The Princess Who Married The Crown Prince(GL) - Chapter 26

“Alright, thank you, Qiuqiu…” Lu Fangting said those words while splashing water over herself to rinse off.

The steaming hot water made Su Qiuqiu’s eyes feel gritty, but she forced them open. Before she knew it, quite some time had already passed. Lu Fangting had finished bathing; her long, wet hair was cascading down her back as she stepped out of the tub. Su Qiuqiu quickly wrung out a towel and rushed to dry her off.

“Qiuqiu… Let me do it…” Lu Fangting said, gently pressing down Su Qiuqiu’s trembling hand. Her movements were so light, it felt more like a tickle. Lu Fangting took the towel and began drying herself. Su Qiuqiu could only stand there, weak and shaking, watching Lu Fangting dry off and put on her nightgown.

Lu Fangting’s hair was still damp. Su Qiuqiu, realizing her lapse, grabbed a dry towel and rushed to help. In this era without hair dryers, drying hair with towels was a tedious process. People used over a dozen towels before finally getting their hair dry.

“I’ll have the water changed. You should bathe too, Qiuqiu…” Lu Fangting said. She loosely tied her hair back and turned to Su Qiuqiu.

“Elder Sister, let me help you to bed first, then I’ll bathe,” Su Qiuqiu offered, supporting Lu Fangting’s arm.

Lu Fangting had grown accustomed to her feigning weakness. Whenever others were present, her movements were restrained, slow, and gentle, conveying a sense of frailty. This was precisely how Su Qiuqiu saw her—a delicate, vulnerable figure who made her heart race with a

mix of blush and heartache. Su Qiuqiu wished she could take Lu Fangting’s place, bearing the suffering herself.

Lu Fangting had always been Su Qiuqiu’s ideal of beauty. Now, she held the most tender place in Su Qiuqiu’s heart, carefully cherished and protected.

Whenever Lu Fangting needed to move, Qingzhi would assist her. When Su Qiuqiu offered her arm, Lu Fangting didn’t refuse, though her gaze held a peculiar intensity.

Su Qiuqiu led Lu Fangting to the bed, tucked her under the covers, and then instructed the maids to prepare her bath. Then she stepped out to the bathing chamber.

Sitting in the tub, Su Qiuqiu cupped her still-flushed cheeks and rubbed them unconsciously. Her mind was filled with the image of Lu Fangting, clouding her eyes.

Su Qiuqiu’s body was still young and underdeveloped, having never fully recovered from past malnutrition. She didn’t physically want Lu Fangting, but her mind was like a boiling pot, constantly stirring.

“Elder Sister, you don’t mind if I kiss you, do you? Su Qiuqiu asked, her eyes earnest and unwavering.

“Yes,” Lu Fangting replied after a pause.

Then she lightly damp her lips in Lu Fangting’s face.

“Elder Sister, you’re so kind…” Su Qiuqiu’s eyes crinkled with delight, as if she had received a sacred vow. “I promise I’ll always be good to you. I’ll make you happy every day, so you never have to hide or live in fear again…”

Lu Fangting felt a pang from Su Qiuqiu’s intense look. Without responding to her words, she gently stroked Su Qiuqiu’s hair. “Go to sleep,” she murmured.

“Okay…” Su Qiuqiu nestled into Lu Fangting’s embrace, carefully wrapping her arms around her. She closed her eyes, a faint smile lingering on her lips.

Lu Fangting narrowed her eyes slightly, watching the sleeping Su Qiuqiu in silence before closing her own. That night, Su Qiuqiu held Lu Fangting close, and Lu Fangting didn’t push her away.

The next morning, snow fell outside. Su Qiuqiu woke up early as usual, eager to go to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

“Elder Sister, rest well at home. I’ll be back soon,” Su Qiuqiu said, leaning over Lu Fangting’s side and taking her hand after washing up. Before Lu Fangting could reply, Su Qiuqiu stole a kiss on her cheek, smiling at her with narrowed eyes. “I’m leaving now, Elder Sister.”

Lu Fangting watched Su Qiuqiu walk away, noticing how she turned back several times to look at her, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes.

The kiss had invigorated Su Qiuqiu. She felt energized, certain of a triumphant start to her day.

After Su Qiuqiu left, Lu Fangting, who had been listlessly curled up in bed, sat up straight. Her languid expression vanished, replaced by a sharp, piercing glint in her eyes.

“Qingli!” Lu Fangting called out in a clear voice. The window swung open, and a tall, agile woman leaped into the room—the real Qingli.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!” Qingli bowed respectfully, her face looked sincere.

“No need for formalities… Come here,” Lu Fangting said with a wave of her hand.

Although Lu Fangting had already informed the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion of her intentions, she still wanted to disguise herself as Qingli and follow Su Qiuqiu. As always, whenever Lu Fangting impersonated Qingli, Qingli would take her place in bed.

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was ostensibly owned by people from Great Jin, a neighboring kingdom even more powerful than Great Chu. Rumor had it that the Great Jin imperial family was the true owner, and few dared to cross the pavilion given its prestigious backing.

The pavilion specialized in gold, silver, and jade jewelry, as well as exquisite enamel ornaments. The quality and craftsmanship of its wares were impeccable, catering to the upper echelons of society as a high-end establishment.

“Greetings, County Princess. What kind of item are you looking for?” The shopkeeper himself attended to Su Qiuqiu. The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion offered custom jewelry services, so Su Qiuqiu had requested this meeting under the pretext of commissioning a piece.

“I’m not here to buy anything,” Su Qiuqiu replied with a smile. “I have a business proposition I’d like to discuss with your establishment. Are you authorized to make decisions here?” She wore a light veil that concealed her face, revealing only her eyes.

“I naturally oversee all business matters in Great Chu’s capital,” the shopkeeper replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. “What kind of business does the County Princess wish to discuss with us?” He had already been informed by his superiors about Su Qiuqiu’s impending proposal and had been instructed to offer reasonable concessions. He didn’t expect the deal to be particularly lucrative, but orders were orders.

“Let’s discuss one matter first,” Su Qiuqiu said. “I have an even better business proposal to follow, but this initial deal will serve as a test of your sincerity.” The first venture she wanted to introduce was movable type printing, an invention that could be explained in a single sentence. Although the idea itself had great value, it would become worthless if disclosed to someone untrustworthy. To safeguard future negotiations, Su Qiuqiu decided to use this proposal as a litmus test.

“The County Princess may proceed,” the shopkeeper replied.

“If you wish to hear my proposal, you must first pay a deposit of one thousand taels of silver,” Su Qiuqiu stated calmly. “Once I’ve explained it, if you wish to implement it, we can negotiate the final price. Rest assured, as a County Princess of noble standing, I wouldn’t make empty promises.” Behind her, Lu Fangting’s lips curled slightly upward, surprised by the young woman’s unexpected air of authority.

Only someone with exceptional vision would believe such a bold claim. Had Lu Fangting not already known what Su Qiuqiu intended to propose, even he might have found her demand excessive. A thousand taels for a mere few words?

“This… allow me to consider it,” the shopkeeper said, his face etched with reluctance. He was beginning to doubt the County Princess’s sincerity; could she be trying to swindle him? Their initial agreement had only mentioned a partnership, not that she would charge such exorbitant fees for a simple idea.

“This venture offers nothing but benefits for you,” Su Qiuqiu said. “If you’re unwilling, I’ll take my proposal elsewhere.”

“Wait!” the shopkeeper exclaimed, seeing Su Qiuqiu turn to leave. He couldn’t risk failing the task entrusted to him by his superiors. With a resolute nod, he said, “Here’s one thousand taels of silver. Speak, County Princess.”

“Very well, then I won’t hold back,” Su Qiuqiu replied. She examined the thousand-tael banknotes, her eyes sparkling with delight. Tucking them away, she straightened her posture and continued earnestly, “As you know, all books printed in Great Chu and Great Jin are currently produced using…”

She paused, then simplified the concept of Movable Type Printing from a textbook she remembered from her previous life. “We create positive-relief reverse-text type blocks for individual characters, making multiple copies of each. These are stored systematically, arranged by radicals or stroke count. When needed, typesetters retrieve the characters to assemble pages, using copper plates and an adhesive mixture of rosin, wax, and other compounds…”

The shopkeeper exhaled deeply after hearing Su Qiuqiu’s explanation. “How would this collaboration work?” he asked.

“Our partnership must remain strictly confidential,” Su Qiuqiu stated. “No third party can know about our arrangement.”

“Very well,” the shopkeeper replied. “Even as merchants, we value integrity.”

“Excellent,” Su Qiuqiu said. “There are two ways we can collaborate. First, you can pay me one hundred gold coins outright to purchase my invention. Second, we can jointly establish a printing house, with me receiving twenty percent of the profits. Which do you prefer?”

“I’ll need to report this to my employer and then relay his decision to the County Princess,” the shopkeeper said hesitantly.

“Understood. I trust you,” Su Qiuqiu said with a slight smile. “I have even more lucrative ventures in mind. If this partnership goes well, I’d naturally prefer to collaborate with your establishment in the future.”

Su Qiuqiu knew that such matters couldn’t be decided quickly and wasn’t in a hurry. After all, she had already pocketed a thousand taels of silver, which she planned to use to purchase materials for the shop she was preparing to open with Mo Shulan.

Su Qiuqiu became increasingly busy in the days that followed. She meticulously prepared for the Poetry Gathering, racking her brain to recall famous poems by renowned masters to avoid embarrassing herself.

Though Su Qiuqiu usually loved to sleep in, she became unusually diligent, waking up early each day to steal a kiss from Lu Fangting before happily heading off to “work.”

Soon, the day of the Poetry Gathering at the Third Prince’s Residence arrived. Su Qiuqiu woke up before dawn and was accompanied by Zi Rui and Qingli to attend the event.