"Sir, why didn't you ask for leave today?"
Having changed into a plain white robe, Gu Zhong looked very refreshed and capable.
"It was my oversight."
Lingyan listlessly rose from the couch to apologize, and Xiaodian keenly sensed her emotions.
"Are you in a bad mood today, sir?"
"Never..."
Why are you acting so listless?
Gu Zhong took two steps forward, intending to investigate. Ling Yan turned aside to avoid her, preemptively striking to prevent further questioning.
"Your Highness, is there any urgent matter you wish to discuss with me?"
"..." Gu Zhong glanced at his empty hand, paused for a moment, then concealed the disappointment in his eyes.
"It's nothing serious, just what Father Emperor said in court today..."
She paused at this point.
"Your Highness's matter of choosing a husband?"
As Lingyan managed to utter those words, her heart ached even more.
"Sir, what do you think?"
Gu Zhong was unaware that he had been stabbed again.
"His Majesty's sudden decree has its reasons. Besides, Your Highness has now come of age, and for the sake of the nation's stability, it is time for you to marry..."
Every word and phrase is not from my true feelings.
"Sir...do you really think so?"
For no apparent reason, Gu Zhong suddenly felt a surge of anger and panic in his chest, as if he were about to be abandoned.
"···"
Seeing the inexplicably angry prince, Ling Yan fell into a long silence.
A faint flame flickered in her heart, gathering all her hopes and urging her to pour out all her longings. Yet, she was also filled with fear, fear of bringing about an irreversible end.
"As a subject... it is true."
In the end, she didn't say a word, lowered her head and looked down, and personally drew a chasm between them.
"Okay." Gu Zhong's tone was stiff. She took a few heavy steps and moved towards the door.
"I'm going back now."
There was a vague sense of anticipation, as if expecting something.
"Respectfully seeing off Your Highness."
But not a single word came from behind trying to stop him.
After a long while, he came out of the room. Gu Zhong had already left. He looked up and saw the setting sun gradually sinking.
It's time to drink the peach blossom wine that was buried under the peach tree at Changli Palace two years ago...
Holding a shallow jade cup filled with pink and transparent nectar, Lingyan lay back on her bamboo chair, rocking back and forth, looking up at the bright moon. The moon was very round tonight, a time for family reunions, but she was still all alone.
"Sir, are you drinking alone here tonight?"
Suddenly, the empty wine glass in my hand was gently snatched away. I tried to open my blurry eyes to see the person in front of me clearly, but all I saw was a dark, blurry shadow.
"Um?"
She tilted her head, raised her hand to look at it, seemingly confused about the situation. "Where's my wine?"
"Sir, you're drunk. Please don't drink anymore."
Gu Zhong sighed, picked up the jade pot containing wine on the table beside him, and took a sniff. An alluring peach blossom fragrance wafted into her mouth and nose. "I didn't know that you, sir, could brew such fine wine, and that you were secretly drinking it behind my back."
Looking at the drunken man on the recliner, Gu Zhong felt a surge of grievance.
As she returned home, she felt increasingly uneasy about what had happened during the day. Why was she inexplicably feeling uneasy and preoccupied, yet she didn't know where to begin?
After hesitating for half a day, he secretly slipped away to Changli Palace under the cover of night, wanting to ask for an answer.
Unexpectedly, this person leisurely drank the fine wine alone, which was truly excessive, and the young prince couldn't help but have wicked thoughts.
"Well then, since you are not a good drinker, I will gladly accept this wine."
Gu Zhong leaned down and whispered in Ling Yan's ear. The hot breath he exhaled made Ling Yan's sensitive earlobe itch unbearably, and she turned her head away uncomfortably, but still stubbornly reached out her hand to Gu Zhong.
"Wine! My wine!"
At this moment, Lingyan was like a three-year-old child begging for something he loved.
"No!"
Gu Zhong playfully waved the wine pot in front of her, then lifted it up and drank it all in one gulp. A little wine that he hadn't had time to swallow dripped from the corner of her lips, down her chin, and wet her black collar.
Watching helplessly as the exquisite wine was all consumed by Gu Zhong, Ling Yan was determined to reclaim her own wine.
So she forcefully grabbed the wine thief by the collar, pulled her down onto herself, and eagerly thrust her lips, still smeared with wine, into the person in front of her.
Gu Zhong's eyes widened in disbelief, and he froze, losing all judgment and consciousness for a moment, remaining motionless as Ling Yan did as she pleased.
Lingyan first stuck out her tongue and carefully licked the wine off her lips, but still frowned, seemingly unsatisfied.
He forcefully squeezed his tongue between Gu Zhong's teeth, gently sweeping it across the inside of her mouth—a long and tender kiss. He only withdrew his tongue when she was breathless.
"gentlemen…"
Gu Zhong snapped out of his daze and called out softly in a trembling voice.
"Hmm? Gu Zhong... what's wrong?"
No longer acting like a teacher or subject as usual, Lingyan boldly called out her lover's name and snuggled in her arms like a charming young girl.
"You're so mean, you stole my drink again... I don't care, I'm taking it back!"
As she said this, she kissed Gu Zhong's lips, down his chin, and down his neck...
His lost ability to move suddenly returned, and Gu Zhong struggled to get off Ling Yan in a disheveled state, quickly retreating with a look of struggle on his face.
"Gu Zhong?"
The person in front of her looked incredulous and aggrieved, as if they couldn't understand why she had been pushed away.
Gu Zhong couldn't bear it and took two steps forward, gently stroking Ling Yan's flushed cheeks. Ling Yan turned her head and lightly pressed her moist lips to Gu Zhong's palm.
His eyes darkened, and Gu Zhong involuntarily swallowed.
"gentlemen…"
She called out again, but this time she received no response; the drunken beauty had simply fallen asleep.
Gu Zhong sighed deeply, picked up the sleeping beauty's legs, and realized that the night air was cool and he should take his husband back to his room.
The next day, when Lingyan woke up on the warm bed, she pressed her forehead, still feeling the effects of her hangover, and thought back for a while before realizing just how daring she had been the night before.
Recalling Gu Zhong's resistant retreat later, Ling Yan felt as if half of her heart had been ripped out. She frowned and clutched her chest.
She couldn't help but smile bitterly. In this life, Gu Zhong was just a fragment of his soul, similar yet different. Moreover, they now had the title of master and disciple. How could she expect Gu Zhong to accept her as always, to accept this rebellious relationship?
I pushed him away yesterday, so how did I end up causing this mess again? Drinking really does ruin things. How am I supposed to get along with him from now on?
Perhaps the best course of action is to pretend that nothing happened.
Gu Zhong is destined to become the empress of this dynasty, with all under heaven submitting and all people loving her. She will have a royal consort who can give her the best support, helping her soar like an eagle and achieve her grand ambitions. She should have a smooth, peaceful, and joyful life. It really shouldn't be like this... it shouldn't be like this...
Suppressing all her struggles, Lingyan resolutely severed her emotions.
As long as she could stay with Gu Zhong, she wouldn't ask for anything else.
Stepping out of the room, she was once again the dignified, elegant, and loyal Grand Tutor.
Chapter 17 The Imperial Tutor and the Crown Princess (Sixteen)
============================
"Your Highness..."
The next day after court, Lingyan originally intended to temporarily avoid Gu Zhong.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and the young prince walked straight towards her, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and bow.
"Sir! Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"
Gu Zhong stared at her intently, his words carrying a barely perceptible hint of displeasure.
"I was still hungover yesterday, so I thought I'd go back to rest early. I heard from the palace servants that Your Highness escorted me back to my room last night. I'm truly sorry for making you laugh."
Ling Yan lowered her head, unwilling to look into Gu Zhong's eyes, which seemed to see through everything.
"Sir...don't you remember getting drunk yesterday?"
Sensing the implied meaning in Ling Yan's words, Gu Zhong's voice turned several degrees colder.
"To my shame, I always black out when I'm drunk and don't remember anything that happened while I was drunk. Have I offended Your Highness in any way?"
Ling Yan put on an innocent expression, though she seemed rather uneasy.
"……No."
After a long silence, Gu Zhong finally managed to utter two words with difficulty and awkwardness.
"Since you are not feeling well, you should rest properly. I will not disturb you any longer."
Lingyan bowed and apologized before taking her leave. In a daze, she returned to Changli Palace and suddenly fell seriously ill, taking half a month of sick leave.
For the past two weeks, Gu Zhong has lingered at the gates of Changli Palace, his gaze passing through the many palace gates towards the sleeping quarters, but he has not stepped inside.
Those inside the hall, filled with guilt and hope, looked out every day, as if a joyful figure would gracefully enter at any moment, laughing and chatting.
No one bowed their head, and no one knew whose torment this was.
After Lingyan recovered from her illness, she asked Emperor Gu for permission to leave the palace, arguing that the Crown Princess had already participated in politics and there was nothing more she could teach, and that it was inappropriate for an official to remain in the palace for an extended period.