TGPSAC – Chapter 75

Yu Jiuzhou awkwardly stepped over Chi Wan’s body and lay down on the bed, her face flushed.

This was simply too embarrassing. She felt so hot she didn’t even want to cover herself with the quilt.

Chi Wan felt a fragrant breeze drift past, but before she could savor it, it was hidden away.

Yu Jiuzhou had pulled the quilt over herself. And so, the two of them lay there, one on the bed and one on the floor.

Chi Wan noticed Yu Jiuzhou turn over, her gaze seemingly fixed upon her.

She hesitated for a moment, then immediately curled up, looking pitifully cold.

She didn’t know why she did it; it was a subconscious act, a desire to gain Yu Jiuzhou’s attention and sympathy.

Chi Wan deliberately kept her body curled up and didn’t look back, lest her thoughts be discovered.

“Why don’t you… go back to your own room to sleep.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s voice sounded, apparently having noticed how cold she was.

Only then did Chi Wan turn and sit up. “The floor is very clean. It’s fine.”

“Then I will have someone bring another quilt.”

She couldn’t really let her freeze like this all night. In truth, even with a quilt, sleeping on the floor would be quite cold.

Under the covers, Yu Jiuzhou only felt a chill. Her body was naturally cool, and she usually relied on a bed warmer and numerous braziers to sleep. But conditions at Xuanyang Temple were limited. To reduce the number of deaths, she hadn’t brought many attendants. Those called maidservants were actually disguised secret guards, and they were hardly skilled at serving people. With only two courtyards’ worth of staff, she couldn’t work them to death.

Several braziers were lit in the room, but there was no bed warmer in the quilt. Yu Jiuzhou didn’t want to disturb the guards who were already resting just for a bed warmer.

After traveling and climbing the mountain today, everyone was exhausted. They had to wake up early tomorrow, and the Imperial Guard had to stand watch. Everyone was tired. It was just a little cold; she could endure it.

But seeing Chi Wan curled up on the wooden floor, Yu Jiuzhou still decided to go out and ask for another quilt.

Seeing Chi Wan sit up, she also rose. “Will the Fuma go get a quilt herself?”

Hearing Yu Jiuzhou suddenly address her as Fuma, Chi Wan was slightly taken aback. “Very well. This subject will go get a quilt.”

She stood up and was about to walk out when her clothes were suddenly tugged. The other’s hand gripped the back of her robe, and a cold draft blew in from the hem, causing Chi Wan to stiffen.

“Did Your Highness not tell this subject to get a quilt?”

Since Yu Jiuzhou addressed her as Fuma, she would refer to herself as “this subject.”

Without turning around, Chi Wan pretended to stumble back a step and sat down on the edge of the bed. “What is the meaning of this, Your Highness?”

“Lie down.” Yu Jiuzhou’s voice was cold and hard, but it couldn’t conceal a trace of shyness.

“Lie down?”

Chi Wan had thought Yu Jiuzhou might share the quilt with her, but she never expected they would lie on the same bed.

At times like this, Yu Jiuzhou became much bolder. Seeing Chi Wan’s stiff back, it was obvious she was embarrassed.

As the Grand Princess, she wasn’t one to tease people, but with Chi Wan, the more bashful she appeared, the more Yu Jiuzhou wanted to tease her.

“We are partners. It is only natural for us to share a room and a bed.”

“The Fuma is meant to attend to me in bed anyway. This will be good practice, to familiarize yourself with how to serve me in bed.”

Yu Jiuzhou could guarantee that her use of “serve” was purely innocent, with no other meaning implied.

But Chi Wan seemed to have misunderstood, hearing “serve” as something else entirely. “Your Highness, are we not supposed to abide by the temple’s rules?”

“We are. The Fuma has internal energy, so you can use it to warm the bed for me.”

Yu Jiuzhou knew Chi Wan had misinterpreted her, but she didn’t point it out. She simply said this to clarify that the “serving” she spoke of was different from Chi Wan’s idea of “serving.”

Hearing this, Chi Wan gave an awkward laugh. “Alright.”

They were both women. Sleeping in the same bed shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

Of course it was. They were both women, but this world also had pheromones. Women could get other women pregnant.

Pheromones were scents. Could they get pregnant just by lying next to each other?

Though she thought this, Chi Wan lay down quickly enough, even nudging Yu Jiuzhou further in. “Your Highness, if we just lie here like this, nothing will happen, right?”

Yu Jiuzhou helplessly shifted inward. Hearing her mention something “happening,” she assumed Chi Wan meant a passionate encounter, so she turned to face the inside of the bed and mumbled, “What could possibly happen?”

“A human life?” A child would count as a human life, she supposed.

“Hm?”

Yu Jiuzhou thought for a long while but couldn’t figure out how a human life could result from them just lying next to each other.

Chi Wan quickly glanced over her shoulder, then immediately turned her head back. It was then she realized something was off—Yu Jiuzhou seemed to have her back to her. So, she glanced over her shoulder again.

Seeing that the other person truly had her back turned, she grew bolder. “I mean, a child.”

“What does this have to do with a child…?”

Yu Jiuzhou frowned, then a thought occurred to her. Did Chi Wan think they could have a child just by sleeping next to each other?

Wasn’t that something adults used to trick children? How old was Chi Wan, to still believe this?

Could it be that Chi Wan, a Qian Yuan, didn’t know that marking was required to have a child?

Then again, she herself had only learned it from the palace instructional manuals. If Chi Wan had always conducted herself with propriety, it was normal for her not to know.

No wonder she acted so inexperienced. It turned out she was genuinely ignorant.

The more innocent Chi Wan was, the more Yu Jiuzhou inexplicably liked her.

“Does the Fuma think that one can have a child just by lying together?”

“Not exactly.”

Chi Wan was a physician. Though she lacked practical experience, she had the theoretical knowledge. She was just curious about the use of pheromones.

From Yu Jiuzhou’s reaction, she knew that pheromone marking wasn’t transmitted through scent.

Normally, before marrying a princess, the palace would send someone to instruct the consort, at least to ensure the Fuma wasn’t incapable of marking. For various reasons, her predecessor had only been examined by a few imperial physicians to confirm there were no issues.

Chi Wan thought that she must find some relevant books to read when she had the time, but she had no way of obtaining them.

Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t turned over, so she couldn’t see Chi Wan’s expression. There were some things she just couldn’t say face-to-face.

“When I grabbed your clothes, Fuma, what were you thinking?”

Grabbing Chi Wan and not letting her leave was half subconscious, half a genuine desire for her to stay.

Chi Wan thought for a moment. “It was a bit cold. The cold wind blew against my back, making the fine hairs stand on end. There was an indescribable feeling of weakness in my lower back.”

The sensation made her want to squirm, but she forced herself to endure it.

When Yu Jiuzhou felt her back stiffen, she knew she wasn’t the only one who was ill at ease.

Chi Wan was enduring her discomfort just to sleep in the same room with her. Only one thing came to mind. “Does the Fuma wish to consummate our marriage?”

“Uh…” Chi Wan hesitated.

She had wanted to before, but not so much now. Initially, she had been momentarily captivated by Yu Jiuzhou’s beauty and thought that spending her future with the Grand Princess would be nice. But after thinking it through, if Yu Jiuzhou only wanted a child for the sake of power, she felt it was just her own wishful thinking.

Chi Wan pondered for a while. If she said yes, she still had reservations. If she said no, it would be a lie and would also displease Yu Jiuzhou.

“What is it?”

“I don’t want to, but I don’t not want to, either.” She could only answer honestly.

“You have reservations.”

Yu Jiuzhou had felt that Chi Wan’s state of mind had been off these past few days. After much thought, the only point of contention between them was the matter of consummating the marriage.

She didn’t know what Chi Wan was hesitant about. She was the Grand Princess, and Chi Wan was the Fuma. Consummation was to be expected.

Before, it was she who couldn’t accept Chi Wan. Now, Chi Wan was a completely different person, whose intelligence, virtue, and talent were plain for all to see. Every time the other woman approached to serve her, she even felt a small thrill of pleasant surprise.

Having confirmed that she didn’t dislike the idea of consummating the marriage with Chi Wan, then Chi Wan, as the Fuma, ought to attend to her in bed.

Yu Jiuzhou didn’t think there was anything wrong with this line of thought. She was the ruler, and Chi Wan was the Fuma. What was wrong with attending her in bed?

Chi Wan hadn’t expected Yu Jiuzhou to point out her reservations so directly. In fact, she had been planning to refuse clearly. But Her Highness had been so busy, yet still thoughtfully arranged a courtyard for her. It would be a lie to say her heart wasn’t moved.

But being moved was one thing; having a child because of it was another. She would have to be responsible.

A child was a life. Whether it was a child, a cat, or a dog, once you decided to raise one, you had to take responsibility.

Her reservations were simple: she felt Yu Jiuzhou might only want to consummate the marriage to seize power or to please the Emperor.

Even though the other had said that if the person wasn’t her, she would rather not have a child at all.

Yu Jiuzhou’s gift of the courtyard today clearly showed she hadn’t understood what Chi Wan had said that day. She had agreed to give her the courtyard, but it wasn’t because she truly knew she wanted to leave and was letting her go.

So now, she was conflicted again.

Chi Wan had intended to follow her heart, but she had been interrupted midway. Now her heart was in turmoil, so she could no longer follow it.

Yu Jiuzhou was right. She had reservations.

Perhaps she should have a proper talk with Yu Jiuzhou. But she was so tired. Divining the fate of a great monk like Great Master Jingchen today had completely drained her spiritual energy.

Not her internal energy—that was still abundant. It was her head that ached. The moment she closed her eyes, she felt a sense of relief.

The instant Chi Wan closed her eyes, she was on the verge of falling asleep. She fought against the drowsiness and said, “Does Your Highness like me?”

“What?”

Yu Jiuzhou had heard clearly, but she was surprised Chi Wan would ask such a thing.

“Does Your Highness like me?” Chi Wan asked again.

Only if there was liking could they consummate the marriage, right?

Then did she like Yu Jiuzhou? She probably did. Her heart told her she was willing to consummate the marriage with Yu Jiuzhou. Wasn’t being willing to do that with someone proof enough of liking?

When you like someone, you can’t help but want to be close to them. If she didn’t like Yu Jiuzhou, why would she agree to consummate the marriage?

Chi Wan understood her own character. And because she understood it, she knew that at some point, she had developed feelings for the person beside her.

It wasn’t as if she was deeply in love, but she couldn’t say she disliked her either. If she had to describe this liking, it would be just a little bit of liking.

Yu Jiuzhou heard her words clearly but didn’t answer. To be precise, she didn’t know how to answer.

Royalty had no personal preferences, whether in colors or food.

From a young age, she knew that whatever a superior favored, their subordinates would pursue to an extreme degree.

If a ruler had a hobby, those below would indulge in it excessively. She couldn’t take a third bite of a dish she liked, nor could she wear an outfit she liked a third time.

She couldn’t have things she liked, nor could she have things she used often.

Like? Was Chi Wan asking if she held affection for her?

She remembered how Chi Wan had once declared in front of many people, “Your Highness, I have admired you for a long time.”

Hearing those words, Yu Jiuzhou had felt her heart stir.

It must be affection. Because of that affection, she believed that if she had to have a child, the other parent must be Chi Wan.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud. So, she wanted to ask Chi Wan as well.

“I…”

Yu Jiuzhou turned to look at Chi Wan, her eyes filled with an unprecedented seriousness.

But Chi Wan’s breathing had already become steady and even. It seemed she had fallen asleep.

Yu Jiuzhou smiled helplessly. She knew that the stronger the fate of the person being divined, the more exhausting it was.

Recalling Chi Wan’s question, she turned her head and asked in a low voice, worried she might be heard even though Chi Wan was asleep.

“Chi Wan, do you admire me?”

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Chi Wan dreamed that Yu Jiuzhou confessed her feelings, and she accepted without any hesitation.

At that moment, she was so immersed in joy that she didn’t stop to think that, given Yu Jiuzhou’s personality, she would never be the one to confess first.

Yu Jiuzhou was proud. The idea of her confessing was obviously fake.

Perhaps she was too lost in the dream, too overjoyed, to notice what was wrong with the picture.

Chi Wan felt her face heat up at how eagerly she had agreed. It was truly embarrassing.

What was even stranger was that the Yu Jiuzhou in her dream was very passionate—holding hands, embracing, their cheeks pressed together.

One scene, in particular, was etched in her memory.

She was sitting in the pavilion at the Princess’s Residence, drinking tea and occasionally scattering fish food into the pond to tease the fish.

After a moment, Chi Wan sensed someone approaching. Then, the person leaned against her back in an intimate touch. She could clearly feel Yu Jiuzhou’s soft body.

“The Fuma has time to tease fish, but no time to serve me?”

Though the words were a question, Yu Jiuzhou delivered them with a teasing, playful tone. Her soft, sweet voice, in a cadence Chi Wan had never heard before, made one’s heart itch.

Yu Jiuzhou’s face rested on her shoulder, her lips brushing against her ear. Her breath was like orchids, a gentle breeze carrying an intoxicatingly fresh scent.

The sounds, the sensations—they all made Chi Wan’s body go rigid.

Against her back and shoulder, she could feel the other’s warmth through the thin fabric of her clothes, so real and distinct. It was warm and soft. Chi Wan was already sensitive, so the feeling was even more vivid, and she was reluctant to move even an inch.

Then, Yu Jiuzhou pressed her face against hers. The coolness of the other’s cheek brought her to her senses. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt something was wrong.

Why was it getting more and more stuffy? She could barely breathe.

Chi Wan’s eyes flew open. It was pitch black before her. She seemed to be held in someone’s arms.

The faint fragrance lingering at the tip of her nose and the soft touch confirmed that Yu Jiuzhou was holding her head against her chest.

She wondered if she should pretend to casually roll over, or just let herself be smothered to death.

Forget it. She’d pretend to roll over casually. Hopefully, Yu Jiuzhou wouldn’t see through her act, saving them both the embarrassment.

Chi Wan closed her eyes and used an internal energy breathing technique to regulate her breath until it was as steady as if she were asleep. Then, she began to turn over.

It was quite difficult to turn over in Yu Jiuzhou’s embrace. Just as she managed to get on her side, the other person pressed close again.

This time, it was against her back. Yu Jiuzhou’s arm reached under her armpit, and her hand even gave a little squeeze.

Chi Wan: “?” Wait, was she just taken advantage of?

Maybe she should just get up?

Perhaps because she had gone to bed early last night, she woke up early as well.

The benefit of cultivating internal energy was that while others needed four shichen to recover their sleep, two were enough for her. If she meditated and circulated her internal energy, she could rest in even less time.

She had fallen asleep during the hour of xu, and now the hour of chou had passed. That was roughly eight hours, so she had woken up naturally.

If she wanted to, Chi Wan could fall back asleep, but right now, she simply couldn’t.

There was still about an hour until it was time to get up, and she couldn’t move around and wake Yu Jiuzhou.

But Yu Jiuzhou was being a rather restless sleeper. Perhaps because Chi Wan was sleeping beside her, she was using her as a bolster pillow.

Fine. If she couldn’t sleep, she would just circulate her internal energy.

Chi Wan closed her eyes and began to circulate her internal energy through the acupoints in her body. While doing so, she blocked her sense of touch. This way, she could instantly sense an assassin but wouldn’t have to endure Yu Jiuzhou’s “torment.”

And so, no assassin came, but the temple bell rang first.

Yu Jiuzhou opened her eyes. Feeling something soft in her hand, she subconsciously flexed her palm.

!!!

Yu Jiuzhou was instantly wide awake. Her hand seemed to be in an inappropriate place.

The moment she was fully conscious, she snatched her hand back.

Yu Jiuzhou stared at the bed curtains for a long while, trying to calm the fluttering in her heart and the momentary daze she had just experienced.

Thank goodness Chi Wan hadn’t woken up. Otherwise, she would never be able to face her again for the rest of her life.

It wasn’t that Chi Wan hadn’t woken up. The moment the bell rang, she had stopped circulating her internal energy. But she knew Yu Jiuzhou would also wake at the sound of the bell, and she needed to give the other person some time to compose herself.

After silently counting to one hundred, she opened her eyes. Seeing Yu Jiuzhou already sitting up, she called out in a deliberately calm voice, “Your Highness.”

“Time to get up.” Yu Jiuzhou desperately needed some space alone to release the heat building up inside her.

“In that case, Your Highness, I will return to my room to change.”

It was palpable how awkward the atmosphere between them was now.

Chi Wan didn’t want this either. People could see their toes when they looked down; she could see the top of her own feet. Despite that, the absurd feeling seemed to be permanently etched onto her body, impossible to forget.

She was now just waiting for Yu Jiuzhou’s permission to bolt out of the room. She was so embarrassed she was about to faint.

Finally, Yu Jiuzhou grunted in assent.

Chi Wan nodded, got up, and, clutching the pillow from the floor, walked out.

A closer look would have revealed her slightly unsteady steps, but Yu Jiuzhou, whose own heart was in turmoil, didn’t notice.

When Chi Wan rushed out, the guards standing watch outside were stunned. Wait, the Fuma slept with Her Highness?

No matter how good their relationship was, they couldn’t just disregard the temple’s rules.

No, that’s not right. There was no call for water from the room during the night. It seems nothing happened.

The maidservants attending Yu Jiuzhou were all rigorously trained. They naturally knew the procedures for after the Fuma attended to the princess in bed.

Given Her Highness’s penchant for cleanliness, since no water was called for, the two of them must have just lain there obediently all night.

So, the maidservants all simultaneously turned their gazes away, pretending not to have seen the Fuma run out from inside.

Chi Wan calmly made her way to her own room. As long as she wasn’t embarrassed, the embarrassment was someone else’s problem.

They would soon have to head to the place of prayer, and there wasn’t much time.

The prayer ceremony began today. On the first day, both of them had to wear heavy ceremonial robes and, under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of Rites, conduct a five-shichen-long prayer in the grand hall where the spirit tablets of Great Zhou’s past emperors were kept.

It would be much better starting from the second day. Until the final day, they would only need to pray for one shichen during the hour of mao each day.

The rest of the time would be spent at the temple until their return to the capital.

Seven days. No one knew which day the assassins would strike. They might attack as soon as they found an opportunity, or if they couldn’t find one, they would create one themselves.

The enemy was in the shadows while they were in the open. Defense was difficult.

Chi Wan changed into her ceremonial robes quickly. She wore a black python-patterned robe and a black gauze cap, then waited in the courtyard for Yu Jiuzhou.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yu Jiuzhou emerged. She was also dressed in black, but the Grand Princess’s ceremonial attire was comparable to that of the Crown Prince—magnificent and majestic. Like an empress, she walked slowly toward her.

Thinking of Yu Jiuzhou’s embrace in bed, and then looking at this dignified and elegant Yu Jiuzhou, Chi Wan raised an eyebrow, her heart pounding wildly.

She seemed to be thinking of something improper.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t gotten an answer to her question last night. The moment had passed, and now she didn’t know how to bring it up again.

Chi Wan’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, secretly pinched her own thigh. Then, smiling, she stepped forward and extended her hand. “Your Highness.”

With perfect grace, Yu Jiuzhou placed her hand on Chi Wan’s wrist, allowing her to provide support.

Both of them were very embarrassed about what happened last night. By tacit agreement, they didn’t speak, walking toward the prayer hall with solemn expressions.

Chi Wan had just eaten a vegetable pancake and a bowl of congee. Meat was forbidden at Xuanyang Temple, and since they hadn’t brought their own cooks, they ate the temple’s vegetarian meals.

Actually, if they wanted to eat something specific, they could have it made in a small kitchen, as long as it wasn’t meat. Xuanyang Temple wouldn’t interfere.

Yu Jiuzhou, for her part, had a bowl of congee and half a steamed vegetable bun.

Chi Wan thought for a moment, then wrapped two vegetable pancakes and tucked them into her robes. By occasionally warming them with her internal energy, she could ensure the pancakes stayed hot.

The prayer ceremony would last for five shichen, ending in the afternoon. She would be fine, but with Yu Jiuzhou’s frail constitution, she had to eat something.

Otherwise, it would be even more troublesome if she fainted from low blood sugar.

Before they left, Chun Gui had found her and stuffed a jar of candies and preserved fruits into her hands, telling her to give them to Her Highness during the prayer and reminding her not to forget.

Chun Gui had also instructed the accompanying maidservants to bring snacks to rescue the two of them at any time, lest they starve.

She had brought the items, but she felt that pancakes were better.

Pastries would dry out over time. Candies and preserved fruits might prevent low blood sugar, but the stomach would still be empty. An empty stomach was uncomfortable, especially during such a long prayer.

A thought occurred to Chi Wan, and she leaned closer to Yu Jiuzhou. “Your Highness, if we get hungry during the prayer and eat something, will the officials from the Ministry of Rites see? It should be fine, right? And what about the monks?”

For some reason, she was reminded of sneaking snacks during class as a child, terrified of being caught by the teacher.

Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. She had thought it would be a long time before they spoke again, but she hadn’t expected the other to break the silence so quickly. The question, however, was a little amusing.

“It’s fine. They have food hidden in their robes too.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Five shichen was not a short time, and they had woken up early. They at least had food with them, but the officials and the Imperial Guard might not.

The Imperial Guard had military rations, and each of them had food hanging from their waists. Although it wasn’t hot, they could manage a few bites with hot water. The officials, however, were not so fortunate.

The officials would hide a few pastries in their robes to tide them over when they got hungry.

The monks could take turns chanting; they wouldn’t really go without eating.

Chi Wan looked at the dignified and serious Yu Jiuzhou beside her and suddenly smiled. “Your Highness, when you were sleeping, what did you take me for? A bolster pillow, or a blanket?”

She had nearly been smothered to death.

Yu Jiuzhou remembered very well how tightly she had been holding Chi Wan when she first woke up.

“Shut up!” This was the very picture of anger born from embarrassment.

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