The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 50

If Yanyan wants to, I don’t mind

“Yes, Qinqin, do you like the Princess?” Song Shuqing stopped nagging, crossing her arms, and looked at her junior sister asking, “Just as the Princess likes you?”

Hearing this question, Ming Qin was stunned.

Her mind had never pondered this question before.

To Ming Qin, Murong Yan was a treasure that needed to be cherished. The little shadow guard placed the noble Princess in the deepest, most secretive treasure chest of her heart, quietly standing guard against the box, vigilantly protecting it, warding off any vile scoundrels who dared to taint her treasure.

As time passed, the contents within the chest became heavier and grew larger, yet the guardian merely paced around, never once thinking of opening the lid herself to see what the contents really meant to her.

Not even a speck of selfish desire has ever sprouted in the heart of the loyal dog that is wholly devoted to its duties.

Do I, myself, harbor such yearnings towards Yanyan?

Toward that celestial being of a woman, so untouchable?

Ming Qin asked herself.

But for the moment, she could not come up with an answer.

Song Shuqing gazed at the person before her with a fluctuating expression, eyes fixed on her as she patiently asked, “Qinqin, I think you now have three questions to ponder.”

She extended three slender fingers of her right hand.

“First, would you want to kiss the Princess? Second, have you ever thought about marrying the Princess? Third…”

Song Shuqing paused, then with a touch of embarrassment, continued, “Would you want to share a bed with the Princess…you know…to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh?”

Although one present was a stubbornly honest blockhead and the other was a courtesan with wide experience, bringing up such a blunt question still felt somewhat odd to her.

“Take your time to think it through, clear up your own feelings, and stop being so foolish,” Song Shuqing sighed.

If Qinqin continues to be so vague and indecisive, wouldn’t it make her, the senior martial sister who raised her, seem no different from those stinking men in web novels and TV dramas who flirt but never commit, then die pathetically?

With my knowledge from the 21st century, if I fail in educating a child in matters of the heart, that would be truly disheartening.

After returning from the brothel, Ming Qin lay on the wooden bed, staring blankly at the jade jar in her hand.

Her mind was a complete mess, as if she was exhausting all her thoughts and feelings in one night.

Do I like Yanyan?

If it’s as a monarch and subject, as friends, I would nod without hesitation. But what about feelings beyond that?

Do I enjoy kissing Yanyan?

Yanyan’s lips are always cool but taste soft and sweet. Each time, she would loop her arm around me, gently encircle my neck, and give me delicate pecks that felt like they could blend us together. A throaty moan, irresistible and itching to the heart, would escape, making me feel a tenderness for her.

The pleasant peony scent that belongs to Yanyan would aggressively flood in with every move, contrasting the soft warmth on the lips. Even when our lips part, the fragrance lingers in my nostrils, constantly reminding me of the intimate moments just shared with the flower’s owner.

I do like this feeling, the sensation of kissing Yanyan.

Would I want to marry Yanyan?

But… I don’t know what ordinary people do after they get married.

What’s clear is that Yanyan, as a lady of nobility, absolutely cannot marry someone of low status like myself. Besides, we are both women. Yanyan has already suffered enough, and I don’t want her to endure even more gossip and judgment from others.

But if you ask me whether I want to stay by Yanyan’s side for a lifetime…

I absolutely do.

I’m willing to share in all of Yanyan’s emotions, the joys, and sorrows, through every spring, summer, fall, and winter—every single thing.

If Yanyan turns her head and reaches out, I’ll step forward. If Yanyan looks up and takes a step, I’ll follow closely and obediently behind.

This sincere feeling has nothing to do with a mere marriage document.

As for the intimate entanglements with Yanyan in bed…

Hmm.

I don’t know…

Although I’ve seen others in the brothels indulge in the passionate acrobatics of love, hearing their fervent cries in moments of intimacy, I really don’t understand what pleasure there is when two sweaty bodies cling to each other.

But if Yanyan desires it, I don’t mind.

If Yanyan could tremble comfortably from my touch, if her always serene expression could turn wild with pleasure, if she could call out my name with softness and longing in her voice, I’d be willing to do anything.

Learn anything.

As long as Yanyan is happy, it’s as if the misty world has been lit up.

Could it be…

Is this feeling what liking someone is?

The little shadow guard opened the treasure chest and found that what she needed seemed to have always been quietly lying there.

Ming Qin bounced up from the bed; although there were still many things in her head that were unclear, she seemed to have grasped the essence.

She hastily went downstairs and knocked on Song Shuqing’s door, sending a series of thuds echoing through the quiet teahouse.

“What’s all the noise! What are you up to!”

Looking at her senior sister, who was dressed in just a single layer of clothing with sleepy eyes, Ming Qin excitedly said, “I think I’ve figured out the answer! I’m going to the capital!”

“It’s great that you found the answer, I should give you a round of applause,” Song Shuqing said nonchalantly, patting the door a few times, before revealing a dangerous smile and asking, “But do you know what time it is now?”

“The fourth watch of the night,” Ming Qin obediently answered.

“The fourth watch…”

Biting her teeth and clenching her fist that was almost ready to swing, the woman said, “This is the time when kittens and puppies should be sleeping, and it’s also the time when I, the old lady, should be sleeping for my beauty rest!”

“Scram!”

『Bang』

A sound.

The door was shut forcefully.

Ming Qin, who had thought she’d receive hearty praise from her senior sister, could only touch her nose and obediently crawl back into bed.

In the cool night thick with autumn’s touch, Ming Qin and Song Shuqing arrived at the capital city.

Although the city gates were closed, the two 『former』 shadow guards still found a way to scale the towering walls and sneak into the city like skilled thieves.

Originally, it was only because she was worried about her junior sister that Song Shuqing thought of accompanying her to the capital, but who would have expected the excited Ming Qin to travel day and night without stopping? She couldn’t stand waiting even one more day outside the city, which utterly exhausted the always laid-back Song Shuqing.

If only she had known, she wouldn’t have followed.

“We can’t even enter the Imperial City now, so what’s the rush, Qinqin?” Watching her energetic junior sister, Song Shuqing, supporting her waist and panting, complained breathlessly.

“Huh? We’re not going to the Imperial City?” Ming Qin asked in confusion, then said as a matter of course, “We are going to Cangyue Tower.”

Song Shuqing rolled her eyes at her junior sister’s comment, panting as she tried to catch her breath, “How could the Princess possibly still be at Cangyue Tower?”

Who would voluntarily go back to the place that had caged them for six or seven years?

“She must be there,” Ming Qin stubbornly said.

“On what basis are you making that assumption?” the woman asked helplessly, her legs still sore from scaling the city wall.

“Huh? Intuition.”

Having said that, Ming Qin didn’t hesitate and leaped down from the high place.

Her black cloak billowed in the moonlight with the wind, her tumultuous emotions leaving no room to care about her senior sister behind her; her heart full of longing and anticipation, she ran straight towards Cangyue Tower.

However, upon reaching Changshou Street, the excited woman suddenly felt something was off.

It was just too quiet.

There were no lights on the whole street, nor could she hear any slight breaths. Her instinctive animal-like alertness to danger made Ming Qin’s hair stand on end for no apparent reason.

Something’s not right, something’s off.

Her blood was roiling, and the scars on her body ached faintly.

It wasn’t until she turned the corner and saw the entrance to Cangyue Tower that the indescribable feeling in her chest found its reason.

Murderous aura erupted forth, Ming Qin stared at the man in front of her who fueled her anger, and she growled through clenched teeth.

“Xiao He!”

The author has something to say:

Hmm… remember I mentioned that the Crown Prince has one last time to be naughty? That’s tomorrow…

It’s because Ah Qin’s feelings for Yanyan need a bit of sublimation, so I’ll probably put Ah Qin through about seven or eight chapters of torture.

Let’s get one thing straight, you guys can’t be mad at me, okay? You can be mad at the Crown Prince, but don’t be mad at me (cross my heart).

LP: Re-translated on March 12, 2024