Chapter 12 The Crown Prince's Favoritism "You called Your Highness... Yu'er?"...
Gu Shanyue raised an eyebrow: "Did I scare you?"
Qi Baitong immediately shook his head, glanced at her, and then quickly lowered his eyes. Even though he was the one undressing, he didn't dare to look at Gu Shanyue.
Gu Shanyue walked in confidently: "Why didn't you call me? I could have helped you."
Qi Baitong's heart stirred slightly, but she still refused, saying, "...No need."
Gu Shanyue ignored what he was saying and went straight for the slip of paper in his hand.
He gripped the lacquered white tung tightly, his knuckles turning white.
Gu Shanyue tried to pull it out but couldn't. She raised the corner of her eye and swept it over: "The fourth thing, let go."
Gu Shanyue has always been straightforward and simple, speaking without beating around the bush, and often appearing rather impolite.
But this attitude worked surprisingly well on Qi Baitong. His eyelashes fluttered, and he obediently let go.
Gu Shanyue snorted, took the porcelain bottle and skewers, and went around behind him. The situation was worse than she had imagined.
The wound was jagged and dripping blood, with scabs forming a paste. The fresh, blood-soaked wound lay on top of the old scar, with hardly a patch of healthy skin to be found.
Seeing that he moved freely and was busy everywhere as soon as he returned, Gu Shanyue never imagined that he was doing housework with a dense array of whip marks all over his back.
The room fell silent for a moment. A cool breeze blew in through the half-open window, and Qi Baitong's messy hair hung down beside her face, obscuring her expression.
After a while, Gu Shanyue still hadn't spoken.
Qi Baitong pursed her lips, grabbed her clothes and tried to wrap them around herself, her voice extremely deep and trembling slightly.
"I'm afraid it will offend your eyes, young lady, so I'll do it myself..."
With a "snap".
Gu Shanyue slapped his hand away and ripped off his clothes with a bit too much force, pulling his entire shirt off.
Qi Baitong raised her eyes, her black hair swaying: "Miss..."
"What are you doing? Stay still."
Gu Shanyue's tone was not very good. He had just been tugging at his clothes, and if she hadn't stopped him, the clothes would probably have rubbed against his still-healing wound.
Even though she often gets injured and doesn't take it seriously, Qi Baitong's attitude towards himself is far more excessive than hers.
It's as if this skin and flesh aren't their own; they're so rude as to be incomprehensible.
Gu Shanyue sat down behind him, pressed on his shoulder and pushed him. Qi Baitong's body stiffened slightly, moving with her force.
Bathed in light, his injuries looked even more gruesome.
Gu Shanyue stirred the medicine stick in the porcelain bottle, picked out the ointment, and carefully applied it to the wound.
The wound was congealed with blood, and in the deeper parts, the flesh was torn open. As soon as the bluish-white ointment was applied, the muscles in his back twitched and contracted involuntarily.
"Does it hurt?" Gu Shanyue asked.
"It's alright."
Qi Baitong replied in an extremely calm tone, even with a hint of comfort for Gu Shanyue, even though the talisman was being applied to a deep, open wound that resembled bright red thorns.
He seemed oblivious to the pain, treating himself as an inanimate object, meekly allowing Gu Shanyue to repair and mend him.
Gu Shanyue moved even more gently. From her shoulders to her lower back, she was covered in whip marks. She carefully applied medicine, and the cool smell of the ointment mixed with the smell of blood to create a strange aroma.
Gu Shanyue moved closer and sniffed.
Breathing is like a gentle breeze, lightly brushing against the wound.
Qi Baitong shuddered, her neck turning bright red. Her body instinctively tried to dodge, but she remained rooted to the spot.
Despite his broad shoulders and wide back, there was a strange sense of helplessness about him.
"It's alright?" Gu Shanyue said coldly, "You're covered in blood, walking back and forth in the room, how can it not be a problem?"
Qi Baitong's body stiffened even more, almost like a piece of wood, and he said in a low voice, "I'll burn more incense next time."
"Why bother burning incense? It'll only make it stinkier," Gu Shanyue said disdainfully.
Qi Baitong's lips moved slightly, and her hand pressed against the bed, as if she was about to turn over and kneel down.
Gu Shanyue clicked her tongue and reached out to pinch the back of his neck: "I told you to stay put, what are you making a fuss about? Can't you learn to listen?"
Qi Baitong froze, like a cat being held by the scruff of its neck, completely still.
After a long pause, he said in a hoarse voice, "I will be obedient."
He didn't want to upset her at all.
Despite having completed countless missions, even in the presence of the most hypocritical and terrifying dignitaries, he remained silent and flawless in every word and action.
Why is it that in front of Gu Shanyue, he is clumsy like a puppet, always making her unhappy?
He didn't want to.
Seeing that he had behaved himself, Gu Shanyue finally let go of him.
She had a strong grip, leaving two red marks on the back of his neck. The marks were particularly noticeable against his submissive, bowed head.
Especially since this red mark was left by her.
Gu Shanyue glanced at it a few more times, and inexplicably felt an itch to touch it.
The two fell silent again.
Qi Baitong tensed up, feeling the cold touches applied to the wound from behind. The wound, which had been almost numb with pain, seemed to come alive again the moment it was touched, stimulating every inch of her senses.
It hurt a lot; he broke out in a cold sweat.
But amidst the pain, there is another undeniable feeling that evokes anticipation.
If the price of being touched is pain, the deal seems worthwhile.
Suddenly, Gu Shanyue asked, "Who cracked the whip?"
Qi Baitong came back to his senses and said, "Bai Yan."
Gu Shanyue then asked, "Who is Bai Yan?"
Qi Baitong turned her face around, her eyelashes fluttering, her ink-black eyes revealing an indescribable meaning.
Gu Shanyue, puzzled, said, "Speak."
"Officials under the Crown Prince, Guards of the Eastern Palace."
Qi Baitong uttered these words, then looked away, not expecting Gu Shanyue's reaction.
Gu Shanyue turned his face around with her palm: "Yu'er told me that you went back to the Inner Guard to report on your duties."
The thick, dark eyelashes of the white tung tree drooped low, partially obscuring her pupils, revealing only a faint glimmer of dark light.
"If His Highness says so, then of course it is."
"...Is it true or not?"
Qi Baitong remained silent, her lips slightly pursed, her thin lips pale, her bare upper body covered in scars, as she sat silently in front of Gu Shanyue.
They look rather pitiful.
"You mean, Yu'er had you beaten up?" Gu Shanyue asked again.
The white lacquer tree remained silent.
After a while, he gently shook his head.
"It's really nothing, please don't ask, young lady."
Gu Shanyue felt a surge of anger. The person in front of her was like a lump of clay that could be molded and kneaded at will, which annoyed her.
Li Yuheng clearly promised her that he would no longer physically punish Qi Baitong, but secretly beat her up like this. What does this mean?
She knew that coming to troublesome Shengjing would surely bring nothing but trouble.
Gu Shanyue tossed the slip of paper aside, got up, and left.
As she turned, the hem of her dress swayed, gently brushing against the waist of the lacquered white paulownia tree, then quickly passing by.
Qi Baitong looked up, the door swayed, and Gu Shanyue's figure disappeared into the distance.
He knew that the Crown Prince was different from him.
But when the Crown Prince was mentioned, Gu Shanyue turned and left, not wanting to pay any more attention to him, and a bitter feeling still spread in his heart.
He never thought of surpassing the Crown Prince in her heart; he was nothing more than a nameless ghost who had emerged from a dark and hopeless dungeon.
What is whipping compared to the pain in one's flesh? It is the least of all tortures.
In the chaotic and filthy world, pain made him feel safe and at peace.
At this moment, all he needed to do was curl up at her feet like a wounded stray dog and lick his wounds.
Is this all you're capable of?
Gu Shanyue had just stepped out of the courtyard to find Li Yuheng and ask him what was going on when a group of people walked towards her, and a familiar face appeared in front of her.
Gu Shanyue glanced at them casually and turned to leave.
Yu Jingshu walked over quickly, dressed in an elegant dress, with a graceful smile on her face.
"Miss Yue has been staying at the Crown Prince's residence for a long time, so I have delayed my visit until now. Please do not blame me for being impolite."
Gu Shanyue: "Oh."
Yu Jingshu never expected that her polite words would only earn her a single word.
Is this girl really so lacking in manners?
Gu Shanyue didn't notice her thoughts and walked around the person, but was stopped again.
"Miss Yue, where are you going? You must be feeling bored living alone in the Crown Prince's residence. I came here specifically to keep you company and help you relax."
Yu Jingshu's smile remained unchanged, and she didn't back down an inch, her words carrying a hidden barb.
Gu Shanyue glanced at her and said with her last bit of patience, "I'm going to find Yu'er, move aside."
With just a few words, Yu Jingshu's mask-like smile instantly crumbled, and she opened her mouth speechlessly: "You called Your Highness... Yu'er?"
The last two words were barely audible; she could hardly bring herself to say "Yu'er."
It's absurd that a prince of such stature would be called Yu'er by a rough, uncultured woman from the martial world.
Gu Shanyue had always been too lazy to pay attention to such inexplicable conversations.
She was impatient to talk to Yu Jingshu any longer. She took a step to the side, her toes barely touching the ground as she flew out, her figure as light as a swallow.
Yu Jingshu was startled again. She turned around and saw that Gu Shanyue had already disappeared in a few leaps.
She hurried forward a few steps, but couldn't see anyone at all.
He had come to test the waters, but before he could even exchange two words, the person had vanished.
She and the Crown Prince are about to get married. This girl, who has been getting too close to the Crown Prince, lives in the Crown Prince's residence and doesn't know how to restrain herself. She almost hurt the Third Prince.
In Shengjing, even the smallest matter concerning a noble family becomes a major scandal once it gets out, let alone palace secrets. Perhaps it was the Third Prince's doing, but now everyone inside and outside the palace knows that the Crown Prince's residence has gained a beautiful and chivalrous female swordswoman.
Imperial power and the martial arts world are equally mysterious. Once they are linked together again, they can easily stir up gossip and attention in the streets and alleys.
The Crown Prince and Gu Shanyue are now like Emperor Yong and Wu Shanyu back then.
If that's really the case, she might end up even worse off than Consort Rong in the future.
Yu Jingshu didn't understand what the greatest swordsman in the world was. She only knew that power was like sandstorms, overwhelming when it was strong, but disappearing in the blink of an eye, and one could be swallowed up if one wasn't careful.
Neither she nor the Yu family wanted another Empress Wu to appear in the palace.
Yu Jingshu was unwilling to give up. After thinking it over, she also walked towards the Crown Prince's courtyard.
The Crown Prince's residence was heavily guarded, and even after she identified herself, she was still not allowed to enter after being informed by her servants.
"His Highness has caught a cold and is resting due to illness. He is not seeing anyone. Please ask Miss Yu to come and visit him another day."
Yu Jingshu was surprised and doubtful, wondering if what he said was true or false.
If no one is being seen, what about Gu Shanyue? She just said she wanted to see the Crown Prince; was she also stopped at the door?
Just as I was thinking of her, a figure walked past in the courtyard. It was Gu Shanyue. Her expression was slightly cold as she walked very quickly.
Following behind Gu Shanyue was Bai Yan, the Right Guard Commander of the Eastern Palace. As the Crown Prince's personal official, he represented the Crown Prince's image in public.
Even when facing her, the future Crown Princess, Bai Yan was never polite and always handled business professionally. But in front of Gu Shanyue, he bowed and smiled, his demeanor practically fawning.
It turns out that Bai Yan wasn't so upright as to be arrogant; rather, it was because Yu Jingshu wasn't considered high-ranking in the eyes of the officials in the Eastern Palace.
But this commoner girl, whose appearance and demeanor clearly indicated she was from the martial arts world, earned them even more respect than she did.
The reason is obvious, and she doesn't need to test it.
The superiors set an example for the inferiors; it's simply a matter of the crown prince's favoritism.
Yu Jingshu's eyes changed color several times. Suppressing her anger, she turned and left.
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