The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 226
by Little PandaExtra 1
Bathing Pool
In the summer of Qianshi1 Year 2, the imperial palace welcomed an imperial daughter. The Retired Emperor issued an imperial edict declaring her the Imperial Crown Princess2, the heir apparent of the Quzhao Dynasty. However, because she was so young, they feared she might not be able to bear the weight of such heavenly favor, so the official proclamation to the world had to wait until she reached her first full year.
Yet everyone, both in the court and throughout the common lands of Quzhao, knew that this Little Princess was the future sovereign.
Outside Zhaofu Hall in the Quzhao Palace, palace maids and eunuchs held long bamboo poles, using them to swat at the cicadas that shrilled endlessly in the branches.
Maids bustled in and out of the hall in an orderly fashion. Ever since the birth of the Imperial Crown Princess, the entire palace had been steeped in an air of celebration. Every day, the moment the Female Emperor adjourned the morning court, she would return to the Empress’s chambers, hardly ever leaving her side.
On this day, Lin Xizhao was nursing her daughter. Qu Sheng, having changed into clean robes after leaving court, lay down beside the mother and child. Propping her head up with one hand, she lay on her side, watching her daughter’s tiny mouth suckling vigorously.
The tiny little one was working hard, her little lips glistening and rosy, an exceptionally beautiful sight.
“Your Majesties, the Imperial Kitchen has sent over the ginseng soup,” said a maid, bowing as she carried in a tureen.
At the sound, Qu Sheng looked back, rolled over, and got up to ladle out half a bowl of ginseng soup.
A woman needed to replenish her qi and blood after childbirth, making this ginseng soup indispensable. Holding the jade bowl, Qu Sheng blew gently on the broth as she stirred it.
The maid waited at the side with her head bowed. Qu Sheng sat on the couch, scooped up a spoon, and tested the temperature against her own lips before holding it to Lin Xizhao’s.
Lin Xizhao looked up at her, her eyes curving slightly as she took small sips.
When the half-bowl of soup was gone, Qu Sheng set the jade bowl aside. Turning back, she noticed a trace of broth on Lin Xizhao’s lips. Leaning in without a word, she kissed Lin Xizhao naturally, gently sucking away the trace of ginseng soup bit by bit.
Such intimacy was nothing new between them, but today, Qu Sheng seemed loath to pull away.
“Wife, bestow a little upon me as well,” Qu Sheng murmured, her voice low as if afraid the little one between them might hear.
While Lin Xizhao was still wondering what Qu Sheng wanted, Qu Sheng’s slick, wet tongue was already prying open the barrier of her teeth.
After a brief tangle, Qu Sheng tasted the flavor of today’s ginseng soup, but even more of the beauty’s sweet, fragrant nectar.
Qu Sheng released her, looking at Lin Xizhao’s flushed cheeks and smiling somewhat slyly.
Lin Xizhao looked down at her daughter. The little one remained entirely oblivious, nursing away with all her might.
When Lin Xizhao looked up again, she laughed and gave Qu Sheng a soft, affectionate scold. “How shameless.”
Qu Sheng’s eyes curved into crescents, and she chuckled, lowering her head to watch her daughter nurse once again.
Half a ke3 later, the Imperial Crown Princess, full and sleeping sweetly, was carried off to an adjacent chamber. Qu Sheng followed them to settle her down before returning.
Lin Xizhao was still resting and recovering her strength. She had heard that the Zhao Residence had also welcomed a newborn daughter just a few days prior. Today, Qu Sheng had dispatched attendants with imperial rewards, and had previously granted Xiao Bingying rest days so she could remain at home with her wife and daughter.
“I heard from Jiayu that Cheng Feng has arrived as well,” Lin Xizhao inquired gently, reclining on the couch.
Qu Sheng smiled and replied, “Indeed. Cheng Feng brought quite a collection of congratulatory gifts this time. For him to make the journey in person, he must have wanted to see his sister.”
“Cheng Feng certainly cares about his sister.”
Qu Sheng nodded and whispered with a smile, “Tomorrow I’ll have Xikuan and Xirui come over as well.”
Lin Xizhao froze for a moment upon hearing this. When she mentioned Cheng Feng, she had merely been reflecting on how he had once used his own sister as bait to ensnare Xiao Bingying, drawing Qu Sheng into helping him suppress the powerful ministers in his court. Now it seemed that Cheng Feng was not an entirely heartless person; at least he cared deeply for his sister.
Since the inner palace was forbidden to outside men, Qu Sheng, hearing Lin Xizhao bring them up, had Lin Xikuan and Lin Xirui enter the palace the very next day.
After Lin Xikuan and Lin Xirui conversed with Lin Xizhao for a while, a palace maid carried the Imperial Crown Princess inside. Seeing how much the little one resembled his older sister, Lin Xirui felt a sudden urge to hold her.
Seeing this, Qu Sheng signaled with her eyes, and the maid handed the Imperial Crown Princess to Lin Xirui.
Lin Xirui, much like Lin Xizhao, adored children. Had Qu Sheng not competed with him for Lin Xizhao’s affection in their youth, he likely would have spent his days teasing Qu Sheng instead.
Standing nearby, Lin Xikuan also smiled as he watched his niece. He looked up at Qu Sheng and asked with a smile, “Has Your Majesty chosen a name for the Little Princess?”
Qu Sheng cast a warm glance toward Lin Xizhao, who was resting on the nearby soft couch, and replied, “Yes, her given name is a single character, Ning.”
Qu Ning—the name was chosen by Lin Xizhao. They had originally invited Qu Jinian to do so, but the Retired Emperor insisted it was most fitting for Lin Xizhao to name her. In the past, the character “Sheng” in Qu Sheng’s name had been chosen by Jin Yunfei.
After the hardship of carrying a child for ten months, if one could not even decide on the name of one’s own child, wouldn’t that be truly disheartening?
“Ning’er,” Lin Xirui smiled as he began calling the Little Princess by her name.
The baby opened her large, round eyes, looking left and right before letting out a soft yawn. After cradling her for a moment, Lin Xirui passed her to Lin Xikuan, letting him hold her as well.
When Lin Xikuan held her, his eyes softened as he looked at the little one’s face.
The little one was extremely similar to Lin Xizhao.
“She looks a lot like Ajie,” Lin Xikuan remarked, looking up once more at Lin Xizhao, who lay resting nearby.
Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved slightly, and she smiled, saying, “Ning’er’s eyes look very much like Sheng’er’s.”
Hearing this, Lin Xikuan looked down at Qu Ning in his arms and then up at Qu Sheng. Just as his sister had said, she indeed resembled Qu Sheng. In the future, she would surely grow to be a decisive and wise ruler.
Once the two brothers had taken their leave, Qu Sheng turned to Lin Xizhao. “Now that Third Sister-in-law is also pregnant, it’s about time Xikuan got married.”
Hearing this, Lin Xizhao could not help but feel a little sad. Lin Xikuan had remained unmarried all this time. Although there had been young ladies of matching status, he had refused every match, devoting his entire mind to court affairs.
Lin Xizhao shook her head. “Let him be.”
He had committed so many mistakes in the past, probably wanting to make amends for them. But she also knew that he had never let go of Cheng Xi. That year, he had begged Lin Xizhao to invite Cheng Xi over; while Cheng Xi could barely remember what he looked like, Lin Xikuan had never been able to forget her.
On the day of the Imperial Crown Princess’s 100-Day Banquet4, the assembled officials offered their congratulations. The Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager graced the event with their presence, and Jin Yunfei held the Little Princess, unable to put her down.
Looking at this little sister, Qu Zhimu sat by her side, already showing some of the poise of an older sister. Starting this year, she had begun practicing martial arts under Xiao Bingying’s tutelage. Though she was small, she could endure hardship and was not one to live in pampered comfort.
As Qu Sheng drank and celebrated with her ministers, there were many below who whispered and gossiped in private, wondering just how the child born from Lin Xizhao’s womb had come to be.
But on this point, Qu Sheng had absolutely no need to doubt, because Qu Ning’s eyes could see in the dark.
Once, when Lin Xizhao was holding an object in the night, Qu Sheng saw Qu Ning’s gaze follow the movement of the object in Lin Xizhao’s hand through the darkness.
But even if Qu Ning could not see in the dark, Qu Sheng would never have doubted whether Qu Ning was of her own blood. Between her and Lin Xizhao, there was absolutely no room for a third person. She trusted Lin Xizhao and had never harbored any doubt.
Since Qu Sheng had personally acknowledged this child as her own blood, even if the ministers did not know how it was possible, they did not dare to say anything.
No one in the court or the common lands was ignorant of Qu Sheng’s methods as the Female Emperor.
Once the banquet ended, Qu Sheng held Qu Ning and rode the dragon carriage back to the palace chambers with Lin Xizhao.
The little one had not been able to get any milk during the banquet, so the moment they returned to the palace chambers, she drank for a long time in one breath before finally letting out a sigh.
Watching her, Lin Xizhao felt her heart ache; she had been unable to feed her during today’s banquet. Qu Sheng had found a wet nurse, but Lin Xizhao did not seem to need one. Every time the little one finished feeding, there was still a lot of milk left over.
Once the little one finished feeding and fell asleep, Lin Xizhao gently laid her directly on the couch. With a maid stepping forward to watch over her, Lin Xizhao went with Qu Sheng to bathe.
Qu Sheng had ordered a bathing pool built within the palace. As they arrived, Lin Xizhao naturally untied the sash at her waist, speaking to Qu Sheng about going to Xiao Bingying’s place in a few days to attend her child’s 100-day banquet.
Qu Sheng nodded in agreement, but her thoughts were not on the conversation.
Lin Xizhao was wearing her inner robes. Seeing Qu Sheng staring at her, she looked down, then could only helplessly walk over and help Qu Sheng take off her dragon robe.
“Seeing that you perspired quite a bit today, your body should be fully recovered,” Lin Xizhao spoke of the medicine Qu Sheng had previously taken for the sake of the child.
Back then, even in midsummer, Qu Sheng would hardly perspire at all.
Qu Sheng came out of her daze and nodded. “Yes. Didn’t I stop taking the medicine long ago? Physician Liu personally formulated the recovery medicine for me.”
Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved. For the sake of this child, during the winter, Qu Sheng had not slept peacefully a single night. Even with a stove lit in the room to the point that Lin Xizhao was drenched in sweat, Qu Sheng would still shiver uncontrollably in her sleep.
Lin Xizhao untied Qu Sheng’s inner robes and led her toward the bathing pool.
Qu Sheng followed Lin Xizhao into the water, her gaze constantly stealing glances at her. Ever since Lin Xizhao gave birth to their daughter, they seemed not to have done that kind of thing for a very long time.
Their two fair-skinned bodies entered the water, and the flower petals on the surface drifted apart and gathered again, concealing the springtime view beneath.
Lin Xizhao helped wash Qu Sheng’s body. Looking at her distracted state, she merely curled her lips in a smile, without making any improper movements.
After Lin Xizhao finished attending to Qu Sheng’s bath, she had her sit by the edge of the bathing pool. Lin Xizhao washed her own body on the side, having also perspired quite a bit today.
Lin Xizhao scooped up the pool water and poured it over her neck. Her slender neck, after the thin streams of water trickled down, was hung with glistening, translucent jade beads.
When Lin Xizhao turned her body sideways to her, Qu Sheng’s gaze as she looked at her was almost greedy. But when Lin Xizhao turned her head, Qu Sheng pretended as if nothing were amiss.
When Lin Xizhao was pregnant with Qu Ning, even turning her body was difficult. Qu Sheng’s heart had ached for her, and during those months, she had guarded her side without any distractions.
But in recent months, a restless stir had begun in Qu Sheng’s heart once more. Although several months had passed, Lin Xizhao’s body still retained a full-figured, soft curve.
Qu Sheng lowered her head. Hearing the sound of water as Lin Xizhao walked over, she deliberately did not look. She originally thought Lin Xizhao would take her hand and lead her straight out, but the person stood before her, remaining motionless for a long time.
When Qu Sheng looked up again, Lin Xizhao was sizing her up with her lips curved.
Seeing that Qu Sheng was finally willing to look at her, Lin Xizhao pressed closer, their skin brushing. “Does my Sheng’er want it?” she whispered tenderly against her ear.
At those words, Qu Sheng’s ears, already flushed from the warmth of the hot spring, grew burning hot.
Qu Sheng wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t open her mouth. Seeing that Qu Sheng didn’t refute her, Lin Xizhao smiled, turning her face to press her lips against Qu Sheng’s porcelain-white ear, which was now completely red.
The cool touch made Qu Sheng’s body tremble for an instant. As Lin Xizhao kissed her, Qu Sheng felt a slick, tickling itch inside her ear. The infinitely amplified sound of wet stirring made her involuntarily shrug one shoulder in an attempt to hide.
Lin Xizhao let out a soft laugh and sought out Qu Sheng’s warm lips and kissed them. For nearly half a year, the only fragrance Qu Sheng had been able to gather was Lin Xizhao’s soft lips.
As the two kissed, Lin Xizhao’s slender fingertips began to climb her body. Qu Sheng was thrown into a daze by Lin Xizhao’s sudden passion. She followed Lin Xizhao as she lost herself bit by bit, trembling weakly in this flower-petal-covered bathing pool.
Lin Xizhao held the somewhat limp Qu Sheng, their necks entwined, but after resting for a short moment, Qu Sheng began to grow restless.
Wrapping her arms around Lin Xizhao, she pressed her lips to her fragrant neck, beginning to nibble away at Lin Xizhao’s sanity bit by bit, setting her body on fire.
The long-absent, hard-to-suppress soft moans made Qu Sheng’s heart throb incessantly, but she still preserved a final shred of sanity, not acting entirely without restraint.
By the time they returned to their bedchambers, four hours had already passed.
Qu Ning was awake again. Normally, she would have slept soundly through the night after feeding, but as she suckled at the breast milk and found nothing after a long struggle, she puckered her mouth and burst into loud wails.
Qu Sheng was initially at a loss as to what had gone wrong. It was only when Lin Xizhao looked up at her with a knowing gaze that she realized—the little one’s rations had already been completely eaten by her.
Qu Sheng was embarrassed for a moment, standing to the side and not daring to make a sound. Lin Xizhao was also helpless, so she could only have the baby carried out to find the wet nurse to feed her.
“Take her to the wet nurse. Today was probably too exhausting…” Lin Xizhao stopped halfway through her sentence. She couldn’t find any convincing excuse either, so she could only cast another glance at Qu Sheng.
Qu Sheng kept her eyes lowered, not daring to look Lin Xizhao in the eye. Just now, having one wasn’t enough; she had eaten both of them.
Once the maid carried Qu Ning away, Qu Sheng sidled over and hung her head, showing an attitude of admitting her mistake, though without saying any words of apology.
Lin Xizhao shook her head with a helpless smile and pulled Qu Sheng to sit beside her. Today, she had simply indulged Qu Sheng too much.
A few days later, Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng left the palace, bringing along the rewards prepared by the palace, and went to the Zhao Residence.
The entire Zhao Residence and a full house of guests came out to welcome and kneel to them.
Today was the 100-day banquet for the young lady of the Zhao family. For the Emperor and Empress to personally grace an official’s residence to celebrate a child’s 100-day banquet was an unprecedented favor in Quzhao.
But the friendship between Qu Sheng, Lin Xizhao, and Xiao Bingying was not just a matter of superficial appearance.
Lin Xizhao went to Xiao Bingying and Cheng Xi’s private chamber and cradled the baby in her arms. Perhaps because they both had the same milky scent on them, the little girl lay on Lin Xizhao’s shoulder, neither crying nor throwing a tantrum, being extremely well-behaved.
Since Qu Ning’s birth, Qu Sheng smiled much more often. When she looked at the little girl, her eyes were also extremely tender.
The little girl of the Zhao family resembled Cheng Xi to a striking degree, so it was no wonder that Xiao Bingying doted on her so intensely.
Lin Xizhao turned to look at Qu Sheng. Understanding the cue, Qu Sheng retrieved a small item from her sleeve, opened its case, and handed it over.
Taking it, Lin Xizhao fastened the gold lock—which had been crafted on the very same day as Qu Ning’s—around the little one’s neck.
Xiao Bingying and Cheng Xi looked on, momentarily startled, but they did not stop her. Gold could be found anywhere, but master artisans were rare indeed.
That Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao had kept this gift separate from the formal imperial rewards showed the depth of their sincerity. The official bounty was a matter of state, but this was a personal gift between sisters.
Cradling the young lady of the Zhao family, Lin Xizhao looked at Xiao Bingying and Cheng Xi, cooing softly to the baby with a warm smile. “Our little Ying’er must visit the palace often to play with her jiejie, alright?”
“She will,” Xiao Bingying replied with a broad smile.
Before the banquet commenced, Qu Sheng and Xiao Bingying stepped away to a private room, leaving Lin Xizhao and Cheng Xi to chat about their children. When Qu Sheng returned, the way she looked at Lin Xizhao had subtly shifted.
Her gaze seemed no longer so restrained.
The author has something to say:
Qu Sheng: “Who knew there would be so little? You can’t blame me, I wasn’t even full!”
Lin Xizhao: “!”
Footnotes
- An era name representing the beginning of a reign, literally meaning the commencement of heaven.
- The title used for the designated female heir apparent to the throne, the female equivalent of the Imperial Crown Prince.
- A traditional unit of time; a ke is fifteen minutes, so half a ke equals seven and a half minutes.
- A traditional Chinese celebration for a baby reaching one hundred days of life, symbolizing wishes for longevity and good health.
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