Chapter 41

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Chapter 41: Title

The scenes from her dream remained clear in Gu Hengbo’s mind. Blinking her eyes, she realized she had indeed experienced a spring dream, though it wasn’t very clear, and her supposed husband was the apparent subject.

"You’re awake?"

Gu Hengbo froze for a moment, about to sit up, but a strange feeling from her lower body made her stiffen. What was this sensation? She turned her head to find Lian Rong sitting beside the bed, gazing at her tenderly, seemingly holding something in her hands.

Wait, why was her body… bare beneath the covers? Gu Hengbo pinched her leg; just a slight movement made her feel like she had been run over by a cart, and there was a twinge of pain below. Could it be…

"You…" Gu Hengbo’s voice trembled.

Lian Rong set down what she was holding and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "You were exhausted last night. I’ve asked the cook to make some chicken soup. You should drink some, okay?"

Gu Hengbo stared at her in disbelief. So it wasn’t a dream; this bastard had taken advantage of her while she was asleep. No, if it had been a real assault, why did she wake up? "What did you do to me?" Just because she didn’t care about her affair with Gu Cheng didn’t mean she had forgotten it. This was the first time she had ever faced such humiliation. Wasn’t her body still capable of feeling?

Lian Rong hadn’t expected her reaction to be like this. She pulled her closer, speaking softly, "Just drink the soup first. I’ll explain everything slowly."

Gu Hengbo pushed her away fiercely. "Explain slowly? Do you even realize what you did last night without my consent? Lian Rong, you’re quite the man to do something so filthy. Are you really so desperate?"

Wuyang, who was just about to knock on the door, almost bumped into it upon hearing Gu Hengbo’s words. She knocked strangely on the door. "Your Highness, Crown Princess, can Wuyang come in?"

"Come in."

"No, you can’t."

Lian Rong and Gu Hengbo spoke simultaneously, and Gu Hengbo, feeling furious, felt a fire ignite from her feet. "Do not come in."

Wuyang stood at the door, unsure whether to enter or not. It turned out the new crown princess always thought her master was a man. Hearing she might not be very bright was one thing, but why was she furious? Filthy, desperate—that was quite the vocabulary.

Lian Rong leaned against the bedpost, amused as she watched Gu Hengbo’s furious face. "If you could be as well-behaved as you were last night every day, I could consider attending morning court or something for good luck."

Gu Hengbo was on the verge of exploding, ignoring everything else, gritting her teeth as she glared at her. "I don’t want any children."

Lian Rong was taken aback, holding back laughter. "Ha, children? Alright, you say what you want."

Wuyang outside the door felt she might collapse. What on earth was happening? It seemed her master was deliberately hiding something, and considering how the new crown princess was behaving, if she ever found out her master was a woman… wouldn’t that turn the place upside down?

The two inside were still at an impasse when suddenly, Wuyang entered.

"Forgive Wuyang for being rude. Last night’s events were all Wuyang’s fault. Please punish the Crown Princess." Wuyang suddenly knelt down.

Gu Hengbo had a good impression of this girl. Without hesitation, she exclaimed, "What are you doing? Why are you kneeling? I want to live a few more years! Get up quickly!"

Wuyang didn’t move and reiterated how she had not done her job properly.

Gu Hengbo listened, dumbfounded. How was she so unlucky to encounter such a ridiculous situation? "Why are you practicing poison skills? Using drugs is not good." She complained to Lian Rong. No wonder she smelled that fragrance as soon as she entered last night; it was poison.

Lian Rong glanced at Wuyang, who was still kneeling. This girl hadn’t even knelt for her, so why was she acting this way now?

"Ah Heng, it’s my fault for not warning Wuyang in advance."

"Of course it’s your fault!" Gu Hengbo interjected before Lian Rong could finish. Then she turned to Wuyang. "Are you addicted to kneeling now? Get up."

Wuyang quickly stood up, tears in her eyes. "So, Crown Princess doesn’t blame Wuyang anymore?"

"Not blame you? How could that be possible?"

Wuyang joyfully stepped out, completely ignoring Lian Rong’s complicated gaze.

Gu Hengbo glanced at the blanket, feeling deflated once again, and pouted, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that to you."

Lian Rong shot her a sideways glance, "Do you know I’m doing this for your own good?"

Gu Hengbo could not nod her head; she really didn’t believe it was for her benefit. After all, she was the one at a loss.

Seeing her silence, Lian Rong suddenly seemed to recall something, a teasing smile appearing on her face. "I only did that to save you, but you really took the initiative. Even now, my husband’s back is still sore!"

Gu Hengbo was furious but couldn’t find the right words, only able to pout.

Looking at her flushed face, Lian Rong reminisced about the soft, alluring body from last night and felt a strange sense of nostalgia. "Ah Heng, how about tonight?"

Gu Hengbo’s breath caught; she tugged at the blanket and glared at her. Ah Heng, oh, how could she say that? The voice in her dreams echoed in her ears like a curse. How could she do this? Anger roared within her.

Leaning against the bathtub, Gu Hengbo began to feel drowsy again. She changed her position and lay on the edge of the tub. Just as she started to doze, fragmented memories flashed through her mind. She remembered being pressed tightly against the tub’s edge, soft kisses trailing down from her ear, causing her to utter sounds that made her blush.

Gu Hengbo jolted awake, and Lian Rong’s enlarged face was less than ten centimeters away from hers. She let out a startled cry, causing her body to slide further into the water.

Lian Rong chuckled at her, "What are you screaming for? I can’t eat you."

Gu Hengbo’s cheeks turned as red as a cooked shrimp. It was this person who had pinned her to the tub last night. This pervert kept finding ways to tease her. No, she couldn’t think about it anymore; if she did, she might go crazy.

Lian Rong pinched her cheek. "Oh, still blushing? Have you fallen in love with me?"

Gu Hengbo shook off her grip. "Isn’t that cheesy? Who loves you? How shameless!"

Lian Rong reached her hand into the water and scared Gu Hengbo into a flurry of confusion.

"I just wanted to check the water temperature. If it’s cold, I’ll come out. Don’t fall asleep again unless you want me to see you naked," Lian Rong teased her.

Shameless! Gu Hengbo glared at her in anger.

Gu Hengbo emerged from her bath, dressed, with her waist-length hair damply cascading over her shoulders. She walked around the room a few times, checked herself in the mirror, ensuring there was no inappropriate evidence before stepping outside.

This place was not like Prince Rong’s residence; the courtyard was small, and the path was easy to navigate. As she made her way to the front hall down the corridor, she spotted a few hurried people entering. One of them was a palace maid she recognized from her visit to Prince Rong’s residence; wasn’t she one of the Empress’s attendants? What was she doing here?

Just as she planned to go see, Gu Hengbo was drawn to the maid’s voice, which seemed to be crying.

"The Empress hasn’t eaten or drunk anything since yesterday. No matter how we persuade her, she insists on seeing the prince. She won’t eat unless she sees him! Prince, please go and see the Empress!"

Gu Hengbo smiled; this girl was quite protective of her mistress.

"And where is the Emperor?" Lian Rong’s tone revealed no hint of emotion.

"The Emperor could not persuade her either. After I returned to the palace from the King’s residence, the Empress nearly fainted at my words. Now she refuses to eat or drink and has lost weight," the maid replied.

Gu Hengbo found it amusing and was about to hear Lian Rong’s response when the sound of hurried footsteps drew her attention. A eunuch entered, followed by a large group of people.

Wuyang’s cold voice rang out, "You all have some nerve, barging into the courtyard without the prince’s orders."

Lian Rong raised her hand, stopping Wuyang from advancing.

"Since Eunuch Li is here, he must have urgent matters to discuss," Lian Rong replied, still sounding indifferent.

Li Xin bowed respectfully, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I had no choice but to rush here; it’s quite urgent. The Emperor sent me."

"Oh? Let’s hear it."

"The Empress has not seen the prince and refuses to eat, weakening to the point of fainting. Even after regaining consciousness, she won’t accept treatment from the imperial physicians."

The queen’s maid nearly collapsed to the ground when she heard that.

Lian Rong walked up to him and asked, “Did you say she fell ill?”

“Yes.”

Wuyang noticed Lian Rong’s face darken immediately; every time they spoke about the queen, her master seemed like a different person. “Your Highness.”

“Get the horses ready.”

Wuyang was startled. Looking into Lian Rong’s eyes, she could only respond, “Yes.”

As Wuyang stepped out the door, she saw Gu Hengbo standing in the corridor. Her body stiffened, and just as she was about to speak, Gu Hengbo placed her finger on her lips and winked at her. Wuyang nodded and walked outside.