Waking Up to an Imperial Marriage with My Archenemy - Chapter 5

Qiao Wan’s prank on Zheng Wei had thoroughly vented the morning’s frustrations, leaving her in high spirits.

Twirling the lotus stem, she strolled lightheartedly toward home. Truth be told, the palace maid had found her a truly massive leaf; it was concave in the center with upturned edges—turned upside down, it would make a rather excellent hat!

What a pity Zheng Wei hadn’t been willing to accept her kind gesture. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Just as Qiao Wan was reveling in her triumph, she heard someone call out from behind.

“Censor Qiao, Her Highness says she will give you a lift. Please board the carriage.”

She turned to see Luo Fengxin’s carriage already behind her. The driver reined in the horses, bringing the vehicle to a halt, and repeated the invitation.

“I appreciate the Princess’s kindness, but the hour is still early and I don’t live far. I’d prefer to walk.”

When Qiao Wan had slipped out of the palace gates, she had caught a glimpse of Luo Fengxin heading her way. Fearing an encounter on the road, she had intentionally taken a route that didn’t lead toward the Princess’s Manor, yet Luo Fengxin had still managed to catch up.

“Do I need to invite you personally?” Luo Fengxin’s voice drifted from inside the carriage. Seeing no way to refuse, Qiao Wan had no choice but to climb in.

Alas, extreme joy begets sorrow. The ancients truly did not lie to me.

Once she was settled, the driver flicked the reins, and the carriage rumbled forward.

The interior was spacious enough, but compared to the grand hall from earlier, it felt far too small. Qiao Wan hadn’t been alone with Luo Fengxin in such a confined space for a long time; for a moment, she didn’t know where to look, feeling entirely out of sorts.

Noticing Luo Fengxin’s gaze sweep over her lotus leaf, Qiao Wan had a sudden inspiration. She thrust her hand forward: “Here, a gift for you.”

Luo Fengxin: “…”

“Are you handing out green hats to everyone you meet now?”

“Not everyone. I’m selective.” Qiao Wan’s tongue always grew sharp in front of Luo Fengxin. Even though she was usually bullied back twice as hard after her momentary fun, she still couldn’t resist poking the bear whenever the opportunity arose.

Since she was no match for Luo Fengxin in a physical fight anyway, why not at least win the war of words?

“How can the meaning of me giving a lotus leaf to Zheng Wei be the same as giving one to Your Highness? Giving it to him was just to provoke him, but giving it to the Princess,” Qiao Wan held the leaf up to cover half her face, leaving only a pair of curving, smiling eyes visible. “That is a sincere blessing for Your Highness to have a life full of ‘green’ prosperity and luck after our marriage.”

To have one’s future bride giggling while presenting a “green hat” (symbol of infidelity) as a betrothal gift would be enough to make anyone fly into a murderous rage.

Qiao Wan waited for Luo Fengxin to blow up so she could seize the chance to escape: “If you don’t want it, go tell His Majesty. Tell him I’ll find another way to handle the task he gave me, and ask him to rescind the decree.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Halfway through Qiao Wan’s sentence, Luo Fengxin snatched the lotus leaf away. She said icily, “Seeing how reluctant Censor Qiao is to marry me, I’m actually starting to look forward to this wedding. If you are unhappy, then I am very happy.”

Qiao Wan couldn’t believe Luo Fengxin was willing to go to such lengths just to spite her. She asked incredulously, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll give you a few more green hats to wear after we’re married?”

“You are welcome to try.” Luo Fengxin’s tone was flat, but the threat in her eyes was unmistakable, practically screaming: If you dare to climb over the wall, see if I don’t hack you to pieces.

Hmph, no fun. Frustrated, Qiao Wan’s hands went looking for something to fidget with. Her lotus leaf had been confiscated, so she began plucking at the small fleece blanket lining the carriage.

It’s the middle of summer and she still has fleece blankets out. What is wrong with her?

“You’re cursing me in your head again, aren’t you?” Luo Fengxin arched an eyebrow. Though Qiao Wan was sulking in silence, her hands were working ruthlessly; in just a few moments, the patch of blanket beneath Qiao Wan was nearly plucked bald.

“I’m talking to you. Stop plucking. If you ruin it, you’ll have to compensate me with an identical one.”

“So, I’ll compensate you, big deal!” Qiao Wan withdrew her hand, pulled back the window curtain, and blew a breath into her palm. The fleece fibers scattered into the air, quickly vanishing from sight.

She didn’t turn back, keeping her gaze fixed on the view outside as she murmured, “I was thinking about the past. The first time I met you was also in a carriage. You were so cute back then, you even blushed. Not like now.”

“What about now?” Luo Fengxin asked, watching Qiao Wan’s profile.

“Now you’re just grumpy all the time,” Qiao Wan grumbled.

Truthfully, the first meeting between Qiao Wan and Luo Fengxin had been quite dramatic.

At that time, Qiao Wan had just crossed over to this world and finished listening to Xiao Bai’s general introduction. she had landed in the middle of a dense mountain forest and spent two days wandering before finding her way out. On the way, she had stumbled upon two girls having a tryst in the woods, which was how she learned that women could marry each other in this world.

Having finally left the mountains and learned that the capital was nearby, Qiao Wan hurried there out of curiosity, only to be stopped by soldiers at the city gate. If she hadn’t reacted quickly and used a trick to daze the soldier for a few seconds, her journey would have ended before it even began.

But the time she bought was fleeting; a crowd of pursuers was soon on her tail. Qiao Wan’s physical stamina was average at best; it was only a matter of time before she was caught.

It was then she spotted a carriage parked by the road. It looked ornate—likely belonging to some high-ranking official. Surely the soldiers wouldn’t dare search it haphazardly.

There was nowhere else to hide; she had to gamble.

Seeing that the driver was gone and no one else was around, Qiao Wan assumed the owner had stepped away on business. She scrambled onto the carriage and ducked inside. Before she could even catch her breath, she realized the carriage wasn’t empty. Sitting inside was a celestial-looking girl in exquisite clothing.

Likely startled by the uninvited guest, the girl stared at her with wide eyes, a dagger already gripped in her hand.

“Holy crap ahhhh!” Xiao Bai’s frantic screaming erupted in her ear. “That’s Princess Leping, the one in charge of the capital’s security! You’re a fugitive who just hid in the Police Chief’s car! You’re dead!”

Qiao Wan gasped. The pursuers were nearly upon them. Even if she had the skill to escape this “Police Chief,” she wouldn’t be able to dodge the men outside if she jumped out now.

“You still remember what happened back then? I thought you’d forgotten long ago.” Luo Fengxin’s voice pulled Qiao Wan back from her memories. “You were much cuter back then, too. The first time you saw me, you started undressing and threw yourself into my arms naked.”

“Who was naked?” Qiao Wan turned back, looking at Luo Fengxin in shock. How can this person lie through her teeth in broad daylight?

“Did you or did you not take off your clothes?” Luo Fengxin countered.

“I only took off my outer robe!”

The situation had been desperate. Thinking of the couple she had seen in the mountains and looking at the Princess before her, Qiao Wan figured it was a choice between two deaths, so she might as well risk it all.

She begged the Princess for her life while rapidly stripping off her outer robe and hiding it in a corner. She let down her hair and shamelessly lunged into the girl’s embrace, even remembering to pull the Princess’s hand around her own shoulder to pose as a favored mistress being doted upon.

If it were the current Luo Fengxin, Qiao Wan would have been kicked out of the carriage instantly. But back then, Luo Fengxin was genuinely soft-hearted. Likely never having seen such a scene, she had frozen in shock. Aside from the dagger that never left Qiao Wan’s vital points, she had simply let Qiao Wan hold her.

“You didn’t just take off your robe; your sash was undone and your skirt was a mess!” Luo Fengxin didn’t seem inclined to let the subject drop, insisting on a clear verdict.

“Messy isn’t naked! I didn’t expose anything, okay?” Qiao Wan argued. It was clearly a matter of a life-or-death emergency, so why did it sound so scandalous coming out of Luo Fengxin’s mouth?

“How was nothing exposed?” Luo Fengxin’s temper flared as she snapped, “A section of your left calf was showing! If I hadn’t seen it in time and helped cover you, others would have seen it.”

Qiao Wan blinked. “Really?”

“Would I lie to you!” Luo Fengxin grew even angrier.

Was it really? Qiao Wan tried to recall the details, her hand unconsciously reaching for the blanket fleece again. Under Luo Fengxin’s dagger-like gaze, she barely managed to stop before pulling a tuft out.

She truly couldn’t remember. In her original world, girls wearing shorts and t-shirts was perfectly normal; she had worn shorts often in the heat. Having just arrived in this world at the time, she hadn’t been particularly vigilant about showing a bit of calf.

Unable to recall, Qiao Wan turned to the only eyewitness. Xiao Bai, the usually useless system finally had a moment to shine and enthusiastically replayed the footage of that day.

It was winter then, and Qiao Wan was wearing the outfit Xiao Bai had provided.

In the recording, her left leg had indeed been exposed for a split second—truly just a tiny bit, about two fingers wide. But because the carriage was warm and she had been panicking, she hadn’t noticed.

Four years had passed, yet Luo Fengxin remembered the detail with perfect clarity, even which leg it was. This realization left Qiao Wan utterly stunned.

Besides, it was her leg. Why was Luo Fengxin the one getting angry?

Qiao Wan stole a glance at Luo Fengxin, who was still glaring at her. After a moment of thought, Qiao Wan asked cautiously, “Were you unhappy because my leg was almost seen by others?”

“What does it matter to me if your body is seen or not?” Luo Fengxin was stumped by the question for only a second before immediately denying it. “Even if your arms and legs were fully exposed for the world to see, it would have nothing to do with me.”

“Fine then, it’s not like I haven’t shown them before.” Qiao Wan rolled up her sleeves and made a move to get up and leave the carriage. “Then I’m going?”

“Don’t you dare!”

Just as Luo Fengxin spoke, the carriage came to a sudden halt. Qiao Wan, caught half-standing, lost her balance. She saw the carriage wall rushing toward her head and closed her eyes, but the expected pain never came. Instead, a warm embrace caught her.

Qiao Wan looked up at Luo Fengxin. As if she had been burned, Luo Fengxin instantly withdrew the hand supporting Qiao Wan’s waist. She rubbed her shoulder and said grumpily, “What have you been eating these past six months?

You’ve grown so heavy!”

With that, she flipped the curtain and bolted out of the carriage.

Sitting inside, Qiao Wan felt her belly and waist which had no extra fat to speak of and asked Xiao Bai in confusion: “Did I get fat?”

“No. You’re actually a pound lighter than you were during the New Year,” Xiao Bai replied.

Qiao Wan thought for a moment, then suddenly said to Xiao Bai with excitement, “That part just now, where she caught me replay it for me. Fast, fast, fast!”