Chapter 46: Imitating You Part 2

Seeing Wei Lingci fall silent, Xun Changqing feared she was backing away, leaving her alone to survive in this bloodless killing field of the Imperial Capital. She admired Wei Lingci’s thunderous methods, but beneath worldly conventions, who wouldn’t retreat? Timidly, she tugged at Wei Lingci’s hem and asked anxiously, “Do you care about what those people think?”

Her strength was so slight that Wei Lingci didn’t notice at first. Only when she lowered her head did she see the trembling fingertips on her sleeve. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Xun Changqing, aren’t you afraid?”

Xun Changqing hated most when Wei Lingci called her by full name—it felt distant and irritating—but now wasn’t the time to throw a tantrum. She said, “I’m not afraid. Of course not. What’s there to fear? They live their lives, I live mine. No overlap—why should they interfere?”

“Naive. Don’t forget, you’re a princess now, revered by all.”

“I don’t want to be this damn princess. I don’t even want to be a county princess. Look—Father doesn’t want me, Mother Consort doesn’t want me. Better to be in a common family, where no one cares who I like or who I spend my life with.” The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt, a fire burning in her chest. Xun Changqing flopped onto the bed, clutching Wei Lingci’s sleeve, looking pitiful. “I’m not afraid. I don’t care. What about you?”

Her lips pressed white, eyes aggrieved, tears swirling. Wei Lingci seemed to see the unreasonable Xun Changqing from her past life again. She patted her head. “What are you aggrieved about? I never said I’d give up. If you give up, I won’t force you.”

“I won’t…” Xun Changqing bit her lip just in time, feeling the words had twisted wrong—why did it sound like she was the one begging? In this life, Wei Lingci had made the first move. It wasn’t her fault. She was too soft-spoken and had been tricked again.

Xun Changqing pulled the covers over herself, her chest stuffy with nowhere for the anger to go. She vented on the quilt, then raised her brows. “You’re tricking me again. If you’re scared, why help Yuan Man and Sister Asu? You know why in your heart.”

The pitiful look vanished, turning unreasonable again. Wei Lingci’s head ached. She glanced at the sky outside—dinner was still early. This little demon wouldn’t leave easily. With a headache, she lay down too and said flatly, “I helped Yuan Man for your sake. You couldn’t rest easy, so I assisted. How did it become me wanting to help?”

With that, Wei Lingci closed her eyes, planning to sleep through the rest.

She wouldn’t let it go. Xun Changqing clenched her fist subtly, gazing at the closed-eyed Wei Lingci. Her peach-blossom eyes blinked, flashing excitement. If Wei Lingci opened her eyes, she’d surely get up and leave—but she didn’t. She just lay there pretending to nap.

Xun Changqing coughed lightly. Her fingertips danced on Wei Lingci’s shoulder a few times. No reaction, no words.

She scooted gently to Wei Lingci’s side, smiled, leaned in, grabbed her hand at the side, and teased, “I haven’t finished talking, and you’re asleep already? Master… Master.”

Wei Lingci ignored her. Xun Changqing felt helpless and sad inside, as if Wei Lingci had always been this cold to her before. She bit her lip, staring for a while. Her mind flashed to that day Wei Lingci had kissed her. Her peach-blossom eyes blinked unwillingly, as if reliving it.

The faint glow of the setting sun filtered into the room. Xun Changqing glanced out, then pushed Wei Lingci beside her. Still the same reaction. She leaned over, her eyes reflecting Wei Lingci’s face, joy overflowing. Her head dipped slightly, and her lips cornered onto Wei Lingci’s tightly pressed pink ones. Unlike that day, Xun Changqing bit down a little harder on her lip.

The expected person woke. After the stolen kiss succeeded, Xun Changqing pulled back and smiled. “Weren’t you pretending to sleep?”

Wei Lingci glared helplessly, her fingertip touching her bitten lip. Before she could speak, Xun Changqing cut in. “I was just imitating you… I’m not angry, so you can’t be either.”

The words were untimely yet perfectly fit the scene: One good turn deserves another!

Wei Lingci was rarely at a loss for words, ultimately speechless. Her usual pristine white face gradually flushed with an unnatural pink.

She said nothing, so Xun Changqing grew bolder, leaning closer, staring intently. Her warm breath sprayed on Wei Lingci’s eyes, itchy and sour. She finally spoke. “Changqing, don’t fool around.”

But Xun Changqing was prepared. “If it’s fooling around, you started it first.”

True enough—Wei Lingci lost her footing. As she opened her mouth, Xun Changqing drew even nearer, eyes widening with mischief, lips covering hers. Unlike before, she even extended her tongue. Unable to suppress her pounding heart, Wei Lingci didn’t refuse, letting Xun Changqing “fool around.”

No refusal meant surrender in someone’s eyes. She reached back, wrapping her arms around Wei Lingci’s neck—awkward, green, tense enough to notice. Her nose filled with a heart-stirring fresh scent. Holding her breath, Wei Lingci slowly closed her eyes.

Heavy breathing filled her ears. She pushed the person away, seeming annoyed yet concerned. “Aren’t you tired from going up the mountain today?”

Xun Changqing’s breath was ragged. After panting for a moment, she stared at Wei Lingci’s bitten, swollen corner of the mouth. Tilting her head, hugging her knees on the bed, she asked, “Why is your breathing so steady?”

She was gasping, but Wei Lingci seemed unaffected. Hugging her knees tighter, feeling she’d glimpsed something unpleasant, her brows drooped dejectedly. “Have you tried this with someone else?”

Her soft, glutinous voice carried grievance. Wei Lingci glanced at her helplessly. “Practice your cultivation properly. Don’t think about playing all day.”

What did cultivation have to do with this? Xun Changqing was baffled. Knowing her thoughts, Wei Lingci broke it down. “Practice holding your breath underwater when you have time.”

The explanation was clear. Wei Lingci’s eyes held shyness as she turned away, hiding her expression. But Xun Changqing still didn’t get it and reminded her, “Don’t turn like that; you’ll press on your wound.”

…

The Imperial Capital had a heavy snowfall. After the assassination quietly faded, Shao Tang died a violent death in the Heavenly Prison. Right Chancellor Shao Cheng was heartbroken, but as a criminal, Shao Tang could only be hastily collected and buried in the Shao Family ancestral grave.

After two months of eerie calm in the Imperial Capital, the new year arrived. On the fifteenth of the first month, with lanterns ablaze everywhere, Xun Changqing’s fourteenth birthday quietly approached. But Pingnan Prince’s Mansion always kept a low profile—no guests invited. They closed the gates, barring even Xun Luo, and held a birthday banquet inside.

After the new year court session, dark clouds gathered over Honglu Temple for the first time, facing an unprecedented impasse.