TCPM 17

 

Chapter 17

Xu Jianyou lay in bed with her eyes wide open, lost in a daze. Last night, she had dreamt of the initial encounter between Wei Zai and Xu Qingchu; for her, it had been far too stimulating, and upon waking up, her limbs felt weak and her entire body tingled with a lingering numbness. She felt somewhat dizzy—shipping a couple was one thing, but accidentally falling into such a sultry, explicit sex dream? Was this even reasonable? More importantly, it felt as though she had been right there inside it. For a few fleeting moments, she had actually perceived Xu Qingchu's emotions—pleasure, sweetness, longing... coupled with a profound heaviness and melancholy. She could understand the first few, but where on earth did that heavy sorrow wrapped within the bliss come from? As she carefully savored everything from the dream, the more she thought about it, the more stimulating and terribly embarrassing it felt, until she finally yanked the blanket up to completely cover her head.

For the entire day, she found it impossible to look Wei Zai straight in the eye. In terms of appearance, the present-day Wei Zai bore almost no difference from the youthful Wei Zai in her dream; she seemed to remain perpetually frozen at her most youthful and brilliant age. This constantly gave Xu Jianyou the illusion that the person before her was not some ruthless, cold-blooded monarch accustomed to slaughter and decisive judgments, but merely a fellow classmate or friend by her side—simply an ordinary, average young woman lost in the vast sea of humanity.

In other words, she now felt as though she had just experienced an erotic dream starring a close friend. This was truly, overwhelmingly intrusive and unspeakable, making her feel so mortified she could practically dig a hole in the ground to hide. What was even more shameful was that she seemed to have briefly overlapped with Xu Qingchu; even though she had already woken from the dream, she could still sense that lingering craving—a very light, faint trace of desire that suddenly whipped up a violent wave the moment she laid eyes on Wei Zai, rippling her heartstrings with sudden agitation.

Completely oblivious, Wei Zai sat obediently at the desk playing Mahjong on her iPad, her brows slightly furrowed in deep hesitation, likely pondering once again which tiles she ought to discard.

With a sudden visual blur, this Wei Zai instantly morphed into that Wei Zai from her dream—her features brimming with amorous passion, pinned naked and helpless upon the couch, clearly melted into a puddle of water yet still putting up a stubbornly defiant mouth. It made one want to... make one want to...

No, no, no, this will not do.

Xu Jianyou shook her head vigorously, casting the bizarre and salacious thoughts out of her mind.

It had been nearly three months since Wei Zai came to stay with her, and this was the very first time she truly comprehended that Wei Zai was a woman—an adult female who had shared countless intimate, flesh-and-blood unions with her past life. Prior to this, she had been so open and uninhibited around Wei Zai that she would regularly walk out wrapped in nothing more than a bath towel after showering. During her undergraduate years, her school used a communal bathhouse, so standing completely nude around her roommates was nothing out of the ordinary; they even scrubbed each other's backs. She had simply regarded Wei Zai as that kind of roommate, entirely failing to notice Wei Zai's quietly averted gaze.

But things were different now; she seemed to have suddenly had an epiphany, turning guarded and evasive whenever she bathed or changed clothes.

"I... I am going to take a bath, you... you turn around!"

Taken aback and completely baffled by her sudden outburst, Wei Zai had no way of guessing what was running through her mind, simply assuming she was nearing her period, and obediently turned around to continue playing her game.

Xu Jianyou flashed into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and leaned against it with her hands covering her face, panting hard. This was genuinely life-threatening; she had to undergo some desensitization therapy, and fast... Oh, damn this cursed dream!

Yet the dreams continued, occurring every few days without any discernible pattern, disjointedly depicting the years when Xu Qingchu plotted on Wei Zai's behalf: how she maneuvered to make Wei Zai win the Grand Prince's trust and leverage the Grand Prince's influence to force Wei Zai's entry into court; how she instigated strife among the rival princes to drag the hidden undercurrents out into the open; and how she exploited the lingering friction between the princes to guide them into isolating the Second Prince, stimulating the paranoid Second Prince into ruthlessly purging his own brothers. Xu Qingchu was a natural-born schemer; on the surface, she coached Wei Zai to project the image of a profit-driven, opportunistic buffoon who played both sides, while behind the scenes, she utilized the banner of choosing the wisest master to offer strategic advice to the various imperial princes, provoking them until they fought to the death with blood-red eyes. She wielded the strategies of alliances and counter-alliances to absolute perfection; not only did the Wei Zai in the dream find it breathtakingly brilliant, but the observing Xu Jianyou was equally astounded, finding deeper layers of profound meaning every time she pulled herself from the dream to carefully ruminate over Xu Qingchu's schemes.

This grand drama of the imperial princes contending for the succession flashed across her eyes like a revolving lantern: she witnessed the Grand Prince's arrogance, the Second Prince's viciousness, the Third Prince's greed, the Fourth Prince's paranoia, the Fifth Prince's stupidity, and the Sixth Prince's shortsightedness. Ultimately, the corruption scandal involving the Third and Fourth Princes broke out; because their sticky fingers reached directly into the inner imperial treasury, they incurred the Emperor's intense disgust and were hurriedly banished to their regional fiefdoms. The Fifth Prince died in an assassination orchestrated by the Second Prince, while the Sixth Prince capitalized on the Fifth Prince's death to drag the Second Prince down, resulting in the Second Prince's confinement. Believing the overall situation was completely settled, the Grand Prince grew increasingly unbridled and rampant, leaving the Sixth Prince to temporarily bide his time and keep a low profile.

The Emperor grew somewhat panicked. Originally, having six heirs mutually checkmating one another allowed him to comfortably hide within the inner palace indulging in carnal pleasures, believing everything remained firmly within his grasp. Yet within a mere three or four years, the eldest imperial son had unexpectedly grown overwhelmingly dominant; given that he was also the eldest, how could the Emperor fail to feel deeply threatened? It was at this juncture that he finally recalled Wei Zai, showering the Princess Kangning's estate with wave after wave of rewards while elevating her official titles higher and higher, making her the center of unprecedented political attention.

Wei Zai asked Xu Qingchu precisely who her father ultimately favored.

Xu Qingchu offered a cold sneer: He cares about no one whatsoever; he cares only for himself. Terrified that the princes would grow too powerful and usurp his authority, he deliberately positioned them to fight and checkmate one another... Now that only two remain, he has grown panicked and is hastily trying to prop you up.

Wei Zai sighed: I understand; I am merely a straw figure used to borrow arrows.

Yet the Emperor still felt the bait represented by this straw figure was insufficient, intending to command the younger son of the Marquis of Wuyang to take her as his royal consort. The moment this news broke, the entire imperial court and public opinion erupted into absolute uproar. The Marquis of Wuyang was a powerful noble holding real military authority, commanding the most formidable faction within the imperial guards and tasked with the vital responsibility of defending the capital. For a family of such crucial importance to enter a matrimonial alliance with Princess Kangning? This was a terrifyingly tempting bargaining chip. Even the Grand Prince and the Sixth Prince, who had previously dismissed Wei Zai as a non-entity, could not help wondering whether they had severely underestimated this youngest sister.

Upon hearing the news, Wei Zai's face drained of all color, while the buzzing analyses of her trusted inner circle echoed continuously in her ears: one argued it was an exceptional opportunity to approach military power; another warned it might be a probing trap set by His Majesty; a third suggested they ought to maintain a wait-and-see attitude for a while longer... These voices, drifting near and far, were too indistinct to process clearly, making Wei Zai's head throb with piercing pain. Instinctively, she lifted her gaze to look toward Xu Qingchu, only to encounter a face as calm and unruffled as still water. Her heart felt as though it had been pierced by a needle.

Rage surged from the depths of Wei Zai's soul; with a furious sweep of her sleeve, she sent every cup and vessel on the table crashing down onto the floor, stood up abruptly, and strode out in heavy agitation, leaving the entire hall in dead silence. Unaware of where her fury stemmed from, her subordinates all turned their eyes toward Xu Qingchu seated at the head of the table.

Swallowing the tea lingering in her mouth, Xu Qingchu set her teacup down with tranquil composure, stood up, and said, "There is nothing to worry about; I will go handle this. The matter remains unconfirmed and its outcome unpredictable, so I must trouble everyone to keep strict discipline over your respective households and avoid handing others any pretext for malicious gossip."

"Understood, we comprehend."

After systematically arranging internal and external affairs, Xu Qingchu finally set out to find Wei Zai. Wei Zai had locked herself inside her bedchamber, refusing entry to anyone; night had already fallen, yet not a single lamp had been lit inside. Seeing her arrive tardily, the waiting attendants looked as though they had just been granted a grand amnesty.

The servants melted away like flowing water without producing the slightest sound, while Xu Qingchu pushed open the bedchamber door and stepped inside.

"Get out!" Having refrained from speaking for too long, Wei Zai's voice sounded somewhat strained and harsh.

Ignoring her harsh rejection, Xu Qingchu closed the door behind her and advanced step by step toward her.

Sitting upon the raised steps, Wei Zai caught sight of her silhouette through the moonlight, let out a sudden, scornful chuckle, and asked, "What have you come here for? Are you here to urge me to accept a husband as well?"

Stopping right before her, Xu Qingchu spoke in a steady tone: "The Marquis of Wuyang's estate wedding proposal is merely a trial balloon deliberately cast out by His Majesty to probe the reactions of all factions; if Your Highness were to eagerly accept it, that is precisely when His Majesty would truly grow terrified of you."

"Ha..." Wei Zai laughed with a lowered voice, her tone freezing cold. "Xu Qingchu, in what capacity are you speaking these words to me?"

Dropping to her knees, Xu Qingchu raised her hands in a formal salute: "This subject is Your Highness's minister."

"Splendid, truly splendid—what a dutiful subject." Wei Zai burst out laughing. She stared at Xu Qingchu through the dim night where only a shallow shadow was discernible, yet she could vividly imagine the exact expression Xu Qingchu currently wore: calm, self-restrained, and entirely unruffled. She was the unshakable pillar anchoring the Princess Kangning's estate; no matter how chaotic things grew, whenever others looked upon this unflappable demeanor, they would immediately regain their composure. Yet Wei Zai alone despised seeing this look on her.

Gritting her teeth, Wei Zai glared furiously down at Xu Qingchu. "If this grand marriage alliance isn't with the Marquis of Wuyang's estate, it will be with some other household! This time you claim it's a hook and a bait and tell me to refuse, but next time, for the sake of an even greater advantage, will you try to persuade me to accept?"

"I did no such thing!" Within the protective cover of the darkness where Wei Zai could not see, Xu Qingchu's expression shattered; she felt as though her throat were being choked, and a sudden, overwhelming wave of vulnerability, anguish, and aggrieved despair rushed up all at once, burning her eyes red. "I did no such thing..."

"Xu Qingchu, exactly what do I mean to you?" Covering her eyes with her sleeve, Wei Zai felt a heavy, bitter desolation. It had been years since Xu Qingchu openly confessed that she harbored hidden motives; Wei Zai had foolishly imagined she had already moved past it, believing their love ran deep enough, only to have every memory rush back at this exact moment, merging Xu Qingchu's detached, placid facade with the present reality, filling Wei Zai with an itching, bone-deep resentment.

"I..." Xu Qingchu could not articulate an answer; perhaps even she herself had never fully sorted out her own heart.

A heavy silence descended upon the room. With her sleeve, Wei Zai aggressively rubbed her face, stood up, and flicked on the lamps.

The warm radiance illuminated the quarters and simultaneously cast light upon Xu Qingchu's face, allowing Wei Zai to catch sight of the lingering, uncontained bewilderment and grievance she hadn't yet managed to mask away.

Instantly, the raging storm within Wei Zai's heart subsided.

Sighing softly, she brushed the incident aside, and asked, "Speak then, my esteemed Chief Registrar, how should 孤 respond to this?"

Regaining her habitual composure, Xu Qingchu remained kneeling in her position as a subject, offering her counsel to Wei Zai: "Your Highness may now proceed to execute that matter you have long wished to undertake."

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