The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 53

Gu Qing arrived at Wangxiang Pavilion to find Yin Lang, Zhou Xianyun, Wang Yong, and Li Zhongyi already seated. She was the last to arrive.

Seeing her finally appear, Wang Yong stood up and pulled her over. “Since the General got married, she is harder to invite out than the Emperor himself.”

Gu Qing shot him a look, feeling unconvinced. “You say that as if you could actually manage to invite the Emperor.”

In her heart, she felt that spending time with these rough men wasn’t nearly as pleasant as being with Zhizhen. But Xie Zhibai was different; having just ascended the throne, he was buried in government affairs. It likely wasn’t simple for him to find time to come out.

Just as the words left her mouth, she heard the familiar, laughing voice of a young man from outside the door. “Who says I can’t be invited?”

Gu Qing was startled; she hadn’t expected Xie Zhibai to actually show up.

Upon seeing the Emperor, even someone as informal as Wang Yong had developed the habit of bowing after several days of attending morning court. Xie Zhibai waved them off, clearly not minding. “There is no need for such formalities while we are out.”

“How did you get out?” Gu Qing had known Xie Zhibai since childhood, and with the added layer of her relationship with Xie Zhizhen, she wasn’t as constrained as Wang Yong and the others.

Xie Zhibai rubbed his nose. His face, which shared fifty percent of its features with Xie Zhizhen’s, bore the high spirits of a teenage youth. “It has been too busy in the palace. My mother said I should come out to clear my head.”

He was, after all, only seventeen. Coming out to play naturally made him happy. More importantly, his mother, who used to only demand that he study hard, had shown a rare concern for his well-being, telling him to rest and relax.

Gu Qing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. She had seen firsthand how demanding Consort Dowager Shu was. But on second thought, it made sense. Everything had finally settled, and Consort Dowager Shu’s years of plotting had come to an end. Perhaps, having achieved her goals, she finally felt a bit of maternal affection for the son she had borne.

The group drank wine and chatted about their past life in the military camp, eventually turning the conversation to marriage.

Wang Yong, already a bit tipsy, raised a toast to Gu Qing. “The General had the foresight to secure a wife before even coming to the camp. Not like us rough guys, who don’t even have a direction yet.”

Gu Qing lifted her chin. She had drunk a fair amount, and her body was a bit unsteady as she stood up. “Naturally.”

The moment she had been sure of her feelings, she had taken the chance to win Zhizhen over without a moment’s hesitation!

Thinking of Zhizhen, Gu Qing poured herself another cup and toasted Yin Lang. “I also want to thank you for taking care of Zhizhen!”

Though that was the plot from the original book, Gu Qing still wanted to thank Yin Lang for his care of Zhizhen in that timeline, which had allowed the story to hold together. Without his care, the original story might not have continued, and she would never have had the chance to cross into this world and meet Xie Zhizhen.

Gu Qing was drunk, but not to the point of losing her senses; she knew what she could and couldn’t say.

Unaware of the “original plot,” Yin Lang was a bit confused. He shook his head and pulled Gu Qing toward Xie Zhibai. “Zhiqing, you are thanking the wrong person.”

Yin Lang assumed Gu Qing meant to thank Xie Zhibai, as everyone could see how well the brother treated his sister. Gu Qing didn’t explain; she just laughed and drained her cup.

The group joked and played until noon had passed, and it was time for the party to break up. Xie Zhibai was in better shape; as the Emperor, no one dared to force him to drink, and since he had to review memorials back at the palace, he hadn’t had much. He arranged for people to send Yin Lang, Gu Qing, and the others home.

Gu Qing sat in the carriage, her head feeling heavy. Hearing a loud commotion outside as if people were arguing, she called to the driver to stop. “What is happening outside?”

The driver sent someone to inquire. While waiting, Gu Qing lifted the curtain and saw a scene unfolding in front of the Meng Manor.

A man dressed in somewhat worn clothing, carrying a scholarly air but acting nothing like a gentleman, was causing a scene, attracting a crowd of onlookers. Meng Jing was standing there holding a child, her eyes filled with tears as she sobbed. Though she could have just gone inside, she stood before the manor gate, arguing with the scholar.

At that moment, Lin Daidai arrived with several sword-bearing constables. The commoners quickly made a path for them. Lin Daidai said something to the scholar; he seemed intimidated and didn’t dare continue his scene, quickly running away.

Gu Qing finally caught a glimpse of the scholar’s profile. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place who he was.

By then, the driver returned with the details. It turned out the scholar was Meng Jing’s ex-husband. During their two years of marriage, Meng Jing had borne him a daughter. After their divorce, the child was supposed to stay with the father’s family, but a few hours ago, the child had mysteriously disappeared and ended up back in Meng Jing’s arms.

The scholar was outraged; it was his child, and he wanted to take her home. Meng Jing, who usually seemed weak and gentle, stood her ground before the manor to protect her daughter. She rebuked the scholar for neglecting them because the baby was a girl; the child hadn’t even been properly fed at his house. The few-months-old baby was gaunt and thin, not at all chubby like other children.

Gu Qing nodded. Her head was spinning from the wine, but she forced herself to give instructions. “Send word to Meng Jing. If she truly wants to keep the child with her, she can go to the Prefect for a ruling. If it can be proven that the scholar lacks the ability to raise a child and there are signs of neglect, the child can be awarded to her.”

In this era, children of a divorce default to the husband, but Gu Qing felt that if the husband’s character was poor and he lacked financial means, a new precedent should be set. “Tell Meng Jing to be at ease. As long as she can bear the responsibility of raising the child, I will speak to the Prefect.”

In modern times, being a single mother is hard enough; in this era, it was even more daunting.

The driver was surprised, but as a servant, he simply obeyed.

After finishing her instructions, Gu Qing felt her headache worsen. It had been a long time since she had drunk this much.

When they finally arrived at the Grand Princess’s Manor, Shaoyao saw that Gu Qing could barely stand. She hurried forward to support her and was immediately hit by the strong smell of alcohol. “How did the Consort drink so much?”

Gu Qing leaned her weight on Shaoyao. Realizing that Shaoyao was leading her toward Xie Zhizhen’s room, she stopped. Shaoyao looked at her in confusion. Gu Qing said, “Take me to bathe first.”

Zhizhen didn’t like the smell of wine. On their wedding night, she had barely drunk anything and was still scolded for it. With this much alcohol on her, she had to wash first. Shaoyao nodded and changed direction.

At the bath, Gu Qing gestured for Shaoyao to leave, saying she would soak by herself. Once she was alone, she shed her clothes and entered the water. The warmth of the pool dissipated some of the drunkenness, and she let out a sigh of relief.

Shaoyao waited outside for fifteen minutes. Thinking of how drunk Gu Qing had been, she grew worried and called out, “Consort? Are you still there?”

Receiving no response for a long time, Shaoyao began to panic. She wanted to go in and check, but she remembered that even though they were both women, the Consort and the Princess were a married couple; she needed to maintain some propriety. After pacing back and forth, she decided she had to ask the Grand Princess to check.

Xie Zhizhen was painting when Shaoyao came in to report. She frowned; even Gu Qing had been drunk under the table? How much had she had? Hearing that Gu Qing wasn’t responding in the bath, she grew worried as well and hurried over.

Shaoyao, being perceptive, stood watch outside the door once she had escorted Xie Zhizhen there.

Inside, Xie Zhizhen looked through the layers of thin gauze and caught a glimpse of Gu Qing’s scarred back. She walked closer and called out tentatively, “Gu Qing?”

Seeing no reaction, she worried that Gu Qing had fallen asleep in the water. She hurried over and tapped Gu Qing’s shoulder.

The moment her cool fingertips touched the shoulder that was warm from soaking, a hand shot out from the water. Gu Qing grabbed Xie Zhizhen’s arm and pulled her directly into the bath.

Xie Zhizhen was instantly drenched. She wiped the water from her face only to see Gu Qing’s mischievous grin, looking like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

Anyone would be angry at being pulled into the water unexpectedly. Xie Zhizhen was about to scold her when Gu Qing let out a silly, drunken laugh, pressed her hand against the back of Zhizhen’s head, and kissed her.

It was a kiss flavored with wine. One was unclothed, and the other’s clothes were soaked and clinging to her. Curiously, Xie Zhizhen felt that while Gu Qing’s breath smelled of wine, it wasn’t unpleasant; it actually carried a faint fragrance.

As their lips and teeth intertwined, the hands Xie Zhizhen had intended to use to push Gu Qing away slowly moved to grip Gu Qing’s shoulders. It wasn’t resistance; it was a desire to be closer.

“Zhenzhen.” “Zhenzhen.”

Gu Qing kissed her urgently, feeling a surge of gratitude. She was grateful she knew the plot, and grateful she had chosen to stay by the female lead’s side. Only then did she have the chance to fall in love with Xie Zhizhen and have Xie Zhizhen love her back.

Perhaps because of the wine, the hand Gu Qing had wrapped around Xie Zhizhen’s waist began to untie her belt. The discarded belt floated on the water, and without its restraint, Xie Zhizhen’s robes fell open.

Guided by their mutual affection and the warmth of the moment, they drew closer to one another.

Gradually, Xie Zhizhen was left with only her water-red undergarment embroidered with lotuses. Since it was summer and they were both in the warm bath, she didn’t feel cold. Gu Qing’s fingertips brushed across her skin. When those calloused fingers touched her, Xie Zhizhen felt a ticklish, yet uncontrollably tingling sensation.

Just as they were losing themselves in the moment, Su Juan’s voice came from outside.

“Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Consort Dowager Shu has taken her own life!”

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