The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Be a Kept Woman (GL) - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Warmth of the Spring

That was a natural hot spring, and the Princess’s residence was built there precisely because of this pool.

At this moment, white mist swirled in the bath. Lian Liejin tested the water temperature with her hand, then stripped Gao Jingxi’s clothes off and promptly tossed her into the bath.

Caught off guard, Gao Jingxi choked on several mouthfuls of water, restoring a tiny bit of clarity to her mind. She watched as Lian Liejin took off her crimson wedding gown, revealing her white undergarment, before stepping into the water herself.

“If you can’t stand steady, just hold onto me,” Lian Liejin took out a silver needle from her cuff and said gently to Gao Jingxi.

In the water? Another wave of heat rushed through Gao Jingxi’s body, and she looked down to realize even her dudou was gone. “You! How dare you! Lian Liejin, let go of me! Do you believe I won’t have the Empress execute your entire Lian clan to the ninth degree?”

With a “plop,” as Lian Liejin mischievously let go, Gao Jingxi slipped into the hot spring again. Her dark hair was thoroughly soaked, her eyes were crimson, and she coughed incessantly, looking no different than a drowned kitten.

“Your Highness, your humble servant is very obedient.” Seeing Gao Jingxi choke, Lian Liejin chuckled softly. Ignoring Gao Jingxi’s resistance, she hugged her back into her arms, just about to use the silver needle to neutralize the drug’s effect.

Who knew this woman would be so ungrateful? Although her hands were restrained, she still kicked Lian Liejin in the shin.

The kick itself wasn’t serious, but due to the momentum, Lian Liejin fell backward—her heel hitting the bath wall.

Gao Jingxi leaned against the side, panting and splashing water at Lian Liejin. “Shameless lecher! How dare you lay a hand on this Princess!”

For a solid five seconds, Lian Liejin was too pained to speak, especially when she realized her silver needle had sunk to the bottom of the water. She had to quickly do some mental accounting:

The bottle of medicine was worth three thousand taels. This silver needle was worth three taels.

She was forced into a marriage in ancient times, received not a penny in a dowry, and was now out over three thousand taels of silver.

She looked up at Gao Jingxi. The Princess’s dark hair was dripping wet and draped over her body, her snow-white skin tinged with a rosy hue.

The woman seemed to be fighting her desire, desperate to escape. With every slight movement, the butterfly bones on her back were faintly visible.

Just then, in Gao Jingxi’s ears, a voice that was invitingly seductive sounded softly behind her.

“Your Highness, where are you trying to go?”

A surge of scorching heat came from behind, causing Gao Jingxi to tremble uncontrollably.

Then, that voice spoke again, “Your Highness, be a good girl and don’t move.”

Her body temperature was rising. Gao Jingxi bit her red lip tightly, suppressing the urge to be savored by that voice, nearly drawing blood.

A drop of crimson blossomed in the water. Gao Jingxi heard a sigh from behind her, and her vision slowly faded to black.

After neutralizing the drug in Gao Jingxi’s system, Lian Liejin carried her out of the bath, covered her mesmerizing face with a thin veil, dried her body, and tucked her into bed.

When Lian Liejin wanted to return to the bath to dive down and retrieve her silver needle, she discovered—the bath was self-draining…

Heh heh, in this era, ancient people even have smart homes.

Because the aphrodisiac was so potent, using any method other than the normal one to neutralize it would be very harmful to the body.

Therefore, the sun was already high in the sky when Gao Jingxi finally woke up. Her entire body was sore and weak, and her throat was dry, as if on fire. “Water…”

A cup of water was immediately fed to her lips. After slowly swallowing it, Gao Jingxi opened her eyes, seeing Lian Liejin’s refined and handsome face. “Why are you here! You haven’t left? Get out!”

“Your Highness, perhaps you should shout louder. It would be best to call Mama Zhao in,” Lian Liejin’s expression was calm, but her words were infuriating. She held the teapot in her left hand, refilling the teacup in Gao Jingxi’s hand.

Gao Jingxi was exasperated. Being drugged last night was her carelessness. Fortunately, nothing substantive happened, but in her haze, there were certain secret feelings that made her embarrassed to speak of.

It felt like Lian Liejin had seen her naked, and had even been…

She couldn’t think about it anymore! If she didn’t remember it, it didn’t happen! Gao Jingxi decisively chose to deceive herself, stopping her mind from recalling and speculating.

If Mama Zhao found out they hadn’t consummated the marriage and told the Empress, there would surely be further trouble. She would tolerate it this time.

Seeing Gao Jingxi’s shifting expression, Lian Liejin took out another silver needle, pricked her right fingertip, and dripped blood onto the bedsheets.

High Jingxi was still naked beneath the silk quilt. Lian Liejin pulled a stack of clothes from behind her and said flatly, “Allow your humble servant to wait on the Princess while she dresses, or else Mama Zhao will be back.”

“No, I can do it myself.” Gao Jingxi hugged the quilt tightly, trying to reach out and snatch the clothes, but her strength failed her, and she almost fell out of bed. Lian Liejin, quick as a flash, caught her and gently settled her back onto the bed.

At this, Gao Jingxi said no more, allowing Lian Liejin to dress her. She just thought of Lian Liejin as a high-class servant, and nothing more.

Once Lian Liejin had finished dressing her, the two left the room together. In the outer chamber, Mama Zhao was already standing by. “Your Highness, breakfast has been prepared. This servant will now summon people to wash and comb your hair.”

Mama Zhao whispered a few words to a nearby maidservant, then led a few people into the inner room. After a while, she came out with several items, smiling broadly. “Your Highness, Consort, this old servant will now return to the palace to report to the Empress.”

On the dining table were two bowls of Bigeng porridge and dozens of small dishes of various appetizers, emitting a warm, delicious scent. Gao Jingxi slowly got up from the couch, endured the soreness in her body, and sat down at the table.

On the other side, Lian Liejin had barely eaten a few bites when she heard someone outside say, “Sister A You, the little one is here on the order of the Duke of Yan to deliver a tonic to the Consort.”

“Just give it to me. I’ll deliver it to the Consort myself.”

Hearing this, Gao Jingxi raised an eyebrow and teased, “Does the Consort drink tonic every day at home?”

At that time, the social atmosphere was vigorous. Due to the enhancement of Stellar Energy, almost everyone knew martial arts, and those proficient in both civil and military skills were common. It was common for sickly nobles to be ridiculed for their frailty.

“That’s right, your humble servant has been weak since childhood and cannot be without my medicine,” Lian Liejin looked up and smiled at Gao Jingxi, seemingly unbothered by her sarcasm.

Seeing Lian Liejin’s elegant smile, Gao Jingxi nodded outwardly but scoffed inwardly.

Although she was very hazy about last night’s events, she wasn’t completely oblivious. Just by the strength Lian Liejin used to hold her, she didn’t seem like a weak person.

A short while later, Gao Jingxi’s maidservant, A You, walked in carrying a food box. “Greetings to Your Highness and the Consort.” She took the soup bowl out of the food box and handed it to Lian Liejin. “Consort, this is the tonic sent by the Duke’s Estate.”

“Thank you, Sister A You,” Lian Liejin smiled, took the medicine bowl, and drank it down in one gulp.

After returning the greeting, A You added, “Your Highness, the Second Young Master and Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister’s Residence have come to the manor, saying they are here to deliver wedding gifts. This servant has asked them to wait in the floral hall.”

Whether they were here to deliver gifts or to flex their superiority, Lian Liejin understood. At the very least, she had never seen anyone choose the day after a wedding to come and “send gifts.”

“Hmm, let them wait a bit. We will go after we finish our meal, the Consort and I,” Gao Jingxi smiled coldly. She needed to let Lian Liejin know her place and not harbor too many unrealistic delusions.

The chef at the Princess’s manor was indeed from the Imperial Kitchen, but even if the breakfast was delicious, Lian Liejin didn’t need to chew every bite so slowly. It was genuinely slow chewing—Gao Jingxi counted, and the most she chewed was fifty-six times before swallowing.

This one breakfast took a full hour.

Finally, Lian Liejin slowly set down her bowl and chopsticks, smiling. “Princess, didn’t you say someone was here to deliver a gift?”

Gao Jingxi: “……” She reasonably suspected Lian Liejin was doing this on purpose.

In the floral hall, Gao Jingxi and Lian Liejin walked in, one behind the other.

“Greetings to Your Highness,” the man and woman in the floral hall bowed respectfully. Seeing Gao Jingxi give a slight nod, they lifted a slight smile. “Greetings to the Consort.”

Lian Liejin had heard of Gao Jingxi’s popularity. As a noble princess, she had many admirers. Hearing the news of her marriage broke many young noblemen’s hearts. It was even rumored that one man was drunk for three days straight at the city’s largest restaurant, Tianyuanju, which became a laughing stock.

“I’ve long heard that the Consort was raised on a celestial mountain, drinking the wind, sipping dew, and feeding on immortal fruit. It is a rare sight today, and you are indeed out of the ordinary,” one man laughed heartily, dressed in a loose robe and sash, looking carefree and debauched.

This was clearly a roundabout way of calling her a person from the countryside, and even using the word “raised”. Lian Liejin felt she should have eaten more, so she simply sat on a soft chair and dozed off.

“Chen Li, my apologies for making you and Chen Yu wait so long.” Gao Jingxi sat down gracefully, smiled at the man, and took a lidded tea bowl from the table, taking a light sip. “Didn’t the two of you go to Qingzhou?”

The young woman next to her, named Chen Yu, looked at Gao Jingxi with an infatuated gaze, not even noticing the tea spilling onto her. “Your Highness, my second brother and I heard on the road that you… you actually got married.” Her eyes dimmed, a look of near-tears on her face. “I thought even if it wasn’t me, it should have been Elder Sister Lian…”

After a moment, Chen Yu relentlessly stared at Lian Liejin and smiled provocatively. “What does the Consort think?”

Chen Yu’s voice was sharp and shrill, jolting Lian Liejin awake. She nodded blankly. “I guess you’re right. What about it?”

The atmosphere in the floral hall froze. Gao Jingxi, whether intentional or not, broke the silence after a long pause with a smile. “Didn’t you say you were here to give me a wedding gift?”

“Ah, in my excitement, Chen Li and my fourth sister were rude. This is Cloud-Piercing Stone, a specialty of Qingzhou,” Chen Li instructed his servant to open the brocade box. A completely blood-red jade stone appeared before them. “This jade stone is the transformation of an object from the Azure Dragon of the East. Wearing it long-term can ward off cold, promote blood circulation, and it aligns perfectly with the Princess’s Star Chart. We dedicate it to Your Highness to express our deep respect.”

“You are thoughtful,” Gao Jingxi reached out, took the jade stone, and played with it in her palm. The warm sensation it gave off indeed provided a feeling of relaxation throughout her body.

Chen Yu brightened up when she saw the satisfied look on Gao Jingxi’s face. “Your Highness, the Poetry Conference is on the third day of next month. Will you be attending this year?”

“When have I ever not been the first to arrive?” Gao Jingxi replied with a smile, her eyes drifting to Lian Liejin. She suddenly grabbed Lian Liejin’s hand and said sweetly, “Consort, you will accompany me, won’t you?”