Gu Baiying groaned softly and didn’t get up for a while.
The room was quiet.
Zanxing pushed herself up from Gu Baiying’s chest, and as she lifted her head, she saw Princess Lizhu standing in front of them, staring at the two of them in astonishment, her expression very complex.
Zanxing: “…” This was a terrible position.
The guards downstairs heard movement inside and someone shouted, “Your Highness, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Princess Lizhu came to her senses, and calmly said outside, “I accidentally knocked over a scroll, no need to come in.”
The guards outside then quieted down.
Zanxing breathed a sigh of relief, and heard Gu Baiying’s cold voice beneath her, “Had enough lying down?”
She quickly climbed off Gu Baiying, and Gu Baiying stood up straight, brushing off the dust from his body, his gaze at her as if he wanted to devour her alive.
“How did you end up here?” Princess Lizhu asked softly.
“If I say we accidentally came in, will the princess believe it?” Zanxing was full of sincerity.
Princess Lizhu remained silent, and Gu Baiying, with a serious expression, said, “Let’s talk outside first.”
After that, Gu Baiying used a diversionary tactic to deceive the two guards downstairs and left Tianlu Pavilion with Princess Lizhu and Zanxing. Princess Lizhu led the three of them to her private hall.
This private hall was quite unique, devoid of the typical white gauze curtains, with decorations predominantly in vibrant crimson. The corners were filled with animal horns and tapestries embroidered with totems. Directly opposite the high seat hung a piece of leather carving, and on the wall hung an extremely beautiful bullhorn bow, with a well-placed glossy horsewhip nearby. Unlike the exquisite delicacy of Li’er Country, this private hall exuded rugged beauty in every aspect.
“This used to be where I lived. After my son ascended the throne, I no longer reside in the palace.” Princess Lizhu sat down on the high seat in the hall, instructing her maid to prepare refreshments, and continued, “If it weren’t for the recent disturbance caused by the shark demon, I wouldn’t have come back.” Pausing for a moment, she looked at Zanxing and Gu Baiying with a slight smile. “However, I really didn’t expect that Senior Gu and Immortal Yang would be a couple.”
“Hey!” Gu Baiying’s face changed drastically, abruptly standing up. “Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean you can talk nonsense. Who said we’re a couple?”
Zanxing: “…” Gu Baiying’s reaction was a bit too much.
“Isn’t it?” Princess Lizhu looked at him with surprise, hesitating for a moment before speaking again, “I thought you deliberately avoided others to discuss love affairs at Tianlu Pavilion.”
Seeing that Gu Baiying was about to get angry again, Zanxing chuckled and took over the conversation, “The princess is really joking. Senior Gu is my senior uncle, so he’s like a half-teacher to me. One day as a teacher, lifelong as a father. How could I not show respect to Senior Uncle?”
Gu Baiying seemed to have gained an advantage from this. He glanced at Zanxing and finally didn’t say anything, sitting back down.
“Just now, thank you for not exposing us at Tianlu Pavilion,” Zanxing continued, “But why…”
“You are cultivators,” Princess Lizhu shook her head. “In ordinary places, even in the palace, cultivators can come and go as if unnoticed. Besides, even if I had exposed you, the king wouldn’t trouble you. Cultivators and their sects are not to be trifled with by ordinary royalty. It would lead to no good, so why bother.”
“You are quite straightforward, Princess,” Gu Baiying remarked.
Princess Lizhu smiled, “In the Tianlu Pavilion, the scrolls collected are records of past rulers of Li’er Country. Since you two are not here for romance, you must be here for the scrolls. Why not tell me what you’re looking for? Perhaps I can be of assistance.”
With such frankness, there was no need for further concealment. Gu Baiying said, “We indeed wanted to inquire about a person.”
“Who?”
“The princess’s husband, Emperor Shengning.”
Princess Lizhu was taken aback.
“Do you still remember him?” Zanxing asked. “It’s said that the princess and the late king had a deep affection. Since you had such a deep bond, you must know him well. Could you tell us what kind of person the late king was?”
It seemed like it had been a long time since anyone had asked this question. The woman in red sat on the high seat, her gaze gradually becoming distant. She looked out the window, as if seeing someone else through it. After a while, Princess Lizhu spoke, “He was… a very gentle person.”
The Kingdom of Linshi was a small country.
Unlike Li’er Country, which was an island nation in the Western Sea, even though decades ago Li’er Country hadn’t yet become as prosperous as it was now due to its secret realm, it was still located by the sea, rich in resources, and had many trading ships coming and going. But the Kingdom of Linshi was just a small country on the eastern mainland, with poor land and abundant mountains and forests. The people of Linshi had never seen the sea in their entire lives.
Later, during the years of disaster and drought, famine struck the Kingdom of Linshi, and just when the country was on the brink of collapse, envoys from Li’er Country arrived, offering to marry the Princess of Linshi and presenting tens of thousands of pounds of rice and grain as a dowry, which happened to relieve the urgent need of the Kingdom of Linshi.
Despite Princess Lizhu’s deep reluctance, she married into the Li’er Country from afar to save the people of the Linshi Kingdom.
“Before I arrived in Li’er Country, I was anxious, unsure of what kind of person he was and why he wanted to form an alliance with the Linshi Kingdom,” Princess Lizhu said. “I speculated he might be a lecherous man with a large belly or perhaps an old man with white hair. But when I met him, I realized I had overthought it.”
The Emperor Shengning of Li’er Country was a handsome young man.
He was neither old nor ugly, and his temperament was very gentle. When Princess Lizhu first arrived in Li’er Country, he took special care to ensure that the palace meals were prepared according to her tastes, so she wouldn’t feel out of place. He was considerate, attentive, and graceful. The people of Linshi were rugged and straightforward and had never seen such a gentle and refined man. Princess Lizhu quickly fell for his kindness.
They indeed had a period of sweet days together, and she genuinely hoped from the bottom of her heart that they could be together forever.
Zanxing asked, “But… the late king seemed to have a congenital illness.”
“Indeed,” Princess Lizhu took a sip of the tea in front of her before continuing, “When I first married here, I heard the palace staff mention it. However, they also said that since I married him, his health had improved significantly. I thought he might fully recover, but then incident with the shark demon happened…” She trailed off, not finishing her sentence.