CH 49

Likes of Childbirth and Raising Children (featuring a senior sister CP)

Observing the person sitting across from her, whose chopsticks had remained still for an extended period, and whose gaze had become vacant and fixed on the food before her, Song Shu Qing let out a hopeless sigh.

“Qin Qin! Qin Qin!” The older woman waved her sleeve and blew on her junior sister’s face when she failed to respond.

“Hmm!?” Ming Qin jolted back to reality, tilting her head in confusion and asking, “What’s the matter, senior sister?”

“Come on, eat quickly, and stop daydreaming,” Song Shu Qing pushed the roasted chicken that Ming Qin adored in front of her and motioned for her to dig in.

Ming Qin nodded distractedly, took a few bites of rice, and then zoned out once again.

Song Shu Qing felt increasingly frustrated. Her junior sister seemed to be in a constant trance since they arrived in Shu.

Initially, she paid little attention to it, but Ming Qin’s absent-mindedness caused numerous disasters, including almost burning down the teahouse while lighting a lamp, mistakenly giving a cabinet of copper coins to a customer as change, and blending two different types of tea leaves together while stocking.

If their conversations weren’t relatively normal, Song Shu Qing would have thought that Ming Qin had suffered a head injury and become senile.

With a sigh, Song Shu Qing put down her chopsticks, grabbed Ming Qin’s collar, and pulled her out of the teahouse. “Let’s go, senior sister will take you somewhere to relax.”

“Eh? Are we going to listen to music again?”

Ming Qin mumbled in protest, but still complied and let Song Shu Qing drag her along. “But, Brother Yun said we have no extra silver to spend this month.”

“Forget about that old-fashioned, stingy man!” Song Shu Qing grabbed a bag of tea leaves from the cupboard, locked up the teahouse, and declared, “Let’s go find Zi Yan.”

“But, Sister, you’re also 29 years old, the same age as Brother Yun.” Ming Qin stood by obediently and spoke frankly, “If Brother Yun is an old man, then you’re an old lady too.”

The woman rolled her eyes in response and retorted, “Ming Qin! You’re 24 years old, why are you still so naive.”

Without waiting for Ming Qin’s reply, Song Shu Qing used her agility to jump onto the roof, and Ming Qin followed suit.

Two silhouettes, bathed in the shimmering moonlight, leaped towards a tall building adorned with a glowing red lantern outside.

Zi Yan was a courtesan working in the brothel.

She was the lady whom Ming Qin and Song Shu Qing had unintentionally rescued from a gang of hooligans when they first arrived in Shu.

To be more precise, it was Ming Qin who fought off the ruffians while her senior sister provided some words of encouragement that caused the men to feel ashamed.

Song Shu Qing referred to it as “teamwork.”

『You handle the physical attacks, and I’ll take care of the mental ones. That should work perfectly.』

After the woman recovered from the shock, she tried to express her gratitude while suppressing her panic and trembling. Before Ming Qin could say anything, Song Shu Qing, who was lounging nearby, brightened up and took the woman’s hand.

『Do you… happen to play the Guqin well?』

The woman appeared surprised by the unexpected question but replied simply, 『I’m decent at it.』

『No need to thank us. If you have time, would you be willing to play the Guqin for us?』

It was a shameless act, akin to stealing from a burning house.

However, as time passed, the two became acquainted with Zi Yan.

Whenever Song Shu Qing faced financial difficulties due to Cao Yun’s tight-fistedness, she would visit Zi Yan and listen to her play the Guqin for almost half an hour.

On this particular night, the two nimble women jumped onto the roof. If anyone had witnessed their actions, they would have mistaken them for a pair of shady characters on their way to visit the courtesan.

They gently tapped on the window frame to get Zi Yan’s attention.

“Come in.”

A soft, lowered voice responded, prompting the two to push open the window and enter.

As she looked up at the newcomers, there was no special expression on Zi Yan’s face. She just sat up straight in front of the Guqin, wearing a stunning outer robe that didn’t match her tranquil face.

The loose purple robe was embroidered with dancing petals, draped over her thin shoulders, and a combination of elegance and seductiveness clashed with each other, revealing a discordant beauty.

“Zi Yan, have you missed me?”

Song Shu Qing jumped onto the bed before anyone else, and as she read the seven large letters above the woman’s head that said “Free Guqin Performances,” she put on a flattering smile and pulled out some tea leaves from her pocket. “I missed you so much. Look at what I brought for you.”

“No.”

The woman in front of the Guqin spoke before Ming Qin had a chance to say anything. “Whatever you brought, you probably just drank it yourself.”

“Come on, Zi Yan, why are you so heartless?” Song Shu Qing complained as she made tea and brought cushions for herself and Ming Qin. “Damn it, I was being nice and got bitten by a dog!”

Zi Yan didn’t respond to the angry person in front of her, but nodded towards the younger bodyguard standing at a distance.

Ming Qin flashed a silly grin and settled herself against the wall.

She cherished visiting Zi Yan’s abode.

Not because of the music, but due to the lady seated before her, whose slightly furrowed brow while playing and apathetic demeanor toward her senior sister, evoked memories of her time with Murong Yan.

In their stillness, the pair of women emanated the gentle qualities of a Jiangnan lady, with their slender figures and straight, elevated necks. Every so often, their impassive expressions would display a trace of disdain towards their surroundings and the world.

However, as they lowered their heads to strum the Guqin, their faces filled with an insurmountable sorrow. The women who had been forced into this appeared to denounce fate for its cruelty and convey their vulnerability and grief.

It was just too similar.

Lost in the music and the aroma of tea, Ming Qin felt transported back to the capital.

Back to that magical night when Murong Yan had brought back her former brilliant self for her.

After an indefinite time, the last note drifted away, and Song Shu Qing rose to pour Zi Yan some tea. “Bravo, bravo!” she exclaimed, applauding. “You are unquestionably the best Guqin player in the world.”

Zi Yan looked up with a cool gaze, taking a sip of her tea. Then she nodded to the younger shadow guard, signaling to Song Shu Qing.

Turning back, Song Shu Qing said, “Qin Qin, Qin Qin, come back to reality!” She waved her hand in front of Ming Qin and then threatened, “If you don’t come back, I’ll pinch your ear.”

Upon hearing her senior sister’s words, Ming Qin jumped up, not noticing the jade jar that rolled out of her sleeve. She covered her only remaining left ear and said in a wronged tone, “You promised not to pinch my ears when I grow up!”

Seeing her junior sister’s pitiful appearance with one ear missing, Song Shu Qing poured her a cup of tea and comforted her in a soft voice, “Just kidding, I just saw you daydreaming again.”

The white jade jar rolled to Zi Yan’s side of the Guqin. The courtesan picked it up to return it to Ming Qin but was suddenly attracted to it and carefully opened it to sniff.

She turned to the young shadow guard who was drinking tea and asked, “Ming Qin, have you pledged yourself to someone for life?”

Ming Qin looked up, looking confused, and shook her head.

“Then…maybe someone likes you?” Zi Yan asked, holding the fragrance balm in her hand.

Ming Qin shook her head again, still looking puzzled.

Song Shu Qing looked back and forth between the two, propping up her head and asking the courtesan, “What’s going on? Is there something odd about the jade jar?”

“Not really. It’s just…” Zi Yan hesitated, then spoke to Ming Qin in a different way, “Do you know who gave you this? Did it come from Jiangnan?”

“I do. Her… her mother is indeed from Jiangnan,” Ming Qin replied, setting down her teacup and meeting Song Shu Qing’s inquisitive gaze.

“In my hometown, women give handmade perfume as a gift to their beloved to express their love. I don’t think you made this fragrance, so if the person who gave it to you is really from Jiangnan…”

Zi Yan paused, sniffed the balm in her hand again, and then smiled faintly, as if she had figured something out.

“I think she has feelings for you.”

“And I’m afraid she wants everyone to know that you belong to her and only her. It’s quite a possessive feeling.”

The sweet fragrance of peonies emanating from the balm in her hand was overpowering, as if it was daring anyone else to compete with its alluring aroma. It felt like it was conveying a message of absolute dominance over the surrounding environment.

Ming Qin was in disbelief, scratching her head and saying, “No way, you must be mistaken. The Princess… she can’t possibly have feelings for me.”

“Wait a minute…!”

Song Shu Qing, who had already grasped the situation, couldn’t hold her tongue any longer and turned to her naive junior, “Hold on, Qin Qin… You don’t know that the Princess has feelings for you?”

“Huh?” The scarred girl blinked her innocent eyes, appearing clueless.

“It’s not the kind of liking between ruler and subject, nor is it the liking between friends,”

Looking at her confused little sister, Song Shu Qing honestly said, “It’s the kind of liking where the Princess wants to trap you and marry you, not wanting anyone else to get too close to you. If you were a guy, she might keep you chained to the bed day and night to make babies with you! Do you get it?”

She was completely at a loss for words.

“You’re like a stick stuck to a giant thousand-year-old tree.”

Song Shu Qing couldn’t help but say to the frozen Ming Qin, “The Princess’s love for you is so blatant, how did you not notice it?”

Then, as if a lightbulb had suddenly turned on in her head, she gasped and exclaimed, “Hold on, so you mean to say that you risked your life to protect the Princess, but you haven’t talked to her since you recovered?!”

Seeing the person in front of her looking distraught, Song Shu Qing felt a headache coming on.

According to the latest reports from the capital, the new Emperor had successfully taken the throne with the help of Prince Yu.

There had been no news of Princess Chongwen taking her own life, nor were there any rumors of her turning into a vengeful demon seeking to destroy the world. So Song Shu Qing had assumed that Ming Qin had already been in contact with the Princess through letters.

But apparently, that wasn’t the case…

She grabbed Ming Qin’s left ear and twisted it half a turn as she scolded, “She likes you, you know, she’s crazy about you. And now you’re in limbo, she must be heartbroken!”

“But…but…”

“I told you to be safe, not to risk your life and then disappear. At least let her know you’re still alive!” Song Shu Qing held her forehead, angrily cursing, “You foolish donkey!”

Ming Qin blushed like a child caught misbehaving, standing straight at attention while being scolded by her senior sister.

Zi Yan listened in on their conversation and felt like she had accidentally stumbled upon some royal secrets. She took a sip of tea to calm her trembling voice and asked,

“But, what does Ming Qin feel? Does she have the same feelings for the Princess?”