Chapter 43: Ambiguity

Li Qingwu suddenly stopped speaking and fell silent.

Noticing Qiu Che’s questioning gaze, she quickly lowered her eyes, trying to cover up her thoughts, and took another sip of water.

In truth, Yao Tai had said much more.

Back then, after a long moment of silence, Li Qingwu had said, "Thank you... but our situation is special."

Yao Tai immediately perked up. "Special? How so? Is it her, or is it you?"

Li Qingwu's face turned red with embarrassment. "Neither... you wouldn’t understand."

Yao Tai chuckled and shook her head. "No matter how 'special' it is, if you truly want it, nothing is impossible."

"Love and affection have no conditions or boundaries."

"Even if you're both women," Yao Tai said lightly, dropping a bombshell. "As long as you both are willing, why would that be a problem?"

Li Qingwu was completely stunned by her words. She remained in a daze for a long time, unsure whether Yao Tai had spoken casually or had somehow guessed the truth.

"In this lifetime, being able to love someone is already a rare blessing. Why worry about gender?"

Yao Tai murmured, tilting her head slightly to look at her. "You have no idea how much I envy you."

She envied that legendary couple, two women who had defied convention and, in an era so rigid and decayed, had resolutely chosen each other.

She envied their love, which, despite the hardships, was purer and more steadfast than that of most lovers in the world.

So much so that, even after many years, when people mentioned one, they would instantly think of the other.

As if it were destined. As if they were born to be together.

Yao Tai remembered their story so well because of that deep envy.

Her own transmigration had been inexplicable, she had simply been heartbroken, and out of curiosity and admiration, she had studied their history for three years.

Then, one ordinary evening, she had fallen asleep over her books. When she woke up, she found herself in a different era, their era.

It was only by being here, living through these times, that she truly understood the hardships and struggles so briefly summarized in historical records.

The longer she stayed, the more she admired Qiu Che, admired her courage to stand up, to endure countless trials, all to carve out a new future for the women of this world.

It was that admiration that kept her watching Qiu Che’s growth from the shadows.

So when she heard that someone named Qiu Che had come to seek her help, she handed over Nightbright City, which she had painstakingly built for five years, without hesitation.

It would serve a greater purpose in the hands of a more worthy master.

Yao Tai knew her own limits. She could never accomplish what Qiu Che was destined to achieve, but she could at least be a whetstone on her path to success.

Perhaps because she had studied their history for years, when she finally saw Qiu Che in person, she wasn’t as overwhelmed as she had imagined.

She even found herself joking with her newfound ally from time to time.

Becoming friends with Li Qingwu was an unexpected bonus.

She had assumed that, by now, the two of them would have already figured things out. But to her surprise, they were still completely oblivious.

She had no idea how Qiu Che felt about Li Qingwu.

Amused by the thought, Yao Tai propped her chin on her hand and watched as Li Qingwu fell into a daze.

Back in the present, Li Qingwu found herself lost in thought once again.

She sneaked a glance at Qiu Che, distractedly wondering: Yao Tai said that two women could be together... Could that really be true?

She had never seen such a thing before.

But Yao Tai's words made so much sense.

Qiu Che had no idea what she was thinking. Seeing that she didn’t want to continue the conversation, she didn’t press the issue.

Just then, a white pigeon landed on the windowsill.

Qiu Che observed Li Qingwu’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. The moment she saw the pigeon, she tensed, glancing around warily, as if debating how to bring it up.

Qiu Che smirked inwardly. Pausing in her motion to open the message, she casually handed it over. "It’s probably a letter from Wu Yiqi. Do you want to read it first?"

Li Qingwu cleared her throat and took it. "...Alright."

Last time, around this hour, the Empress had sent a letter inquiring about Qiu Che’s well-being.

After the Empress's passing, it was now the eunuch Fuzi who wrote in the Emperor’s name.

What if this was an order to spy on Qiu Che? What if she got caught?

But Qiu Che didn’t seem the least bit concerned about the message. After handing it over, she simply sat back down, idly playing with the jade pendant at her waist, lost in thought.

Li Qingwu exhaled quietly, then opened the letter. After glancing through it, she casually handed it back. "It’s from Young Master Wu. He says... he got promoted too."

Qiu Che raised an eyebrow.

Wu Yiqi, who worked in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had been promoted to Deputy Commander, a fifth-rank position. He had boasted in the letter, demanding that Qiu Che, now the highest-ranking official among them, treat him to a meal.

He must have heard about Qiu Che and Yang Qiu’s promotions and couldn’t sit still. The moment his grandfather finished court, he had rushed to ask for a promotion of his own.

Wu Yiqi was impulsive like that. His grandfather, Minister Wu, had long grown used to his competitive streak. After all, Wu Yiqi had once been a top scholar, how could he accept that his two peers had been promoted while he remained in the same position?

His request was fortunate. If he hadn’t asked, Minister Wu might have suspected something was wrong with him. Given his usual eagerness to compete, his silence would have been more alarming.

And truth be told, Minister Wu himself was dissatisfied. So the moment Wu Yiqi mentioned a promotion, he immediately pulled some strings and secured it for him.

Qiu Che figured Yang Qiu had probably received a similar letter.

She crumpled the paper disdainfully. "Who wants to treat him? I barely have enough money for myself."

Li Qingwu chuckled. "Didn’t you just say your salary is seventy thousand coins a month?"

Seventy thousand coins, about seven taels of silver.

Qiu Che lazily replied, "Money in your hands is different from money wasted on them. If anyone’s paying, it should be them."

Perhaps because Yao Tai’s words lingered in her mind, Li Qingwu found herself overly sensitive to everything Qiu Che said.

At Qiu Che’s casual remark, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt her ears growing warm again.

Forcing herself to remain composed, she smiled. "We invested in Linglong Pavilion. The restaurant is reopening soon. Would you like to come and see?"

Qiu Che shrugged. "Sure."

"We could invite them too," Li Qingwu added with a smile. "They’re your allies, after all. If you don’t want to foot the bill, consider it my treat, to celebrate Linglong Pavilion’s reopening."

Qiu Che thought for a moment and reluctantly nodded. "Fine."

She wasn’t stingy, she just found Wu Yiqi insufferable. But since this was their business, showing up to support Li Qingwu wasn’t a bad idea either.

Yang Qiu followed her gaze and saw a figure dressed in apricot-red robes, graceful in posture and exuding an extraordinary aura.

Even with a thick veil covering her face, she stood out among the bustling attendants moving back and forth.

She was turned slightly to the side, speaking leisurely to a young man at the counter who looked about the same age as the boy beside her. The young man had handsome features, and when he smiled, his sharp canines showed, giving him a somewhat silly yet endearing look.

His gaze was both fervent and bashful, glued to Li Qingwu.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the budding affection in his heart.

Wu Yiqi nudged Yang Qiu and whispered, “Hey, did you see that?”

Yang Qiu: “...I saw it.”

Qiu Che watched for a while, and when she noticed that Li Qingwu never once looked her way, she withdrew her gaze.

Then, she caught sight of the two men staring at her with a teasing glint in their eyes.

She frowned. “What?”

Wu Yiqi waggled his eyebrows. “We saw it all... Jealous, are we? If you want to find your wife, just go.”

Qiu Che opened her mouth, realizing they had recognized Li Qingwu, but instead of explaining, she simply said, “No.”

“You’re the legitimate wife!” Wu Yiqi exclaimed in outrage. “Why are you acting so cowardly?! Are you even a man?!”

Qiu Che fell silent, thinking to herself, I’m really not.

…Wait, that’s not the point.

What would she even be jealous of?

Though she did feel a little irritated seeing the two talking so openly, Qiu Che figured it was just because Li Qingwu had invited her here today but didn’t seem to care whether she came or not.

But that wasn’t in line with their “loving couple” persona.

She swallowed back her words and instead said indifferently, “Don’t talk nonsense. They’re just chatting. I’m not that petty.”

Wu Yiqi shrugged. “...Alright then.”

Qiu Che turned and headed upstairs without sparing another glance at Li Qingwu. “Come on, the private room is booked. Are we eating or not?”

Still sneaking peeks at Yao Tai, Wu Yiqi hurried after her. “Coming, coming.”

Yang Qiu took one last look in Yao Tai’s direction. He was merely admiring beauty—

After all, one of the two great beauties of the capital was already married, while the other was a famed courtesan, nearly impossible to meet even with a fortune.

But since Wu Yiqi had been staring so intently earlier, Yang Qiu had refrained from looking too much himself, maintaining a sense of so-called gentlemanly restraint.

Now, however, he couldn’t resist another glance.

Yet, just as he looked over, the courtesan seemed to sense his gaze—

And blew him a flirtatious wink across the room.

Yang Qiu stumbled on the stairs.

The crowd erupted in a frenzy, with many shouting, “Miss Yao Tai, look at me! Just one glance!”

Wu Yiqi turned his head at the commotion, scanning the suddenly excited crowd before asking Yang Qiu, “What’s wrong with you?”

Yang Qiu shook his head, his voice tinged with an almost imperceptible nervousness. “Tripped. It’s nothing.”

Qiu Che took a seat in the private room, and before long, Li Qingwu came upstairs, likely after hearing from Yao Tai. She personally poured tea for them.

Qiu Che said, “You don’t have to bother with us. It’s not like they don’t have hands.”

Li Qingwu smiled. “Consider it a thank-you for coming to support me.”

Then, she downed the tea in one go, treating it as a toast.

Wu Yiqi chuckled. “No need to be so formal, sister-in-law.”

Qiu Che smacked him on the back of the head. “Who’s your sister-in-law? This is His Highness.”

Wu Yiqi winced. “Ow! But you’re younger than me, so your wife is my sister-in-law, right? What’s wrong with that?”

Qiu Che rolled her eyes, but Li Qingwu just smiled. “It’s alright.”

Then, she leaned in slightly and whispered to Qiu Che, “I’ll get back to work now?”

Qiu Che nodded.

Li Qingwu bowed to the group and turned to leave, only to have her wrist caught by Qiu Che.

She turned back, puzzled. “What is it?”

Qiu Che knew Yang Qiu and Wu Yiqi were both watching. Wanting to reinforce the rumors of their affectionate relationship, she remained calm and said, “Nothing.”

Then, she raised her hand, stopping just an inch from Li Qingwu’s cheek, as if realizing where they were and pulling back at the last moment.

Li Qingwu’s heart pounded at the ambiguous gesture, and she stammered, “Is… is there something on my face?”

“No,” Qiu Che said casually. “Just a loose strand of hair by your temple. I was going to fix it.”

Then… why didn’t she?

Before she knew it, Li Qingwu found herself asking aloud.

Qiu Che studied her for a moment, then looked away and said softly, “Because you look good like this too.”

Li Qingwu: “……”

Her face instantly turned crimson.

When Qiu Che decided to flirt, it was truly impossible to resist.

Li Qingwu didn’t understand why Qiu Che had suddenly become so overtly teasing, but judging by the amused looks from the other two, she had a vague guess.

She was thankful she had worn a thick veil today. At least no one could see her burning face beneath it.

This subtle, elusive charm was far more overwhelming than the time they had accidentally pressed close to each other two weeks ago.

She tried to appear composed, spoke as naturally as possible, and under the two men’s knowing smirks, said her goodbyes.

As Qiu Che watched her leave, she turned back to find Wu Yiqi giving her a thumbs-up. “Master Qiu, you’ve got skills.”

“No wonder people say you two are so loving. With lines like that, and a face like yours, what girl wouldn’t be swooning?”

Qiu Che simply smiled and took a sip of tea, concealing her emotions.

Truthfully, her gesture earlier hadn’t been entirely for show.

How much of it was for appearances, and how much was personal impulse? She knew the answer herself.

Why had she been so impulsive?

Qiu Che glanced down at her hand, as if she could still feel the warmth of Li Qingwu’s delicate wrist.

Maybe… just maybe, there was a hint of possessiveness toward her ‘partner’?

She never used to be like this.

Acknowledging this possibility, she also reminded herself: Li Qingwu was her own person, not her possession.

She would have to be more mindful in the future.

Not long after, a maid arrived with a beaming smile, serving the new dish. “This is a new specialty from Linglong Pavilion, Kung Pao Chicken. Please enjoy.”

Wu Yiqi laughed at the odd name but picked up his chopsticks anyway. After two bites, he blinked in surprise and admitted, “...Okay, it’s actually pretty good.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Then, a sudden loud crash erupted from downstairs.

The murmurs outside their private room came to an abrupt halt before swelling into a chaotic uproar.

The maid froze. “Apologies, honored guests, I’ll check on the situation.” She hurried away.

The three exchanged glances, falling silent.

Qiu Che stood. “I’ll go take a look.”