The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 56

Gu Qing reached out to touch her own wound. Looking at the bright red blood, she parted her lips slightly. “Mm, it hurts a bit.”

Though she claimed it hurt, her face carried a trace of a smile. Gu Qing leaned down and rested her head on Xie Zhizhen’s shoulder. She didn’t care that the bite mark on her shoulder was submerged in the water; at that angle, Xie Zhizhen could not see her wound anyway. “So, should I get my revenge?”

From this position, she could clearly see the small red mole on the back of Xie Zhizhen’s shoulder. The snow-white back was no longer as pristine as before, now marked with faint red traces. Among those many marks, that red mole was particularly striking. Gu Qing felt it was a pity; because of their earlier positions, she truly had not had the spare energy to pay attention to that mole.

Xie Zhizhen pursed her lips. She did not believe for a second that Gu Qing would actually bite her. She said stubbornly, “If you are so capable, then go ahead and get your revenge!”

She was not afraid at all. Gu Qing let out a soft laugh, her voice low and slightly husky. As she spoke into Xie Zhizhen’s ear, Xie Zhizhen felt a tingling, numbing sensation spread through her. “You are just taking advantage of the fact that I cannot bear to hurt you, aren’t you?”

Xie Zhizhen gave a couple of playful hums, offering no denial. The night was late, and coupled with the intense exercise just now, Xie Zhizhen was exhausted. Gu Qing rubbed her hair. “It seems you still need to exercise more. You barely moved, yet you are tired out like this.”

Xie Zhizhen was somewhat dissatisfied, but she lacked the strength to bicker with Gu Qing. She slumped weakly against Gu Qing, mumbling a few words under her breath. Gu Qing could not hear her clearly, but still diligently wiped her body dry and carried her back to the bed.

The early summer sun rose slowly, moving from the swing outside the window to the window frame itself, spilling through the open casement onto the two people on the bed. The red bed curtains were the ones they had put up for their wedding, embroidered with the pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water.

When Xie Zhizhen opened her eyes, she saw Gu Qing propping her head up with one hand, just watching her. Subconsciously, Xie Zhizhen mirrored the curl of Gu Qing’s lips. “What are you laughing at?”

Gu Qing curved her index finger and tapped the tip of Xie Zhizhen’s nose. “I just feel, days like this are very good.”

A happiness like a dream, so happy it felt a bit unreal. Xie Zhizhen used her core to half-rise, her lips landing on Gu Qing’s cheek. She reached out to wrap her arms around Gu Qing’s neck and gave a sweet smile. “Now, does it feel real?”

“It feels even more like a dream.” Gu Qing rubbed Xie Zhizhen’s hair. However, because of Xie Zhizhen’s movement, she pressed against the bite mark on her shoulder; the slight sting actually gave her a sense of reality regarding everything before her.

Xie Zhizhen sat up, her waist feeling somewhat sore. The aching between her legs made her brows knit together. Thinking of the culprit behind these sensations, Xie Zhizhen shot Gu Qing a glare. “The Prince Consort might not feel a sense of reality, but this Princess feels it quite clearly.”

Following Xie Zhizhen’s lead, Gu Qing placed her warm, strong hand on that sore waist to support her. As she moved, the quilt covering Xie Zhizhen’s body slipped down. Xie Zhizhen only then realized, she was not wearing any clothes!

She hurriedly yanked up the quilt to hide inside. There was only one quilt on the bed, so while Xie Zhizhen’s movement wrapped herself up, Gu Qing was now completely exposed. Gu Qing did not care. The two of them had shared much more intimate acts; not wearing clothes now was nothing. She took a step forward and peeled back the quilt covering Xie Zhizhen. “Are you trying to smother yourself?”

As the darkness was lifted, Xie Zhizhen saw Gu Qing completely naked and began to stutter. “You, you, you, why aren’t you wearing clothes?”

Gu Qing raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest in her eyes. “Why wear clothes to sleep? Don’t you think,” she leaned closer to Xie Zhizhen until their faces were inches apart, “sleeping without clothes is more comfortable?”

Xie Zhizhen could not tell if it was more comfortable or not, but facing each other stark naked after waking up was definitely awkward. Gu Qing could not bear to watch her struggle anymore and swept Xie Zhizhen up in a horizontal carry. Even though Xie Zhizhen kept struggling, Gu Qing was a general who exercised constantly; there was no way a weak woman like Xie Zhizhen could refuse her.

“Don’t forget, I was the one who helped you bathe last night.”

It was not as if she had not seen everything already. Seemingly reminded of the events of the previous night, Xie Zhizhen took on an air of weary resignation and gave up the struggle, allowing Gu Qing to help her put on her clothes piece by piece.

Because they had previously agreed with Meng Jing to visit the child, Xie Zhizhen and Gu Qing went to the Meng Estate today. Just as they arrived at Meng Jing’s courtyard, they heard a woman’s sharp voice. “Sister, as a divorced woman, it is already hard for you to remarry. Father has already picked out some candidates from humble families for you, and now you’ve brought a child home, who would want you now?”

Faced with such aggressive words, Meng Jing remained very calm. She said flatly, “I am not marrying.”

The woman opposite her was clearly incredulous. “You’re not marrying? Are you just going to stay at home forever?”

Meng Jing paused, and only after a long while did she speak: “Sixth Sister, if you all feel that I am affecting you, I can leave.”

It appeared the woman beside Meng Jing was the Sixth Young Lady of the Meng Estate. Just as she was about to say more, a sharp-eyed maid nearby saw Xie Zhizhen and Gu Qing and hurried to curtsy. “Greetings to Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess and the Prince Consort.”

The Sixth Young Lady Meng turned around hastily. Seeing the two of them, she was visibly panicked. After all, Meng Jing had been on good terms with Xie Zhizhen two years ago. Now, Xie Zhizhen was the even more noble Eldest Princess; given the Emperor’s respect for her, the Princess was effectively above all but one person. “Gree, greetings to Her Royal Highness and the Prince Consort.”

Her voice trembled. She did not know how much the Princess had overheard. Recalling what she had just said, Sixth Young Lady Meng was in a panic. Xie Zhizhen had no intention of making things difficult for her, only saying coolly, “Whether this child stays or is sent back is Meng Jing’s decision. It has nothing to do with you.”

Sixth Young Lady Meng answered hurriedly, “Yes, yes. This subject was overstepping.”

“Fine, you may leave.”

Seeing that Xie Zhizhen did not blame her, Sixth Young Lady Meng breathed a sigh of relief. While she might have previously thought of currying favor with the Princess, in this situation, she did not dare utter another word.

Meng Jing was happy to see Xie Zhizhen and Gu Qing. Holding her soft daughter, she greeted them, “Why have you two come so early?”

Now that the eyesore was gone, Xie Zhizhen did not need to maintain her cold, unapproachable princess persona. She walked to Meng Jing’s side and looked at the soft child in her arms, her lips unconsciously curling into a smile. Her fair fingertips gently poked the child’s soft cheek. The tender texture felt like a peeled egg, white, tender, and smooth.

The infant in the swaddle saw the beautiful sister before her and let out a pink-lipped smile. A pair of dark, beady eyes looked intently at Xie Zhizhen, a sight that could melt anyone’s heart. Seeing that the child only smiled sillily when poked, Xie Zhizhen grew much bolder. She used her fingers to gently pinch the child’s face.

Smooth and tender, just like egg custard! Seeing Xie Zhizhen smile, Nannan also began to laugh, her hands flailing about until she finally grabbed Xie Zhizhen’s index finger. Xie Zhizhen quickly waved Gu Qing over. “Gu Qing, look! She grabbed my hand!”

The child’s hand was very small. Even though Xie Zhizhen’s hands were considered small for her age, Nannan could only barely grasp one finger. Meng Jing saw how much Xie Zhizhen liked Nannan, and she also smiled. Looking at Nannan in her arms, her eyes were full of maternal tenderness. “Nannan is very well-behaved, I did not lie to you.”

Gu Qing saw such a white, tender child who looked like a glutinous rice ball, and her lips also subconsciously carried a trace of a smile. “She is indeed very well-behaved.”

Noticing Xie Zhizhen’s fondness, Meng Jing offered, “Do you want to try holding her?”

Xie Zhizhen’s finger stiffened. Looking at the soft infant, she waved her hands in a hurry, her speech becoming a bit stuttered. “Th, this, how can I? I, I, I’ve never held a child before. I won’t do it right.”

As the mother, Meng Jing was not afraid at all. She placed Nannan directly into Xie Zhizhen’s arms, though she did not dare let go completely, fearing the child might fall since it was Xie Zhizhen’s first time. With the soft child lying in her arms, Xie Zhizhen’s body was a bit stiff. She had seen many children before, and they usually cried as soon as they were held. She was a bit afraid of children crying.

The sound was sharp and hard to coax. Fortunately, Nannan showed no signs of crying. With Meng Jing coaching her on how to position her hands so the child would not be uncomfortable, Xie Zhizhen finally succeeded. Eventually, Xie Zhizhen adjusted her posture. The comfortable position made Nannan sleepy, and she actually fell asleep in Xie Zhizhen’s arms.

Although the child was cute, and Nannan was considered light for a baby, this was Xie Zhizhen’s first time holding one. Her arm strength was limited, and before long, her arm began to ache. Between the intense exercise of the previous night and the weight of the child, the charm of the baby’s face had worn off, leaving only endless fatigue.

Yet she did not dare relax, fearing a single move would wake the child. Having been with her for so long, Gu Qing naturally understood her best. Seeing her stiff limbs and trembling arms, she quickly said, “How about we put the child in the cradle to sleep first?”

Meng Jing nodded and quickly took the child, placing her in the cradle nearby. Suddenly leaving a warm embrace, Nannan was a bit unaccustomed to it. Fortunately, Meng Jing patted her back in time and rocked the cradle. She then said apologetically to the two of them, “Nannan just changed sleeping spots; I need to coax her a bit more.”

Xie Zhizhen shook her head, saying it was fine. Gu Qing took her hand and said, “We’ll wait for you in the main hall.”

When the door closed, Xie Zhizhen breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Qing lifted her arm and helped her massage it. “Tired?”

Xie Zhizhen pouted and nodded, saying coquettishly, “So tired. I didn’t feel it when I first held her, but after a while, my arm really started to ache.”

Gu Qing smiled and worked diligently to massage Xie Zhizhen’s arm to relieve the fatigue. Just as Xie Zhizhen was starting to feel much better, Gu Qing asked, “Do you like children very much?”

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