Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 48
by Little PandaVolume 3: Courtly Winds and Clouds, Each Finds Their Place
Evading Disaster
Having the imperial daughters investigate the case was primarily intended to train them.
Although the Second Imperial Daughter was lazy, she handled matters smoothly; although the Third Imperial Daughter was gentle and frail, she was sufficiently composed; although the Fifth Imperial Daughter was ruthless, she was efficient, produced high-quality work, and understood when to advance or retreat; although the Seventh Imperial Daughter was outspoken and frank, she was keen to make progress.
The Ninth Imperial Daughter seemed to have no shortcomings, but in reality, she was obstinate, prone to getting bogged down in trivialities1, and somewhat paranoid.
Each of the imperial daughters mentioned above had both strengths and weaknesses. The Emperor, Ji Sheng2, occupied the highest position; seemingly detached from everything, she actually relied on her Shadow Guards and knew perfectly well3 what each imperial daughter had done.
She had only inherited the throne at twenty-nine. She wasn’t a monarch of great talent or bold vision, nor had she made any major errors; her sole focus was on maintaining the status quo. She herself knew her aptitude was mediocre; if she hadn’t been born into the imperial family, she likely could only have been a farmer at best.
In the past, choosing a successor who was a ruler focused on maintaining the status quo, just like her—unremarkable and without major faults—would have been fine. In that case, the Third Imperial Daughter would actually have been the best candidate for Emperor.
But recently, the neighboring Huachen Kingdom and Dongli Kingdom had been developing too rapidly. This was especially true for the Huachen Kingdom; it was said they had priests4 within their borders capable of divining fortunes. Several times, they had not only avoided natural disasters but had also made a fortune when both her Yanxue Kingdom and the Dongli Kingdom suffered calamities. Their national strength had gradually increased, and a few years ago, they formed an alliance with the Dongli Kingdom. Within a short span of one year, they had waged war against Yanxue seven times.
At a time like this, a ruler focused on maintaining the status quo wouldn’t suffice. What was needed was a monarch who was pioneering, enterprising, sufficiently calm and composed, yet decisive in killing.
Otherwise, the Yanxue Kingdom would not be defensible. That was the foundation laid by their ancestors; it could not be lost under her rule.
The Emperor exhausted her thoughts and energies over the matter of selecting the Crown Princess. Considering she was only in her early forties, and based on the minimum lifespan of sixty for past Emperors in their Yanxue Kingdom, she should still have many years left to live. There was still time to cultivate the next generation’s Emperor. Coincidentally, this trafficking incident had occurred right under the Emperor’s nose—a matter neither too big nor too small, perfect for practice. So, with a wave of her hand, all except the Eleventh Imperial Daughter were involved.
Disguising themselves to enter the women’s pavilion was a first for all the imperial daughters. The Second Imperial Daughter was like one who passes through a field of flowers without a petal clinging5; upon entering, she was like a fish in water6. The others also gradually loosened up under her persuasion.
The Second Imperial Daughter put her arm around the woman to her left, drank a cup of wine using the woman’s hand to help, then caressed her face and smiled, “Sweetheart7, you’re so beautiful. What place’s water and soil nurtured you? This young lady will be sure to pay respects to the Water and Soil Goddess there. Perhaps if I have a daughter in the future, she’ll grow up to be as lovely as you.”
“Young Lady, you certainly know how to jest.” The Second Imperial Daughter’s sweet words quickly coaxed the woman into a state of utter delight8. Nestling in her embrace, the woman served her wine while lowering her eyes, saying, “This servant is from Yu Province9.”
“Where is Yu Province? To nurture such fine women, could it be some paradise on earth?”
The woman didn’t reply. Another woman leaning against Ji Qingchi answered for her, “Not quite. I heard from the elders that it’s a border region where several provinces of Dongli Kingdom meet. They say it’s a strategically vital location10.”
“Is that so.” To draw out more information, Ji Qingchi mimicked the Second Imperial Daughter’s mannerisms, picking up some food for her. She couldn’t bring herself to say “sweetheart darling,” managing only a forced smile, “Ahem… Jiejie… eat something. I noticed you’ve been drinking constantly just now. Only drinking without eating… is bad… bad for your health.”
The woman ate the food from her chopsticks, looking at her with emotion and sighing, “To be honest with you, Young Lady, this servant is also from Yu Province. I have a younger sister back home about your age too.”
“Really?” Ji Qingchi thought of the Dongli Kingdom’s custom where women married at fifteen. “Then I suppose Jiejie’s younger sister is already married?”
“Married.” Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. “Less than a year later, they said she couldn’t bear a son. She was beaten to death.”
The smiles vanished from the faces of the other attending women. The Seventh Imperial Daughter didn’t quite understand why these women, who had been so warm just moments ago, suddenly looked like this. “What’s wrong? Don’t you people in the Dongli Kingdom favor sons? If she couldn’t bear a son and was beaten to death, isn’t that normal?”
“Little Seven!” The Third Imperial Daughter felt these people were quite pitiful and stopped her. “How can you say such things?”
“I’m just telling the truth. I heard they kill their own daughters if they have them. So if they can’t bear sons, isn’t it natural for their husbands to kill them?” The Seventh Imperial Daughter felt these people were reaping what they sowed11. She leisurely took a sip of wine herself. The woman attending her moved away after hearing those words.
The Seventh Imperial Daughter was happy to be left alone, eating meat and drinking wine quite contentedly.
Seeing her like this, the women felt indignant. Someone else’s sister had died; how could this woman not only show no sympathy but even make sarcastic remarks?
“You young ladies are fortunate, born here in the Yanxue Kingdom as nobles. Of course, you wouldn’t know our suffering,” one woman couldn’t help but speak out. “Unlike us, born lowly.”
The Seventh Imperial Daughter retorted, “That’s not necessarily true, is it? Don’t you have princesses in your imperial palace? Does she live poorly?”
“How could they compare to the imperial daughters of Yanxue Kingdom?” the woman sighed. “We have a Fourth Princess who can also fight on the battlefield, but it’s no use. She still has to be married off for alliance12.”
“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about these things.” A woman who was clearly the leader saw that everyone was saying things they shouldn’t and quickly took control of the situation. “We’re here to serve the young ladies, why are we discussing these matters? Come, come, pour more wine for the young ladies.”
These women clearly intended to get them drunk. After three rounds of drinks, they refused to say another useful word, instead just kept plying them with alcohol.
Soon, the Seventh Imperial Daughter became dizzy. The Second and Third Imperial Daughters remained vigilant, not daring to drink much; they would raise their cups, use their sleeves as cover, and pour the wine out.
Something abnormal implies something fishy13. Ji Qingchi pretended to be unable to hold her liquor and stood up. “I need to step out to relieve myself first.”
Immediately, several women offered to lead her. Ji Qingchi chose the woman who had just spoken of her deceased sister, tugging her sleeve. “Could this Jiejie take me there?”
The woman agreed and led her out of the room. After walking a short distance and seeing no one around, she hesitated, then turned back to her. “Young Lady, you should go back. You’re still young; this isn’t a good place.”
Ji Qingchi pretended not to understand anything, smiling. “I think this place is quite nice. It’s luxurious, and eating and drinking here is more relaxing than at home.”
“Actually… sigh.” The woman wanted to persuade her, but after thinking for a moment, she sighed again and said no more, pointing to a latrine not far away. “Young Lady, that’s the place—”
Before she could finish, Ji Qingchi struck down with a hand-chop14. The woman immediately crumpled softly to the ground.
“It seems this tavern really does have problems.”
Ji Qingchi dragged the person aside and hid her, then secretly slipped into a servants’ room below. This tavern clearly had the architectural style of the Huachen Kingdom. She had fought against Huachen many times and knew their building habits: every floor inevitably had a place for storing supplies. Sure enough, she found servant’s clothes in the lower room.
She quickly changed, hid her own clothes well, checked that no one was outside, and slipped out.
She first crept back to the room she had been in earlier and poked a hole in the window paper. She saw that her imperial sisters had already drunk themselves into a stupor. Several women surrounded them, confirming they were unconscious15. The lead woman, after checking some valuables on their bodies and looking them over, put them back, then said, “These people are dressed richly; they must be daughters of Yanxue’s powerful nobles. We can’t cause trouble and draw attention to ourselves. Let’s just let them go.”
“That one talks too annoyingly. Chun-jie, can we take her away?” someone asked, pointing at the Seventh Imperial Daughter.
The lead woman called Chun-jie thought for a moment. “Fine. I don’t like her much either. Taking just one should be alright.”
Soon, several women carried the Seventh Imperial Daughter out. Ji Qingchi used Qinggong to move along the roof beams, watching them take the person to the back courtyard.
The front of this tavern was a place of pleasure; the back was an abyss of crime.
The back courtyard was desolate, dark, and old, locked with an iron gate. Two tall women stood guard at the entrance.
Ji Qingchi watched as the women handed the Seventh Imperial Daughter over to the two tall guards, received their reward money, and left. The two tall women skillfully tied the Seventh Imperial Daughter up securely, smiling. “This one looks good. Should fetch a nice price.”
The other said, “Our haul is pretty good this time. We’ll definitely get a good reward.”
Ji Qingchi seized the opportunity, using copper coins to knock the two women unconscious. She untied the Seventh Imperial Daughter, hoisted her up, and started to leave.
Unexpectedly, the two women had decent skills. They were only stunned for a moment before waking up. Seeing the fat sheep16 that had been in their hands gone, they quickly shouted for help, “Quick! Someone’s causing trouble! Report to the Eldest Miss and the Left Protector! Catch them!”
Hearing the commotion, Ji Qingchi knew they had been discovered. She thought carrying someone was too cumbersome and might lead to being found; she needed to find a place to hide.
Those people moved extremely fast and soon spotted them. They immediately deployed hook-ropes17, setting up inescapable nets18. These hook-ropes weren’t like the ordinary hunting tools from the cliff before; these were items from the Xuanji Pavilion, which trained many first-rate assassins. Made of black iron19, the hooks were coated with poison and were sticky. An ordinary person caught in them would instantly be reduced to white bones.
Ji Qingchi’s Qinggong was good, but carrying a person was still strenuous. After narrowly avoiding the hook-ropes, she carried the person and slipped into the front courtyard. From afar, she saw a window open in a room on the third floor. Deciding promptly and acting decisively, she used Qinggong to carry the person and burst inside, closing the window in one smooth motion.
She turned, intending to apologize to the room’s occupant, but upon seeing the person, she was startled and stepped back. “Miss Su?”
After Su Yi had been led to the third floor, no one had come for a long time. Instead, something unknown had been released into the room, making her feel increasingly feverish and hot. Unable to bear it, she had opened the window for ventilation. Unexpectedly, just after opening it, someone jumped in through the window, giving her a fright.
When she saw the person’s face, she exclaimed in surprise, “Ninth Highness?”
Seeing the person in her arms, she was even more surprised. “Seventh Highness?”
What was going on? Did the female protagonist and her sisters come to visit a brothel as a group? Could the other imperial daughters have come too?
“Search carefully, they might be hiding somewhere. The hook-ropes can’t be used anymore; call for people to bring lighter tools.”
Hearing the increasingly dense footsteps outside, Ji Qingchi knew things were bad. She hid the Seventh Imperial Daughter in the wardrobe and said to Su Yi, “Miss Su, there’s something strange about this tavern. We are currently being pursued. I hope Miss Su can offer us convenience and let us hide here.”
“Alright.” Su Yi nodded. Looking around the room, she saw only the wardrobe and the bed; there was nowhere else to hide. While she was hesitating, Ji Qingchi hid on the bed, covering herself with the quilt.
Su Yi breathed a sigh of relief and sat down at the table, sipping tea, pretending nothing had happened.
After a while, her door was opened. A woman she didn’t recognize entered. The woman wore tight-fitting attire, dressed like someone from the Jianghu20. She carefully inspected the room. Seeing the bulge under the bed covers, she was about to investigate but was stopped by Su Yi’s outstretched hand.
The woman smiled faintly at her. “Young Woman21, did any suspicious strangers come to your room just now?”
Su Yi said nonchalantly, “Yes.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “Oh? Who was it, and where are they?”
Su Yi smiled. “Isn’t it you?”
The woman paused for a moment, then sneered, “Young Woman certainly knows how to joke.”
“I’m not joking,” Su Yi said, smiling sweetly at her. “I don’t know you, and you appeared in my room without reason. How are you not a suspicious person?”
“It was I who disturbed you.” The woman sneered, clasped her fist22, and left. Not long after, Su Yi felt even hotter. She took off her fox-fur coat, wearing only a thin layer of clothing underneath.
Just as she was about to open the window, the door was opened again, and several more people entered.
Five unfamiliar men, all dressed very lightly.
Su Yi took a step back defensively. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Naturally, we’re here to apologize.” The woman who had entered earlier emerged from behind the five men, smiled lightly at her, and said, “Young Lady, my sincere apologies. I apologize to Miss Su for what happened just now. These men are compensation for you, Young Lady. How about it?”
Like hell it’s fine.
Su Yi retreated. “I just came to see my friend. Where did you take her? Didn’t your manager say earlier she would be right over?”
“So you are the Miss Su invited by the manager. Miss Su is an honored guest; how could we neglect our hospitality?” The woman sneered, closed the door, and ordered the men, “Go serve Miss Su.”
Then she found a stool and sat down nearby, apparently wanting to watch the show.
Receiving the order, the men immediately moved to grab Su Yi. These men didn’t seem like men from the Yanxue Kingdom; they gave her a feeling very similar to the men from her previous life’s country—their smiles were utterly disgusting.
Su Yi dodged around. The room was tiny, leaving nowhere to hide. The men quickly caught up, tearing both of Su Yi’s sleeves.
Rip—
Su Yi shouted angrily, “You will face retribution!”
The men roared with laughter. The woman sitting on the stool also laughed. “Before that happens, I’d rather like to see if anything happens to Young Lady. Seeing how weak Young Lady looks, I wonder what will happen when several men are on her at once?”
The sound of tearing clothes sent rage rising to the heart23 of Ji Qingchi, hidden on the bed. She couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. She flung off the quilt, used hidden weapons to knock out all the men, and got off the bed.
The woman was unable to restrain her anger. She smashed the chair and stood up. “You really were hiding someone!”
As she spoke, she moved to notify people outside. Ji Qingchi struck her with a palm, sending her crashing against the door with a loud bang.
The guards outside heard the noise and quickly asked, “Left Protector, what happened?”
Ji Qingchi drew her soft sword, pressing it against the woman’s neck, and chuckled lightly. “You should know how to answer.”
“Just now… just now I smashed a chair, that’s all.” A bloody line appeared on her neck. To save her own life, the woman had no choice but to deceive those outside. “It’s nothing, don’t meddle.”
Only then were those people reassured, and they paid them no further mind.
Su Yi used all her might24 to tear down the bed curtain, poking Ji Qingchi. “Ninth Highness, here.”
Ji Qingchi was puzzled. “What for?”
“There are so many people, tie them up.”
“No need for such effort. I’ve sealed their acupoints. They won’t wake up for at least five shichen25.”
Only then did Su Yi feel relieved, collapsing softly. “That’s good…”
Ji Qingchi was startled. “Miss Su!”
As she reached out to help Su Yi, the woman she had subdued took advantage of her distraction, struck her with a palm, escaped, opened the door, and yelled, “Quick! Seize these two for this Seat26!”
“Ugh…” Ji Qingchi clutched her left shoulder, filled with resentment. She quickly reached out, scooped up Su Yi, swiftly opened the wardrobe again, grabbed the Seventh Imperial Daughter, kicked open the window, and fled.
Carrying even one person was strenuous, let alone two.
At the same time, Su Yi, held in her left arm, grew increasingly hot, her face flushed red. It seemed she had caught a chill from the sudden changes in temperature earlier and was developing a fever.
Their pursuers chased relentlessly. Ji Qingchi used Qinggong, carrying them as she circled the building’s courtyard levels, eventually reaching the first floor. This area had the most people, and the pursuers, wanting to prevent the secrets of the establishment from being exposed, didn’t dare to search openly and brazenly27.
Taking advantage of this, Ji Qingchi kicked open a room door. Inside, two women were engaged in pleasure. “Darling, you’re amazing… grip slower, gentler… mmm… sweetheart, why do you move so well…”
Ji Qingchi kicking the door startled the pair. Seeing Ji Qingchi enter carrying one person in each arm, the female entertainer28 seemed unfazed, but the customer was quite surprised. “My goodness, Young Lady, truly valiant.”
Ji Qingchi placed the Seventh Imperial Daughter near the table, letting her lean over it. She took fifty taels of silver from her own person and tossed it to the customer. “Find another place. We need this room.”
Only a fool wouldn’t take free money.
The customer quickly grabbed the silver, hastily put on her clothes, and led the entertainer out. As she left, she sighed repeatedly, “Truly youthful spirit. Two at once, tsk tsk tsk…”
Ji Qingchi ignored her words. She again hid the Seventh Imperial Daughter in the wardrobe, tore off some clean cloth to spread anew on the bed, placed Su Yi on it, and gave her some water to drink.
“Miss Su, Miss Su, wake up.”
Su Yi felt like silk in a fire, burning hot all over. She forced her eyes open. “Ninth Highness…”
“Go check over there, are they there?!”
Just as Ji Qingchi was about to speak, another wave of commotion faintly drifted from outside.
Ji Qingchi acted decisively. She also got onto the bed, pulled Su Yi into her arms, and covered them both tightly with the quilt.
The pursuers quickly opened their door.
“Sweetheart, why do you smell so fragrant… mmm… so soft all over, you really know how to… grip… let me kiss you…”
They saw no one, only a bulging lump under the quilt and heard a woman’s voice. The pursuing guards felt a bit embarrassed. Their leader coughed. “Esteemed guest, apologies for the disturbance. May I ask if the guest saw a woman dressed in servant’s clothes, carrying two women, both dressed richly?”
“Didn’t see!” Ji Qingchi deliberately lowered her voice, propped herself above Su Yi, intentionally moved back and forth, and panted, “Darling, you’re so beautiful… Can’t you see we’re busy? Believe it or not, I’ll go find your manager later and have you punished?! Hmph… Darling, don’t be scared… I wasn’t talking about you… mmm… so soft…”
Having drunk some water, Su Yi’s mind was much clearer. She blinked and saw Ji Qingchi above her. Before she could say anything, she heard the words coming from Ji Qingchi’s mouth.
Su Yi’s face instantly turned beet red, even more flushed than when she had the fever. Just as she was about to speak, Ji Qingchi made a hushing gesture.
Su Yi understood and blinked at her.
However, she saw a mischievous glint suddenly appear in Ji Qingchi’s eyes. Su Yi sensed trouble, but it was too late. The next second, Su Yi’s moans and whimpers escaped through the quilt.
Ji Qingchi had massaged her before and knew her most sensitive spots. So she pressed those areas. After a few times, Su Yi’s cries grew louder, her face flushed pink, the corners of her eyes moist and red, yet the daggers in her eyes looked ready to dismember the person above her29.
Ji Qingchi’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, matching her voice to Su Yi’s sounds, “Sweetheart really knows how to cry out. You outside, heard enough? If you’ve heard enough, then piss off! Can’t you see we’re busy? Mmm… Sweetheart’s cries are melting my heart… One more kiss…”
“Truly disturbed the guest, we’ll leave right away.” The searching women also blushed, closed the door, and left, thinking to themselves that they didn’t know which courtyard this sister belonged to, her cries were like hooks, soft yet seductive, almost stirring up the fire within them.
Footnotes
- 钻牛角尖 | zuān niújiǎojiān | Lit. “bore into a bull’s horn”; To obsess over irrelevant details, split hairs, or get stuck on a problem.
- 姬晟 | Jī Shèng
- 门儿清 | ménr qīng | Beijing dialect slang meaning to know something thoroughly, to be perfectly clear about a situation.
- 祭司 | jìsī | Priest/Priestess, often involved in rituals and divination.
- 万花丛中过片叶不沾身 | wàn huā cóng zhōng guò, piàn yè bù zhān shēn | Lit. “Pass through ten thousand flowers, not a single leaf clings to the body”; Describes someone (often a man regarding women, but used here for social ease) who is experienced and sophisticated, able to navigate complex social situations (especially romantic or potentially compromising ones) without getting entangled or affected.
- 如鱼得水 | rú yú dé shuǐ | Lit. “like a fish getting to water”; To be in one’s element, to thrive in a situation.
- 心肝儿 | xīngānr | Lit. “heart and liver”; An affectionate term of endearment, like “darling” or “sweetheart”.
- 心花怒放 | xīn huā nù fàng | Lit. “the flower in the heart blooms furiously”; To be bursting with joy, overjoyed.
- 余州 | Yú Zhōu
- 兵家必争之地 | bīngjiā bì zhēng zhī dì | Lit. “a place military strategists must contest”; Land of crucial strategic importance in warfare.
- 自作自受 | zì zuò zì shòu | Lit. “self make, self receive”; To suffer the consequences of one’s own actions, get what one deserves.
- 和亲 | héqīn | Political marriage alliance, typically involving marrying a princess to a ruler or noble of another state to secure peace or diplomatic ties.
- 事出反常必有妖 | shì chū fǎncháng bì yǒu yāo | Lit. “When things happen abnormally, there must be demons”; If something deviates from the norm, there’s likely something strange or sinister going on.
- 手刀 | shǒudāo | Lit. “hand knife”; A karate chop, striking with the edge of the hand.
- 不省人事 | bù xǐng rénshì | Lit. “not conscious of human affairs”; Unconscious, passed out.
- 肥羊 | féiyáng | Lit. “fat sheep”; Slang for an easy target, someone easily exploited or robbed.
- 钩索 | gōusuǒ | Hooked ropes or grappling hooks, used as weapons or tools.
- 天罗地网 | tiānluó dìwǎng | Lit. “nets above and snares below”; An inescapable trap, measures taken to ensure capture.
- 玄铁 | xuántiě | Black iron/Mysterious iron. A common term in Wuxia/Xianxia for a strong, often magical or specially forged metal.
- 江湖 | jiānghú | Lit. “rivers and lakes”; Refers to the world of martial artists, vagrants, and adventurers outside mainstream society.
- 姑娘 | gūniang | Young woman, girl, Miss. A general term of address.
- 抱拳 | bàoquán | To cup one fist in the other hand; a traditional Chinese gesture of respect, greeting, or farewell, common in martial arts contexts.
- 怒火攻心 | nùhuǒ gōng xīn | Lit. “angry fire attacks the heart”; To be overcome with rage.
- 吃奶的力气 | chī nǎi de lìqi | Lit. “the strength used for suckling”; All one’s strength, maximum effort.
- Five shichen is ten hours.
- 本座 | běn zuò | Lit. “this seat”; An arrogant way for someone in a position of power (like a sect leader or high official) to refer to themselves.
- 明目张胆 | míngmù zhāngdǎn | Lit. “bright eyes, bold gallbladder”; Openly and without fear, brazenly, often used for wrongdoing.
- 伎女 | jìnǚ | Female entertainer, often skilled in arts like singing, dancing, or music; sometimes also a courtesan depending on context.
- 大卸八块 | dà xiè bā kuài | Lit. “dismember into eight pieces”; To cut someone into pieces, expressing extreme anger or hatred.
The quiet ones really knows how to be extremely mischievous 🤣