three whole months.

Though Xie Zhibai had never seen such films, having grown up in the dark corners of the palace, there were few methods he hadn’t encountered. With just Lin Chenzhi’s hint, he immediately grasped the situation and was equally enraged.

The thought of his elder sister being subjected to such vile content made Xie Zhibai want to beat someone senseless. “Guards! Open the cell!”

Meanwhile, Gu Qing had already turned to leave the moment she understood. Xie Zhibai frowned and called after her, “Gu Qing, where are you going?”

“I need to see Zhizhen.” Without stopping, Gu Qing hurried away at top speed toward the princess’s residence.

As she rode, her mind kept replaying the intimate moments she had shared with Xie Zhizhen in recent days whether it was the simple touch of their fingers or the more intimate embraces. The thought that these acts, which had filled her with joy, had instead inflicted further harm on Xie Zhizhen was unbearable.

She hadn’t realized that, unknowingly, she had caused such pain to Xie Zhizhen.

What was even harder to accept was that Xie Zhizhen had ended up this way because of her.

She had assumed Xie Zhizhen would be safe in the capital after all, the emperor was her father, the imperial concubine who managed the harem was her aunt, the future crown prince was her younger brother, and she was the heroine of the story.

She had assumed, assumed, assumed!

She had been far too naive.

When she arrived at the princess’s residence, Su Juan told her, “Her Highness went to the Zhenguo General’s residence to look for you.”

Normally, when Xie Zhizhen went out, she either took Su Juan or went with Gu Qing. It was rare for her to venture out alone.

Gu Qing quickly mounted her horse and returned home. The maidservant informed her that Princess Roujia was waiting in her room. But when she rushed there, she found the room empty.

Stepping inside, she noticed a slight bulge in the bedding. Moving closer, she saw the figure lying beneath her hair ornaments removed, leaving only long, dark tresses spread across the pillow. The delicate makeup from the day had been washed away, revealing her truest self. Her pearly white teeth lightly bit her lower lip, and her lively eyes were tightly shut, though her long lashes fluttered faintly.

The turmoil in Gu Qing’s heart suddenly settled at the sight, softening into a tender mess.

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