The Whole Family is Reborn, But I Transmigrated into a Book - Chapter 9

Liu Qingyue struggled to wake from her sleep, feeling as if a great mountain were pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe. Opening her eyes, she saw it—Gu Qingjia’s sturdy arm was draped right across her chest, and his handsome face was nestled in the crook of her neck. His hot breath flushed the tips of her ears red.

She had never been this close to anyone before; holding hands was already the limit of what she could accept. Who knew Gu Qingjia would be even more overbearing once he fell asleep?

Blushing, Liu Qingyue tried to push him away, but the man remained as immovable as a mountain.

“Gu Qingjia, do you have any idea how much you weigh?” Unable to take it anymore, Liu Qingyue reached out and pinched his ear, shouting in embarrassment.

Gu Qingjia had drunk quite a bit last night, and his mind was still foggy. Being suddenly jerked by the ear, he didn’t react immediately.

“Princess Consort, I am your husband,” Gu Qingjia muttered grumpily as he sat up, rescuing his ear from her grasp. “Go out and ask around—is there any wife who pinches her husband’s ear in bed? If this gets out, where am I supposed to put my face?”

Liu Qingyue didn’t care about his dignity; she had nearly been crushed to death. Pinching his ear was a mercy. “Who told you to be such a restless sleeper?”

If he hadn’t refused to sleep in separate rooms, how would she have woken up to find his large head buried in her neck? She feigned composure, determined not to show any weakness lest he become even more smug.

Gu Qingjia felt incredibly wronged. He was usually a very steady sleeper. “It was you, Princess Consort, who kept squeezing toward me. You nearly pushed me off the bed, so I had no choice but to hold onto you.”

Though he had returned with a tipsy haze the night before, he wasn’t entirely without memory.

“Liar!” Liu Qingyue barked, her face crimson. “I am a very quiet sleeper.” Back in the hospital, she had never heard the nurses say she was restless; everyone said she was the most cooperative patient.

At the thought of her past, her mood suddenly plummeted. She finally had a healthy body, but she could never go back. However, her busy parents could probably breathe a sigh of relief now, no longer having to worry about her.

Gu Qingjia didn’t know what he had said wrong to make her sad. “It was me lying. I’m narrow-minded and thin-skinned; please don’t lower yourself to my level.” He apologized quickly, terrified of making her cry.

Her melancholy was only fleeting. Hearing his apology, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Why does Your Highness speak of yourself that way? I think you are quite magnanimous for not bickering with a mere woman like me.”

She blinked, returning to her usual playful self. She truly believed this; otherwise, she wouldn’t have pinched his ear the moment she woke up. While Gu Qingjia might lack the abilities of his brothers, his character was far superior to the other princes.

In the Imperial family, no monarch sits on that high throne without blood on their hands. The throne is cold and lonely, and an Emperor must be even colder and more ruthless to remain secure; otherwise, there is always the risk of being dragged down.

Gu Qingjia could never be an Emperor. He was too kind.

Liu Qingyue stared at him fixedly until his heart began to flutter. “As long as you are happy,” he said, avoiding her gaze. He hurried out of bed without looking back.

Liu Qingyue didn’t know what was wrong with him, but she didn’t dwell on it. “We are leaving today. Is everything ready?” She didn’t want to draw attention before they even left the city.

“It was ready long ago. How would I dare neglect the Princess Consort’s arrangements?” Now fully dressed, Gu Qingjia brought her clothes to the bedside. “The fabric of these clothes is poor; I fear you won’t be used to wearing them.”

Looking at his beautiful wife with her rosy lips, white teeth, and skin like cream, he truly felt such coarse clothing was unworthy of her.

“What is there to get used to? If others can wear it, so can I.” She took the clothes and pulled them on. “Once we go out, Your Highness cannot call me that anymore. Otherwise, it’s no different from announcing our identity.”

She didn’t look at him, focused on smoothing her garments.

Gu Qingjia understood. He curled his lips and called out playfully: “Lady, if you are ready, let us set off.”

“Set off for what? We haven’t even eaten yet. Surely Your Highness won’t let me leave without filling my stomach?” She looked at him indignantly, her cheeks puffed out in a cute pout.

Gu Qingjia shook his head. He reached out and draped an arm over her shoulder, leading her out. “My lady, you don’t understand. Since we are searching for Eldest Brother, we must act the part.”

Liu Qingyue turned to look at him, waiting for the explanation.

“Do you know where the most well-informed places are in the Imperial City?” He wasn’t in a hurry and decided to keep her in suspense.

“Restaurants, tea houses, the entertainment districts…” Liu Qingyue mused. She was no fool; with a little thought, she knew his goal.

“My lady is truly clever,” Gu Qingjia praised with a smile. “Since we are going to these places, we can’t just sit all morning with a single pot of tea. If you eat your fill at home, how can you taste the food outside?”

Thinking he had a point, she followed him out through a small side gate of the estate. Although Gu Qingjia was a Prince, he didn’t frequent brothels like Gu Qingyi, so ordinary people didn’t recognize him. Liu Qingyue, having been raised in the inner chambers, was even less known.

The two, dressed in ordinary attire, walked into a bustling “hole-in-the-wall” eatery, looking like any other young couple. An enthusiastic waiter ushered them to a seat and recommended the house specialties.

“Honored guests, to tell you the truth, our chef once cooked for a Prince! Whatever you want to eat—things you’ve seen, things you haven’t—our shop has it all.”

The waiter was exaggerating, but seeing their plain clothes and lack of accessories, he assumed they hadn’t eaten much high-quality food.

“Then we are truly lucky to eat food made by a master chef,” Liu Qingyue said with a smile. She knew he was bragging but couldn’t resist asking, “Which Prince did your master serve?”

“The Prince of Jing, of course! There is only one Prince Jing in our current dynasty.” The waiter straightened his back with pride at the mention of the name.

Liu Qingyue looked at Gu Qingjia. Her eyes seemed to ask: Why is your cook out here moonlighting at a side job?

Gu Qingjia didn’t believe for a second that this tiny shop could afford a chef from his estate. Even if the man truly came from his palace, he was likely only a vegetable chopper in the back.

“Since he came from the Prince’s estate, we must have a good taste of it. After all, it’s not easy to eat food from a Prince’s chef,” Gu Qingjia lied with a straight face. No one knew he was the Prince of Jing, after all.

The waiter beamed. “Well said! What would the two of you like to order?”

Gu Qingjia knew Liu Qingyue’s tastes and rattled off several dishes. He then turned to her. “Does my lady want anything else?”

Liu Qingyue waved him off and stayed silent; her ears were pricked toward the gossip at the neighboring table.

“Hey, what do you think the Princess of Jing looks like? We’ve never seen her, but I hear she’s a peerless beauty.”

“Exactly. I heard that after Miss Liu married Prince Jing, the First Prince was so heartbroken he left the palace.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” a companion hissed. “Miss Liu is now the Princess of Jing—the First Prince’s sister-in-law. You’ve had two drinks and now you’re talking crazy. If the wrong person hears you, it’s your head!”

“Then you tell me—why would the First Prince leave at such a time? He chose the very day of Prince Jing’s wedding!”

The logic seemed sound enough that if Liu Qingyue weren’t the person involved, she might have believed it. But in her memory, she and the First Prince had no connection. None of the books she had read mentioned any relationship between them either.

Gu Qingjia listened to their nonsense, his gaze dropping as if he were displeased. The First Prince’s escape was only known to high-ranking court officials; even third-rank officials were kept in the dark. How did these commoners find out?

The court was already turning treacherous, becoming more complex than he had imagined. Gu Qingjia suddenly felt that leaving the capital now was a good thing; he had no interest in the power struggle.

“Husband, we ordered so many dishes. Do you have enough money?” Liu Qingyue suddenly asked with a blink. She couldn’t read his mind and feared he might lose his temper. If he actually killed these people, it would ruin their plans.

Guessing her thoughts, Gu Qingjia snapped back to reality. Looking into her clear eyes, he smiled. “I won’t leave you behind to wash dishes. Eat with an easy mind.”

Liu Qingyue knew exactly how much money he carried, and she had also secretly hidden a few banknotes herself. When traveling, one always needs extra money for security. They hadn’t even left the capital yet; there was a long road ahead.

The surrounding noise continued, but Gu Qingjia paid it no more mind. His gaze stayed on Liu Qingyue. She truly had a good appetite; even in a place like this, she didn’t eat a single bite less.

“Can my husband get full just by looking at me? If you don’t hurry and eat, I’ll finish it all.”

Liu Qingyue wasn’t afraid of his gaze; she was used to it. Having spent her past life on a hospital bed restricted to liquid diets, she intended to make up for it now that she was healthy.

“If you like it, eat more. We can order more if it’s not enough.” Gu Qingjia enjoyed watching her eat. He had never seen someone show such a look of pure happiness while eating.

Hearing this, she stopped worrying about him. Back at the estate, he rarely ate much anyway, let alone in a small restaurant like this. He was likely a pampered “golden branch and jade leaf” who had never stepped foot in such a place before.

Dressed in coarse cloth without a single piece of jewelry, Liu Qingyue had not lost her luster; instead, she had gained a certain pure and simple beauty. Gu Qingjia had always known his wife was beautiful, but seeing her now, he still found her a sight for sore eyes.

“Husband, your wife is beautiful, but looking at me won’t fill your stomach,” she teased. She knew he had seen countless beauties; she didn’t think she could truly make him lose his senses.

However, she also realized that even in this state, she was still very conspicuous.