Offered As A Lucky Bride To The Mad Princess To Ward Off Misfortune - Chapter 57

57: “Lustful at Heart, Yet Afraid Others Might Notice…”

Yu Nanqing was dressed in a goose-yellow embroidered brocade skirt, her long hair half-tied and secured with two symmetrical jeweled hairpins. Her face, bare of any makeup, revealed flawless jade-like skin without a single blemish.

The torches lit by the street performance troupe cast a soft glow on her features, lending her an air of gentle elegance. Her beauty was entirely different from Gulanduo’s heavily made-up allure, exuding the refined grace characteristic of a cultured lady of the Great Qi.

Gulanduo stared unabashedly at Yu Nanqing, catching the wariness in her eyes. With a smile, she approached, saying, “Why so guarded, my lady? Are you afraid I might rob or harm you?”

She spread her arms and twirled leisurely, a strange fragrance wafting from her—a scent unlike any found in the capital.

“I’m not carrying any weapons.”

The wariness in Yu Nanqing’s eyes deepened, and she politely declined, “Thank you for your kind regard, but I’ve never dabbled in exotic tricks and fear I wouldn’t be able to assist you.”

The men watching the spectacle eagerly vied to become Gulanduo’s chosen guest. When Gulanduo singled out Yu Nanqing, their shouts grew even louder, rising and falling in waves.

Today, Yin San was absent, and even Chenxiang was unusually alert. She stepped in front of Yu Nanqing, bowing to Gulanduo. “My lady is frail and may not be able to assist you. Why don’t I take her place?”

Yu Nanqing wanted to pull Chenxiang back, but Gulanduo took another step forward, the strange fragrance growing stronger. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Are the women of Great Qi truly so timid that they only dare embroider in their courtyards? Is the esteemed Princess Consort of Ning afraid of a powerless foreigner like me?”

Their eyes locked, and Yu Nanqing slowly clenched her fists.

Gulanduo, after all, was the cherished pearl of the forty-eight tribes of the Xiongnu. Why would she appear in a street performance troupe?

Even if Yu Nanqing were slow to realize, she now understood that Gulanduo was targeting her.

But why? Because she was the Princess Consort of Ning, did Gulanduo intend to use her to threaten Xiao Qiling? Under the emperor’s very nose, if Gulanduo dared such a thing, was she not afraid of never leaving the capital of Great Qi?

Yu Nanqing’s mind raced, but she couldn’t discern Gulanduo’s true intentions. With her identity exposed and no hidden guards nearby, there was no escaping this.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Nanqing cleared all emotion from her eyes and nodded slightly. “Then I ask the princess to bear with me.”

The word “princess” caused Gulanduo’s expression to shift dramatically. Her smiling eyes turned cold in an instant, and now it was she who became wary.

“How did you…”

Seeing Gulanduo take the bait, Yu Nanqing’s tense heart eased slightly. Tilting her head, she switched back to addressing her casually, feigning innocence. “Please, go ahead, my lady.”

Gulanduo didn’t move.

On the other side, the beast tamer drove out the lazy panda to perform a few somersaults, trying to draw the crowd’s attention.

Yu Nanqing stepped past Gulanduo toward a larger new box. Gulanduo hurried after her, repeating, “How do you know who I am?”

Yu Nanqing glanced at her faintly, her tone deliberately cryptic. “How you know me is how I know you.”

Gulanduo frowned, silent for a moment, then raised her whip to block Yu Nanqing’s path. “Impossible!”

“What’s impossible? Are you not the Xiongnu princess? Or am I not the Princess Consort of Ning?” Yu Nanqing spoke nonsense with confidence. “You’ve come from afar, princess. Do you truly believe that person is sincerely cooperating with you? Since we seem to get along so well, allow me to offer you a piece of advice.”

Yu Nanqing leaned close to Gulanduo’s ear, her voice low and cold, a stark contrast to her gentle, harmless appearance. “Princess, you’d do well to grow a few more years and learn from your royal brothers before coming to the capital to test the waters.”

The jeweled ornaments on Gulanduo’s body clinked crisply. She could console herself that Yu Nanqing recognizing her identity was a coincidence—after all, her attire, from accessories to fabric, clearly set her apart from the other performers, hinting at her status.

But for Yu Nanqing to mention “that person” and her royal brothers—could she truly know something?

From what Gulanduo knew, that person’s stance was at odds with the Ning Prince’s Mansion. Was Great Qi playing some elaborate trick to deceive them?

With just a few words, Yu Nanqing sowed seeds of doubt, then elegantly asked, “So, do I still need to enter the box?”

Suddenly, Gulanduo grabbed her shoulder and, before anyone could react, pushed her into the empty box. The sudden darkness cast a sinister shadow over Gulanduo’s half-covered face. “Explain yourself clearly.”

Yu Nanqing’s collar was seized tightly, choking her. She struggled to exhale, managing a smile. “The truth? Doesn’t the princess know it better than I do?”

In her past life, Yu Nanqing’s interactions with Gulanduo were minimal. By the time Gulanduo entered the Chen Prince’s Mansion, Yu Nanqing had already defied Xiao Qijun’s decisions several times and had little contact with her. What she knew of Gulanduo came from overhearing Yu Nanbo complaining to Xiao Qijun about her.

She had thought Gulanduo was a pampered, arrogant princess intolerant of flaws, but that was merely a facade. Gulanduo didn’t care for Xiao Qijun—she coveted the entire land of Great Qi.

The current Gulanduo showed traces of her future domineering presence, but her youth and lack of cunning made it hard for her to conceal her emotions, which were plain on her face.

Gulanduo barked at the burly man, “Close the box, start the performance!”

The man, still stunned by Gulanduo’s sudden action, snapped to attention and shut the box’s door. Turning to the curious crowd, he announced, “Everyone saw those two ladies enter the box. I have ten long swords here, and I’ll soon thrust them into the box. Watch closely!”

The crowd’s attention shifted from the panda back to the box. Seeing the nearly man-high swords, their expressions changed. “Ten swords that long going into the box? That could kill someone!”

“Those two ladies are still inside, aren’t they? How can this be?”

The man reveled in the reaction, laughing boisterously with a rough, barbaric tone. “If someone dies, I’ll be in the magistrate’s prison tonight. Just watch!”

With that, he pressed the first sword against the box’s side and thrust it halfway in. The crowd gasped. Chenxiang rushed forward but was blocked by two foreign men who appeared out of nowhere.

“Do you know who’s inside? If anything happens to her, can you bear the consequences?” Chenxiang shouted hysterically.

The two men stood like mountains before her. “That lady’s life is not in danger.”

Chenxiang didn’t believe them. She had clearly heard that woman reveal her lady’s identity.

At that moment, the man pushed the remaining half of the sword in with lightning speed. The blade pierced through the other side of the box, its icy edge glinting without a trace of bl00d.

The man laughed again, drawing another sword.

Inside the box, Yu Nanqing was pinned down by Gulanduo. When the first sword was fully inserted, neither spoke. Yu Nanqing had seen such tricks in her past life—the box had a hidden mechanism, allowing the person inside to slip out unnoticed.

But clearly, Gulanduo had no intention of leaving.

The second sword grazed their waists, and Yu Nanqing felt the blade’s cold chill. Her breathing grew rapid. Images from her past life—battlefields filled with flashing blades, the screams of civilians, hooves, and bl00d—resurfaced before her eyes, triggered by Gulanduo’s bewitching gaze. The cramped box felt like a cage, suffocating her.

She struggled to suppress her spiraling emotions, but the third sword was already poised outside, its tip scraping faintly against the wood.

“I’ll ask again—why do you know me?” Gulanduo’s grip tightened. She had always looked down on the frail women of the Central Plains, especially someone like Yu Nanqing, a sheltered lady. Killing her would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Yu Nanqing’s breathing weakened. She clawed at Gulanduo’s fingers but couldn’t budge them. Driven by survival instinct, she gasped, “I… saw…”

Gulanduo didn’t catch it and leaned closer. “What did you say?”

“I…” As Gulanduo drew near, Yu Nanqing’s tear-filled eyes suddenly sharpened, and she lunged to bite Gulanduo’s neck.

But someone was faster—

The box’s door was blasted open from the outside, flooding the space with light. Even the dim torchlight stung Yu Nanqing’s eyes, forcing her to lower her head.

As Gulanduo’s overpowering fragrance filled her senses, a cool voice came from outside the box.

“What are you doing?”

Chenxiang, anxiously waiting outside, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Xiao Qiling. But when the box opened, revealing Yu Nanqing seemingly entangled with the foreign woman—Yu Nanqing nestled in her arms as if in an intimate embrace—Chenxiang’s vision darkened.

Especially when she saw the darkening expression on Prince Ning’s face. She hurried over, trying to block Xiao Qiling’s view, pulling Yu Nanqing out and patting her back to calm her.

With Xiao Qiling’s arrival, the Ning Prince’s guards dispersed the crowd. The onlookers, initially caught up in the excitement, grew dissatisfied at being driven away. But when they saw the swords that had nearly pierced through the box, they dared not linger.

Yu Nanqing, still shaken, was dragged back to the Ning Prince’s Mansion by Xiao Qiling. The courtyard guards, sensing the tension, quietly withdrew without needing orders.

Yu Nanqing, pulled along the entire way, felt the warmth of Xiao Qiling’s hand gradually dispel the bloody visions, grounding her back in reality.

“Slow down,” she said, stumbling and nearly falling into Xiao Qiling’s arms.

Xiao Qiling steadied her, slamming the door shut as they entered and pinning Yu Nanqing against it.

When Gulanduo had trapped her in the box, Yu Nanqing hadn’t dared make a sound. But with Xiao Qiling, she turned delicate, softly whining, “That hurts.”

Xiao Qiling’s grip loosened slightly, though her brows remained furrowed. “Why did you enter that box? The guards said that woman invited you, and you just went? If I’d arrived later, do you know what could’ve happened?”

“I’d be stabbed to death?” Yu Nanqing, still rattled, her gaze unfocused.

To Xiao Qiling, her dazed look seemed like she was still thinking of the foreign woman.

Her expression darkened. “You’re too scared to even kill a snake, yet for her, you dared enter that box?”

Yu Nanqing blinked slowly.

For her?

She’d been forcibly dragged into the box by Gulanduo, hadn’t she?

Deliberately, she said, “With so many people watching, and her pointing me out, surely she wouldn’t let anything happen to me?”

Xiao Qiling’s tone turned icy. “So I arrived too early? Should I have waited until you were in pieces to show up?”

Yu Nanqing: …

She shut her mouth, unable to argue.

But she wasn’t satisfied. She’d been terrified, and Xiao Qiling hadn’t offered a single word of comfort. After a moment, she huffed, “Who told Your Highness not to know such clever tricks?”

“I naturally don’t,” Xiao Qiling said, exasperated, pinching Yu Nanqing’s cheek. “Don’t be so curious next time.”

In truth, Yu Nanqing wasn’t genuinely curious about the box’s mechanics. She just thought it might’ve been nice if it had been her and Xiao Qiling inside together.

But she wouldn’t say that.

Pushing Xiao Qiling away, she muttered, “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Don’t need to worry?” Xiao Qiling repeated, her tone ambiguous. Her gaze slid from Yu Nanqing’s eyes to her lips, then back up.

The image of Yu Nanqing leaning toward Gulanduo’s neck, as if kissing it, was still vivid in her mind.

Oblivious, Yu Nanqing continued, “Exactly. And you were so harsh with her. She’s a lady, after all—what if you hurt her badly?”

Wouldn’t the Xiongnu seize the chance to make trouble?

The two sides weren’t at war yet, but if Gulanduo was injured and reparations were demanded, those watching eagerly would make a fuss. If word reached the common folk, it’d turn into tales of Prince Ning injuring someone unjustly, leading to taxes being raised to compensate the Xiongnu.

The more Yu Nanqing thought, the tighter her brows furrowed. “Why not find a doctor to check on her injuries?”

Her words hung in the air, but Xiao Qiling didn’t respond. Yu Nanqing looked up, meeting Xiao Qiling’s gaze, and her breath caught. “…Why are you looking at me like that?”

She recognized that look, and a possibility dawned on her. “Your poison hasn’t been fully suppressed, has it? Is it acting up again?”

“You want to find a doctor for that woman?” Xiao Qiling’s voice lowered.

Yu Nanqing swallowed nervously. “She was injured by you—”

Xiao Qiling seemed to concede. “That was indeed my fault.”

Yu Nanqing found her quick admission odd but didn’t dwell on it. “Then I’ll go arrange it?”

As she turned, Xiao Qiling suddenly reached out, cradling the back of her head, fingers threading through her hair. Leaning in, she kissed her.

Caught off guard, Yu Nanqing’s lashes fluttered rapidly. Her panicked gaze met Xiao Qiling’s unblinking eyes.

Xiao Qiling’s dark eyes held a calm before the storm, watching her steadily. Between their pressed lips, she commanded softly, “Open your mouth.”

Almost instinctively, Yu Nanqing parted her lips. Xiao Qiling’s tongue swept in, claiming her breath, entangling fiercely. The kiss was deep, intense, overwhelming.

Yu Nanqing struggled to keep up. The faint sandalwood scent of Xiao Qiling gradually overpowered the foreign fragrance lingering on her from Gulanduo. The kiss was too fierce, too urgent. In a brief pause, Yu Nanqing opened her eyes, realizing Xiao Qiling had never closed hers, her gaze fixed on her, guarding her tightly, suppressing a storm beneath her calm exterior.

Overwhelmed, Yu Nanqing gasped, leaning back, but her back was already against the door, with nowhere to retreat.

She lost track of time—perhaps a quarter hour, perhaps the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Her breath nearly gone, she finally bit Xiao Qiling’s tongue in protest.

Xiao Qiling’s brow twitched, her eyes flickering, but she didn’t pull away.

Her hand slid down Yu Nanqing’s back, soothing her with gentle caresses. The kiss softened, becoming tender and lingering.

Yu Nanqing couldn’t resist this kind of kiss. Her struggling weakened, her bite loosening, and she half-heartedly reciprocated.

Xiao Qiling’s gaze finally softened. She paused briefly, kissing Yu Nanqing’s lips gently once more before diving back in, the soft, ambiguous sounds filling the air.

How long the kiss lasted, Yu Nanqing couldn’t say. When it finally ended, it was because she couldn’t take it anymore and gasped, “I need to bathe.”

Xiao Qiling’s fingers brushed Yu Nanqing’s eyes, tucking sweat-dampened strands behind her ear. “Didn’t you say you wanted to find a doctor for Gulanduo? I’ll go arrange it.”

“Your Highness knows she’s the Xiongnu princess?” Yu Nanqing was starting to piece things together, realizing why Xiao Qiling had pinned her here so urgently. She’d played along perfectly.

But if Xiao Qiling already knew Gulanduo’s identity, what was wrong with her approaching Gulanduo or arranging a doctor?

Irritated, she swatted Xiao Qiling’s shoulder. “If Your Highness knew, why treat me like this?”

“Knew what?” Xiao Qiling feigned ignorance.

Yu Nanqing’s eyes, misty with emotion, glared at her, her breathing still heavy. “Knew Gulanduo is the Xiongnu princess.”

She didn’t want to continue this topic, lest Xiao Qiling ask how she knew Gulanduo. Pushing her again, she said, “Hurry and get hot water prepared. I need to bathe.”

The weather wasn’t particularly hot, and even with her body warmed from the kiss, there was no need to rush for a bath. Xiao Qiling glanced at her, her eyes sweeping over her, but said nothing and left to give orders.

Chenxiang entered to prepare bathing essentials. “Miss, shall I scrub your back?”

Her voice trailed off. Though Xiao Qiling had left, Chenxiang’s instincts told her she’d come at a bad time.

Xiao Qiling returned, passing Chenxiang calmly. “No need for you to attend. Leave the items and go.”

Yu Nanqing shot her a look. “You go too.”

Xiao Qiling nodded. “I’ll leave once the water’s here.”

She asked again, “How did you know Gulanduo’s identity?”

“Her attire clearly wasn’t ordinary. The Xiongnu are foreigners, and for a woman to come to the capital so smoothly, she must be someone of significance. That leaves only Princess Gulanduo.” Yu Nanqing said, having prepared her excuse.

“I just tested her, and she admitted it. Chenxiang was there—you can ask her.”

Xiao Qiling nodded, unconcerned. She just wanted to talk with Yu Nanqing, not interrogate her.

When Yu Nanqing first entered the mansion, Xiao Qiling investigated every detail. Now, that wasn’t necessary.

“I’ve already sent for a doctor, but the Xiongnu will likely fetch her from the magistrate soon. No need to worry too much.”

“I got some information from Gulanduo. She seems to have connections here in Great Qi. When Your Highness sends the doctor, keep an eye out for who she’s in contact with.”

Yu Nanqing hesitated, wanting to subtly mention Xiao Qijun, but Xiao Qiling cut in, “No need to investigate. The one who brought her all the way to the capital must be my aunt.”

“Princess Rongxi?” Yu Nanqing was puzzled. “Did she go to the northern border to pray? And what benefit does bringing the Xiongnu into the capital bring her, when they’re known for breaking promises?”

Xiao Qiling didn’t elaborate. At that moment, servants carried in buckets of hot water, pouring them into the tub. One approached respectfully. “Princess Consort, the water is ready. Please check if the temperature suits you.”

Yu Nanqing, still looking at Xiao Qiling, saw she had no intention of continuing. Annoyed, she ignored her, went behind the screen to test the water, and dismissed everyone.

As she began undressing, she muttered sarcastically, “Your Highness, Prince Ning, kindly leave as well.”

Xiao Qiling agreed but turned back, her silhouette faintly visible through the screen.

Yu Nanqing paused, wondering if Xiao Qiling wanted to watch her bathe.

But then she thought, so what? It’s not like she hadn’t seen her before. Xiao Qiling had promised to take things slowly, and if she couldn’t handle it, that was her problem.

Yu Nanqing’s hand brushed her chest, feeling the smooth skin, and hummed in satisfaction.

She deliberately made noise as she undressed, tossing her clothes onto a chair with a loud rustle.

But even as she slipped into the water, Xiao Qiling remained silent.

Yu Nanqing was baffled.

Biting her lip, she glanced at Xiao Qiling’s silhouette, pretending to be calm. “Your Highness hasn’t left yet? Planning to stay and be my bathmaid?”

“You’re already in the water?” Xiao Qiling confirmed.

Yu Nanqing huffed in annoyance.

“Then I’m coming in,” Xiao Qiling said, stepping around the screen toward Yu Nanqing’s discarded clothes.

Yu Nanqing followed her movements, leaning against the tub’s edge, assuming Xiao Qiling was still bothered about Gulanduo. Amused, she said, “What’s Your Highness looking for? Don’t worry, Gulanduo didn’t leave me any tokens. She’s not interested in me that way.”

For emphasis, she tilted her head, revealing faint marks on her neck. “See? If Your Highness had arrived any later, she might’ve strangled me in that box.”

Xiao Qiling approached, her fingers brushing the marks, her eyes darkening with concern. She turned to leave.

Yu Nanqing grabbed her, looking up with a tsk. “Your Highness, Prince Ning, do you remember your status? Gulanduo’s injuries are far worse than mine. That’s enough.”

If Xiao Qiling went after Gulanduo again, the Xiongnu might invade Great Qi’s borders by tomorrow.

Xiao Qiling remained silent.

Yu Nanqing sighed, guiding Xiao Qiling’s hand back to her neck, smiling as she leaned closer. “Touch it, Your Highness, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Xiao Qiling paused, then smiled, her fingers slowly tracing Yu Nanqing’s neck, lingering at the base of the marks on her collarbone, pressing gently.

A faint tremor followed her touch. Yu Nanqing gripped Xiao Qiling’s wrist, teasing, “Good Highness, only the marks—not beyond.”

Xiao Qiling, still composed, let her other hand brush Yu Nanqing’s neck, her knuckles grazing her ear, which slowly flushed red—whether by accident or design.

The teaser became the teased. Yu Nanqing soon couldn’t handle it, pushing Xiao Qiling away, breathless. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. That’s enough.”

Xiao Qiling chuckled softly. “Having second thoughts?”

She ruffled Yu Nanqing’s hair, removing her remaining hairpin and setting it aside neatly. “I may not return tonight. Rest early after your bath, and avoid going out before the emperor’s Thousand Autumn Banquet.”

Yu Nanqing knew what Xiao Qiling was off to do. Her coming to find her must’ve been tipped off by some unseen guard.

“Got it, got it. I’ll stay in the mansion and not cause trouble.” Yu Nanqing said, playfully rubbing Xiao Qiling’s hand. “Your Highness, be careful too.”

Xiao Qiling pulled her hand free, picking up one of Yu Nanqing’s garments and balling it up as if to take it with her.

Puzzled, Yu Nanqing asked, “Your Highness, what are you doing with my clothes?”

Surely she wasn’t taking her undergarments to pine over her?

“You were so eager to bathe… Planning to let Chenxiang wash these undergarments?” Xiao Qiling teased.

If anyone noticed, Yu Nanqing would be too embarrassed to leave her room for days.

As expected, Yu Nanqing froze, her fingers tightening on the tub’s edge.

Then she sank lower, blowing bubbles in the water.

Xiao Qiling’s heart stirred. She stepped back, lifting Yu Nanqing’s chin from the water, teasing gently, “What’s there to hide? Lustful at heart, yet afraid others might notice? Don’t worry, your Highness will take care of it.”

Unable to hold back, Yu Nanqing turned and bit the culprit’s finger hard.