Chapter 5: Grudges and Enmity Lead to No Joy "What are you doing with my undergarments...?"
"Speaking of which, this matter has something to do with you. Some bastard surnamed Sun was harassing your fiancée, and I just happened to run into him," Gu Shanyue said, her eyes full of disgust.
"So that's how it is. The Sun family and Kaiyang are close, so it's understandable that they would do such a thing." Li Yuheng was not surprised when he heard this and sighed softly.
Gu Shanyue noticed: "What is Kaiyang?"
“He is the third son of the Emperor, born to Consort Rong. He dislikes me and often opposes me.”
Li Yuheng pouted as if complaining, revealing a touch of naivety that reminded Gu Shanyue of how pitifully he was bullied when he first arrived at Zhuoguang Mountain.
"Consort Rong?"
Gu Shanyue squinted; she remembered this person.
Consort Rong used to always pick on her senior sister, openly and subtly mocking her background. Now her son is causing trouble for Li Yuheng; they are truly a detestable family.
"I'll go and kill them, mother and child." Gu Shanyue, his hand on the long sword at his waist, immediately stood up.
Li Yuheng quickly grabbed the person: "Sister, sister! Wait a minute!"
Gu Shanyue turned around, her brows furrowed: "What are you waiting for now?"
“You mustn’t kill me,” Li Yuheng explained, gripping her sleeve tightly. “If you make a move, everyone will know it’s about us, and then I’m afraid I’ll be disliked by my father.”
"oh."
Gu Shanyue sat down.
It's always like this.
Just as Consort Rong could not be killed back then, Li Kaiyang cannot be killed now.
This is why she disliked the palace.
There's only hatred and resentment, no joy or satisfaction; a person would suffocate in a place like this.
After a long silence, Li Yuheng asked, "Did you see Yu Jingshu?"
Gu Shanyue replied, "Of course I saw it."
After a brief pause, Li Yuheng stared at Gu Shanyue's face: "What do you think of her?"
“She’s quite a pretty girl,” Gu Shanyue replied without hesitation.
Li Yuheng stared at her for a while, then sighed, "Sister doesn't understand anything."
"What do you expect me to know?" Gu Shanyue slapped away the hand that was reaching out to him.
It's one thing for my senior sister to say that, but Li Yuheng, a mere teenager, always puts on airs in front of her.
If he weren't so easily beaten, Gu Shanyue would have punched him long ago.
Li Yuheng smiled with narrowed eyes, like a smooth-furred little fox, and said with great seriousness, "The women in Shengjing are very frightening. They look beautiful, but they are all very capable."
"You're such a coward," Gu Shanyue scoffed, not taking his words to heart. "How powerful are they? They can't even lift a knife or a stick. What can they do to you?"
"Knives, guns, and clubs aren't the only weapons that can kill."
Li Yuheng's lips twitched, and when he met Gu Shanyue's puzzled gaze, he suddenly changed the subject.
"There will be a banquet at the manor in a couple of days. Would you like to come?"
"I'm not going."
Gu Shanyue refused outright.
Li Yuheng: "We will invite the best opera troupe from Shengjing to perform."
Gu Shanyue: "Which day?"
Li Yuheng chuckled softly, "How could they be so easily fooled?"
"I will personally pick you up for the banquet, so you won't miss it."
Without giving it any further thought, Gu Shanyue replied, "Okay."
After finishing their business, Li Yuheng kept her occupied for a while longer, mostly chatting about trivial matters.
Gu Shanyue chatted with him casually, and at the end, he yawned without any attempt to hide it.
"You talk too much, you're making me sleepy." She rubbed her eyes.
Li Yuheng was slightly taken aback, then laughed: "It's my fault, sister, go back and get some rest."
"Um."
Gu Shanyue got up and left, without even closing the door behind him.
Li Yuheng sat there for a while, then burst out laughing.
Having been the crown prince for so long, he had almost forgotten the days when he relied entirely on Gu Shanyue at Zhuoguang Mountain.
At that time, he didn't have to think about anything or care about anything; he was just a child who drank medicine every day.
Unfortunately, Gu Shanyue was also young, and she was overwhelmed with taking care of a child, having no idea how to take care of someone.
A dusty-faced girl, carrying a weak, wailing child, chased rabbits and caught pheasants all over the mountains, then crawled into a tree or cave to sleep for the night.
The two of them were living in a mess.
It wasn't until he grew a little older that things improved slightly. It's hard to say whether Gu Shanyue took care of him more or he took care of Gu Shanyue more.
During the two years he was away from her, he lived a life of luxury, but in the dead of night, he still longed for Zhuoguang Mountain.
I miss her.
Fortunately, she returned to his side.
Now that you're back, you won't leave again, right?
Gu Shanyue returned to the small courtyard. The light in the west room was off, but the light in the main hall was on. Gu Shanyue stepped in, and Qi Baitong was bending down to set out the bowls and chopsticks. As soon as he saw Gu Shanyue, he immediately put down what he was holding and bowed.
Gu Shanyue waved his hand, glanced at the table full of dishes, but couldn't figure out what they were, so he sat down and started eating.
She was indeed hungry.
After taking a few bites, she suddenly realized that it was actually quite delicious. She always ate whatever was available, and it didn't matter what she ate.
"This dish tastes good," she remarked casually.
Qi Baitong nodded: "If you like it, Miss, I will prepare it again tomorrow."
"OK."
Gu Shanyue ate for a while, and Qi Baitong was still standing in front of her. Just as she was about to tell him to go back to sleep, she suddenly remembered: "Have you eaten?"
"Never."
"..."
Seeing Qi Baitong's unmoving demeanor, she thought he had already eaten.
Gu Shanyue asked in confusion, "Then why are you just watching me eat? Why don't you sit down and eat with me?"
Qi Baitong opened his mouth: "Your subordinate..."
"Shut up, sit down, and eat."
Gu Shanyue was too lazy to listen to his constant "I dare not, I dare not," it annoyed her. He was like a rat that had become a spirit, daring not to do this or that.
Qi Baitong remained silent, hesitated for a moment, and then sat down.
He was a tall, imposing man who sat down with his legs together, eating in small bites, exuding elegance and refinement.
Gu Shanyue found it amusing and lightly kicked his knee.
Qi Baitong raised her eyes, her pupils clear and bright, with a hint of confusion: "Miss?"
He didn't dodge, letting Gu Shanyue kick his legs apart little by little.
Gu Shanyue withdrew his foot with satisfaction, while Qi Baitong was about to put his legs together again.
"Is it that crowded?" Gu Shanyue clicked her tongue and ordered, "Spread your legs."
Qi Baitong trembled her eyelashes, slowly moved her legs apart, and blushed at the tips of her ears.
"That's more like it. I wonder how your master taught you."
Gu Shanyue muttered something to herself and then buried her head in her food.
Most of the last table of food ended up in Gu Shanyue's stomach. Qi Baitong ate delicately, often adding rice and soup for Gu Shanyue, but didn't eat much at all.
After Gu Shanyue finished eating, Qi Baitong also put down his chopsticks. Gu Shanyue glanced at him up and down and beckoned to him: "Come here."
The white lacquer tree obediently moved over.
Gu Shanyue raised her hand and touched his waist and abdomen, groping up and down.
Qi Baitong's body stiffened, his abdominal muscles hardening like stone in an instant, and he dared not move, as if afraid of startling Gu Shanyue.
Gu Shanyue patted him back and forth: "You haven't eaten enough. Next time, have them prepare more food."
She had no concept of gender segregation and rarely went down Zhuoguang Mountain before. Most of her experience in interacting with people came from her senior sister and Li Yuheng.
When they were little, my senior sister would touch her belly like this to see if she was full. She used to touch Li Yuheng's belly like this to see if he was full.
At this moment, she regarded Qi Baitong as an old friend and disciple, and naturally did not feel that such behavior was overly intimate.
Qi Baitong's ears burned red from being touched, and finally he stammered, "Yes."
He forgot to mention that he was the one who prepared the meal.
At night, the two washed up and went to bed separately. Gu Shanyue found that the bath water was more comfortable than before. The temperature was just right, and the fragrance was subtle. Soaking in it, her body felt relaxed for the first time in a long time.
Like trees bathing in the rain, it's a very enjoyable experience, even if you don't know why.
Gu Shanyue happily took a bath and went to bed.
In the west room, Qi Baitong was still tidying up.
The thought that Gu Shanyue might suddenly walk into his room like today made him unconsciously tidy up with extra care.
After cleaning up, he still needed to apply medicine to himself.
The Inner Guard was known for its strict punishments, and Li Yuheng was a smiling tiger who appeared to be a gentleman to his subordinates but secretly employed all sorts of tricks.
He had been at the Crown Prince's residence for several days, and new wounds kept appearing on his body.
Just as he undressed, Qi Baitong's ears twitched, and he suddenly heard the sound of a sword ringing from the inner room.
Oh no, it's Gu Shanyue!
He immediately drew his knife and rushed out, bursting into the inner room.
The inner room was quiet, and there was no thief as he had imagined.
The clear moonlight shone through the window lattice, revealing Gu Shanyue with his black hair loose and wearing only a thin nightgown.
Qi Baitong's hand trembled, and the blade struck the door frame.
Gu Shanyue turned around upon hearing the sound, her black hair flowing like water, revealing a handsome and refined face.
Her pupils were light and deep, and her eyelids were thin and delicate, so thin that you could almost see the blood vessels and veins under her skin, like a shimmering white flower bathed in moonlight.
Qi Baitong's mind went blank for a moment. She instinctively looked up to see the face, but then remembered the commotion from earlier and hurriedly asked, "Did someone break in?"
Gu Shanyue pointed the tip of his sword at him, tilting his head and saying, "You?"
Qi Baitong paused for a moment: "I didn't mean to break in. I just heard Wugou being drawn..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw two centipedes writhing on the ground, their countless legs rising and falling in dense clusters. They were cut in two but were still alive.
Qi Baitong immediately tore off a piece of her hem to wrap around her hand, swiftly reached out and grabbed the two nimble, crawling centipedes, took them out to clean them, and then carefully washed her hands before returning.
Gu Shanyue was sitting at the table, wiping his sword with a displeased expression in the moonlight.
It's dirty again, and it's a centipede.
Qi Baitong stood by the door, watched silently for a while, then lit two lamps for her and placed them beside her.
The dimly lit room brightened up, and Gu Shanyue blinked, changed direction, and continued wiping the sword by the candlelight.
Two thin strips of cloth dangled down from the sword, and Qi Baitong glanced at them.
Something's not right.
Upon closer inspection, he realized what it was, and his ears turned bright red.
"Miss, please wait a moment. I'll go and prepare a fine cloth for you to wipe your sword."
Gu Shanyue was focused on cleaning his sword and ignored his words.
Qi Baitong hurriedly left, prepared several pieces of fine cotton cloth, wiped the sweat from his face at the door, and then went inside.
"Miss, the cloth for wiping the sword is ready..."
Gu Shanyue glanced at the finely cut cloth in his hand, then at the small garment in his hand, which was not only irregularly shaped but also had slightly raised embroidery on the edges.
Compared to this, the only advantage of the little garment is its softness.
She nodded in agreement: "The fabric you chose is good."
Qi Baitong didn't know how to answer, so he handed the fine cloth forward.
Gu Shanyue casually tossed aside the small garment, picked up a fine cotton cloth, and slowly wiped the sword.
Qi Baitong stood stiffly for a while before slowly bending down, pinching the strap of her undergarment with her fingers, and lifting it off her boots.
After picking it up, he froze, completely unsure what to do with the soft fabric.
Gu Shanyue didn't give him any instructions. In her eyes, any cloth was just cloth, and any cloth that could be used to wipe a sword was a good cloth.
As for the undergarments, in her eyes they were no different from outer garments.
Gu Shanyue wiped the sword very carefully, while also applying gentle pressure. Any tiny speck stuck to the sword could scratch its mirror-like surface if wiped too hard.
Even after Gu Shanyue finished wiping the sword, he couldn't find a single stain in the candlelight. Qi Baitong was still standing there, holding a strip of cloth between two fingers, like a stiff piece of wood that had been struck by lightning.
"Aren't you going back to sleep?" Gu Shanyue asked curiously, her gaze falling on his hand, even more puzzled. "What are you doing with my undergarments?"
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