Chapter 37
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Chapter 37: Title
When the two of them slowly returned to Prince Rong’s residence, it was already past midnight. Gu Hengbo held back a yawn, her eyes red from tiredness as she stood blankly by the bed. “Where does the prince sleep?”
Lian Rong sat on the bed, looking quite pleased. “Of course, I sleep on the bed. Are you going to sleep on the floor?”
Gu Hengbo was still reeling from that kiss. To be honest, ever since coming here, she had been quite the affectionate one, but Longyang was a woman, right? The person before her was not only a man but also a breathtakingly beautiful one that even gods and humans would envy. He was also her nominal husband. She had kissed him; what would happen next?
“Are you sleeping?” Lian Rong asked her.
Gu Hengbo kept a serious face, took a deep breath, and nodded, saying “Of course” as she kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. Because the bed was so large and in the middle of the room, there was no distinction between inside and outside, Gu Hengbo didn’t worry too much; she could just stay further away from her.
Lian Rong didn’t say anything, stood up to take off her outer robe, and lay down on the bed.
Gu Hengbo lay on the bed, not daring to make a sound. Usually carefree and seemingly unconcerned, she was really quite nervous. “Are we not turning off the light?”
Lian Rong pulled the blanket over both of them and slowly closed her eyes, saying, “It’s too dark; I can’t sleep.”
Gu Hengbo stared at the bright red canopy above her that could easily float away with a light breeze. The curtain hung in the center, draping down around the bed. She blinked, her hand gripping the blanket sweating; too dark to sleep? It felt even harder for her to sleep!
“Are you afraid I might do something to you?” Lian Rong suddenly asked.
Gu Hengbo turned her head slightly. Lian Rong still had her eyes closed. She swallowed hard, “No, not at all.” When they were outside, she was loud and lively, but when it really came down to it, she would instantly soften.
Lian Rong turned over. “Let’s sleep.”
Gu Hengbo gave a soft “oh” and turned over, facing away from her. She had learned about Lian Rong’s strange temper; one moment she could be smiling and chatting, and the next she would become distant and cold. Even though they shared the same bed, her attitude made Gu Hengbo feel like they were not connected at all, even if they were supposedly husband and wife.
Everyone has many sides to them, and Lian Rong was no exception. Gu Hengbo felt inexplicably frustrated, and what made her more upset was that her frustration stemmed from her curiosity not being satisfied. What a strange feeling.
Gu Hengbo couldn’t sleep. The whole night, she just stared at the canopy, afraid of waking Lian Rong, so she didn’t even dare to change her position, keeping the same pose until the sky lightened and she finally fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was already late. Gu Hengbo sat up; perhaps because she had been so tired yesterday, she had slept late, and now her head ached severely. She rubbed her head and, when she opened her eyes, was startled to see a whole row of maids in blue long dresses standing beside her bed, each holding various items. The one in front, seeing her awake, bowed respectfully, saying, “This servant is Shui Yan, here to help the crown princess get dressed.”
Gu Hengbo looked at the row of lovely maids before her and felt much happier. She smiled and nodded, just as she was about to get out of bed when suddenly she remembered something. Last night, she and Lian Rong hadn’t done anything; didn’t old customs say they should check for blood on the wedding night? What would she do?
“I’m not used to having so many people attend to me. How about this: you can put down the items; I’ll do it myself, alright?”
The maid named Shui Yan smiled but didn’t seem inclined to leave. “The prince has instructed that we must serve the crown princess well.”
Gu Hengbo frowned. “So you’ll be attending to me from now on, right?”
Shui Yan nodded.
“Then do you listen to me or to the prince?”
“To the crown princess.”
“That’s good. Put down the items and step out.” Gu Hengbo said lightly.
Shui Yan appeared a bit troubled, but being just a servant, she didn’t say much. She put down the items and led the others out.
Gu Hengbo sighed. Being a crown princess felt too grand for her; she felt a bit overwhelmed. What should she do? She didn’t want to do this anymore.
As she thought about it, the maids had just left, and Gu Hengbo jumped out of bed. She looked around the spacious room, wondering where there might be a fruit knife or scissors. She walked around and soon saw a long sword hanging on the wall not far away. She approached and inspected it; the sword was about two meters long. Even though Gu Hengbo had never seen a real sword before, she had never seen one this long, even on TV. It reminded her of a historical assassination.
She stood on tiptoe, finally reaching the sword and took it down. Without taking time to admire it, she pulled the sword out. She didn’t feel it was anything special, except that it was long.
Gritting her teeth, she pressed the sword gently against her fingertip. Blood flowed from a small cut. Gu Hengbo dropped the sword and rushed over to the bed, lifting the blanket to dab at it. The mattress was red; wasn’t anyone prepared for this? Oh well, a little smear would suffice for them to notice.
After putting the sword back in its place and tidying up, Gu Hengbo sucked on her fingertip, sitting on the edge of the bed and daydreaming. Since she needed to bring Madam Dou into Prince Rong’s residence, why not bring Qingfeng in too?
After getting dressed and washing up, Gu Hengbo looked at herself in the mirror. The clothes were easy to wear, but her hair was a mess. Although ordinary hair was fine, she didn’t know how to style her hair after marriage, which made her head spin just thinking about it.
Never mind that; if she couldn’t figure it out, she would ask someone else.
Just as Gu Hengbo opened the door, she almost bumped into Lian Rong, who was about to push the door open as well but stopped just in time.
Lian Rong first glanced at Gu Hengbo’s neatly arranged clothes, then at her long hair cascading messily over her shoulders. A smile appeared in her eyes. “Ah Heng, where are you going?”
Gu Hengbo froze, her face turning red as she stuttered, “I… I can’t do my hair.”
Lian Rong pulled her inside. “Aren’t you with Shui Yan and the others? Didn’t you ask them to help you?”
Gu Hengbo tried to free her hands, but of course, she failed. She said sullenly, “I’m not used to having so many people around. I can dress and wash up by myself.”
Lian Rong sat down on the round chair and casually pulled Gu Hengbo onto her lap. As soon as Gu Hengbo’s bottom touched Lian Rong’s leg, she jumped up.
Lian Rong smiled at her. “What’s wrong?”
Gu Hengbo frowned. She couldn’t quite grasp Lian Rong’s temperament. Outside, she was bold, but as soon as she entered Prince Rong’s residence, her legs started to shake for no reason, especially when she was alone with Lian Rong. “It’s nothing. I’ll let Shui Yan come in and help me comb my hair.”
Lian Rong said nothing and didn’t stop her.
Before Gu Hengbo reached the door, she heard a knock. “Crown princess, it’s me, Shui Yan.”
Without saying a word, Gu Hengbo opened the door and let her in. “I was just looking for you! You are truly my savior!”
Shui Yan was puzzled by Gu Hengbo’s sudden warmth. When she entered, she immediately saw Lian Rong sitting in the round chair and quickly bowed. “Shui Yan greets the Prince.”
Lian Rong nodded and looked at Gu Hengbo. “Get ready here and wait for me. I’ll take you out today.”
Gu Hengbo understood. “Are we going to the palace to meet the emperor?”
Lian Rong raised her eyebrows. “Going to the palace to meet the emperor?”
Uh, isn’t that what they always show on TV? “It’s nothing, nothing. I thought we were going to meet the emperor,” Gu Hengbo scolded herself silently for being so foolish; how could one era be compared to another?
Lian Rong didn’t ask further, just instructed Shui Yan a few things before leaving.
