Chapter 41: Kissed!
Seeing the old man, someone in the crowd laughed joyfully and called out loudly inside, “Young Master Wu, Old Doctor Wu is back! He’s alive, alive!”
A bold person reached out to help Old Doctor Wu down.
The old man chatted and laughed with them as they went inside.
The attendants stood nearby, pondering what to say to calm the Princess’s anger, but the Princess laughed and shouted at Old Doctor Wu’s retreating back, “You tear down my house every day—I’ve had enough of you! I’ve long wanted to throw you back here!”
She turned and brushed aside the curtain, about to go in.
“Your Excellency, hahaha,” the Old Ginseng Spirit pointed at the pot, “You should also have a bowl. It has rock sugar in it, so it’s a bit sweet. For summer thirst, no tea compares to a bowl of Green Bean Drink.”
The aroma of mung beans was indeed refreshing. However, such lowly, common fare was something Zhao Rongzhang had always disdained. Even at her most destitute, she drank at least Poria Cocos Honey Water worth a hundred taels.
But the old man knocked on her window with a bowl of mung bean soup and smiled at her, “Your Excellency, you are wise and mighty—how could you dare not try this?”
“Dare not? Pfft, what do I not dare?” Zhao Rongzhang was almost amused by anger. “It’s crude soup—I simply disdain to drink it!”
“Then there’s a big misunderstanding. They think you don’t dare.”
Zhao Rongzhang glanced at the red soup.
“What harm is there in trying a taste, Your Excellency?”
The girl rolled her eyes. “I don’t use dirty bowls.”
“This is a porcelain bowl I specially had someone buy new, personally scalded inside and out with boiling water. Your Excellency can rest assured!”
Since he was so earnestly begging her, she would reluctantly take a sip. Zhao Rongzhang reached out to take it. The attendants beside her nervously tried to stop her, but she ignored them and brought it directly to her lips.
As the soup entered her throat, her entire body felt cleansed. Zhao Rongzhang took one sip, then another.
The Old Ginseng Spirit seized the opportunity to say, “That Young Master’s constitution is extraordinary—one might say impervious to all illnesses. But ailments of the mind are like ironwood taking root, already deep-seated. With ordinary doses of medicine, after taking two doses, it might lose its effect. When you have time, Your Excellency, bring him to me so I can update his prescription for him.”
Zhao Rongzhang paused mid-swallow and glanced at him.
Lost its effect? He must be mistaken. She had reduced Little Mute’s dose by half, and Little Mute still fell asleep quickly and deeply every night. It couldn’t have lost its effect.
Back at the residence, Shuang An had already interpreted the information from that note in several different versions. Zhao Rongzhang reviewed them one by one and synthesized them into one definitive version. Then she sent Shuang An out as well and meditated alone in the study over this information.
As dusk approached, the Princess emerged and whispered a few words to Shuang An. Shuang An looked at her with even more admiration, bowed, and replied, “I will go and handle it immediately.”
Having taxed her mind for too long, Zhao Rongzhang was exhausted and ate a large dinner.
The medicine had been brewed in advance and left on the table to cool. Time to play with Little Mute again. After bathing, she sat under the lamp reading a book. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Little Mute remove each piece of clothing, revealing a body originally snow-white and clean, now covered in red or pink marks. Zhao Rongzhang turned a page.
Little Mute stood motionless in place. Zhao Rongzhang’s gaze drifted downward, landing on the strikingly prominent shadow cast on the ground before him. This stray cat. She curled her lips: “Go get clean.”
Little Mute still didn’t move. After a moment, he lowered those moist, dark eyes. Zhao Rongzhang hated guessing others’ thoughts most of all and was about to lose her temper when Little Mute gestured something to her. It was a sign she hadn’t seen before. Zhao Rongzhang tossed her book aside: “What do you want to say?”
Little Mute blinked his lashes, then raised his eyes again. These eyes were truly beautiful, especially at night—far too alluring. Zhao Rongzhang found herself with a bit more patience and walked toward him barefoot.
Little Mute touched his chest, then reached a hand toward her. Zhao Rongzhang, with immense tolerance, spread open her noble palm. Little Mute’s fingertip lightly traced on her palm, writing two characters: “good-looking”.
Zhao Rongzhang raised an eyebrow: “You want to ask me if you’re good-looking?”
“Not ugly,” Zhao Rongzhang replied.
The tips of Little Mute’s ears flushed pink, like pink jade colored from within. If she were to devour him with her mouth, wouldn’t it make him so overwhelmed his whole body would flush with blood? Zhao Rongzhang stared, her patience with him growing further. Little Mute gestured again: “The Princess keeps looking at me.”
“You’re my possession. I’ll look however I please.”
Little Mute added some details to his gestures, expressing more fully: “Good-looking. Then the Princess should keep looking at me.”
Zhao Rongzhang was slightly surprised and chuckled lightly: “Stray cat.”
Little Mute was neither embarrassed nor angered.
Since he had invited her like this, Zhao Rongzhang had no reason to refuse. She watched him bathe.
Little Mute started with his face, washing each part one by one. His features grew damp, making him even more captivating. Zhao Rongzhang leaned appreciatively against the edge of the tub, propping her chin on her hand as she watched. Every impassioned expression he had shown between the bed curtains surfaced one by one in her mind.
Zhao Rongzhang’s gaze deepened further: “Does Little Cat think he’s very wanton and seductive? Knowing he’s good-looking, deliberately tempting the Princess?”
Humiliating him was great fun. Every time he was humiliated, he would either flush red with anger or blush crimson with shame. When he blushed, his beauty, already at ten parts, would bloom to twelve—especially enticing.
But this time, Zhao Rongzhang was surprised to find that he actually didn’t seem ashamed.
The water’s surface rippled and shimmered, reflected beautifully in his eyes. He gazed directly at her, moving from the opposite side to right in front of her. The distance suddenly closed, and Zhao Rongzhang lowered her gaze. Such a beautiful face was now tilted up, right within the reach of her breath.
What a pretty cat. His black hair was thick and fluffy, his skin as white as jade in water. His eyes, nose, even his ears—all so perfect that even the most inspired craftsman could not replicate them.
He was tempting her.
Had it been too many days since she’d played with him while he was conscious? Had he finally grown restless, craving to be played with by her?
At least he knew how to tempt her—this cat wasn’t completely dull. Zhao Rongzhang felt inwardly pleased. Playfully, she tapped her fingers, slowly drumming on the edge of the tub, ready to see how he intended to seduce her.
A droplet of water slid from Little Mute’s brow, landing on his eyelashes. He lowered them slightly. Zhao Rongzhang imagined the temperature of that droplet and drifted off for a moment. In that brief lapse, Little Mute lifted his eyes and drew much closer again. She could clearly see each of his eyelashes.
A soft, cool touch pressed against the corner of her lips. Warm breath brushed her lips and nose. Zhao Rongzhang’s heart contracted sharply. Her fingers tightened on the edge of the tub, and in his eyes, she saw her own wide-eyed reflection.
So sudden it made her heartbeat quicken by two beats.
Zhao Rongzhang continued to gaze at him. She was no ordinary person, and of course possessed extraordinary composure. Even if a thousand-year-old spirit transformed into a beauty to seduce her, she would not fall into depravity like a tyrant. A mere Little Cat, so naively brushing against her lips, could not shake her in the slightest.
She was high above, utterly superior to him. Looking at him was no different from looking at a real cat. Zhao Rongzhang’s gaze deepened, waiting to see how he would, with a mix of shyness and boldness, use every trick to seduce her.
Time lost its measure in this mutual gaze, unclear whether it passed swiftly or slowly. Zhao Rongzhang waited but failed to see the expected shyness in the cat’s eyes.
He showed no emotion, no expression. After a brief touch, he withdrew. Sitting in the tub, he continued to splash water and wash himself, like a real cat that, once its curiosity was satisfied, paid no further attention.
Zhao Rongzhang observed every subtle change in his expression, but there truly was none. Her originally confident, assured mindset was greatly provoked by his beast-like innocence and indifference. Zhao Rongzhang’s heartbeat quickened, this time from anger.