The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Live Off Her - Chapter 26.1

Gao Feichen merely smiled without speaking, then suddenly reached out to seize Lian Liejin’s mask.

Almost instinctively, Lian Liejin prepared to circulate her power and meet that dense stellar power with her shadow power. Fortunately, she restrained herself in time and relied solely on her body’s quick reflexes, narrowly avoiding the grab.

“Impressive, young one. You can even dodge that.” Gao Feichen refused to give up. Her hands moved as swiftly as an eagle’s talons as she attacked repeatedly, forcing Lian Liejin to rise and defend herself.

“Senior, we can discuss this peacefully. Attacking the moment you arrive is extremely discourteous.”

“Refusing to show your true face is not the conduct of a gentleman!”

“Aunt!” Gao Jingxi felt that the person’s voice sounded extraordinarily familiar. She called out to Gao Feichen in a low, reproachful voice, “Please attend to your own business first. I will settle matters between her and me myself.”

Hearing Gao Jingxi’s soft voice, Lian Liejin’s tightly clenched left hand finally relaxed. “Wait. Senior is right. I should remove the mask.”

Lian Liejin’s slender fingers touched the edge of the mask and untied the black ribbons. The mask embroidered with red spider lilies came away, revealing a cool and refined face as smooth as warm jade.

Speaking of which, this mask had been specially made for Lian Liejin by Eldest Senior Sister from a type of wood known as Cloud Concealment. Most importantly, the wood could also hide traces of fluctuations from her shadow power.

Especially after the beginning of summer, the black jade alone could no longer control her shadow power. She had no choice but to seal that power within her eyes, temporarily blinding herself. That was why she wore the mask as an additional precaution.

Yet now it made her appear as though she had deliberately been acting mysterious and concealing her identity.

She truly was like a mute forced to swallow bitter herbs, unable to speak of her suffering.

“The mask is well crafted. Judging by your appearance alone, young lady, you are barely worthy of my talented and beautiful Xi’er.” Gao Feichen turned around and smilingly beckoned to Gao Jingxi, only to see her niece wearing an indescribably complicated expression as she murmured,

“Princess Consort.”

“It really is you.”

Gao Feichen was immediately dumbfounded. Only after a long while did she finally understand what had happened. When she looked at Gao Jingxi again, her expression seemed resentful yet delighted, reproachful yet angry.

It was understandable. Anyone would be overwhelmed after discovering that the person in her heart had been the one sharing her pillow all along—and that the person supposedly abducted by an assassin had somehow appeared on a mountain thousands of li away.

The implications were quite profound. Gao Feichen understood. She looked left, then right, only to find the two women staring silently at each other as though they had been turned to stone.

Mm. She decided it would be better not to disturb the young couple and instead go find some wine within the Stellar Medicine Sect.

After all, Physician Guan Xie appeared to hold considerable status within the sect, and Gao Feichen was now Guan Xie’s elder.

The moment Gao Feichen closed the door, the room fell into complete silence. Only after a long time did Gao Jingxi recover her slightly hoarse voice—

“Imperial Aunt has always been free-spirited. I apologize to you on her behalf.”

“But who exactly are you?”

“Here, I am Guan Xie.” Lian Liejin finally gathered her courage and looked directly at Gao Jingxi. However, with her sharp eyes, she noticed the wound on the princess’s forehead that had not yet fully healed. “Your Highness, how did you injure your forehead?”

“Why did you flee with the assassin?” Gao Jingxi ignored the question and brushed loose hair across her forehead to conceal the wound. “It is only a minor injury. There is no need to concern yourself.”

“Your Highness, I only… My mind went blank, so I resorted to such a foolish plan.” Seeing the faint redness at the corners of Gao Jingxi’s phoenix eyes, Lian Liejin’s heart began pounding nervously. Every explanation she had prepared vanished from her mind. She even forgot to refer to herself as “this humble subject.”

“When we married, why didn’t you tell me that you were Guan Xie? Why did you pretend not to recognize me?”

Neither of them noticed that Gao Jingxi had similarly forgotten to call herself “this princess.”

“Your Highness never asked me. Naturally, I thought it was not important.” Lian Liejin took a deep breath, tugged at Gao Jingxi’s clothes, and gently shook them. “Besides, Guan Xie is merely a nickname Master gave me. I generally use it only within the Stellar Medicine Sect. Some of my other senior and junior sisters are called Guan Xian, Guan Neng, Guan Chi, Guan Se…”

Gao Jingxi’s face reddened slightly. Her thoughts felt so muddled that she could only ask whatever entered her mind. “Half a year ago, I was severely injured, and someone from your Stellar Medicine Sect saved me. You were the one who cared for me. Afterward, we… Then it was time for us to marry. So… why did you pretend not to recognize me?”

“And also—” Gao Jingxi had only just sat down when she abruptly rose again and examined Lian Liejin’s neck. “Has the wound on your neck healed?”

Overcome by emotion, Gao Jingxi nearly threw herself halfway onto Lian Liejin. Only after seeing that no wounds remained on her neck did she realize what she had done. Her entire face immediately turned scarlet.

“The wounds have mostly healed. Your Highness, you must have misunderstood.” Lian Liejin scratched her head awkwardly while her thoughts raced. First, she absolutely could not reveal the matter of her shadow power, though there were indeed certain things she could no longer conceal. “The main reason is…”

“The main reason is…” Gao Jingxi leaned forward impatiently. Seeing Lian Liejin stammering, she deliberately repeated her words.

“Because I am ill.”

“Ill?” Gao Jingxi stared fixedly at Lian Liejin, her gaze serious and intense. “Is that why the Duke of Yan’s Residence constantly sends you medicine?”

After their wedding, had Lian Liejin pretended not to recognize her because she was ill? Could she have amnesia?

The Third Young Lady of the Duke’s Residence practiced medicine and saved people at the Stellar Medicine Sect on Qingyue Mountain. That was hardly something shameful. On the contrary, it should inspire admiration and respect. Yet rumors throughout Changyong claimed that Third Young Lady Lian was useless. Could the Duke of Yan’s Residence have deliberately created that false impression?

“The medicine sent by the Duke of Yan’s Residence is complete nonsense.” Lian Liejin looked disdainful, though she still spoke haltingly. “The main issue is that when summer arrives, I go blind. Once I am blind, I cannot recognize people.”

“Is it because… you cannot observe the stars and enter the Dao?” Gao Jingxi tentatively hooked her finger around Lian Liejin’s little finger, attempting to investigate the stellar power within her body. “Let me examine you.”

Lian Liejin caught Gao Jingxi’s hand, closed her eyes, then abruptly opened them again. A faint light shimmered within them. “Your Highness need not remain suspicious. I will show you my star chart, and then you will understand.”

Her family had long forced her to memorize the incantation for observing the stars and entering the Dao until she knew it perfectly.

“The stars follow their proper course, the hidden spirit wanders; the radiant moon shines over the tomb, the primal spirit begins, and pure brilliance stretches without end…”

As she formed a series of complicated hand seals, the candles inside the room went out. Above them appeared a flowing, dark-golden star chart of a young phoenix preparing to take flight. However, the phoenix was connected by only a few thin lines, allowing only its general outline to be seen.

“Why is your star chart broken?” Gao Jingxi’s eyes filled with shock and disbelief. She immediately summoned her own star chart—a brilliant golden image of a hidden dragon resting in the depths, smooth, dazzling, and radiant.

Golden light illuminated Gao Jingxi’s eyes, making her appear as breathtaking as a heavenly deity.

Lian Liejin unconsciously held hands with Gao Jingxi as they admired their star charts together. Only after a long while did she realize what the woman was doing. She immediately pulled her hand away and said gravely, “Your Highness, it is useless! Do not try to repair mine with your star chart. Not only will it fail, but the backlash will injure you. Stop now, or you will be severely wounded.”

“But Lian Liejin…” Gao Jingxi’s palm was suddenly empty. Her moist eyes were visibly red, and her gaze remained fixed on Lian Liejin’s face as concealed pain entered her voice. “Someone with a shattered star chart cannot be born. Even if they barely survive birth, they will die young. Unless… unless someone exchanges their life for yours… Even if you survive, you will spend your entire life alone and without support. Is that why you cannot see? Do you have any other illnesses?”

“Shh, Your Highness. No one exchanged their life for mine, and I am perfectly healthy.” Lian Liejin placed a finger before her lips and bent slightly to look at Gao Jingxi, smiling faintly. “Besides, my blindness is only a summer-exclusive condition.”

“Liejin, then how did you… How could you have survived?” Rather than feeling reassured by this explanation, Gao Jingxi became even more anxious. Every person’s birth had to be approved by the Stellar Observation Bureau. Someone with a shattered star chart was considered inauspicious and forbidden from being born into the world. If mishandled, such a birth could even implicate the entire family.

As a princess, she was obligated to report this matter.

“Your Highness, outwardly speaking, this is a secret of the Duke of Yan’s Residence. My father did everything in his power to ensure my birth. On one hand, he wanted to protect the child of the woman he loved. On the other, he wanted to protect the entire Lian family, along with his title and reputation.” Lian Liejin suddenly changed the subject. “May I ask Your Highness whether you believe everyone with a shattered star chart is inauspicious?”

Gao Jingxi froze. In truth, the claim of inauspiciousness had merely been passed down by the Stellar Observation Bureau. If one searched for its origins, there was no evidence.

However, whether she believed it was unimportant. Whether such people were truly inauspicious was also unimportant. If those at the center of power declared someone inauspicious, then auspicious or not, they became inauspicious.

Throughout history, whenever an Emperor needed to execute a powerful and influential family, inauspiciousness was the perfect excuse.

“What difference does my belief make? If anyone else discovers this, you will not escape a death sentence!” Gao Jingxi gripped Lian Liejin’s hand tightly, applying so much force that both their hands began to ache. “Let me try. Members of the imperial family have possessed abnormal star charts before. Using a normal star chart to repair them allowed them to recover completely.”

Gao Jingxi’s star chart released even stronger starlight, attempting to illuminate and repair Lian Liejin’s dark chart. Unable to bear it, Lian Liejin considered the matter repeatedly before deciding to reveal only half the truth. “Your Highness, my star chart is different from those of ordinary people. If you insist on illuminating it, your hidden dragon will be completely devoured, and you will lose your life.”

Lian Liejin forcibly withdrew her star chart, interrupting Gao Jingxi’s attempt to repair it, then made the princess sit down properly. From a drawer in the long table at the corner of the room, she retrieved a handful of benzoin, scattered it into a bronze incense burner, and lit it.

After relighting the red candles and waiting for Gao Jingxi to calm down, Lian Liejin knelt on one knee. “As Your Highness said, countless people have attempted to investigate my star chart over the past ten years. After all, being unable to use stellar power cannot be concealed. My father and I merely seek a peaceful life, and we are willing to offer the Seventh Princess our complete loyalty.”

“You secretly colluded with an assassin and attempted to escape from my side. How am I supposed to believe in your loyalty?” Gao Jingxi lightly bit her lower lip and reminded herself to set the matter of the star chart aside for now. She could handle it gradually in the future.

“The Lian family and I are already in the same boat. We are married. You already belong to me.” And right now, you are only seeking my protection. Gao Jingxi considered the words for a long time but ultimately swallowed them.

Only after a long silence did Lian Liejin ask haltingly, “Then what must I do… for Your Highness to believe in my loyalty?”

Steam curled upward from the food, blurring both their faces. Lian Liejin went outside and asked someone to remove the dishes. When she turned around again, she saw the princess standing beside the window and crooking a finger toward her.

“Loyalty?” A wicked curve appeared at the corner of Gao Jingxi’s lips as she approached Lian Liejin. Her pale, slender fingers pinched Lian Liejin’s chin and pulled her head slightly lower. “What I want is not merely loyalty. But—if I ask for something, can you give it to me?”

At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Gao Jingxi’s mind. Before Moonview Tower, Lian Liejin had placed a cloak over her shoulders, making her believe the woman might harbor at least some affection for her.

Had Lian Liejin fled with the assassin because Gao Jingxi had treated her too coldly? Gao Jingxi’s thoughts were a complete mess. She could no longer distinguish whether she felt anger, jealousy, or joy.

In truth, regardless of whether Lian Liejin was Guan Xie, the Seventh Princess could not tolerate her Princess Consort conspiring with another woman to leave her—especially now that Guan Xie truly was Lian Liejin.

At the very least, no one was permitted to touch someone who belonged to her, Gao Jingxi!

“Your Highness, you…” Lian Liejin did not understand Gao Jingxi’s meaning. “Of course. Whatever Your Highness asks of me, I will brave boiling water and blazing fire without hesitation, devote myself until my final breath, and die in the fulfillment of my duty.”

Hearing Lian Liejin speak as though she were preparing for a heroic death, Gao Jingxi seized the front of her clothes. Flames seemed to dance within her eyes. “You are not allowed to die. I do not want you to die.”

Luo Qian’er’s words repeatedly echoed through the Seventh Princess’s mind—

“See that bed? Your Princess Consort held me tightly there. She told me she had long grown tired of the sallow-faced wife waiting at home, who wears a gloomy expression all day…”

“There is a mole on the Princess Consort’s waist. Think about it and tell me whether I’m right.”

Without warning or explanation, Gao Jingxi pulled Lian Liejin upright and pushed her down onto the bed. She gazed down at her from above, a dark light flickering in her profound eyes as though she intended to tear her apart and devour her.

Completely surrounded by Gao Jingxi’s presence, Lian Liejin once again smelled that familiar subtle fragrance. It was stronger than ever before.

Gao Jingxi slowly lowered herself until her gaze was level with Lian Liejin’s. Her moon-white Suzhou-embroidered brocade robe patterned with clouds slipped down slightly, revealing a tantalizing glimpse beneath.

Lian Liejin instinctively turned her head aside, not daring to meet Gao Jingxi’s eyes. The subtle fragrance made her face and ears burn, nearly robbing her of the ability to think.

“Then remember this first: you belong to me, whether you are Lian Liejin or Guan Xie.” Gao Jingxi’s hand slowly moved down from Lian Liejin’s chin, her fingertip pausing at her throat. “As for everything else, we can settle those accounts gradually.”

Without waiting for Lian Liejin to answer, starlight ignited at Gao Jingxi’s fingertips. With one sweep of her hand, she tore open the clothes around Lian Liejin’s waist.

Pieces of black fabric flew through the air, fluttering onto the bed, the floor, and across Lian Liejin’s eyes.

With her vision obstructed, Lian Liejin’s remaining senses sharpened.

Shallow breaths brushed against her pale skin, warm and slightly ticklish.

Gao Jingxi turned Lian Liejin over several times and carefully examined her. There was no sign of the rumored mole anywhere on her smooth, fair skin. She lowered her head again and fiercely demanded beside Lian Liejin’s ear, “Do you have a mole on your waist?”

As though that was still not enough, she emphasized each word.

“Tell me. Am I not beautiful?”

“Your Highness has always been beautiful.”

Made both shy and dizzy by Gao Jingxi’s series of actions, Lian Liejin turned her head without thinking.

…

Just as sweet and soft as on their wedding night.

Only when Gao Jingxi pushed against her shoulders and cried coquettishly, “How dare you!” did Lian Liejin realize what she had done.

Their positions had somehow reversed. The Seventh Princess lay on the bed with her clothes in disarray, while a row of damp bite marks had appeared along her slender, pale neck…

The subtle fragrance still lingered between Lian Liejin’s lips and teeth. With an explosion inside her ears, she leaped from the bed as though flying and turned her back toward it.

“I-I-I do not have a mole on my waist.”

For a long time, the person on the bed remained silent. Only then did Lian Liejin tentatively call out several times, “Your Highness, why did you ask whether I have a mole on my waist?”

Gao Jingxi was immediately left speechless. She certainly could not let Lian Liejin know that because of Luo Qian’er’s ridiculous claims, she had rushed impatiently to Qingyue Mountain and nearly lost all reason the moment she saw her.

Therefore, even after Lian Liejin stubbornly asked several more times, there was still no response.

Lian Liejin gathered her courage and turned around to check on Gao Jingxi.

The princess remained lying motionless in the same position, her face flushed red. When she saw Lian Liejin approach, she said in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, “I am tired. You may leave.”

“Hmm? Your Highness, this is my room. I wanted to remain so we could—”

“You are not even allowed to think about it!”

Gao Jingxi’s face became even redder. Raising her voice only made her appear more guilty.

Her thoughts were now in complete chaos. She truly could not process everything she had learned, especially her feelings toward Lian Liejin. If the two remained in the same room, there was no telling what might happen.

“It may be your room, but can’t you still leave?” Gao Jingxi avoided her gaze and began acting unreasonably.

“…I can.” Lian Liejin had not expected Gao Jingxi to suddenly change her attitude again and throw her out. It seemed she could only sleep in the study that night.

Just as she prepared to leave, Lian Liejin suddenly turned back.

Gao Jingxi had just sat up and was straightening her loosened clothes. Seeing Lian Liejin return, the Seventh Princess hurriedly covered herself. Her eyes were faintly red, and her voice was soft and delicate.

“W-What do you intend to do?”

“Your Highness, I-I need to change my clothes. It’s cold.” Wearing an exaggerated outfit that exposed her waist, Lian Liejin slowly opened the wardrobe and began tremblingly searching for something to wear.

The more nervous she became, the less she could find. Lian Liejin nearly climbed entirely inside the wardrobe.

A sigh came from behind her. Propping herself up on the bed, Gao Jingxi complained, “Are you this nervous because you are afraid of me?”

Lian Liejin’s body stiffened because she sensed the princess slowly approaching from behind.

“N-No. I am merely surprised that we met here.”

“But from my perspective, we already met half a year ago.” A trace of grievance appeared on Gao Jingxi’s face. Looking at Lian Liejin’s black mask on the table and remembering her illness, she could no longer suppress her concern. “Is there truly no other way to treat your condition?”

As though she had heard the worry hidden within Gao Jingxi’s heart, Lian Liejin turned and looked seriously into her eyes. “I am already accustomed to it. It does not affect much. You… do not need to worry.”

“Truly?”

“Truly. My eyes may sometimes be blind, but my heart is not. Isn’t that already better than most people in this world?”

Gao Jingxi covered her mouth and laughed softly, finally allowing the worry in her eyes to fade. After a while, she gently asked, “Are there any other rooms in this courtyard?”

“There is a study. The daybed inside is very comfortable.”

The candlelight flickered. Lian Liejin finally found suitable clothes and was preparing to open the door once again when she heard the Seventh Princess speak a strangely fragmented sentence.

“The study. The daybed. The weather is cold. Too small.”

“Do you mean the daybed is too small? It’s fine. Whenever I grew tired from reading, I often slept there.” Lian Liejin continued smiling as she spoke, only to suddenly notice that the Seventh Princess’s expression had darkened again.

She was still wondering whether she had said something wrong and angered Gao Jingxi when the princess snorted twice.

“Sleep there, then. You can freeze to death for all I care.”

She had been perfectly fine a moment ago. Why had she suddenly…

Lian Liejin’s mind abruptly awakened as though struck by lightning. Could the princess’s words mean that she was allowing Lian Liejin to remain and sleep with her?

Lian Liejin became secretly delighted. As expected, the Seventh Princess feared the cold and could not bear to part with her personal heater.

However, she needed to provide the dishonest Seventh Princess with a graceful excuse.

Lian “Thinking Herself Clever” Liejin said, “Your Highness, the mountain is cold. A brazier alone is not enough. It will be warmer if two people sleep together.”

Gao Jingxi immediately felt both embarrassed and furious. She said resentfully, “I am not cold! I certainly do not need two people to sleep together.”

“You do, you do.” Lian Liejin’s mood improved greatly, and she giggled. “Then I’ll come back shortly. You must wait for me.”

“Get lost! Who would wait for you? I am merely afraid of the cold.”

Only after Lian Liejin left did the Seventh Princess, who had once again uttered such an inelegant phrase, realize that she had claimed both to be cold and not cold within the same conversation.

Her words made absolutely no sense.

Moreover, she had clearly decided not to allow Lian Liejin to sleep beside her. Yet because of that faint ache of pity and reluctance, she had taken the initiative to let Lian Liejin…