Xia Qing was dumbfounded.
Oh my god…
Quan Ke is another name for merfolk?? So, does that mean Yan Lan Yu ate merfolk meat in the dish ‘Quan Ke Danggui’??
He looked at Luo Guan Xue in disbelief.
At that moment, a palace maid beside him lowered her head and softly urged, “Your Majesty, please go to the bathhouse first.”
Xia Qing swallowed his questions and nodded stiffly. Under the service of palace maids and guards, he boarded the carriage heading to the bathhouse.
In early spring, with warmth amidst lingering cold, Lou Guan Xue’s frail health caused Xia Qing to experience a subtle, yet tormenting pain with just a movement of his fingers.
Inside the carriage, incense was lit, and a soft, embroidered couch awaited.
Cool breeze flowed in through the tasselled curtains, carrying the scent of white pear blossoms from the imperial garden.
“Can I talk to you now?”
Xia Qing lowered his voice, afraid of others overhearing.
Lou Guan Xue leaned against the soft couch and smiled, “Yes. Actually, you could speak louder; it doesn’t matter if someone overhears.”
Xia Qing: “Forget it, I can’t stand being seen as crazy by others.”
Lou Guan Xue remained noncommittal.
Xia Qing asked cautiously, “Yan Lan Yu, did she eat merfolk meat?”
Lou Guan Xue replied, “Yes.”
Xia Qing shivered, “Oh my god, merfolk meat can actually be eaten?”
Lou Guan Xue explained, “Merfolk is once the closest race to the gods, so of course they can be eaten.”
Xia Qing asked, “What about you…”
Lou Guan Xue glanced at him and knew what he was going to ask. He smiled gently, “Don’t worry, I don’t eat it.”
Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh, that’s good then.”
Lou Guan Xue remarked, “It’s too filthy.”
Xia Qing: “Huh? Filthy?!”
Each merfolk is exceptionally fair, yet they’re considered dirty. Just how severe is Luo Guan Xue’s obsession with cleanliness?
However, after pondering Lou Guan Xue’s previous statement, Xia Qing detected a hint of chilling coldness. He reluctantly asked, “So, eating merfolk is quite common in Chu Kingdom?”
Luo Guan Xue: “It’s not common. Merfolk meat is highly toxic, dry, and hard to swallow. It requires invaluable antidotes to counteract the poison, and the cooking methods and procedures are extremely delicate. Perhaps only Yan Lan Yu in the entire Ling Guang enjoys such delicacies.” After speaking, Luo Guan Xue smiled and said, “Now that you’ve met her, do you know what kind of person she is?”
Xia Qing was stunned. While he enjoyed observing people from a young age, he wasn’t adept at understanding their thoughts.
When he observed people, he didn’t try to guess their thoughts; he simply sat quietly, lost in thought, no different from gazing at the sky or the earth. It might sound eccentric, but he was also perplexed by his own behavior; he couldn’t control his eyes.
Prompted by Luo Guan Xue’s question, Xia Qing forced himself to recall and chose the most vivid impression: “Yan Lan Yu seems to really like the little eunuch by her side; she asks a question at every opportunity.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Oeb Xejc Wef gfrqbcvfv ilutais, “Pa’r tfg qgfofggfv mbcnfgrjalbcji rasif.”
Wlj Hlcu mbeivc’a yfilfnf la. “Vtf vbfrc’a atlcx la wjxfr tfg rffw ufcaif jcv jqqgbjmtjyif, vbfr rtf?”
But upon careful reflection, Xia Qing silently realized that Yan Lan Yu might indeed think so!
Pc ojma, atlr “ufcaif jcv jqqgbjmtjyif” vfwfjcbg kjr wbgf ilxf jc fzagfwfis jggbujca qgbnbmjalbc.
Coafg rtf olclrtfv rqfjxlcu, rtf kbeiv mjrejiis jrx rbwf lggfifnjca defralbcr jr lo mtjaalcu klat ojwlis, ajcufcaljiis gfijafv ab atf qgfnlber mbcnfgrjalbc yea rffwlcuis lcmbcrfdefcalji. Fqbc gfmflnlcu j gfrqbcrf, rtf kbeiv mbcalcef rqfjxlcu klat j rjalrolfv rwlif, jr lo rtf tjv fjgcfrais ilrafcfv ab batfgr’ bqlclbcr yfobgf fzqgfrrlcu tfg bkc nlfkr.
In reality, Yan Lan Yu’s decisions had absolutely nothing to do with the questions she asked.
This young Queen Mother made decisions “casually” and was “gentle and kind,” unwilling to entertain any objections from others.
Though her words carried the softness of spring rain, they revealed an undisguised imperial indifference, with no room for negotiation.
This was even more suffocating than blatant oppression by power.
Xia Qing couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of her and the little eunuch’s harmonious conversation, feeling goosebumps rose.
He muttered to himself, “Having a conversation with her could be maddening.”
Luo Guan Xue chuckled with interest, “Driven mad?”
Xia Qing shook his head, “Impossible. I didn’t even listen to what she was saying.”
The bathhouse was in the inner courtyard.
Stacked rocks formed a natural barrier, with a hot spring in the center and pear blossoms planted nearby. In March, the blossoms fell like snowflakes, creating a misty, ethereal atmosphere, reminiscent of a fairyland.
“You get in the shower, I don’t want to wash you,” Xia Qing urged as he stepped down from the carriage.
The initiative between them regarding the contract rested with Luo Guan Xue, after all, it was his body.
Luo Guan Xue didn’t say anything, his finger resting on Xia Qing’s brow.
In the moment of becoming a soul, Xia Qing felt genuinely happy, as if he were ascending to heaven. No more pain, no more cold, and no need to maintain decorum for fear of exposing himself!
He feels refreshing!
With a cold expression, Luo Guan Xue undressed and entered the pool.
Xia Qing sat on the nearest pear blossom tree to the bath, behaving like a well-mannered and sensible youth. When Luo Guan Xue undressed, he even politely turned away, playing with the pear blossoms until he finished before turning back.
Now hanging on a thread like a grasshopper, he felt a bit closer to Luo Guan Xue and took the initiative to start a conversation.
“You’re fifteen now and still don’t have a consort in the harem?”
“Mm.”
“Why is that?”
“Dirty.”
As expected of a fairy, everything seems dirty to him.
Xia Qing: “Then is there anything you don’t find dirty?”
Luo Guan Xue tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and smiled, “Let’s change the question.”
Xia Qing had gradually forgotten the initial shadow of meeting Luo Guan Xue and obediently changed the subject: “Oh, then what kind of consort do you plan to choose?”
Luo Guan Xue’s black hair quietly floated on the water as she closed her eyes. “You decide.”
Me?!
Xia Qing was so frightened he almost fell from the pear blossom tree. “You want me to help you choose a consort?”
Luo Guan Xue nodded faintly. “Leave it all to you.”
Xia Qing was bewildered. “Leave it all to me? What does that mean? You’re not going to make me sleep with the consort you choose for you, are you?!”
Luo Guan Xue smiled. “That’s an option too.”
Xia Qing was instantly horrified. “No! I refuse! Absolutely not! Drop that idea immediately!”
Clutching the pear branch, he gritted his teeth, his hazel eyes full of resistance. His expression was as if the heavens were about to collapse and the earth to split apart, as if preserving his chastity was more terrifying than his life being at stake.
But indeed, Xia Qing, in modern times, apart from his messy way of observing people, had another flaw: when it came to desires… he should have a lot of it, but he maintained his vow of chastity with a dedication resembling that of a monk.
This matter was really quite strange—He can’t understand why he is guarding a virgin body! Practicing celibacy like some kind of martial arts master?
Of course, there were many things he didn’t understand.
Luo Guan Xue smirked inexplicably.
That smirk seemed meaningless, but Xia Qing felt a kind of humiliation.
He pulled at the pear blossom branch beside him, and said irritably, “What are you laughing at? You’re just the same.”
Thinking back to Luo Guan Xue’s remark at the Zhai Xing Lou about “seeing that you’re still a virgin,” Xia Qing paused for a moment, pondered, and then analyzed seriously, “You also look down on my virginity, but it turns out you are one too. Oh, I get it now, Luo Guan Xue, I see you’re not disgusted, you just can’t get it up.”
“So you let me handle the selection of concubines.”
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable he felt, and he was about to boldly increase the ridicule.
Then he heard Luo Guan Xue seriously ask in confusion, “Do you not know if I am impotent?”
Xia Qing: “…”
Xia Qing exploded, “Who the hell would go observe those things!”
Luo Guan Xue: “Oh.”
Xia Qing gritted his teeth, “I’m not interested in your body at all!”
Luo Guan Xue nodded, faintly smiling, “Hmm.”
“…” Xia Qing clenched his teeth, feeling provoked again—no, he has to turn the tables!
After some thought, Xia Qing leaned against the tree, pretending to be indifferent, and said, “Actually, it’s not that I’m not interested. It’s just that it’s like that.”
Luo Guan Xue’s eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings. Through the swirling smoke, his lips were crimson, as if bewitching souls. His voice was clear but slightly husky, “Like what?”
Xia Qing spoke slowly, his tone playful yet not quite, “You’re asking about that? Sorry, I didn’t pay much attention. I just remember that it seemed smaller than usual, and I wasn’t quite used to it.”
Luo Guan Xue watched him quietly.
After a long time, the fairy laughed.
“…”
Xia Qing was so angry he wanted to hit him with the pear blossom branch in his hand.
The conversation inside the bathhouse couldn’t be heard outside.
The new emperor of Chu was a clean freak, extremely averse to others being close to him. A group of palace maids and eunuchs could only stand obediently outside the pear blossom tree, holding wine, soap, and handkerchiefs in their hands, bowing respectfully and not daring to let their gaze wander.
The fluttering pear blossoms formed a curtain, obscuring people’s sight.
Wen Jiao was probably the only one inside who dared to move his eyes around.
He stood at the end of the crowd, wearing a eunuch’s clothes. From a young age, he was accustomed to a life of luxury, his complexion fair and smooth. The eunuch’s attire was navy blue, making his slender neck and wrists look even more delicate. His skin was moist, his eyes dark, his lips pink, his eyelashes curled, and there was a crimson mole on his brow. Or rather, it didn’t look like a mole, more like a wound from a knife, sinister and crimson, but it was too small to be noticeable.
.….Every year, after leaving Zhai Xing Lou, His Majesty would go to the bathhouse to cleanse himself of impurities.
.….That’s your only chance to get close to him.
He spent a piece of jade to get this news from the aunt who was in charge.
Wen Jiao held the tray nervously, his heart pounding incessantly. The rumors about the young new emperor’s cruelty made him want to back out.
But when he looked at his own delicate, frostbitten hands, a wave of sadness and discomfort washed over him.
He didn’t want to wait any longer, nor did he want to endure hardship. In the Chu Palace, there was only one person who could protect him.
Thinking of his mother’s words before she passed away, Wen Jiao’s eyes grew warm with tears.
“Jiao Jiao, live happily, don’t worry about anything. Grudges and resentments are just fate, and I just want you to be happy.”
His mother was the most beautiful and gentle woman in the world, with eyes like silver-blue seas and hair as dark as seaweed.
Live happily, live well.
He clenched his fists and swallowed hard, taking a deep breath.
“It’s time to serve the wine, stop daydreaming.”
Wen Jiao was nudged by someone’s arm.
He immediately snapped out of his reverie, craned his neck, and closed his eyes to psych himself up. He knew he was good-looking, that was his advantage. Back in the palace of Liang Kingdom, whenever he wanted to win someone’s favor, he never failed.
The pear blossoms brushed past his face, blending with the mist around the bath.
Wen Jiao took step by step, secretly assessing the rumored supreme ruler of the world.
The appearance of Lou Guan Xue had always been talked about by the people of Chu.
Wen Jiao held his breath, slowly approaching, only able to see a figure from behind.
The youthful emperor had raven hair that flowed like a waterfall, and his aura was as clear as jade. His eyelashes were misted, and he tilted his head, seemingly smiling.
Wow, not a real white moonlight
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Oh so will xia qing ended up taking over wen jiao’s body later on? The original protagonist has it hard too..