Chapter 21 Chapter 21 “What should I do? I seem to have suddenly forgiven you…”
Jiu Zhao was already annoying.
Seeing the Qingshen Tea made me even more annoyed.
Just because it involves a past event.
In her youth, she was even more mischievous than she is now, but her status as a Divine Princess meant that even Danxun, the female official sent by the Divine Emperor to teach her, couldn't easily reprimand or punish her. After years of headaches, Danxun came up with a solution: punish Jiu Zhao by making her drink a refreshing tea.
Qingshen Tea is cool in nature and has the effect of calming the mind. It is very beneficial for Jiuzhao, who has the true blood of the phoenix and has five senses that are always hot.
However, the Qingshen Tea was extremely bitter, and one sip would make Jiu Zhao lose his appetite for three days and three nights.
This kind of torture is more effective than actual rebuke.
Jiu Zhao was in great pain.
After drinking again and again, she gradually started to have bad ideas about Lan Qi.
Later, whenever she was punished by Aunt Danxuan, she would act like a spoiled child, use threats and inducements, and force Lan Qi to drink for her.
…
With the beginning of the inner demon illusion, Jiu Zhao discovered that Lan Qi's shadow was everywhere in his life.
This realization made Jiu Zhao despise himself even more for his own incompetence.
She just wanted to go back to her bedroom and lie down. When she fell asleep, she would be able to forget all her memories of Lan Qi.
"This tea is extremely bitter. I don't want to drink it."
Pushing away the food box that was handed to him, Jiu Zhao said in a sullen tone, "And which eye of yours saw that I was upset?"
"Both eyes saw it."
Fu Xu raised his hand, rubbed the tip of his finger across the corner of her eye, and asked, "Would you like me to help Your Highness find a mirror?"
The young man's sudden intimate gesture made Jiu Zhao's expression blank.
Soon, her face started to heat up again because of the direct implication in the words.
Thump thump thump!
Without bothering to close the door, she ran to the dressing mirror in the bedroom and looked at her condition.
The person in the mirror had slightly red eyelids, dim eyes, and a heavy heart written all over his head and face.
Jiu Zhao was very embarrassed.
This time, not only was his face hot, but the redness in his eye sockets also spread to his cheekbones and cheeks.
She considered simply locking Fuxu outside the door and waking up tomorrow as if nothing had happened.
Finally, he trotted back, determined to stick to his guns and say, "That's because I passed by the garden on the way back, and some pollen accidentally drifted into my eyes. That's why I did that. Don't talk nonsense without any evidence!"
His tone was so impatient and his speech was so fast, he didn't seem to be calm at all.
Fuxu calmly picked up the food box and said, "Drink it."
"I said I won't drink, so I won't drink!"
"The tea is mixed with milk and multi-flower honey, which Your Highness likes. I have tasted it beforehand and it is not bitter."
"Book--"
The first word he uttered was instantly swallowed in his throat.
Jiu Zhao was a little surprised that Fu Xu actually knew what he liked.
"Your Highness, would you like to try it?"
The young man lowered his voice again and used a request tone as if to negotiate with her.
Jiu Zhao's personality is that he always responds to soft words and never responds to harsh ones.
If someone insists on being tough, she will let him know that the majesty of the goddess cannot be offended.
But if the other party lowers his stance, especially if his usually cold attitude suddenly changes, she will suddenly feel more at a loss.
She rolled her eyes, watching Fuxu's half-closed eyelashes, a look of concession. She hooked her fingers on her belt for a moment, then snorted softly and took the food box. "Did Zhu Ying tell you that I like to drink milk and hundred-flower honey?"
At this time, Fuxu stopped talking again.
Mission accomplished, he returned to his impotent self.
Jiu Zhao felt cheated and couldn't help but whisper, "...How unlovable. All you have is a mouth that preaches and annoys people."
Her seemingly self-talking muttering happened to reach Fuxu's ears. He did not object to this comment, bowed and was about to leave.
"You're not allowed to leave."
Jiu Zhao is obviously not that easy to fool.
She stopped him and quickly came to him. "You have to wait until I finish my tea before taking the food box out. This refreshing tea has a strong aroma, and I don't like food with strong odors left in my bedroom overnight."
"It's just a small matter, Your Highness can just tell the maid."
Fuxu moved aside Jiuzhao and walked towards his temporary residence.
Jiu Zhao once again came up to him like a sticky candy, and said with a straight face: "You are my husband, so I can't order you around?"
Fu Xu stopped walking.
Taking advantage of Fuxu's distraction, Jiuzhao quickly grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back.
The moon was bright and the stars were shining, and the night was quiet. She simply found the steps opposite the bedroom and sat down, shaking Fuxu's sleeves left and right to signal him to sit together.
"Your Highness, this is not in accordance with the law—"
Fuxu was pulled down by Jiuzhao who exerted force suddenly and had to shut his mouth.
He sat silently beside Jiu Zhao, and the maids serving on both sides of the bedroom also tactfully withdrew, leaving the good night to this perfect couple.
When you open the tea lid, the familiar fragrance hits your nose.
Jiu Zhao relaxed Fu Xu, held the teacup in both hands and took a small sip.
The rich taste of milk mixed with the fragrant and sweet honey of various flowers has indeed eliminated most of the unbearable bitterness of Qingshen Tea.
However, the slight bitter aftertaste cast a veil of past memories over Jiu Zhao's mood.
She drank very slowly, finishing half a cup until her hot blood was infected by the tea effect and felt a little cool.
Jiu Zhao suddenly felt that it was boring to have so much to say but no one to talk to.
She raised her eyes, looked out across the square courtyard, and gazed at the vast night sky: "...Am I really that useless?"
"Why do you say that, Your Highness?"
Fu Xu tilted his head slightly.
The look he gave was just the right amount of intensity, not enough to make Jiu Zhao feel uncomfortable.
Jiu Zhao continued to speak slowly, not looking at anyone, "When others enter the illusion, the inner demons they experience are mostly related to the greater good of mankind, but I am the only one troubled by petty love. The most ridiculous thing is that the person who trapped me treats me like a worn-out shoe."
Once he started talking, Jiu Zhao couldn't control himself no matter whether the people around him wanted to listen or not.
"Perhaps I was indeed abominable in the past. I took it for granted that we were family and didn't take trivial matters to heart.
"...Forget it, there's no point in me trying to excuse myself. From childhood to adulthood, I've always been the worst person.
"But even if he hates me and doesn't want to marry me, he can just say it, and I won't pester him. Why did he betray Sanqingtian? Doesn't he care about the Father God's upbringing and the friendship we shared as classmates?"
Jiu Zhao's words were full of confusion, like a child troubled by a problem, seeking answers from his teacher.
But deep down, she knew that she shouldn't seek answers from those around her, and the people she should ask would never give her answers.
The past is the past.
No matter how much you hold a grudge against it, it is just a thing of the past.
Memories have no temperature and no weight. Apart from turning into sharp needles that prick the soul from time to time, they have no other function.
After she finished her story, Fuxu didn't speak for a long time. Jiu Zhao couldn't help but laugh at herself: After all, were she and Fuxu really that familiar with each other? Apart from the thousand years when he treated her according to the will of the Father God, wasn't his avoidance attitude at other times enough to explain his inner likes and dislikes?
"never mind."
After covering the empty teacup and placing it in the food box beside her, Jiu Zhao looked away and patted the hem of her skirt in a casual manner. "I am so bored that I dragged you here to talk nonstop. Forget what I just said. I need to go back and rest."
"Your Highness."
This time, the hand holding the sleeve belonged to Fu Xu.
His expression was solemn, as if he had been thinking about this for a long time, and only at this moment was he certain of his true feelings. "I know you have your own principles of fairness and justice. If Lan Qi had laid it out thousands of years ago, saying he wanted to correct his mistakes and saying he couldn't accept them, you would certainly feel embarrassed, but you would have considered him family and would never have taken the opportunity to make things difficult for him."
Jiu Zhao was stunned.
Fuxu used the fingers that had rubbed the corners of Jiuzhao's eyes to wipe away the milk stains on her lips again.
He casually concluded this love-hate relationship, "People who can express their inner feelings sincerely are precious. Apart from your personality flaws, you are not wrong in this matter of love. You just met the wrong person."
Such a Fuxu is too unfamiliar.
Something drifted away with the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes, lurking in the air and tightly surrounding Jiu Zhao.
She felt her body temperature, which had been suppressed by the Spirit Refreshing Tea, suddenly rise several degrees: "So, so you can also speak softly..."
Jiu Zhao lost his eloquence and stammered, like a little bird that had just jumped out of its nest and was about to learn to walk.
Clumsy, fluffy, and furry.
Love and pity silently filled Fuxu's heart. For a moment, he wanted to transform into a lush tree, sheltering Jiuzhao from the wind and rain, freeing her from future worries. He also wished he could transform into powerful wings, leading Jiuzhao to travel far and wide, singing through the wind and rain.
His tone softened, "The Emperor loves Your Highness like a jewel, and those around you, because of your status as a Divine Concubine, obey Your Highness's orders. I'm not keen on treating Your Highness harshly, but simply wish to fulfill my duty of guidance so that Your Highness's future path will be smooth and successful."
Fuxu's words were not like those of those who had been flattering Jiuzhao for years, with flowery words and the utmost flattery.
But the story is told with sincerity from the heart.
Jiu Zhao's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if touched, and pouted awkwardly: "...You started again."
Fuxu smiled to himself, "Your Highness, please forgive me. If Your Highness really dislikes this, I am willing to correct my mistakes in the future."
My heart was pounding and I felt limp.
Fuxu never avoids failure, and at this moment, he is willing to admit defeat to Jiuzhao.
After thinking it over, he simply stated his other purpose for tonight's visit. "Actually, I came to see Your Highness not just to offer you a cup of refreshing tea. What I said to Your Highness in the meditation room today was my fault. I apologize to Your Highness."
It seemed as if they had returned to the thousand years when Jiu Zhao was injured and Fu Xu treated her.
Even though there were bumps and bruises, quarrels and Jiu Zhao's unilateral pursuit out of anger, there was never any resentment or estrangement.
"Lan Qi is a thing of the past. I hope to always be by Your Highness's side, helping you to rise from the ashes and escape your inner demons."
Fuxu's voice was light but firm.
Amidst the starry sky, Jiu Zhao saw his eyes that showed he had made a promise without regret.
…
She suddenly laughed out loud with some relief, and unlike the panic and helplessness she had when she encountered love in her youth, she leaned over and kissed Fu Xu's lips.
"What should I do? It seems like I've suddenly forgiven you."
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