Chapter 118: Parting Soon
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too.
Meng Chang'an did not know what kind of torment her Master would suffer tonight. After she had finished making trouble, she was finally much happier.
"You annoy your Master like this, are you not afraid that she will really get mad at you?"
At this moment, Young Master Meng was in a very good mood. She was resting lazily on the Princess' lap, enjoying the Princess' caring service. She bit slowly into the osmanthus cake that the Princess fed her, one bite at a time following the Princess' fingertips.
Even though Meng Chang'an always felt that tonight's osmanthus cake was not as sweet as before, because it was rare to make her Master lose out and pay for the late-night snack, she ate even more happily.
After hearing the Princess' laughter, she had not swallowed the cake in her mouth yet, so she only answered vaguely, “Mm... Who told her to bully me first...”
Who told that shameless bad Master to laugh at her for being useless...
She even laughed that she was pressed by the Princess and could not fight back?
What a joke. If her body was not unwell right now, she could already press the Princess down until she had no power to fight back. How could she have ended up like this now...
The Young Master had not forgotten how she had lost out during the earlier medicinal bath with the Princess.
At that time, she thought that after hearing the sound of the Princess taking off her clothes, what would come next would be warm fragrance and soft jade in her arms. Who knew, that person went into the bath tub only to fish her out...
The worst part was that she was weak and blind, and could not fight back.
At that time, a cold wind blew, and it directly scattered all the heat in her body and heart.
After having her body wiped clean, dressed in sleepwear, and thrown onto the bed, the Young Master was still holding that breath in her chest. She tried all kinds of ways to fuss with the Princess. Who knew, that person acted unlike usual, not only refusing to admit defeat and coax her like before, but also not showing any softness. She just kept applying medicine to her, which really made her feel wronged.
It even made her Master misunderstand and laugh at her, which truly was a loss that outweighed the gain...
The Young Master did not know that the changes in her expression had already let the Princess see through her thoughts. Though she felt shy and annoyed, she still did not forget to comfort the Princess. “Actually, my Master just looks fierce. In fact, she listens to my Auntie, so there is nothing to be afraid of. By the way, you were not scared by her during the day, right?”
Of course, the Princess saw through the Young Master’s careful probing.
She only raised her hand to gently wipe away the crumbs left at the Young Master’s lips and let out a sigh on purpose. “I was scared. What should I do?”
“This… this…”
As expected, the Young Master actually took that joke seriously. Her brows furrowed at once, and she said with regret, “It was my fault that you were wronged…”
“Silly girl, I was teasing you. That is your Master. Of course I should get her approval.”
The Princess' fingertip stayed at the corner of the Young Master's lips. She did not give her the chance to keep feeling upset and began to share her happy mood that lasted since just now.
"Just now, the Master’s wife asked me to call her Auntie together with you."
The Young Master Meng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and happily said, "Then Auntie agrees to what is between us!"
Now, not only her Mother, but also her Auntie agrees to what is between them.
If that is so, then whether her Master agrees or not does not matter!
Because as long as Auntie agrees, Master will never have an opinion!
Seeing the Young Master very happy, the Princess also laughed aloud.
"Yes, this is all because of our Young Master."
Li Qiubai’s fingertip slowly moved from the corner of the Young Master’s mouth to her lips, gently stroking.
"Also, thanks to the Young Master liking me, they treat me well. That is why they reluctantly allowed me to stay by your side."
This obvious playful praise made the Young Master very pleased.
"It is good that you know!"
Seeing the Young Master’s happy smile, the Princess’ eyes smiled more. Her gaze fixed on the Young Master’s red lips. She softly asked, "Do you want to eat more?"
"No."
The Princess was about to pull back, but then saw the Young Master’s left hand reach out and hold her wrist.
The next moment, the Young Master’s red lips slightly opened.
The tip of her tongue slightly curled and held the Princess’ fingertip, drawing it into the mouth.
Li Qiubai’s heart thumped heavily.
Those hollow eyes were still so enchanting.
The moment her fingertip was wrapped by the tongue, the fire in the Princess’ heart became hard to control. She held her breath and stared straight at the person on her lap, waiting quietly for the Young Master’s next move.
But that charming Young Master only carefully licked away the cake crumbs left on her fingertip, then let go of her hand. She gave a sly, bright smile and said, "Alright, you can rest now."
How could the Princess not see the Young Master's little thoughts?
She did not follow the order. Instead, she leaned down and pressed her lips to the Young Master’s red lips.
The place where the fingertip had been was now replaced by the Princess' tongue tip.
Between lips and teeth, the air was filled with the sweet smell of osmanthus.
After a passionate yet restrained deep kiss, the Princess slightly pulled away from the Young Master's lips and asked again, "Do you want more?"
The person under her, though almost out of breath, still held onto the Princess' neck tightly, not willing to let her go.
"Yes..."
Just a few deep kisses had already driven away all the resentment in Young Master's heart.
Later, Young Master could not fight the tiredness. She lay on the Princess' body and hugged her tightly, falling into a deep sleep.
Without the nightmares that troubled her these past days, Young Master slept without dreams and felt much more at ease. When she woke up the next day, it was already afternoon.
In her daze upon waking, the Young Master instinctively reached out beside her but did not find the person who had shared her bed the night before.
"Awake?"
Just as she felt disappointed, her mother’s laughter sounded nearby. "Stop looking. The people from the imperial court came. She went to receive guests."
Her mother’s teasing tone was very clear, which made Young Master a little embarrassed.
"Ahem, I was not looking for her..."
The Young Master was instantly much more awake. After propping herself up and sitting, Meng Muxin had already come forward with medicine, ready to change her bandages.
"Is that so? This mother is not blind. I can still see that radiant spring scenery* on your face."
*春光 (chūnguāng): (fig.) a sight of something sexy or erotic/an indication of a love affair
"Mother, what nonsense are you saying?!"
Meng Chang'an’s face turned red. Not giving her mother the chance to keep teasing her, she quickly changed the subject and asked, "Then do you know who came from the court? And for what reason?"
"Do not worry, it is not something bad. It is a general from the capital, sent by imperial decree to deliver her the marshal’s seal."
Now that the war was urgent and the enemy nation had come in strong force, they had attacked city after city.
Once the beacons were lit, the nearby Military Commissioners had all sent troops to rush to the battlefield for support.
The border garrisons, the Military Commissioners’ armies, and reinforcements from the court—troops from all sides would soon gather at the battlefield.
At a time like this, if there was no Supreme Commander who could hold the line, then none of the generals would obey one another, and no one could take charge. For the war, this was not only unhelpful—it could even cause chaos within the troops.
In the past, those who held the marshal’s seal were always old generals like the Duke of Dingguo or others of similar rank, or else princes whose fiefs were near the battlefield. There were also records of imperial sons personally going on campaigns in past dynasties, but for a princess to carry the marshal’s seal and head to the battlefield—this was the first time such a thing had happened.
The one closest to the battlefield now was the Prince of Yu’s territory. According to past practice, once the beacons were lit, he would have every reason to lead troops as reinforcements.
If the matter of the Prince of Yu’s intention to rebel had not reached the capital this time, then this marshal’s seal might not have landed in Li Qiubai’s hands at all.
There had already been much discussion in court because of this matter. Meng Chang'an did not understand the court situation or the Princess' plans, so she did not know whether this was good or bad for the Princess, or whether it was something the Princess had wanted.
She only knew that the battlefield was filled with danger.
“Then which general came? Mother, do you know which faction he is from?”
Meng Chang'an feared that if the general sent from the capital was not on good terms with the Princess, or if he happened to be one of the relatives or subordinates of a rival prince vying for the throne, and secretly caused trouble for the Princess, then her journey would surely end in suffering.
Though the Young Master did not involve herself in such matters, she still knew that the Blood Flame Sect had a tight intelligence network, and that learning these things would not be hard.
Her expression had already written all her worries clearly across her face.
While changing her bandages, Meng Muxin patiently explained, “Do not worry. The one who came is the old general of the Lin family. He has always been loyal and righteous, and he would never commit such an act that ignores the bigger picture. There is also a young general named Qi Yi. He is someone from her maternal grandfather’s side. You must have seen him in the capital, right?”
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too.
At present, there was only one old general in the capital with the surname Lin, and that was the birth father of one of her godmothers, Lin Ziyan, and the grandfather of Lin Xingyang.
The entire Lin family had been loyal and devoted. For generations, they had fought bloody battles for the peace of the Great Chang Dynasty.
The Young Master had heard of his character since childhood, so she naturally was not worried.
As for Qi Yi*…
*appeared in Ch.18
Of course the Young Master knew him too.
Because not only had she seen him before, she had even exchanged blows with him once in the palace hall. If one were to look into it carefully, she could even be said to have once received his help.
Meng Chang'an lowered her eyes, quietly thinking over what she had seen and heard in the palace that day.
She had heard those princes say…
Qi Yi had been fond of the Princess since childhood. If not for the Princess’ engagement to her elder brother, perhaps…
Perhaps that man might have become the Prince Consort…
Back then, she had scoffed at such rumors. So why did her heart begin to ache now upon hearing his name again?
No one knew a daughter better than her mother.
Meng Muxin saw through the Young Master's thoughts at a glance and could not help but laugh. “What now, afraid he might steal her away?”
“Afraid? Would I be afraid of that?”
The Young Master gave a cold snort and said, “You heard it yesterday too. It is she who is deeply in love with me, and cannot live without me. It is not like I was the one begging her to like me. If just any random cat or dog could steal her away, then I would not want such a heart anyway!”
She spoke with confidence and pride, as if reluctantly granting her favor.
But no matter how one looked at her, she looks clearly sour.
That was the very picture of saying one thing and meaning another.
“All right, all right, our Chang’an really has grown up.”
Meng Muxin did not expose her daughter’s stubborn and jealous words. After finishing changing her medicine, she reached out to rub her head, smiling as she coaxed, “Then be good and drink your medicine. Once you finish, I will take you to see her. How about that?”
Yesterday, the Young Master had insisted the medicine was too bitter and refused to drink it. Today, Meng Muxin could only take this chance to coax and trick her into drinking it.
"It is barely satisfactory."
This time, the Young Master obediently finished the bowl of medicine.
To be cared for and accompanied so gently by her mother was a rare thing. Meng Chang’an felt more than satisfied.
After all, this was the companionship of her mother she had longed for since childhood but never had.
For just a brief moment, she almost could not help but think—if her mother could always stay by her side like this, then maybe even being blind like this forever would not be so bad…
But the moment she thought of the Princess, she immediately chased that foolish thought out of her mind.
After finishing the medicine in one breath, the Young Master asked in surprise, “Did you change the prescription today? It is not as bitter as yesterday.”
Hearing this, Zhou Jinyi—who had been quietly drinking tea and reading a medical book at the side without speaking—suddenly stiffened.
Not bitter?
Chang’an had always loved sweets and feared bitterness.
This medicine had been decocted by Zhou Jinyi herself. She had tasted it, and she knew just how bitter it was. Fearing Chang’an would throw a tantrum and refuse to drink it, she had even prepared candied fruits ahead of time for Meng Muxin to coax her.
Yet now, Chang’an actually said it was not bitter?
But the truth was, the medicine was still bitter. If Chang’an could not taste it, then only one possibility remained.
Perhaps… the child’s sense of taste had already started to fade as well…
Lost in thought, Zhou Jinyi accidentally knocked over her teacup, causing a crisp clatter to echo in the room.
Only then did Meng Chang’an realize there was a third person in the room.
“Who is it?”
“It is me.”
The Young Master had disliked Zhou Jinyi since childhood. Zhou Jinyi knew this very well.
So during these days, to avoid making the Young Master even more upset by her presence, Zhou Jinyi had always tried her best to lower her sense of existence. She would not speak unless necessary, and even the medicine had been left for Meng Muxin to feed.
But now, Zhou Jinyi could no longer care whether the Young Master minded her being there or not. The moment that guess came to mind, she stepped forward at once and knelt beside the Young Master to take the child’s pulse.
When that cool hand clasped her wrist, Meng Chang’an could not help but stiffen for a moment.
She could accept her mother’s care with peace of mind, bicker and joke with her master without guilt, and even act spoiled and complain to her Auntie without shame.
But she just could not bring herself to get along with Zhou Jinyi without any barrier between them.
Clearly, she had already promised Shen Lingyun she would apologize to this person. Yet now that they were face to face, she found herself unable to speak that apology.
She always felt that if she said it, it would be like driving the most fatal knife into her father’s heart…
The bright smile she had worn while chatting with Meng Muxin had already faded away, leaving only a polite yet awkward smile for Zhou Jinyi.
“Aunt Jinyi…”
After only calling her name once, Meng Chang'an did not know how to talk to her anymore. So she just followed along politely and asked, “Do you know how I am doing? When will I get better?”
Zhou Jinyi lowered her eyes and hid the sadness inside them.
When she took back her hand and stood up, she did not explain anything. She just looked at the Young Master calmly like always and smiled to comfort her.
“Do not worry. People in the world all say your Auntie can bring the dead back to life and heal bare bones. The medicine she made is surely very good. You need to drink the medicine and change the bandages. After some time, the bones and blood in your shoulder will recover.”
The Divine Doctor only spoke about the Young Master’s outside injuries. She did not say a single word about the poison in her body or her eyes.
The Young Master was stuck between feeling awkward and guilty, so she did not notice anything strange in those words. But Meng Muxin, who always paid close attention, noticed right away.
Meng Muxin had already slowly put away the smile on her face.
After sharing the same bed for so many years, how could she not know that this person beside her was never good at lying?
What was more, when this person knocked over the teacup just now, that moment of strangeness and panic did not escape Meng Muxin’s eyes either.
She was not as naive as her daughter, who believed whatever others said. It was only because she trusted this person and Gu Qingyin too much before, so she never thought the injuries and poison on her daughter’s body could trouble these two miracle doctors. So she did not think more about it.
But now that she thought about it carefully, the strange behavior and hidden worry of Gu Qingyin and Zhou Jinyi in the past few days made her guess a little of the truth.
To keep her daughter from getting nervous and scared, Meng Muxin only stared at Zhou Jinyi and asked seriously, “Can she be healed?”
Those words were vague and unclear, so the Young Master did not understand them, but Zhou Jinyi understood.
When she met Meng Muxin’s serious gaze, Zhou Jinyi did not answer. She only pulled the corner of her mouth helplessly.
Meng Muxin’s heart sank. She could not help but tightly grab Zhou Jinyi’s hand and asked again, “Can she be healed? Tell me, Jinyi.”
That strength made Zhou Jinyi’s wrist ache.
But she did not struggle. Instead, she raised her other hand and covered Meng Muxin’s slightly trembling one.
“She can.”
Zhou Jinyi smiled as she looked at Meng Muxin and gave a solemn promise, “Do not worry. Chang’an will definitely get better.”
Only then did Meng Muxin suddenly breathe a sigh of relief.
She knew that Zhou Jinyi would never lie.
Meng Chang’an could not see and did not know about the small movements between the two people. She also did not hear the strange meaning in their words. She only thought the blessing was Zhou Jinyi’s blessing for her. After politely thanking her, she quickly asked her mother to take her outside for fresh air.
She was a little impatient to go find the Princess.
The official seal had already been sent. Surely the Princess could no longer stay by her side for long.
The Young Master was full of worry about the coming separation. She did not notice when the third person in the room had left.
But after Zhou Jinyi left, she did not return to her house. Instead, she went to find Gu Qingyin.
No one knew what kind of fierce quarrel the two cousins had after more than ten years without a real fight, all because of the Young Master’s matter.
Author's Note:
The collection finally broke ten thousand, so I posted a random lottery to celebrate.
To the few little cuties who often leave comments—if you do not get picked, remember to leave me a message, and I will send you a red envelope separately!
This includes, but is not limited to, the little cuties who have followed this story for the past two years and never gave up— “Huo Huo Qi Si Ge Ren” who always spreads rumors about the author adding more updates, “Lin Yixian” who has reread the story several times and seriously ships the CP, “Zhongye” (now called Yujian) the little cutie who quietly throws a thunderbolt after reading to show she is still here, “April-jun” who is willing to write long comments and small theaters analyzing the characters' personalities in depth, “Yehuo Manyan” who always cheers when there is finally an update, “KAMID” who leaves a comment after every chapter saying she looks forward to the next one, “Juanmao Feifei” who always says it is good after reading, “Liute” who never forgets to say ‘keep it up’, “Yu Leng Mijia” who occasionally taps a paw, “Chang’an” who shares a name with the Young Master and always gives the author a scare thinking the Young Master came back to life, “Sisi Shiwu” who keeps urging for more updates, and “Bu Xue Xi Jiu Yao Jian La Ji”, “Yangrouchuan”, “L.” and others who used to come often back in the day, though I do not know if you are still around.
I mentioned the names of some little cuties who left a deep impression on me over the past two years. I truly thank you all for your constant company and encouragement during this time. Without you, the author could not have kept writing until now. If I missed any familiar friends from before, it might be because the author has memory loss. Just leave a comment again, and I will remember you!
