Gu Zhao said he wanted to rest, and Zhu Qingyu couldn’t possibly say no.
This was Gu Zhao’s room, Gu Zhao’s bed, Gu Zhao’s blankets.
Everything belonged to Gu Zhao; she was the one borrowing the magpie’s nest.
There wasn’t even a place for her to nap in the room. Eunuch Man had arranged for so much new furniture to be brought in, yet had deliberately left this out. Clearly, it wasn’t a lapse in Eunuch Man’s competence—Gu Zhao had ordered it on purpose.
Zhu Qingyu wrapped herself in the blanket, scooted over a little, and tried to negotiate:
“This bed is a bit cramped for two people. Neither of us will sleep well. Could we maybe ask Eunuch Man this afternoon to add a small couch? I could sleep on that.”
Gu Zhao slowly unfastened the buttons on his robe, his eyes fixed on her as she moved aside, and then he lied straight to her face:
“The Imperial Household Department no longer has any small couches available. Having the carpenters make a new one would take until after the New Year. Until then, you’ll have to make do squeezing in with me.”
When Zhu Qingyu had undressed earlier, she had rushed through it in a flurry, stripping off her clothes and scrambling into bed as fast as she could.
But with Gu Zhao, he took his sweet time unbuttoning, his gaze never leaving her face. Watching her, he even curved his lips and smiled to himself.
What was there to smile about!
Why was he taking so long to undress!
Zhu Qingyu felt the feng shui of the palace must be against her. Her composure had shattered so badly today that—even knowing Gu Zhao’s deliberate, theatrical movements were nothing but pretense—she still found herself foolishly thinking there was something rather charming about it.
Damn it!
Go to sleep!
Zhu Qingyu gave a soft “Oh,” offering no further demands about the small couch. She just tried to squeeze herself even further inward, leaving him as much space as possible, then turned over, presenting him with her back, burrowed into the blanket, and shut her eyes—if she couldn’t see him, at least it wouldn’t bother her.
To have scared her into hiding like that—the smile on Gu Zhao’s face instantly froze.
With no audience left, Gu Zhao’s theatrical fussiness cured itself in a flash. In one swift motion, he removed his outer robe and placed it together with hers.
Looking at the two pieces of clothing tangled together on the surface, his smile returned. He glanced back at Zhu Qingyu—who was wrapped in the blanket with only her hair visible—gently lifted the blanket, let down the bed curtain, and lay down beside her.
Gu Zhao had slept in this bed since he was a child, but never before had he felt it was this small.
Though Zhu Qingyu had tried her utmost to limit her own space, the moment Gu Zhao lay down, the bed was completely packed, with not a single gap between them.
His arm brushed against her back. Even through their respective undergarments, he could still feel her body heat.
A long time ago, he had held her and, unable to control himself, left marks on her jade-like back. The memory came rushing back vividly at this contact through the fabric.
He had already been restraining himself with great effort, but just a slight pressure and her skin was so easily marked. He wondered whether those traces still remained?
Part of him wanted to see them again. Just thinking about it made his blood surge, his self-control wavering.
But now was not yet the time to take things further.
Feathers can sink a boat; too much weight can break an axle.
Slow and steady, progress in small increments. What they had today might already be her limit.
Here in the deep palace, it wasn’t as if she had nowhere to go. If he pushed her too hard, she might actually run to Shen Xu—and Shen Xu might truly take her in.
The closer she was to imperial power, the weaker his hold over her became. If she really fled, all his efforts would backfire.
Do not be impatient.
Do not be reckless.
Do not rush.
Just as Gu Zhao was caught up in these restless thoughts, Zhu Qingyu, who had been facing away from him, suddenly turned over and rolled right into his arms.
The sudden gift of her yielding into his embrace made Gu Zhao freeze completely, not daring to move, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
He couldn’t guess her intent. He was afraid of misreading the situation and losing all his progress. So he waited for her to signal first.
But Zhu Qingyu showed nothing—neither in gesture nor in speech. Even her breathing was steady.
She was asleep!
She was actually asleep?!
Gu Zhao could hardly believe it. A man and a woman alone together, sharing a bed with him right beside her—and she had fallen asleep just like that!
While his heart churned with a thousand thoughts and he couldn’t calm himself, she was placid as still water, paying him no mind. In just a breath, in an instant, she had drifted off!
In a flash of sheer frustration, Gu Zhao’s mind went blank. He couldn’t even think of how to punish this little woman who dared to disregard him so completely.
Did she really think he wouldn’t touch her!
Someone’s firm chest was clearly not as comfortable as a pillow. Frowning, even in sleep, Zhu Qingyu was dissatisfied with this new position.
When she tried to roll back, Gu Zhao tightened his arms, encircling her and preventing her escape.
Because of the exhaustion of staying up all night, Zhu Qingyu had fallen into a deep sleep the moment she hit the bed.
Now, blocked in her movement, sleep took priority. She gave up easily, only nuzzling into place on his chest, finding a slightly more comfortable spot, and drifting off again.
Gu Zhao resigned himself to his fate with a sigh, adjusting her head to rest more comfortably in the crook of his neck.
At least, he reasoned, he had her in his arms.
Resting his head against hers, listening to her steady breathing, it wasn’t long before the worry-laden Gu Zhao, too, was infected by her drowsiness and slipped into slumber.
When Zhu Qingyu woke again, the unfamiliar surroundings confused her for a moment. She had no idea where she was or what time it was.
Feeling a man beneath her—and one completely different in build from Zhang Shen—her heart leapt in alarm, and she sat up abruptly.
The sudden movement jolted Gu Zhao awake at once:
“What’s wrong? Is it time to go?”
At the sound of Gu Zhao’s voice, the panic that had seized her heart eased at once.
Since it was daytime, light seeped weakly through the cracks in the bed curtains, casting a hazy, drowsy glow just enough to confirm it was indeed Gu Zhao.
Clarity returned to her mind, and she remembered: she was in the palace. The emperor—was he due for his next round of medicine?
Before leaving, Zhu Qingyu had told Eunuch Qiu that if His Majesty had any trouble in the meantime, he should call for her, and if things were stable, she would return by noon.
She prayed she hadn’t missed the hour.
Zhu Qingyu scrambled to climb over Gu Zhao and get out of bed. He caught her, lifted the curtain to glance at the incense clock on the cabinet, and said:
“No rush. There’s still time.”
If Gu Zhao said she wasn’t late, she definitely wasn’t. The urgency drained out of her.
Zhu Qingyu hopped off the bed on her own, put on her outer robe, and went to the dressing table to do her hair.
Without her third sister or a professional maidservant to help, Zhu Qingyu only knew the simplest hairstyles. As she was combing her hair, Gu Zhao came over and reached out:
“Let me.”
Zhu Qingyu was genuinely shocked:
“You know how to do hair? How is that possible?”
A young master from a noble family—why would he learn su? That made no sense!
Gu Zhao skillfully began combing her hair and said:
"In the past, when I was a study companion at the palace, I had to accompany the Emperor to pay respects to the Empress Dowager every morning. We were still young then, so the Empress Dowager wasn’t too particular about it. She’d simply see us while dressing and doing her makeup, and I watched that for several years."
Having only glimpsed it as a child, without ever actually trying it herself, the erudite and sharp-witted Lord Gu surprisingly managed to style a married woman’s coiffure quite competently.
Under Lady Zhu Qingyu’s repeated emphasis to keep it simple, simple, simpler still, Lord Gu did not show off her skills. The two of them quickly finished tidying up, preparing to head to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Just as they pushed open the door, Shen Xu happened to be standing right outside.
Zhu Qingyu walked out first, and upon seeing Shen Xu, she looked quite surprised.
Shen Xu, taking in Lady Zhu Qingyu and Gu Zhao behind her, his surprise no less than Zhu Qingyu’s at seeing them come out of the same room together, said:
"I’m here for the shift change."
