Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 45
The enraged Emperor Yu dispatched a military general with ten thousand soldiers out of the capital to capture the fugitive Second Prince, Jiang Shen. Additionally, he had Jiang Shen’s wife and children sent to an undisclosed location for imprisonment.
Upon hearing this news, Jiang Libai paused for a moment. She had already learned earlier that it was that useless fool, Jiang Shen, who had abducted her.
So now, when she heard her father say, “If they resist, kill without mercy,” her expression remained unchanged.
That fool deserved it!
He had kidnapped her, causing her daughter to be born over half a month early. Who knew what kind of lasting effects that might have on her child…
But according to Qin’er, her daughter was very well-behaved—she would sleep after being fed and only cry out twice when hungry, making her easy to care for.
Footsteps sounded outside the room.
It was probably Qin’er bringing her daughter over.
“Come in.” Leaning against the bed, she called toward the door.
Qin’er walked in, carefully carrying a tightly wrapped little bundle, and gently placed it in Jiang Libai’s arms.
“Princess, this servant has brought the little princess.” She uncovered the fabric covering the baby’s head, revealing a small, still slightly wrinkled face. “The wet nurse just fed her, so she won’t sleep for a little while.”
Jiang Libai lowered her head, watching her daughter as she pursed her tiny lips. She reached out and touched the baby’s soft cheek.
“What did the imperial physician say after examining her?”
Imperial Physician Zhao had already visited to check on both mother and daughter. Qin’er had previously mentioned that Jiang Libai was fine and just needed proper postpartum rest.
But as for her daughter, she wasn’t sure if Physician Zhao had found anything concerning.
“Physician Zhao said that although the little princess was born prematurely, she is very healthy. Princess, you don’t need to worry…”
That was good.
Jiang Libai continued playing with her daughter, speaking absentmindedly without lifting her head. “Where is the prince consort?”
Gu Yun had returned with her, so she was probably somewhere in the residence.
Qin’er looked a bit confused. “The prince consort? This servant does not serve the prince consort… so I don’t know what he is doing…” She noticed Jiang Libai suddenly raising her head, her brows furrowing tightly, and immediately lowered her voice in fear.
“The prince consort didn’t come back?”
Had she gone to Prince Jinping’s manor instead?
Qin’er wasn’t sure about Gu Yun’s whereabouts, so she quickly knelt on the ground and shook her head. “Replying to the princess, ever since you and the little princess returned, this servant has not seen the prince consort.”
So Gu Yun must have gone back to Prince Jinping’s manor.
Jiang Libai bit her lip and instructed Qin’er, “Then have Mu Jiang go to Prince Jinping’s manor and send a message—tell the prince consort to come see me tomorrow.”
She was going to divorce Gu Yun. One way or another, they had to meet.
Dragging it out like this wouldn’t do.
Qin’er accepted the order, then saw the seventh princess wave her hand, dismissing her.
The room was now left with only Jiang Libai and her daughter.
She held the tiny bundle in her arms, watching as the baby started blowing little bubbles, and her heart nearly melted.
Gently squeezing the baby’s small hand, she spoke softly, “Your grandfather gave you the title ‘Zhaohua.’ Do you like it?”
The little one continued blowing bubbles.
Jiang Libai chuckled. “Since you’re not saying anything, that means you like it. How about I give you a nickname too?”
The little bundle still kept blowing bubbles.
“You’re not objecting, so I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll call you ‘Xingxing’ (Star), okay?”
Jiang Libai continued, talking to herself. “On the night you were born, the sky was full of beautiful little stars. As soon as I saw them, I gave birth to you.”
“I hope that, just like the stars, you will shine brightly. So from now on, your name will be Xingxing, alright?”
Perhaps sensing Jiang Libai’s words, little Xingxing waved her tiny arms and let out a soft hum.
Jiang Libai was delighted, thinking her daughter was responding to her. But in the next instant, Xingxing suddenly opened her mouth wide and burst into loud cries.
Jiang Libai panicked, trying to soothe her, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
Xingxing cried heartbreakingly, and Jiang Libai, unsure of how to calm her, attempted to place the baby against her chest, gently stroking her back.
“Don’t cry, Xingxing. Be good, don’t cry…”
But no matter how long she comforted her, Xingxing kept crying.
Thinking that hunger wasn’t the issue—since she had just been fed—Jiang Libai had no choice but to send Qin’er to call for the wet nurse.
However, the moment the wet nurse picked Xingxing up, the baby’s cries grew even louder, almost heartbreaking, as if she were wailing from the depths of her soul. Jiang Libai’s heart nearly shattered at the sound.
Hurriedly, she took Xingxing back from the wet nurse.
The crying softened slightly, but Xingxing still whimpered.
Seeing this, the wet nurse quickly said, “It seems the little princess doesn’t want to leave Your Highness’s side.”
Qin’er, noticing how the baby’s cries lessened in Jiang Libai’s arms, agreed, “Yes, Princess, the little princess probably just wants to stay with you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Libai was suddenly reminded of something else.
Back when she was pregnant, she often felt unwell, but whenever Gu Yun was nearby, the faint scent of sandalwood she carried always made her feel better.
Could it be that Xingxing also needed Gu Yun’s scent to feel at ease?
Jiang Libai gently squeezed Xingxing’s tiny hand and softly instructed Qin’er, “Go to Prince Jinping’s manor and tell the prince consort not to wait until tomorrow. He must come to the princess’s residence immediately.”
Qin’er accepted the order and left.
After dismissing everyone else, Jiang Libai sat in the room, waiting for Gu Yun to arrive.
At this moment, she wasn’t even sure what she was feeling.
Yes… she was simply calling Gu Yun over because her daughter might need her scent to feel secure. She didn’t want her daughter to keep crying like this.
Yes, that must be the reason.
However, after a long while, Qin’er returned and reported that the prince consort was not at Prince Jinping’s manor.
Jiang Libai frowned. “He’s not at Prince Jinping’s manor?!”
Then did that mean she had actually returned with them that day?
Could it be that, upon hearing Jiang Libai say she wanted a divorce, she was now deliberately avoiding her?
Jiang Libai let out a cold snort. “Go search the residence and see where he is.”
Qin’er also found it strange. She hadn’t seen the prince consort all day and had assumed he was at Prince Jinping’s manor.
But since he wasn’t there, he must still be somewhere within the residence.
Recalling that the prince consort had previously stayed in the side chamber, Qin’er decided to check there first.
Pushing open the door and stepping inside, she immediately saw the prince consort lying on the bed.
Even though it was already getting late, was he really asleep this early?
Qin’er slowly approached, intending to wake the person up.
But as soon as she got closer, she was startled by the redness on his face and the dryness of his lips.
Why did the prince consort look unwell?
Leaning in, Qin’er softly called, “Prince Consort? Prince Consort? The princess wishes to see you now.”
However, Gu Yun, who was in a deep sleep, didn’t respond.
Qin’er gently shook him, but he still didn’t react. A wave of fear washed over her—was the prince consort running a fever? Had he caught a chill?
Carefully, she reached out and touched Gu Yun’s forehead.
As soon as her hand made contact, she was startled by the scorching heat.
Panicked, Qin’er ran out of the room and rushed to the main chamber, hurriedly reporting to the Seventh Princess, “This is bad! This is bad! The prince consort has a fever and has fallen unconscious!”
Hearing this, Jiang Libai furrowed her brows tightly. “Where is he?”
Qin’er pointed toward the side chamber. “The prince consort is lying there, burning up and completely unresponsive!”
Jiang Libai couldn’t help but feel worried and immediately ordered Qin’er to summon an imperial physician.
Once Qin’er left, Jiang Libai grew anxious and wanted to go check on Gu Yun herself.
However, having just given birth, she was still weak and had difficulty moving, so she had to abandon the thought.
Fortunately, Qin’er was quick, both in leaving and returning.
About half an hour later, she arrived with Physician Zhao.
Right—Physician Zhao didn’t know Gu Yun’s true identity. To prevent him from being too shocked, she should give him a heads-up first.
Otherwise, if he diagnosed Gu Yun’s pulse and discovered she was a woman, he might be utterly dumbfounded.
But before Jiang Libai could meet with Physician Zhao, a servant arrived to report that the prince consort had already woken up and refused to let the physician check his pulse.
Jiang Libai understood her concerns.
But she was clearly sick and needed medical attention.
She had Qin’er relay a message to Gu Yun, reassuring her that Physician Zhao was trustworthy and that the consort shouldn’t neglect his health out of concern.
Yet no matter what was said, Gu Yun stubbornly refused to let the physician treat her.
Jiang Libai grew angry.
Since she couldn’t get up to check on Gu Yun, she ordered people to carry Gu Yun into her room instead.
When a few strong elderly women carried the panic-stricken Gu Yun into the room, Jiang Libai stared at her coldly. “Do you have a death wish?”
Catching a cold might seem minor, but if left untreated, it could still be life-threatening.
Gu Yun was placed on a soft couch, her gaze never leaving the Seventh Princess and the small bundle in her arms.
At that moment, the little one had likely cried herself tired and was now only letting out weak whimpers.
With her keen hearing, Gu Yun naturally picked up on it.
“I’m fine. I’ll probably recover after a few days of rest.” She leaned weakly against the pillow and asked Jiang Libai, “Is she hungry?”
Jiang Libai noticed that although Gu Yun’s face was a bit pale, she didn’t seem to be in immediate danger. She waved her hand, dismissing the others from the room.
In an instant, only the three of them remained.
“Xingxing is probably not hungry.” Jiang Libai didn’t bother looking at Gu Yun and continued soothing the baby in her arms, speaking indifferently, “I don’t know why she kept crying, but I think she might be missing your scent…”
Gu Yun: “?”
Her daughter… needed her pheromones too?
Gu Yun was momentarily baffled.
Without further hesitation, she tentatively released a trace of her pheromones from the gland at the nape of her neck.
A faint scent of sandalwood filled the room. Jiang Libai turned her head away uncomfortably.
But soon, she noticed that Xingxing had actually stopped crying.
She turned back and met Gu Yun’s long, narrow eyes.
Clearing her throat lightly, she asked, “Can Xingxing really recognize your scent?”
Gu Yun, still weak, replied, “I’m not sure either.” If Yixing were still here, with its vast interstellar knowledge, it might have been able to explain.
But now, Yixing was gone.
Thinking about Yixing, Gu Yun couldn’t suppress the feeling of loss.
Jiang Libai noticed her sudden change in mood and was slightly surprised.
What was with this person? Why did she suddenly lower her head and stop responding?
Her voice grew colder as she called, “Gu Yun.” “Did you even hear me? Our daughter’s nickname is Xingxing.”
She had already said it twice, yet Gu Yun showed no reaction. Did she not care about their daughter at all?!
Hearing this, Gu Yun lifted her head, moved her lips slightly, and softly repeated, “Xingxing?”
“Why… did you give her that name?”
Seeing that she had finally responded, Jiang Libai pursed her lips. “The night I gave birth, I saw a sky full of stars, and…”
She glanced outside the window and continued in a low voice, “And the light in your hand.”
She didn’t know why, but she always felt that the twinkling stars had some connection to the light in Gu Yun’s hands. She also had an inexplicable intuition… that the reason she had safely given birth was related to those stars.
Thinking of this, she covertly glanced at Gu Yun.
Didn’t she say she came from the stars? Maybe she wasn’t an ordinary person and had borrowed the power of the stars to help her?
“You saw it?” Gu Yun hadn’t expected that the Seventh Princess would actually see it.
Jiang Libai didn’t understand what the complicated look in Gu Yun’s eyes meant, nor did she want to know. She responded perfunctorily with a nod, “Whether you’re human or a demon, she is your daughter in the end. The fact that she was born safely is probably thanks to you as well, so I named her Xingxing.”
Gu Yun suppressed the sorrow and bitterness in her heart, remaining silent.
Jiang Libai frowned at this, “You’re not satisfied?”
Gu Yun shook her head, her voice slightly choked, “No, I’m very satisfied. The name you chose is perfect.”
“She will be called Xingxing.”
For some reason, Jiang Libai felt that Gu Yun looked very helpless right now… and also a little despondent?
But she was still angry with her, so she wouldn’t care why she was acting like this!
With the soothing presence of her mother’s pheromones, Xingxing had already fallen into a deep sleep in Jiang Libai’s arms.
Seeing the little one sleeping peacefully, she carefully placed her on the inner side of the bed and covered her with a small blanket.
After gazing gently at her daughter’s sleeping face, Jiang Libai slowly turned around and looked at Gu Yun, who was lying on the soft couch.
From the way things were, it seemed that Xingxing could no longer be handed over to the wet nurse. If that was the case, then Gu Yun wouldn’t be able to leave her room for the time being either.
Recalling how Gu Yun had curled up on that small couch earlier, sleeping uncomfortably, Jiang Libai closed her eyes and lay down, pulling the blanket over her face.
As long as she didn’t see Gu Yun looking so pitiful, she wouldn’t feel bad.
The room fell into silence.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened.
Gu Yun leaned against the pillow. Judging from the Seventh Princess’s demeanor, she probably wouldn’t force her to see the imperial physician or throw her out again.
Fortunately, it was early summer, and the weather wasn’t too cold.
She could make do with resting on the soft couch.
Gu Yun pulled the blanket at her feet over herself, curled up, and closed her eyes to sleep.
She was still unwell, had been woken up by Qin’er earlier, and was then carried into the princess’s room. After talking for so long, she was already exhausted.
Her entire body felt weak. The soft couch was small, and her sleep was light, filled with strange and chaotic dreams.
Suddenly, a baby’s cry woke her up.
Seeing the candlelight flickering around her, Gu Yun sat up and looked toward the bed. As expected, Xingxing had woken up hungry.
The Seventh Princess was carefully picking her up and cradling her in her arms.
Sensing the gaze from the side, Jiang Libai paused as she reached to loosen her collar. She glanced sideways at Gu Yun, who had woken up, and said coldly, “What are you looking at?”
Gu Yun quickly averted her gaze.
Only then did Jiang Libai undo her collar and begin nursing Xingxing.
The sound of the little one suckling was especially clear in the quiet room.
Gu Yun couldn’t help but glance over again.
Hmm… after giving birth, the Seventh Princess seemed to have grown a bit…
A faint blush crept onto Gu Yun’s face.
Afraid that Jiang Libai would notice, she forcibly turned her head and stared at the flickering candlelight instead.
But what she didn’t know was that Jiang Libai had already noticed the moment she glanced over.
However, Jiang Libai also suppressed the heat on her own face and didn’t dare to look up.
Speaking of which, ever since she was seven months pregnant, she hadn’t been intimate with Gu Yun at all.
Now that she was still in her postpartum period and was also angry with Gu Yun, there was even less of a possibility.
Jiang Libai hurriedly shook her head, trying to push away the strange thoughts in her mind.
—
An awkward night passed just like that.
Early the next morning, Jiang Libai was having the breakfast that Qin’er had brought. She glanced at Gu Yun absentmindedly and, seeing that her face still looked pale and she seemed weak, she casually asked, “Are you really not going to see the imperial physician?”
Gu Yun was drinking her porridge and had yet to swallow when she heard the Seventh Princess’s calm voice.
She looked up, only to find that the Seventh Princess hadn’t even spared her a glance.
Could she take this as a sign that the Seventh Princess actually cared about her? The moment this thought emerged, Gu Yun’s cold, dead heart seemed to gain a trace of warmth.
Since there was no one else in the room at the moment, Gu Yun spoke in a low voice, “My pulse reading might be different from yours, so it’s best not to see the imperial physician, even if you say that Physician Zhao is trustworthy.”
Jiang Libai was entirely focused on the part where Gu Yun said her pulse might be different from theirs, so she didn’t notice the hint of joy in Gu Yun’s tone.
“But if you keep dragging it out like this, it won’t do.” Jiang Libai glanced at Xingxing, who was still fast asleep, and continued, “I don’t know if you can heal on your own, but recovering sooner is always better for your body.”
Hearing the concern hidden beneath the Seventh Princess’s indifferent tone, Gu Yun couldn’t hold back a smile. Coughing slightly, she asked, “Princess, are you worried about me?”
If her intuition wasn’t wrong, the Princess was definitely worried about her, right? Right?
A flicker of irritation flashed across Jiang Libai’s face. “Who’s worried about you?!”
“Don’t forget, we’re still going to divorce.”
Seeing the faint smile on Gu Yun’s face disappear, Jiang Libai then slowly added, “If you keep being so weak and sickly, I’m just afraid you’ll pass it on to Xingxing.”
“That’s the only reason.”
For this novel one Kofi is two extra chapters. Ko-fi link: ko-fi.com/mitake55760
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