Crimson_Lore

Chapter 49: Tugging

Added 2025-04-30 13:02:01 +0000 UTC

Li Qingwu, of course, didn’t say everything.

She simply and calmly described when and where they first met.

She wasn’t very good at storytelling, and what she said felt dry and awkward.

Qiu Che thought for a long while and finally managed to pull out a fragment from the depths of her memory.

It seemed like there was indeed such an event.

But that day, while the Qiu Family was joyously gathered for a meal and to admire the moon, her mother had angered Qiu Chudong and was forced to kneel in the backyard, washing clothes.

She wasn’t even allowed any help.

It was one of the countless times Qiu Che had felt powerless and angry.

But at that time, she had no official title and couldn’t even oppose any decision her father made.

The overwhelming weight of patriarchal authority, the mocking, triumphant gaze of her older brother, and her mother’s advice not to quarrel with her father for her own sake, drained her of strength.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Qiu Che, holding the lantern she had hastily made due to not having enough silver to buy one, intending to present it as a gift to her father in hopes of receiving a compliment, fled the Qi estate as if escaping.

It was the best gift she had, but the thought of giving it to someone who wouldn’t even care made her unwilling to part with it.

Li Qingwu’s appearance had been unexpected.

She didn’t remember much about what happened next, because on her way out, she had bought some alcohol, sat on the rooftop to gaze at the moon, and ended up getting drunk.

She spent the whole night on the rooftop, letting the cold wind blow through her.

The next day, she had completely forgotten both herself and the things she had said to Li Qingwu.

She only regarded the “young lady Xiao” as a fleeting encounter, another transient passerby in her life.

Life truly had too many fleeting passersby.

The childhood companions who had carved wood with her, the examiners in the fields they later farmed, the martial arts teacher who had taught her for ten years before leaving the capital in shame, the maid, Yun Yan, who had accompanied her since childhood only to betray her cruelly…

Qiu Che’s memory held many people and things that were deeply engraved and impossible to forget.

The Lantern Festival eleven years ago was just one brief, unremarkable flicker in her hurried journey through life.

But she never expected that this seemingly insignificant encounter would linger in Li Qingwu’s mind for so long.

Qiu Che thought for a moment, then a sudden realization struck her: “So… is the lantern in that box…?”

Li Qingwu blushed. “It’s your lantern.”

Qiu Che opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.

She suddenly realized something.

Li Qingwu… seemed to get embarrassed quite easily?

Was it only around her, or did she react this way to everyone?

Li Qingwu probably felt very uncomfortable as well. After a brief silence, she turned her head, cleared her throat, and broke the silence: “It’s fine. I was willing to speak. Whether you remember or not, I don’t hold it against you.”

Qiu Che licked her lips, about to speak, but Li Qingwu quickly interrupted her: “...Has there been any news about the Vinehead Grass?”

She had once been the least hopeful about this matter and hadn’t asked about it in a long time. Qiu Che thought she didn’t care.

Surprised, she shook her head. “No.”

Even if the Vinehead Grass existed, it would be deep within the southern wild forests, a place where only the people from the southern wild could survive. Those who ventured in had a nine out of ten chance of dying.

She couldn’t ask her subordinates to risk their lives searching for a herb that might not even exist.

Seeing Li Qingwu’s brief moment of dejection, as if distracted, Qiu Che hesitated and suggested, “How about we let Chen Huichun take another look at you?”

Li Qingwu shook her head, about to say it wasn’t necessary, but Qiu Che spoke again. “It’s fine. I also have something I need to ask him.”

She set down her bowl, picked up a pen, and started writing. Seeing this, Li Qingwu silently fell silent.

She watched as Qiu Che quickly wrote the letter, rolled the thin, specially made paper, then walked over to the window and called for the white dove raised in Yiming City.

As she lowered her eyes to tie the letter, her calm, indifferent expression overlapped with the "Qiu Che of ten years later" from her dreams.

Li Qingwu snapped out of her trance, quickly turning away, as if searching for something to say, she brought up their earlier conversation. “About the Qiu Family’s case… Perhaps you can let me try handling the witnesses.”

Qiu Che paused, turning to look at her. “…You have a way?”

Li Qingwu lowered her voice. “—I’m not sure it will work, but we can certainly give it a try.”

Qiu Che didn’t hesitate, nodding. “Okay.”

During the brief wait for Chen Huichun, the two exchanged a few casual words.

Qiu Che resumed eating the porridge, and as they talked, she suddenly looked up and saw Li Qingwu leaning closer.

Li Qingwu had bent over slightly, drawing near. Her gaze rested on Qiu Che’s cheek, and as Qiu Che raised her head, the hand that had reached out hesitated in midair.

Qiu Che, stunned for a moment, instinctively took a small step back. “What are you doing?”

Li Qingwu hesitated.

For a moment, Qiu Che thought there was something on her face, but when she touched her cheek, there was nothing there.

Li Qingwu straightened up, leaning against the table. She sat sideways, her gaze calm. “It’s nothing. I just thought I saw something wrong.”

Qiu Che suddenly realized the scene seemed oddly familiar.

A few days ago, when she was at Linglong Pavilion, hadn’t she done the same thing, reaching out to brush Li Qingwu’s hair?

She knew that time’s tides flowed in cycles, but she never expected them to turn this way.

Qiu Che felt a bit frustrated, but Li Qingwu seemed distracted.

She thought, it seemed so normal.

Qiu Che had no unusual reaction to her closeness, no blushing, no stammering.

Compared to her, Li Qingwu was so much more composed.

She had always found it hard to read anything but calmness in Qiu Che, whether in dreams or in reality.

This made her even more hesitant to confess her feelings.

Yao Tai had said to nurture feelings first, then confess...

But Li Qingwu wondered, did she really deserve Qiu Che?

Qiu Che’s ambitions were aimed at the highest ranks in the civil bureaucracy, but what about hers?

Yao Tai had said, if she tried, perhaps her achievements wouldn’t fall short of Qiu Che’s. But she had no desire to climb the political ladder, nor did she want to compete for the prime minister’s position with Qiu Che.

She was only somewhat interested in trade, but this could only help Qiu Che economically, it was of no real use beyond that.

What price had Qiu Che paid to work with the Empress Dowager?

Li Qingwu hadn’t thought much of this before, but now she understood.

If, one day, the Empress Dowager sat on the imperial throne, would Li Qingwu, the former Empress's most favored princess, become nothing more than a dispensable ornament?

Even without considering these things, just look at the facts.

Qiu Che didn’t like bound feet women.

But Li Qingwu had bound feet, ones that might never fully heal.

She was already flawed and unattractive. If she were Qiu Che, even if she didn’t mind liking women, she probably wouldn’t want to fall in love with someone like her, someone who was nearly useless and only a burden.

The more Li Qingwu thought about this, the more her spirits sank, and the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.

Chen Huichun arrived late. After examining Li Qingwu, he shook his head again. “It’s the same as before. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to treat. You two should figure it out yourselves.”

Qiu Che stopped him.

“Mr. Chen.”

Chen Huichun smiled and stroked his beard, turning around. “Hmm?”

Qiu Che said, “I’ve looked into you. You’re not from the capital.”

Chen Huichun narrowed his eyes, laughing. “So…? What are you trying to say, Young Master Qiu?”

“Regarding the so-called Vinehead Grass and the emotional barrier,” Qiu Che paused slightly, “I’ve gone through a lot of books and can only find bits and pieces. How did you come by the information that Vinehead Grass can bring the dead back to life?”

Chen Huichun held his breath for a moment, then turned. “Young Master Qiu, that’s a bit too much to ask, isn’t it?”

Qiu Che smiled faintly, sitting by the table, calmly pouring a cup of tea and sliding it towards Chen Huichun. “Please excuse me. As the lord of Yiming City, I naturally need to know the background of everyone under my command. If you don’t clarify, I’ll be uneasy.”

She motioned for Chen Huichun to sit. “This is the last of the Jinlong Snow Lotus tea in the manor, there’s no other in the entire Great Xia. Surely, Mr. Chen will have a taste?”

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Chen Huichun snorted, unable to resist, and sat down, picking up the teacup. He sniffed it and instantly showed an expression of delight.

“Good tea... excellent tea!”

Qiu Che raised an eyebrow. “Can you speak now?”

“Actually, there’s nothing I can’t say,” Chen Huichun sighed. “I’m not from the capital. I’m from Jinzhou.”

Jinzhou was a neighboring city of the capital, bordering the southern wild forests.

“My master is from the southern wild, a wandering doctor…” Chen Huichun smiled bitterly, “He picked me up and raised me. He’s always been an old man, never changing.”

“I don’t know where he’s from in the southern wild, but since I can remember, he’s been traveling with me throughout the Great Xia. We never went to the southern wild. Everything I know about the southern wild comes from him.”

“What’s your master’s name?”

“That, I cannot tell you,” Chen Huichun replied regretfully. “Even I don’t know his real name.”

After sending Chen Huichun off, Qiu Che leaned against the doorframe, seemingly still deep in thought.

Li Qingwu asked, “Why did you suddenly bring this up?”

Qiu Che glanced at her and said, “I thought he would mention those rumors. He must have seen the so-called vine-headed grass in person. But now, it seems...” She had misunderstood.

Li Qingwu’s heart warmed, and she calmly comforted her, “It’s fine. If it can’t be cured, then it can’t be cured.”

Qiu Che gave her a deep look. “...Don’t you want to try treating it?”

Li Qingwu replied, “But it can’t be cured.”

“It’s not the end yet. How do you know it can’t be cured?” Qiu Che said. “I don’t like assuming the outcome of anything in advance. Even if I do, it has to be a good outcome.”

Li Qingwu smiled gently.

She nodded. “Alright... I guess I was too certain.”

“What I mean is, if it’s too hard to treat, don’t stress over it so much,” Li Qingwu said softly. “I don’t want you to worry about something as trivial as this.”

“It’s not trivial.”

Qiu Che paused, looking at Li Qingwu, who seemed slightly dazed. She turned her head in an attempt to cover up her discomfort and added, “If it can be cured, then it’s a big deal.”

Li Qingwu smiled softly but didn’t respond further.

Qiu Che didn’t look at her and began to space out.

She thought she was acting strange.

Why did she always feel so awkward when facing Li Qingwu, a feeling she didn’t get with anyone else?

She couldn’t put her finger on what felt off, but it just did.

She found herself paying attention to every little movement Li Qingwu made, overly concerned about whether their bodies would make contact.

And the more she looked at her, the more pleasing she found her appearance.

Qiu Che thought to herself, she was really strange.

But avoiding it like this wasn’t a solution.

After being lost in thought for several days, she one day ran into Yu Yan, who was lounging around, enjoying a storybook and offering her commentary.

“This is ridiculous… fighting with sisters over a man? So fake.”

“Did the men write this? They really don’t understand women’s hearts at all.”

Bored people always loved reading and commenting on the characters of the stories.

Qiu Che should’ve scolded her or done what Li Qingwu would do, show some grace and walk away.

But she stood in the corridor, unable to move for a while.

After a long pause, she suddenly asked, “You understand?”

Yu Yan jumped up in surprise, stammering, “What, what do you mean?”

“Don’t be nervous,” Qiu Che nodded. “I was just wondering…”

She thought for a moment, then continued, “I have a friend who’s been acting strange with another friend. She doesn’t like seeing her friend with someone she cares about, and she doesn’t like it when the person is mentioned... Is this jealousy?”

It felt strange.

Really strange, the more she listened.

Not just Qiu Che, but Yu Yan was confused too: “What’s going on? Young Master... Could you explain the relationship between your friend and the other one?”

Qiu Che pondered for a while, then awkwardly came up with a description. “...Pretend spouses.”

Yu Yan was taken aback, her eyes wide: “Is that possible?”

She thought for a moment, then slapped her palm in realization. “I get it!”

Qiu Che, suddenly alert, tensed up. “...What do you mean?”

Yu Yan nodded seriously: “It’s obvious your friend likes their ‘wife,’ what else could it be?”

“This kind of thing happens in stories too, fake drama becomes real... Haha, so exciting.”

Qiu Che almost choked on her saliva.

She?

Liked Li Qingwu?

Qiu Che felt it was absurd and a little funny.

They were both women... How could she possibly like Li Qingwu?

She waved her hand, thinking she was being foolish for asking a little girl, who was even more naïve than her in matters of relationships.

She stepped forward a few steps, then stopped, and then retreated.

Yu Yan’s heart tightened: “Young Master…”

Qiu Che extended her hand, expressionless. “The storybook.”

“If you’re caught reading it during duty hours, a 100-wen fine will be imposed.”

Yu Yan: “...”

With a bitter face, she handed the book over and quickly scurried off.

Young Master is terrifying.

Only the Princess could handle her.

By noon, when Yu Ming knocked on the door to report news about the Autumn family matter, Qiu Che was still sitting at the desk, staring blankly at an ink pen in her hand.

In front of her lay an open storybook.

They exchanged a brief look, and Qiu Che quickly regained her composure, closing the book.

Yu Ming noticed the title on the cover: "The Handsome Scholar and the Beautiful Woman." She was momentarily stunned.

Qiu Che cleared her throat and casually said, “It’s Yu Yan’s. I was just flipping through it.”

Yu Ming hesitated to speak.

She had seen this book before with Yu Yan. Clearly, it had not been just a quick glance, it was halfway through.

And she’d seen the character relationships diagram drawn on the side.

Qiu Che cleared her throat again, changed her posture, and blocked Yu Ming’s view, her face calm. “It’s just… I think the heroine’s character is quite cute.”

Yu Ming thought to herself, alright.

It seems men like this type.

After reporting the news, Yu Ming left, intending to brush it off completely.

After all, she was a good subordinate and kept her mouth shut.

Who would have thought that less than a day later, Li Qingwu would find her?

Her first question was, “Is the Prince Consort’s birthday coming up soon?”

Yu Ming nodded, “Yes, the 17th of August.”

Li Qingwu seemed to be thinking.

Her second question was a bit shy, as if embarrassed. She nervously grasped her handkerchief and quietly asked, “By the way… do you know… what kind of person your Young Master likes?”

Yu Ming blinked in confusion: “…Huh?”

Li Qingwu blushed. “I mean… has she ever mentioned who she’s interested in?”

Yu Ming thought to herself, what a coincidence.

Her Young Master had just mentioned yesterday that she liked the lively, cheerful heroine in the storybook.

It should be fine to tell the Princess, right?

Without hesitation, Yu Ming openly divulged, “She likes cute and lively people.”

Then, after a moment's hesitation, she added, “…And proactive.”

Li Qingwu: “…”

“Are you sure?”

Yu Ming affirmed solemnly: “Of course.”

It was something her Young Master had confessed to her personally.

This was awkward. It seemed to be hurting the Princess’s feelings? After all, anyone could tell the Princess wasn’t the lively, proactive type.