After Spending a Passionate Night with the Eldest Princess - Chapter 26

The Eldest Princess’s residence.

Before dawn had broken, Qin Muqiu’s door was knocked.

“Your Highness, Jiang Si has returned to report. He says the person has been brought back.” Xiangzhu stood outside the door, knocking as she reported.

Qin Muqiu abruptly opened her eyes. On her usually calm and composed face, shame and anger filled her expression for an instant.

Impudent!

How dared that person!

She clenched her fingers, rose, dressed, pushed the door open, and immediately asked, “Where is she?”

Seeing her icy expression and the anger seemingly suppressed in her eyes, Xiangzhu hurriedly said, “Replying to Your Highness, Jiang Si took her to the west wing of the front courtyard.”

The west wing of the front courtyard was precisely the room where Guo Xiaowu was being kept.

Hearing this, Qin Muqiu lifted her foot and left. But just as she arrived at the front courtyard, a servant’s words stopped her.

“Your Highness, someone from the palace has come to pass on His Majesty’s oral decree. He requests Your Highness enter the palace immediately, without delay.”

Qin Muqiu frowned and coldly instructed, “This palace will go and return shortly. Nothing must happen to the person.”

“Yes.” Xiangzhu lowered her head and accepted the order.

As for Xin Yuan’s side, after Jiang Si brought people to carry her to the west wing of the front courtyard, they tossed her onto the floor and withdrew.

Xin Yuan had only just landed when she heard a burst of crying and shouting.

“Your Highness, spare my life! This commoner really confessed everything. When I left, Xin Yuan was staying in that inn. I truly don’t know anything else!”

That voice…

Xin Yuan looked at the person lying on the floor with an indescribable expression and said nothing.

Seeing that no one responded, Guo Xiaowu tremblingly raised her head and saw a blurry figure. From the look of it, this person’s hands and feet were also tied.

For a moment, she could not figure out which unlucky ghost this was, so she rolled on the floor and silently put some distance between them.

The room fell quiet.

As time passed, the sky gradually brightened, and their sight grew clearer.

Guo Xiaowu finally saw what that unlucky ghost looked like.

After seeing clearly that it was Xin Yuan, especially after seeing that dog-gnawed hairstyle of hers, Guo Xiaowu could not help twitching the corners of her mouth twice.

Awkward, yet she also wanted to laugh.

Xin Yuan used force to turn herself over and moved toward Guo Xiaowu.

“Stop staring like an idiot. Hurry and help me untie the rope.”

After finally moving in front of Guo Xiaowu, she adjusted her position and brought her bound hands to Guo Xiaowu’s mouth. Unexpectedly, Guo Xiaowu directly rolled over and moved farther away again.

Xin Yuan: “…”

What was this blockhead playing at?

Guo Xiaowu was not playing. She once again widened the distance between herself and Xin Yuan and whispered, “You should stop wasting your energy. Since the Eldest Princess has tied us up, the two of us should stay here obediently. Otherwise, nothing good will come of it.”

In short, she would not make any unauthorized moves. What if she angered the Eldest Princess? She only had one head.

Xin Yuan was silent for a moment, then said earnestly, “Untie me. You can stay tied up.”

She refused to stay here obediently. Even if she could not escape, she at least wanted to stay a little more comfortably.

Guo Xiaowu glanced at her and continued lying there, completely unmoved.

They were in the Eldest Princess’s residence. Going against the Eldest Princess—was that not courting death?

Seeing that Guo Xiaowu refused to speak, Xin Yuan slowly lost her patience. “After this, I can choose not to hold your betrayal against you.”

Guo Xiaowu said irritably, “Who betrayed you? I was protecting myself. You don’t know this, but the Eldest Princess wanted to kill me the moment we disagreed. Although we have a bit of friendship, it’s not enough for me to risk my life, right?”

She was the one who wanted to complain. Who had she offended?

Now look at this. Not only was she constantly frightened, but she also had not eaten anything for a whole day and night. She had not even had a sip of water.

Xin Yuan was silent for a moment. “Rumor says the Eldest Princess loves the people like her own children and never kills the innocent indiscriminately. And you’re also related to Prince Chang Guo. She shouldn’t kill you.”

Seeing Guo Xiaowu’s frightened, suspicious manner, it seemed she really had been scared.

Had Xin Yuan guessed wrong? Had that woman truly intended to kill Guo Xiaowu and the original owner’s parents?

When Guo Xiaowu heard this, she grew even angrier. “I am somewhat related to Prince Chang Guo, but if the Eldest Princess killed me, Prince Chang Guo wouldn’t say anything. That old bastard might even secretly rejoice and take the chance to demand benefits.”

After a pause, she nearly cried from grievance.

“Besides, even if the Eldest Princess doesn’t kill the innocent indiscriminately, are you innocent? The only innocent one here is me. Unfortunately, because I got tangled up with you, in the Eldest Princess’s eyes, I’m probably not innocent anymore either.”

What sin had she committed? She was innocent to death, all right?

Xin Yuan was silent for a moment before sincerely apologizing. “I’m sorry. Once I see the Eldest Princess, I’ll explain it to her clearly and try to have her release you.”

She had oversimplified the matter. This sister had indeed been dragged down by her.

In ancient times, powerful nobles like the Eldest Princess might truly dare to kill people at will…

Hearing Xin Yuan say this, Guo Xiaowu felt somewhat uncomfortable. In the end, she had owed Xin Yuan a favor first and had willingly helped her. She could not blame anyone else.

She could only blame herself for underestimating how determined the Eldest Princess was to have Xin Yuan.

Thinking this, she moved closer to Xin Yuan. “Tell me the truth. Did the Eldest Princess really capture us because she took a fancy to you and wholeheartedly wants to take you as a concubine?”

She still did not quite believe it.

If the Eldest Princess wanted to take a beautiful concubine, what kind could she not have? Why did she insist on keeping her eyes fixed on Xin Yuan?

It was not that she looked down on Xin Yuan. The main thing was that this sister was all skin and bones. Even if her brows and eyes were rather delicate, it was not to the point of enchanting the Eldest Princess.

If the Eldest Princess loved beauty, she could simply look in the mirror. She herself was a great beauty whose loveliness could overwhelm the world. Compared with her, Xin Yuan was simply not enough.

“Yes and no. It’s better if you know less.” Xin Yuan brushed it off. That woman indeed did not need her specifically, but as long as that dream still existed, that woman would never give her freedom.

Guo Xiaowu rolled her eyes. “Why are you playing riddles? I was dragged down by you. If you don’t tell me, I won’t forgive you.”

Xin Yuan smiled. “Then don’t forgive me.”

Guo Xiaowu: “…”

So angry. She wanted to hit someone.

But no matter how she asked afterward, Xin Yuan refused to open her mouth again and even directly lay on the floor and fell asleep.

Xin Yuan had gone two nights in a row without sleeping. At this point, she was so sleepy she could die. Then, thinking that she would definitely have to stay awake that night, she immediately did not even want to speak. She only wanted to catch up on sleep.

She slept soundly, but Qin Muqiu, who was inside the imperial study, felt as though she were treading on thin ice.

Because the emperor had to attend morning court, she had been brought to the imperial study, where she saw State Preceptor Yun waiting inside early.

State Preceptor Yun was thin and slender, with crane-white hair and a youthful face, making it impossible to tell his age.

“Your Highness, long time no see.”

He held a horsetail whisk in his hand. His expression was kind and calm, and his temperament was detached, almost like an immortal.

Qin Muqiu studied him. This man had looked like this when her imperial father was young. Decades had passed, yet not a trace of age showed on him.

Thinking that Tang Er might be one of the State Preceptor’s people, her brows and eyes darkened. What a scheming, ill-intentioned demon of a Daoist.

Not only had he deceived her imperial father, he had also deceived her.

It seemed the person who wanted to see her today was not the emperor, but this State Preceptor of Xidao.

Seeing that she did not speak, State Preceptor Yun went straight to the point. “Since Your Highness avoided meeting me, this poor Daoist could only resort to this inferior method.”

Qin Muqiu glanced at him, directly sat down in a chair, and still did not respond.

State Preceptor Yun’s eyes flickered, and he sat across from her.

“Your Highness brought the person back, did you not?”

Qin Muqiu calmly drank tea and still remained silent.

Seeing this, State Preceptor Yun said gently, “Your Highness seems hostile toward this poor Daoist. Let this poor Daoist guess. Is it because Your Highness often has the same dream?”

Qin Muqiu’s gaze sharpened. As expected, it was this demon Daoist’s doing. She only did not know what exactly his purpose was.

State Preceptor Yun seemed not to care at all whether she answered his question. Unhurriedly, he said, “That boy Liu Zeju has decent medical skills. If Your Highness were ill, he would naturally be able to cure you easily. Unfortunately…”

Liu Zeju was Imperial Physician Liu’s formal name. He was over seventy, virtuous, and highly respected.

Yet from State Preceptor Yun’s mouth, he was simply “that boy Liu Zeju.”

Qin Muqiu lowered her eyes, a trace of thought appearing in them. This demon Daoist knew that Imperial Physician Liu was in the princess residence.

State Preceptor Yun smiled and continued, “Let this poor Daoist guess again. Did Liu Zeju determine that Your Highness’s body was unharmed, and speculate that Your Highness may have been afflicted by gu?”

Qin Muqiu unconsciously tightened her grip on the teacup. This demon Daoist actually knew everything, as if the defenses of the princess residence were invisible to him. Could it be that aside from Tang Er, there were still others by her side…

No. If this demon Daoist truly knew everything that happened around her, then he should have long known that Xin Yuan had escaped halfway through the journey. He would not have visited late at night, been refused, then borrowed the emperor’s authority.

Realizing this, Qin Muqiu felt slightly relieved. It seemed the enemy was not as frightening as she had imagined, nor was he truly omnipotent.

Seeing Qin Muqiu remain silent from beginning to end, State Preceptor Yun studied her for a moment, then delivered a ruthless blow.

“What if this poor Daoist tells Your Highness that you have not been afflicted by gu, but by an immortal art, and that only this poor Daoist can undo it?”

After a pause, he stated his ultimate goal. “As long as Your Highness allows this poor Daoist to meet the person you brought back, this poor Daoist can help you resolve the trouble of the dream.”

Qin Muqiu set down the teacup and slowly smiled. “On what basis does the State Preceptor believe this palace will trust you?”

Their gazes met. Clearly, both of them were smiling, yet the atmosphere was inexplicably heavy and oppressive.

It was like two armies facing each other. One wrong move, and corpses would litter the field.

State Preceptor Yun’s expression gradually darkened. “Your Highness insists on remaining obstinate.”

Qin Muqiu rubbed her fingers together. A faint smile still hung at the corner of her lips. “The one remaining obstinate may not be this palace.”

This demon Daoist was the one who was obstinate.

State Preceptor Yun flicked his horsetail whisk, mockery flashing through his eyes, as if he were laughing at Qin Muqiu for overestimating herself. He opened his mouth and was just about to say something more when a sharp, high-pitched voice rang out.

“His Majesty arrives.” Eunuch Zhuo called out loudly.

As the voice fell, Emperor Qin’an entered the imperial study.

Qin Muqiu and State Preceptor Yun immediately bowed.

“Rise. State Preceptor, have you asked Imperial Sister clearly? Has the person bearing great merit been brought back to the capital by Imperial Sister?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, this poor Daoist was just asking.” State Preceptor Yun’s expression was kind.

Emperor Qin’an then looked at Qin Muqiu. “What does Imperial Sister say?”

Ever since he ascended the throne, State Preceptor Yun had lived in seclusion and not appeared. He had not expected him to enter the palace this morning holding the gold token bestowed by the late emperor. That gold token allowed him to enter and leave the palace at will, and directly meet the emperor.

Emperor Qin’an had thought something major had happened. He had not expected it to be an auspicious omen.

State Preceptor Yun told him that after observing the stars last night, he had deduced that Imperial Sister had brought back a person bearing great merit on this trip. Whoever obtained that person could obtain the realm.

Obtain the realm!

He was the ruler of a country. The realm of Xidao was naturally his. How could that person remain by Imperial Sister’s side?

Thinking this, Emperor Qin’an stared fixedly at Qin Muqiu, waiting for her to speak.

Although Qin Muqiu did not know anything about merit or lack thereof, she also understood that the person Emperor Qin’an was referring to should be Xin Yuan.

She frowned slightly, appearing to think. “This subject did indeed bring back one person on this return to the capital. As for whether she is the person of great merit that Your Majesty and the State Preceptor speak of, this subject does not know.”