Volume Three: Those Years I Was a Wangye
Return to the Capital
The major corruption case in Wangfu City was easily investigated and its truth uncovered by the Xian Wang, freeing the common people of Wangfu City from the hardships of flood disasters and the suffering of being exploited and tormented by corrupt officials.
For a time, the entire Jianing Kingdom was full of praise for Her Highness the Xian Wang’s actions, acclaiming them as marvelous and unique.
This was specifically demonstrated when Wen Nuan’s carriage entered Jiajing; men and women passing by all rushed to throw beautiful flowers and fresh fruit onto the Xian Wang’s carriage.
This gesture signified praise and admiration.
A banana landed directly in Ji Chenwei’s arms. Ji Chenwei peeled it and started eating, cupping her hands in thanks as she ate, “Thank you for your generosity, folks, thank you, ha…”
Ji Chenwei’s appearance was also extraordinary, with a face as beautiful as a hibiscus1 and bright, sparkling eyes.
Several men glanced at Ji Chenwei a few more times, then shyly looked away, using their gauze scarves to cover their faces as they secretly peeked at the figure on the tall horse.
That woman’s agile figure, delicate features, and radiant smile—what an exceptionally graceful and charming young lady!
Ji Chenwei received a few more apples and green grapes. She reined her horse back a few paces to draw level with Qi Hanrong’s carriage and knocked on it. “Hanrong, want some apples and grapes?”
Qi Hanrong lifted the curtain, glared at Ji Chenwei, and snapped, “Eat, eat, eat, all you know is how to eat! Why don’t you just eat yourself to death?!”
With that, he slammed the curtain shut.
Ji Chenwei: “…”
What’s wrong with him again?!
Could it be there weren’t any fruits that Hanrong likes?
Ji Chenwei saw that the Wangye’s carriage had an even greater variety of fruits, so she thought there would surely be something Qi Hanrong liked.
“Hanrong, I’ll go check the Wangye’s carriage. There are lots of fruits there. I’ll get some for you.” Ji Chenwei pulled on her reins and turned her horse around.
Arriving near the Wangye’s carriage, she saw Ruilin, who was riding beside it, with a completely red face. Concerned, she asked, “Ruilin, what’s wrong with you? Why is your face so red?”
Ruilin shot her a look and didn’t want to speak.
Ji Chenwei looked at the people around, mostly men, and gave a sly grin. “Aiyo, Ruilin, did you see so many handsome men and now you want to marry a husband2?”
Ruilin was speechless: “…”
Ji Chenwei smiled with great understanding. “I get it, I get it. Girls marry when they come of age, and men take wives when they’re grown, hehe3.”
Ruilin: “…”
You understand my ass! You haven’t even figured out your own romantic fate yet!
Ji Chenwei caught sight of a bunch of lychees being thrown through the window into the Wangye’s carriage. Thinking that Qi Hanrong would like to eat lychees, she approached the carriage. She then heard some noises from inside, like someone panting heavily.
Could it be that the lychees just now hit the Wangye?
Thinking of this, Ji Chenwei immediately knocked on the carriage and called out, “Your Highness, this humble one just saw some lychees being thrown into the carriage. Are you and Miss Lin alright?”
“We’re fine.”
Ji Chenwei heard Wen Nuan sounding a bit breathless. “Your Highness, this humble one notices you seem a bit out of breath. Are you alright?”
“Fine!”
Wen Nuan turned her head, dodging Lin Tinghan’s kiss, and looked towards the window. “This King is fine. You may leave.”
“It’s like this, Your Highness. This humble one just saw lychees thrown into your carriage. This humble one has had a bitter fate since childhood, wandering from place to place, and has never seen such a rare delicacy as lychees. So, this humble one boldly requests…”
“…” Wen Nuan pressed Lin Tinghan into her embrace, found the lychees in the corner, and threw them out. “Scram.”
Ji Chenwei caught the lychees and said with a playful laugh, “Thank you for your reward, Your Highness! This humble one will scram right away.”
“Hiss… You bit me again!” Wen Nuan smacked her bottom. “I have to see Imperial Sister later. Are you planning to let me see her looking like this?”
Lin Tinghan licked the spot she had just bitten and smiled. “…It’s not broken.”
“Oh, you.” Wen Nuan caressed her cheek, her fingertip touching the tear mole there.
Her eyes held a teasing glint as she pulled Lin Tinghan into an embrace, making her sit on her lap.
She took off the hair ribbon from Lin Tinghan’s head, tied her hands with it, and took out a handkerchief from her own robes for Lin Tinghan to bite on.
Lin Tinghan obediently did as she was told, without asking why or struggling, so docile it made one’s heart soften.
“To ensure I make a good impression on Imperial Sister, I’m tying up both your mouth and your hands,” Wen Nuan said as she untied Lin Tinghan’s sash, gently caressing her. “No biting, no scratching.”
She looked at Lin Tinghan’s dazed expression and, while teasing her, said seriously, “In a bit, I’m going into the palace to report to Imperial Sister about the situation in Wangfu City. You wait for me at the palace gate, alright?”
Lin Tinghan’s consciousness was already completely muddled, her waist soft and weak. But Wen Nuan pulled tight on the hair ribbon binding her hands, making her straighten up and lean forward.
She nodded weakly, tears forced from the corners of her eyes.
Wen Nuan felt the trembling beneath her palm and chuckled softly. “In two days, it will be Imperial Sister’s birthday. You’ll accompany me to her birthday banquet then, okay?”
The handkerchief in her mouth was already soaked through. Her eyes were hazy, and her black hair, no longer tied by the ribbon, cascaded down to her waist.
She gave a weak whimper, which was taken as agreement.
The carriage slowly traveled along Changning Avenue and, half a shichen later, stopped at the Bei Gong Gate4.
Ruilin knocked on the carriage. “Your Highness, Miss, we’ve arrived at the Bei Gong Gate.”
“Alright.” Wen Nuan emerged looking deceptively presentable5, closed the carriage door properly, and said to Ruilin, “Your Miss is tired and resting inside. Don’t go in and disturb her.”
Ruilin nodded. “Understood, Your Highness.”
Miss is tired?
Was the carriage too bumpy, or…? Ruilin unintentionally glanced at the mark on the corner of Wen Nuan’s mouth, then lowered her head in silence.
Probably too much ‘bumping’ tired her out.
Wen Nuan straightened her clothes and entered the palace alone.
Rong Qing was already waiting for Wen Nuan at the palace gate. Seeing Wen Nuan’s figure, she immediately came forward. “The Xian Wang has returned. Are you well and safe?”
Wen Nuan tilted her head and teased, “I am well. Is Rong Qing well?”
Rong Qing lowered her eyes with a slight smile. “If Your Highness is well, then this servant is well.”
“The words that come from your mouth always deeply resonate with me,” Wen Nuan said, starting to walk forward. “Let’s go. Imperial Sister is still waiting for This King.”
“Yes.”
Imperial Study
Rong Qing opened the door and bowed. “Your Highness, please enter.”
Wen Nuan lifted her skirt and stepped inside. “Alright.”
Rong Qing glanced inside, closed the door tightly, and stood outside awaiting orders.
“This subject greets Your Majesty the Emperor.” Wen Nuan performed the ritual salutation and kowtowed.
Xu Wenlu put down her memorial and smiled. “Rise. What’s this? Accomplished a great task and now you’ve become distant with Zhen?”
Wen Nuan looked up, stood, and said with a grin, “Not at all, I haven’t become distant with Imperial Sister. It’s just that the etiquette between ruler and subject cannot be ignored, you know.”
“You little sly fox6,” Xu Wenlu pointed her finger in the air. “You handled the Wangfu City matter very well this time. Whatever reward you want, just ask. Imperial Sister will grant you anything.”
Wen Nuan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Seeing her eyes shining, Xu Wenlu recalled the outrageous things Wen Nuan had done before she left. She pursed her lips, her eyes carrying a hint of threat. “Within reason, of course.”
Wen Nuan smacked her lips. “I knew Imperial Sister wasn’t that kind.”
“Zhen isn’t that kind?” Xu Wenlu grabbed a nearby wolf-hair brush7 and threw it at her. “You’re the truly heartless one! Incorrigibly mischievous! Don’t you know your own status? You’re acting like a common street ruffian, lawless and unrestrained, living an outrageous life, aren’t you?”
“Don’t think Zhen doesn’t know the real reason you went to manage the Wangfu City flood disaster this time!” Xu Wenlu took a deep breath. “Those little tricks and petty schemes of yours, you’d better put them away for Zhen, or Zhen will beat you every time Zhen sees them!”
With that, she grabbed a memorial from the desk and threw it.
Rong Qing heard clattering sounds from inside. Before she could check, she saw the Xian Wang run out in an extremely sorry state, followed by an inkstone8 and an furious roar.
“Scram—!”
Wen Nuan saw Rong Qing’s astonished expression, patted her clothes, and gave an awkward smile. “Just a small squabble, nothing serious, nothing serious.”
Rong Qing took out a handkerchief, wiped an ink stain from Wen Nuan’s face, and said with a sigh, “Did you mention Miss Lin to Her Majesty the Emperor?”
“How did you know?” Wen Nuan asked, surprised.
“These past few days, while Your Highness was busy in Wangfu City, the Emperor was worried about your safety day and night. But she heard reports from the shadow guards saying that you…” Rong Qing hesitated, “…were behaving intimately with Miss Lin in Wangfu City, were mistaken for being in a wife-husband relationship, shared a room, and were… overturning clouds and summoning rain9…”
Wen Nuan: “…”
Rumors can kill… Forget it, it’s not exactly a rumor.
The two walked along the Anning Palace Road.
Rong Qing looked at Wen Nuan. The mark on the corner of her mouth, if one looked closely, was still faintly visible. She smiled faintly. “It seems Your Highness and Miss Lin have already confessed your feelings for each other?”
Wen Nuan curved her lips into a smile. “Mm.”
“That’s good.” Rong Qing nodded. “Your Highness likes Miss Lin very much, don’t you?”
“I do, very much.” Wen Nuan’s gaze held a faint trace of nostalgia as she sighed. “Meeting her was an accident, a surprise, and something I’m grateful for.”
Rong Qing lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. “Such feelings, such devotion, are unparalleled in this world.”
“Regarding the fact that I like women, Rong Qing, you don’t seem surprised or find it strange at all, do you?”
Xu Wenlu and the Phoenix Lord were both shocked and opposed, but only Rong Qing consistently protected her and spoke up for her, never saying a critical word against her.
Although Rong Qing came from a background as a palace maidservant, and their statuses were worlds apart, she was also a close friend to Wen Nuan, having grown up with her. If she were to say a few critical words to Wen Nuan, Wen Nuan wouldn’t get angry because of it.
The two stood at the palace gate. Rong Qing glanced at the carriage outside and smiled faintly. “If it were anyone else doing such things, Rong Qing might be surprised. But if it’s you, Your Highness, Rong Qing will only stand behind you and support you.”
Wen Nuan thought Rong Qing was expressing loyalty as a subordinate to her master and patted her shoulder. “You know, I’ve never treated you as a servant. You’ve always been a close friend with whom I can drink and have heart-to-heart talks.”
“You were in the past, you are now, and you will be in the future.”
Rong Qing smiled faintly and cupped her hands. “To be valued so greatly by Your Highness, this servant feels deeply honored.”
“Alright then, I’m leaving. Come to my manor for drinks when you have time.”
Rong Qing watched Wen Nuan’s departing figure and softly replied, “Alright.”
She stood within the palace, watching Wen Nuan board the carriage. That figure gradually disappeared from her sight as the guards managing the palace gate closed the brick-red main doors.
Rong Qing seemed to linger on the sight, taking a few more glances as if reluctant to let it go, until the palace gates were closed.
She lowered her eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and turned to leave.
This imperial palace lacks nothing, except perhaps for that single ray of morning sun.
Rong Qing recalled Wen Nuan’s earlier question.
“Regarding the fact that I like women, Rong Qing, you don’t seem surprised or find it strange at all, do you?”
She raised her head, looked at the sun in the sky being obscured by a cloud, and thought silently: “Because… I understand.”
The author has something to say:
You all understand. ;) An extra chapter.
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