Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 27

Jiang Libai cried so sorrowfully that her tears soaked into Gu Yun’s snow-white inner robe.  

Through the thin fabric, the warmth of her tears could be felt on Gu Yun’s chest, but she didn’t mind. Hearing the Seventh Princess’s soft sobbing made her heart ache unbearably.  

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault…” Gu Yun had never comforted a heartbroken girl before and didn’t know how to stop the Seventh Princess from crying. All she could do was clumsily keep apologizing.  

She shouldn’t have lost control earlier. She hadn’t been so overwhelmed that she lost her senses, but she had allowed her own greed to grow unchecked, hoping for a chance to get closer to the Seventh Princess…  

As Gu Yun sank deeper into self-reproach, the sobbing from the girl in her arms gradually subsided.  

When she looked down, she saw that the girl had closed her eyes. Was she asleep?   

Her fair, delicate face still bore streaks of tears, and her long lashes, damp with moisture, clumped together in strands. Probably from crying too long, her cheeks were faintly flushed, making her look both soft and pitiful.  

“…Princess?” Gu Yun hadn’t expected her to fall asleep while crying.  

She gently shook the Seventh Princess’s slender shoulder. The girl merely pouted and mumbled a few words without opening her eyes. She seemed truly asleep.  

Feeling a bit helpless, Gu Yun looked down to find that her robe’s front had been soaked through with the princess’s tears, leaving it damp and sticking to her skin.  

Since the girl was asleep, Gu Yun simply took off the wet inner robe and tossed it onto the bedhead.  

As she prepared to get up and find a clean robe, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Turning back, she saw the Seventh Princess looking at her with dazed, tearful eyes.  

“Princess?” Thinking she had woken up, Gu Yun instinctively raised her free hand to cover her chest.  

But the girl wasn’t staring at her chest like before. Instead, she clung tightly to Gu Yun’s hand, pouted her lips, and leaned her face closer to her.  

Thankfully, Gu Yun’s hand blocked her, or the princess’s face would have touched her directly…  

She nudged her gently. “Princess, I need to put on clothes. Can you give me a moment?”  

The girl seemed not to hear her and even rubbed her face against Gu Yun’s hand before falling back into a deep sleep.  

Gu Yun faintly heard her mumble something like “…smells nice…like it,” and then she understood: the Seventh Princess had smelled her scent and subconsciously become dependent on it.  

Feeling a bit helpless, Gu Yun thought to herself that only the scent of her pheromones could make the princess behave so affectionately toward her.  

“Knock, knock, knock—” Chunxi called softly from outside, “Princess, the hot water has been delivered.”  

Seeing that the Seventh Princess showed no signs of waking up, Gu Yun gently laid her back on the bed. After tucking her in, she put on a clean inner robe, layered an outer robe over it, and wrapped herself up securely before opening the door.  

“Just hand it to me,” she said, taking the basin of water from Chunxi and quickly closing the door again.  

Returning to the room, she wrung out a towel and approached the bed, gently wiping the Seventh Princess’s face. She then pulled out her small hands from under the blanket, carefully cleaning each finger one by one.  

After tidying her up, Gu Yun carried the basin back out. “The Princess has retired for the night; you don’t need to keep watch.”  

Finally able to rest herself, Gu Yun returned to the inner room, extinguished the candle, and climbed into bed beside the Seventh Princess.  

Perhaps sensing her presence, the previously still Seventh Princess shifted closer to her, turning on her side and wrapping her small hand around Gu Yun’s waist. Her face nuzzled into Gu Yun’s shoulder.  

Listening to the soft, steady breathing beside her, Gu Yun found herself unable to sleep.  

Turning slightly to face the Seventh Princess, Gu Yun gently stroked her head and sighed softly. “Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to sleep with me? Little troublemaker.”  

As if refuting her words, the Seventh Princess let out a sleepy murmur and snuggled even closer.  

Feeling her heart melt, Gu Yun pulled the blanket snugly around them both and held her gently in her arms. “Only when you’re asleep do you stop being on guard against me…”  

Pressing a kiss to the girl’s fluffy hair, Gu Yun held her close and finally drifted off to sleep as well.  

—

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting mottled shadows that danced around the room. Jiang Libai slowly woke up.  

As soon as she opened her eyes, she felt something was off.  

Her palm seemed to be gripping something soft, like a plush cotton ball. The sensation was delightful, and she subconsciously squeezed it. Above her head, someone let out a muffled groan.  

She looked up, only to meet Gu Yun’s complex gaze.  

“…Princess, could you… let go?” Gu Yun, noticing her small hand still clinging to the spot, gritted her teeth and reminded her.  

Following Gu Yun’s gaze, Jiang Libai saw where her hand was—somewhere it shouldn’t be.  

Her palm instantly felt as if it were on fire. She hurriedly withdrew her hand, exclaiming, “I’m sorry!”  

Seeing that Jiang Libai seemed to have forgotten last night’s unhappiness, Gu Yun heaved a sigh of relief. “We should get up. Chunxi and the others are already waiting outside.”  

Jiang Libai let out an “Oh” and slowly got up.  

While dressing, she couldn’t help but replay the scene from earlier that morning. She remembered everything from the previous night now. After everything that had happened, including her moment of impropriety with Gu Yun earlier, she felt she couldn’t harshly expel Gu Yun from her room anymore.  

Moreover… she had to admit that sleeping beside Gu Yun brought her a comfort she hadn’t experienced before. The nausea and discomfort that usually plagued her were absent.  

Fine then… let bygones be bygones.  

—

Days passed uneventfully until the capital was graced with the season’s first snowfall.  

Snowflakes fluttered down incessantly for several days, blanketing the city in a thick layer of silver.  

In the Princess’s residence, some servants used their free time to build snowmen.  

As Jiang Libai passed through the courtyard, she saw a group of young maids laughing and tossing snowballs, the scene bustling with cheer.  

She didn’t stop them and quietly walked away with Chunxi.  

Upon returning to her chambers and finding no familiar figure inside, she turned to Qin’er, who was waiting outside. “Where is the consort?”  

“The consort went to the kitchen,” Qin’er replied.  

What was she doing in the kitchen? Jiang Libai frowned slightly and headed there herself.  

As she approached, the aroma wafting from the kitchen grew increasingly rich.  

At the doorway stood Madam Li, craning her neck to peer into the kitchen, her face filled with concern.  

Hearing footsteps behind her, Madam Li turned to see the Seventh Princess.  

She was about to bow and greet her, but Jiang Libai stopped her with a gesture and walked into the kitchen with a frown.  

Steam billowed from the stovetop. Gu Yun, wiping sweat from her brow, placed a freshly cooked dish on the counter.  

Turning her head, she nearly bumped into Jiang Libai.  

“Princess, what brings you here? Weren’t you out shopping?”  

Jiang Libai’s gaze fell on the dish in Gu Yun’s hands, its strong chili aroma making her swallow unconsciously. “The snow was too heavy, so I returned early. I heard from Qin’er that you were in the kitchen, so I came to check.”  

Gu Yun set the dish on a small table by the stove and brought out two other dishes from the pot, placing them alongside it.  

“You’ve had little appetite these days,” Gu Yun said, taking Jiang Libai’s hand and guiding her to sit at the table. She placed clean chopsticks in front of her. “I happen to know a few recipes. Try them and see if they suit your taste.”  

Jiang Libai eyed the simple home-cooked dishes on the table, suspiciously taking the chopsticks from Gu Yun. “You know how to cook?”  

Gu Yun nodded. During her time in the military, she often had to make do with hard rations, which were barely edible. Whenever she was on leave and returned to the capital, she cooked for herself.  

Because of that, her culinary skills were decent.  

Jiang Libai skeptically picked up some food and took a bite.  

The spiciness immediately overwhelmed her tongue, like countless ants biting at her lips. She quickly grabbed the cup of warm water nearby and took several gulps.  

Though the dish was spicy, she couldn’t deny that it awakened her dormant appetite.  

Jiang Libai wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and took a few more bites.  

“I didn’t expect your cooking to be this good.”  

Gu Yun smiled faintly. “Do you like it?”  

Jiang Libai huffed lightly. “It’s alright.”  

Her proud demeanor amused Gu Yun. “If you want, I can cook for you anytime. How about that?”  

Jiang Libai felt a surge of joy but maintained her composure. “Fine, since you don’t have much to do anyway.”  

Outside, snow swirled and blanketed the world in silver.  

Inside, the firewood crackled warmly, filling the room with heat.  

As Jiang Libai ate, she looked at the thick snow outside the window, remembering the playful maids throwing snowballs earlier. She felt a sudden itch to join in.  

“Hey, want to go play in the snow later?”  

Gu Yun was momentarily stunned but quickly smiled. “Sure.”  

It was the first time Jiang Libai had seen Gu Yun smile like that. It was as if a frozen mountaintop had suddenly bloomed into spring. She found herself momentarily dazed.  

Snapping out of it, she quickly lowered her head and resumed eating silently.  

The room grew quiet again.  

Just as Jiang Libai was finishing her meal, hurried footsteps approached from outside.  

The two in the kitchen looked up simultaneously.  

Mu Jiang rushed in, his face filled with urgency. After catching his breath, he said quickly, “Princess! Someone… someone outside says they’re here to take the consort for questioning!”  

Gu Yun raised an eyebrow. Someone was looking for her?  

Jiang Libai also found it strange. “Who’s looking for the consort?”  

Mu Jiang’s face fell. “It’s Lord Zheng, the magistrate of the capital!”  

The magistrate? How was Gu Yun involved with him?  

“Did they say what it’s about?” Jiang Libai felt a twinge of unease. The magistrate was responsible for the city’s law and order—why would he seek out Gu Yun?  

“They said the young master of the Anyang Earl family has been possessed and is on the verge of death! Someone accused the consort of harming him, so Lord Zheng sent people to summon him…”  

Both Gu Yun and Jiang Libai were stunned.  

The young master of the Anyang Earl family? Wasn’t he the one who had tried to frame Gu Yun?  

How had things turned so dire so suddenly? He was on the brink of death, and someone had accused Gu Yun of plotting against him?  

Jiang Libai thought the matter seemed odd and suspicious.  

Gu Yun’s expression remained calm as she stood up. “Since they’ve named me, I’ll go and take a look.”  

Jiang Libai also stood, her face tinged with seriousness. “I’ll go with you.”