The Princess Who Married The Crown Prince(GL) - Chapter 22

Su Qiuqiu lay on her side, close to Lu Fangting, whjile looking at her face. Her cheeks were red, hot enough to burn, and her heart was beating several times faster than usual.

“Sister, are you all right?” Su Qiuqiu asked softly.

“It’s not so bad now. Don’t worry about me…” Lu Fangting replied, seeing that Su Qiuqiu was truly concerned, and offered her comfort in return.

“That’s good then. Sister, when did Qingzhi start serving you?” Su Qiuqiu asked again.

“She started following me when I was seven or eight. Among all the maids, only she knows that I’m a woman—no one else does,” Lu Fangting explained, feeling there were some things she ought to tell Su Qiuqiu.

“Mhm, I understand, Sister. I know what I should and shouldn’t say. I’ll keep your secret, I promise. Sister, are you tired? If you’re tired, I’ll stop asking and we can talk again tomorrow. But if you’re not, maybe we can just chat a little more…” Su Qiuqiu said gently.

“I’m fine.” Lu Fangting listened to Su Qiuqiu calling her “sister” with such tender affection and sweetness—it warmed her heart unexpectedly. Su Qiuqiu had always been friendly with others, but had seemed somewhat distant with her, which had left her a bit displeased. Now, with Su Qiuqiu speaking to her more intimately than even with Qingli, she felt strangely pleased.

“Sister, I heard everyone in the Marquis household has seen battle. Even the women?” Su Qiuqiu asked, curious.

“Women don’t have to go to the battlefield like men. But sometimes, a woman must protect herself—and those she holds dear. Take Lanxiu, for instance. Her leg was injured while she was defending her family during a southern barbarian incursion…” Lu Fangting recounted.

“So Lanxiu is that formidable… The Zhen’nan Prince’s household really is full of hidden talents! Sister, I also heard the Zhen’nan Palace is running at a deficit—is that true? Even with all these capable people…” Su Qiuqiu sighed and asked.

“The Prince of Zhen’nan holds the title of commandery prince, with an annual salary of five thousand taels of silver and five thousand hu of grain. The heir also receives two thousand five hundred taels annually. If it were just to cover the daily expenses of the palace, that would be more than sufficient… However, during the southern unrest, many of the Lu family’s retainers perished. Their widows and children needed support. Moreover, the southern region is prone to floods. Every time there’s a disaster relief or waterworks project, it demands large sums of money. The funds from the court are far from enough…” Lu Fangting explained slowly, watching Su Qiuqiu to gauge her reaction.

“Isn’t it the court’s duty to compensate the injured and manage the floods? What are they collecting taxes for, then?” Su Qiuqiu said angrily.

“Those retainers belonged to the Lu family. It is only right that we bear the responsibility. Though the turmoil has ended, the south lies in ruin—it will take a great deal to rebuild. The southern lands were once our fief. Even though the court has reclaimed them, the Lu family remains closely tied to that land. So every time there’s banditry, flooding, or disaster, the court turns to us for donations… And when things go wrong, they blame us for being incompetent,” Lu Fangting said, her eyes narrowing slightly. These were not secrets—many knew the truth. She didn’t mind telling Su Qiuqiu. Still, Su Qiuqiu’s response was both expected and surprising.

“The imperial family is really treacherous. Now I finally understand what they mean by ‘when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away.’ Since ancient times, no great general ends well. How can the court claim poverty in such matters? Is this not the emperor’s domain? They’re just being petty. And you—are you really handing over your silver so the court can go and play the benefactor in the south?” Su Qiuqiu grew even more furious after hearing Lu Fangting’s words.

She’d heard a little about the Zhen’nan Prince’s household before. Back then, it had nothing to do with her, so she hadn’t paid much attention. But now that it involved her beautiful future husband, she couldn’t stay detached.

It wasn’t that she was especially clever—she’d just watched a lot of TV shows in her past life. Her thinking hadn’t been molded by imperial authority. She knew full well the concept of “the meritorious outshining the lord.” The emperor always feared rebellion. When someone was useful, they were praised to the heavens; once they weren’t, the emperor would try every means to suppress them. How many times had this storyline been played out in dramas?

Lu Fangting stared at Su Qiuqiu’s tender, radiant face—still somewhat childish—and was momentarily at a loss for words. She hadn’t expected such insight from this girl who always smiled with such innocent delight. She had merely recounted the facts, and yet Su Qiuqiu had seen through it all.

“Sigh. You people are just blindly loyal. You should have spent every last coin yourselves and given nothing to the court! If they don’t want the south to rebel, they ought to manage it properly! You paying for everything and showing pity to the southern people—what good does that do? They might secretly resent you for acting like their master and only want to suppress you further…” Su Qiuqiu shook her head, thinking Lu Fangting’s silence was agreement.

Five thousand taels a year—did people even understand what that meant? One tael was worth a thousand modern yuan. That’s five million! Even with dozens of servants, that should’ve been more than enough. For the Lu family to still run a deficit? That was just plain foolish.

“Sister, don’t worry. I’ll earn lots of money in the future. I won’t let you suffer or live in poverty. But it seems we can’t make money openly—we mustn’t let the court find out. We’ll get rich quietly. Once we have the wealth, we can spend however we like. Even raising a private army in secret would be better than handing it all to the court…” Su Qiuqiu added firmly.

Lu Fangting was completely stunned. This girl truly had no filter—she even dared talk about raising an army!

With her little schemes, did she really need to hide from anyone just to make a bit of money?

Just a moment ago, she had shown such insight—sharp and to the point in just a few sentences—clearer than even those who lived through the times and knew the intricacies of the situation. Yet now, she looked a little childlike.

Watching Su Qiuqiu scheming away in her own little world, Lu Fangting found it somewhat adorable. A smile tugged at her lips. This little lady of hers really couldn’t be judged by normal standards.

“Don’t doubt me. At first, I only wanted to live a comfortable life, make a little money here and there. But now, I’ll try to think of ways to make real money. If we can’t stay in Great Chu, then the world is big—surely there’s a place for us,” Su Qiuqiu said resolutely, seeing that Lu Fangting’s expression hadn’t changed much. Her mindset truly had shifted. Where once she only sought modest comfort, she now had ambition. She wanted to give her beautiful husband the best life possible—and protect her!

“These are words we can only say to each other. Not a third soul must hear them,” Lu Fangting reminded her. The label of rebellion was not one to wear lightly.

“I know. I only ever speak this way to you. I felt an instant connection with you… like we could talk forever,” Su Qiuqiu looked at Lu Fangting with infatuation.

“There will be plenty of time to talk later. You’ve had a long day—get some rest,” Lu Fangting replied softly, moved by Su Qiuqiu’s sincerity.

“I can’t sleep. Just thinking that I have you as my sister makes me too happy to fall asleep… If you’re tired, you rest first,” Su Qiuqiu said, face flushing red.

“Alright… You get some sleep too…” Lu Fangting said no more and closed her eyes.

Su Qiuqiu had actually been exhausted for a while. She’d just been too excited, her mind fuzzy as she stared at Lu Fangting, afraid that if she blinked, it would all turn out to be a dream. But slowly, her eyes lost focus and she drifted off to sleep.

When awake, she was mindful and restrained. But once asleep, Su Qiuqiu became a restless sleeper—soon rolling over to cling to Lu Fangting like a child, her head nuzzling against Lu Fangting’s chest in contentment.

“Ugh…” Lu Fangting didn’t react as strongly as last time, but she still froze for a moment—almost forgetting that this girl was a wild sleeper.

Su Qiuqiu’s body, untrained and still growing, was small, soft, and delicate in a way very different from Lu Fangting’s more mature, supple form. Her youthful face still carried a rosy blush, and her lips curved up as though dreaming something sweet.

Lu Fangting, burdened with secrets, had always kept people at a distance. It was hard for her to trust or accept anyone. Even though Su Qiuqiu seemed utterly pure and innocent in that moment, she wasn’t overly moved. People changed when circumstances did—she’d seen enough fickle faces to be wary.

*****

“Mister Zhongli is here…” Qingzhi entered just as Lu Fangting was moving Su Qiuqiu’s hand off her, signaling discreetly.

“Good. Have him wait for a moment—I’ll be right there,” Lu Fangting instructed. She dressed and went out to the outer chamber.

There sat a woman dressed as a Daoist priestess, quietly sipping tea.

She wore a gray robe, no makeup, and had long black hair tied back with a white ribbon. Her appearance was simple, yet her features were striking—especially those fox-like eyes that seemed to sparkle with mischief and allure even without effort. Her age was indiscernible—she looked about twenty, but there was a hint of world-weariness to her.

This was none other than Lu Fangting’s physician, Zhongli Yao.

“Zhaorong told me what happened. It was truly dangerous. She sent someone to summon the Empress… So now you owe that woman another favor. We’ll speak of that later. Let me check your pulse first,” Zhongli Yao said flatly. Her voice was pleasant, soft with a seductive undertone, though her face remained expressionless. (Zhaorong was Lu Zhaoyi’s maiden name.)

“The poison has been suppressed for now, but your body is weakened again. You’ll need to rest for a few days… Did you eat anything unusual today? Smell anything odd? The poison had been acting on a fixed schedule—this flare-up was days early. Something must’ve triggered it. If we can find the cause, it might help with the antidote,” she said after checking Lu Fangting’s pulse.

“I didn’t really eat anything at the banquet… But if something was different, it was the sachet worn by Gong Luoyun. The scent was very strong—violet, mixed with a sweet fragrance I couldn’t name,” Lu Fangting recalled.

“That could be it. Try to get hold of that sachet so I can examine it. It might lead to a proper cure. Don’t go yourself though. If it sets off another attack, that would be dangerous,” Zhongli Yao warned.

“Understood,” Lu Fangting nodded.

“You’ll have to be extra cautious from now on. I’ve prepared some defensive powders for you, just in case,” Zhongli Yao added.

“Thank you, Mister Zhongli,” Lu Fangting bowed.

Zhongli Yao said no more, handed over the items, and left.

Lu Fangting returned to the bed to get some sleep after a few moments Su Qiuqiu was already clinging to her like an octopus—one hand on her waist, another on her chest, legs wrapped tightly around her. Even if she stood up, Su Qiuqiu probably wouldn’t fall off. Lu Fangting pushed her away, but she quickly wrapped herself around again.

Lu Fangting had always been a light sleeper. Being hugged like this was too unfamiliar, so she simply moved to the couch where Qingzhi usually slept and spent the night there.

The next morning, Lu Fangting rose early, while Su Qiuqiu was still sleeping. Upon checking on her, she discovered that Su Qiuqiu, who had claimed to be “very healthy,” had a fever. Her little face was red and hot, and her lips were dry.

Seeing her like this, Lu Fangting felt a pang of guilt. She remembered how Su Qiuqiu had given her the cloak the day before and had run through the cold wind alongside the palanquin. She called for a doctor immediately, who examined Su Qiuqiu and prescribed medicine.

“Sister,I was supposed to be the one  taking care of you… but now I’m the one being taken care of…” Su Qiuqiu said, lying weakly in bed, her whole body limp, watching Lu Fangting—whose stunning features were so beautiful—as she prepared her medicine. Yesterday, she’d been full of energy, and now this—it was humiliating. How could she support their household like this? How would she treat Lu Fangting’s illness?

“It was my fault too—you caught cold because of me. Don’t blame yourself. Rest well and recover,” Lu Fangting gently pressed her back down.

“Sister you’re so good to me…” Su Qiuqiu held Lu Fangting’s hand, looking at her endlessly.

Lu Fangting always had a reserved and somewhat aloof demeanor, but Su Qiuqiu had already over-romanticized everything about her. In her eyes, everything Lu Fangting did was good—an ideal of beauty and kindness.

Su Qiuqiu was a hopeless beauty-lover. The more attractive someone was, the more she liked them.

If someone ugly did the same thing, she might be angry. But if someone beautiful did it—especially in Su Qiuqiu’s eyes—it was instantly forgivable. Just a small matter, really…

Su Qiuqiu remained bedridden for two days. Lu Fangting stayed by her side almost the entire time, only stepping out occasionally. Every time Su Qiuqiu awoke, she would chat with Lu Fangting, sharing little business ideas. At first, Lu Fangting didn’t think much of them—but the more she listened, the more alarmed she became.

If Su Qiuqiu’s ideas could really work, they were far from trivial. If she tried to quietly make money this way, she’d soon be noticed by the royal spies.

Lu Fangting made a decision. Su Qiuqiu needed a strong partner—and she would be that partner.