The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Live Off Her - Chapter 2

It was a natural hot spring. In fact, the Princess’s Residence had been built here precisely because of it.

White mist swirled above the bathing pool. Lian Liejin tested the water with her hand, stripped Gao Jingxi of her clothes, and casually tossed her into the pool.

Caught off guard, Gao Jingxi swallowed several mouthfuls of water and regained a little clarity. She watched as Lian Liejin removed her bright-red wedding robe, revealing the white undergarment beneath, before stepping into the water as well.

“If you cannot stand steadily, you may hold on to me.” Lian Liejin drew a silver needle from her sleeve and spoke to Gao Jingxi in a gentle voice.

In the water?

Another wave of heat surged through Gao Jingxi’s body. When she lowered her head, she discovered that even her dudou was gone.

“You! How dare you! Lian Liejin, let go of me! Do you believe me when I say I’ll have my imperial mother execute all nine generations of the Lian family?”

With a splash, Gao Jingxi slipped beneath the hot spring again when Lian Liejin mischievously released her.

Her long black hair was soaked through, her eyes were red, and she coughed incessantly. She looked exactly like a drenched kitten.

“Your Highness, this humble subject is extremely obedient.”

Seeing Gao Jingxi choke on the water, Lian Liejin laughed softly. Ignoring her struggles, she gathered the princess into her arms again and prepared to use the silver needle to neutralize the drug.

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

The kick itself would not have mattered much, but the momentum sent Lian Liejin falling backward—

Her heel slammed into the wall of the bathing pool.

Gao Jingxi leaned against the edge, panting as she splashed water at Lian Liejin.

“You shameless pervert! How dare you lay your hands on me!”

For five full seconds, Lian Liejin was in too much pain to speak—especially when she discovered that her silver needle had sunk to the bottom of the pool.

She had no choice but to calculate the losses on her fingers.

That bottle of medicine had been worth three thousand taels.

This silver needle was worth three taels.

She had been forced to get married in ancient times, had not received a single coin in wedding gifts, and had instead lost more than three thousand taels of silver.

She raised her eyes toward Gao Jingxi.

The princess’s wet black hair clung to her body, and a rosy flush spread across her dark hair and snowy skin.

The woman seemed to be suppressing her desire with all her strength as she attempted to escape. With every movement, the butterfly bones on her back appeared and disappeared beneath the water.

At that moment, from Gao Jingxi’s perspective, a voice tempting her to surrender drifted eerily from behind her.

“Where does Your Highness think you are going?”

A scorching warmth pressed against her back, making Gao Jingxi tremble uncontrollably.

Then that voice sounded again.

“Your Highness, be good and stay still.”

Her body temperature continued to rise. Gao Jingxi bit down hard on her red lips, struggling to suppress her desire to be tasted by the owner of that voice. She nearly bit until her lips bled.

A crimson flower blossomed in the water.

Gao Jingxi heard a sigh from behind her, and her vision gradually faded into darkness.

After neutralizing the drug in Gao Jingxi’s body, Lian Liejin carried her out of the bathing pool. She covered that devastatingly beautiful face with a thin veil, dried her body, and tucked her into bed.

When Lian Liejin returned to the pool and prepared to dive beneath the water to retrieve her silver needle, she finally discovered—

The bathing pool automatically replaced its water…

Heh.

Even people in ancient times had smart-home technology now.

Because the aphrodisiac had been administered in such a heavy dose, neutralizing it through anything other than the usual method was extremely taxing on the body.

As a result, the sun was already high in the sky the following day when Gao Jingxi finally woke.

Her entire body was weak and sore, while her throat was so dry it felt as though it were burning.

“Water…”

A cup was immediately brought to her lips. After slowly drinking it down, Gao Jingxi opened her eyes and saw Lian Liejin’s refined and handsome face.

“Why is it you? You still haven’t left? Get out!”

“Your Highness should shout a little louder. It would be best if you called Momo Zhao inside.”

Lian Liejin’s expression remained calm, but every word she spoke was infuriating. Holding the teapot in her left hand, she refilled the cup in Gao Jingxi’s hands.

Gao Jingxi choked on her anger.

She had been careless and allowed herself to be drugged last night. Fortunately, nothing substantial had happened. However, within her hazy memories were several secret sensations too embarrassing to put into words.

It seemed as though Lian Liejin had seen her entire naked body and had even…

She could not think about it anymore.

As long as she did not remember it, then it had never happened!

Gao Jingxi decisively chose to deceive herself and stopped herself from remembering or speculating any further.

If Momo Zhao discovered that she and the Princess Consort had not consummated their marriage and reported it to the Empress, there would undoubtedly be another scheme waiting for her.

This time, she would endure it.

Seeing Gao Jingxi’s expression shift unpredictably, Lian Liejin took out another silver needle, pricked the tip of her right index finger, and dripped blood onto the bedsheet.

Beneath the brocade quilt, Gao Jingxi was still completely naked.

Lian Liejin produced a neatly folded set of clothes from behind her and said calmly, “Allow this humble subject to help Your Highness dress. Otherwise, Momo Zhao will have to come in and do it.”

“No. I can do it myself.”

Gao Jingxi clutched the quilt tightly and reached out to snatch the clothes away. Unfortunately, she had no strength and nearly fell from the bed.

Lian Liejin reacted quickly and caught her, lifting her back onto the bed once again.

After that, Gao Jingxi said nothing more and allowed Lian Liejin to dress her.

She would simply treat Lian Liejin as a highly capable servant, she told herself.

Once Lian Liejin had finished dressing her, the two of them left the room together.

Momo Zhao was already waiting respectfully in the outer chamber.

“Your Highness, breakfast has been prepared. This servant will call someone in to help you wash and groom yourself.”

Momo Zhao whispered a few words to the maid beside her, then led several people into the inner chamber.

A while later, she emerged carrying numerous items, a delighted smile spread across her face.

“Your Highness, Princess Consort, this old servant will now return to the palace and report to Her Majesty the Empress.”

Two bowls of green-stem rice porridge and dozens of small dishes had already been arranged across the dining table, filling the room with the warm fragrance of food.

Only then did Gao Jingxi slowly rise from the couch. Enduring the soreness throughout her body, she sat down beside the table.

Across from her, Lian Liejin had barely taken a few bites when a voice sounded from outside.

“Sister A-You, this servant has come under the Duke of Yan’s orders to deliver tonic medicine to the Princess Consort.”

“You may give it to me. I will deliver it to the Princess Consort myself.”

Hearing this, Gao Jingxi raised the corner of her eye and teased, “Does the Princess Consort drink tonics at home every day?”

The customs of the era were fierce and martial. With the enhancement provided by stellar power, nearly everyone practiced martial arts, and those accomplished in both literary and martial disciplines were even more common.

Sickly nobles were frequently mocked for their weakness.

“Yes. This humble subject has been frail since childhood and cannot live without medicinal tonics.”

Lian Liejin looked up and smiled at Gao Jingxi, seemingly unconcerned by her mockery.

Seeing Lian Liejin’s elegant smile, Gao Jingxi nodded outwardly while inwardly scoffing.

Although her memories of last night were hazy, she was not completely unaware of what had happened.

Judging solely by the strength Lian Liejin had used to carry her, she did not seem like a frail person at all.

Before long, Gao Jingxi’s maid, A-You, entered carrying a food box.

“Greetings, Your Highness and Princess Consort.”

She removed a bowl of medicinal soup from the box and handed it to Lian Liejin.

“Princess Consort, this is the tonic delivered by the Duke’s Residence.”

“Thank you, Sister A-You.”

Lian Liejin accepted the bowl with a smile and drank it in one gulp.

After returning Lian Liejin’s courtesy, A-You continued, “Your Highness, the Second Young Master and Fourth Young Lady of the Chancellor’s Residence have arrived. They said they came to deliver wedding gifts. This servant has already asked them to wait in the flower hall.”

Whether they had come to deliver gifts or to intimidate her, Lian Liejin knew perfectly well.

At the very least, she had never heard of anyone deliberately choosing the second day of another person’s marriage to come and “deliver gifts.”

“Very well. Let them wait. Once we have finished breakfast, the Princess Consort and I will go.”

A cold smile tugged at Gao Jingxi’s lips.

It was time for Lian Liejin to understand her place and stop entertaining unrealistic fantasies.

The cooks in the Princess’s Residence had indeed once served as imperial chefs, but no matter how delicious breakfast was, Lian Liejin did not need to chew every mouthful so slowly.

And she truly did chew painstakingly slowly.

Gao Jingxi had counted carefully. On one occasion, Lian Liejin chewed fifty-six times before swallowing.

The breakfast lasted an entire shichen.

Only after a long while did Lian Liejin slowly set down her bowl and chopsticks and smile.

“Princess, didn’t you say someone had come to deliver gifts?”

Gao Jingxi: “…”

She had good reason to suspect Lian Liejin had done it deliberately.

In the flower hall, Gao Jingxi and Lian Liejin entered one after the other.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

A man and woman inside the hall bowed respectfully. Only after Gao Jingxi inclined her head slightly did they raise their faces with faint smiles.

“Greetings, Princess Consort.”

It was not as though Lian Liejin had never heard stories about Gao Jingxi.

As a noble princess, she had countless admirers. When news of her marriage spread, many sons and daughters of noble families had been heartbroken.

Someone had even gotten drunk for three consecutive days at Tianyuan Residence, the largest restaurant in the capital, becoming the subject of widespread amusement.

“I have long heard that the Princess Consort was raised on an immortal mountain, drinking wind and dew, absorbing spiritual energy, and eating celestial fruits. Now that I finally have the privilege of meeting you, you are indeed unlike ordinary people.”

A man laughed loudly. His robes were loose and light, and he carried himself with an air of carefree elegance.

Was he not obviously calling her a country bumpkin? He had even used the word “raised,” as though she were some kind of animal.

Lian Liejin decided she should have spent even longer eating breakfast.

She sat down in a cushioned chair and began to doze off.

“Chen Li, I have made you and Chen Yu wait.”

Gao Jingxi sat down gracefully and smiled at the man. She picked up a lidded bowl of tea from the table and took a small sip.

“Didn’t the two of you go to Qingzhou?”

The young woman beside him, Chen Yu, stared at Gao Jingxi with infatuation. She did not even notice when tea spilled onto her clothes.

“Your Highness, my second brother and I heard the news while we were still traveling. You… You actually got married.”

Her eyes dimmed, and she looked as though she were about to cry.

“I thought that even if it was not me, it should at least have been Eldest Sister Lian…”

After a moment, Chen Yu turned an unrelenting stare toward Lian Liejin and smiled provocatively.

“What does the Princess Consort think?”

Chen Yu’s voice was sharp and impatient.

Startled awake, Lian Liejin blinked in confusion and nodded.

“Fine, let’s say you’re right. So what?”

The atmosphere inside the flower hall froze.

Whether intentionally or otherwise, Gao Jingxi waited for a long time before smiling.

“Did you not say you came to give me a wedding present?”

“Ah, Chen Li and my fourth sister became overly emotional and forgot our manners.”

Chen Li instructed a servant to open the brocade box.

A piece of blood-red jade appeared before everyone.

“This is a Cloud-Piercing Stone, a specialty of Qingzhou. It was formed from an object belonging to the Azure Dragon of the East. Wearing it for a long time can dispel yin cold, improve the circulation of blood, and clear the meridians. It also complements Your Highness’s star chart. We specially present it to Your Highness as a token of our admiration and devotion.”

“How thoughtful.”

Gao Jingxi accepted the stone and turned it over in her palm.

A warm sensation spread from it, and it truly made her entire body feel more comfortable.

Seeing the satisfaction on Gao Jingxi’s face, Chen Yu immediately brightened.

“Your Highness, the Poetry and Literature Gathering will be held on the third day of next month. Will you be participating again this year?”

“When have I ever not been the first to arrive?”

Gao Jingxi answered with a smile.

Her gaze drifted toward Lian Liejin. She suddenly took Lian Liejin’s hand and asked in a sweet, delicate voice,

“Princess Consort, you will accompany me, won’t you?”