Offered as a Lucky Bride to the Mad Princess to Ward Off Misfortune - Chapter 8

8: “Let’s Go Complain to Prince Ning”

“Miss, miss?”

Chen Xiang called Yu Nanqing several times before finally pulling her back from her dazed state.

Just now, after Xiao Qiling dropped that bombshell, she didn’t wait for Yu Nanqing’s reaction. Like someone who had enjoyed a good show, she left satisfied, leaving Yu Nanqing alone to repeatedly guess her true intentions.

“What is it?”

“The medicine prescribed by the physician has been decocted. Please drink it while it’s hot, miss.” Chen Xiang brought a bowl of pitch-black medicinal soup to Yu Nanqing and thoughtfully scooped a spoonful, intending to feed her.

The bitter aroma of the medicine wafted up. Yu Nanqing frowned, took the bowl directly, and drank it all in one go.

Only then did she remember the erotic manuals on the table. She lightly pressed her fingers against them. Since Xiao Qiling had no intention of hiding her gender in front of her, these manuals depicting male-female intimacy couldn’t have been prepared by anyone from Prince Ning’s residence.

“Who left these books here?” Yu Nanqing asked Chen Xiang, who was about to leave with the empty bowl.

“Before coming to Prince Ning’s residence, Matron Ji stuffed them into my sleeve and told me to make sure they were placed where you could reach them before the consummation of your marriage.” Chen Xiang’s face flushed slightly as she spoke.

That explained it.

But what was Xiao Qiling’s purpose? To test whether she preferred men or women? Or to probe whether her marriage into the prince’s residence was genuine?

Or perhaps neither?

Various conjectures swirled in Yu Nanqing’s mind. Her body hadn’t fully recovered, and she was still weak. Now that she had rested, her eyelids grew heavy.

She took off her outer robe and lay down on the bed for a while.

This nap was far from restful. In her dream, a thick fog trapped her, making it impossible to escape no matter which direction she went.

Just as the fog dispersed, a pair of hands suddenly embraced her from behind. Hot, damp breath brushed against her ear as Xiao Qiling’s voice rang out: “Then come serve me tonight.”

Yu Nanqing jolted awake.

Through the layers of bed curtains, the sun had risen higher. Intermittent voices drifted in from the doorway.

“Chen Xiang,” Yu Nanqing called.

Chen Xiang, who had been keeping an ear out, quickly entered and drew back the bed curtains, helping Yu Nanqing sit up halfway. “Miss, you’re awake.”

“Water.” Yu Nanqing’s throat was dry, likely from the medicinal soup she drank before sleeping.

Only after half a cup of warm water did she feel somewhat better. She asked about the commotion outside: “Has Prince Ning come?”

“It’s the steward in charge of the storeroom keys. He’s waiting outside.” Chen Xiang helped Yu Nanqing up and draped an outer robe over her shoulders. She hesitated, as if wanting to say something.

Yu Nanqing noticed. “What is it?”

“Prince Ning…” Chen Xiang had been wanting to ask earlier but didn’t dare when Yu Nanqing seemed unwell. Now, she couldn’t hold back.

“Is a woman.” Yu Nanqing guessed what Chen Xiang wanted to ask and answered bluntly.

“T-t-then will we be silenced?” Chen Xiang looked nervous.

“Maybe.” Yu Nanqing found her nervous expression amusing. “Enough. As long as we behave, she won’t do anything to us for now.”

Chen Xiang glanced toward the door and lowered her voice. “Miss, if Prince Ning has ambitions, telling her about your imperial examination results might mean she could help you?”

This matter had become an unspoken secret between master and servant back at the Duke’s residence. When Lady Ji was still alive, she would take Yu Nanqing to Jiangnan every two years. After Lady Ji passed, this tradition continued. Yu Nanqing had taken the exams twice under the Ji family’s examination quota.

Chen Xiang adjusted Yu Nanqing’s outer robe. “Miss, don’t you want to keep trying?”

Yu Nanqing looked out the window, her thoughts drifting. Fame and fortune were naturally better than being confined to the inner courtyard. In her past life, she had risen swiftly in the Golden Hall and paraded through Chang’an Street on horseback.

But back then, she was young and naive, only seeing the glamorous, bustling world.

“The spring examinations last nine days. Given my current health, it’s still uncertain,” Yu Nanqing shook her head.

Chen Xiang clasped her hands together, smiling as she closed her eyes and made a wish. “Then I hope miss recovers quickly.”

Yu Nanqing smiled too. “I hope so.”

But she would ultimately disappoint Chen Xiang’s wish. Serving the imperial family was something she only planned to do once.

A life of painstaking effort like in her past life—no matter which prince she sided with after passing the exams—the throne would eventually fall to someone else, and those who had pledged loyalty would only meet the fate of the rabbit dying once the hounds were no longer needed.

If that was the case, why bother exhausting herself?

Yu Nanqing had slept past mealtime. She wasn’t very hungry, so after drinking half a bowl of bird’s nest soup kept warm in the kitchen, she went out.

The steward was overseeing the removal of the celebratory red decorations in the courtyard. Seeing Yu Nanqing, he bowed respectfully. “Has the princess consort finished her meal? Was it to your liking? We have several chefs in the residence. If you’re unsatisfied, we can switch them out.”

“No need for such trouble.” Yu Nanqing noticed the large red decorations behind the steward, likely removed under Xiao Qiling’s orders, so she instructed, “Clear the ones inside the room too.”

The steward bowed and said, “Yes,” then turned to instruct the servants before mentioning the matter of verifying Yu Nanqing’s dowry.

The group headed to the front courtyard. The steward was an old hand from the palace, once one of the Empress’s personal maids. When Xiao Qiling reached the age to establish her own residence outside the palace, the Empress assigned her to the prince’s residence. As a veteran of Prince Ning’s household, she had long managed the internal affairs for Xiao Qiling.

According to custom, a bride’s dowry, once delivered to the groom’s family, became her foundation for settling down. Even the groom’s family couldn’t touch it without permission. Thus, Yu Nanqing’s dowry remained exactly as it was the day before.

The group spent from noon until dusk verifying only half the dowry list, most of which consisted of deeds to estates and shops. Even the steward, who had served the Empress for years, couldn’t help but be astonished at the sheer amount of tangible assets, looking at Yu Nanqing with even more respect.

Yu Nanqing, however, felt little about this. What she cared about was whether Lady Li had truly returned everything as promised.

In her past life, when she broke with Yu Nanbo and Yu Nanrou, she had brought up dividing the family assets. At that time, Lady Li could only produce less than a third of the original dowry, using the excuse that it had been sent to Prince Chen’s residence.

Back then, Yu Nanqing was also part of Prince Chen’s faction and couldn’t actually go to his residence to settle accounts, so she had to let it go. But now, things were different.

As she flipped through the ledger, Chen Xiang brought over a few gold hairpins. “Miss, look.”

Yu Nanqing glanced down. Several hairpins of obviously inferior craftsmanship and material were handed to her.

“How many are there?” Yu Nanqing asked.

Chen Xiang replied, “There are some in every trunk. We haven’t checked the rest yet.”

The air grew still for a moment. Yu Nanqing let out a light laugh, but her voice was icy. “It seems my father, the Duke, is nothing more than this.”

Chen Xiang was on the verge of tears. “Miss, those people from the Autumn Water Pavilion are too much. What should we do?”

Yu Nanqing had her own solution. With Yu Nanrou and Yu Nanbo around, the Duke’s residence would never lack vulnerabilities.

Just as she was thinking this, the steward approached with a smile. “His Highness has invited the princess consort to dine together. Leave this matter to us. We’ll make sure everything is accounted for.”

Yu Nanqing was reminded that she still had the matter of serving Xiao Qiling tonight.

A plan formed in her mind.

But now that she had a “husband,” why should she solve this herself?

If Xiao Qiling enjoyed testing her, then it wasn’t too much for her to test Xiao Qiling in return, right?

“Then I’ll trouble you, Matron.”

Yu Nanqing grabbed the jewelry from Chen Xiang’s hands and turned to her. “Let’s go. We’re complaining to Prince Ning.”

—

Prince Ning’s Study

The spacious study was silent. Xiao Qiling sat behind the desk, writing.

Suddenly, the study door was shoved open with a loud bang. Xiao Qiling frowned, her brush leaving a long, messy stroke on the paper.

When she looked up, she saw Yu Nanqing storming in. The latter planted her hands on the desk and demanded without ceremony, “Your beloved consort has been wronged. Are you going to do something about it or not?”

Those around Xiao Qiling had always been respectful. The most unruly was Wei Yunhan, whom even the Grand Secretary couldn’t control, but even he wouldn’t dare overstep like this in front of her.

For a moment, she was stunned. Her gaze fell on Yu Nanqing’s hands resting on the desk, pausing for two seconds.

Yu Nanqing, realizing her lack of decorum, withdrew them sheepishly.

Only then did Xiao Qiling leisurely repeat, “You’ve been wronged, so you came to me?”

Hearing her use “me” instead of the royal “We,” Yu Nanqing knew there was hope. Abandoning her earlier rough demeanor, she circled the desk and knelt beside Xiao Qiling, taking her hand and pressing it to her cheek. She smiled sweetly.

“Your Highness is my husband. Of course, I’d come to you for support.”

Xiao Qiling’s dark eyes fixed on Yu Nanqing’s face.

When she was still, she was as cool as the moon, but when she smiled, she was radiantly beautiful. Now, with Yu Nanqing leaning against her knee, her slender neck slightly arched, her cheeks flushed from running over, and her affectionate gaze, the sight was nothing short of breathtaking.

Xiao Qiling didn’t stop her, lazily reclining in her chair with her hair loosely tied by a single black jade hairpin. She watched Yu Nanqing with an amused smile, as if waiting to see how far she would go.

“Did something happen with the Duke’s dowry?”

Yu Nanqing nodded obediently, launching into her complaint: “The items listed in the dowry inventory don’t match what was delivered. Many were swapped for inferior substitutes. But my father promised he’d personally oversee it. This isn’t just an insult to me—it’s a slap to Your Highness’s face.”

Xiao Qiling raised an eyebrow. “Everyone knows I’m dying. How am I supposed to confront the Duke’s residence for you?”

Yu Nanqing, deep in her act of devotion, immediately provided a reason: “My deep love for Your Highness moved the heavens. I willingly offered my bl00d to nourish you, and miraculously, Your Highness’s condition improved.”

Xiao Qiling took a sip of tea. “Oh?”

Yu Nanqing recalled that Xiao Qiling hadn’t harmed her last night because of her declaration of love. Delighted, she was about to embellish further.

But before she could celebrate, her wrist was suddenly yanked, pulling her up from the floor and straight into Xiao Qiling’s lap.

Xiao Qiling’s hand lightly stroked Yu Nanqing’s back, her smile deepening. “But how did my beloved consort know that my illness requires human bl00d as a medicinal catalyst?”

Human bl00d? As a medicinal catalyst?

Yu Nanqing had just said it offhandedly. How could it be true?

“Your Highness must be joking.”

“You think I’m joking?” Xiao Qiling’s tone was ambiguous.

Her gaze was too aggressive and oppressive. Even though she was smiling, combined with her words, Yu Nanqing felt a chill seep into her bones.

She had no doubt that if she failed to satisfy Xiao Qiling, the hand on her back would snap her spine in the next moment.

Fortunately, Yu Nanqing was adaptable. With things having reached this point and no way out, she stopped struggling. She straightened slightly, tilting her neck toward Xiao Qiling, and said with feigned calm, “Forgive my impertinence.”

Xiao Qiling watched, waiting to see how she would be impertinent.

The hand on Yu Nanqing’s back slowed, ready to strike at any moment.

Yu Nanqing leaned in.

Mwah.

Xiao Qiling’s fingers, poised to act, froze. Her smiling eyes momentarily blanked.

After planting a light, fleeting kiss on Xiao Qiling’s cheek, Yu Nanqing didn’t wait to see what storm it would stir in her heart. Instead, she looked up pitifully and said, “If I can share intimacy with Your Highness before death, I can close my eyes in peace.”

Having done the deed, she closed her eyes and slumped against Xiao Qiling’s shoulder like a martyr, playing dead.

“After I die, Your Highness must remember there was a woman willing to be your medicinal catalyst. Don’t forget to burn more paper money for me during the Ghost Festival.”

Xiao Qiling was silent for a moment. The veins on the back of her hand bulged before relaxing.

She stood abruptly, pulling Yu Nanqing up with her. “Stand properly. Let’s go.”

Yu Nanqing was finally released. She slowly adjusted her disheveled outer robe. “Where to?”

Xiao Qiling turned and stared at her quietly.

She had strikingly beautiful peach-blossom eyes, deep-set and intense. When focused on Yu Nanqing, they gave the illusion of deep affection.

But Yu Nanqing, who had just kissed her, knew that being the subject of Xiao Qiling’s gaze right now was not a good thing.

“Even a medicinal catalyst must be bathed first.” Xiao Qiling’s lips curved mockingly.

“I’ll wash you myself.”