Chapter 39 "You." "What are you thinking about every day?...
"I..." Qi Baitong steadied her breathing, her voice hoarse, her dark eyes flickering slightly, "I have a scar, and it's ugly."
Gu Shanyue laughed in exasperation: "Why do you remember such a clear sentence?"
She tugged at his clothes, but Qi Baitong wouldn't let go.
"Then what was with you taking off your clothes and tying yourself up with leather ropes last time? Weren't you afraid of looking ugly?" Gu Shanyue questioned.
Qi Baitong's face flushed red, and she said in a low voice, "It's different."
Gu Shanyue pinched his cheek: "What's the difference? Aren't you all still you?"
After holding it in for a while, Qi Baitong finally stammered, "That time there was a leather cord decoration, but this time there isn't..."
Gu Shanyue was speechless: "...What do you think about every day?"
"you."
Gu Shanyue clicked his tongue: "What about me?"
Qi Baitong looked away: "It's nothing."
Gu Shanyue thought for a moment, then took out the pearl from her bosom and casually stuffed it into his clothes.
The pearl was quite heavy, cool and smooth, and slid down her chest. Qi Baitong was so startled that she jumped back and hurriedly pulled the pearl out, her movements clumsy.
"What's this?"
Gu Shanyue casually replied, "A big pearl, of course."
Qi Baitong knew these were pearls, of course. What he wanted to ask was, "Why are you giving them to me?"
“I’ve heard from the female disciples of Wanhua Diegu that pearl powder can beautify and nourish the skin. Since you love beauty so much, it’s perfect for you to use.”
Gu Shanyue sat up, casually patting his tense abdomen with a nonchalant air.
Qi Baitong shuddered from the slap, her ears turning bright red: "So you're going to give it to me?"
"It's just a pearl, take it if I give it to you, what's with all this talk about giving it away?" Gu Shanyue said indifferently. "Grind it into powder, you can eat it or apply it, it should be effective. If you don't know, just ask Xifeng, he knows about these things."
Qi Baitong shook her head, a smile playing on her lips, and solemnly placed the pearl in her palm.
This was the first gift Gu Shanyue had given him; how could he grind it into powder? He wanted to treasure it.
The following day, the Crown Prince's residence was unusually lively. Li Yuheng did not attend to political affairs, but instead invited the best opera troupe in Shengjing to perform at his residence. He did not host a banquet for anyone, but only invited Gu Shanyue.
Gu Shanyue gladly went. It was already late autumn, and the chrysanthemums in the garden were in full bloom, a beautiful sight.
A cool autumn breeze blew, and a small stove was set up under the stage, where tea was brewed and fruit was roasted, filling the air with a sweet aroma.
"Sister, come quick."
Li Yuheng pulled Gu Shanyue to sit down and took a few roasted chestnuts from the stove, placing them in front of Gu Shanyue.
"Try it. I remember you used to always buy roasted chestnuts from the foot of Aishan Mountain. Today we'll roast them ourselves."
The aroma of ripe chestnuts wafted through the air. Gu Shanyue sniffed it but didn't touch them.
Qi Baitong hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, half-squatting down and snapping open the chestnuts with quick, efficient movements, as if she were completely unaware of the heat of the chestnuts that had just been taken out of the stove.
Peel back the brown fuzzy layer of the chestnut to reveal the golden-brown, steaming chestnut kernel, which has an even richer, sweet aroma.
Qi Baitong glanced at Gu Shanyue, who immediately opened her mouth and exclaimed, "Ah~"
Qi Baitong: "..."
That's not what I meant.
The Crown Prince had warned him many times that if he continued to personally feed Gu Shanyue chestnuts in front of the Crown Prince, he would probably offend this petty Crown Prince again.
Gu Shanyue hadn't received the chestnuts yet, and her mouth was still open as she stared at him with her clear black and white eyes, as if she were urging him in a daze.
With just one glance, Qi Baitong placed the chestnut kernel to Gu Shanyue's lips.
Compared to Gu Shanyue, what is the Crown Prince? Even if he would be punished in the future, he was unwilling to go against Gu Shanyue's wishes.
Seasonal chestnuts are sweet, soft, and chewy, with a smoky aroma from being roasted over a flame—they taste absolutely delicious.
After Gu Shanyue finished eating one, Qi Baitong peeled open another, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to Gu Shanyue's mouth.
The two of them just squatted and sat like that, one peeling and the other eating, without saying a word, yet their interaction was incredibly natural.
It gives the impression that this is their ordinary daily routine, as if they have done this action millions of times.
Li Yuheng stared intently at them, the small clips in his hand creaking under his grip, but he still couldn't suppress the anger in his heart.
What a cunning Qi Baitong! She dares to fawn over him like this in front of him, and who knows how she'll trick Gu Shanyue into falling for her tricks behind his back.
Gu Shanyue ate several chestnuts without showing any intention of helping himself.
Qi Baitong was incredibly patient. He even put down the chestnuts halfway through and placed the tea next to Gu Shanyue, saying in a low voice, "Drink some tea, don't choke."
His words were full of concern.
Li Yuheng finally snapped out of his rage, barely managing to suppress his fury, and gave Gu Shanyue a smile.
"It turns out my sister only eats the peeled ones; I was the one who overlooked that."
Gu Shanyue took a few sips of tea and waved his hand: "If someone is willing to peel it, of course I'm willing to eat it."
Aside from her sword, she tends to keep things as simple as possible, too lazy to expend much effort on anything else. But if someone takes care of all her trivial matters from beginning to end, making her feel comfortable and at ease, she will naturally feel relieved and at ease.
There has never been such a person.
“Sister is right, I’ll peel it for you too.”
While talking to Gu Shanyue, Li Yuheng kept an eye on Qi Baitong. He reached his hand directly at the chestnuts that had just been taken out of the fire. The chestnut shells were so hot that Li Yuheng cried out and pulled his hand back.
Qi Baitong had just peeled a chestnut and was about to hand it forward when Gu Shanyue reached out to check on Li Yuheng and knocked it away.
He looked at the yellow chestnuts that had rolled to the ground, covered in dust, and his fingers curled up helplessly.
She wasn't trying to knock the chestnuts out of his hand; she was just anxious to check on Li Yuheng's condition.
Rather than her being completely ignored by others, he would rather Gu Shanyue dislike him.
Did you burn your hand?
Gu Shanyue pressed down on Li Yuheng's wrist and looked down at him.
"Hmm, the chestnut shell is too hot."
Li Yuheng's lips twitched slightly downwards, as if he were aggrieved, but his eyes were filled with joy and satisfaction.
See? As soon as something happens to him, Gu Shanyue immediately stops paying attention to others and only focuses on him.
He was the most special person to her.
"It's red from the heat, go rinse it with water."
Gu Shanyue pulled Li Yuheng to her feet and walked towards the house next door. She didn't look back at Qi Baitong even once until they entered the house.
On the contrary, Li Yuheng turned around and glanced at them from afar, a smirk playing on his lips, full of disdain and arrogance.
Qi Baitong slowly lowered her head, who had been looking around, and quietly knelt in place, waiting for her to return.
Gu Shanyue rinsed Li Yuheng's fingers with water, and they were no longer so red, nor did they develop blisters.
"Okay, it should be fine. Just be more careful next time."
Li Yuheng was frail in his youth, and often a minor injury or illness could turn into a serious illness if he didn't pay attention to it, leaving him bedridden. That's why Gu Shanyue was so worried.
Although Li Yuheng was several years younger than her, she always had a feeling that Li Yuheng would die before her.
She wanted Li Yuheng to live to be a hundred years old, and wanted to be able to see this face and this person forever.
As Gu Shanyue was about to leave, Li Yuheng pulled her back, pointed to the ointment, and asked, "Sister, won't you help me apply this ointment?"
Gu Shanyue looked at the ointment, then at Li Yuheng.
"Alright."
Let's just wipe it.
She bent down to apply medicine to Li Yuheng's reddened fingers. The ointment was pale green and had a refreshing scent of chrysanthemum and green tea.
Li Yuheng propped his face up with his other hand, watching with a smile as Gu Shanyue applied the medicine to him.
As soon as Gu Shanyue looked up, he frowned and pretended to be in excruciating pain.
"Wipe slower, it hurts." She still had to whine and plead.
Gu Shanyue applied medicine to him, sweating profusely. After finally wiping it off, she pinched Li Yuheng's face with her fragrant fingers.
"Why are you so delicate? I would have thought you were seriously injured."
A tiny burn, and they're making a huge fuss about it.
Thinking of this, Gu Shanyue suddenly recalled the image of Qi Baitong in the west room, covered in whip marks, yet still calmly applying medicine to herself...
"Sister, sister?" Li Yuheng called out to her.
Gu Shanyue snapped out of her daze: "Hmm?"
"What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought that you can't even hear me?" Li Yuheng asked with a smile.
Gu Shanyue shook her head and said only, "Let's go back and listen to the opera." Qi Baitong was still waiting there.
Li Yuheng's eyes darkened, but his smile remained on his face: "Okay."
After saying this, he glanced at Bai Yan, who was standing silently in the corner, and Bai Yan quietly left.
Gu Shanyue had just stood up when a figure rushed over: "A-Yue!"
The jewelry and beads jingled and clanged; who else could it be?
Gu Shanyue embraced her tightly, a smile appearing in her eyes: "Yaoguang, what brings you here?"
Li Yaoguang lifted his face in her arms, holding her tightly and swaying her back and forth.
“I heard about what happened at the Prince of Pingliao’s residence. I was worried about you, so my brother, the Crown Prince, invited me to see you today and have a chat.”
Gu Shanyue glanced at Li Yuheng, who was watching them from the side. Li Yuheng smiled at her, revealing a pair of tiger teeth, looking as obedient as could be.
Gu Shanyue said casually, "It's nothing serious, don't worry."
“How can it not be a big deal? You have no idea how outrageous the news about you storming the banquet of the Prince of Pingliao has spread in Shengjing. Everyone thought you were going to kill someone.”
Li Yaoguang spoke with great conviction.
Gu Shanyue chuckled and pulled away Li Yaoguang, who was clinging to her and refusing to let go.
"I have no grudge against the King of Pingliao for killing anyone."
“I think so too. The Pingliao Prince’s family has been unlucky enough, and I’ve never heard of you having a grudge against them. But those powerful figures in Shengjing don’t believe it. They’re not afraid of anything, except death, and they’re most afraid of a chivalrous knight like you who can kill without hesitation. The rumors are spreading like wildfire, and some people have even come to me asking me to give them a heads-up. Give them a heads-up? Don’t tell me I don’t know anything. Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell them about you. The two of us are the best…”
Li Yaoguang chattered away, pulling Gu Shanyue to sit down. Once she started talking, she wouldn't stop, not even having time to drink a sip of tea.
No one noticed that Li Yuheng had quietly left.
"These people are really boring. They have nothing better to do than ask around all day," Gu Shanyue snorted, showing little sympathy for the so-called powerful and influential people of Shengjing.
“It’s so boring. It’s much simpler and more enjoyable for me to tease the beauties every day,” Li Yaoguang said smugly, but then remembered his purpose and pressed on, “What exactly happened that day? Why did you break into the banquet of the King of Pingliao?”
"Qi Baitong's needle-piercing Gu has flared up. Yu'er has his antidote, and I need to go ask him about it."
When Li Yaoguang asked, Gu Shanyue answered, showing no awareness whatsoever that this was a palace secret.
"Gu? Gu worms? Why would Qi Baitong have such a thing inside her body?"
Li Yaoguang had only seen this kind of poisonous insect in storybooks. Hearing this, he was shocked and shrank closer to Gu Shanyue.
Gu Shanyue patted her head to comfort her: "It's a method of the Imperial City Guard. The court uses it to control the secret guards. Back then, this needle-threading gu was infamous in the martial arts world. Senior sister burned down the gu worm cave of the Blood Mirage Tower. I never expected that the court would secretly keep the gu worms and use them on their own people."
In the end, Gu Shanyue's tone betrayed his disgust.
Li Yaoguang clicked his tongue in disapproval and sighed, "This palace looks magnificent, gathering the most dazzling power and wealth in the world, but who knows how many dirty things are hidden inside? I'm used to it all."
Gu Shanyue nodded: "That's true."
Back when my senior sister was still alive, Li Yuheng, as the crown prince, was still suffering from a strange poison. To this day, the cause and the culprit have not been found, which shows how many treacherous tricks are within the palace walls.
Li Yaoguang took a sip of tea, still curious, and leaned closer to ask, "I've never seen a Gu worm attack before. How is it different from a regular poisoning attack?"
Gu Shanyue paused briefly, recalling the horrific state of Qi Baitong when the poison took effect.
"Gu worms are more vicious than ordinary poisons. Once implanted, they are difficult to get rid of and completely eradicate. This needle-threading Gu worm flares up once a month. Antidotes can only suppress it temporarily. When it flares up, the Gu worm wreaks havoc in the body, tormenting the person until their tendons twist and their body stiffens, their skin is covered with red spots, and all the tiny veins burst and bleed..."
Li Yaoguang's eyes widened in disbelief. Usually, when she asked others the same question, she was either given a perfunctory answer or a response that sounded like it was meant to comfort a child. If she got angry, they would have a reason to say that it was for her own good, and that it would be too much for a young lady to hear such things.
Only Gu Shanyue was different; Gu Shanyue told her the truth.
Upon hearing the last sentence, Li Yaoguang's expression suddenly changed. The excitement and curiosity of listening to gossip faded from his face, and the color drained away, leaving his face pale.
"What's wrong with you?" Gu Shanyue placed her hand on Li Yaoguang's shoulder.
She was actually trembling.
“I…A-Yue, I…”
Li Yaoguang stammered, unable to finish her sentence, her eyes filled with horror.
"Tell me anything, and I'll do my best to solve it." Gu Shanyue held her hand firmly.
Since seeing Li Yaoguang again, she has been cheerful and carefree every day, and has never shown the fearful and uneasy expression she had in her childhood.
What could have possibly frightened her like this?
"It wasn't me, it was Lady Wu..."
With just one sentence, Gu Shanyue's expression changed instantly, his eyes gleaming like a storm gathering on the sea.
"What do you mean? What does this have to do with my senior sister?"
Li Yaoguang's thoughts were in complete disarray; he gestured with his hands and spoke incoherently.
“When Lady Wu was seriously ill, she also had these small red spots on her body, covering a large area. I’ve seen them. The red spots would disappear after a while, and then reappear after a while. I even asked Lady Wu what they were, and she said… she said…”
"say what!"
Gu Shanyue grabbed Li Yaoguang by the collar, barely able to contain his murderous intent.
Tears welled up in Li Yaoguang's eyes: "She said it was from insect bites..."
Young Li Yaoguang genuinely thought it was an insect bite, so at night he climbed onto Wushanyu's bed with a fan to fan her, which woke her up.
The emaciated Wu Shanyu was already having trouble sleeping. Li Yaoguang woke her up, but she wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, she asked gently, "What are you doing, Yaoguang? Is it too hot in the palace?"
Li Yaoguang, speaking in his childish voice, said earnestly, "I'm going to fan away all the bad bugs so they won't bite the Empress!"
Wu Shanyu was amused by her, so she hugged her and gently patted her little body to lull her to sleep.
When Li Yaoguang opened her eyes in the middle of the night, she saw Wu Shanyu covered in sweat, curled up in the quilt, stiff and unable to move. She called out, "Your Majesty..." but her eyes were gently covered by a hand.
"My dear Yaoguang, go to sleep..."
Author's Note: A quick announcement
You can start requesting side stories now! If you have any side stories you'd like to see mentioned, please leave a comment below my pinned post. I'll write them when I have inspiration. [doge emoji with rose in hand]
And there's the classic couples' Q&A segment! If you have any questions you'd like your partner to answer, just reply to the pinned post, and we'll generally record them all~ Mwah~
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