The Princess Who Married The Crown Prince(GL) - Chapter 21.1

The sound of footsteps outside was unmistakable. Su Qiuqiu could sense many people moving around, and she could even smell the scent of fireworks. The flickering lights coming and going illuminated her and Lu Fangting’s faces more clearly.

“Don’t be afraid; I’m here. I’ll protect you!” Su Qiuqiu said in a low voice, patting Lu Fangting’s back with a stern expression.

Seeing Lu Fangting become so weak stirred Su Qiuqiu’s sympathy and a sense of responsibility—she had to protect her. Although she was extremely nervous inside, she forced herself to stay calm. Her voice trembled a bit.

Su Qiuqiu had realized one thing: if Lu Fangting’s secret of disguising herself as a man were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable!

This wasn’t a matriarchal society; Great Chu was a feudal kingdom much like her previous life’s world, where men held the power. If it were revealed that Lu Fangting was actually a woman, it would be considered treason—punishable by death.

Lu Fangting looked so disheveled now that she couldn’t even hide her figure. Who knew why she was hiding here? She was likely trying to prevent others from seeing her in this state. But right now, they didn’t have anyone they could trust. What would happen if they took Lu Fangting away?

“Can you move? I’ll go out to draw them away. You put on my cloak and wait for me outside the palace. If I don’t come back, go home without me,” Su Qiuqiu suggested after a moment’s thought.

If the princess found her, she wouldn’t kill her—at most, she’d get a few slaps. But if Lu Fangting got caught, her secret might be exposed. For the sake of her beautiful “husband,” Su Qiuqiu was ready to risk it all.

A feeling of tragic heroism filled her. She was ready to face Gong Luoyun’s wrath.

“No need, we’ll go out together!” Lu Fangting grabbed Su Qiuqiu’s wrist and looked at her as she spoke.

Even though Su Qiuqiu had spoken with determination and looked like she truly wanted to protect her, Lu Fangting couldn’t fully trust her. She hadn’t harmed Su Qiuqiu only because Su Qiuqiu hadn’t done anything threatening—and perhaps also because they had spent so much time together. But she couldn’t guarantee Su Qiuqiu wouldn’t say something once out of her sight.

The sudden discovery that her husband was actually a woman would likely plunge any average woman into utter chaos. This was even harder to accept than impotence. Judging from Su Qiuqiu’s wide-eyed, shocked expression earlier, she’d clearly taken a serious mental hit. If she couldn’t handle it and said something reckless, they’d be in deep trouble.

Until she could be sure of Su Qiuqiu’s intentions, Lu Fangting wasn’t going to let her out of her sight. If Su Qiuqiu so much as hinted at revealing the truth, she’d silence her immediately.

Lu Fangting had taken medicine earlier that temporarily suppressed the poison in her body. Time had passed, and she was feeling better than before. Soon, the poison would be completely subdued, and her strength would return.

But from the look of things, she couldn’t wait any longer. She would have to force herself to move, taking Su Qiuqiu with her and evading the fireworks and the crowd. This would extend the time it took for the poison to subside—and it would hurt more—but she had no choice.

“Together? Alright! Then let’s go together. Put on the cloak and take this handkerchief—cover your face when you speak,” Su Qiuqiu said, her gaze lingering a moment on Lu Fangting, whose flushed face and sweat-dampened hair gave her an irresistibly alluring look. After a brief hesitation, Su Qiuqiu nodded. She took off her cloak and carefully wrapped it around Lu Fangting, her expression turning solemn. No matter what, she wasn’t going to let anyone get close to Lu Fangting.

The two crawled out from the rock formation. They looked even more battered than before. Su Qiuqiu’s hairpin had fallen out, dust covered her clothes, and Lu Fangting—though cloaked—had a robe that still peeked out from beneath it.

“Who’s making noise over there? The County Princess Zhenqi is here—make way!” Su Qiuqiu supported Lu Fangting and stood tall, raising her voice to shout with dignity.

Su Qiuqiu had no idea what Lu Fangting’s plan was. She just knew they were lighting fireworks nearby—they couldn’t just sit there waiting to be smoked out, right? Better to reveal themselves than suffocate.

Lu Fangting hadn’t expected Su Qiuqiu to shout like that, but she didn’t stop her either. Her hand, however, holding a dagger, rested gently on Su Qiuqiu’s neck. If Su Qiuqiu said anything wrong, she wouldn’t hesitate to act.

“County Princess Zhenqi? What is she doing here?” A eunuch’s voice called out.

“Don’t believe me? There are no assassins here! My husband and I were admiring the moon and the scenery when you interrupted us. How terribly annoying! Now get lost!” Su Qiuqiu declared loudly.

“We apologize; we’ll leave now.” The eunuch and the low-ranking palace maids didn’t dare question her. One of them left to report to Princess Gong Luoyun.

“Let’s hope they don’t come back,” Su Qiuqiu muttered, continuing to help Lu Fangting walk.

Lu Fangting was at least 175 cm tall, while Su Qiuqiu hadn’t fully grown and stood at about 150 cm. Supporting her was awkward and burdensome, but Su Qiuqiu felt strangely exhilarated—after all, she was helping a stunning beauty. She was so giddy that she almost forgot the danger.

“Su Qiuqiu! What are you doing sneaking around the rock garden at night? You must be involved in some illicit activity! Someone, drag this shameless woman out and give her forty slaps!” came a harsh cry as Gong Luoyun arrived.

Su Qiuqiu rolled her eyes. Of course. It had to come to this.

“Your Highness, I’m innocent! I’ve been here the whole time with the heir, stargazing, moon-watching, and talking about life. What could I possibly be plotting?” Su Qiuqiu quickly responded to the small, fierce-looking princess.

“Nonsense! You think I’d wrong you?! Ah—Fangting-gege, what’s wrong with you?” Gong Luoyun gasped when she noticed Lu Fangting leaning weakly on Su Qiuqiu.

“I’m fine… I’m simply feeling a bit exhausted. Please don’t trouble the heir consort. She’s been with me the whole time… cough…” Lu Fangting said, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and coughing as she spoke, helping to clear Su Qiuqiu’s name.

“Should we summon an imperial physician?” Gong Luoyun asked, clearly worried.

“No… I just need to rest,” Lu Fangting replied.

“County Princess Zhenqi, just look at yourself—unkempt, your hair a mess, covered in dirt. How disgraceful! What kind of county princess are you? You should be sent to the Royal Temple for reflection!” Gong Luoyun snapped, ignoring Lu Fangting’s explanation.

With Lu Fangting so sickly  and Su Qiuqiu so messy, Gong Luoyun’s imagination ran wild. Rumor had it the Princess Consort of Zhen’nan had obtained some mysterious medicine from a divine doctor—had they been too eager to use it?! Shameless!

“…Forgive me, Princess. It was dark, and I accidentally tripped. I didn’t have time to tidy up,” Su Qiuqiu explained helplessly. She had no idea what the Royal Temple was, but it couldn’t be good.

“So you admit you were disgraceful! That’s a confession—take her to the Royal Temple!” Gong Luoyun barked.

“If you must punish someone, punish me as well,” Lu Fangting interjected. She couldn’t allow Su Qiuqiu to be taken away.

“You… hmph!” Gong Luoyun was furious that Lu Fangting would defend Su Qiuqiu, which only deepened her suspicions.

“Luo’er, stop acting like a child. Come here,” said a gentle voice from a nearby palanquin. It was the Empress.

“Mother, why are you here? I wasn’t acting out. In Great Chu, we rule by propriety—those who breach propriety must be punished!” Gong Luoyun’s temper cooled immediately, but she still pouted.

“My daughter quoting principles—how admirable. But extremes are never good. There’s a time for flexibility. Fangting, I see your old illness is acting up. Let the sedan carry you two back,” the Empress said lightly, assigning four eunuchs to carry the palanquin.

“Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress,” Lu Fangting and Su Qiuqiu bowed to the Empress and hurriedly left, while Gong Luoyun stood behind them, fuming with anger.

Seated upright on the imperial palanquin, the Empress’s lips curled into a faint smile as she looked in a certain direction. A plainly dressed palace woman gave her a respectful bow and quietly retreated. If Lu Fangting had been there, she would have recognized her—this woman was her aunt, Consort Zhao (Lu Zhaoyi).

At the same time, on the other side, another figure silently withdrew as well—it was the First Prince Gong Xicheng.