The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 21
by Little PandaIs My Rouge Ruined? (First Kiss)
The enthusiastic Martial Uncle1 rummaged through a wooden chest, pulling out an assortment of strange bottles and jars. Then, looking at Ming Qin’s hair, he said, “Your hair is so pitch-black. Why do you need black bean paste2? Are you trying to help some elderly person dye their hair?”
“No, it’s for a friend of mine,” Ming Qin said, shaking her head. “She’s not even thirty yet.”
“Is that so?!”
Martial Uncle cried out in surprise. His expression turned worried, and he spoke with earnest, heartfelt concern. “Then your friend’s likely overthinking things, exhausting her mind and spirit. Little martial niece, you must advise her—doing this is bad for her health. If it’s some minor grief or trivial sorrow, she should let it go if she can. Excessive worrying does not bode well for longevity!”
What Murong Yan had gone through was likely not something that could be summed up by the mere words 『minor grief or trivial sorrow』. Yet it was not a matter for outsiders to pry into.
Not knowing how to answer, Ming Qin could only scratch her nose in silence. She placed the items Martial Uncle had handed her into a cloth bag, thanked him solemnly, and then rushed toward Cangyue Tower.
Strangely, when she climbed the stairs, she didn’t see Murong Yan lying on the daybed by the window as usual. Instead, she was sitting in front of a vanity mirror hidden behind a screen.
“Ah Qin, give me the things.”
A pale hand reached out from the gap in the screen. Ming Qin leaned to the side and passed the cloth bundle over. “Wait outside for a bit,” Murong Yan said softly.
Ming Qin sat obediently on a stool. Her gaze swept over the pastries laid out on the table. They were all her favorites, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips, reaching out to eat them.
By the time the table was cleared, she felt a bit drowsy from her full stomach, yet Murong Yan still hadn’t emerged.
Just as Ming Qin let out her ninth yawn, the rustle of fabric finally echoed from behind the screen.
“Ah Qin,” Murong Yan said with a helpless smile as she slowly stepped out from behind the screen. “Eating too many sweets will give you a toothache.”
Ming Qin raised her head, intending to protest, but she instantly froze, completely petrified.
Ming Qin had always known that Murong Yan was beautiful.
Whether it was their first meeting where the princess sat gracefully atop a horse, or when she reclined on the daybed idly playing with tea utensils with languid charm, or even when she was ill, gasping softly as she called Ming Qin’s name—all of it was beautiful.
But none of those moments could compare to this very second. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that Ming Qin almost forgot how to breathe.
It made Ming Qin realize with stark clarity that all those prior versions of 『her』 were merely remnants of the Murong Yan of the past.
They were but the remnants of the 『Murong Yan』 who had once taken the entire Capital by storm during a single Spring Festival Poetry Club3, the one whose unparalleled talent and beauty had earned her the title of Commandery Princess Chongwen.
Her skin, already like white jade, was free of powder. Only a light touch of rouge had been blended across her cheeks, bringing a healthy color to her otherwise sickly pale face.
Her eyelids bore a hint of peach, and the outer corners of her eyes were swept upward with a delicate brushstroke, charming and seductive. Her usually pale lips, unlike the dark crimson lip balm she wore on ordinary days, were meticulously outlined in brilliant scarlet, with a layer of protective oil swept over them.
It was only this.
Though it was only this, she looked like a peony bursting into full bloom as winter gave way to spring, making all other flowers pale in comparison, none of them daring to vie with her.
Her cheeks, which had been somewhat hollow before, had been nurtured over the past half-year and were no longer gaunt. She radiated life; every frown and smile was as picturesque as a painting.
When she spoke, that drop of vivid, dripping crimson between her lips made one’s heart tremble.
Her hair, once shot through with silver threads, was now dyed a rich, deep black. It was styled in a simple single conch bun4 secured with a solid gold hairpin. Atop the bun sat two large crimson peonies fashioned from palace gauze, their petals subtly interwoven with gold thread, as if blooming directly from her dark tresses.
Embroidered onto her white outer robe were vines of deep forest-green silk thread. They climbed from the hems of her wide, cascading sleeves, creeping over her delicate shoulders and winding their way down her back.
As she turned slightly, she revealed a sequence of magnificent, bold red peonies embroidered across her back.
The fine, dense stitching was incredibly lifelike, looking as though the blossoming flowers might break through the woman’s slender back at any moment, ready to burst forth with her every movement.
A few red petals seemed to drop along with her trailing skirt, making one want to cherish the flower before them even more.
The curved-hem robe5 underneath was dark red. Unlike the ornate complexity of the outer robe, it was simply wrapped with a white silk sash embroidered with red flowers, a section of which hung down in front of her, swaying with her every step.
The air bore no cloying scent of cosmetics—only the fragrance of peonies that quietly followed her as she walked forward, compelling anyone to step aside for her aggressive, untamed beauty.
An unmatched beauty who could topple cities—she was nothing less than this.
As Ming Qin gazed at her, a wave of endless sorrow surged in her chest alongside the overwhelming shock.
Do you see her?
Her beauty.
Open your eyes and look!
She is beautiful, isn’t she?
A beauty like a celestial being descended to earth, capable of bringing the world to its knees.
She should be looked up to by everyone, held in the depths of their hearts and cherished.
This is Commandery Princess Chongwen, Murong Yan, unparalleled in talent and beauty, the greatest in the land!
She should have lived a carefree and joyous life, blooming in her prime, even more radiant than this.
Instead, they broke her branches. They locked her in a high tower like a prisoner in chains, brutally robbing her of air and sunlight, slowly choking her to watch her wither away.
Unforgivable.
The mad Crown Prince, the incompetent Emperor, and even her own powerless self—as well as this world that treated the princess so cruelly—all of them were unforgivable.
“Ah Qin, come here.”
Although she had been well aware of her own looks since childhood, seeing Ming Qin’s dazed face still made Murong Yan feel a surge of delight. She called out softly, “Support me. My legs hurt.”
Snapping out of her daze, Ming Qin hurriedly stepped forward. She supported the princess beneath her hips and carefully lifted her high into her arms. “Don’t force yourself.”
Murong Yan looked down at Ming Qin’s worried expression. Reaching out, she touched the earring on Ming Qin’s lobe—an earring that had originally belonged to herself—and pointed toward the corner of the room with a smile. “Carry me over there.”
Ming Qin carried her over and guided Murong Yan to sit right in her lap. With one hand, she wiped the dust off the guqin6. With the other, she wrapped her arm around the princess’s waist to ensure she sat securely before the instrument.
“Though it’s impossible for me to perform a dance for you, Ah Qin, I can still play the guqin.”
Murong Yan plucked a few notes with one hand, then placed both hands upon the strings. “However, it’s been a long time since I last played. I’m afraid my fingers might be a bit stiff.”
The strings were plucked, and the melody flowed.
Ming Qin didn’t understand music.
She had always thought that all guqin music sounded equally dull, nothing more than a few strings vibrating back and forth.
Only now did she realize how incredibly wrong she had been.
At this moment, she still didn’t understand music.
Yet she seemed to hear the profound sorrow conveyed by the guqin under Murong Yan’s fingers.
It began with only a few lonely, isolated notes, which then gradually deepened.
With the layering of the notes, the strength of the player’s fingers seemed to manifest, continuously building up resentment and grief.
As if seeking to vent her grievances and pour out her pain, a chest full of grief and indignation pressed tight, seemingly on the verge of erupting in the very next second.
Twang!
A sharp, jarring note sliced through the air, as if to cut it all short.
A string had snapped.
Murong Yan’s passionate melody ground to a sudden halt, her hands frozen in midair.
The broken string lashed against her arm like a whip, leaving a long red welt. Only a few remaining strings continued to vibrate softly, as if weeping.
“Will even the guqin not follow my heart?” Murong Yan sighed softly, her expression turning desolate.
Suddenly feeling a cool sensation against her neck, she turned her head, only to see tears streaming down Ming Qin’s cheeks for the first time.
“Ah Qin?”
For once, panic flickered across Murong Yan’s face. Gathering her sleeves, she reached out to wipe Ming Qin’s tears, but Ming Qin pulled her tightly into her arms. “Ah Qin? What’s wrong?”
Ming Qin shook her head, refusing to speak. She remained silent, gently touching the red welt on Murong Yan’s arm and tying a handkerchief over it.
“Ah Qin, I’m the one who got hurt, so why are you crying?” Murong Yan asked, finding it somewhat amusing as she looked at the young guard, whose eyes had inexplicably filled with tears again. She reached up with her free hand to caress Ming Qin’s face.
“It’s so painful…” Ming Qin whispered.
For Murong Yan, it must be so painful.
“Don’t cry, Ah Qin. Getting hit by a string doesn’t hurt as much as it looks.”
Murong Yan coaxed her, hoping to soothe the still-dejected girl. Seeking to distract her, she asked, “Do you understand the appeal of a beautiful woman7 now, Ah Qin?”
Ming Qin nodded. “I think I finally understand why so many people would squander vast fortunes just to win a single smile from a beautiful woman.”
If it were to bring Murong Yan happiness, I’d gladly let myself be ground to dust.
A delighted smile spread across Murong Yan’s lips at her reply.
She knew she was exceptionally beautiful. In the past, had she wished it, she could have used her face to command any man in the world to do her bidding. Yet she had also loathed this skin of hers to the extreme, to the point of wanting to drag a hairpin across her reflection and tear it to shreds.
Yet now, simply because Ming Qin had once claimed not to understand the appeal of a beautiful woman, she had been willing to temporarily reclaim her former elegance. And seeing the young guard freeze in a daze because of her, she couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride.
It was truly too childish.
Murong Yan felt a mix of helplessness and self-directed amusement.
Looking at Ming Qin’s still-reddened eyes, Murong Yan let out a soft sigh. “Ah Qin, my makeup isn’t yet complete.”
Ming Qin stared at the flawless visage before her, utterly bewildered. “It’s not complete?”
“It’s not,” Murong Yan said with absolute certainty, her hand cupping Ming Qin’s cheek. “I need your help, Ah Qin.”
“All right,” Ming Qin agreed without hesitation. “How should I help?”
“Close your eyes, and don’t open them.” The woman exhaled softly, her voice carrying a trace of huskiness.
Ming Qin obediently closed her eyes as the rich fragrance of peonies washed over her nose. She’d never doubted the woman’s words.
A moment later, a faint, cool, and damp sensation brushed against her lips.
Ming Qin didn’t understand what it was. Resisting the curiosity that urged her to open her eyes, she only felt something akin to silk, prompting her to lightly lick it of her own accord.
The person in her arms trembled, but then her body relaxed, allowing Ming Qin’s tongue to slip past her lips as if entering uncharted, welcoming territory.
With her mouth and nose flooded by the scent of flowers, and feeling the hardness of teeth along with another damp, soft warmth, Ming Qin finally seemed to realize what she was doing.
She’d seen this before when she was at the brothel.
With a sudden boom, her face flushed burning hot. She quickly opened her eyes and recoiled, only to see the woman before her panting softly, a trace of moisture lingering at the corner of her lips.
Ming Qin felt as though she had defiled the Commandery Princess—she was like a damnable, filthy scoundrel. Panicking, she tried to speak, stammering, “I… I… I…”
“Is my rouge ruined?”
Murong Yan licked her lips and asked calmly, though the blush blooming across her cheeks betrayed her true thoughts.
Ming Qin’s gaze darted briefly over the crimson lips in front of her before drifting out the window. She stammered, “N-No…”
“Then only now is it complete.”
Footnotes
- Shībó (师伯): A term of address in Chinese sects for one's master's senior male sect-brother, rendered here as Martial Uncle.
- Hēidòugāo (黑豆膏): A traditional cosmetic paste made from black beans and other natural ingredients, historically used in ancient China to dye graying hair back to a rich, youthful black.
- Chūnjié Shīhuì (春节诗会): A poetry gathering traditionally held during the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) where scholars and nobles competed in literary skill and composed verses.
- Dānluójì (单螺髻): A traditional Chinese hairstyle where the hair is gathered on top of the head into a single coil resembling a conch shell, popular among noblewomen in ancient dynasties.
- Qūjū (曲裾): A type of traditional Chinese Hanfu robe characterized by a diagonal wrap-around hem that spirals around the body, highly popular during the Han and Qin dynasties.
- Gǔqín (古琴): A plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family, highly favored by scholars and nobles for its quiet, refined, and meditative tones.
- Hóngyán (红颜): Literally 'red face' or 'rosy cheeks,' a classical Chinese literary term referring to a beautiful woman, often used in idioms regarding beauties who cause the downfall of empires.
Just. Wow. 🙊
Lol 🤣 MQ’s naivety had no chance against MY’s experience.
Lol murong is sneaky
Demn, miss my bebe
Thank you for the chapter!! They finally kissed. Although, im still waiting for the death of that scum prince.
thanks for the chapter!!!!
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I didn’t expect the princess to move this fast. Now I wonder what will happen next lol
Thank you so much for the chapter <3