The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 73

When Xie Zhizhen woke up today, Gu Qing had already been up for a while. She rubbed her neck, where a few fresh red marks remained.

Although Gu Qing had risen early, because of what happened last night, she did not go out to practice with her weapons today. Instead, she prepared several cups of sweet milk tea and brought them to Xie Zhizhen.

Xie Zhizhen hurried forward to take the tray and pulled Gu Qing by the hand, insisting she sit down and rest.

After all, she was the one who had “bullied” Gu Qing last night. Even though it was Gu Qing who had been at fault first, Xie Zhizhen felt that as the one “on top,” she should be generous and magnanimous!

A dark glint flashed through Gu Qing’s eyes. She had not expected the method Rosanna suggested to be so effective. It seemed that a little strategic sacrifice was indeed necessary at times.

Throughout the day, Xie Zhizhen was exceptionally attentive toward Gu Qing. During breakfast, she kept picking up food for her. Seeing the two masters reconciled, Su Juan stepped forward and asked, “Your Highness, about that peach tree you mentioned yesterday, do you still want it chopped down?”

Gu Qing raised an eyebrow and instinctively asked, “What peach tree?”

Xie Zhizhen stammered, refusing to explain. Her declaration to cut the tree had been a heat-of-the-moment decision. Now that she had become the assertive partner and had done “those things” to Gu Qing, her anger had completely vanished.

Gu Qing looked at Su Juan. The maid looked back and forth between the two, caught in a difficult position. Eventually, Xie Zhizhen sighed and admitted defeat, and Gu Qing finally learned the truth from Su Juan.

Though she felt a bit unhappy, Gu Qing reminded herself she was still in the phase of seeking forgiveness. Since the tree had not actually been harmed, she said nothing. The matter was considered settled.

After breakfast, Gu Qing prepared to attend the morning court session as usual, but Xie Zhizhen stopped her. She tugged at Gu Qing’s sleeve, her gaze incredibly tender. “I have already had someone request three days of leave for you. You should stay in the manor and rest well these next few days.”

As someone with prior experience, Xie Zhizhen knew the physical discomfort that followed the first time doing “that sort of thing.” She believed herself to be very understanding and gentle.

Gu Qing found Xie Zhizhen’s behavior a bit odd, but she did not voice it. She simply smiled. “Then I will accompany you to the academy.”

The court session was not that important to her anyway; if there were truly an emergency, someone would come to the Eldest Princess’s Manor to find her.

Xie Zhizhen furrowed her brows as if debating whether to let Gu Qing follow. However, seeing Gu Qing’s sparkling eyes, she decided that proper companionship was also necessary.

Seeing Xie Zhizhen’s frown, Gu Qing’s heart tightened. She had already “surrendered her body,” was Zhenzhen still not going to let her follow her to school?

Gu Qing felt a surge of panic and began wondering how else she could coax her. But when Xie Zhizhen finally nodded, she felt an immediate sense of relief.

When the two arrived at the academy, Meng Jing and Zhou Xianyun were both surprised. Though they did not know the details, they had clearly seen that there had been a conflict between the two, and now it seemed to have vanished.

The children did not understand such complexities. Seeing Gu Qing after a day’s absence, they rushed over. “Sister Gu, Sister Gu! You are finally back!”

Gu Qing rubbed their fluffy little heads and asked with a smile, “While I was away yesterday, did you all practice your horse stance properly?”

Xie Zhizhen and Meng Jing were responsible for the children’s academic knowledge, while Gu Qing and Meng Jing taught them basic martial arts, the first step of which was the horse stance.

The children nodded eagerly and prepared to demonstrate their standard stances for Gu Qing’s inspection. It was visible that their progress was good, but as they had only been practicing for a few days, there were still minor flaws. Gu Qing went around correcting each of them, occasionally demonstrating the posture herself.

Since it was just basic training, it was not particularly tiring, but Xie Zhizhen clearly did not think so.

Xie Zhizhen, who was usually too lazy to enter the kitchen, actually went there today to cook some taro ball milk tea for Gu Qing. In truth, Xie Zhizhen had learned a few things from Gu Qing, but since she usually disliked cooking, she would rather crave the food than make it herself.

Watching Xie Zhizhen’s clumsy movements from outside the small kitchen, Meng Jing could not help but marvel. “Is the sun rising from the west? Zhizhen is actually willing to cook?”

Given Xie Zhizhen’s attitude yesterday, Meng Jing had thought Gu Qing had truly crossed a line, but today the situation had completely reversed.

Xie Zhizhen tasted the milk tea and taro balls she had struggled to make. While they were not as good as Gu Qing’s, they were decent. Just then, the elderly woman in charge of the meals arrived with a basket of fresh flowers. Seeing the delicate, dewy blooms, Xie Zhizhen asked with interest, “What are these flowers for?”

The old woman had expected to be alone in the kitchen and was startled to see Xie Zhizhen. The lady before her wore a long, turquoise-green dress. Her attire was simple but clearly made of high-quality material. Her hair was pinned up in a style befitting a married woman, yet she appeared as lively and vivid as a young girl. Even without makeup, her face was extraordinarily beautiful.

Such a celestial beauty was now standing in this simple little kitchen. The old woman hurriedly bowed. As a worker here, she naturally recognized the owner. “This… this humble woman greets the Eldest Princess.”

Her voice trembled. She had only ever seen the Princess from a distance. Being this close made her nervous. Xie Zhizhen smiled, stepped forward, and helped the old woman up. “There is no need for such formality at the academy. What are you planning to do with these flowers?”

The flowers looked like lilies, but she wondered why the woman brought so many to the kitchen.

Mistaking Xie Zhizhen’s curiosity for an accusation, the old woman hurriedly held out the basket. “Your… Your Highness, I did not touch your flowerbeds! These were all grown by myself!”

The flowerbeds in the backyard were clearly expensive varieties; she wouldn’t dare touch them. Xie Zhizhen realized the misunderstanding and explained, “I did not mean that. I was simply curious about what they are used for.” She felt caught between laughter and tears; a bit of curiosity had made her look like a villain.

The old woman peeked at Xie Zhizhen’s expression. Confirming she wasn’t angry, she relaxed. She thought of the smiles on her granddaughter’s face when she talked about “Sister Xie” and realized the Princess was indeed as kind as the girl said. “These are lilies from my own home. I was going to make flower cakes with them.”

Xie Zhizhen raised an eyebrow. “But I recall that flower cakes are not usually this color.”

The old woman nodded. “Yes, usually they are made with roses. But roses are out of season, so I am using lilies instead.”

Xie Zhizhen nodded in understanding. She looked at her taro ball milk tea and asked, “How much for a few of these lilies?”

The old woman refused to take money. She picked out several of the best blooms and handed them to Xie Zhizhen. “Your Highness is kind enough to give these children a chance to study. I am more than grateful; how could I take your money? Besides, these are just flowers from my garden.”

Xie Zhizhen did not press the matter further. She took the lilies and left the kitchen. Her slender fingers brushed the petals, which were still damp with water droplets. The white of the petals made her fingertips look even paler. As she felt the delicate texture, a memory seemed to trigger, and her cheeks flushed.

She quickly cut off her train of thought, plucked the petals, and added them to the milk tea. The white petals floating on the brown tea made the drink look much more elegant.

When she returned, she saw that the children had moved to a shaded area to continue their drills, with Gu Qing standing by looking quite stern. Xie Zhizhen stepped forward and told them to take a break and have some milk tea.

The children swarmed forward. Anticipating this, Xie Zhizhen had already secured a cup and brought it to Gu Qing. Gu Qing was surprised to see it was milk tea, as only she, Xie Zhizhen, and the chefs knew the recipe.

In this situation, it had to be handmade by Xie Zhizhen.

Xie Zhizhen handed it to her with extreme gentleness and watched her drink. This behavior made Gu Qing feel very uneasy, almost as if she were being served her “last meal.”

“Zhenzhen, did I do something wrong again? Just tell me plainly. I truly cannot think of anything.”

The current Xie Zhizhen was even more frightening than the one who had kicked her out of the manor. Gu Qing thought back carefully, but she really hadn’t done anything wrong.

Unless…

Gu Qing glanced at Xie Zhizhen, a strange look in her eyes. Could it be that Zhenzhen wasn’t satisfied last night? No, that couldn’t be. Zhenzhen was the one who called for a stop first, even before Gu Qing had had enough. Was it because it was her first time being the “bottom” and her lack of experience left Zhenzhen wanting?

While Gu Qing’s mind was racing with wild theories, Xie Zhizhen checked to make sure the children were busy drinking. She leaned in and whispered, “You worked hard last night.”

She looked serious, her eyes filled with a touch of guilt. “You spent over half an hour cooperating with me yesterday. You must be exhausted, yet you still have to teach these children today. It must be very hard on you.”

“By the way, does your throat hurt? Should I make you some honey lemon water? It is quite effective.”

Gu Qing looked at Xie Zhizhen with a completely indescribable expression and let out a silent sigh in her heart.

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