Chapter 12 Reconciliation

Although Shen Qingmeng only went back to her original room to get a set of clothes, and although the two rooms were only a few dozen meters apart, Chu Wangshu still clung to Shen Qingmeng, pulling her along, claiming that he needed to walk more and exercise.

Who actually exercises after dark?

However, Physician Li also said that if he walked around, he might get tired and go to bed earlier that night. Otherwise, given how he had slept for almost two hours leaning on Shen Qingmeng that afternoon, he might really be spacing out all night again.

Back in the attic, Shen Qingmeng sat in front of the bronze mirror and asked Chu Wangshu to remove her headdress.

Although Chu Wangshu couldn't see, he was still much gentler than Shen Qingmeng when she took it apart herself. He would patiently feel the direction of the hair strands, then gently part the hair wrapped around the hair ornament, and take out an ornament that wouldn't trap any hair strands.

If Shen Qingmeng had done it herself, those few poor strands of hair would probably have been broken long ago.

"Don't you not really like wearing these things?" After taking off all the headdresses, Chu Wangshu used a comb to smooth Shen Qingmeng's loose hair. "No one in the Astrology Pavilion will force you to dress up as a princess, so why are you wearing so many now?"

Shen Qingmeng picked up a hairpin and shook it near Chu Wangshu's ear. The sound was not loud but very clear. She had added a few glass beads to the tassel.

"So that I can hear you?"

Shen Qingmeng took Chu Wangshu's finger and tapped it twice. This was a tacit understanding they had just reached; tapping the finger twice was equivalent to nodding.

"Then, please trouble Qingmeng for two more days, and Uncle Li will be able to make the medicine." Chu Wangshu said, rubbing Shen Qingmeng's hair. Her hair was smooth and silky, and felt very nice to the touch.

Looking at the table full of hair ornaments, Shen Qingmeng couldn't help but sigh: What kind of grievance is this? Whose grievances are built with money?

Shen Qingmeng leaned back against Chu Wangshu and reached out to trace his outline.

So beautiful! Someone this beautiful will be hers forever. How wonderful!

"Qingmeng, these things that happened around you after you met me, really, you don't blame me?" Chu Wangshu always believed that if she hadn't met him, Shen Qingmeng would probably never have come into contact with the royal family again and could have continued to be a carefree young lady at the Shen family's escort agency.

Shen Qingmeng unfolded Chu Wangshu's hand and heavily wrote the character "No" on the palm that was not covered by silk.

Everything that has happened now is not Chu Wangshu's fault. If it weren't for Chu Wangshu's influence, even if she remembered the grievances she suffered as a child, she would not have had the chance to become Princess Changning, let alone take revenge.

Moreover, the journey of escorting goods is inherently dangerous. If it weren't for Chu Wangshu, more than half of the Shen Family Escort Agency would have perished in the earthquake in Bichuan on their way back. Shen Ning's death cannot be blamed on Chu Wangshu at all.

Shen Qingmeng did have some questions for Chu Wangshu, but they weren't meant to be resentful. However, since she couldn't speak, communication was quite difficult. Anyway, there was no rush. She could bring up the past issues with Chu Wangshu after Uncle Li finished making the medicine.

She instinctively reached out to scratch the wound on her lower back, but Chu Wangshu grabbed her hand. "Don't scratch it. It's natural to feel itchy when new flesh is growing."

Shen Qingmeng reluctantly withdrew her hand, but it really itched!

The next moment, Chu Wangshu placed his palm on Shen Qingmeng's scabbed wound and gently massaged it.

His hands were cool and comfortable, resting on my waist. Ah, how come I never thought of such a pleasant way to relax before?

Shen Qingmeng pulled Chu Wangshu back to the bed, leaning against him as he massaged her back. Aside from being a little uncomfortable, this cushion was perfect.

Chu Wangshu heard the person in his arms seem to be laughing and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Shen Qingmeng gently tapped his eyes and then poked his hand.

Chu Wangshu suddenly realized what Shen Qing was about to say, and he chuckled, "Say I'm a blind man?"

Shen Qingmeng cheerfully pinched Chu Wangshu's fingers and tapped them twice: 【Yes!】

"Then please lie down, sir," Chu Wangshu moved a little to the inside of the bed, letting Shen Qingmeng lie face down on the bed, "Let me give you a good massage."

Is this what sharing a bed is like? That would be quite interesting.

The thing that Physician Li was worried about did not happen. The owl did not come that night, and Chu Wangshu did not go to bed late.

The next day, when Physician Li had circled the pavilion door five times, Chu Wangshu slowly opened her eyes, then groggily snuggled against Shen Qingmeng's neck and continued to laze in bed in her arms.

Physician Li said from outside that the Imperial Preceptor was probably too tired, so there was no need to disturb them for now; they would open the door when they woke up.

Tired? Of course I'm tired. Mr. Blind's massage is hard work.

It wasn't until noon that Chu Wangshu fully woke up. He nestled against Shen Qingmeng's neck, blinking and brushing his eyelashes against her neck.

[It itches!] Shen Qingmeng covered her neck and pinched Chu Wangshu's waist in retaliation.

"Hiss..." Chu Wangshu clutched her waist and rubbed it with Shen Qingmeng's hand. "Uncle Li must have been wandering around outside for ages, just waiting to come and take my pulse and then say that I have kidney deficiency and insufficient essence and blood."

Shen Qingmeng chuckled to herself again. She took Chu Wangshu's hand and wrote the character for "medicine" in his palm: "Will you take the medicine?"

"Well, we'll have to drink it anyway. No one will know what kind of medicine he's brewing, but it'll all be just as bitter."

Shen Qingmeng wrote the character "饭" (rice) on Chu Wangshu's palm.

"Okay, let's eat first, then I'll take my medicine," Chu Wangshu nodded. "I also want to drink red bean soup, the kind without Coptis chinensis."

It's good that there's demand. Shen Qingmeng tapped his finger: [Approved.]

Many days have passed since the beginning of autumn, and the mountains are starting to cool down. The afternoon sun is quite nice, and Chu Wangshu was arranged by Shen Qingmeng to sit on a recliner in the courtyard and bask in the sun.

Although he was blind, he was somewhat sensitive to light. Shen Qingmeng found a white silk cloth, applied some eye-brightening medicine, and placed it over Chu Wangshu's eyes.

The old nanny from the palace was always too talkative, which Shen Qingmeng disliked, so she used the princess's authority to send her to do cleaning. As for Qiusheng, she loved to eat and play but didn't care about anything, so Shen Qingmeng was happy to treat her like a younger sister and didn't assign her any other chores besides cleaning Shen Qingmeng's bedroom.

Qiu Sheng is clever, and probably has no ties to the palace. He intentionally or unintentionally tricked the old nanny with Shen Qingmeng, and just now he told her that the Imperial Preceptor was not very capable.

Shen Qingmeng had originally wanted Chu Wangshu to help pick some herbs, so he would have something to do, but she gave up on the idea when she saw the wound on his hand. So she took a cushion, sat on the ground, and began to trim Chu Wangshu's nails.

Shen Qingmeng couldn't speak, and Chu Wangshu couldn't see, but someone had to speak, otherwise it would be too difficult for the two of them to spend two days in silence.

Chu Wangshu racked his brains, but in the end he could only manage to say, "What should we eat tonight?" His life was indeed too dull, and it seemed that there was nothing worth reminiscing about or sharing.

Shen Qingmeng picked up a bamboo shoot from the table and waved it near Chu Wangshu's nose.

"Bamboo shoots?"

Physician Li said from the side, "I'll make you some soup, and add some goji berries to enhance your virility."

"Thank you, Uncle Li, for letting me off the hook and not making me eat anything even stranger."

Shen Qingmeng held Chu Wangshu's hand, carefully examining the faint marks on his fingertips. How long had he been working on this hairpin to make so many cuts? She wondered when he planned to give it to him.

Two days later, Shen Qingmeng regained her ability to speak and was too lazy to hide anything anymore. To the emperor, she simply said that she had probably been nourished by the Imperial Preceptor and that was all.

After lunch as usual, and while basking in the sun, Shen Qingmeng led Chu Wangshu back to the attic, closed the door, and left the two of them alone in the room.

Chu Wangshu leaned back on the soft couch, and Shen Qingmeng sat cross-legged beside him, hooking her finger around his. "Come on, let's go over the accounts."

"What?" Chu Wangshu didn't understand what Shen Qing was asking.

Who is Yunmo?

"Guards, His Majesty has arranged for them to be stationed in the Astrology Pavilion."

"Then why did he listen to you and come with me to pick up my father?"

"...He's mine now."

"So can I understand that you are not actually being watched from all sides in the Astrology Pavilion as you appear on the surface, but rather that most of the people here are your people, and you know which ones are your spies, so you put on a different act in front of them?" Afraid that Chu Wangshu would think she was unhappy, Shen Qingmeng simply nestled into Chu Wangshu's arms, tugged at his hair, and rubbed his fingers, looking completely relaxed.

Chu Wangshu responded softly, "Hmm... but it's not exactly pretending. I really don't want to talk to people, and my health is really bad. I just don't like the feeling of being monitored in every word and action."

The servants in the Astrology Pavilion all seem to be sent by the Emperor, but in reality, there are also two maids of the Fifth Prince and a servant of the First Prince mixed in. Those servants are just afraid of me, so they behave themselves and know what they can't do. Unless there are major changes, they won't gossip about what's happening here to their masters.

Yunmo only switched allegiance to me because I once saved his family, but... to save face, he only did what he could to help me, except for catching assassins.

Shen Qingmeng was right. Chu Wangshu was a little flustered, but the moment she leaned closer, he understood that Shen Qingmeng just wanted to find out what was going on, not that she was angry that he had been hiding something.

"So, I'm not the only one who's been to your astrology hall?"

"a lot of."

"How many of them are girls?"

Chu Wangshu shook her head: "I can't remember, but it was only because you slipped."

Shen Qingmeng reached out and pinched Chu Wangshu's neck: "Why didn't I get pierced by a thousand arrows when I was choking you?"

“I won’t kill assassins,” Chu Wangshu said, wrapping his arms around Shen Qingmeng’s waist and pulling her closer. “If Yunmo catches someone, he’ll throw them down the mountain and let them go.”

"I don't want to hear such an honest answer." Shen Qingmeng reached out and hugged Chu Wangshu, hanging her whole body on him, teasingly blowing on his neck.

“Yes…yes, it was me who didn’t let Yunmo come out,” Chu Wangshu said, shrinking his neck but neither dodging nor stopping Shen Qingmeng from touching him all over. “I was afraid of scaring you away.”

"And tell Yunmo that if I come again, he shouldn't stop me?"

"Um."

"Did the Imperial Advisor hope I would come back from the very beginning?"

Chu Wangshu buried her head on Shen Qingmeng's shoulder and responded with a muffled "Mmm".

"A man who says one thing but means another, he was clearly attracted to me long ago but still chased me away time and time again," Shen Qingmeng gave Chu Wangshu a light punishment, biting him lightly on the neck, so lightly that it didn't even leave a tooth mark.

"I'm scared, scared that I can't protect you."

“It’s alright, I’ll protect you from now on, let’s become mountain kings,” Shen Qingmeng continued, “Cang Ning, what’s going on now?”

"They were going to lower the price anyway, but they wanted to."

"You...foresaw the glorious moment when Cangning would unify the world?"

Chu Wangshu shook his head, "But the female rulers of Cangning have all been good at governing the country. In recent years, due to the conquest of Qing and the continuous disasters, many small countries have survived only because of the relief provided by Cangning. Although they have not yet submitted to Cangning, they have long since become vassals."

For many years, Cangning controlled the vital transportation hub of the Central Plains, and its actions were far more beneficial to the people's livelihood than those currently being implemented in the Qing Kingdom. If it weren't for the Chu clan, Cangning would likely be even more powerful than the Qing Kingdom is today.

"So you're saying you conspired with Cang Ning to overthrow the Qing Kingdom?"

"Not really, since I haven't done anything yet," Chu Wangshu gently pinched the soft flesh on Shen Qingmeng's waist. He had been enjoying doing this a lot these days, it was almost an unconscious action, probably because it felt so good. "But in the next few days, someone will probably come to visit openly and legitimately."

"What are you doing here?"

"Insult me."

"Don't let me hear that, or I'll lose my temper and yell back."

"The insults aren't wrong. Besides, the people from Cangning are probably here to seek cooperation."

"Your mother doesn't seem to have risen to power from a palace maid; she must have had some connection with Cang Ning, and her death is suspicious, but I haven't investigated it thoroughly yet."

"It's not important, we'll talk about it later," Shen Qingmeng actually had no feelings for her blood parents. Her current resentment towards Emperor Qing stemmed from feeling injustice for Chu Wangshu, and also from wanting to find an opportunity to personally kill the person who killed Shen Ning.

“One last question,” Shen Qingmeng took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, placing her fingertips on Chu Wangshu’s neck, “Why, do you not want to live?”

Chu Wangshu's hand around Shen Qingmeng's waist suddenly stiffened.

He nuzzled his head against Shen Qingmeng's hair before slowly saying, "My sins are too heavy; I shouldn't have lived."

"What sins are there? Struggle for power and profit has always been common. According to your logic, border soldiers, whether they are defending or attacking, will all be condemned to eternal damnation after death?"

“I don’t know,” Chu Wangshu told Shen Qingmeng everything he had foreseen, “but at the sacrificial ceremony I only saw floods and unclear battles. Later, the divination only showed Cangning surrendering, and everything after that was blank. It wouldn’t have been like this before. In other words, I should have been there when Cangning surrendered…”

"What do you mean by 'should' or 'shouldn't'? Didn't you see further than the sacrificial ceremony last time when you did the divination? That proves your fate has already changed. Besides, I drew a very auspicious fortune stick at the temple on the first day of the month, which means I'll get what I want this year. Mine is already gone. If you die too, how can I get what I want?"

"Stingy?" Chu Wangshu was momentarily unsure whether to be shocked that Shen Qingmeng would actually go to draw lots, or to marvel at how casual her "stingy" behavior was.

“If Wanwan wants to go, I’ll go with her,” Shen Qingmeng said. “When you can see it, I’ll teach you. It’s much simpler than rolling dice. No matter what, the temple won’t earn enough money to help me get rid of this calamity.”

"audacious in the extreme."

"dislike?"

"I like it, I like it very much," Chu Wangshu said with a smile, "From now on, I will rely on Master Qingmeng for survival."

"If you ever secretly say something like you want to die again..."

"How should I be punished?"

Shen Qingmeng's hand slid restlessly down Chu Wangshu's chest: "I'll make you really have kidney deficiency."

"Qingmeng," Chu Wangshu gently grasped Shen Qingmeng's hand, his breath already somewhat unsteady, "I'm not a saint..."

Author's Note:

The "Blind Masseur" was just an ancient term for a blind masseur. I looked it up and found that this explanation might sound a bit more archaic, hehe.