Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 55
by Little PandaVolume 3: Courtly Winds and Clouds, Each Finds Their Place
The Book is Really Good
When Su Yi asked this, her desire to watch the excitement unfold could be guessed from miles away1.
Ji Qingchi gave her a faint glance. “Not at the moment.”
Sigh, how can there not be? If the female protagonist doesn’t have a young master she likes, then what about her harem later on?
Holding onto the spirit of promoting one if she could, Su Yi seized the opportunity to ask, “What does Your Highness think of the Chancellor’s son?”
This was the female protagonist’s future Noble Consort2; she should have a decent impression of him.
Hearing this, Ji Qingchi frowned deeply, sizing Su Yi up for a long while before asking with a cold face, “Does Miss Su like the Chancellor’s son?”
“How could I?” Su Yi quickly waved her hands. Snatch a man from the female protagonist? Did she still want to live?
“This commoner just sees that the Chancellor’s son and Your Highness are well-matched in social standing3, a talented man and a beautiful woman, truly a match made in heaven.”
Unexpectedly, upon hearing her words, Ji Qingchi’s expression immediately darkened. “Miss Su, do not say such things again in the future.”
Ji Qingchi had been on the battlefield; her intimidating aura was potent. With a sullen face, she looked truly somewhat terrifying.
Staring at her for a good while, she said hollowly, “This Palace does not currently have a young master I like.”
Su Yi quickly covered her mouth. “Alright, what this commoner4 said just now was merely a joke. Your Highness, please don’t take it to heart.”
So what if there isn’t one? Not having one now doesn’t mean there won’t be one later. Why be so fierce? It’s not like she’s going to snatch men from the female protagonist.
Grumbling inwardly, Su Yi pushed a cup of wine towards Ji Qingchi. “Your Highness, please calm down. Forgive this commoner for speaking carelessly.”
How could one possibly get angry looking at Su Yi’s pale, bloodless face?
Ji Qingchi sighed inwardly, took the cup, and drained it in one gulp.
Then, without a sound, she drank another seven or eight cups by herself.
Seeing she seemed to quite like this wine, Su Yi quickly called for Yan Can and had the manager send over several dozen bamboo tubes of it. She smiled at Ji Qingchi, “Since Your Highness likes the wine so much, consider this wine a gift to Your Highness.”
Ji Qingchi said slowly, “It seems This Palace is the owner of this tavern. Everything in this tavern belongs to This Palace. How can Miss Su take This Palace’s things to gift to This Palace?”
“Ahem…” Su Yi had forgotten about that. Hearing this, she quickly tried to salvage the situation. “This wine was brewed by this commoner; there’s a share of this commoner in it. Saying it’s a ‘gift’ to Your Highness shouldn’t be too out of line, right?”
Ji Qingchi glanced at her but said nothing, waving for the maids she had brought to collect the wine.
Su Yi stopped trying to court rebuff5 by talking about this. Instead, she mentioned how the capital seemed to have gotten colder recently, wondering when spring would arrive, how she felt cold even with the underfloor heating6 lit in the Marquis’s residence, and whether she might freeze to death.
Ji Qingchi listened silently, occasionally humming an “Mm” to show she was listening.
Towards the end, Su Yi grew a bit tired. A drawback of poor health was insufficient energy.
Seeing the weariness already bringing tears to her eyes, Ji Qingchi had someone escort her back to rest. She herself stayed at the tavern a while longer, confirmed that business was good, and then slowly descended the stairs with her people.
The alcohol content of the wine Su Yi brewed was higher than what she usually drank. Her tolerance was low, and Su Yi’s earlier words had vexed her, causing her to unconsciously drink too much. As she walked, she took a wrong turn, straying onto an extra street, and unexpectedly ended up at the entrance of Yiyun Tower.
The maids behind her didn’t dare stop her. Seeing her standing dazedly at the entrance of Yiyun Tower, they belatedly realized Her Highness might be drunk and had taken the wrong way. They quickly stepped forward, “Your Highness, shall this servant7 have someone bring a sedan chair to send you back to your residence?”
“Alright.” Ji Qingchi turned to leave, unexpectedly bumping into someone. That person reflexively cursed her for not watching where she was going8, then hurried inside.
As the person left, something fell from a gap in her bundle, landing with a loud “thud” that she didn’t even hear.
Ji Qingchi bent down and picked it up. The large characters “The Amorous Doctor and Her Stunning Wife” met her eyes.
She frowned. “What is this?”
“This is…” A maid stepped forward to look, saying uncertainly, “It seems… to be written about Miss Su and that doctor beside her…?”
Hearing this, Ji Qingchi was about to use her internal energy to turn the object into powder. However, after a thought, she didn’t act, instead tossing the item to the maid. “Hold this for This Palace.”
After a pause, she added, “Go to the bookshop and buy some more for This Palace.”
The maid quickly complied, thinking Her Highness’s request was too vague. Did she like reading this genre, or did she only like these few books about Miss Su? She hesitated slightly, but based on the principle of ‘better too many than too few,’ she went to the bookshop, bought and bundled up all books of this type, and delivered them to Ji Qingchi’s study.
Meanwhile, the woman Ji Qingchi had bumped into eagerly ran into Yiyun Tower, opened her bundle, spread everything out, and said fawningly to the woman lounging on the chaise lounge, “Eldest Miss, this servant has bought all the books.”
“Mm,” Hua Wuying said languidly. “Bring them over for This Seat9 to take a look.”
“Yes.”
Hua Wuying took the items and flipped through them, noticing that the widely circulated “The Amorous Doctor and Her Stunning Wife” was missing. She raised an eyebrow. “Why is one missing?”
“Impossible, this servant bought everything related.” The woman, flustered, stepped forward for a closer look. Indeed, one was missing. She immediately recalled bumping into Ji Qingchi earlier, quickly apologized, and explained what had happened.
“Forget it, it wasn’t your fault. Go buy another one.” Hua Wuying casually picked up a book and began flipping through it. “Someone, let her see her fulang10.”
The woman was instantly overcome with gratitude11. Soon, someone dragged over an unconscious man like a dead dog and poured medicine down his throat.
The woman rushed over, crying out “Husband!” Hua Wuying smiled. “Rest assured, he’s fine. He just won’t be able to speak anymore.”
The woman turned pale with fright. Sure enough, when the man woke up, he discovered his tongue was gone. The two clung together, weeping bitterly.
Amidst the couple’s bitter cries, Hua Wuying smiled faintly. “Leak This Seat’s affairs to others again, and it won’t just be the tongue.”
With that, she opened the book in her hand, read a short passage, and nodded. “Mm, this doctor is truly devoted.”
When she read the book, she adopted Su Yi’s perspective from within the story, though more people adopted the doctor’s perspective.
Only after finishing her business did Ji Qingchi remember the books she had asked the maid to buy. So, she had them all brought over and lay on her couch, slowly flipping through them.
She read quickly, capable of getting through seven or eight-tenths12 of all the military strategy books in her study in a single day. But when she picked up that copy of “The Amorous Doctor and Her Stunning Wife,” she surprisingly spent an entire night reading it from cover to cover.
The next day, when the maid came to help her wash and dress, she saw Her Highness had dark circles under her eyes, looking haggard, and was greatly surprised. “Your Highness…”
Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, someone outside announced that Su Yi had sent people over with a large quantity of wine and pots, saying they were for Her Highness to use at the Palace Banquet.
After hearing this, the maid noticed Her Highness was actually having a nosebleed. Blood trickled from her nose, frightening the maid into shouting, “Quickly call a doctor! Call a doctor!”
Ji Qingchi was carefully helped onto the couch. Soon, a doctor arrived, examined her, looked at Her Highness’s haggard face, and said tactfully, “Your Highness has excessive liver fire13. I’m afraid… you might need someone to attend you at night14.”
Ji Qingchi clutched her nose, already feeling utterly humiliated. Now, hearing the doctor’s words, she felt even more mortified. “This Palace understands. Is there a way to suppress the liver fire?”
The doctor quickly prescribed medicine. Ji Qingchi had someone take it to be decocted and consumed it. She then issued a gag order to the people in her residence, “Do not speak of this matter outside.”
The maids chuckled inwardly, thinking Her Highness had reached that age. However, she had always delayed finding someone. With the Palace Banquet approaching, Her Majesty finding someone for Her Highness would resolve Her Highness’s liver fire. It seemed they would soon have a Master Consort15 to serve.
Ji Qingchi didn’t know what the maids in her residence were thinking. The author of those books based on Su Yi was clearly someone who had spent a long time mingling in women’s circles; her writing was outstanding. It instantly made Ji Qingchi, who had never encountered such things, understand many matters between women.
Slowly, she also sorted out her own feelings towards Su Yi.
She had the books burned, sincerely fasted and bathed16 for three days, finally managing to suppress all the amorous thoughts17, only to find it was time for the Palace Banquet.
The Third Princess and Seventh Princess returned from Linchuan. Ji Qingchi went to the city gate to welcome them and unexpectedly noticed a strange woman accompanying her Third Sister.
A stranger appearing at such a time made Ji Qingchi very wary. After the Third Princess entered the city, she pulled her aside away from others and asked, “What’s the situation with that woman?”
“I rescued her in a Linchuan workshop. Little Nine, you know too, over in Linchuan, some people sell women from the other two countries as slaves. Chen Bi18 was one such case. She said she had no family left, that she and her mother suffered endless bullying in Dongli Kingdom, so they went through great hardships19 to come to Yanxue Kingdom. Unexpectedly, just after arriving, her mother, with whom she relied on, also died of illness. To bury her mother, she was going to sell herself20. Who knew the buyer was one of those human traffickers who wanted to sell her as a slave. She refused and secretly ran away, unexpectedly bumping into my sedan chair. After careful inquiry, I found her very pitiful, so I kept her by my side as a maid.” The Third Princess recounted earnestly.
This story was flawless21, yet Ji Qingchi still felt something wasn’t quite right. “These are critical times. Third Sister must be careful.”
“I know what you’re saying.” The Third Princess smiled gently. “Little Nine, rest assured, it will be fine.”
Ji Qingchi felt uneasy, but since her sister had already said so, she could only sigh. “Let’s hope so.”
Soon, it was the thirtieth of the year22. Ordinary families gathered for reunions, but the powerful and noble of Jingdu were all invited to the palace for the Palace Banquet.
Su Yi never expected she would be invited too. This was an imperial daughter matchmaking banquet; what was she going there for?
Puzzled, she asked her mother, only to have her mother rub her face. “My dear Yi’er, usually so clever, how come you’re muddled now? There will be many young masters at the banquet. Not only do the imperial daughters need to choose their Primary Consorts, but it’s also time for Yi’er to choose another fulang23 to take care of you. Yi’er must choose carefully then.”
Su Yi looked shocked. No way, could it be that the image of a devoted widow she acted out wasn’t convincing enough? Why was her mother still thinking of finding her a man?
Just as she was about to argue, her mother pressed down on her little head24 and pulled her into the sedan chair. “Alright, stop talking. Let’s go quickly, or we’ll be late.”
Su Yi was forced to attend the Palace Banquet with her mother, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother’s family.
She had never been to the Imperial Palace before, though she had visited the Forbidden City a few times. However, the Yanxue Kingdom’s Imperial Palace was magnificently brilliant25, actually twice as large as the Forbidden City.
As soon as her great-grandmother arrived at the main hall, colleagues sought her out. She went to exchange pleasantries, pulling along her grandmother, who was now the Heir Apparent, to get accustomed to official life ahead of time.
She and her mother, having come from Fengcheng, had never seen such a resplendent palace. They were like country bumpkins26 entering the city, eyes wide open, looking everywhere.
This main hall of Yanxue Kingdom was truly enormous, much larger than the sports field at her university. Moreover, it was adorned with carved phoenixes and coiling dragons; many things were made of glazed glass27, gold, and jade. The dazzling jewels and treasures28 nearly blinded her eyes.
Su Yi felt she had broadened her horizons.
As she was looking around intently, a male voice suddenly sneered, “Kingdom folk are country folk. Even dressed in a layer of gold skin, they’re still country folk.”
Su Yi frowned slightly and followed the voice to see a man with red lips and white teeth standing behind her to the left. Next to him stood Xiao Zhengyun, the Chancellor’s son who had previously fought with her over rouge.
“What are you looking at? This Young Master said it.”
The unfamiliar man looked at her provocatively. “Is This Young Master wrong?”
“Under the vast heavens, there is no land that is not the sovereign’s soil29. All are Her Majesty’s subjects, treated equally by Her Majesty. How can there be a distinction between country and city? Has Young Master Cui drunk too much before the banquet has even started?”
Before Su Yi could retort sarcastically, someone spoke up for her.
The familiar voice made Su Yi quickly turn and salute, “Ninth Highness.”
Ji Qingchi and several other imperial daughters had seen Su Yi from afar and walked over together. Hearing this tactless Minister’s son mocking Su Yi, Ji Qingchi couldn’t help but speak out for her.
The Minister’s son, Cui Jinliu30, who had been smugly pleased, became flustered upon seeing the imperial daughters and quickly apologized, “Ninth Highness is right. It was this commoner who spoke carelessly just now.”
Ji Qingchi didn’t look at him, her eyes glued to Su Yi, unable to move away.
Today was the Palace Banquet. The Marquis of Pingyang felt they couldn’t lose face under any circumstances, so Su Yi had been dressed lavishly.
Usually, Su Yi wore simple dresses, appearing graceful and delicate, the very picture of a sickly beauty. Now, dressed in rich brocade and adorned with gold and silver ornaments, she looked even more like a frail, wealthy young lady, refreshing to the eye and captivating the heart31.
“It’s good that Young Master Cui understands.” Seeing her younger sister ignoring him, the Second Princess timely stepped in to smooth things over. “Today is the Palace Banquet. Even if there are disagreements, they shouldn’t be aired today. Besides, Miss Su is frail and rarely goes out. How could she have a disagreement with Young Master Cui?”
Her gaze was sharp, pressing Cui Jinliu. “May I ask how Miss Su has offended the Minister’s son?”
“I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.” Facing several imperial daughters, how could Cui Jinliu dare say he was jealous that Su Yi had gained their favor? Moreover, he liked the Second Princess, so naturally, he wanted to make a good impression in front of the woman he admired. Thus, he shook his head repeatedly, “It was this commoner who spoke carelessly.”
Since he took the initiative to admit fault, the imperial daughters were not ones to haggle over it and didn’t pursue the matter further, focusing instead on talking with Su Yi.
Not long after, the Eleventh Princess, leading the orphaned Little Heir of the Eighth Princess, Ji Qingmian32, both dressed like young maidens, resembling white dumplings, were also led over by palace maids. Seeing Su Yi, the Eleventh Princess was very happy and brought her younger sister running to Su Yi, asking for hugs.
Su Yi was surrounded by imperial daughters, making the young masters in the hall extremely jealous.
Was today about the imperial daughters choosing Primary Consorts, or Su Yi choosing an imperial daughter?
Cui Jinliu watched the scene over there, saying resentfully, “That Su Yi is truly an eyesore.”
He had already secretly arranged for the taxes on Su Yi’s shops to be increased by 30% and sent people to buy up all the silkworm cocoons. Yet Su Yi’s shops hadn’t collapsed, which truly infuriated him.
“Just wait. Something will happen to her sooner or later.” Xiao Zhengyun wore an expression of profound mystery. He was a master at playing power games33. To deal with Su Yi, he wouldn’t act himself; instead, he incited and provoked the son of the Minister of Revenue, Cui Jinliu, making him start to resent Su Yi.
Cui Jinliu, like Su Tianci, was spoiled by his family and didn’t have much sense34. He hadn’t expected to rely on Cui Jinliu to get rid of Su Yi, but Cui Jinliu was, after all, the son of the Minister of Revenue. Relying on the Minister of Revenue, he could at least annoy Su Yi to death and cause Su Yi’s vitality to be greatly damaged.
Once Su Yi was driven to distraction, he would make his move, guaranteeing he could finish her off.
“Remember to keep sending people down to buy silkworm cocoons. Persist a while longer, and I guarantee her shops won’t be able to stay open.”
“Rest assured,” Cui Jinliu watched hatefully. “I had people go down to buy them long ago.”
Being surrounded by imperial daughters wasn’t the first time for Su Yi; she was used to it. She casually grabbed a handful of candies from the small pouch35 she carried and gave them to the Eleventh Princess and the Little Heir. Watching them happily unwrap and eat the candies, Su Yi also smiled. “So cute.”
“Yes,” her mother seized the chance to add. “It would be nice if you also had such a cute daughter, and Mother had such a cute granddaughter.”
Pushing marriage and childbirth is a characteristic of elders, unavoidable in both ancient and modern times.
Su Yi waved her hands awkwardly. “Mother, what are you saying? I don’t even have a fulang yet. Besides, don’t the Highnesses also not have children?”
“We came this time precisely to choose a fulang for you. Once you have a fulang, why fear not having children?” Su Ming most feared her daughter having no one to care for her in the future, so this matter weighed most heavily on her mind. Hearing her daughter say this, she retorted, “Besides, at this Palace Banquet, the Highnesses will also soon have their Primary Consorts. Isn’t that right, Your Highnesses?”
The other imperial daughters smiled politely. Ji Qingchi’s smile was the stiffest. She was already vexed about having to find her own Primary Consort; now, great, she also had to worry about Su Yi finding a fulang.
As everyone chatted, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, a palace maid suddenly announced loudly, “Her Majesty the Emperor arrives——”
Footnotes
- 十里八乡 | shí lǐ bā xiāng | Lit. “ten li and eight villages”; A common expression meaning over a wide area, far and wide.
- 贵君 | guìjūn | A high-ranking male consort, second only to the primary consort (正君).
- 门当户对 | mén dāng hù duì | Lit. “gates match, households pair”; Families of equal social standing (considered ideal for marriage).
- 草民 | cǎomín | Lit. “grass commoner”; A humble form of self-address used by commoners (male or female) when speaking to officials or royalty.
- 自讨没趣 | zì tǎo méi qù | Lit. “to ask for no fun for oneself”; To invite boredom or trouble for oneself, to court a rebuff, to ask for a snub.
- 地龙 | dìlóng | Lit. “earth dragon”; Refers to a traditional Chinese underfloor heating system.
- 奴婢 | núbì | Lit. “slave servant”; A humble form of self-address used by female servants or slaves when speaking to their masters.
- 不长眼 | bù zhǎng yǎn | Lit. “not grow eyes”; An insult meaning someone is blind, careless, not watching where they are going.
- 本座 | běn zuò | Lit. “this seat”; A form of self-address used by powerful figures, often implying authority or arrogance (common in martial arts/fantasy genres).
- 夫君 | fūjūn | Husband (formal or traditional term).
- 感激涕零 | gǎnjī tì líng | Lit. “grateful tears fall”; To weep with gratitude, extremely thankful.
- 七七八八 | qī qī bā bā | An idiomatic expression meaning mostly, just about, almost completely.
- 肝火旺盛 | gān huǒ wàngshèng | Lit. “liver fire flourishing”; In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this refers to a pattern of imbalance often associated with irritability, anger, stress, headache, red eyes, and sometimes physical symptoms like nosebleeds. It can be linked to repressed emotions or physical strain.
- 侍寝 | shìqǐn | To attend to someone (usually royalty or high nobility) at bedtime. This term strongly implies providing sexual services as part of the duty.
- 主君 | zhǔjūn | Master Consort/Lord Consort.
- 诚心斋戒沐浴 | chéngxīn zhāijiè mùyù | To sincerely fast (abstain from meat, alcohol, etc.), purify oneself, and bathe; often done as a ritual preparation before important events or to show piety/resolve.
- 旎念 | nǐ niàn | Amorous, tender, or sensual thoughts.
- 沉壁 | Chén Bì | Chen means ‘sink/deep’, Bi means ‘jade disk’.
- 千辛万苦 | qiān xīn wàn kǔ | Lit. “thousand bitters ten thousand hardships”; Countless difficulties and hardships.
- 卖身 | mài shēn | To sell oneself (into servitude, prostitution, etc.) usually out of desperation.
- 无可挑剔 | wú kě tiāo tī | Lit. “nothing can be picked at”; Impeccable, flawless, beyond reproach.
- 年三十 | nián sānshí | The 30th day of the last lunar month; Lunar New Year’s Eve.
- 夫郎 | fūláng | Husband.
- 小脑袋瓜 | xiǎo nǎodai guā | Lit. “little head melon”; An affectionate and slightly dismissive term for someone’s head or mind, often used towards children or when teasing.
- 金碧辉煌 | jīn bì huīhuáng | Lit. “gold green splendor”; Splendid in green and gold, describes buildings decorated luxuriously and brilliantly.
- 土包子 | tǔbāozi | Lit. “earth bun”; Kingdom bumpkin, hick (derogatory).
- 琉璃 | liúlí | Colored glaze, often used for tiles, beads, or decorative objects.
- 珠光宝气 | zhū guāng bǎo qì | Lit. “pearl light treasure air”; Resplendent with jewels and pearls, glittering.
- 普天之下, 莫非王土 | pǔ tiān zhī xià, mò fēi wáng tǔ | A famous line from the Classic of Poetry, meaning everything under heaven belongs to the ruler.
- 崔金琉 | Cuī Jīnliú | Cui is a surname, Jin means ‘gold’, Liu refers to ‘lapis lazuli’ or ‘glazed tile’.
- 心旌驰荡 | xīn jīng chí dàng | Lit. “heart banner flutter swing”; One’s heart is fluttering or captivated, deeply moved or attracted.
- 姬卿眠 | Jī Qīngmián | Mian means ‘sleep/close eyes’.
- 权谋 | quánmóu | Political maneuvering, power schemes, intrigue.
- 没什么脑子 | méi shénme nǎozi | Lit. “doesn’t have much brain”; Not very smart, lacks sense, foolish.
- 荷包 | hébāo | A small pouch or purse, often embroidered, carried at the waist in traditional clothing.
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