Chapter 68: Matriarchy 9

Le Yixian immediately recognized that female voice as her own daughter's, and silently raised her hand to cover her face. How could this child be so impatient? At least find a more discreet place. Beside her, Liu Qingyun noticed her gesture, and a thought stirred in his heart: rumors had always claimed that the Crown Princess was indifferent to men, something he had never quite believed. Yet here, confronted with such a scene, she was so embarrassed she had to cover her face. Liu Qingyun felt a surge of excitement within.

The splashing finally ceased. The man, panting for breath, asked the woman, "Your Highness, when will you finally marry me?"

"I'll inform my mother of this as soon as possible," she replied.

"Three months ago, you said exactly the same thing," the man answered with a hint of discontent.

"When the mountains crumble, when rivers run dry, when thunder roars in winter and snow falls in summer, when heaven and earth unite—only then would I dare part from you!" The woman's voice was powerful, fervent. "Zishan, I will never let you down."

"Your Highness," the man was moved to tears.

"So, you must wait for me."

"I will. I’ll wait for you."

"Now, let's head back, otherwise others might grow suspicious."

"Yes."

As the sound of footsteps faded, the two hidden beneath the rockery both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who would have thought that Third Princess, after all her talk, only ever repeats the same vow," Liu Qingyun stood up, a trace of disdain in his voice.

Le Yixian fell silent for a moment. How embarrassing—she had written that vow back in high school, deeply infatuated with a certain classic poem, so her protagonist recited it endlessly, utterly winning over her harem.

But now, a new thought occurred to her as she glanced at her own little darling: well, at least she’d stolen away one member of the harem first.

The two walked out, with Liu Qingyun striding ahead as if something terrifying was chasing him. Le Yixian followed behind, asking, "Are your legs still numb? Should I help you?"

"No need," the little darling replied coldly, then his gaze caught on something ahead and he stopped.

Following his line of sight, Le Yixian saw, seated by the path, the Third Princess herself, idly chewing on a blade of grass.

Hong Anle, chewing her grass, stared in stunned silence at the pair emerging from the rockery.

"Elder Sister, Second Master Liu, you two..." She glanced at them both. Her elder sister's clothes were still tidy, but Liu Qingyun’s were covered in grass clippings. Then she recalled the two sentences she’d overheard: "Are your legs still numb?" and "Should I help you?"

She’d heard Second Master Liu was of a particularly delicate constitution.

She immediately pictured unspeakable scenarios—her own elder sister overpowering Liu Qingyun, perhaps even pinning him down and having her way with him.

Her face showed a look of hesitant implication. "Elder Sister, the garden may be exciting, but this is Grandmother's garden. If someone were to stumble upon you, it would be most unfortunate."

Liu Qingyun was speechless.

Le Yixian was speechless.

Liu Qingyun, fuming, snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting? We are innocent—far more so than someone who has tricked countless young gentlemen with the same vow in the very same spot."

With that, he flung his sleeves and left, leaving Le Yixian and Hong Anle staring wordlessly at each other.

Hong Anle hadn't expected her own deeds to be exposed, and awkwardly rubbed her nose.

"How many noble sons have you deceived?" Le Yixian asked, her mouth twitching.

Hong Anle gazed up at the sky. "I don't know. I never counted."

Le Yixian could only wonder—how could someone be so shameless?

"Elder Sister," Hong Anle suddenly called out, still chewing her blade of grass, "when will you ascend the throne?"

"Don't speak carelessly," Le Yixian’s brow creased. In this age where imperial authority was absolute, even as Crown Princess, there was still an Empress above. For the heir to anticipate ascending was tantamount to cursing the Empress, a grave crime.

On reflection, even in the original story, by the finale, Hong Anle lived happily with her seven lovers, and even after being named Crown Princess, the Empress remained in excellent health.

"If you were to take the throne, I could finally enjoy myself openly," Hong Anle said with longing.

"Aren’t you having enough fun already?" As far as Le Yixian knew, Hong Anle already had six male concubines.

"Of course not. I still have to waste time reading. I wish I could lie in bed all day, every day."

What kind of character had she written?

"Stop dreaming," Le Yixian said, standing over her. "You’ll have to take the position of Crown Princess sooner or later."

"What?" Hong Anle was startled.

"Liu Qingyun’s health is poor. I’ll retire with him to the mountains. And you—don’t overindulge yourself too much, you’re still young. Your body won’t withstand it."

Not waiting for Hong Anle’s reaction, she turned and walked away.

Sitting by the path, Hong Anle watched her elder sister’s figure recede into the distance until she disappeared around the corner. Narrowing her eyes, she spat out her wild grass, a trace of confusion flickering within. Her eldest sister had always seemed terribly annoying, but lately, she was almost pleasant to look at.

It was as though... yes, as though she were her nagging father.

"But was she testing me just now, or did she mean it?"

——

Liu Qingyun returned to the banquet, only then feeling the heat in his face and the anger in his heart begin to fade. He thought to himself, the Third Princess truly was incorrigible—nothing but a glib tongue and a wild imagination.

Suddenly, an exquisitely crafted plate of pastries appeared before him. Shaped like delicate flowers, pale yellow in color and crowned with pink petals, they were a feast for the eyes and utterly tempting.

Looking up, he realized Le Yixian had taken a seat beside him at some point.

"I just tried these, they're excellent. Have one," she said, setting the plate before him.

Expressionless, Liu Qingyun thought, Don’t think you can buy me off with a plate of pastries.

Still, he picked up his chopsticks and, bristling, stabbed a piece, popping it into his mouth.

Soft, sweet, melting instantly, with a faint fragrance that lingered—the pastry was indeed delicious.

He hadn’t eaten much since morning; men naturally had larger appetites. By the time he realized it, the once-full plate was empty.

He was mortified. Had he just stuffed himself senseless in front of the person he liked?

"Would you like more?" Le Yixian asked.

"No, no thank you," Liu Qingyun replied quickly.

At that very moment, his stomach betrayed him with a loud rumble.

He wished he could crawl into a hole.

Le Yixian laughed, rose, and fetched another plate.

A little embarrassed and annoyed, Liu Qingyun protested, "I don’t want any more!"

"Just try it—I picked a different flavor especially for you."

"Well… just one, then."

A short while later, as Le Yixian watched the plate emptied once again, she nodded in satisfaction. How could she not know her little darling’s favorite flavors?

If one plate of sweets couldn’t appease him—well, two plates would do the trick!