Chapter 18: Being Flexible With Your Husband (1)

On the fourth day, returning to the palace.

Without consulting each other beforehand, both Qi Sheng and I wore clothes with slightly higher collars. In addition, they were clothes that wrapped around our bodies quite tightly. Both of us gave the other a look when we met up, before Qi Sheng coldly turned his head away. I wanted to go over and whip him a few times.

However, because Lu Li was holding my hand, I restrained my impulse. Instead, I raised a middle finger at Qi Sheng’s back.

Figures ranking from the top of the Zhang household to the bottom all came to send Qi Sheng and me off. In front of all the old and young men of the Zhang family, Qi Sheng held my hand. I subconsciously tried to pull my hand back, but I didn’t manage so much as a twitch. This youngster was gripping my hand quite tightly.

The Zhao wang couple, the Bathroom Lord, and the Tree Climbing Lord had to leave after us. Thus, they were also standing at the doorway to send us off. When Qi Sheng’s gaze fell onto Jiang-shi, the hand he was using to hold mine suddenly loosened. I also turned my head to look at Jiang-shi. She wasn’t wearing white again today and instead wore a dress the colour of moonlight. The soft fabric gently swayed from the spring wind, making her look as elegant as an immortal.

I leaned closer to Qi Sheng to deliberately disgust him, “Ah, look. Under Jiang-shi’s immortal-like dress, do you think her body is also covered with love bites?”

Qi Sheng turned around to look at me, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

Contrary to expectations, I could give less of a damn as I infuriated him. “Both Zhao wang and Jiang-shi have such dark eye bags. I reckon they tossed around so much they didn’t sleep for the whole night!”

Qi Sheng’s fingers increased their pressure and they almost broke the bones in my hand. However, I endured the pain and drew back the corners of my mouth into a smile.

Qi Sheng also leaned toward me until his mouth was beside my ear. “Don’t think that just because the Zhang family is present, I wouldn’t dare to do something to you.”

“Then just do whatever you want to me, ah! Hurry up and divorce me, or actually, you might as well just kill me!” I continued to goad him. Yesterday night, I spent the whole night thinking things over. Regarding Qi Sheng, I can’t always indulge and spoil him like this. He originally already looked down on Zhang-shi. If I continued to lower myself, even if he really did allow me to become the Empress in the future, he would definitely trample me to death afterwards.

I had to let him see my value. It was the same as trying to let your boss see your capability to work.

The two of us continued to cross swords like this, where he would make a remark and I’d retort right back. However, the both of us never stopped walking. When we got to the front of the carriage, Qi Sheng kicked away the inner palace servant who had been crouching on the ground so as to act as my stool and instead lifted me onto the carriage in one move. After he also leapt onto the carriage, with a grim smile on his face he murmured, “Between divorcing you or killing you, do you think I can’t do anything else?”

After he finished speaking, he gave my chest a pat and I ended up falling backwards into the carriage.

Qi Sheng immediately entered the carriage after me. I immediately thought, if you f***ing decide to top me again, I’ll kill you!

Towering over me, Qi Sheng arrogantly stared at me.

I was now in a semi-fallen position facing upwards. Using my elbows, I supported my upper body. My entire mind was focused on guarding against Qi Sheng as I attentively watched him. I swore that if I was going to die, I would take him down with me!

As a result, I found out that my thought process was too sinister. Qi Sheng coldly gave me a few glances before walking past me. It was evident that he had no plans of indulging in some car-sex……

I stared blankly for a bit before suddenly laughing out loud. If you thought about it, as long as it wasn’t a pervert who had a twisted mentality, no one would be willing to force themselves onto other people. I was a man, so I understood this. If you weren’t careful and ended up injuring your ‘little junior’, then that would be something that would follow you your whole life.

Qi Sheng saw me laugh and shot me another glance. However, he didn’t say anything and instead took out a book from the wall cabinet before he lowered his head and started reading again.

I mentally thought: this carriage is swaying so much! Go ahead and read your book! Sooner or later, you’ll become short-sighted. Heh! And I just won’t warn you about this!

Like this, the carriage began slowly moving from Cui Shan back to the Imperial City within Sheng, the capital. On this journey, Qi Sheng was once again pretty quiet. I thought it was very strange. It felt like the Qi Sheng inside the carriage and the Qi Sheng outside the carriage were two completely different people. Was it possible that this youngster also had multiple personality disorder?

With that in mind, I put up my guard again. I was afraid that this youngster’s beastly nature would suddenly flare up and he’d pounce on me, catching me unprepared.

Although I was nervous and on guard the whole time, Qi Sheng didn’t make any movements. He just leaned against a corner of the carriage and leisurely read his book. My muscles were tensed up for so long that they were somewhat numb. In the end I really couldn’t bear it, so without any better options, I shifted my butt a tiny bit.

Qi Sheng gave me an indifferent glance before pulling up the corners of his mouth into a disdaining smile. He didn’t acknowledge me.

The carriage finally arrived at the Capital City Sheng before entering the Imperial City, stopping only when it was right outside the Eastern Palace. Qi Sheng stood up to get off of the carriage. However, when he arrived at the carriage door, he suddenly turned around his head before asking me a question, “Should I die, do you know how a widow like you would guard me?”

Being asked this caused me to feel utterly bewildered, so don’t even ask me if I was able to answer.

However, Qi Sheng didn’t seem to have any intentions of letting me reply either. He simply gave a cold laugh before stepping out of the carriage. By the time a inner palace servant had helped me get off of the carriage, Qi Sheng’s figure was already far away in the distance.

My heart was filled to the brim with my doubts. When I returned to my palace hall, I didn’t even have time to ask Lu Li how a widow should guard her husband when an imperial physician arrived in the courtyard. He didn’t even pass through the palace hall doors, and only stood in my courtyard before reaching a verdict. There’s no need for me to repeat the traditional Chinese medicinal terms. In short, they came to tell me I should stay in the palace and cultivate my moral and mental state. In addition, I should adopt a diet with no greasy or heavy-flavoured foods.

F***! Qi Sheng, you arrogant guy! Observation, auscultation, interrogation, and palpation shouldn’t be this kind of method of looking, right? It’s obvious you’re just trying to give me a hard time!

The rims of Lu Li’s eyes had reddened once more. She persistently asked me, “Crown Princess, you and His Highness the Crown Prince were so loving yesterday night. What’s going on now?”

I was originally doing alright. However, the moment I heard the two words ‘so loving’, I almost died from choking on the tea in my mouth.

Lu Li saw how I had started crying and only thought I was just extremely sad and unable to voice my suffering. She hurriedly used a handkerchief to wipe away my tears for me. As she wiped, she also advised me, “Crown Princess, relax your mind. There’s always a leeway to redeem a situation.”

I grabbed Lu Li’s hand, but I couldn’t voice my sorrows. I could only think in my heart: Little girl ah, how could you understand? This is them trying to bend me regardless of life or death!

The courtyard doors were tightly closed, and I once again experienced days of confinement.

Only, this time felt even harder to endure than last time’s. Never mind not being able to go outside, it was too hot anyway. There wasn’t much to entertain myself with even if I could go outside…… However, can you stop constantly feeding me green vegetables and tofu? In any case, I’m still a Crown Princess, right?

After eating these things for three days, my face was about to turn green as well.

An old master once said, by nature humans desire food and sex. Right now with my current body I already can’t have sex, so don’t tell me you’re going to cut off my food as well?

I laid on the cool couch and said in a dispirited voice, “Lu Li, I want to eat meat……”

Lu Li was fanning me. She stared at me with eyes filled with tears, “Crown Princess, just endure for a few more days.”

I thought for a moment before finally deciding to stop dilly-dallying with Qi Sheng like this. Thus, I ordered Lu Li, “Help me comb my hair and find me some clothes to wear. Let’s go find Qi Sheng.”

As the saying goes, an arm can’t twist a thigh. Always competing with your boss like this wouldn’t bear any nice fruits for one to eat.

In his own courtyard, Qi Sheng was in the middle of practicing his swordplay. Under the scorching sun, his clothes were soaked with sweat and stuck to his body. They outlined his sturdy and muscular arms. When I saw this, I felt a burst of envy before I mentally started scolding him. Sure enough, he was an sb1! The sun was this hot, even if he wanted to practice his swordplay didn’t he know to find some cool shade?

Qi Sheng finished a set of swordplay moves and then returned to a standing position. The little palace maids who had long been standing there immediately surrounded him. One took his sword, another handed over some water. There were even more maids that stood on their toes to carefully wipe away the beads of sweat on Qi Sheng’s forehead……

Testosterone permeated throughout the entire courtyard to the point that even Lu Li who was beside me was about to start blushing.

I was very angry! I wanted to explode!

Qi Sheng gently raised his hand. All the palace maids lowered their heads and left. Even Lu Li had no choice but to follow them. Before leaving, she gave me a worry-free look and used her gaze to silently tell me: Crown Princess, you have to endure! Or else tonight we will have to eat vegetables and tofu again ah!

In order to have meat to eat! I will endure!

Only then did Qi Sheng turn around to look at me. He used an indifferent tone to ask me, stressing some words, “Is your illness better?”

Qi Sheng, you arrogant show-off! I mentally cursed him in my heart before replying, “I’m better.”

Qi Sheng asked in a lukewarm tone, “It only took three days for you to get better?

I can’t whip him, I can’t whip him, I can’t whip him……

I repeated those words in my heart a hundred times before I managed to repress my anger. Nodding, I replied, “En, only three days.”

Qi Sheng finally nodded his head with satisfaction, “Then continue being a good Crown Princess!”

Yes, I will definitely continue being a good Crown Princess. In the future, I will also become Empress, and then……there come a day where I will depose you and become an Empress Dowager!

I only managed to eat meat for two days before the day of the palace ji qiuceremony arrived.

This sport was originally something played in the army. It was the best method to train someone to ride a horse and slaughter others with a blade from atop a horse. After ancestor Cheng raised an army and seized the imperial throne, he established the rule to compete in this sport every year on the fifth month. He also demanded that all the imperial sons and daughters had to participate. This served to ensure that even during periods of peace, they wouldn’t forget to practice their military skills. It is also said that ancestor Cheng’s martial skills were the best under the heavens and he was an expert at this sport himself. He was skilled at riding, and he could run as fast as a deity.

Furthermore, there were unofficial history records of when ancestor Cheng competed in ji qiu against a high-ranking military official when he was in the military. Ancestor Cheng and his steed galloped as fast as a ray of lightning, scoring countless goals. It made the soldiers scream ‘long live His Majesty’ to the point it shook the Heavens. Even the commander at the time, Mai Sui, was obliged to think ancestor Cheng was better than himself. Only ancestor Cheng’s personal bodyguard whose face was covered could compete with ancestor Cheng with much difficulty……

Back then, when I read this paragraph, I had thought: this Mai Sui might not necessarily be worse than ancestor Cheng. It was only that he deeply understood the rules of his job, or else how could he climb to the position of army commander? On the other hand, that personal bodyguard who didn’t even dare to expose his face was too inexperienced!

After repeating the words ji qiu this many times, to be frank, it was the same as playing polo.

When it came to this sport, it wasn’t like I hadn’t seen it before. It was just that back then I could only be considered as an ordinary city dweller. Though I had seen horses on my television many times, if someone pulled one to me and told me to ride it, my guts would probably tremble. Don’t even mention actually riding a horse and competing against a hoard of other people as we chase after a ball……If you were to switch the sport to soccer, I would actually have the confidence to go up there and play with them.

Lu Li was full of enthusiasm as she meticulously helped me prepare my ji qiuequipment. I was very distressed. Thus, I tried asking Lu Li, “Can I not go up and play?”

Lu Li turned around to look at me, her almond-shaped eyes widening to the point they looked like dragon fruits. “How could that be possible? Crown Princess is the head of the Eastern Palace, how could you not go up? In addition, your esteemed father was Jiangbei army’s outstanding and famous Minister Zhang, known for doing everything with all his might. His horsemanship was exquisite. With only himself, his steed, and his blade, he killed so many the Da tribe children would become terror-stricken when they heard of him. In the whole world, who doesn’t know this or is unclear about this? Crown Princess is a general’s tigress, you can never let the Zhang family’s honour fall!”

You can never let the Zhang family’s honour fall!

Hey, I’m under a lot of pressure! Seeing Lu Li’s serious appearance, I really couldn’t bear to tell her that right now, your Crown Princess can’t even ride a horse……

I felt very conflicted. Should I report this situation to my ‘boss’?

1. SB = Chinese short-form of calling people stupid.