Mu Yunjin waited in the room for a while but didn’t see Chu Li return. She figured he was still talking with Qingmeng and the others, so she didn’t bother waiting any longer.
After preparing clean clothes, Mu Yunjin headed toward the hot spring pool.
She walked a few steps, then stopped and turned back to the wardrobe. She opened it and prepared clothes for Chu Li as well before finally heading to the hot spring.
As she walked, Mu Yunjin thought to herself that she was becoming more and more like a virtuous wife.
She even knew to prepare clothes for her husband when taking a bath…
Tsk, tsk, tsk, human potential truly was limitless.
…
Soaking in the hot spring pool, Mu Yunjin leaned against the pool wall. As she looked down and played with the water, her gaze fell on the blue and purple marks on her body, and her face inexplicably turned red.
“What are you thinking about?” While lost in thought, a teasing voice sounded in her ear.
…
…
Mu Yunjin froze. Hearing the voice, she instinctively shrank further into the water. Just as she was about to raise her hands to cover her important parts, her arm was already grabbed by someone.
“Still hiding?” Chu Li’s eyes were filled with amusement as he held her arm, his gaze slowly moving downward.
Mu Yunjin glared at him with puffed cheeks.
“You’re adorable.” Chu Li curved his lips, smiling at Mu Yunjin. Finally, unable to resist any longer, he changed out of his clothes and entered the hot spring pool.
Seeing Chu Li come in, Mu Yunjin thought of certain things, swallowed, and began to move away.
How could Chu Li easily let her go at this moment? He quickly caught her and pulled her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her lips, gently nibbling.
A moment later, the hot spring pool was once again filled with an atmosphere of intimacy.
…
Afterward, Mu Yunjin was carried out of the hot spring pool in Chu Li’s arms.
Lying on the bed, Mu Yunjin moved inward a bit, her back against Chu Li. After all the exertion, she was now both tired and sleepy.
A pair of hands encircled her waist again. Mu Yunjin silently pretended to be asleep, but those hands gradually moved upward, finally resting on her chest.
In Mu Yunjin’s ears, the “thump-thump-thump” of heartbeats sounded again.
After a while, the person beside her made no further move. Mu Yunjin’s drowsiness grew stronger, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Chu Li lay close to her, listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat, his brow carrying traces of helplessness and heartache.
Why couldn’t she live simply and happily like an ordinary woman? Why did she have to become a woman opposed by everyone in the world…
Chu Li sighed, tucking in the blanket that had slipped from her back.
…
In the middle of the night, Mu Yunjin had another dream. She dreamed she was wearing a bright red robe, smiling like a flower, teasing a black qilin.
The black qilin seemed very aloof and wouldn’t pay any attention to her, instead constantly turning its head to look at a red phoenix nearby.
Seeing this scene, she became very unhappy and stomped her foot in anger. At this moment, from beside her came a deep, pleasant laugh…
Hearing this laugh, she wanted to turn around to look, but she only saw a black silhouette…
“Qing Gege…” she called out to the silhouette.
The silhouette seemed to hear her voice and slowly turned around. Just as she was about to see his face, his form suddenly blurred and vanished like a bubble…
“Qing Gege…”
“Qing Gege…”
…
In the middle of the night, Mu Yunjin awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed and looking around.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Li had awakened as soon as she sat up. Seeing her breathing anxiously, he reached out to gently pat her back.
Mu Yunjin turned to look at Chu Li, feeling that at this moment, Chu Li’s voice sounded very similar to the silhouette in her dream.
But in the dream, she had called him “Qing Gege”…
Who was Qing Gege?
Mu Yunjin lowered her eyes. It was just a dream, but why did it feel so real?
More troubling was that the scene in this dream seemed to be the same as what she had vaguely seen in the ancient tree’s courtyard during the day…
Thinking of the red phoenix in her dream, Mu Yunjin bit her lip, guessing that she was sensitive after hearing Qiuye call her the phoenix woman, which was why she had such dreams.
“Drink some water.” Chu Li got out of bed to pour Mu Yunjin a cup of water, seeing that she was still shaken, likely from a nightmare.
“Mm.” Mu Yunjin took the cup and noticed her hand was trembling severely as she drank.
After finishing the cup of water, Mu Yunjin lay back down, snuggling into Chu Li’s embrace. She wanted to tell Chu Li about her dream, but since she had dreamed of another man, she was afraid Chu Li would be jealous…
In the end, she obediently closed her mouth and hugged Chu Li’s waist as she continued to sleep.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, the image of the red phoenix remained clear in her mind, along with the sweet voice calling “Qing Gege”…
Who exactly was this Qing Gege?
Mu Yunjin thought hard but couldn’t recall anyone around her whose name contained the character “Qing.”
Mu Yunjin felt she couldn’t continue thinking like this. If one day she called out “Qing Gege” in her sleep, she would surely be kicked off the bed by Chu Li…
Thinking of this, Mu Yunjin pouted and held Chu Li’s waist even tighter, afraid of being kicked off the bed.
Chu Li felt the pressure around his waist but assumed she was just frightened from her nightmare. He didn’t think much else of it, kissing her forehead and saying gently, “Sleep. This prince is here.”
“Mm.” Mu Yunjin nodded. Chu Li’s words made her feel completely at ease.
…
The next day, when Mu Yunjin woke up, she was alone in bed.
After getting up and dressing, Zixiang came in. “Miss, His Highness went to court today. He said he would dine with the Emperor at noon in the palace.”
“Mm, I understand.” Mu Yunjin frowned slightly, thinking that Chu Li usually avoided court sessions whenever possible. Why had he gone today? Perhaps Emperor Ximing had some troublesome task to assign to Chu Li again.
Ever since Chu Li was last sent to Qingzhou to solve the flood problem, Mu Yunjin no longer viewed the father-son relationship in the royal family with any warmth or sentimentality.
In the past, the Emperor always said that Chu Li was his most beloved son, the one most capable of great responsibility.
But that Emperor Ximing had just made him a prince, then immediately sent him to Qingzhou. There wasn’t the slightest sign of love for his son.
Finishing her thoughts, Mu Yunjin’s eyes showed disdain. She clicked her tongue twice and shook her head.
“Miss, what are you thinking about?” Zixiang was helping Mu Yunjin comb her hair and saw her suddenly shake her head. Her hands loosened, afraid of pulling Mu Yunjin’s hair too hard.
“It’s nothing. I just find it rare for Chu Li to attend court recently,” Mu Yunjin said.
Zixiang nodded and continued combing Mu Yunjin’s hair. “By the way, this morning I heard Mamma Shen chatting. She said that South Court Country has selected a new Holy Maiden who will soon visit the rulers of the other three countries, one by one. I heard the first stop will be our Western Yuan Country.”
“Fine, let her come then.” Mu Yunjin shrugged, not having much thought about it.
“That’s true, but this servant heard that the Holy Maiden is a princess of South Court Country. She’s only fifteen this year and volunteered herself during the selection. Moreover, this servant also heard that this Holy Maiden is extremely beautiful, like an immortal descended from heaven…” As Zixiang spoke, her eyes held admiration and curiosity.
Mu Yunjin burst into laughter and poked Zixiang’s waist. “You little girl, you’re so infatuated just talking about a woman. You don’t happen to have a preference for women, do you?”
“Miss, you’re teasing me again!” Zixiang pouted, somewhat displeased.
“Oh, alright, alright. I was just joking with you.” Mu Yunjin stroked Zixiang’s face to comfort her.
After a pause, another thought came to her mind. “Chu Li went to court this morning. Could it be related to this Holy Maiden’s visit?”
“It’s possible.” Zixiang nodded, then innocently added, “Miss, you should keep a close eye on His Highness. Don’t let him be seduced by that Holy Maiden…”
“Hmph! Someone who has become a Holy Maiden yet dares to flirt with men, especially my man—I’d be the first to slaughter her and personally deliver her head to the ruler of South Court Country!” Mu Yunjin snorted lightly, picking at her nails with particular arrogance.
Zixiang couldn’t help but laugh. “Miss, you’re so bad.”
“As long as she doesn’t try to seduce our Chu Li, I won’t be mean to her.” Mu Yunjin crossed her arms, assuming an extremely harmless appearance.
“Miss, you’re so good.”
“Am I good or bad?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow.
“As long as one doesn’t provoke you, you’re good.”
“…”
After washing up and dressing, Mu Yunjin left the room with Zixiang rarely following by her side.
In the past, she and Mu Yunjin were inseparable, but now her mind was monopolized by His Highness. Apart from coming to help with hair in the morning, she hardly saw her miss the rest of the time.
Every day, she could only hang around with Mamma Shen, listening to her talk about palace secrets and interesting stories.
Over time, even she had become someone well-informed about news.
As she was thinking, Zixiang remembered something else. “By the way, Miss, this servant heard something else this morning, though only vaguely. I’m not sure if it’s true.”
“Oh?” Mu Yunjin turned to look at Zixiang.
“I heard that Princess Jingyang from North Ming Country is also coming to Western Yuan Country, but she’s coming for you, Miss. She said she wants to visit you, her elder sister.” Zixiang said.
Hearing Jingyang’s name, Mu Yunjin’s lips twitched. What was that troublemaker coming for?
“Who did you hear this from?” Mu Yunjin asked.
“I heard it this morning when Guard Ding was leaving with His Highness. It seems His Highness received a letter from the ruler of North Ming Country. I vaguely heard that Princess Jingyang was coming, but I’m not sure…” Zixiang answered.
Mu Yunjin crossed her arms, leaning against the pavilion in the garden. “I don’t like this Jingyang. If she comes, I won’t bother with her. She can go wherever she wants!”
“Why? Didn’t you Miss meeting Princess Jingyang during your trip to North Ming Country?” Zixiang asked curiously.
“It’s precisely because I met her that I don’t like her.” Mu Yunjin’s anger rose at the memory of being called a “bastard.”
This Bei Tangwenfeng was something! He knew she had a grudge against Jingyang, so why did he send a letter to Chu Li? Had he gone senile?
Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together, feeling that she must thoroughly question Chu Li when he returned!