Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 32

The Seventh Princess’s consort being attacked in the Ministry of Justice’s prison was an embarrassment for the entire department.  

Judging from the princess’s expression, she probably wanted to tear them apart herself!  

Before long, Zhao Taiyi (Imperial Physician Zhao) hurried in with his apprentice.  

He was about to bow to the princess when she stopped him. “No need for formalities—quickly check the prince consort’s injuries!”  

Carrying the medicine box handed to him by the apprentice, Zhao Taiyi stepped forward. After carefully examining Gu Yun’s wounds, he relaxed slightly. “The prince consort’s injuries are not serious; they’re all superficial wounds. Cleaning and bandaging them will suffice.”  

Jiang Libai finally felt a bit of relief.  

“But with so much blood loss, will it have any impact?”  

Zhao Taiyi caught the meaning behind the princess’s concerned gaze instantly, having dealt with the royal family for years. Stroking his beard, he nodded. “Although the injuries are minor, the significant blood loss requires rest and recovery.”  

Rest and recovery naturally meant Gu Yun couldn’t stay in the Ministry of Justice’s prison!  

Watching the apprentice clean Gu Yun’s wounds, Jiang Libai turned to the silent Li Zhongxian, the Minister of Justice. “Did you hear that, Minister Li? My prince consort was injured in your prison and needs rest. Therefore, I will take the prince consort back with me.”  

Without an imperial decree, Li Zhongxian dared not act rashly.  

But Jiang Libai couldn’t care less about his concerns. Seeing that Gu Yun’s wounds were almost cleaned, she instructed Zhao Taiyi to proceed with the bandaging. “Once the prince consort’s wounds are bandaged, he will leave with me.”  

Li Zhongxian protested weakly, “But Princess…”  

“There’s no ‘but’!” Jiang Libai’s tone was sharp, cutting him off. “Your department failed to guard the prison properly, allowing an assassin to infiltrate and harm the prince consort. I’m already being lenient by not holding you accountable!”  

“Furthermore, until the identity of the mastermind behind the assassin is uncovered, I have every reason to suspect someone within your Ministry of Justice conspired to harm the prince consort! If you obstruct me further and something happens to him, I will ensure you all face severe punishment!”  

After delivering her authoritative rebuke, Jiang Libai felt a wave of dizziness. Fortunately, Chunxi supported her in time.  

Gu Yun, who had just finished having her wounds bandaged, stepped forward and took Jiang Libai from Chunxi’s arms. She released a faint burst of calming pheromones.  

The familiar scent of sandalwood reached Jiang Libai’s nose, helping her breathe easier, though she still felt fatigued.  

Turning to Gu Yun, she clasped her hand tightly and said softly, “Come home with me.”  

Her tone was tender, a stark contrast to her earlier sharpness toward Li Zhongxian.  

Gu Yun supported the princess’s slender shoulders with one hand and turned her gaze toward Li Zhongxian, who was too intimidated to respond. “Minister Li, the assassin has been handed over to your department. I hope you can uncover the mastermind behind this incident.”  

“Yes, I will make every effort to investigate…”  

With that, Gu Yun escorted Jiang Libai out of the brightly lit hall. Outside, it was still pitch dark, with only the faint glow of lanterns lighting the way.  

After boarding the carriage, Gu Yun released more of her calming pheromones. Noticing Jiang Libai’s complexion becoming rosier, she asked softly, “Is the princess feeling better?”  

The discomfort in Jiang Libai’s body had eased, but she still felt a bit lightheaded, likely from the night’s turmoil and lack of rest.  

“My head still feels a bit dizzy,” she admitted.  

Gu Yun gently guided her head to rest on her chest and began to massage her temples. “Does this feel better?”  

Due to Gu Yun’s chest binding, Jiang Libai found her chest a bit uncomfortable to lean on. She wrapped her arms around Gu Yun’s neck and shifted slightly, nestling her head into the warm curve of Gu Yun’s shoulder.  

“Your chest is too hard with the binding,” she murmured.  

Gu Yun’s hand paused briefly as a tingling sensation spread throughout her body. Her breathing deepened slightly.  

She couldn’t help but think how different the princess seemed tonight—proactively leaning into her and even making teasing remarks…  

While Gu Yun was momentarily dazed, Jiang Libai relaxed and spoke softly. “You shouldn’t have handed the assassin over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation. Like I said, we don’t know if anyone in their department was involved. Leaving the assassin in their hands might mean we learn nothing.”  

She had wanted to take the assassin away, but since Gu Yun insisted otherwise, she refrained from undermining her prince consort’s authority in public.  

“In any case, they won’t find out much,” Gu Yun replied, lightly stroking Jiang Libai’s unbound hair. “I already interrogated the assassin.”  

Before the Ministry of Justice’s men arrived, Gu Yun had attacked the assassin’s mind using her unique mental abilities, attempting to extract the identity of the mastermind during his disorientation.  

However, the assassin, trained as a death soldier, remained silent even as his mind nearly shattered.  

Gu Yun explained some of this to Jiang Libai, who opened her eyes in surprise and sat up from Gu Yun’s embrace, looking at her with wide, dewy eyes.  

“How did you interrogate the assassin?” Jiang Libai glanced doubtfully at Gu Yun’s bandaged wounds.  

“You were injured—how did you still have the strength to interrogate someone?”  

The princess’s puzzled expression was so endearing that Gu Yun couldn’t resist lifting a hand to caress her delicate cheek.  

“Princess, do you remember the secret technique I mentioned before?”  

Jiang Libai bit her lip and pulled down Gu Yun’s wandering hand. “If you’re going to talk, talk properly—why are you touching my face…”  

Her voice was soft and melodious, with a slight quiver at the end, like a casual pluck of a qin string, making Gu Yun’s throat tighten. 

She finally realized what was different about the Seventh Princess today. 

Normally at this moment, the Seventh Princess would be glaring at her with embarrassment and anger, her tone full of disdain.

“You still haven’t said how you interrogated that person!” Jiang Libai’s face was flushed red under Gu Yun’s bright gaze.

Gu Yun looked at her with deep eyes and then replied in a low voice, “My secret technique can temporarily deprive someone of their consciousness. But that assassin’s will was too strong—it couldn’t shake him.”

The embarrassment in Jiang Libai’s heart faded, replaced with curiosity as she gazed at Gu Yun.

In the quiet carriage, she leaned closer to the person in front of her, inch by inch.

“You can make people lose consciousness?”

The Seventh Princess’s fair little face was right in front of her, and her warm breath brushed lightly against her nose. Gu Yun’s gaze dropped, landing on her pale pink, delicate lips.

A sudden, ambiguous atmosphere rose in the dim surroundings.

Jiang Libai, watching the person coming closer, grew nervous. Clutching her pounding heart, she slowly closed her eyes.

“…Princess.” Gu Yun’s lips curved slightly as she lowered her voice. “Do you want to try?”

Jiang Libai half-opened her eyes, shyly and hesitantly, “Try…try what?” Could it be that Gu Yun really wanted to kiss her? To try and see what kissing felt like?

Seeing the expectation hidden in her bashful gaze, Gu Yun’s smile deepened. “Isn’t the princess curious if I can truly make someone lose consciousness? Do you want to give it a try?”

Jiang Libai: “?”

So Gu Yun meant that?

She quickly turned her face away, her small hands twisting nervously in her sleeves. “I don’t want to! Not at all!”

She tried to calm her erratic breathing, suppressing her inner turmoil and the faint, unspoken affection stirring in her heart.

“But I do want to try with the princess.” Gu Yun raised her hand and cupped the Seventh Princess’s face.

Jiang Libai was forced to look at her, her eyes tinged with grievance. “Try what?” Was Gu Yun really planning to make her lose consciousness?

“This.” Gu Yun leaned down, her warm lips pressing against the corner of the Seventh Princess’s mouth.

Jiang Libai: “!!”

Time seemed to freeze. Her mind went blank, all her senses shutting down except for the tingling warmth at the corner of her mouth.

Her wide eyes stared unblinkingly at Gu Yun. At this close distance, under the dim candlelight, she could even see the fine hairs on Gu Yun’s face.

Her face flushed red, her heart pounding like a frightened rabbit racing wildly.

“Breathe through your mouth.” Gu Yun’s hand moved to the back of the Seventh Princess’s head, pressing her gently against the cushioned side of the carriage.

Her soft lips were warm and sweet, tinged with heat.

Instinctively, the Seventh Princess opened her mouth, and Gu Yun’s flexible tongue slid inside through the parted lips.

Jiang Libai, overwhelmed with nervousness, closed her eyes tightly, feeling the fiery warmth of Gu Yun’s lips, like a sudden blaze igniting in the cold of winter, scorching her intensely…

The Seventh Princess’s long lashes quivered in the dim light, and Gu Yun’s heart quivered with them, as if a stone had been tossed into a calm lake, rippling outward.

Gu Yun’s gaze grew heated, her nape tingling with a growing intensity as her glands pulsed madly, releasing her pheromones.

She couldn’t continue kissing.

If she didn’t stop now, her susceptibility period might be triggered.

Suppressing her surging desire, Gu Yun pulled back, placing a lingering kiss on those lips that had almost caused her to lose control before finally letting go.

Jiang Libai wasn’t much better off. 

Clutching her chest, she panted softly, her eyes glistening with tears of embarrassment. “You…you dared to act improperly toward me…”

Gu Yun smoothed her slightly disheveled hair, her voice hoarse. “Will the princess punish me?”

Jiang Libai glared at her, but the springlike emotion in her gaze carried no real threat. Instead, it seemed to draw Gu Yun in, tempting her to press another kiss to those now swollen lips.

“You scoundrel…” Jiang Libai weakly pounded her fist against Gu Yun’s chest. “Don’t forget, you are…how could you kiss me like this…”

Between two women, wasn’t kissing completely improper?

After the kiss, Jiang Libai’s sweet feelings subsided slightly, replaced by unease.

“If the princess feels regret, or thinks she’s been taken advantage of, I’m willing to let the princess kiss me back.”

Gu Yun’s tone was serious, catching Jiang Libai off guard. “Kiss you back? Wouldn’t that mean we’ve kissed again? You scoundrel, you’re just looking for an excuse to take advantage of me!”

Gu Yun sighed softly. “You know, we are the same. So between us, there’s no question of taking advantage.”

Her words…Jiang Libai found them oddly reasonable.

Gu Yun, like her, was a woman. Hugging and kissing each other seemed…like neither was really taking advantage?

Following Gu Yun’s train of thought, Jiang Libai didn’t notice the faint smile curving the other’s lips.

“Then in the future…you can’t do this again,” Jiang Libai said, biting her lip, issuing her demand.

Hearing this, Gu Yun’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Does the princess not like it?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t like it…it’s just…

Jiang Libai felt something was off but couldn’t quite articulate it.

“If the princess likes it, why can’t we kiss again?” Gu Yun pressed.

“Because two women kissing…” Jiang Libai finally pinpointed the issue, lowering her voice. “Don’t you think it’s improper? Isn’t it…a perversion?”

At that, she looked at Gu Yun with wide eyes and whispered hesitantly, “Do you…have that kind of perversion?”

Otherwise, why would she hug, hold, and even kiss her?

Gu Yun pondered, stroking her chin. As a female alpha, she wasn’t exactly a conventional woman by ancient standards. So did liking her own wife count as a “perversion”?

Seeing her deep in thought, Jiang Libai gasped. “You do?!”

For a moment, her emotions became a tangle of excitement and rejection.

“I don’t want to hear it anymore,” Jiang Libai said, raising a hand to cover Gu Yun’s slightly parted lips. “Let’s just pretend tonight never happened, okay?”

Gu Yun wasn’t sure what the princess was thinking, but since she insisted, she could only agree.

“Alright, as the princess wishes.”

—

Returning to the Princess’s residence, it was already late.  

Gu Yun insisted on bathing before returning to the bedroom she shared with the Seventh Princess.  

After washing away the filth of the day, Gu Yun felt much refreshed. Dressed in her inner garments, she lay down beside the Seventh Princess.  

The person beside her stiffened momentarily.  

The Seventh Princess silently pulled up the blanket and closed her eyes.  

However, Jiang Libai couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard she tried. The faint fragrance of Gu Yun’s freshly bathed scent lingered around her, making her feel drowsy yet restless.  

“Gu Yun.” After a while, she couldn’t help but speak up.  

“Hmm?” Gu Yun slightly turned her head to look toward the inner side of the bed.  

At that moment, Jiang Libai didn’t know what to say. After some thought, she decided to bring up something serious.  

“The slander from the Anyang Earl Manor is not a threat, but the witchcraft accusations are causing unease among the people. If you wish to remain in the Princess’s residence in the future, you must think carefully about who can access your study and why that doll was placed in such an inconspicuous spot.”  

“The future… if you wish to remain in the Princess’s residence.”  

Gu Yun mulled over this ambiguous statement.  

“Does the Princess mean to say that you hope I’ll stay with you forever?”  

Jiang Libai hadn’t expected Gu Yun to latch onto just that one sentence after all she said.  

She glanced in Gu Yun’s direction, rolled her eyes subtly, and then gritted her teeth as she said, “Can’t you focus on the main point of what I said?!”  

“I meant for you to think about who in the past had unrestricted access to your study, so we can investigate them one by one.”  

Gu Yun refocused and began seriously pondering.  

Currently, all the people in her residence were carefully chosen by the Seventh Princess, and there didn’t seem to be anything amiss.  

However… the former steward, Zhou, who had been dismissed by the Seventh Princess, was not entirely trustworthy.  

And because he had been the head steward, he did have free access to her study.  

Could it be him?  

“Did you think of someone?” Jiang Libai, hearing her breathing falter slightly, quickly turned to face her.  

Gu Yun quickly supported her as she half-sat up. “I was thinking… the former steward Zhou seems the most suspicious.”  

Jiang Libai rummaged through her memory, managing to recall a faint trace of that person.  

Her brows furrowed. “His background was perfectly clean, which is why I initially allowed him to stay in your residence.” Could it be that Steward Zhou had been bribed afterward?  

But since he was disrespectful to Gu Yun, she had already dismissed him. It had been so long; his whereabouts were likely unknown.  

“Perhaps someone bribed him,” Jiang Libai speculated, confused as to why such plots against Gu Yun had been schemed so long ago.  

She suspected… it might be related to her.  

But now that she no longer held her father’s favor, who would still waste their effort targeting her?  

Or could it be… those people weren’t after her at all?  

Was their true target her maternal family?  

These thoughts were too much of a headache. Jiang Libai rubbed her temples and decided not to think too deeply about them.  

“Princess, do you feel that the people from Anyang Earl Manor and the assassin tonight are not the same group?” Gu Yun was thinking further ahead.  

“Anyang Earl Manor’s schemes… it seems like they weren’t trying to take my life from the start. Otherwise, their plans wouldn’t be this simple.”  

Jiang Libai was enlightened. “Right, their schemes seem more like they’re trying to tarnish your reputation. Whether it’s Yun Yan claiming to have an affair with you or Yan Qiao’er accusing you of witchcraft and implicating Zhou Yan… all these accusations combined wouldn’t lead Father to sentence you to death.”  

“But if I am tainted by such disgraceful rumors, your father would certainly order us to divorce,” Gu Yun concluded. “Once we divorce, your position as a consort would be vacant again.”  

At the mention of “divorce,” Jiang Libai’s face instantly darkened.  

Whether it was the ambiguity of the night that emboldened her or Gu Yun’s calm, enticing voice, she leaned closer to Gu Yun and whispered, “Tonight… I visited my mother, the Empress.”  

Gu Yun was confused as to why the Seventh Princess, who had been calm moments ago, suddenly softened.  

But she wouldn’t reject the closeness of her wife.  

“And then?”  

Jiang Libai’s small foot nudged at her leg under the warm blanket, not hard, but ticklish.  

“I asked Mother to plead with Father for leniency on your behalf.”  

“I think you’re actually pretty good. Even though some of the things you say annoy me, you don’t mean any harm to me.”  

“Also, since you’re the same as me—a woman—having you as my consort makes me feel at ease.”  

At this last statement, Gu Yun’s gaze flickered. She slowly raised her hand and gently touched the Seventh Princess’s tender face. “I make you… feel at ease?”