After a lively half-hour, the princess, who had rendered great service to the country, was welcomed into the princess's residence. The maids happily prepared hot water, mugwort leaves, and a sumptuous lunch to welcome their mistresses.
Taking off the bamboo-patterned long robe he'd bought for two taels of silver, Ji Pingxi soaked in the large, half-height bathtub. Yu Zhi felt weak and limp, nestled against her chest, relieved: "We're finally back..."
Yes, they're finally back.
Looking back now, Ji Pingxi admires how they managed to travel those eight thousand miles.
Amidst rolling sandstorms and alternating periods of hunger and thirst, they overcame countless hardships to reach the Xuanmo Royal Court. Before they could even catch their breath, they were already engaged in a bitter battle with the Ink King on an empty stomach.
That battle, compared to her previous one with the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin, was extremely dangerous. Fortunately, she did not fail in her mission, exchanging three years and three months of hardship for Xuan Mo's submission. Ji Pingxi buried her face in the soft, warm depths of the snowy mountain of the beauty and took a deep breath: "It smells so good!"
Yu Zhi had been married to her for several years, enduring three years of asceticism. Ever since that night in the mountains, her body had been exposed to the tastes of passion and could no longer resist her teasing. Before long, she would be able to muster the energy to enjoy the pleasures of love with her beloved.
The four maids, holding brand-new clothes, waited outside the door. Upon hearing the commotion coming from inside the room, they blushed and retreated.
Your Highness and Princess Consort have such great energy!
After a satisfying and vigorous battle, Yu Zhi's eyes were as bright as spring. Ji Pingxi carried her out of the bathtub, dried her body, and changed her into her undergarments before calling Emerald and Agate to come in.
Dressed in her finest attire, Ji Pingxi stood firmly in front of the full-length mirror, turning back with a smug look: "It's been so long since I've seen myself like this."
Having worn tattered clothes for three years and lived as a commoner and a poor person for three years, she suddenly ended her ascetic life without feeling the slightest discomfort.
The gold, stone, and silver ingots were returned to their original positions.
Ji Pingxi stepped forward to tie his wife's sash—after three years of relying on each other and sharing joys and sorrows, this woman held a place in his heart that no one else could compare to.
Princess Changyang returned from her great victory at the Xuanmo Royal Court with a full harvest, while Yuzhi returned with a 'full harvest' in a different sense.
After three years of hardship, no one could replace her in Xi Xi's heart.
She clung to His Highness's neck, acting incredibly spoiled, a far cry from her stubborn and stoic nature when she endured countless hardships without uttering a sound.
Ji Pingxi had never enjoyed her coquettishness so much before; her eyes and brows were overflowing with love.
Yu Zhi's legs went weak under her gaze. She had clearly been making a ruckus in the bathtub for quite a while, but her body seemed to be craving more.
She turned her face away shyly.
After having lunch at the residence, the two held hands and went to the palace to meet the emperor.
In Gan Ning Palace, the Eldest Princess and Liu Boyan sat beside the Empress. Ji Ying openly held a cup of tea, but her heart was about to fly out of the palace gates.
Ji Qingyou wasn't much better off. The usually very composed Crown Prince was now anxiously waiting, sending palace servants every half hour to check if the Princess Zhenguo had returned.
Yan Xiu listened absentmindedly to her close friend's words when the head palace maid walked in excitedly: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Princess and the Princess Consort have arrived!"
As soon as Ji Pingxi stepped through the door, the princess who wasn't watching her was pulled away by her mother-in-law. Before Ji Pingxi could even take a second look, she herself was pulled into her mother's arms.
"Good child, you've suffered so much..."
Yan Xiu held her daughter, looking her up and down, wishing she could tear off her clothes to see if her daughter was injured.
"Mother, I'm alright." She said, both amused and exasperated.
On the other side, Yu Zhi was also being called "my darling" by her mother.
Liu Boyan was a crybaby, and her daughter was a little crybaby. After three years of separation, the big crybaby saw the little crybaby, who had suffered and become thin as a skeleton. The two mother and daughter exchanged only a few words before hugging each other and crying.
Ji Rong was anxious about two things—anxious to appease his wife and anxious to see his daughter and niece.
The scene became chaotic at one point.
Ji Qingyou sniffed, her eyes red: "Royal elder sister, royal sister-in-law, welcome home."
The whole family gathered together, and soon laughter could be heard coming from the Gan Ning Palace.
On the day Princess Changyang returned, His Majesty personally bestowed upon her the title of a first-rank princess who protected the nation, with a fief of six thousand. She became the first princess in the Great Yan Dynasty to hold military power. Moreover, to celebrate the safe return of her daughter and daughter-in-law, Ji Ying granted a general amnesty.
Except for the most heinous criminals who cannot be released, all other prisoners who behave well in the dungeon are given a chance to start anew.
After staying in the palace for half a month, and with Yan Xiu and Liu Boyan taking turns cooking and feeding her, Yu Zhi's thin cheeks finally gained some weight, and her complexion gradually improved.
On a bright and beautiful spring day, Ji Pingxi and her princess returned to the newly renovated princess residence.
Back in their little nest, the two of them sprawled on the soft couch, becoming two silent salted fish in the wind.
Zhizhihao, a salted fish with a plain face, sighed softly, "It's alive again."
Pingxihao, the salted fish, chimed in, "Yeah, there's no place like home. Home is the best."
She even called the princess's residence a doghouse, and Yu Zhi rolled her eyes at her.
Upon hearing the word "dog" on the soft couch, the real dog Cun Cun circled around the two of them, sniffing here and there. Years had passed in the blink of an eye, and Cun Cun had grown from a tiny puppy that could be held in one hand into a majestic big dog, quite like its mother, A Yao.
The two dogs recognized their owner by their scent, and Cuncun excitedly reached for Ji Pingxi's trouser leg, while Youyou excitedly licked Yu Zhi's ankle, startling Yu Zhi so much that she sat up abruptly.
Witnessing this, Ji Pingxi's expression instantly changed, and he roared, "Simp!"
A slap sent Youyou huddled back into a corner.
Princess Zhenguo was in a bad mood and scolded the dog with a frown: "This is my woman. Only I can lick her, understand?!"
Youyou whimpered softly, and Yuzhi felt a pang of sympathy, yet also a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Cun Cun followed along and got scolded. The two dogs stood in a row with their tails drooping and huddled in a corner. The servants, Jin Shi Yin Ding, Fei Cui Ma Nao, hadn't seen their master jealous in a long time, and seeing this, they couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.
Upon returning, Ji Pingxi was busy setting rules for the two dogs, but Yu Zhi didn't have the time for that. That day, she made an appointment with several female managers, asking them to bring the best cosmetics to her door.
Upon receiving her order, the stewards came to the princess's residence with great joy to recommend several fine items to the princess.
The wind and sun of eight thousand miles of travel can't withstand even the natural beauty of Yuzhi—start taking care of yourself now!
She went off to tinker with all sorts of bottles and jars. Ji Pingxi was extremely narcissistic and didn't realize at all that there was something wrong with her face after traveling eight thousand miles. The former Princess Changyang was a fairy, and the current Princess Zhenguo is still a fairy.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with Zhizhi. At most, she was a little tanned and thinner, but her skin was originally as white as snow, and even though she was a little tanned, she still looked clearer and fairer than ordinary people.
But Yuzhi doesn't think so.
She was five years older than Ji Pingxi, and even though she was usually affectionate, soft-hearted, and prone to crying, that didn't change the fact that she was older.
She's five years older now, and if she ages any faster, she can't handle it.
The day after returning to the princess's residence, Liu Boyan came to keep her daughter company and relieve her boredom—Yu Zhi was covering up Bai in the most natural and foolproof way, keeping her locked in her room all day without even seeing the sun.
Inside the courtyard, Princess Yunzhang chatted casually with her niece, mostly asking about what they had seen and heard while traveling.
While applying pearl powder to her face, Ji Pingxi said, "The journey of eight thousand miles, apart from the rough yellow sand, has allowed me to see scenery that we in the Great Yan Dynasty never see. Aunt, do you know about the 'Land of Wind and Moon'?"
Ji Rong was very unhappy that she called her "aunt" instead of "mother-in-law".
But thinking of the immense suffering her niece endured during her ordeal, and how this once picky person has now changed her ways, even picking up and eating rice grains that have fallen on the table, she felt very sad.
This is just the visible suffering; who knows how much unseen suffering they've endured.
She asked, "The Kingdom of Love and Lust? What kind of place is that? I've never heard of it."
"The Kingdom of Love and Lust is an obscure little country named after love and lust. The men and women there are born with a lustful mind, taking pleasure in sex. It is common to see people offering themselves up for sex on the streets..."
Ji Pingxi squinted, recalling the thrilling experience of her and Zhizhi almost being eaten alive by the people of Fengyue Kingdom, and pouted: "They are too licentious!"
Ji Rong was secretly surprised that someone as unruly as her could complain about being "debauched": "Is there really such a place in this world?"
"Indeed. The world is full of wonders."
Can you imagine someone climbing through your window while you're sleeping? Climbing through a window is one thing, but scaring people is another.
Several people were kicked to death by Ji Pingxi.
It's frustrating, really. With her unparalleled martial arts skills, she ended up having to flee with her wife in the middle of the night to avoid a massacre.
Thinking of this, she scoffed: "Auntie, if you see men and women with white headscarves around their waists and dressed provocatively in the future, you must take a detour and avoid talking to them, or you will be harassed."
That towel wasn't a proper towel; it was specifically used to wipe the floor after sex.
Ji Rong learned something from her and asked her in detail, intending to tell Yan'er about it later. When she looked up again and saw that her niece was still applying powder to her face, she asked curiously, "Aren't you naturally beautiful? Why are you wearing powder?"
Ji Pingxi said that she was too old to understand romance: "Zhizhi doesn't even leave the house now because she's trying to whiten her skin. I can't stand next to her and be a different shade of skin, can I?"
Having been together for three years, she truly cherished this woman who loved to cry.
Ji Rong was happy for her beloved daughter, raising an eyebrow: "You guys are living a comfortable life."
Her words were tinged with envy, and Ji Pingxi chuckled, "Is Auntie facing a problem?"
Isn't it because they've encountered some difficulties? Otherwise, why would the princess stay at her niece's residence instead of loving her wife?
The two were close and shared everything. Ji Rong hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing her words before speaking slowly, "It's your mother-in-law, she..."
Ji Pingxi strained his ears to listen, but halfway through, he wanted to laugh, only to be silenced by a slap from his aunt.
"So here's the problem: your mother-in-law doesn't seem to be interested in me..."
After several years of intimate moments in bed, Liu Boyan went from being competitive to being detached from desires. She reached this state, but Ji Rong was still stuck in the stage of being consumed by lust.
The two didn't get along in that area, and it had been almost half a month since they had experienced the feeling of reaching the summit.
Ji Rong looked distressed: "What should we do?"
"Could it be that my mother-in-law has changed her mind?"
"Nonsense!" she glared at her niece. "Yan'er isn't that kind of person!"
Ji Pingxi touched his chin and leaned over to share some of his experiences with her.
Compared to her, Ji Rongchi, who was much older, was truly ignorant, with an expression that seemed to say, "You can do that? You can do this?"
"Auntie, keep up the good work, your niece has high hopes for you."
"..."
The words "work hard" really provoked Ji Rong.
Leaving aside what happened that night when she called Liu Boyan to the peach blossom forest, under the starry sky, Yu Zhi leaned on her beloved and asked softly, "Xi Xi, did I come back looking pale?"
Ji Pingxi stared at her intently for a few moments, making Yu Zhi's heart pound: "Wh-what, still—"
Before she could finish speaking, the princess pulled the blanket over them, saying, "Even if you're as black as ink, I'll still like you."
As black as ink?
Before Yu Zhichun's emotions could even flow from her brows, she imagined herself as terrifyingly dark as a statue, and her body trembled: "Am I... am I really that dark?"
"..."
That night, Princess Zhenguo was locked out of the house by her concubine because her sweet talk was too frightening and exaggerated.
Yu Zhi was still a little angry from the previous night.