Chapter 44: Shall We Be Good?

Jiang Chenbi abruptly turned to look at Cui Wangshu. That woman had a gentle smile playing at the corners of her lips, and Jiang Chenbi’s anger was instantly extinguished. She ground her teeth before sinking them into Cui Wangshu’s cheek.

When she released it, a small tooth mark remained.

Cui Wangshu gazed at her and smiled. “Feeling better now?”

Jiang Chenbi huffed, turning her head away. “Still mad.”

Cui Wangshu sat up and pulled Jiang Chenbi into a face-to-face embrace, their skin pressing together as their body heat flowed endlessly between them.

Cui Wangshu’s voice was cool and clear. “Want to bite me again?”

Jiang Chenbi blinked in confusion.

She narrowed her eyes and clamped down hard on Cui Wangshu’s collarbone. The force was such that a bit of blood seeped from the pale skin.

Cui Wangshu’s eyes narrowed slightly, a look of satisfaction on her face.

Seeing that expression, Jiang Chenbi wasn’t angry but laughed instead. “Feeling good?”

Cui Wangshu pinched her cheeks and invaded her mouth with her tongue, capturing it and giving a gentle nip—not painful, just a little ticklish.

Releasing Jiang Chenbi, Cui Wangshu smiled. “Very good.”

Jiang Chenbi yanked the blanket over Cui Wangshu’s head, blocking that punchable face, and shoved her back onto the bed. Cui Wangshu offered no resistance, letting her do as she pleased.

Jiang Chenbi wanted to throttle her but worried she’d enjoy it, so she reluctantly withdrew her hands and grabbed her clothes to put them on.

Cui Wangshu lifted the blanket and saw her dressing. She raised a brow and smirked. “You always get up and leave right after. It makes me seem like one of those skinny courtesans from a brothel.”

Jiang Chenbi glanced at her and lifted her chin. “Don’t flatter yourself, Little Cui Daren. Courtesans aren’t as beastly as you.”

A soft chuckle came from above. Jiang Chenbi looked up to see tenderness in Cui Wangshu’s eyes.

Cui Wangshu rose and dressed as well. “Won’t you take me to see the Huangdao Palace’s chamber of commerce? Miss Jiang, that’s quite the lavish project—a massive pavilion right in the heart of Yunyu Fang.”

Jiang Chenbi stood, straightening her clothes. “Let’s go. I’ll show Minister Cui the most luxurious pavilion in Yunyu Fang.”

Cui Wangshu smiled and followed Jiang Chenbi to the Huangdao Palace’s chamber of commerce.

The Huangdao Palace’s chamber of commerce surpassed even the temporary palace on Qingcang Mountain in splendor.

Since Cui Wangshu was in Luozhou, Jiang Chenbi had sent Qian Yuan to Tongzhou the day before, claiming he needed to straighten out the Huangdao Palace staff. Their recent hires had been uneven in quality, and she didn’t want them causing trouble for the palace.

Qian Yuan had rolled his eyes at her. She hadn’t bothered with it while they were in Tongzhou, and now she was sending his old bones off.

But Qian Yuan knew Cui Wangshu was in Luozhou, and it wasn’t the right time for them to reunite. If they met, he might not be able to hide his longing, so he had gone to Tongzhou to avoid her.

Jiang Chenbi gave Cui Wangshu a brief rundown of the Huangdao Palace’s layout. Cui Wangshu listened attentively—everything was orderly and efficient. No wonder Jiang Chenbi had developed such a massive organization to this extent.

On the middle floor of the pavilion.

Jiang Chenbi and Cui Wangshu sat at the table for a meal. It had been nearly mealtime when they left the residence, and thinking Cui Wangshu might not have tried Luozhou’s specialties yet, Jiang Chenbi had specially arranged some local delicacies.

Jiang Chenbi poked at her food a few times with her chopsticks and stopped. Cui Wangshu frowned.

She had assumed Jiang Chenbi was slim due to her constitution, but this woman simply didn’t eat properly.

Cui Wangshu said coldly, “Eat more.”

Jiang Chenbi furrowed her brows, eyeing the exquisite dishes, but a wave of nausea rose in her stomach. She said disdainfully, “No.”

Cui Wangshu said sternly, “You barely have any meat on your bones. Why?”

Jiang Chenbi stared at the food, frowning. “It makes me nauseous.”

A flicker of confusion passed through Cui Wangshu’s eyes. Nauseous?

Her gaze instinctively swept over Jiang Chenbi’s flat abdomen before she hastily looked away.

She had suddenly thought that two women couldn’t get pregnant, right…

Jiang Chenbi didn’t notice Cui Wangshu’s glance and continued glaring at the food.

Cui Wangshu set down her chopsticks too. “Does all food make you nauseous?”

Jiang Chenbi hummed thoughtfully. “Actually, I eat more of the spicy stuff, but I can’t eat much. You know my health isn’t great.”

Cui Wangshu frowned, lowering her eyes in thought.

Jiang Chenbi said indifferently, “I’ve gone this many years without starving to death. It’s fine.”

Cui Wangshu said nothing, but she recalled Jiang Ci’s excellent cooking—light flavors that were even more appetizing than spicy dishes.

Jiang Chenbi changed the subject. “Won’t you eat more? Doesn’t suit your taste?”

Cui Wangshu shook her head. “It’s delicious, but I’ve always made a habit of not eating after noon.”

Jiang Chenbi nodded. Cui Wangshu’s health was much better than hers, and her body was all lean muscle—no need for her to worry.

They chatted idly for a bit more. After the dishes were cleared, they stood by the railing, overlooking the bustling Luozhou below.

A maid brought a plate of fruit. Jiang Chenbi ate several grapes.

Cui Wangshu noticed she ate more grapes than she had during the meal. “You prefer fruit?”

Jiang Chenbi still had a grape in her mouth and didn’t catch what Cui Wangshu said at first. She blinked wide-eyed and went, “Hm?”

Cui Wangshu’s dark eyes deepened as she watched Jiang Chenbi’s cheeks puff out while chewing, her eyes slightly widened—like a startled hamster.

“Tasty?”

Jiang Chenbi swallowed the grape, picked up another, and held it to Cui Wangshu’s lips. As Cui Wangshu opened her mouth, Jiang Chenbi popped it into her own and grinned. “Not giving.”

Cui Wangshu’s lips curved in a light laugh. She grasped Jiang Chenbi’s hand before it could withdraw, leaned in, and stole the grape from her mouth with her own.

She chewed it slowly, swallowed, then stared intently at Jiang Chenbi, her voice turning slightly husky. “Very sweet.”

Jiang Chenbi’s ear tips flushed red. She licked her lips, swallowed, and hurriedly shoved another grape into her mouth. She turned away, pretending to admire the view below.

A soft chuckle rumbled from Cui Wangshu’s throat. She took a grape, holding it in her mouth, and smiled. “Here, for you?”

With the grape between her teeth, Cui Wangshu advanced step by step, trapping Jiang Chenbi between the railing and herself. She leaned in close.

Jiang Chenbi’s breath hitched. She stared dazedly at the enlarged face before her and, as if enchanted, leaned forward to bite the grape.

But Cui Wangshu wouldn’t let her off that easily—the grape came with a price. She wrapped an arm around Jiang Chenbi’s waist and claimed a lingering kiss.

Doing this in the Huangdao Palace still made Jiang Chenbi nervous, even if no one would barge into her territory unannounced.

After all, her close confidants in the Huangdao Palace knew about her relationship with Cui Wangshu. The intense sense of taboo made Jiang Chenbi’s mind wander even during the kiss.

Cui Wangshu noticed her distraction and pulled back, raising a brow. “So even Miss Jiang can feel shy.”

Jiang Chenbi lifted her gaze. “The Minister of Rites entangled with the Huangdao Palace Lord— that wouldn’t sound good if it got out.”

Cui Wangshu let out a clear, pleasant laugh, like a mountain stream striking spirit stones.

Jiang Chenbi paused for a moment, then saw Cui Wangshu bend slightly to meet her eyes at the same level, her red lips parting. “The woman is unmarried, the woman unwed—this isn’t ‘entanglement.'”

Cui Wangshu paused, her gaze falling to Jiang Chenbi’s lips. “Besides, even if one day I want to marry you, no one would dare to say a word against it.” By then, she would be the most powerful person in the world.

The wind whistled past her ears, but Jiang Chenbi stared blankly into Cui Wangshu’s earnest eyes. Her heartbeat drowned out even the wind.

Jiang Chenbi, who knew their true identities, was the first to break eye contact.

Could she… really marry Cui Wangshu?

If one day Cui Wangshu learned the truth about their identities, would those vows and warnings still hold?

That day, Cui Wangshu’s obsessive and dangerous warning had been like a stabilizing pill.

To ordinary people, such a warning might feel suffocating, like a prison. But Jiang Chenbi knew that for her, it wasn’t a prison—it was her longing, the golden cage woven by Cui Wangshu.

Rather than lose her, she preferred to be a wing-clipped bird, trapped by Cui Wangshu’s side. The insurmountable barrier between them only made her crave Cui Wangshu’s obsessive, pathological possessiveness even more.

Only then did she feel that Cui Wangshu wanted to entwine with her for lifetimes, whether through simple possession or twisted obsession—as long as she could stay by her side.

She had never dared hope to remain as her wife. Once, she thought being her pawn was enough. If she could stay by her side for life, even just as a lover bound by desire, that would suffice.

She had used the Love Gu and schemed step by step, hoping Cui Wangshu would fall for her—but only daring to dream of being her mistress.

Wife…

Could a mere pawn like her truly become this woman’s wife?

Jiang Chenbi curved her lips into a flamboyant smile, hooked her arms around Cui Wangshu’s neck, and played the flirtatious role to perfection.

Her arched brows hid the faint tears in her eyes as she smiled and said, “But Little Cui Daren won’t even offer betrothal gifts, right?”

Cui Wangshu’s brows furrowed slightly. She hadn’t missed the glint in Jiang Chenbi’s eyes. She removed her arms and pulled her into an embrace, sighing. “Jiang Chenbi, can we wait a little longer?”

Wait until she figured out exactly what her feelings for Jiang Chenbi were.

Wait until Jiang Chenbi clarified what their relationship truly was.

Wait until she stood at the pinnacle of Great Zhao’s power, becoming the one who made the rules.

Jiang Chenbi’s smile didn’t waver, not daring to reveal her heart. Pretending not to understand, she said, “Haven’t I been waiting for you to rise to the top? Minister Cui.”

When flirting or teasing, she called her Little Cui Daren. When warning or distancing, it was Minister Cui.

Cui Wangshu pressed her lips together, lowered her eyes, and didn’t press further. “Mm,” she agreed, going along with it. “I will.”

Even if she hadn’t fully sorted out her feelings for Jiang Chenbi, she knew they had long crossed the line of mere Love Gu binding.

She didn’t believe Jiang Chenbi couldn’t feel it.

Cui Wangshu tightened her arms, as if to embed Jiang Chenbi deep into her bones. Jiang Chenbi’s dangling hands twitched, and finally—whether from reluctance to hurt her or unable to contain her emotions—she wrapped them around Cui Wangshu’s waist, locking herself tightly in her embrace.

Jiang Chenbi’s voice was hoarse, her sigh barely audible as she compromised. “Cui Wangshu, no matter what happens in the future, remember what you said and did today. Don’t discard me so easily, okay?”

Cui Wangshu’s eyes were complex and profound. After a long moment, she said, “Alright. I won’t go back on my word.”

The moon climbed into the sky, and Yunyu Fang’s night market gradually dispersed as curfew approached.

Jiang Chenbi pulled out of Cui Wangshu’s embrace, her tone carrying a hint of self-unaware humility. Almost to soothe her anxious heart, she pleaded, “Shall we be good?”