Women’s hearts are extremely sensitive, able to detect even the slightest changes, especially when they are attentive.
Ji Cheng leaned against the cushion in the carriage, recalling the moment when she had hugged Shen Che earlier. He had been stunned for an instant. Afterward, even though he remained passionate, compared to when he was teasing her before, it felt more like he was just going through the motions, ending things hastily.
Ji Cheng cursed silently to herself, realizing that Shen Che truly had a dog’s nature – he only loved to gnaw on bones. If you threw him a bone, he would chase after it eagerly. But if you fed him meat, he would act like he was doing you a favor.
No wonder Fang Xuan, the great courtesan, had remained in his heart for so many years. It was probably because he had never been able to gnaw on that fragrant bone.
After passing through the border, the mountain roads became treacherous. Sitting in the carriage was torture, so Ji Cheng switched to horseback riding. But as a “man”, she couldn’t wear a veil, and standing outside the carriage looking at the dazzling white sunlight, Ji Cheng’s face already felt sunburned.
Shen Che brought a bundle to Ji Cheng and opened it to reveal various jars and bottles.
“What are these?” Ji Cheng curiously leaned in to look.
Shen Che opened a brown jar containing a light brown ointment. It had a strange smell, but definitely couldn’t be called pleasant.
“It’s for applying to your face. If you don’t use this, your face will peel after just one day in the sun. If you’re exposed for too long, your skin will age easily and may develop spots in the future,” Shen Che explained.
No woman could resist this. Ji Cheng took the jar Shen Che handed her and smiled, “You’re quite attentive.”
“It depends on who it’s for,” Shen Che said, using his finger to scoop some ointment from the jar and apply it to Ji Cheng’s face. “You need to apply it to all exposed skin.”
As Ji Cheng applied the strange-smelling ointment, she asked, “What are the other jars for?”
“For washing your face, and moisturizing after washing. After using this ointment, you must use a special cream to cleanse thoroughly at night,” Shen Che replied.
Ji Cheng asked, “How are you so familiar with all this?” Although Shen Che was a man, his skin felt extremely smooth to the touch, making Ji Cheng wonder if he secretly used these jars and bottles on his face when she wasn’t looking. The thought gave her chills.
Shen Che said, “I’m planning to start this business. Women’s money is the easiest to earn. Rouge and powder may seem like small things, but the profit is enormous, as you know. So, I’m having you try it out to test the effects.”
So she was being used as a guinea pig? Ji Cheng said sarcastically, “I never imagined that the noble Young Master would be even more focused on money than I am.”
The title of Young Master was beside the point. As soon as Shen Che got married, Duke Shen Zhuo submitted a memorial requesting the title of heir apparent. After going through the formalities at the Ministry of Rites, the imperial edict had arrived at the Shen household not long ago, along with Ji Cheng’s conferment.
Only the Shen family had enough influence to get all the paperwork done in just over a month. For others, it might take a year to receive the edict.
Shen Che paid no mind to Ji Cheng’s words. He lowered his head to her ear and said, “I plan to give this business to my wife to manage, so you must try out these products.”
As soon as Ji Cheng heard the word “business”, her legs went weak, and she stopped her sarcastic remarks. Shen Che knew her weakness too well – she had been bored out of her mind with nothing to do.
With Shen Che’s mouth on her earlobe, Ji Cheng felt a soft tickle. This man had recently developed a habit of speaking very close to her, often “using his mouth”. Ji Cheng turned her head away in disgust, firmly refusing to feed Shen Che any meat or bones.
As Ji Cheng turned her head, she was met with a bunch of shocked stares. She suddenly realized that she was currently disguised as a man, and being so intimate with Shen Che was quite alarming to others.
In Da Qin, while male homosexuality wasn’t unheard of, it was usually kept hidden in the shadows. There had never been a case like her and Shen Che, whispering intimately in broad daylight.
Ji Cheng pushed Shen Che away, saying, “Be more careful.”
Shen Che obediently stopped his advances.
After using the light brown ointment, all of Ji Cheng’s exposed skin turned a light brown color, and she was surrounded by a strange odor, making her look even more like a man – and not a very hygienic one at that.
Even when Shen Che spoke to her and couldn’t resist nibbling on her earlobe, he would always pull back at the last moment, and then wrinkle his nose in disgust.
Ji Cheng said angrily, “With the smell of this ointment, how many girls would buy it? I think we should forget about this business.”
Shen Che shrugged indifferently.
After crossing the mountains and entering the vast grasslands, half of their blood had nearly been sucked away by mosquitoes. The only two people who remained unaffected were Ji Cheng and Shen Che.
Shen Che hadn’t used any ointment, and it was unclear how he avoided the insects. Ji Cheng’s immunity was definitely due to the effectiveness of the smelly ointment. In contrast, the martial arts experts Nan Gui and Lian Zi woke up every morning with numerous red bumps on their faces. Ji Cheng no longer dared to complain about Shen Che’s special formula and couldn’t help but feel a bit more grateful to him.
When Ji Cheng’s group arrived at Zhaga Town, the first densely populated area on the grasslands, it happened to be the day of the Qixi Festival. However, the people of the northern regions didn’t celebrate the festivals of the Central Plains, so there was no praying for skills, no floating lanterns on the river, and certainly no talk of “love threads”.
The inns in Zhaga Town were all tents, but at least they had hot water available. Ji Cheng took a thorough bath, then reapplied the smelly ointment to repel mosquitoes and also to cover her excessively fair skin.
Shen Che disappeared as soon as they arrived in Zhaga Town, only returning to the tent after dinner. “Come on, I’ll take you to float river lanterns,” he said.
There was a small river outside Zhaga Town, small enough to jump across on horseback, but still suitable for floating lanterns. There weren’t many people from the Central Plains in Zhaga Town, but the few women who were there still insisted on maintaining the Qixi tradition of floating lanterns by the water. So, Ji Cheng and Shen Che, two grown men holding river lanterns, looked quite out of place.
“You’re floating lanterns too?” Ji Cheng looked at Shen Che, the big man, with apparent “disdain”.
Shen Che replied matter-of-factly, “Qixi is the day when the Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet. If the Weaver Girls can float lanterns to make wishes, why can’t the Cowherd?”
“Hey, Cowherd on the other side!” A clear and loud female voice came from across the river, with an exotic flavor. Her tongue seemed to be curled in her mouth, making her Chinese sound slurred.
Ji Cheng and Shen Che both turned to look.
Under the starry sky, on the opposite bank stood a pure white horse without a single spot of color. On the horse was a girl wearing a red robe, her head adorned with countless braids tied with colorful ribbons. She held a horsewhip and was staring intently at Shen Che.
What a beautiful girl! Her eyes were more dazzling and enchanting than the stars in the grassland sky.
With deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a wild air about her, she also possessed the rare fair skin of the grassland people. Blessed with such natural beauty, she didn’t hide it at all, brazenly exposing half of her snow-white shoulder.
The deep hollow of her collarbone could almost hold the small river before them.
This kind of beauty was like the strong liquor of the grasslands – just the scent of it was intoxicating. It was completely different from Ji Cheng’s gentle and reserved beauty of the Central Plains’ misty mountains and rain, yet it was more impactful.
At least Shen Che beside Ji Cheng seemed to be staring in a daze.
The girl giggled, laughing flirtatiously, then spurred her horse to leap. The white horse easily crossed the small river, coming to stand before Ji Cheng and Shen Che.
Zaina still didn’t dismount, just staring directly at Shen Che. Shen Che bent down to place his river lantern in the water, nudging it to float away from the shore.
Zaina let out a light “hmph” from her nose, though it didn’t seem like she was angry.
Ji Cheng understood what was happening. These two were flirting, seeing who would make the first move.
“I heard that in your Central Plains, there are men who like other men,” Zaina turned to look at Ji Cheng, quite disdainful of her scrawny figure. Ji Cheng wasn’t scrawny, but standing next to the tall Shen Che made her appear weaker.
Zaina jumped down from her horse and gave Ji Cheng a once-over. “I don’t understand what’s so appealing about a man’s backside.”
Such blunt language made Ji Cheng blush, thankfully hidden by the ointment on her face.
Zaina then turned slightly, perfectly showcasing her long legs and full, perky bottom.
Ji Cheng rubbed her nose, having to admit that Zaina’s figure was much fuller than hers. The two bulges on her chest and her round buttocks that looked capable of bearing twins were indeed much more eye-catching than her own.
From the corner of her eye, Ji Cheng had already noticed that Shen Che’s gaze had lingered on Zaina’s chest for quite a while.
Based on Ji Cheng’s experience, Shen Che did indeed prefer the fuller parts of a girl’s body.
“I don’t like men,” Shen Che straightened up and smiled at Zaina.
In the darkness, Shen Che’s teeth appeared particularly white. Ji Cheng figured Zaina must have been impressed by his good teeth.
“Interested in racing with me?” Zaina raised her horsewhip, pointing to the horse grazing not far behind Shen Che, and lifted her chin, saying, “If you win, you can choose your prize.”
“I’d be delighted,” Shen Che replied.
Ji Cheng looked at Zaina’s chest with a “lecherous” gaze and said, “I want to race too.”
Zaina pointed to her maid waiting for her on the other side of the river and said, “You can race with my maid. Be careful not to break your neck.”
Another burst of giggles followed, reminding Ji Cheng of a hen laying eggs.
By this time, Shen Che and Zaina’s silhouettes, riding side by side, had already disappeared into the darkness like lightning. Ji Cheng walked into the river and retrieved the lantern Shen Che had set afloat.
There was a slip of paper inside the lantern. Although it was blurred by water, the writing was still legible. It simply said four characters: “Ah Cheng’s safety”.
Ji Cheng felt indescribable emotions. She had thought that with Shen Che’s silver tongue, the note should have been more sentimental. She didn’t expect it to be so plain, so unlike Shen Che’s usual words.
Ji Cheng looked in the direction where Shen Che had disappeared. She had ample reason to believe that Shen Che must have calculated that she would retrieve the lantern and look at it. Otherwise, the name on it might have been “Fang Xuan’s safety” instead.
Ji Cheng put the paper slip back into the lantern. Since it was a blessing for her safety, she didn’t have the heart to crush it.
The tent was filled with the pungent smell of cow’s milk. Ji Cheng tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep until just before dawn.
When the noise outside became loud, Ji Cheng frowned and opened her eyes. She wanted to rub her brow but found her hand didn’t move smoothly when she tried to raise it.
Ji Cheng turned her head to look and saw Shen Che sleeping beside her. Their sleeves seemed to be connected by something.
Looking closely, Ji Cheng saw that their sleeves were covered in dense threads, at least several dozen colorful strands. With so many threads, how had Shen Che not been stabbed to death?
Ji Cheng kicked the still-sleeping Shen Che with her foot. Having gone out to “steal a woman” last night, he was naturally sleeping deeply.
Shen Che opened his eyes and immediately started smiling. He turned on his side, propping his head up with his hand, and looked at Ji Cheng. “How is it that every day when I look at you, you seem more beautiful than the day before?”
Disgusted by his early morning flattery, Ji Cheng smiled insincerely and said, “What, is a new bride coming today? I’m waiting for her to kneel and serve tea.”
Shen Che pressed against Ji Cheng’s lips and laughed, “I wouldn’t dare take a Turkic concubine, and I’m even more afraid of a shrew’s nagging.”
Ji Cheng pushed Shen Che away and said, “Even if you took eight or ten concubines, there wouldn’t be any shrewish nagging.” She raised her hand, “What’s this about? Are you bored and planning to become an embroiderer in the future?”
As Ji Cheng spoke, she was about to pull at the colorful threads, but Shen Che quickly stopped her with one hand. “Don’t untie them. It’s unlucky to untie them.”
Ji Cheng said angrily, “How many threads did you tie? Isn’t one enough?”
“Ninety-nine,” Shen Che said as he took off his inner garment and started to remove Ji Cheng’s clothes. “Don’t break them. Just take off the clothes. There’s no custom of giving colorful threads in Jinbei. Is this your first time receiving them since coming to the capital?”
Ji Cheng had planned not to cooperate with Shen Che, but they were already husband and wife. It would indeed be unlucky if the love threads were broken. So, she covered her chest with her hand and cooperated with Shen Che in removing her sleeve. Hearing his question, she replied, “I’ve never given colorful threads.”
Shen Che made a sound of acknowledgment and said, “What happened to the colorful threads you had at Tianxiang Tower that time?”
Ji Cheng looked at Shen Che in confusion. This man never spoke without reason. “They were in my hair, but I don’t know what happened to them afterward.”
Shen Che said, “Whether you believe in fate or not, the colorful threads from your hair that time fell onto my clothes.”
Ji Cheng laughed, quite flirtatiously, “You’re teasing me. Who knows which girl’s colorful threads were on you? Besides, with so many threads, how could you recognize which one was mine?”
Shen Che looked at Ji Cheng steadily and said seriously, “From childhood until now, that was the first colorful thread that ever hung on my body.”
Ji Cheng didn’t believe him, but Shen Che’s expression was so serious that she couldn’t even utter a sarcastic remark. She could only cough lightly and say, “When did you come back last night? That girl, heh, grassland women are quite bold.”
Shen Che went along with Ji Cheng’s change of topic and didn’t continue discussing the colorful threads. “Grassland women are different from Central Plains women. They have no concept of chastity and take pleasure in sleeping with heroes.”
“Ha, you just met her for the first time last night. How does she know you’re a hero?” Ji Cheng jabbed.
“Zaiya is no ordinary person,” Shen Che said. “She is the Saintess of the Fire Cloak Sect. The reason Zheli was able to amass such power in the Western Turks in just a few short years is largely due to Zaiya’s contributions.”
Ji Cheng knew a little about the Fire Cloak Sect. They worshiped the light, symbolized by fire, and were sometimes referred to as the Fire Worshippers. The sect originated in Persia and, after reaching the Western Turks, adapted its doctrines somewhat.
At least Zaiya, as a Saintess, seemed a bit more unrestrained in her behavior.
“Is that possible?” Ji Cheng calculated the rise of Zheli, which had been around seven or eight years. Zaiya appeared to be no more than twenty, which would mean she was barely twelve or thirteen when she started working with Zheli.
Shen Che asked, “How old do you think Zaiya is?”
Given Shen Che’s question, Ji Cheng guessed she must be older than she appeared. “Twenty-two?”
“Forty,” Shen Che replied.