The Male Lead's Harem Belongs to Me (GL) - Chapter 36
Qi Ze’s expression suddenly changed. Before Liu Shuwei could feign concern, Qi Ze hurriedly got up, telling her, “Rest assured, I have urgent matters to attend to.”
Liu Shuwei watched Qi Ze’s hurried departure, secretly relieved. Although Qi Ze wouldn’t do anything to her in her current state, dealing with him every day would be exhausting.
Liu Shuwei’s eyes flickered, recalling Jiang Han’s words from the night before the wedding. She said she “wouldn’t leave the prince’s mansion for the time being,” didn’t that imply she would leave in the future? Then what about her? How could she leave with her?
In late autumn, the sky darkened quickly. By dinner time, it was already dark outside. Jiang Han and the others crowded into Liu Shuwei’s room. Liu Shuwei was having dinner, eating plain white porridge, with Shui Lu and several maids attending to her.
Jiang Han and the others sat on the rug, watching Liu Shuwei eat the bland porridge, feeling sorry for her. Especially Gu Hanyun and Jiang Han, who usually adhered to the “no meat, no joy” philosophy, couldn’t help but frown at Liu Shuwei’s food.
Gu Hanyun sighed, “Sister Weiwei, you’re eating too blandly. If I had to eat this, I’d probably starve to death in two days.”
Liu Shuwei smiled, “I’m weak and just recovering from a serious illness, so I can only eat bland food.”
Gu Hanyun asked curiously, “Really? Is this all you can eat after recovering from a serious illness?”
This sparked Chang Qianjiao’s curiosity, “What do you usually eat after being sick?”
Gu Hanyun: “Roast duck, bird’s nest, abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin… and so on.”
Yu Weiwan: “…Did Lord Gu and Madam Gu allow you to eat these?”
“They didn’t allow me,” Gu Hanyun said confidently, “I always asked Dan Ju to buy them for me secretly.”
Chang Qianjiao/Jiang Han/Yu Weiwan/Liu Shuwei: “…”
They stopped talking when a maid brought in a bowl of dark medicine. The strong, pungent smell spread almost as soon as she entered the room.
They immediately covered their noses, but the strong smell still made them nauseous. They watched the maid put the medicine by Liu Shuwei’s bedside, then Shui Lu, looking pale, picked up the bowl and said to Liu Shuwei, “Miss, it’s time for your medicine.”
Jiang Han: “…” I have a sentence, ‘It’s time for the eldest brother to take his medicine,’ but I don’t know if I should say it.
Liu Shuwei frowned at the medicine, then said, “Put it there, I’ll drink it later.”
Shui Lu put down the medicine. Liu Shuwei, seeing the grim faces of Jiang Han and the others, said to Shui Lu, “Shui Lu, open the window.”
Shui Lu hesitated, then agreed.
Jiang Han stopped Shui Lu, saying to Liu Shuwei, “It’s cold at night. If the cold air comes in and you catch a chill, it won’t be good.”
The others agreed. Chang Qianjiao said, “We’re fine, Weiwei. You’re not afraid of drinking this medicine every day, so we’re fine with just smelling it. If we really can’t stand it, we’ll go out for some fresh air.”
Liu Shuwei smiled, not insisting. Soon, Shui Lu brought the medicine to Liu Shuwei’s lips. Liu Shuwei turned away, then took the bowl, saying, “I can do it myself.”
Then, Jiang Han and the others watched Liu Shuwei drink the medicine in one gulp. Shui Lu quickly gave her a candied fruit. Liu Shuwei, even with the candied fruit in her mouth, still frowned.
Jiang Han frowned just watching her, let alone Liu Shuwei, who had drunk the whole bowl of medicine.
Gu Hanyun gave a thumbs up, praising, “Miss Liu is amazing, drinking it all in one gulp.”
Liu Shuwei’s expression eased slightly, smiling at Gu Hanyun, “It wasn’t that bitter when I drank it.”
Gu Hanyun asked curiously, “Really?”
Jiang Han’s eyes flashed with cunning, “Why don’t you try a sip? Then you’ll know what it tastes like.”
Gu Hanyun’s eyes flashed with suspicion. Chang Qianjiao also encouraged her, “Just try it. There’s candied fruit here.”
Gu Hanyun was tempted. Yu Weiwan, nudged by Chang Qianjiao, added the final push, “That’s right, Gu Gu, are you scared?”
Gu Hanyun immediately straightened her back, saying, “How could I be? Who do you think I am? I can drink this medicine without even frowning!”
Gu Hanyun, unwilling to admit defeat, went to Liu Shuwei’s empty medicine bowl, picked up the spoon, and took a small sip.
Gu Hanyun: “…Ew.”
Jiang Han burst out laughing, saying to Shui Lu, “Quick, give Gu Gu a candied fruit.”
Gu Hanyun, with the candied fruit in her mouth, finally felt alive again. She looked at the laughing people, saying angrily, “So you all ganged up to trick me!”
Chang Qianjiao couldn’t stop laughing, “How could we? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t frown when drinking this medicine?”
Yu Weiwan also laughed, “Gu Gu didn’t frown, she just threw up, hahahaha.”
Gu Hanyun was so angry that she wanted to tickle them. They dodged while teasing her, making a ruckus. Liu Shuwei, watching from the side, shook her head gently, a smile on her lips.
After a long time, they finally calmed down. They invited Liu Shuwei to play Monopoly with them. Liu Shuwei agreed, sitting on the rug with a blanket, playing with them.
They chatted while playing. Chang Qianjiao said, “There’s a lantern festival in a few days. It’s said that every household will go out to light lanterns for good luck. Shall we go together?”
Gu Hanyun’s eyes lit up, saying without thinking, “Sure, that sounds good.”
Yu Weiwan also said, “I’m fine with it.”
Jiang Han thought more, saying before Liu Shuwei could speak, “This lantern festival is at night, right? It’s cold at night, can Weiwei go out?”
Liu Shuwei’s eyes flickered, “I can wear warm clothes.”
Gu Hanyun chimed in, “Exactly, Weiwei can get some fresh air. It’s boring to stay at home all the time.”
Jiang Han thought for a moment, “Okay, then we’ll all go together.”
“Okay,” they all agreed, but then felt something was off. But they didn’t think much about it. Since they were all going, no one was left out, it must be their imagination. So, they happily continued playing the game.
Meanwhile, the forgotten Qi Ze, wrapped in a black robe, went to a famous clinic that supposedly specialized in treating impotence. When he came out, Qi Ze was relieved. The doctor said he was overworked, gave him acupuncture, and told him to go back and try with a beautiful woman. If it still didn’t work, he could come back.
Qi Ze had suspected Jiang Han’s kick at first, but then he remembered that although it hurt, he was fine the next morning, so he went to the clinic.
This result made him feel better. But who should he try with? Over the years, besides being busy with the emperor’s tasks, his biggest wish was to marry Liu Shuwei. He had no interest in the concubines he had married.
Firstly, his marriage to them was mostly related to politics. Secondly, except for the wedding night, he rarely saw them. There was a period when he was so busy that he forgot he had concubines. Thirdly, and most importantly, when he first learned about these things, his mother had prepared maids for him, but when those naked women stood in front of him and touched him, he felt disgusted and sent them away, never thinking about it again.
Qi Ze didn’t know why he felt disgusted by naked women, but if Jiang Han were there, she would explain it to him. It was a common trope in romance novels for the male lead to be unable to touch any woman except the female lead. Touching them would make him feel disgusted, but this would change dramatically after meeting the female lead.
Then it would be, “Woman, why don’t I feel disgusted when I touch you? Good, woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.” And then the chase would begin.
Qi Ze pondered, it wasn’t a matter of whether he wanted to or not. He had to try with a concubine. Liu Shuwei was out of the question. He was afraid he would be infuriated to death by Jiang Han. Gu Hanyun was too young. He decided to try with the other two.
It was late, and they were probably asleep. Qi Ze decided to go back early tomorrow night to try.
••••
The next day, Jiang Han woke up early. As she passed the tree in her courtyard, she noticed something. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately had an idea.
Soon, as time passed, Gu Hanyun and the others found Jiang Han, planning to go see Weiwei with her.
But before they could leave, Jiang Han stopped them.
Gu Hanyun, who had clearly slept well the night before, asked with bright eyes, “Sister Jiang, what are you doing?”
Jiang Han released her hand, coughing to clear her throat, pretending to be serious, “Gu Gu, tell me, are we good friends with Weiwei?”
The other two had been wary since they saw Jiang Han’s expression, knowing it was a prelude to her tricking them.
Gu Hanyun blinked, asking innocently, “Yes, why?”
Jiang Han looked pained, “Gu Gu, you tried Weiwei’s medicine yesterday, right?”
Gu Hanyun nodded, still clueless about Jiang Han’s intentions.
Jiang Han rolled her eyes, continuing, “Think about it, you only took a sip and felt nauseous. What about Weiwei? She drank a whole bowl. Isn’t that hard for her? As Weiwei’s good friends, shouldn’t we do something to help her?”
Gu Hanyun blinked, “I get it, I’ll go cheer Weiwei up!”
Jiang Han: “…”
Jiang Han grabbed Gu Hanyun, “Cheering her up won’t help her with the bitterness.”
Gu Hanyun asked, “Then what should we do?”
Jiang Han blinked, suddenly pointing to the sky. Gu Hanyun and the others looked up, seeing a round, hole-filled object among the intertwined branches. If they looked closely, they could see black and yellow insects flying around it—a beehive.
Gu Hanyun’s eyes widened, “Princess, that won’t do! Those things sting, and it hurts!”
Jiang Han said seriously, “Just run fast and hide in the pond. They can’t do anything to you there.”
Gu Hanyun hesitated. Jiang Han sighed, “Alas, only we can share Weiwei’s bitterness.”
“Then… then you go, Princess. Sister Chang and I will get the honey.”
Jiang Han: “…” Wow, she got smarter overnight.
Chang Qianjiao and Yu Weiwan clearly weren’t the type to outrun bees. Gu Hanyun, the only one who could be tricked, suddenly became clever. Jiang Han gritted her teeth, “Fine, but hurry. After getting the honey, leave quickly. Remember to tell me if the bees are gone.”
“Okay,” Gu Hanyun promised confidently.
A moment later, Gu Hanyun, Chang Qianjiao, and Yu Weiwan hid behind the surrounding trees, giving Jiang Han a thumbs-up. Jiang Han’s arm trembled. She had never done this in her previous life, but she was about to fulfill her dream in this one.
As she thought, she extended the pole and poked the beehive. As she wished, the beehive fell, and as it fell, Jiang Han almost saw the buzzing bees flying angrily towards her.
In that instant, Jiang Han dropped the pole and ran towards the pond, yelling, “Gu Gu! Don’t forget!”
“Aaaaaah!” Chased by the bees, Jiang Han used all her strength, thinking she was using more energy than she had ever used in her previous life’s 800-meter races.
Meanwhile, Gu Hanyun and the others, seeing the bees fly away, carefully observed, making sure no more bees were coming out. They ran out from behind the trees. Chang Qianjiao held a bowl, Yu Weiwan held a spoon, and Gu Hanyun carefully picked up the beehive to see how to get the honey.
Jiang Han’s screams still echoed in their ears. Gu Hanyun shuddered, reaching for the spoon. But as she picked it up, she suddenly paused.
She seemed to hear the sound of something flapping its wings.
Gu Hanyun looked up at Yu Weiwan and Chang Qianjiao. They all swallowed.
A moment later, the screams of three women echoed through Jiang Han’s courtyard. With three “plop” sounds, they successfully met underwater.
Jiang Han looked at them, asking with her eyes, Weren’t you getting honey? Why did you come down too?
They held their breath underwater, afraid to move, occasionally coming up for air to see if the bees were gone. Finally, when they were about to run out of breath, they heard their maids calling them, mixed with the sound of footsteps, probably alerting the mansion’s guards.
Jiang Han and the others finally dared to come up, shouting for help, “We’re here!”
A moment later, the bees were captured, and Jiang Han and the others were rescued, coming ashore, tearfully grateful.
Jiang Han, with her left cheek swollen, asked Gu Hanyun and the others, “Where’s the honey?”
Gu Hanyun, with one eye swollen like an egg, said, “We didn’t get any. Wuwu, my eye hurts so much.”
Chang Qianjiao, with swollen sausage lips, mumbled, “Gu Gu couldn’t get the honey, so we couldn’t either.”
Yu Weiwan, with her right cheek swollen, said, “Princess, your left cheek and my right cheek are very symmetrical.”
They looked at each other, bursting into laughter, then started crying again. Their maids, at a loss, looked at the crying women, finding it funny but not daring to laugh. They didn’t know how to comfort them, so they told their mistresses to go back and change into clean clothes.
Having made such fools of themselves, they didn’t dare to see Liu Shuwei. Liu Shuwei, curious, asked the guards and maids in the mansion. After hearing what happened, she was both touched and amused. She knew they were embarrassed to see her.
So, she asked Shui Lu to prepare some ointment for them, while she thoughtfully didn’t disturb them.
In the evening, Qi Ze, who had been busy all day, finally had time to return to the mansion. He washed up carefully and went to Yu Weiwan’s courtyard. The usually quiet courtyard was lit up tonight.
Qi Ze’s heart stirred. He wanted to see what she was doing, so he told the servants to be quiet and quietly entered Yu Weiwan’s room.
Inside, Yu Weiwan was sitting at the dressing table, applying something, her back to him. He came to Yu Weiwan first because she resembled Liu Shuwei. At this moment, Qi Ze’s eyes flickered as he looked at Yu Weiwan’s back, finally clearing his throat.
Yu Weiwan was startled, slowly turning her head. From this angle, she looked even more like Liu Shuwei. Qi Ze’s heart stirred. Before he could move forward, Yu Weiwan turned to face him.
At the same time, her swollen face came into view.
Qi Ze’s pupils shrank, his eyes twitching involuntarily, he said sternly, “Who are you? Why are you in Concubine Yu’s room?”
Yu Weiwan: “…”
Author’s Note:
Qi Ze: Something’s fishy.