Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Vinegar Stew Sensing that Gan Qiongying was about to wake up, Lihua reacted swiftly, rising like a lecherous thief who couldn’t see the light, having stolen a kiss. But he was still a little too late. "Hmm?" Gan Qiongying opened her eyes, and the two stared at each other from less than a fist’s distance apart. Lihua didn’t dare speak, because if he opened his mouth now, his heart would surely turn into a living creature and escape from his mouth. Fortunately, in his haste to get up, he had knocked over the ice basin, and it tipped over at just the right moment. Under Gan Qiongying’s gaze, he grabbed a piece of ice and handed it to her. Then he helped Gan Qiongying sit up. "Did I knock over the ice basin because I was sleeping restlessly?" Gan Qiongying sat up, fully awake, and rubbed her eyes. "It seems I’ve always been a restless sleeper..." Before, she had always thought she slept quite peacefully, but now she realized she had been holding Lihua all night, to the point where he had grown accustomed to it. After waking up, Gan Qiongying didn’t go back to sleep. By this time, the carriage was already quite close to the city. Her mind was still foggy from just waking up, so she didn’t speak, and Lihua didn’t dare say anything either. The two remained silent, but it wasn’t awkward. Because Gan Qiongying rested her head on Lihua’s shoulder. Lihua slightly lowered his shoulder to make it more comfortable for her to lean on, though inwardly, his thoughts were as turbulent as boiling oil. On one hand, he condemned his earlier actions, while on the other, he stubbornly argued with himself. They were husband and wife, a marriage decreed by imperial edict, perfectly legal under Nánzhào’s laws. What was wrong with a kiss? Even if she had been awake, wouldn’t it have been normal for him to kiss her? Lihua glanced at Gan Qiongying’s face several times... but he didn’t make another move until they returned to the Princess Manor. Utterly spineless. The carriage sped along, and by noon, they had already arrived at the Princess Manor. After just a few days, returning to the Princess Manor actually gave Lihua a faint sense of familiarity. Along the way, Gan Qiongying had held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder, and at some point, he had also taken her hand in return. They walked into the manor hand in hand, as naturally as could be. The maids went to arrange the things they had brought back. Gan Qiongying and Lihua relaxed under an old tree in the courtyard. During the evening meal, Gan Qiongying kept serving food to Lihua, piling his bowl high until it was overflowing. He ate bite after bite, consuming quite a lot, but he didn’t forget to serve food to Gan Qiongying as well. Using his own chopsticks. Watching Gan Qiongying eat without any hesitation, Lihua’s eyes sparkled. But for some reason, just when things seemed perfectly wonderful, they were always interrupted by sudden, unexpected events. Before the two could even finish their meal, a maid hurried over, her voice filled with urgency. "Princess," the maid knelt outside the hall, "Gu Ming and Gu Qing request an audience. They say they heard the Princess was unhappy at the Haoyue Villa and wish to play the qin and dance to ease your worries." Gan Qiongying was taken aback, unsure who these two were. But playing the qin and dancing for her... who else could it be but those money-devouring ghosts from the rear courtyard! Seeing Lihua’s movements slow and the warmth in his eyes gradually fade, Gan Qiongying opened her mouth, feeling utterly wronged. Heaven and earth bear witness! Not only had she not seen those money-devouring ghosts from the rear courtyard in a long time, but hadn’t she also handed them over to Lihua to deal with? And why did this scene feel so damn familiar?! The last time someone ruined her meal, it seemed to have been Little General Qu. Gan Qiongying’s hand trembled as she picked up a dish, turning her head slowly toward the maid. Glancing at Lihua from the corner of her eye, she said directly, “I won’t see them.” Manyue was also startled. By now, she understood just how much Gan Qiongying cared for Lihua and immediately went to drag the maid away from the hall. Feeling inexplicably guilty, Gan Qiongying quickly picked up a piece of fish and placed it in Lihua’s bowl, preparing to shift the blame and avoid the topic. “Didn’t I say you could handle them as you wished? Haven’t you dealt with them yet?” Lihua’s expression remained blank, but his hands, resting on his lap, were clenched tightly. He looked at the fish in his bowl and was about to raise his head to observe Gan Qiongying’s expression when hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall once more. Gan Qiongying was already on edge. Turning, she vaguely saw two figures swiftly passing through the moon gate and heading toward them. The two young men stopped outside the hall upon reaching the entrance, peering into the room repeatedly but not daring to enter. Soon, Manyue returned, looking at Gan Qiongying and saying, “The two young masters were too eager to see the Princess. I couldn’t stop them.” How could she not stop them? Were all those guards just for show, unable to hold back two young men of seventeen or eighteen? Gan Qiongying felt something was off about Manyue’s words, and her expression seemed unusual as well. Naturally, Gan Qiongying looked past the doorway toward the outside. The twins were dressed in blue robes. The moment she clearly saw their faces, the memories belonging to Princess Duanrong in her mind flipped open like a book stirred by the wind. She quickly identified the two. They bore identical faces, wore identical clothes, and were exceptionally handsome and refined, dressed with an air of ethereal grace. But Gan Qiongying remembered—they were not male consorts, nor were they entertainers who relied on their talents to please others. They were individuals secretly cultivated by Duanrong, intended to be sent to Zhangzhou. Realizing they were her own people, Gan Qiongying’s expression shifted slightly. She said to Manyue, “We’re in the middle of a meal. Whatever the matter, it can wait until after we finish eating. Take them to the Side Courtyard for now.” Gan Qiongying was troubled by her lack of usable personnel, having only seventeen shadow guards. Since these two were Princess Duanrong’s people, she couldn’t simply dismiss them—perhaps they could be of use. Gan Qiongying instructed Manyue to take them away, completely unaware that Lihua’s expression was growing increasingly grim. Why did it have to be these two? Why did it have to be a pair of twins? Lihua’s grip on his chopsticks tightened, so much so that it was almost cramping. He had thought Gan Qiongying would have Manyue send the two away, never expecting she would agree to see them. Was she reluctant to part with these twins? After all… they were truly handsome. Lihua lowered his eyes and set aside the fish Gan Qiongying had placed in his bowl. Gan Qiongying was completely unaware of the turmoil in Lihua’s heart, which had already turned upside down in the blink of an eye. She frantically searched through Princess Duanrong’s memories in her mind, but what she could recall was limited. Since these memories weren’t her own, they only surfaced when she saw something, was triggered by a certain scene, or even in dreams. For instance, she hadn’t initially known what her relationship with the Emperor was. It was only after entering the palace and being stimulated that she dreamed and recalled memories about the Emperor. But Gan Qiongying hadn't dreamed in a long time, and she couldn't recall much from her recent memories. The pain in her chest had completely disappeared, leaving her uncertain about how many of Princess Duanrong's pre-death arrangements she had missed. Having her memories triggered only upon meeting someone felt far too passive. Gan Qiongying wondered: since these two male consorts were her people, could the others be as well? Could it be that Princess Duanrong had used the excuse of keeping male consorts to secretly gather useful individuals in her own backyard? If so, she would need to find an opportunity to meet each of them one by one. Lost in thought, she picked up another bite of food for Lihua, only for him to shift his bowl away, causing the morsel to fall onto the table. Lihua didn't even lift his eyes, continuing to eat slowly. Gan Qiongying paused, chopsticks still in hand, staring at the fallen food. Her thoughts finally snapped back to the present, and she at last realized that something was off about Lihua.