Chapter 25
But somehow, something still felt a little off.
Never mind!
It was hardly an important problem.
Liu Jiuning continued blinking her enormous, sparkling eyes as she stared enthusiastically and boldly at the great beauty who was about to share her wedding night…
No, she should call her beautiful husband now.
“If you do not know how to speak properly, then close your mouth.”
After saying this, Li Nanchu swept her sleeve aside, freeing the corner of her robe from the girl’s grip, and turned to leave.
She had already realized there was no point trying to reason with a little drunkard.
No matter what Li Nanchu said, Liu Jiuning would interpret it in her own peculiar way.
Since that was the case, she had no desire to waste any more words.
“But I do know how to talk! I’m talking right now, aren’t I?”
As Liu Jiuning spoke, she jumped off the bed and stumbled after Li Nanchu.
“Husband, where are you going? It’s already dark. Aren’t we going to sleep?”
She had looked forward to sleeping for so long!
Was it simply not going to happen now?
Swaying from side to side, Liu Jiuning struggled desperately to keep up with Li Nanchu. She supported herself on the furniture around the room and advanced with tremendous effort.
Even so, she wandered in a crooked path and made an enormous circle.
Only after quite some time did she finally reach the writing desk where Li Nanchu had seated herself. Clinging to its edge, she panted heavily.
“Why… why didn’t you wait for me? Chasing you was exhausting! And why does the world feel strange? Everything is spinning, and so many things are blurry and doubled! I must have opened my eyes incorrectly. Let me rest for a moment, then I’ll take another careful look…”
Li Nanchu glanced at Liu Jiuning, whose little mouth truly could not remain still for even half a quarter of an hour.
Silently, she moved the memorials that were closest to the girl toward the far end of the desk.
Only after repeatedly confirming that Liu Jiuning could not reach them and that every candle flame was safely enclosed inside the lanterns hanging high around the room did she relax slightly.
Those documents would not survive another encounter with fire.
Listening to the girl’s endless stream of strange words, Li Nanchu casually picked up a memorial and began reading it.
She simply treated the noise as though a large bird had appeared beside her and was chirping incessantly.
Liu Jiuning was immediately dissatisfied.
Although she could happily perform an entire monologue by herself, having an audience—or not having one—greatly affected her enthusiasm.
Still clinging to the desk, she abruptly stood upright.
Leaning close to the focused beauty, she asked, “Husband, what are you doing? Let me look too!”
Li Nanchu snapped the memorial shut.
Turning her head slightly, she fixed the woman before her with an unfriendly stare.
Then her gaze met those innocent, bewildered eyes.
Li Nanchu reached for the Commentary on the Water Classic lying beside the memorials and stuffed it into Liu Jiuning’s hands.
“If you do not wish to sleep, then sit quietly and read with me.”
Liu Jiuning looked at the cold and aloof beauty.
Then she lowered her gaze to the book in her hands.
Finally, she looked toward the stacks of memorials and vaguely understood something.
So it was the crushing burden of work that had worn the great beauty down!
No wonder she sounded so fierce.
Anyone forced to deal with this much work on their wedding night would be unhappy!
A worker’s body, a worker’s soul—even marriage could not stop the labor.
How tragic.
Truly tragic.
Liu Jiuning felt deep sympathy for the diligent beauty.
Hugging the book Li Nanchu had specially given her to pass the time, she said softly, “Then work hard, all right? You can do it!”
Afterward, she looked around the room.
Turning away, she trotted to a nearby wooden stool, struggled to lift it, and dragged it unsteadily toward the desk.
Seeing Liu Jiuning occupy herself, Li Nanchu paid no attention to what she was trying to do.
She reopened the memorial, ground ink, and considered the matter described within it.
Only when Liu Jiuning finally placed the stool on the opposite side of the desk and sat down did Li Nanchu spare her another glance.
The girl was imitating her movements. She solemnly opened the Commentary on the Water Classic and stared at it with wide eyes for several moments.
Then she propped her head up with one hand and began gazing blankly into space…
Li Nanchu was very satisfied with Liu Jiuning’s present silence.
She withdrew her gaze, picked up her brush, and slowly began writing on the memorial.
Unfortunately, the silence did not last long.
Liu Jiuning simply could not endure the wordless loneliness.
“Husband, are you hungry? I’m so hungry.”
Li Nanchu raised her head and looked at the empty plate before Liu Jiuning.
She distinctly remembered that the plate of pastries on the desk had been piled high not long ago.
Now not a single piece remained.
And she was still hungry?
Li Nanchu fell silent, uncertain what to say.
Then she suddenly remembered a report from the shadow guards some time ago. After Liu Jiuning had eaten with her at Anchang Temple, she had apparently coaxed several large steamed buns out of little Minming.
…
It seemed her empress was not merely talkative.
She also ate a great deal.
Li Nanchu set down both the memorial and her brush.
Remembering that palace maids should have prepared food for the new empress in the outer room, she stood and walked outside.
Before long, she returned carrying a large, five-tiered food box.
She placed it on the desk in front of Liu Jiuning.
“Eat. Once you are finished, go to sleep.”
Liu Jiuning could already smell the food without even opening the box.
She nodded vigorously.
Suddenly, she was no longer dizzy, and the world no longer seemed to sway.
Her hand reached out with perfect accuracy and lifted the lid.
Seeing the hot dishes inside, each complete in color, aroma, and flavor, she said with deep emotion, “Husband, you’re so wonderful! I love you to death!”
With faintly trembling hands, Liu Jiuning removed the small dishes from the box one by one.
They filled her half of the desk completely.
After arranging everything, she looked at Li Nanchu again. Smiling brightly, she handed over a pair of chopsticks and a small empty bowl.
“Come, beautiful husband. You must be hungry too! Hurry and eat with me! There’s so much food—we can eat until we’re full!”
And if it was not enough, she vaguely remembered seeing several plates of pastries on a nearby table.
They could bring those over later.
Li Nanchu had not intended to accept.
Unfortunately, Liu Jiuning’s mouth was impossible to seal.
When the girl began naming one dish “Fish Playing Among Jade Lotus Roots,” Li Nanchu could only take the bowl and chopsticks.
Then, in an attempt to block the mouth that would not stop opening and closing, she placed several large pieces of food into the small bowl Liu Jiuning was holding.
Perhaps that would quiet her.
Otherwise, every dish on the table might receive a new name and an elaborate legend.
Sure enough, the moment food appeared in her bowl, Liu Jiuning fell silent.
She lowered her head and ate with the same intense concentration as the cats that wandered through the palace stealing food.
In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, she had polished off every dish.
“What a pity there’s no rice or steamed buns. The meal is missing its soul.”
Liu Jiuning elegantly wiped her mouth with the small napkin from the food box and sighed regretfully.
Li Nanchu, who had put down her bowl and chopsticks long ago, gained an entirely new understanding of her empress.
She did not merely eat a lot.
She ate an astonishing amount.
Li Nanchu even began to suspect that the portions served by the palace kitchen were too small.
Otherwise, how could more than half a dish disappear after only one or two bites from the new empress?
Liu Jiuning returned the empty plates, bowls, and chopsticks to the food box.
She had not forgotten what the beauty had told her earlier.
After yawning, she said, “Then I’ll go sleep now!”
Once she had eaten and drunk her fill, sleepiness naturally followed.
She truly did not want to continue staring at pages filled with dense, complicated characters crowded together.
More importantly, every sentence was far too concise—so concise that her muddled brain could not understand what any of it meant.
“Mm. Go.”
Watching Liu Jiuning carry the food box away with an unsteady gait, Li Nanchu experienced a rare flicker of pleasure.
Most likely because she was finally going to have some peace.
Still drunk and now thoroughly full, Liu Jiuning placed the food box on a table.
She swayed toward the washbasin, rinsed her mouth, washed her face, and then obediently lay down on the bed.
But before long, she climbed back up.
She swept all the peanuts and red dates from the mattress, stuffed the final candied date into her mouth, and prepared to lie down again.
Yet she could not shake the feeling that she had forgotten something.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stared at the swaying, blurred shadows around the room.
A long time passed.
At last, a sudden flash of clarity pierced her muddled mind.
Liu Jiuning clapped her hands together.
Barefoot, she hurried toward Li Nanchu, floating lightly across the room like a butterfly.
Hearing the movement, Li Nanchu felt an unexpected sense of inevitability.
How could such a noisy little drunkard possibly go to sleep so obediently?
She would probably continue causing trouble for at least half the night.
With this thought, Li Nanchu turned her head.
At that exact moment, Liu Jiuning threw herself toward her.
Their lips met.
Soft, warm—
And sweet.
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