The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Be a Kept Woman (GL) - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Consort is Actually a Self-Heating Hugging Bear

A You took the prescription and saw that the handwriting was delicate and clean, with a graceful, flowing style. But why was the Consort asking the Princess for money?

“A You, give her the money.”

A You saw no sign of conflict between the Princess and the Consort, so she had no choice but to retreat to fetch the gold.

The door closed. Lian Liejin turned around to see a pale-faced Gao Jingxi looking at her with indignation, letting out a few cold snorts. “The Consort has good methods. Even my maid is now only following your orders.”

“Not at all, not at all. Your humble servant believes A You is simply confused out of concern.”

“Lian Liejin, who exactly are you!” Gao Jingxi squinted at her. “I’ve heard that the third daughter of the Lian family is weak and sickly, uneducated, unsuccessful, and worthless—she can’t even achieve the most basic Star Observation…”

Lian Liejin laughed out loud, only stopping after a while. “Your Highness, greatness breeds jealousy, and jealousy breeds lies. While your humble servant may not be great, I can certainly be called astonishingly talented.”

The Lian family had always preferred to hide their talents, never seeking the limelight, knowing the principle that a too-straight tree is easily broken, and too much is worse than too little. But Lian Liejin was clearly not like that. Gao Jingxi was already fatigued, and her fit of anger had further drained her energy. Though she felt sleepy, she forced herself to ask, “Does the Consort not know that a beautiful tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind?”

The under-floor heating in the room grew stronger. A thick warmth enveloped the two of them. Gao Jingxi felt as if in a state between sleep and wakefulness, she heard Lian Liejin reply:

“Your Highness, the martial world is dangerous. If you can’t handle it, withdraw.”

In the middle of the night, the Consort’s residence lit up again. Little Radish yawned while grinding ink by the desk, occasionally wiping tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “Lie Lie, why are you disturbing me by running back here late at night instead of sleeping with the Princess!”

“Shhh, keep your voice down. Apart from you and me, everyone here belongs to the Imperial Family.” Lian Liejin quickly put down her brush and covered Little Radish’s mouth. “And what nonsense are you talking about? I didn’t sleep with the Princess.”

Lian Liejin recalled the seductive scene from the wedding night. She violently shook her head, trying to shake the image out. She clearly adhered to the principle of deeply hiding her merit and fame, so why was she unwilling to be looked down upon by the Seventh Princess?

This is bad, bad.

Little Radish looked up at Lian Liejin, completely perplexed. “Isn’t the Seventh Princess the most beautiful woman in the world? How can you be around her every day and not be tempted?”

Lian Liejin put down the brush again, furrowed her brows. “First, I’m not with her every day. Second, her temper is moody and unpredictable. Whoever likes her is unlucky.”

“Oh, really? I think your temper is the weirdest. And every time you go to see the Princess, you’re always in a fantastic mood.” Little Radish muttered quietly. Seeing that Lian Liejin hadn’t heard, she secretly grinned.

“Are you writing a letter to Senior Sister? Let me see what you’re writing,” Little Radish leaned over and glanced at it. “You’re so boring. It’s the same thing over and over: ‘To Senior Sister, respectfully, how is your health, wear more clothes.’”

“Why are you making so much noise?” Lian Liejin frowned at Little Radish, then lowered her gaze and sighed, pulling a pill from her sleeve. “Her Highness the Princess nearly took a pill made with Immortal Powder. Master is traveling all over the world, so I must write to tell Senior Sister.”

Looking at the dark pill, Little Radish widened her eyes in shock. “How could Immortal Powder appear again? I remember Grandmaster destroyed all the Immortal Powder trees. It should be impossible for any to remain. Its appearance will surely cause a bloodbath again.”

“Indeed, I’m completely baffled about this. And the Princess refuses to tell me how she was injured or where she got the pill.”

“Just coax her! With your skills and looks, just grovel a little to the Princess, and then sleep with her. What can’t be accomplished?”

“Hey! Where did you learn these things! So young, yet you have an unhealthy mind.” Lian Liejin packed the pill and the letter, helplessly handing it to Little Radish. “Mail this back to Qingyue Mountain.”

She blew out the candle and quietly slipped back to the Princess’s residence.

In the bedroom, Gao Jingxi was sleeping soundly, wrapped in the quilt. Lian Liejin took off her outer robe, stood by the charcoal brazier to warm herself up, and then, resting her hands on the headboard, she performed a “Dragon Tail Swing”—leaping over Gao Jingxi to sleep on the inner side of the bed.

The next morning, Gao Jingxi felt that she had slept incredibly soundly. When she woke up, the bed was still warm. Unlike on other days, when she would curl up in a ball, chilled all over.

After a moment, she finally understood the reason.

It was because she was clinging to Lian Liejin like an octopus, and the other person’s body heat was entirely transferring to her.

Immediately, Gao Jingxi’s fair face flushed completely, and her body stiffened, completely forgetting to hold Lian Liejin accountable for climbing into her bed. She gently moved her hand away from Lian Liejin, praying that the person wouldn’t wake up, while at the same time involuntarily recalling the night of their wedding.

She vaguely remembered that the two of them also fell asleep like this in the end. The warm heat lingered around them, and the person’s steady breathing next to her was hypnotic…

While Gao Jingxi was lost in thought, Lian Liejin also quietly opened a slit in her eyes. She clearly remembered lying down to sleep on her back last night. How could she be lying on her side and hugging Gao Jingxi?

No good. I have to quietly lie back down and pretend nothing happened.

So, Lian Liejin was also slowly moving her right hand away.

The two of them withdrew their respective hands, moving in opposite directions, only to meet awkwardly in mid-air.

Both of them widened their eyes, staring at each other.

Lian Liejin: “Pretending that nothing happened.jpg”

“Haha, Your Highness, you’re up quite early.”

“I always wake up early. It’s a habit.” Gao Jingxi desperately controlled her expression, quickly pulled her hand back, and only responded after lying flat again.

The air suddenly became quiet. The two of them lay flat on the bed, looking like two thousand-year-old zombies.

Just then, A You came in with a food box. Seeing that both were awake, she smiled and said, “Your Highness, Consort, A You thought the two of you would sleep until lunchtime. The Empress bestowed excellent Sulao (a type of creamy dessert). Please get up and have some.”

It turned out it was already close to lunch. Recalling her morning greeting to Gao Jingxi, Lian Liejin felt even more embarrassed.

But as long as she wasn’t embarrassed, the embarrassment belonged to others!

So, as the two of them washed up and sat at the table to eat the Sulao, they were both still blushing and not speaking to each other.

After lunch, Gao Jingxi went to the study alone and pulled out a scroll from a hidden drawer.

The person in the painting wore black clothes and a half-mask, covering their eyes and nose, only revealing a beautifully sculpted chin.

A You brought in a bowl of soup, and seeing her Princess intently staring at the painting again, she couldn’t help but shake her head. “Your Highness, the prescription the Consort wrote has been shown to Imperial Physician Wang. The Imperial Physician said it is truly a superior remedy and advises the Princess to take the medicine as directed.”

Gao Jingxi put away the scroll, a half-smile playing on her bright, pretty face. “Is that so? It seems my Consort is indeed no ordinary person.” She composed her emotions and said seriously, “A You, find the memorial from Qingzhou. I need to review it again.”

“Your Highness, you didn’t eat much earlier. At least drink this bowl of soup.” A You placed the soup on the table. Seeing Gao Jingxi’s solemn expression, she had no choice but to find the corresponding memorial from a stack of books and hand it to the Princess. “Your Highness, this is a memorial from the autumn. Why do you wish to review it again today?”

“Half a year ago, Qingzhou suffered a flood. Imperial Mother sent me to manage the flooding, and eventually, the great plan to build canals and the overall river management plan were all placed under my charge.”

“Your Highness, hydraulic engineering is a merit for a thousand generations. His Majesty is entrusting you with this.”

“A merit for a thousand generations?” Gao Jingxi stood up from the desk, her long, dark hair flowing like a waterfall over her shoulders. “If something goes wrong, I will become a sinner for all eternity.”

“Are you suggesting that His Imperial Highness the First Prince will cause trouble?”

“First Imperial Brother is not qualified enough. Fifth Imperial Sister might be trying to compete with me.” Gao Jingxi stood with her hands behind her back, quietly looking at the scrolls in the bookcase.

“Ah? Your Highness, the Fifth Imperial Princess is just a dog under the First Imperial Prince. What kind of trouble can she cause?”

“See, even you think so,” Gao Jingxi’s lips curled into a cold smile. She picked up a page of a letter and tore it open. “My Fifth Imperial Sister is the truly capable one.”

“Alright, Your Highness, you must drink this soup today. The medicine will also be delivered shortly, and you must drink that too.” A You picked up the soup bowl. She genuinely felt distressed for her Princess. “The Consort said he would also remake a dose of the pill medicine, so it won’t be so bitter.”

Recalling Lian Liejin’s cool, composed face, Gao Jingxi immediately drank the soup, set the bowl down heavily, and sat back down to read.

Meanwhile, Lian Liejin was wandering around the Princess’s residence alone. Although it was the dead of winter, flowers were still blooming in the manor. It wasn’t a riot of colorful blooms, but there was a refreshing blend of red and green.

She turned several corridors, thinking she had reached the end, but before her eyes were beautiful, lush trees and sparkling, exotic flowers. A clear stream meandered down from deep within the foliage. Pieces of ice floated on the water. The clear stream and spilling snow were breathtakingly beautiful. A pavilion stood on a nearby bridge, its eaves soaring like a bird spreading its wings, magnificent in its presence.

A gray pigeon flew down and landed steadily on Lian Liejin’s shoulder. A secret letter was tied to the pigeon’s claw.

She had only sent a letter back to Qingyue Mountain last night, so it was impossible to receive a reply this afternoon—unless Senior Sister had something urgent to tell her.

Thinking this, she quickly unfolded the letter and focused her gaze:

“Junior Sister Guan Xie, read as if meeting in person. Everyone is safe. Do not worry.”

This was unusual. She had only been away from Qingyue Mountain for three months. Senior Sister knew exactly what she was doing, so why would she send such a strange letter?

Combined with the fact that Gao Jingxi had nearly taken the addictive banned drug, she couldn’t help but suspect the situation at the Star Medicine Sect.

However, she currently had no reason to leave. Gao Jingxi pretended not to care about her, but that didn’t mean this foxy Princess would tolerate her leaving at will.

A few days later, the annual Poetry Conference was held with strong Imperial support. Sons of officials, literary scholars, and powerful noble figures all flocked to the event in Gao Jingxi’s name. Unlike previous years, the First Imperial Prince Gao Hu and the Fifth Imperial Princess Gao Qing also came to join the excitement.