Chapter 16: She Finally Pinched Her Highness' Cheek
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Young Master Meng pondered along the way, thinking that the Princess would once again use various methods to tease and play tricks on her as before. Therefore, she concentrated hard, contemplating how to deal with it all the way. Unexpectedly, by the time they reached the Peach Blossom Garden, the person on her back had fallen into a deep sleep.
The sleeping Princess is not troublesome like usual but instead appears quite obedient.
After carefully laying the person flat on the bed, Young Master Meng couldn't help but sneak a few more glances at the Princess.
Normally, Young Master Meng rarely stared at her so carefully. Yet, upon this closer inspection, Young Master Meng couldn't help but realize that the Princess was indeed very beautiful.
The Blood Flame Sect had many beauties, and even Young Master Meng, who had grown up seeing all kinds of stunning beauties, had to admit that the Princess was truly a rare beauty.
Young Master Meng didn't dare to look for long. Just after a few glances, she awkwardly changed her direction. To prevent herself from getting more and more unable to resist the temptation to pinch the Princess's cheek in retaliation.
Right after finishing lunch is the easiest time to feel drowsy. Coupled with last night's sleeplessness, now with the beauty sleeping peacefully beside her, Young Master Meng also unconsciously began to feel sleepy.
The sleeping Princess was not as alluring and charming as when she was awake, which made Young Master Meng let down her guard a bit. As drowsiness set in, she took off her outer garment, climbed onto the bed, and laid down next to the Princess, closing her eyes as well.
Mm, we are both women, so even sharing a bed and pillow in broad daylight is not a big deal.
Thinking of this, the tense Young Master Meng gradually relaxed and fell into a deep sleep mixed with the lingering fragrance of wine from the beauty beside her.
Since hearing that her brother had been kidnapped, the Young Master has not had a good night's sleep for a long time.
Now it was rare that she could temporarily let go of her guard, and she was able to have a sound sleep.
Sweet dreams last from afternoon to evening. It wasn't until Yuechu came to urge the Princess to get up for the banquet that Young Master Meng faintly woke up.
At that moment, the Princess had already opened her eyes, had her head propped up, and was staring at her.
That focused gaze made Young Master Meng unable to help but blush.
"Your Highness, if you do not get up and go to the banquet, you will be late!"
The urging sound outside the door sounded again, and this brought Young Master Meng back to her senses.
"You...why are you staring at me like that..."
The Princess curled her lips and chuckled, "I was just wondering what on earth you were dreaming about since you were drooling.”
Hearing this, Young Master Meng quickly raised her hand and touched the corner of her mouth.
But before she could feel the moisture at the corner of her mouth, the Princess quickly added, "Do not touch it, I already licked it dry for you."
Before Young Master Meng could stop her movement, her heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
It was only when her fingertips touched her completely dry and smooth skin that Young Master Meng realized how convincingly the Princess joked.
"You are teasing me again!"
Seeing that the Princess’ smile became even bigger, the Young Master became so angry that she lunged toward the beauty beside her, pinned the Princess’ body, and pinched her cheeks angrily.
"I dare you to tease me again! Do you understand what you did wrong?!"
Before the Princess could ask for mercy, the door to the sleeping chamber was pushed open by Yuechu.
Before Yuechu could even utter the urging words, she was stunned by the scene.
Oh my god, the Young Master is actually pinning Her Highness down!
"Sorry to bother you, sorry to bother you! Keep going, keep going, please ignore me!”
The relieved maid quickly retreated upon realizing what the scene meant, simultaneously altering her words, "Pretend I was not here! Take your time! Even if you are late for the banquet, it is fine, as long as it is not later than His Majesty!"
Meng Changan: "..."
What is this girl always thinking about?
Clearly, it was just a very ordinary and normal action, but when Yuechu mentioned it, it somehow gave Young Master Meng a slightly ambiguous feeling.
Before the Princess could say anything, she awkwardly released her hand, stepping back hesitantly, saying, "I will let you go this time, let us get up and go to the banquet first."
After saying that, Meng Chang'an jumped out of bed first as if she was running away.
The sight of the slightly shy but tightly controlled face of Young Master made the Princess unable to hold back her laughter and rolled her eyes. She could no longer hold back the joy that filled her heart.
Why is this girl always so endearing?
The Princess couldn't figure it out.
Today's palace banquet was different from yesterday's wedding celebration.
In recent years, with continuous warfare, the Great Chang Dynasty had suffered several defeats. But this time, the Grand Prince successfully recaptured three cities that the Great Chang Dynasty had lost, enabling the dynasty to regain its confidence, which couldn't be overlooked.
The purpose was to avoid wasting the national treasury and causing harm to the people by combining the Second Princess' homecoming banquet and the Grand Prince's celebration. However, His Majesty's agreement with this proposal is uncertain, causing many old officials to secretly sympathize with these siblings.
After all, since the Grand Prince won the battle, His Majesty hasn't actively summoned him back to the court. If not for the Second Princess' marriage, it would have been difficult for the Grand Prince to return to the capital.
Now, by combining the two major celebrations of these siblings, it's indirectly signaling to all officials that the Grand Prince's power is waning, which might displease the Emperor.
No matter what others may think or do, the Princess remains unconcerned.
But Young Master Meng couldn't achieve the same carefree attitude as the Princess.
Though the banquet's time hadn't arrived yet, most people had already gathered early at the Qining Hall.
Qining Hall was originally used by the Great Chang Dynasty to entertain foreign envoys and host state banquets. This time, it was chosen for today's palace banquet because of its spaciousness, capable of accommodating thousands of people.
At this moment, before the banquet began, the officials who had arrived early at the Qining Hall could only gather in small groups, chatting away.
When the Young Master and the Princess stepped into the hall together, they successfully attracted the attention of most people present.
Some discussions that hadn't quite ceased yet found their way into the Young Master's ears, scattered and intermittent.
Noticing some individuals occasionally shaking their heads and sighing while looking at the Princess, Meng Chang'an finally couldn't endure it and openly frowned in front of everyone.
The sympathetic gazes made Young Master Meng increasingly uncomfortable.
When Li Qiubai sensed the change in the atmosphere beside her, she couldn't help but chuckle softly and hurriedly reached out to tug at the Young Master's sleeve.
Only after the Young Master's slightly hostile gaze, which repeatedly glanced at those who were surreptitiously looking at the Princess, withdrew, did the Princess smile gently and speak up: "Do not mind them; they are probably just idle and looking for something to talk about."
If the party involved is not bothered, what could Meng Chang'an say?
The Young Master pursed her lips slightly, showing some dissatisfaction: "It is only because of your good temper that you can calmly handle their discussions."
Good temper? Calm handling?
Accompanying them, Yuechu couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the Young Master's innocence. She couldn't dare to speak about whether the Princess had a good temper, but today, her demeanor was indeed quite pleasant, appearing truly radiant.
Yuechu believed that at this moment, the Princess must be displaying a good mood, hence the pleasant demeanor.
After all, she had served the Princess as her attendant for so long and had never seen the Princess show a pleasant face to anyone besides a fake smile.
Most of the nearby courtiers and accompanying ladies had intended to take this opportunity to congratulate the new couple and exchange a few polite words but most were scared off by the Young Master's unwelcoming demeanor.
With no disturbances and fewer odd glances, Meng Chang'an felt a bit more at ease.
Unfortunately, some people always seemed to enjoy spoiling the atmosphere.
"Oh, I did not expect the Imperial sister and the Consort to arrive so early."
Following the voice and glancing behind, Meng Chang'an noticed the Seventh Prince, Li Chenghuan, approaching in his imperial robe.
Recalling the troublesome behavior of this person's mother in Yong'an Palace during the day, the Young Master slightly furrowed her brow.
Only when Li Chenghuan approached and spoke again did the Young Master confirm that this Seventh Prince, like Noble Consort Ying, was not someone of good character.
"I heard that the Imperial Sister and her husband slept for most of the day in the Empress Dowager's palace. I was worried you would not be able to attend the banquet. Unexpectedly, your energy seems so abundant. Looking at you now, you seem as if nothing happened! Tsk tsk tsk, boasting about your daytime activities... really admirable!"
Meng Changan: "..."
The Seventh Prince's face full of ambiguous smiles and coupled with such vulgar words made the Young Master extremely disgusted.
Before she could figure out how to respond, the Princess beside her, with a sly smile, spoke first: "Tsk, I did not expect, Seventh Brother, at such a young age, you had have such hidden ailments in that area. You do not need to envy your sister's husband. I will find you a specialist for your ailments someday, so you will not always be jealous of others.”
The smile on Li Chenghuan's face froze for an instant, and his handsome face suddenly became uncertain.
Meng Chang'an couldn't help but twitch her lips.
Seeing the Princess finish her aggressive words without a change in her expression, her smile unchanged, the Young Master truly admired her and quickly followed up: "Your Highness is right. Instead of delaying, let us find a doctor for Seventh Brother after today's palace banquet ends."
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The Young Master and the Princess's coordinated behavior made Yuechu couldn't help but laugh.
As a result, Li Chenghuan's face turned even redder with anger.
Their voices weren't loud, but they were enough for the small surrounding crowd to overhear the conversation.
Seeing Li Chenghuan almost unable to contain his anger and about to lose his temper in public, the Fourth Prince, who had clearly heard this conversation right after entering the hall following the Seventh Prince, had to step forward to smooth things over.
"Dear sister, calm down. Seventh Brother is straightforward and always speaks his mind. If there's any offense, I hope you will forgive him!"
Bowing slightly in apology, Li Chengyin appeared much more amiable than the Seventh Prince, but Meng Chang'an still felt that this person couldn't have good intentions.
"Fourth Brother is jesting. I am not going to argue with a childish kid."
Li Qiubai still had that smiling face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. After a slight pause, she leaned in towards Li Chengyin, whispering softly in his ear: "However... after all, it is not as casual as in our backyard. If, by any chance, someone misunderstands and thinks Seventh Brother is misbehaving because of Fourth Brother's orders, it might falsely incriminate Fourth Brother. That would not be good in front of everyone, would it?"
Just these few words made Li Chengyin's heart sink.
No matter what others might think or do after the Princess finished speaking, she merely smiled lightly and then gently took the hand of the Young Master beside her, gracefully walking towards the elevated platform in the hall that belonged to them.
Those unsettling words had stirred up waves in the Fourth Prince's heart.
Even after Li Qiubai left, Li Chengyin forgot to stand up straight.
"Fourth Brother! She is already gone! Why are you not getting up?" While nudging Li Chengyin's shoulder to remind him to stand up, Li Chenghuan glared at the departing figures of the two who had just left, gritting his teeth in anger: "These despicable pair, they still have the nerve..."
"Enough!" Li Chengyin's face was not looking good either, but he restrained himself from exploding, only warning his brother softly, "Why are you in a hurry? After tonight, they will not be laughing anymore. Why do we need to create more trouble and gossip?"
