Chapter 13 Princess
Perhaps because he was in a much better mood, Chu Wangshu took his medicine on time every day, and Shen Qingmeng also made him different kinds of food. Chu Wangshu was much better overall. Apart from still being blind, he had almost no discomfort on weekdays.
However, once outside the attic, they still had to put on an act. No matter where they went, Chu Wangshu would lean on Shen Qingmeng, despite being over eight feet tall, he always looked like he had no bones.
However, Shen Qingmeng felt she liked Chu Wangshu even more this way. Perhaps, if he were just an ordinary young master from a wealthy family, he would naturally have this kind of personality.
Shen Qingmeng made some candied fruits: candied dates, dried peaches, and candied kumquats—anything could be cooked in one pot. Chu Wangshu wasn't picky; he liked them all. After the syrup boiled down, the fruits were picked out one by one and placed on a plate to dry. Chu Wangshu kept his arm around Shen Qingmeng's waist, his head resting on her shoulder.
Shen Qingmeng picked up a date, tore off a small piece of flesh, and fed it to Chu Wangshu: "The Grand Preceptor is so clingy. When I was gone for more than half a year, didn't I almost fall ill from lovesickness?"
"It's not that it's not almost there, it's just that I miss you so much," Chu Wangshu confessed. "It's so sweet, have another piece."
"Then why didn't you say something to me? Maybe if you had said something, I would have wanted to stay in the capital with you." Shen Qingmeng removed the pit from the date and stuffed the whole one into Chu Wangshu's hands.
Chu Wangshu had a jujube stuffed in her mouth. She chewed it a few times before swallowing. "You should do what you want to do, instead of being confined to this small place called the Astrology Pavilion by me."
"Well, alright, it's a difficult choice after all." Whether to travel the world with her father or become a guest at the Astrology Pavilion, Shen Qingmeng was unsure of her choice.
Shen Qingmeng fed Chu Wangshu another kumquat, "But staying with you is also something I want to do."
"What if I never see it?"
“Then I’ll have a blind man who can serve me personally for the rest of my life. Whether she’s a princess of a fallen kingdom or a young lady from a security escort agency, it shouldn’t be difficult for her to support a husband.” Shen Qingmeng said, then picked up a piece of peach and fed it to Chu Wangshu.
"I hope I didn't eat them all before they were even dry!"
"It's not that bad. I made five catties of fruit. You can't possibly eat it all in three days, can you?" Shen Qingmeng arranged the fruit, licked her fingers, and thought, "Tsk, this is too sweet. I really don't understand why Chu Wangshu likes to eat such sweet things. "Besides, if we run out, we can just make more. It's not a hassle."
"Qingmeng, do you still want to work as a bodyguard in the future?"
"Not necessarily. It's actually quite dangerous, and being with those men is smelly."
Upon hearing this, Chu Wangshu subconsciously released Shen Qingmeng and sniffed himself.
“I wasn’t talking about you. You don’t have to do manual labor all day and get all sweaty,” Shen Qingmeng turned around, stood on tiptoe, and gently pecked Chu Wangshu’s cheek. “You smell good.”
On the first day of July, while enjoying Mr. Blind's exclusive massage service, Shen Qingmeng witnessed Yun Mo arresting someone.
However, the person had no intention of killing her. She wasn't even carrying a weapon, and after Yunmo pinned her down, she slid slightly across the terrace.
"Didn't you say I was the only one who slipped?"
"I'm innocent! I didn't lie to you. You're the first one now."
The woman suddenly turned to Shen Qingmeng, knelt on one knee and bowed: "Greetings, Your Highness the Princess."
Shen Qingmeng sat up in surprise: "Wasn't I a princess? How did I become a county princess again?"
"You are the eldest granddaughter of the Queen of Cangning, and naturally the most honorable princess of Cangning."
Shen Qingmeng sat up and whispered in Chu Wangshu's ear, "Do all people... who are connected to the royal family play such elaborate games?"
Chu Wangshu was so frightened that she immediately raised her hands: "...I didn't."
The woman said that Shen Qingmeng's mother was Princess Cangning. She had infiltrated the Qing Kingdom's palace to hide her identity, but was unexpectedly taken into the harem by Emperor Qing. She died tragically after her identity was exposed.
So, in just one month, Shen Qingmeng gained a father who became the emperor and a grandmother who became a female ruler.
"Why don't you... just stop acknowledging me?" After hearing this, Shen Qingmeng felt that Lady Cangning must hate Emperor Qing to the extreme, and she was just a consequence of that.
"Your Highness is too kind to me. I have come here on the orders of the Queen to seek out Your Highness and Mr. Chu to conspire on a grand plan."
"How would they know you would help Cang Ning? It can't be because you were intimate with me, right?" Shen Qingmeng had never imagined that such power struggles and intrigues would appear in her life. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was completely confused right now.
"Mr. Chu did not reveal what Cang Ning was planning. I guess that you also think that the things done by the Qing Kingdom are mostly unjust."
"What can I gain? If someone else takes power, they can still use the Chu family's destiny to defy fate," Chu Wangshu shook his head. "Whether they change or not, it's meaningless."
The woman presented a token: "The Queen has said that this token is given to the Princess and Mr. Chu as a gift. As long as your request can be fulfilled, the Queen will keep her word."
"What are your thoughts?" Chu Wangshu asked Shen Qingmeng. "Do you want to agree?"
"Hmm." Shen Qingmeng responded, but what she was thinking was: What are you pretending for? Haven't you been waiting for Cang Ning's people to come for the past few days? It's so tiring to talk to these people.
Chu Wangshu continued, "Then, what do you want?"
"It seems like nothing. Just don't lock me up and make me some kind of princess. Then I'll set you free."
"Oh right, if I have the chance to kill the old emperor, I'll do it." Shen Qingmeng had always wanted to kill this wicked old man with her own hands to avenge Shen Ning, Chu Wangshu, and her mother, whom she barely remembered.
“If Your Majesty agrees to what Qingmeng has said, I am willing to help Cangning.”
The woman was thrown down the mountain by Yunmo. Chu Wangshu said that if you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. This assassin should be no different from anyone else.
"What's next?" After Yunmo left, Shen Qingmeng lay back down on the bed.
"wait."
"Hey, what are you waiting for? Tell me the whole thing, I can't stand you guys talking in riddles all the time."
"When Consort Li in the palace finds an opportunity to come to the Astrology Pavilion and scold me, so that the Emperor can completely believe that Cang Ning is dead, then Your Majesty can make the next move."
Shen Qingmeng still couldn't figure out what she and Chu Wangshu needed to do in this power struggle. "What do you need us to do?"
"Do your best to protect yourself. I will send the defense plans of various checkpoints in Daqing to Cang Ning in a few days."
"You even know this!"
“Every city was captured by me; no one knows it better than me.”
"But why..."
“I was told from birth that I should live for Daqing, and every divination was a duty I was obliged to fulfill. Before the emperor went too far, I never thought there was anything wrong with it, or rather, I dared not think about it, for fear that it would be even more difficult to deal with myself if I did.”
“But it shouldn’t have to be tortured like this…” Shen Qingmeng gently stroked Chu Wangshu’s thin spine, the protruding bone segments seemed to be telling her how Chu Wangshu had endured day after day over the years.
“Yunmo can only guarantee me a free area in the Astrology Pavilion. Without Cang Ning, I would have no troops and no way to seize power,” Chu Wangshu put his arm around Shen Qingmeng’s waist, as if embracing his only support. “I don’t want this world. Besides, what good would it do if I took it? I would still be scheming every day, with no one by my side.”
"No, I'll stay with you from now on. We'll burn down this dilapidated house and then buy a mansion in a place you like. I'll take you to Wanwan's house for a delicious meal, and we can even go fishing in the moat. Oh, we can also visit a gambling den; I know how to roll dice, so a little gambling is within our budget. Then I can take you to Chunmanlou to broaden your horizons. There are some really beautiful dancers there, and a male prostitute who plays the flute very well..."
"What do you usually do in the capital?" Chu Wangshu suddenly realized that Shen Qingmeng's life seemed to be much richer than he had imagined.
"That's about it. Anyway, I can do anything if I change into men's clothes. Wanwan will be my female companion. She's petite, and it's really comfortable to hold her in my arms."
"When the female ruler ascends the throne, she can do these things while dressed as a woman. I will be your companion then."
"Should I put one in each arm?"
"Hmm... well, it's not impossible."
"You're not jealous of Wanwan, are you?"
Chu Wangshu shook her head, rubbing her forehead. "I'm not that bad."
Although it somewhat ruined the atmosphere, Chu Wangshu thought for a moment and still told Shen Qingmeng the only part of the plan he hadn't mentioned: "Besides what I just said... I also need to die once."
"Then I quit!" Shen Qingmeng sat up on the spot, her emotions running high but her voice still low: "Why would anyone else want you dead if they were the emperor?"
“It’s not like I’m really dead,” Chu Wangshu said, groping to hug Shen Qingmeng. “When Cangning raises an army, the Emperor will definitely ask me to divine how to deal with it. I can take the opportunity to fake my death. Otherwise, no matter how many rulers come and go, as long as the Chu family line in the North is not extinct, there will still be people who covet this special ability.”
Shen Qingmeng confirmed again: "I don't really want you to die."
"no."
"Whatever, let's take it one step at a time. You people live such stressful lives. Why would anyone want to be emperor?"
"If you have different aspirations, you should stay away from these things and live freely and unrestrainedly amidst the mountains and rivers."
"And what about Mr. Chu?"
"Me? I can't do anything except divination."
"If Miss Qingmeng is willing, I am willing to spend the rest of my life at your feet."
Although Chu Wangshu's gaze remained unfocused, his expression was incredibly devout, as if he were making an unbreakable vow.
"What exactly did I fall in love with?" Shen Qingmeng cupped Chu Wangshu's face and kissed his forehead. "You seem like a completely different person compared to when I first met you."
Which one do you like?
"Hmm... I like everything except for the way he looked when he was almost dead a few days ago."
Consort Li arrived much faster than Chu Wangshu had imagined. It seemed that Emperor Qing was eager to verify just how much hatred Cang Ning harbored towards Chu Wangshu.
On the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, Chu Wangshu and Shen Qingmeng lay on recliners under the pavilion, swaying back and forth as they listened to the sound of rain.
Chu Wangshu hasn't been feeling well these past few days. Physician Li said that the poison in his body will flare up again soon, but it will probably be completely cleared up after this.
"Tell me if you're not feeling well, and we'll go back and rest." Shen Qingmeng reached out and slipped into Chu Wangshu's "territory," hooking his fingers around his.
"It's okay, but my chest feels a little tight, probably because of the weather."
"Consort Li has arrived!"
A carriage stopped at the gate of the Astrology Pavilion, and a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes stepped out of the carriage.
"Why did you have to come on a rainy day?" Shen Qingmeng sat up reluctantly.
“There’s no rain down there, and I’m afraid that person is regretting why they chose today,” Chu Wangshu said to Shen Qingmeng as she helped him up. “Help me cover my eyes with white silk, so I can look presentable.”
Chu Wangshu chose to receive Murong Lishu in the main hall, a convenient place for everyone to watch the spectacle.
It must be said that Murong Lishu is completely different from when Shen Qingmeng met her in the carriage. Now she looks like a shrewish, domineering, and willful concubine.
Although she had expected it, Shen Qingmeng still found it hard to ignore the foul language. To make matters worse, Chu Wangshu was suffering from the poison at that moment and held Shen Qingmeng's hand tightly, enduring the pain.
“Since Consort Li did not come seeking divination, I, Chu, am unable to quell the resentment in your heart…” Chu Wangshu seemed to have reached his limit, leaning painfully on Shen Qingmeng’s shoulder, spitting out a mouthful of blood, completely losing his strength, “The victor is king… Your Highness… please do not cause any more trouble…”
Upon seeing this, Shen Qingmeng immediately scooped Chu Wangshu up in her arms and hurried back to the pavilion.
She doesn't care about etiquette at all; this is enough for her to go through the motions.
The sound of porcelain shattering came from downstairs, but these were all gifts from Emperor Qing, so no one cared if they broke.
The only person Shen Qingmeng felt sorry for was Chu Wangshu.
With trembling hands, she used a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of Chu Wangshu's mouth.
Chu Wangshu reached out and tried to wipe away Shen Qingmeng's tears: "Why... are you still crying? It's just that you scolded me a few times, and you weren't wrong..."
With a sob in her voice, Shen Qingmeng asked, "Does it still hurt?"
"Perhaps, I spat out a mouthful of poisonous blood," Chu Wangshu shook her head, a forced smile appearing on her lips. "I'm just a little tired."
"From now on, we'll stay far away from these people, as far as we can, and never have anything to do with them again." Shen Qingmeng hugged Chu Wangshu tightly and gently stroked his back.
“Qingmeng, I don’t want this either. I hate war, I hate the struggle for power, but I’ve been trapped here since birth…” All of Chu Wangshu’s strength was an act. Murong Lishu’s words may have been unintentional, but the listener certainly took them to heart. Chu Wangshu’s facade crumbled the moment Shen Qingmeng pulled him into her arms. He sobbed, burying his head in Shen Qingmeng’s shoulder pleadingly, saying, “Take me away, anywhere is fine, I just want to get away from all this…”
"Okay, I'll take you away to see what the outside world is like, to live the life of an ordinary family, and never get involved in these things again."
The rain in the mountains grew heavier and heavier, as if trying to completely wash away the accumulated dust and gloom.
After an unknown amount of time, the sky, washed clean by the torrential rain, revealed patches of sunset clouds, with fiery red and blue-purple clouds meeting, as if enveloping the entire Lingtai Mountain in another world.
Shen Qingmeng gently patted the thin shoulder of the sleeping girl in her arms and said softly, "Chu Wangshu, the rain will clear up, and I will watch the sunset with you then."
Author's Note:
Qingmeng: Who are these people? What are they doing? Don't they get tired of talking like that? [Cracking face]
Chu Wangshu: I only want to be Qingmeng's servant~ [heart eyes]
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