Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 57
by Little PandaVolume 3: Courtly Winds and Clouds, Each Finds Their Place
A Pearl for a Beauty
Following the Emperor’s command, dozens of noblewomen scrambled1 to use their martial arts to begin climbing the terrifyingly large tree.
There were only a few branches, and climbing up along them was no easy task.
Soon, someone touched a sharp blade edge, got injured, and came down. Some of the remaining noblewomen grew fearful and decided to back down2, only climbing two or three meters before descending.
In the short time it takes for half an incense stick to burn3, more than half of the climbing noblewomen had withdrawn. Although the Emperor sighed inwardly with regret, she still bestowed gifts to encourage them.
The rewarded noblewomen looked ashamed, feeling too embarrassed to accept the Emperor’s gifts. They each refused the presents and spontaneously started cheering for those still climbing.
After climbing more than five meters, the Second Princess pulled the Third Princess and Seventh Princess down with her. This tree was wickedly designed. Below six meters, each level still had seven or eight branches for climbing, and the embedded blades and poisons were relatively few. By carefully stepping with their martial arts, they could generally ascend safely.
But starting from six meters, each level of the trunk only had two or three branches, and they were particularly thin and long. A careless step could easily break a branch.
The sharp daggers, fine needles, long swords, long knives embedded in the trunk, as well as the plants that could kill upon drawing blood4, were simply innumerable.
If one’s Qinggong wasn’t good enough, continuing up was a dead end.
Yanxue Kingdom was founded on martial prowess, and the noblewomen had also been taught martial arts since childhood. However, most of them lived pampered lives5, thinking that with guards around anyway, learning martial arts was merely for strengthening the body6, so their skills weren’t particularly outstanding.
They had already struggled significantly in the first few meters. There was little point in continuing upwards; if they got injured or even died, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Therefore, after assessing her own level, the Second Princess felt she wasn’t quite up to it. To prevent injury or death, she pulled down her two equally unskilled7 younger sisters.
With the princesses having withdrawn, there was no need for others of similar mediocre ability to keep competing stubbornly8. Thus, like dumplings dropping into water9, the noblewomen came down from the tree one after another.
In the end, only three people remained on the tree.
The Fifth Princess, the Ninth Princess, and, rather surprisingly, the Shunu10 of the Minister of Revenue.
Seeing this, the others exclaimed in praise, “Minister Cui’s daughter is truly so brave! What fortune for her family11.”
The Minister of Revenue, Cui Luo12, managed a smile. “You flatter me, you flatter me13.”
Inside, however, question marks were popping up. She was busy with official duties and had no time to discipline her daughters and sons at home. Especially this youngest Shunu daughter; her courtyard was too far from hers, and she barely saw her a few times a year. Yet, she had heard the steward report multiple times that the girl was unruly and intractable, refusing to study or practice martial arts. When did her martial arts become so good? Could it be that the steward deliberately made things difficult for her, or perhaps she had been hiding her skills14 all along?
Cui Luo was full of doubts but couldn’t show it, forced to keep her eyes fixed on the tree like everyone else.
Ji Qingchi was at the highest point. Slightly below her was the Fifth Princess, Ji Qingxuan. Minister Cui’s daughter, Cui Jinli, lagged behind.
Ji Qingxuan’s martial arts couldn’t compare to Ji Qingchi’s, but they were much better than the other princesses’. Seeing how the path ahead grew increasingly difficult, yet Ji Qingchi seemed to handle it with ease15, she bit her lip in jealous hatred. She refused to admit she would lose to Ji Qingchi and refused to retreat, continuing to climb upwards.
Not long after she resumed climbing, her sixth sense, honed by years of martial arts practice, detected killing intent near her right foot. She subconsciously leaned left, hearing a shink sound, seemingly the noise of a sharp object slicing something off.
Looking down, she saw Cui Jinli, who had somehow produced a sharp dagger, looking up at her viciously. A large chunk of the branch next to her had been cut off by Cui Jinli.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ji Qingxuan felt either her eyes were playing tricks on her, or this Shunu daughter of the Minister of Revenue had been cooped up in the Ministry Manor for too long and had gone mad. “You dare attempt to assassinate a princess?”
Cui Jinli didn’t speak but gave her a slight smile, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey. The malice in her eyes deepened, as if she hadn’t heard Ji Qingxuan at all. Clinging to the trunk with one hand, she used the dagger in her other hand to stab towards Ji Qingxuan.
This level only had two branches, about half a meter apart. If Ji Qingxuan let go of the branch she held to dodge the stab, she wouldn’t be able to reach the other one. Instead, she would be impaled by the daggers embedded between the two branches, turning into a hedgehog.
Caught in a dilemma, Ji Qingxuan gritted her teeth, put her entire body weight onto her arms, and swung herself up to kick Cui Jinli.
“Aiyah!”
The tree was too high, and the people below couldn’t see clearly. They didn’t notice the dagger in Cui Jinli’s hand, only seeing the Fifth Princess trying to kick Minister Cui’s daughter. Gasps of surprise erupted.
“How could a princess resort to such tactics? Isn’t this an unfair victory?”
“I haven’t heard of any grudge between the Fifth Princess and Miss Cui. That tree is covered in daggers and poisonous plants! With a kick like that, isn’t the Fifth Princess trying to kill Miss Cui?”
Minister Cui was also extremely anxious, pacing back and forth below. However, the other party was a princess; she didn’t dare voice criticisms like the others. Seeing the Emperor sitting calmly on her chair without moving, she could only fret helplessly on the spot.
While discussions buzzed below, Ji Qingxuan had already kicked towards Cui Jinli’s face. Cui Jinli dodged sideways, causing the kick to hit empty air. Ji Qingxuan’s heart tightened. Looking down, she saw Cui Jinli give her a malicious smile, then throw the dagger in her hand, directly severing the branch Ji Qingxuan was holding.
With nothing to hold onto, her body flew outwards due to inertia. At seven or eight meters in the air, there was nothing to leverage. Even with exceptional Qinggong, she would be crippled by the fall.
A chill spread through Ji Qingxuan’s heart. She hadn’t avenged her father yet, and now she was going to die here so obscurely.
“Fifth Highness!”
The people below were still discussing Minister Cui’s daughter when they saw the Fifth Princess, who had just launched a sneak attack, flying through the air.
Seeing she was about to crash into a pillar in a bloody mess, they cried out in alarm.
However, the imagined gory scene didn’t occur. After she flew out, she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist. Stunned, she looked down and saw a soft whip wrapped around her.
She paused, then looked up to see the indifferent face of Ji Qingchi, the person she had hated for nearly ten years.
Ji Qingchi clung to the trunk with one hand and held onto her with the other, saying mockingly, “Although it’s true that Fifth Imperial Sister’s skills weren’t good enough, if you were to die here, I’m afraid the reputation of our Yanxue Kingdom’s imperial family would be utterly lost.”
“I knew you were just pretending to be kind,” Ji Qingxuan sneered. “Quick, pull me up.”
Ji Qingchi smiled. “What, does Fifth Imperial Sister still want to fight for that pearl? Aren’t you afraid of falling again? Next time, your younger sister might not be able to catch you. You’ll just have to wait to be turned into meat paste.”
“What I want to do is my business! You—Watch out!”
Enemies meeting always sparks intense animosity16; both wished they could kill the other. But ultimately, they both bore the surname Ji. Even without affection between siblings, they still had face to maintain. If a princess died casually at a palace banquet, it would make them a laughingstock17.
Thus, for this moment, the two shared a rare understanding. Ji Qingchi, seeing the Fifth Princess about to hit the ground, had quickly drawn her personal soft whip to pull her back. And while Ji Qingchi was talking to her, Ji Qingxuan saw Cui Jinli behind her pull out another short dagger from somewhere and stab towards them, prompting her urgent warning, “She’s coming!”
Dodging pursuit on this dangerous tree while carrying someone was hardly wise. Ji Qingchi smiled. “Apologies.”
Seeing her smile, Ji Qingxuan sensed trouble. Before she could react, she was flying through the air again. One end of the long whip was tightly wrapped around her hand, while the other end was looped several times around a nearby pillar, leaving her dangling there like hanging preserved meat.
“Ji Qingchi!” the Fifth Princess screamed in fury. Her image was completely ruined by this little brat18
Ji Qingchi couldn’t be bothered with her, nor did she have the time right now.
It was unknown whether Cui Jinli had eaten strength pills or some immortal elixir19, but she had suddenly become incredibly fierce, actually managing to chase Ji Qingchi on this perilous20 tree with a dagger.
Ji Qingchi moved across the tree using Gecko Skill21. Watching Cui Jinli slash again and again, cutting down all the branches, she smiled. “So vicious? You’re not even leaving yourself a way back down. You’re not really Minister Cui’s daughter, are you?”
Cui Jinli turned a deaf ear, merely stabbing fiercely with her knife. Ji Qingchi had no time to play hide-and-seek with her. She kicked out directly, and while Cui Jinli dodged, Ji Qingchi took out a hidden weapon and struck her acupoint.
Immobilized, Cui Jinli could no longer climb the branches and fell straight down from the tree, over nine meters high.
Fearing she would be injured by the fall, Ji Qingchi quickly reached out to catch her. Unexpectedly, although Cui Jinli was immobilized by the acupoint strike, she could still control her body slightly. She shrank back, dodging Ji Qingchi’s hand. Her right hand touched something unknown, and several green snakes immediately shot out from her sleeve, striking towards Ji Qingchi’s face.
Startled, Ji Qingchi quickly retreated and pulled back her hand. The snakes landed on the tree, their scales corroding parts of the trunk. As Cui Jinli fell towards the ground, she gave Ji Qingchi a strange, triumphant smile.
Others hadn’t clearly seen Cui Jinli wildly stabbing with the dagger, but the Emperor, seated high and far, had taken in the entire scene.
The moment Ji Qingchi made her move, she anticipated the outcome and quickly ordered the guards, “Quick, save her!”
The guards were well-trained. They swiftly leaped up, caught Cui Jinli in a net after a few moves, and brought her down.
The view from below was unclear. People hadn’t seen Cui Jinli attacking others; they only knew that while following the Ninth Highness, she had somehow fallen.
The onlookers broke out in a cold sweat. Minister Cui nearly lost her footing, grabbing a colleague’s arm as she rushed towards her daughter. “Li’er, ah, are you… are you alright…”
Cui Jinli seemed terrified, lying pale in the net. Her lips trembled, unable to form words, before she fainted.
“Li’er!” Minister Cui, terrified, hugged her daughter and yelled for a doctor. Regardless of whether she was born from the primary husband or a concubine, she considered them all her children and couldn’t just ignore her.
Chaos erupted below. Ji Qingchi was still clinging to the tree, not yet down. Seeing that the others were too preoccupied to mind her, she navigated to the treetop, retrieved the South Sea Blood Pearl emitting a soft glow, thought for a moment, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and placed it inside her robes.
The imperial physicians on standby quickly came forward to examine Cui Jinli, determining she had merely fainted from excessive shock and was not seriously harmed.
At this time, the guards lowered Ji Qingxuan, who had been dangling like preserved meat. Ji Qingchi also descended from the treetop using her Qinggong.
The imperial physicians carefully examined them all and found no major injuries, allowing everyone to finally relax.
To smooth over the situation, Ji Qingchi deliberately explained that the three of them had accidentally encountered some poisonous substance earlier, and the chaotic scene resulted from their attempts to avoid it.
The tree was too tall, and those in the palace hall below hadn’t seen clearly anyway. Of course, this also served to give the imperial family a way to save face, so naturally, whatever she said was accepted as truth.
Regardless, this was an imperial banquet, involving imperial property; how could anything be allowed to go wrong22?
Smiles returned to everyone’s faces. Even if they didn’t truly believe it, they had to put their concerns aside23.
Once relaxed, the gossip began.
The Ninth Highness had plucked the pearl. Who would she give it to?
This was the main event24 of the day. No matter what else had happened, this couldn’t be forgotten.
“Little Nine.” The Emperor was both proud and gratified by her daughter’s success in obtaining the pearl. She glanced across the hall, pointed towards the young masters whose eyes shone with anticipation, and smiled at Ji Qingchi. “So many young gentlemen here, which one will you give it to?”
Given the Emperor’s commanding presence25, whoever Ji Qingchi chose would undoubtedly become her Principal Consort. The imperial decree might even be issued on the spot.
For once, Ji Qingchi didn’t answer her Mother Emperor. She held the pearl in her hand, her gaze drifting down towards the main hall below.
That little foodie Su Yi was still eating. Even the major incident of Cui Jinli fainting hadn’t stopped her from consuming food.
The imperial cuisine of Yanxue Kingdom was exceptionally delicious, but unfortunately, Su Yi had poor digestion and couldn’t eat much. She had been restrained by her mother earlier and hadn’t eaten her fill. Taking advantage of the moment when her mother followed the crowd to check on Cui Jinli, she quickly asked a palace maid to bring her another plate of golden roasted lamb and roasted pigeon, along with sliced deer meat and a bowl of old duck and bird’s nest soup.
At this moment, she was eating with great relish, so moved she was almost shedding tears of gratitude, without even time to wipe the grease from her mouth. She looked like a starving ghost reincarnated.
In contrast to Su Yi’s starved appearance, all the young masters presented an image of noble refinement26, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Their eyes were fixed on the pearl in Ji Qingchi’s hand, suppressing the nervousness and expectation in their hearts.
Xiao Zhengyun sat up straight, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, fanning himself unhurriedly, appearing quite confident27.
Among the young masters from noble families present, his family background was the best. Moreover, his mother was currently the Chancellor. If the Ninth Princess wanted to become the Emperor Regnant, she needed to know how to curry favor with him.
Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Ji Qingchi tilted her head, thought for a moment, and instead of walking down the steps of the main platform, she handed the pearl to the Eleventh Princess and the Little Heir, who were busy eating.
Crouching down before the two little bundles28, she smiled at them. “Imperial Sister wants to give this pearl to the best-looking person in this hall, but Imperial Sister can’t decide right now. Meimei, will you deliver it for Jiejie, okay?”
The Eleventh Princess was a clever little imp29 who knew how to read situations30 from a very young age. Hearing her older sister say this, she immediately patted her chest and readily agreed, “Okay!”
Ji Qingchi patted her little head and smiled. “So good.”
The crowd’s expectant gazes shifted to the Eleventh Princess. They watched as this little bundle, who only reached an adult’s waist, took the hand of the other little bundle, who barely reached the height of a table leg. Hand in hand, the two of them trotted on their short legs, cheerfully walking from the Emperor’s side down into the main hall below.
Just as the young masters clutched their chests, contemplating what expression would most evoke the Ninth Highness’s pity when they received the gift, the two pairs of short legs had already arrived in front of Su Yi.
Facing Su Yi, who was engrossed in her hearty meal, the Eleventh Princess smiled sweetly. “Su-jiejie, you are the best-looking person in this hall. Ninth Sister said to give this to the best-looking person, so this is for you.”
Su Yi, still happily chowing down, “…”
The others, who had been watching the drama unfold31, “…”
What kind of aesthetic sense could possibly lead someone to declare that this woman, mouth covered in grease, was the best-looking person in the hall at this moment?
Moreover, the most crucial point was—this Su Yi, she was a woman!
Footnotes
- 争先恐后 | zhēng xiān kǒng hòu | Lit. “strive to be first and fear to be last”; To scramble or vie eagerly.
- 打了退堂鼓 | dǎ le tuìtánggǔ | Lit. “beat the retreat drum”; To give up or back out.
- 半柱香 | bàn zhù xiāng | Half an incense stick’s time; A traditional measure of time, roughly 15 minutes.
- 见血封喉 | jiàn xiě fēng hóu | Lit. “see blood seal throat”; Extremely poisonous, causing death quickly upon entering the bloodstream.
- 养尊处优 | yǎng zūn chǔ yōu | Lit. “nurture dignity, reside in superior conditions”; To live in luxury and comfort, pampered.
- 强身健体 | qiáng shēn jiàn tǐ | Lit. “strengthen body, keep fit”; For physical fitness.
- 半桶水 | bàn tǒng shuǐ | Lit. “half a bucket of water”; Describes someone who has only superficial knowledge or skill; a dabbler.
- 争强好胜 | zhēng qiáng hào shèng | Lit. “strive to be strong, love to win”; Eager to compete and win, often stubbornly or aggressively.
- 像下饺子似的 | xiàng xià jiǎozi shìde | Lit. “like dropping dumplings”; A simile describing many things happening or appearing one after another in quick succession.
- 庶女 | shùnǚ | Daughter born to a concubine or secondary wife, typically holding lower status than a daughter of the primary wife (嫡女 | dínǚ).
- 家门之幸 | jiā mén zhī xìng | Lit. “fortune of the family gate”; A great honor or piece of luck for the family.
- 崔络 | Cuī Luò
- 谬赞 | miùzàn | Lit. “mistaken praise”; A polite, formal way to deflect a compliment, meaning “you praise me wrongly” or “I don’t deserve such praise”.
- 藏拙 | cáng zhuō | Lit. “hide clumsiness”; To conceal one’s shortcomings or, conversely, to deliberately hide one’s talents.
- 游刃有余 | yóu rèn yǒu yú | Lit. “handle a blade with room to spare”; To do something skillfully and effortlessly.
- 仇人相见分外眼红 | chóurén xiāng jiàn, fènwài yǎnhóng | Lit. “enemies meeting, eyes especially red”; When enemies meet, their anger and hatred flare up intensely.
- 笑掉别人大牙 | xiào diào biérén dàyá | Lit. “make others laugh their big teeth off”; To be utterly ridiculous, laughable.
- 兔崽子 | tùzǎizi | Lit. “rabbit cub”; A derogatory term, akin to ‘brat’, ‘bastard’, or ‘rascal’.
- 吃了大力丸了, 还是吃了仙药了 | chī le dàlìwán le, háishì chī le xiānyào le | Lit. “eaten a great strength pill, or eaten an immortal elixir”; Figurative expression for someone suddenly displaying extraordinary strength or ability.
- 险象环生 | xiǎnxiàng huánshēng | Lit. “dangerous phenomena arise all around”; Full of hidden dangers, perilous.
- 壁虎功 | bìhǔ gōng | Gecko Skill; A specific martial arts technique likely emphasizing climbing or clinging abilities, like a gecko.
- 出岔子 | chū chàzi | Lit. “produce a fork/mistake”; To go wrong, have a mishap.
- 将心重新放回肚子里 | jiāng xīn chóngxīn fàng huí dùzi lǐ | Lit. “put the heart back into the stomach”; To feel relieved, set one’s mind at ease.
- 重头戏 | zhòngtóuxì | Lit. “heavy head play”; The most important part of a show, the main event, the highlight.
- 挥斥方遒 | huī chì fāng qiú | A literary phrase describing someone young, talented, and full of spirit, often in a position of power or influence.
- 光风霁月 | guāng fēng jì yuè | Lit. “bright wind, clear moon”; Describes someone of noble character, open-hearted and upright; also used for scenery after rain.
- 胸有成竹 | xiōng yǒu chéng zhú | Lit. “have completed bamboo in one’s chest”; To have a well-thought-out plan or strategy before acting; confident.
- 小团子 | xiǎo tuánzi | Lit. “little dumpling/ball”; An affectionate term for a small, cute child.
- 小机灵鬼 | xiǎo jīlíngguǐ | Lit. “little clever ghost/imp”; An affectionate term for a sharp, quick-witted child.
- 察言观色 | chá yán guān sè | Lit. “examine words, observe expression”; To be observant of cues in speech and expression; perceptive.
- 吃瓜 | chī guā | Lit. “eat melon”; Internet slang for being an onlooker enjoying gossip or drama unfold.
Just what I’ve been waiting for
GREAT!!!