The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 39

Just Kidding, Why Such a Big Reaction?

The soft warmth of the body pressed against hers and the light, hot breath by her neck made Qu Sheng’s body tense up involuntarily.

When Qu Sheng didn’t speak, Lin Xizhao hugged her even tighter.

“Don’t you miss your jiejie?” Lin Xizhao’s voice was gentle to begin with, and this breathy inquiry now was a gentleness that seeped into Qu Sheng’s very bones.

When she had seen Qu Sheng today, watching her ride her horse, her demeanor was more resilient than in previous years. The moment she saw her, the small resentment she had felt from those unanswered letters vanished into thin air.

At the time, she had only asked Feng Qi to see if there were any more carriages, but she never expected Qu Sheng to come riding over on his horse. She must have missed her terribly.

Qu Sheng rarely spoke, and even when she did, she cherished words like gold¹, but Lin Xizhao knew she was intelligent. She had understood this ever since Qu Sheng copied the unique insights she had annotated in her military strategy books, earning the praise of her teacher as a rare military talent.

“I miss you, jiejie.” Qu Sheng’s voice was even, with the same tone and cadence Lin Xizhao was familiar with, but the surging tide in her heart was not as calm as her placid exterior.

Qu Sheng shifted her gaze slightly, lowering her head to look at Lin Xizhao, who was resting on her shoulder. At that exact moment, Lin Xizhao also raised her eyes to look back. Within those vast, watery eyes was a pitiful grievance, full of a longing for her that could not be put into words.

It had been a year. She should have listened to Zhao Jiayu back then and gone to Shoulin with Qu Sheng, but she couldn’t bear to leave her two younger brothers at the estate.

The imperial examinations² were imminent, and with no matriarch in the estate, there was no one to manage things for her two brothers, so she had to step up. Fortunately, Yellow Heaven did not fail them³, and both her brothers had become juren⁴. Although they weren’t at the top of the list, they had at least earned the qualification to become officials, which meant the descendants of their Lin family had made something of themselves.

After losing two wives, Lin Jianhai had not remarried. Matchmakers had come to the door until their lips were nearly worn through, but Lin Jianhai remained unmoved. It was as if after his two wives died, his soul had gone with them. As a daughter, it was not Lin Xizhao’s place to persuade him.

In the past, Lin Jianhai would smile at Lin Xizhao from the heart, but now he only managed a forced smile, afraid of making her worry.

Lin Xizhao knew it was her decision that had forced her father to learn the cruel truth, causing him to lose another wife. She had felt guilty over the years, but she had never once regretted it.

To capture the true culprit, to console her deceased mother, to allow the sibling she never met to rest in peace and find a good family to be reincarnated into—she felt she had done nothing wrong.

Hearing Qu Sheng say she missed her, Lin Xizhao couldn’t help but curve her eyes into a smile. She raised her chin and pressed a kiss to her forehead. As those soft, longing lips covered her skin, Qu Sheng felt her throat tighten, and she unconsciously swallowed. Fearing Lin Xizhao would notice, she controlled the movement, making it as faint as could be.

The two spoke of recent events. It was still a pattern of Lin Xizhao asking and Qu Sheng answering with brief words, but Lin Xizhao understood.

“In Shoulin, did you practice your calligraphy and martial arts?” Lin Xizhao asked in a soft, low voice, holding Qu Sheng.

“Yes,” Qu Sheng responded, her gaze fixed on the bed curtains.

With Lin Xizhao holding her like this, every time she spoke, her warm breath would spray across her cheek. She didn’t dare turn to look at Lin Xizhao, because as those soft lips parted and closed, she began to have improper thoughts about her.

She didn’t know when it started, but her feelings for Lin Xizhao had become something different. She didn’t understand it, but she knew to suppress it, because she knew her thoughts would frighten Lin Xizhao.

She wanted to embrace her, to smell the gentle fragrance that emanated from her body, and she also wanted to kiss…

After a long silence, Lin Xizhao started to feel drowsy, but Qu Sheng was wide awake.

“Bingying-jiejie.” Qu Sheng thought of how Zhao Jiayu had mentioned, while they were drinking, that Xiao Bingying had been beaten, something she had never seen mentioned in Lin Xizhao’s letters.

Lin Xizhao’s half-closed eyes opened at the sound. She hummed lightly with a lazy voice and glanced up. When Qu Sheng turned to look at her, her gaze softened slightly, as if recalling the sight of Xiao Bingying lying in bed in agony. “It happened a month after you left,” she said.

Seeing the look on Qu Sheng’s face that showed she wanted to hear the rest, Lin Xizhao continued, “It was trouble caused by her younger brother. You know that Uncle Xiao was sent to your area, so there was no one in charge at home. Auntie Xiao was afraid of losing face and wouldn’t let Bingying ask Uncle Zhao for help, so Bingying had to handle it herself.”

Listening to Lin Xizhao’s slow account, Qu Sheng felt she had already guessed the root of the problem.

This younger brother of the Xiao family had long since developed a nasty habit of fancying married women. He and his father were truly a den of wolves and jackals⁵.

After General Xiao was discovered purchasing young girls a few times and promptly stopped, Qu Sheng wrote to her second uncle in the family to discuss having General Xiao transferred over.

The previous general, General Gu Yi, had repeatedly interfered in the affairs of the Qu Family Army in Shoulin. Citing his status as an appointee of the Son of Heaven, he leveled criticisms against numerous military matters and petitioned the emperor demanding reforms.

Those were minor issues. What the Qu family could not tolerate was that he began to brazenly form cliques, attempting to bribe some of the high-ranking members of the Qu family.

Every person has desires and wants.

And what the Qu family was best at was using evil to cure evil⁶. Although Shoulin was a border region, it was also a prosperous land. It supported the several hundred thousand soldiers of the Qu Family Army, so its consumption was naturally immense, and the flow of money increased exponentially.

The Qu family relaxed their control over General Gu Yi, yielding to him step by step. This led to him becoming arrogant in the army. Seeing the gleaming white silver⁷ of the military funds there, how could his meager salary from the capital not tempt his heart?

After a few years, General Gu Yi could no longer restrain himself and accepted numerous bribes. And the ones giving him this gold and silver were precisely the people secretly arranged by the Qu family.

But this was not enough to send General Gu Yi back to the capital.

The Qu Family Army had a rule: soldiers were strictly forbidden from visiting prostitutes, and even more so from committing crimes. Upon discovery, minor offenses were punished with the military baton, while major ones resulted in immediate on-the-spot execution.

As it happened, this General Gu Yi was guilty of all of it. Not only did he summon prostitutes into the military camp, but he also forcibly abducted a civilian girl for his own pleasure. He was beaten with the military baton, leaving his legs half-crippled, but his life was spared. After all, he was a man sent by the Son of Heaven.

The commanding general in the army wrote a report on General Gu Yi’s crimes and acted first and reported later⁸. Because General Gu Yi’s legs were broken and he was no longer fit to serve in the army, Qu family’s second uncle, Qu Jixian, submitted a memorial and had him escorted back to the capital.

The emperor was furious when he learned of it and wanted to hold Qu Jinian accountable, but Qu Jinian defended the general who carried out the punishment, citing his duty to maintain military discipline. However, to slightly appease the emperor’s anger, he demoted that general, and then Qu Jinian recommended General Xiao to take his place.

The emperor had originally wanted to insert someone else, but all his choices were rejected by Qu Jinian. Helpless, the emperor could only dispatch General Xiao, even promoting him in rank.

After the war with the vassal state of the Hai Dynasty⁹ ended, the son of Qu family’s second uncle, Qu Ming, led the troops back to Shoulin to rest and reorganize before returning to the capital to report.

But in recent years, there was another internal conflict in the vassal state. A Qu family general went with General Xiao, giving him all the credit for the victory.

Although General Xiao received an imperial reward, he could not return to the capital. With the lesson from the cart that overturned ahead¹⁰ that was General Gu Yi, General Xiao didn’t dare to knowingly repeat the same mistake.

Though he held an imperial mandate, he did not dare offend the Qu family in the slightest. Before his departure, General Zhao had sought him out and told him not to oppose the Qu family, and especially not to engage in any shady dealings within the army. He was only to report truthfully on what the Qu family allowed him to see and hear. Thus, things had been peaceful for these past few years.

With General Xiao far away in the Shoulin military camp, he knew little of the affairs in his own estate.

The Xiao family’s son was slightly older than Qu Sheng. He originally had some sort of hidden illness, but after years of medication, he was able to perform his marital duties.

He had many tongfang¹¹ in the household but had not taken a primary wife. His father’s reputation from his younger days was poor, so he couldn’t find a marriage between matching doors and corresponding households¹², and thus he didn’t dare take a concubine.

However, due to excessive indulgence in his youth, this Young Master Xiao had lost interest in his tongfang and even the women in the brothels. Instead, he developed the same perverted psychology as his father: he only desired married women.

Those who lived in the capital were either rich or noble; even the poor were not destitute. After he had secretly tasted a few flavors, he became increasingly uncontrollable, going so far as to steal a wealthy merchant’s mistress who was being kept as a waishi¹³.

Young Master Xiao was relying on the fact that his father was currently favored by the emperor and didn’t take this merchant seriously. Who knew that the merchant had connections within the palace? On one occasion, after someone lay in wait for him like guarding a stump to wait for a rabbit¹⁴, he was cornered in the courtyard.

“To save her brother, Bingying went alone with money to ransom him, but that family refused to let them go. They locked the doors and gave them a vicious beating. To protect that brother of hers, Bingying had four of her ribs broken.”

Lin Xizhao sighed after she finished, her heart aching as she recalled how Xiao Bingying had been in too much pain to even speak. At the time, it wasn’t just her ribs that were broken; her entire body was covered in wounds.

With Xiao Bingying’s martial skills, dealing with those people would have been no problem. But her mother had told her that this matter must not get out, or her father’s official career would surely be affected, and it would be difficult for her brother to find a good marriage in the future.

Therefore, Xiao Bingying only took the beating and did not fight back, hoping to appease the merchant’s anger. After the incident, the Xiao family son gratefully served her in front of the saddle and behind the horse¹⁵, and he behaved himself for a while.

Listening to Lin Xizhao’s account, Qu Sheng suddenly felt that Xiao Bingying was a person who valued relationships too much. The members of the Xiao family were all incredibly selfish, yet they had raised someone completely different from themselves. She didn’t know if it was because she had spent time in the Zhao Residence, or because of Zhao Jiayu’s influence.

Lin Xizhao watched the subtle shift in Qu Sheng’s deep gaze, knowing she was thinking. She didn’t disturb her. Only after Qu Sheng had digested the matter did Lin Xizhao tighten her embrace and say, “It’s late. You’ve been riding for so long. Sleep in tomorrow, and when you wake up, I’ll make you water chestnut cakes¹⁶ to eat.”

Although Qu Sheng wasn’t craving them, she still looked at Lin Xizhao upon hearing the words “water chestnut cakes,” a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

Seeing the sparkle in Qu Sheng’s eyes, Lin Xizhao’s lips curled up slightly, and she once again placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

The next morning, when Lin Xizhao woke up, she saw that Qu Sheng, beside her, was still asleep. Her own position was completely the reverse of when she had fallen asleep. Before sleeping, Qu Sheng had been lying in her arms, but upon waking, she found herself lying in Qu Sheng’s.

The toasty little furnace made her feel a sense of attachment. It was the first time she had slept so soundly and deeply since winter began.

Lin Xizhao lay on the bed watching Qu Sheng’s sleeping face. As the morning light streamed into the room, the soft, fine down on her cheeks was faintly visible. Lin Xizhao couldn’t resist reaching out a slender finger to gently stroke Qu Sheng’s cheek.

Qu Sheng had grown up, her height now even with her own, but in her eyes, Qu Sheng was still a lovable child who needed doting on.

After a moment of satisfaction, Lin Xizhao got up and left the bed.

As she heard the sound of Lin Xizhao closing the door, Qu Sheng opened her eyes. She turned her head and stared blankly at the spot where Lin Xizhao had lain last night, then raised a hand to her own cheek.

Qu Sheng lay on the bed lost in thought for an unknown amount of time before Lin Xizhao pushed the door open from outside, carrying a tray of food. A moment later, Qu Sheng got off the bed and walked out from the inner room on her own.

Seeing her approach, Lin Xizhao’s face bloomed with a gentle smile. “Did Sheng’er smell the fragrance?”

Lin Xizhao had brought the freshly made water chestnut cakes, originally planning to wait a while before going into the room to wake Qu Sheng, but she hadn’t expected her to come out by herself.

“Jiejie.”

Qu Sheng’s voice didn’t sound like she had just woken up. Lin Xizhao paused for a second, then asked softly, “You were awake? Why didn’t you get up?”

Hearing this, Qu Sheng froze for an instant, then quickly and deliberately lowered her head, fixing her gaze on the water chestnut cakes.

Seeing this, Lin Xizhao smiled helplessly. “I only made a small portion of water chestnut cakes. Come and see if my skills have gotten rusty.” She hadn’t made any since Qu Sheng left. Although she followed the same recipe as before, she was still a bit out of practice.

Qu Sheng nodded at her words, sat down, and began to eat.

Watching Qu Sheng eat with relish, Lin Xizhao took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tea stains from the corner of her mouth. Qu Sheng looked up at Lin Xizhao, who was just inches away. Her gaze unconsciously shifted downward, avoiding Lin Xizhao’s direct stare.

Noticing Qu Sheng’s evasion, Lin Xizhao smiled. “Why are you being so distant with me?”

“I’m not.” Hearing Lin Xizhao’s words, Qu Sheng quickly looked up to deny it.

How could she be distant with her? She wished for nothing more than for Lin Xizhao to be even closer, but her own thoughts were impure, and she was afraid Lin Xizhao would see through her.

“Just kidding, why such a big reaction?” Lin Xizhao seemed to have sensed a trace of panic in Qu Sheng.

At her words, Qu Sheng lowered her head again. Her eyes fell on the water chestnut cakes, and she picked one up to eat.

Lin Xizhao didn’t overthink it, figuring that since they hadn’t seen each other for a year, a little distance was normal. She combed Qu Sheng’s hair, and after she finished eating, she brought over a set of clothes for her to wear.

“Godmother gave orders early this morning to have your favorite dishes made. Do you have any other plans for today?” Lin Xizhao helped Qu Sheng tie the wide sash around her waist. As her hands wrapped around that slender waist, her body pressed close against hers.

“No.” Qu Sheng suppressed the restless heat surging from her chest and replied, feigning normalcy.

She had returned for Lin Xizhao. Her plans were to seek justice for Lin Xizhao, but she couldn’t let her know about these things yet.

After tying the sash, Lin Xizhao looked at Qu Sheng’s dazed expression, blinked, and asked, “Did you not sleep well last night?”

Qu Sheng turned to look at Lin Xizhao and shook her head.

Seeing Qu Sheng’s reactions today, Lin Xizhao had a few guesses, but she mostly attributed it to the two of them growing distant due to the year-long separation.

The two went to the dining hall, where the whole family was already waiting.

As she always did, Lin Xizhao paid her respects to the elders and her older brothers before taking a seat with Qu Sheng. After breakfast, Qu Ting and Qu Yu dragged Qu Sheng off to the training ground to practice swords.

Since Qu Ming had returned, he had personally taught Qu Sheng swordsmanship, and now even Qu Yu was no longer her match. Lin Xizhao wanted to accompany them, but Jin Yunfei stopped her. “Those few can’t sit still. It’s too cold over at the training ground. They’ll warm up by moving around, but if you just stand there, you’ll only freeze. If you don’t feel sorry for yourself, I certainly do.”

Jin Yunfei pulled Lin Xizhao away to choose fabrics for Qu Sheng, to make her two new sets of winter clothes.

Qu Sheng stood on the arena platform in the training ground, facing her two older brothers. Her use of the sword was incredibly fluid, but she wasn’t bound by the fixed routines of sword forms. When their two swords attacked, she would guide one opponent’s sword to deal with the other.

Qu Yu gave up after a short while. It wasn’t until Qu Ming came over and told them that Lin Xizhao was being held up by Jin Yunfei that the three of them began to talk about the recent situation in the capital.

“That Earl Yongshen—although he’s in prison, I heard he hasn’t suffered at all. Besides not being able to leave and having to live in a less-than-ideal house, he hasn’t lacked for anything he should have,” Qu Yu said with great dissatisfaction, wiping his sword.

Qu Sheng already knew all this from the letters.

“Also, that Noble Consort is clearly in the Cold Palace¹⁷, yet she’s gotten pregnant. This emperor really can’t live without her,” Qu Yu complained again.

“How much longer until he gets out?” Qu Sheng asked, her brow furrowed slightly.

Earl Yongshen’s release date kept changing, and no one knew the exact day. According to the official documents, it was in half a month, but who knew if the current Son of Heaven would release him early.

“What do you plan to do, little jiejie Sheng?” Hearing Qu Sheng ask for the specific date, Qu Ming began to scheme.

Qu Sheng looked up at her second older brother, her eyes growing a few shades deeper.

Naturally, it was to use their own methods to treat them in return¹⁸.

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The author has something to say:

Qu Sheng: “Jiejie, closer, a little closer.”

Lin Xizhao: “What’s the use of getting closer if you don’t dare to do anything?”

Qu Sheng: “……”

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