The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 47

When Xie Zhizhen saw Gu Qing arrive, her eyes lit up with starlight, and the corners of her mouth curled into an involuntary smile. “Why are you up so early? Haven’t you been traveling for several days? Why not take a proper rest?”

Gu Yin still felt a bit awkward seeing Gu Qing. After all, she had previously suspected there was something going on between Xie Zhibai and Gu Qing, and because of that, she used to enjoy bickering with her.

But now, before any sparks had even flown between her and Xie Zhibai, Gu Qing was already married to Xie Zhizhen. She subconsciously stood up and whispered, “Second Sister.”

Gu Qing did not care about Gu Yin’s embarrassment at all. She gave a nod in response and walked straight to Xie Zhizhen’s side. She had Su Juan bring back the dishes that had been taken away, as she intended to accompany Xie Zhizhen for breakfast right there.

Xie Zhizhen sensed Gu Yin’s awkwardness. Knowing Gu Yin’s feelings, she proactively gestured for her to sit down and said to Gu Qing with a smile, “Over these past few months, Yin-yin feared I would be lonely at the Grand Princess’s Manor, so she has come every day to accompany me for breakfast. She is very thoughtful.”

In truth, that was not the only reason. On one hand, she feared Xie Zhizhen’s loneliness, but on the other, ever since Xie Zhibai ascended the throne, it was difficult for her, as a subject’s daughter, to enter the palace to see him. By accompanying Xie Zhizhen, she could tag along whenever Xie Zhizhen went to the palace to visit Consort Dowager Shu.

Gu Qing raised an eyebrow. She had not expected that to be the reason for Gu Yin’s presence. Her expression softened slightly, but recalling what Xie Zhizhen had said about Gu Yin liking Xie Zhibai, the smile on her lips took on a teasing quality. “Is it truly not for the sake of Xie Zhibai?”

Gu Yin’s face stiffened. Although her feelings for Xie Zhibai were no secret, she still felt awkward facing this woman who was once her imagined “love rival.”

Seeing that Gu Yin remained silent, Gu Qing knew when to stop. The young girl was thin-skinned, so she did not push any further.

However, since Gu Qing was here, Xie Zhizhen guessed she would likely not be heading to the palace today and would instead stay at the manor to accompany Gu Qing. Naturally, with Gu Qing around, Xie Zhizhen no longer needed her company.

Thus, Gu Yin ate a few quick bites, set down her chopsticks, and took her leave.

Gu Qing had been in a rush during her journey and had eaten very simply. Now, seeing so many delicacies and appetizing dishes on the table, she ate quite quickly.

Xie Zhizhen, despite being in high spirits because of Gu Qing’s return, found the summer heat suppressed her appetite. She ate only a few bites before setting her chopsticks aside.

After breakfast, Xie Zhizhen enthusiastically wanted to show Gu Qing the lotuses she had newly planted.

The Grand Princess’s Manor already had a small pond, but in the past, it was mainly used for raising small fish. Now, that clear pond was filled with lotuses. Pink and white blossoms were interspersed with large lotus leaves; the pond was a refreshing palette of pink, white, and green, which made one feel much cooler just by looking at it.

Gu Qing was surprised to see such a well-tended pond. She turned her gaze to Xie Zhizhen, whose eyes were full of the lotuses. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with starlight, and her smile was pure and untainted.

It was as if she were seeing the Xie Zhizhen of two years ago again: free, bright, and charming. It made her heart skip a beat.

Xie Zhizhen felt the burning gaze beside her. She turned her head to see Gu Qing’s eyes filled entirely with her image. Her heart stirred slightly, and she reached out to playfully tap Gu Qing’s forehead with a dainty huff. “Does it look good?”

She expected Gu Qing to play it off and deny it, but to her surprise, Gu Qing replied, “It looks good.”

Xie Zhizhen’s face reddened, though she clearly enjoyed the compliment from her beloved. Her gaze flickered, and she said with a touch of pride, “Am I the most beautiful woman you have ever seen?”

“Naturally. There is no one more beautiful than you.”

These words were not just a case of “beauty in the eye of the beholder.” Objectively speaking, in all her years in the capital, Gu Qing had truly never seen anyone whose beauty surpassed that of Xie Zhizhen.

Though she felt shy, Xie Zhizhen accepted the praise. In truth, she also felt she was the most beautiful woman in the entire capital, without exception.

In the afternoon, Xie Zhizhen brought out the military books from Gu Qing’s study. Although she could understand most of them, there were undeniably some dry and difficult sections that required Gu Qing’s explanation.

Gu Qing naturally would not refuse Xie Zhizhen’s studiousness.

However, a conflict arose regarding their seating arrangement.

Xie Zhizhen wanted to sit in Gu Qing’s lap as she usually did, but Gu Qing kept making excuses to decline. This made Xie Zhizhen a bit angry. “You said this morning that I was the most beautiful woman you have ever seen! Why is it that now, when the most beautiful woman wants to sit in your lap, you are unwilling?”

Gu Qing looked at Xie Zhizhen’s lively expression, but she could not help but think back to three months ago when Su Juan had touched Xie Zhizhen, and Xie Zhizhen had leaned against the wall to vomit.

She admitted she was backing off. Her original plan had been to “boil the frog in lukewarm water,” letting Xie Zhizhen adapt step by step. But because of the appearance of Xiao Mei’s portrait, Xie Zhizhen’s condition, which had been improving, suddenly became worse than ever. Until she could think of a solution, she wanted to maintain a certain distance.

However, she could not say these things directly to Xie Zhizhen, so she could only make an excuse to brush it off. “I, I still have a wound on my waist. It is not quite suitable.”

Xie Zhizhen paused, remembering the trace of blood she had seen the previous night, and felt a bit discouraged.

The two of them had no choice but to sit in their own seats and read their own books.

Xie Zhizhen felt that Gu Qing had been acting a bit strange these past two days. Taking advantage of Gu Yin’s visit to the manor, Xie Zhizhen decided to consult her.

“Tell me, if an ordinary couple hasn’t seen each other for months, would they become more distant?” Xie Zhizhen thought about how Gu Qing seemed unwilling to be intimate with her lately.

Although Gu Qing still accompanied her in everything she wanted to do, she just felt a sense of estrangement.

Gu Yin rubbed her chin and opened her eyes wide with curiosity. “What is this? Did Your Highness have a falling out with Second Sister?”

Xie Zhizhen jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Meeting Gu Yin’s curious gaze, her eyes darted around as she flatly denied it. “How is that possible! I, I am just Song Daidai, oh right, Song Daidai was discussing an interesting topic with me two days ago, and we happened to talk about marital relationships.”

Song Daidai was the pseudonym Lin Daidai was currently using. Although she had been placed in the Court of Judicial Review, her original identity could certainly no longer be used. So, she simply took the name Song Daidai to start a new life.

Although Lin Daidai had changed her name, her face remained the same; those familiar with her might still be able to guess the truth.

However, her official position was personally granted by the Emperor. Even if someone suspected something, they dared not say a word. Some even speculated that she might have some secret relationship with the Emperor; otherwise, why would he destroy the National Preceptor’s Manor but give Lin Daidai a new identity and an official post?

Gu Yin did not know the truth of the matter and did not much like Lin Daidai, whom she viewed as a potential “love rival.”

So, hearing Xie Zhizhen mention Song Daidai, Gu Yin gave a huff to show her dislike. But despite her feelings, she still answered the question. “Generally speaking, a short absence is better than a new marriage. After being apart for months, there might be some awkwardness, but it should mostly be sweet.”

Hearing this, Xie Zhizhen grew anxious. “Then why is it that after a husband returns, he is not as intimate with his wife as before?”

Although Gu Yin had been single for ages, she had chased Xie Zhibai for years and read countless romance novels. She considered her theoretical knowledge to be quite extensive. She recalled the plots of her books.

“Perhaps the husband has found someone new on the outside?”

Xie Zhizhen slammed the table and immediately retorted, “Impossible! There are no women in the military camp; where would she find someone new!”

“Military camp?” Gu Yin blinked. “The husband is from the military? But isn’t the army only arriving in the capital tomorrow?”

Realizing she had let it slip, Xie Zhizhen quickly covered her mouth and changed her story. “No, no, no. It wasn’t a soldier from this war. It was, it was from before. Someone from before.”

Seeing Xie Zhizhen’s guilty look, Gu Yin could guess the truth without much effort. Her eyes twinkled, but she went along with Xie Zhizhen and did not expose her.

However, now that she knew who the main characters of the story were, Gu Yin felt she should say a few good words for her second sister. After all, she knew Gu Qing’s character well. To train in the military for two years for Xie Zhizhen’s sake and to become the first woman in history to marry a Princess—for that, Gu Yin admired her.

Gu Yin gathered her thoughts and replied, “If that is the case, perhaps Se—ahem, perhaps the husband hasn’t seen his wife in a long time and wants to be close, but simply hasn’t found the right way to do it?”

Xie Zhizhen frowned and said hesitantly, “But, he is still very good to his wife, attentive in every way, but for some reason… he is just unwilling to touch her.”

As she spoke, Xie Zhizhen finally understood why she felt an inexplicable distance between her and Gu Qing!

In the past, Gu Qing always liked to find various excuses to kiss and hug her, but now, Gu Qing was constantly avoiding physical contact!

Gu Yin didn’t know how else to defend Gu Qing, so she racked her brain to smooth things over. “Per—perhaps it is because they haven’t met in a long time, and he is afraid of offending the lady, so he doesn’t dare to take the initiative.”

“Right! That must be it!” As she spoke, Gu Yin began to think it made a lot of sense. “So at a time like this, the wife needs to take the initiative herself for things to fall into place.”

Xie Zhizhen rubbed her chin and pondered for a moment. She felt Gu Yin’s words had some merit.

Although she had never taken the initiative before, Gu Qing had done so many times. For the sake of their harmonious life together, taking the initiative once… was not impossible.

Having had a sudden realization, Xie Zhizhen asked Su Juan to look after Gu Yin and then ran back to her room to start preparing.

Gu Qing had gone to the palace to report the details of the war to Xie Zhibai, which happened to leave Xie Zhizhen with plenty of time to set her “trap.”

Recalling the details of the erotic paintings Gu Qing had, and thinking of the clothing the women inside wore although she felt a bit shy Xie Zhizhen felt that if necessary, she could use necessary means!

She was no longer as resistant to women as she had been three months ago. It was time for their life together to get back on track!

She selected a sheer outer robe that Consort Dowager Shu had prepared for her from the wardrobe. The water-red outer robe, paired with matching undergarments, made her skin look like white snow. The sheer fabric was revealing yet modest, creating an alluring effect that was both subtle and enticing.

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