The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 68

Zhou Xianyun’s heart tightened. She had not expected that only a day after Gu Qing had questioned her, Xie Zhizhen would confront her directly.

She instinctively wanted to deny it, but her gaze met Xie Zhizhen’s bright eyes, clear as flawless glaze. She also noticed the raspy quality of Xie Zhizhen’s voice and said with concern, “Princess, what happened to your throat? Did you tire yourself out teaching yesterday?”

She did not think much of it; after all, even her own throat felt distinctly uncomfortable after a few classes yesterday, let alone the delicate and soft Eldest Princess.

Xie Zhizhen’s face flushed. Her eyes darted to a patch of grass to the side, not daring to look around. She stared at the green blades, some of which were starting to turn yellow at the tips. She pursed her lips in embarrassment and gave a perfunctory reply, “Mm, perhaps so.”

It was all Gu Qing’s fault! Originally, she had planned to forgive Gu Qing in a couple of days, but now it seemed she would have to give her the cold shoulder for a few more days! It was truly too much!

After Zhou Xianyun’s show of concern, the atmosphere lapsed into an awkward silence. Thinking about her throat, Xie Zhizhen no longer wanted to speak. Zhou Xianyun thought for a moment, deciding that Xie Zhizhen would find out sooner or later, and finally answered the initial question.

She nodded, her gaze toward Xie Zhizhen full of sincerity. This was the first time in her life she had liked someone and the first time she was expressing her feelings to her beloved; she was inevitably nervous. “Princess, Xianyun does indeed admire you!”

Although she had known, hearing Zhou Xianyun admit it to her face still felt surreal to Xie Zhizhen. She parted her lips slightly. “But you must know, this Princess is already married.” She was a married woman, and she and Gu Qing were very much in love, even if Gu Qing made her angry sometimes.

Zhou Xianyun failed to catch the subtle rejection. Instead, she felt Xie Zhizhen was dropping a hint. Her fists clenched, her fingertips turning white. “Princess! Xianyun knows you and the General share a deep bond. Xianyun is but an ordinary constable and does not dare to covet the position of Prince Consort.” Her voice trembled. “Xianyun does not seek status; I only wish to be by your side. I would even be a male favorite.”

Zhou Xianyun walked to Xie Zhizhen’s side and knelt on one knee, grabbing the hem of her dress. The mist colored silk felt like a slippery fish in her hand, a fabric she could never afford in her lifetime, a symbol of the gap between her and the nobility. This was why, although she secretly competed with Gu Qing, she never thought of stealing the title of Prince Consort.

Xie Zhizhen’s delicate brows furrowed in displeasure. She thought she had been clear and tactful, but Zhou Xianyun obviously did not understand. She swallowed to moisten her throat, trying to make her voice sound less raspy. “Miss Zhou, this Princess is telling you clearly: it is impossible for me to be with you. Between Gu Qing and me, there can only be the two of us. No one else.”

Her heart was small; it could not hold two people. Not only would she not allow Gu Qing to keep others outside, but she also would not allow herself to keep favorites. Besides, one Gu Qing was already enough to handle. Thinking of Gu Qing’s words and her somewhat fierce movements from last night, Xie Zhizhen felt her face grow even hotter.

Zhou Xianyun looked up in shock, her eyes full of disbelief. “Princess,” she did not consider herself a絕世大美人, but her looks were above average. Was her offer to throw herself at the Princess without any status still not enough? She had assumed that for the nobility, “one life, one couple” was an impossibility, especially since Xie Zhizhen was the Eldest Princess and the only sister recognized by the Emperor. With such status, not even Gu Qing could stop her if she wanted to keep favorites.

Xie Zhizhen had spoken so much that her throat was very uncomfortable. She suppressed the irritation and said, “I have said my piece. If you no longer wish to teach at the school, I will not force you. I will have Su Juan settle your wages later.”

She had guessed that Zhou Xianyun’s help at the school was just a pretense to get close to her. Now that she had clearly rejected her, she assumed Zhou Xianyun would leave. It was a pity, as teachers were already scarce, and now another was leaving.

Having finished, Xie Zhizhen returned to the study without looking back. On the sandalwood desk was the honey lemon water Gu Qing had asked Su Juan to prepare. She took a sip; the sweet and sour taste was exactly what she liked, and her throat felt much better. The thought that Gu Qing had arranged this made her gaze soften.

On the other side, Gu Qing was genuinely annoyed. These two siblings were in the capital for the first time and were curious about everything, constantly pointing at random things and asking what they were. Gu Qing answered with impatience. If they were not the Prince and Princess of the Western Regions, she really would have wanted to knock them out with a punch. They talked too much!

Besides, although the capital was large, any guard born and raised there could have introduced it to them in more detail than she could. For the first time, Gu Qing felt that doing a good deed could lead to a bad result.

While she was spacing out, she suddenly heard Rosanna’s voice. “General Gu! What is that bright red thing?” Rosanna saw many children gathered around an old man selling tanghulu and asked curiously.

Gu Qing took a look and replied casually, “That is tanghulu.” Zhizhen loved these sweet and sour things. She wondered if she had drunk the honey lemon water and if her throat felt better. Thinking of this, Gu Qing went to the old man and bought a stick. Looking at the crystal clear sugar coating over the fresh hawthorns, she thought about how she could visit the school once she dealt with these two. A smile unconsciously curled her lips.

When Rosanna saw the stick of candied haws, she assumed Gu Qing had bought it for her. She tilted her chin proudly and said to Attila, “I told you I was beautiful; how could Gu Qing not like me? Look, I just asked about the tanghulu and she bought it for me!”

Attila also noticed that Gu Qing’s gaze toward the tanghulu had turned significantly gentler, and he felt a bit jealous. Though he agreed with his sister, he insisted stubbornly, “Not necessarily. Maybe she wants to eat it herself!”

Rosanna glanced at her brother with disdain. “How could a valiant person like General Gu eat such street snacks?” That sweet and sour thing was for children and did not fit Gu Qing’s aura at all. Attila pouted, feeling unhappy, but he thought the same thing. They were siblings, after all; not only did they like the same person, but they even shared the same views on many things.

Soon, Gu Qing came over with the tanghulu. Rosanna instinctively reached out to take it, not forgetting to give Attila a provocative look. However, before she could grab it, Gu Qing pulled her hand back and took half a step away, looking dissatisfied. “If you want one, buy it yourself.”

This was the best stick she had picked out to save for Zhizhen.

Rosanna was in disbelief. “General Gu, did you not buy that for me?”

Gu Qing gave her a look of disdain. “Why would I buy it for you?” It was bad enough she had this unpaid overtime work, let alone being stopped from going to see Zhizhen.

Attila laughed so hard he could barely breathe, mocking his sister. “Hahahaha, I told you it was not for you! Look at you, being so sentimental!” Rosanna was so angry she began chasing Attila, grabbing the whip at her waist to strike him.

Gu Qing did not understand the love-hate relationship of these siblings. As long as nothing went wrong, they could play however they wanted. It was good for them to tire themselves out so she would not have to show them around anymore. The bickering did indeed consume a lot of their energy, and soon they were panting, asking to find a place to rest.

Gu Qing took them to Wangxiang Pavilion. While the siblings sipped tea they could not quite appreciate, Gu Qing stood at the side staring at the tanghulu, missing Xie Zhizhen. It had been nearly two hours since they last met.

Rosanna had noticed Gu Qing’s odd behavior. She spat out the bitterness of the tea and rinsed her mouth before saying, “General Gu, you aren’t eating the tanghulu, so why buy it? You just hold it and stare at it?” She did not understand.

At the mention of this, Gu Qing felt a surge of irritation and glared at the siblings. “Naturally, it is because my wife loves them. Seeing this tanghulu is like seeing my wife.”

Rosanna finally remembered the fact that Gu Qing was married. She felt a bit dejected but curious. “General Gu’s wife must be a great beauty.” Otherwise, why would Gu Qing ignore a beauty like herself? Though she had not met the legendary Eldest Princess, Rosanna felt she must be very beautiful and capable.

Mentioning Xie Zhizhen made Gu Qing’s gaze soften significantly. She said gently, “Of course. Zhizhen is the most beautiful in my heart.” Rosanna was surprised by how the cold and irritable Gu Qing had suddenly turned so tender. The stranger Gu Qing acted, the more curious Rosanna became about the Princess.

Rosanna said, “General Gu, can we go see the Princess?”

This was exactly what Gu Qing wanted. Her eyes lit up, her earlier frustration vanishing instantly. Her gaze toward Rosanna was no longer so hostile. “Of course!” She could take the opportunity to see Zhizhen. Gu Qing did not even wait for them to eat or rest further before leading them away.

When Attila and Rosanna arrived at the school, they were surprised. “Shouldn’t we be going to the Eldest Princess’s Manor? Why have we come to a school?” Attila looked at the sign. He could not read Geng characters, so he whispered to a subordinate he brought along. Only then did he learn what the words were.

Zhiqing Academy.

While he knew the words, he did not understand what the name meant. Gu Qing had already happily opened the door and entered. Before she could go to the study to find Xie Zhizhen, Rosanna grabbed her sleeve. “General Gu, what does Zhiqing mean?”

Just as Gu Qing was about to answer, Xie Zhizhen appeared behind them, her voice filled with anger and raspy from the night before.

“What do you think you are doing?!”

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