Shoutout to Tachibanaswife for the commission!
Qi Sheng’s eyes flickered slightly, yet he avoided my gaze, pressing his lips tight and refusing to answer.
It wasn’t that I absolutely needed an answer from him. By this point, the matter was already roughly clear. It was plainly Qi Sheng and Lord Toilet locked in “the struggle between the snipe and the clam,” while far away in Shengdu, Zhao Wang reaped the fisherman’s profit.
A thought struck me, and I asked Lord Toilet, “So then, at that polo match the other day, the steel needle under Zhao Wangfei Lady Jiang’s saddle, it wasn’t placed by you either?”
Lord Toilet shook his head. “Why would I need to use such means against a woman?”
I recalled Zhao Wang’s roar on the polo field that day, like the Cult Leader Ma possessed, and thought to myself that though Zhao Wang appeared gentle and harmless, he was unexpectedly ruthless. Just to secure a chance to remain in the capital, he had actually dealt such a vicious hand to his own wife.
But since Qi Sheng had dared to let Zhao Wang remain in the capital, they must have had some sort of alliance, right?
At this thought, I couldn’t help glancing at Qi Sheng. I saw pain flash through his eyes as he closed them and slowly leaned back against the rock wall.
I didn’t know whether he was distressed over Lady Jiang’s suffering, or heartbroken over the betrayal of his ally, Zhao Wang.
So I gently advised him, “You’ve got to think it through. Any man with a bit of blood in him can’t stand his wife stitching a green hat onto his head. You should try to understand Zhao Wang, he’s been wearing that green hat for years now. It hasn’t been easy for him either.”
Qi Sheng opened his eyes and frowned at me.
I continued consoling him, “You’ve already worn his clothes, so don’t resent him for breaking your limbs.”
Qi Sheng’s swordlike brows knit together. He barked in a low voice, “What nonsense are you spouting!”
Fine! No good deed goes unpunished! I shut up awkwardly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lord Toilet pressing his lips together slightly, looking at me with a half-smile.
I glared at him in irritation.
Lord Toilet turned his face aside, but he was softly laughing.
I was just wondering what he was laughing at when Qi Sheng suddenly called out in a low voice, “You come here.”
I looked up at him, realized he was calling me, and shuffled forward two steps, crouching in front of him. “What is it? What do you need?”
Qi Sheng narrowed his eyes, studying me for a moment. Suddenly he grabbed my wrist and yanked me down onto him, then wrapped his single arm tightly around me, imprisoning me against his chest. He brought his lips to my ear and hissed viciously, “If you dare put a green hat on me, I’ll take Qi Han’s life!”
Qi Han, the Ninth Prince Qi Han, Chu Wang Qi Han, yes, that was Lord Toilet’s real name!
I looked at Qi Sheng in surprise, yet inwardly I was eager to try something. I very much wanted to ask him: we’ve hugged, we’ve held each other, we’ve kissed, we’ve even gnawed, does that count as green, or just slightly green?
Qi Sheng glared at me in annoyance. The hand at my side suddenly clasped the back of my head, forcing it downward, while he tilted his own face up to meet me.
My reaction was swift. The instant our lips touched, I bared my teeth and bit down hard. D*mn it, underwater that time was to save a life, and kissing Lord Toilet once didn’t count for much. But now you’re using this to provoke him, what do you take this Laozi for?
Qi Sheng’s body stiffened briefly. His grip tightened instead of loosening. Not only did he not let go, he bit back at me. With the metallic sweetness of blood in the air, the tip of his tongue even pushed into my mouth.
Ah!!! To h*ll with you! Why didn’t both your arms break!
Just as I was overwhelmed with grief and fury, just as I was about to bite Qi Sheng’s tongue clean off, Lord Toilet’s somewhat cold voice came from not far away: “They’ve come ashore.”
Qi Sheng finally released me.
I clenched my fist and threw a hook straight into Qi Sheng’s face.
He grunted as the punch landed, his head snapping to one side. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, whether from my punch or from my bite, I didn’t know.
But I still wasn’t satisfied. Throwing caution to the wind, I lunged forward and clamped both hands around Qi Sheng’s neck, asking Lord Toilet without turning my head, “Help me strangle him to death. I’ll testify before the Emperor that he was trying to eliminate you and ended up being plotted against by Zhao Wang instead!”
Lord Toilet stood there, silent.
Qi Sheng slowly turned his face back, lifted the back of his hand to gently wipe the blood from his mouth. He looked at me with resentment in his eyes, yet there was a smile at the corner of his lips. Mockingly he asked, “What about you?”
“I’ll become a widow! I’ll mourn you to the end!” I replied viciously.
Qi Sheng reached out and grabbed my collar, slowly pulling me closer. Word by word he asked, “You hate me that much?”
I stared into his eyes and slowly spat out a single word: “Hate.”
Qi Sheng smiled faintly, glanced toward Lord Toilet beyond the rocks, and asked in a low voice, “And him? He used you as bait too.”
I answered, “He never formed an alliance with me or promised me the position of Empress. I have no grounds to hate him!”
Qi Sheng was slightly startled. Guilt appeared in his expression. After a pause he said, “You won’t die. Since I promised you the position of Empress, I won’t let you die.”
I sneered. “Oh? Lady Zhang sinks like a weight the moment she enters water. Did you also calculate that I would suddenly know how to swim?”
Qi Sheng was finally speechless.
I carefully examined Qi Sheng’s sturdy neck, then glanced at Lady Zhang’s pair of fair, tender little hands, estimating that even with one of Qi Sheng’s arms unusable, I still wouldn’t be able to strangle him to death on my own. So I briskly released his neck and instead grabbed his hand.
But Qi Sheng stubbornly held onto my collar, refusing to let go. In a low voice he said, “This is the last time.”
With my head lowered, I used both hands to pry his fingers open one by one. “No. The last time was the time I died.”
Qi Sheng finally slowly loosened his fingers, lowering his gaze slightly, lost in thought.
Over there, Lord Toilet glanced at us and said coolly, “They’re coming this way. Judging by their build, they’re all skilled fighters. They’ll likely find this place soon.”
This was merely a small valley indented into the mountain along the riverbank. Further in were sheer cliffs towering thousands of feet, there was no road to escape. I hurried a few steps to the side and began looking for suitable sticks or stones to use as weapons for self-defense.
Lord Toilet walked over to Qi Sheng, crouched down to meet his eyes, and said, “Third Brother, how about the two of us make a wager on our luck?”
I didn’t understand his intention and turned to look at them. Lord Toilet continued, “A man like Fifth Brother likely won’t allow the two of us to die together. Let’s gamble and see whose luck is better, whether these men will mistakenly kill you or mistakenly kill me.”
Qi Sheng braced himself against the rock wall and slowly stood up. After a moment of silence, he replied, “Fine.”
Then he turned to me with a gloomy face and said, “Stay here obediently. Someone will come to fetch you.”
Lord Toilet also smiled at me. “Hide here. No matter whether my luck or Third Brother’s is better, one of us will leave you a way to live.”
I was somewhat stunned, but even more so I felt emotional. I’ve been transmigrated here for so long, and at last I’ve experienced the benefits of being a woman!
Qi Sheng, one hand supporting his injured arm, walked out first. Lord Toilet followed closely behind.
Watching their gradually receding backs, my heart actually felt a little sour.
Looking farther into the distance, I suddenly saw several military Red Horse Boats flowing downstream from upstream. I was stunned at first, then overjoyed. I quickly leapt onto that rock and shouted at Qi Sheng and Lord Toilet, “Come back! Reinforcements are here!”
Then I waved my arms and shouted at the river at the top of my lungs, “Here! We’re here!”
A person immediately stood up on one of the Red Horse Boats and waved vigorously in my direction. At the same time, I heard the anxious voices of Qi Sheng and Lord Toilet almost simultaneously:
“Get down!”
“Lie down!”
In a flash, I suddenly realized how dangerous my action was, what an idiotic thing I had just done. I was practically standing on a platform serving as a target for the assassins!
Panic seized my heart; my head buzzed blank. For a moment I didn’t even know how to get down. Seeing crossbow bolts tearing through the air toward me, I simply fell backward.
Several bolts grazed my clothes and shot into the rock wall behind me. My body continued falling. With a “thud,” I hit the ground. My head jolted, and darkness filled my vision.
In my hazy state, the face of Star Lord of Fate appeared before me again, smacking his lips and saying, “Just look at you, why are you so reckless? Are the grooves of your brain all parallel?”
I raised my hand to slap him, but missed. Instead, my arm was seized. I struggled hard and abruptly woke up, only to see Qi Sheng sitting beside me, holding my arm with his uninjured hand. Irritated, he said, “You start hitting people before you’re even fully awake. I’d say you’re not badly hurt!”
My mind was still foggy. I turned to look around and saw that I was already on a ship, a large one, like a warship.
I asked Qi Sheng, “Am I injured?”
Qi Sheng released my arm and answered lightly, “When you fell from the rock, you hit your head. There’s a bump.”
I let out a breath of relief and couldn’t help asking, “Where is Ninth Highness?”
Qi Sheng’s expression darkened slightly. Coldly he replied, “Still alive. On another ship with Yang Yan.”
I said “Oh,” and immediately began worrying about my own situation. Though this entire mess was the result of their three brothers scheming against one another, in outsiders’ eyes it was all caused by me sneaking out of the palace. If I returned to the traveling palace like this, would the Emperor let me off easily?
Qi Sheng seemed to see through my thoughts. He gave a low snort and said, “I’ve already sent word to Royal Father that you were abducted from the traveling palace. Ninth Brother will also testify for you. For the sake of royal reputation, this matter will be suppressed. At most you’ll be punished by copying the Nuze.”
I nodded in understanding. Of course, if even the Crown Princess could be casually abducted from the traveling palace, the royal family might as well discard its face entirely.
Just as I was secretly rejoicing, I suddenly heard someone lightly knock on the cabin door.
Qi Sheng rose and went out. I didn’t know what the person outside said to him, but I heard Qi Sheng suddenly demand in a low shout, “What? Say that again!”
