Chapter 109: Getting the Clothes
In an instant, Zhao Yiyi’s mind went blank. She tilted her head back, looking at him in a daze. She hadn’t even fully processed the meaning.
Her obedient, bewildered look made Gu Zhen’s heart overflow with affection. He leaned down, smiling as he patted her cheek. “Yiyi was so enthusiastic today; I am truly… overwhelmed by the favor.”
Deer blood wine.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t know the specifics, nor had she ever seen it before. But living in the palace, she had heard rumors. Combined with his current state, she could guess.
Her small face turned pale. She twisted her belt and looked at him, stammering, “I’ll have someone brew some hangover soup for you.” She then began to grumble and complain, “If you couldn’t drink that much, why did you have to force yourself?”
Gu Zhen smiled. “I said it before: since Yiyi poured it herself, I would have drunk it even if it were poison.”
Zhao Yiyi’s heart shook again. Just as she moved to get up from the mat, she was pressed back down.
She looked back in confusion, only to see a faint, lingering smile on Gu Zhen’s lips. “No rush.” One hand stroked her neck, his voice dropping an octave. “Having Yiyi act as my hangover soup is enough.”
A warm palm rested against her neck. His fingertips slowly wandered up to her cheek, passing over her eyes and the bridge of her nose before stopping at her red lips. Then, he pressed down firmly.
Zhao Yiyi felt a hint of fear.
Her long eyelashes trembled. After her thoughts spun a few times, she grabbed Gu Zhen’s robes, tilted her head back, and forced a smile. “Later, okay? Not now. I just walked around, and my legs are sore. I’m so tired.”
Her tone softened as she carefully tugged at his sleeve. “There are people outside. Let’s wait until later, when we go back to Yande Hall…”
Under the sunlight, Zhao Yiyi’s head dipped lower and lower, her voice becoming so faint it was almost inaudible.
Gu Zhen laughed. He stroked her soft hair and said warmly, “That won’t do. It’s rare for Yiyi to be so enthusiastic; how can I let it go to waste?”
For every inch Zhao Yiyi retreated, he moved forward two. Until there was no space left between them, and she could only tilt her head back and look at him, holding her breath.
In the next second, a deluge of kisses descended, leaving her eyes misty and the hand against his chest trembling uncontrollably.
Gu Zhen didn’t dare to be too reckless. Though the kisses were dense, they were careful and almost reverent.
He thought to himself that he ultimately couldn’t bear to hurt her even a little bit. Even though the fire in his heart was roaring, nearly burning him to ashes, he still suppressed himself, treating her like a precious treasure.
This was his Yiyi, the person at the very center of his heart. How could he bear to mistreat her?
During a break between kisses, Zhao Yiyi clutched her chest, panted slightly, and frowned. “Can’t you… can’t you just endure it?”
Gu Zhen pulled her hand to touch him and laughed softly. “Look for yourself, Yiyi. It’s impossible.”
The moment she felt that searing heat, Zhao Yiyi’s face turned bright red. Her previous paleness vanished into a deep flush, and she jerked her hand back.
Normally, when Gu Zhen put in a bit of effort and used more strength, she could barely handle it. Not to mention today, when he had drunk… drunk that wine. Looking at him now, he would surely be even more intense than usual.
Zhao Yiyi pleaded in a soft voice, “Don’t…” But before the words could fully leave her mouth, her lips were sealed by his.
No matter how many soft words she offered afterward, or how she clung to his neck, Gu Zhen only lowered his head and coaxed her with a gentle voice. He refused to retreat a single step.
The sun shone brightly, and the shadows of the trees swayed.
A sudden rain shower fell outside. A leaf on a branch shook countless times before finally falling to the ground just as the rain began to cease.
Gu Zhen was in no hurry to pull away. He kissed her tender cheek and coaxed, “Yiyi, say something to me? Don’t ignore me. At least say a few words.”
Zhao Yiyi turned her head away, burying her flushed face in the embroidered bedding. She sobbed, “You bully me like this and still want me to talk to you? How can you be like this?”
Gu Zhen held her waist and had to lower his head to comfort the weeping beauty. “You’re finally willing to speak. You were so happy just now but didn’t make a sound. If you keep it all inside, I’m worried you’ll make yourself sick.”
“Who was happy!” Zhao Yiyi pushed him in frustration, her face turning even redder. She gritted her teeth. “Stop slandering me.”
Gu Zhen suppressed a laugh. He held her in his arms and patted her back gently. “Alright, alright. I slandered you. You definitely weren’t happy just now.”
He refused to let the subject go, which only made Zhao Yiyi more annoyed. She gave him a sharp glare. “You clearly knew what it was but didn’t tell me.”
He knew perfectly well what the deer blood wine was. He even said he intended to leave it alone. Intended to leave it alone, yet he ended up drinking three cups.
“Didn’t I ask you if you were sure you wanted to drink with me?” Gu Zhen raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with mischief. He leaned into her ear. “At the time, you were the one who nodded so decisively and even asked me if I was unwilling to give you face.”
The wave of heat by her ear made Zhao Yiyi’s heart race, and her entire body felt hot.
That… that was because she didn’t know what it was! If she had known, she wouldn’t have wanted his “face” at all. In the end, she was the one who suffered.
As cheers erupted from the distance, Gu Zhen leaned down to kiss the corners of her eyes. “Do you want to rest a bit longer?”
The thought that she had been out “for a walk” for so long made Zhao Yiyi feel dizzy. She didn’t speak, but hurriedly looked down for her clothes.
After searching for a while, she realized that all her clothes—including her undergarments—were in a tattered state.
She turned and glared at him. Gu Zhen, knowing he was in the wrong, cleared his throat and said gently, “I’ll have someone bring some clothes over.”
If he called for clothes, wouldn’t all the servants know? Though the current situation was practically a dead giveaway, it was still different. She could deceive herself for a bit longer.
At this thought, Zhao Yiyi felt ashamed and furious. “You are not allowed to go!”
Her voice rose instinctively. She sat on the edge of the bed, her face flushed as she looked at him with eyes full of fire.
Gu Zhen’s footsteps stopped abruptly. He looked back at her and, seeing her angry eyes, softened his tone. “Fine, I won’t send anyone. I’ll go get them myself, alright?”
Zhao Yiyi didn’t speak, just bit her lip and looked at him. Gu Zhen knew that this was her silent agreement. She was just too embarrassed to say it.
She was just that kind of awkward person. Clearly more timid, petty, and soft than anyone, yet she insisted on putting on a fierce front and refusing to talk.
But this was his Yiyi. A complete Yiyi.
Gu Zhen didn’t linger. He covered her with the quilt and stepped out of the room, carefully closing the door behind him.
Yunzhu stood outside holding a cup of water. Her legs were going numb, and her face felt stiff. The water in her hand had gone from warm to ice cold. She thought blankly to herself that this cup of water had taken a very long time to “pour.”
Once the Emperor left, she dared to knock on the wooden door. “Your Majesty, this servant has brought the water. Do you still need it?”
“Oh, so Yun Sibao finally brought the water?”
The voice from inside was muffled and raspy—Yunzhu couldn’t tell if it was from crying or something else. She was momentarily dazed. Hearing the Empress call her by her title, she knew her mistress was unhappy. She bowed her head. “This servant was slow. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
“Bring it in.”
At the command, Yunzhu entered with the cup. She walked around the floral screen and the six-paneled nanmu screen until she reached the source of the voice.
However, the light gauze curtains were drawn tight, obscuring everything.
“Your Majesty,” Yunzhu called again.
The curtains shifted. A moment later, a slender, pale arm reached out from the peach-pink lotus curtains to take the cup. Seeing this, Yunzhu stopped her hand from opening the curtains.
In the moment the cup was handed over, Yunzhu glanced down. She saw startling marks covering that pale arm.
Having served for so long, she knew her mistress’s body was delicate. Even a slight touch would leave a mark that took days to fade. Seeing the marks today, she knew they wouldn’t disappear for quite a while, even with ointment. She would need to prepare the medicine first.
As she was thinking, a cold, low voice came from behind. “Who gave you permission to come in?”
A chill ran down Yunzhu’s spine. She stiffened and turned to face the stern man walking toward her. “Long live Your Majesty.”
“I told her to bring water.” The voice from inside the curtains carried a hint of annoyance, followed by a light cough. “Are you even going to stop me from having water?”
Gu Zhen frowned but had to comfort her. “Alright, alright. Speak less and take care of yourself.” He glanced at Yunzhu again and snapped, “Leave.”
Yunzhu lowered her head and obeyed. As she retreated, her eyes fell on a box in the Emperor’s hand. She immediately looked away and backed out of the room.
Only then did Gu Zhen open the curtains and hand the box inside. “Are you tired? Do you want me to help you change?”
Zhao Yiyi had just finished the water and threw the cup at him. “Who wants your help!”
Gu Zhen caught the celadon cup and laughed. “Fine. I’ll wait for you outside.”
After a long while of fumbling, Zhao Yiyi finally changed and stepped out from behind the screen. She had been worried that wearing different clothes would be a dead giveaway. But looking at herself now, she was still in a moon-white skirt and a pale yellow jacket. With the crimson sash, the colors were almost identical to her previous outfit.
He had clearly put thought into it. However, the shades weren’t exactly the same, and the patterns were slightly different. From a distance, it wouldn’t be noticeable, but someone looking closely might see the change.
Zhao Yiyi lingered at the door, unwilling to go out. Before, she had wanted to leave quickly for fear of being caught, but now that she had changed, she was still afraid of being discovered.
Gu Zhen smiled helplessly. He took her hand and led her out.
The servants at the door only saw that the Empress’s face was slightly flushed and her steps were a bit unsteady. She allowed the Emperor to lead her toward the drilling grounds.
By now, the competition had ended, but the crowd hadn’t dispersed. The grounds had been converted into a polo field. Two teams were locked in a fierce match. With just one glance, Zhao Yiyi saw a handsome youth in a green robe riding a black stallion, holding a polo mallet with high spirits.
She recognized him instantly—it was Zhao Duanduan.
Her head throbbed, and she pressed her brow. “She promised me so well before. The moment I look away, she starts causing trouble again.”
Looking to the side, she saw Zhao Chen passing the ball to Zhao Duanduan. She felt like nothing was going right. “It’s one thing for Duanduan to be reckless, but he’s joining in! Neither of them is any good!”
Gu Zhen listened to her complaints with a smile. When she stopped, he tapped her forehead. “After all that, why haven’t I seen Your Majesty send anyone to stop them?”
She simply couldn’t bear to.
Zhao Yiyi glared at him. Sensing her strength returning slightly, she shook off his hand and walked through the crowd back to her seat.
As soon as she sat down, Prince Yan said warmly from behind, “Imperial Sister-in-law was gone for so long that Imperial Brother grew anxious and went to find you.”
Zhao Yiyi’s heart leaped into her throat. Before she could reply, he added, “I wonder if he found you.”
The shadows shifted as a low voice took over. “He found her, naturally.” Gu Zhen then looked back at Prince Yan, his expression darkening. “I heard there’s a spot open on the field. Since you have nothing to do, go fill that gap.”
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