Chapter 8: Regaining Favor

Gu Tan knew that her conduct last time had indeed been unseemly. She didn't particularly care about Zuo Li, but the incident had disturbed Li Qian, who had subsequently avoided her quarters for five or six days. Even with the children to attend to, he had stayed away.

This was a warning to her.

Yet, she was inherently proud. With Li Qian absent, she lacked the humility to beg for his return, instead fuming in her chambers. The teapot Zuo Li had sent over via Yulan that day had long since been smashed into pieces by her.

"Typical of those from lowly backgrounds; they've seen nothing of the world. One after another, they fall ill."

Zhulian removed Gu Tan’s hairpins, allowing her glossy, raven-black hair to cascade naturally over her shoulders.

The small brazier was burning brightly, and fresh tea was being brewed.

Taking the teacup, Gu Tan arched her elegant brows and leaned lazily against the plain silk brocade cushion, gently stirring the tea foam.

It was clear her mood had improved.

Gu Tan let out a disdainful laugh, humming, "Some base creatures—hearts higher than the heavens, yet lives as thin as paper. Our Crown Princess’s judgment is growing increasingly poor these days, considering the sort of people she takes a fancy to."

With that, she felt a surge of triumph. Zuo Li had gone to such lengths to promote those women, but alas, mud cannot be plastered onto a wall; they were useless things after all.

Gu Tan had already changed into her sleeping gown and climbed onto the *kang*. Before she had even touched the quilt, she saw someone carrying a lantern in the courtyard. As the shadows flickered, she peered closely and realized it was Zhang Desheng, the head eunuch who served Li Qian.

Gu Tan sprang up at once, rushing off the *kang* so hurriedly that she forgot to put on her shoes. Fortunately, the floor was covered with a rug.

Li Qian had returned early that day and dined alone in the front study. He had originally intended to sleep there for the night, but recalling that he hadn't visited Gu Tan for several days, he felt he had meted out enough of the cold shoulder.

Gu Tan had never before tasted the bitterness of being ignored.

Upon entering the inner chamber, he saw Gu Tan rush toward him. Her slender, soft arms coiled around Li Qian’s neck like two water snakes, and she pressed her entire body firmly against him.

Fearing she might stumble, Li Qian gripped her slim waist and pulled her onto the *kang*. The servants attended to them, changing his robes, and once the room was left with only two small lamps flickering on the table, the two lay locked in an embrace.

"My Lord, you haven't visited me in so long. Have you forgotten me?"

Gu Tan hid half her face in Li Qian’s chest, her hands wandering restlessly over him as she spoke with a touch of coquettish reproach.

She was not foolish. She didn't mention the day Zuo Li had sent someone to deliver the coptis water; Zuo Li’s actions could not be hidden from Li Qian, but since he hadn't spoken of it, it meant he had tacitly allowed it. She could not bring up old grievances.

Yet, catching Li Qian and saying how much she missed him was quite charming in its own way.

Li Qian was not unaware of the changes in Gu Tan. He thought to himself that this time had not been in vain; it was for the best that Gu Tan tempered her temperament. He doted on her, but if she lost all sense of propriety, it would reflect poorly on him, especially with the Crown Princess managing the inner courtyard.

Some constraints on his concubines would make future matters easier.

With this thought, Li Qian chuckled softly, grabbing Gu Tan's soft hand and playfully biting her finger. She always carried a faint, milky scent.

"Hmm, have you been wronged?"

Hearing Li Qian’s question, Gu Tan’s eyes welled with tears. She pressed her head tightly against his chest, and as their warm breath mingled, she could hear the steady rhythm of his heart.

Her delicate lips parted, her voice drawn out and languid: "Since the younger sisters arrived in the manor, you’ve forgotten us old flames. I think of you day and night, my heart aching with longing."

Li Qian let out a soft scoff, turning over to pin the soft, supple woman in his arms. He gripped her chin, his thumb brushing over her cherry lips, his gaze deepening. "What are you angry about? They are all just painted, common faces; none can compare to you."

Yet, as he said this, the timid face of Shen Quanyi suddenly flashed across his mind.

He was momentarily dazed.

Gu Tan did not notice the change in Li Qian.

Words spoken by a man always brought joy, and Gu Tan’s heart leaped. She looked up, but in the dim night, the flickering candlelight made his face—the one she thought of day and night—seem to blur and sharpen in turns.

The man leaned down, pressing close, their lips warm and clinging.

Gu Tan’s breathing grew rapid, the scorching heat of his body seeping through her clothes. Her fox-like eyes were filled with deep affection, shimmering as if they could bewitch a soul.

Li Qian pulled her into a tight embrace. Gu Tan let out a dainty whimper, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, her soft curves pressed against his burning chest.

Li Qian laughed, calling for the servants to bring hot water. After bathing, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Seeing the lamps in the room remain lit until dawn, Zhulian and the others felt relieved—after all, the Crown Prince still cared for their mistress.

When Gu Tan rose the next day, Li Qian had already departed. Zhulian and the others brought in hot water, and as Gu Tan soaked in the wooden tub, her body felt completely at ease.

While dressing her, Zhulian noticed the faint blue marks on Gu Tan’s skin and covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"You sharp-tongued girl, what are you laughing at now?"

Gu Tan was in high spirits, her tone laced with a smile and her face glowing with allure—it was clear she had been quite satisfied last night.

"This maid is laughing because the Crown Prince still keeps our mistress in his heart. Our mistress is not to be compared with those base things. Still, I suspect there are some who won't be able to smile today."

As Zhulian spoke, her brows arched with triumph. People in the inner courtyard were all sycophants who looked down on the lowly; when they saw Gu Tan being punished earlier, they hadn't shown it on their faces, but they were surely gloating in their hearts.

Now that the Crown Prince had visited, it effectively stifled any desire those people had to watch her misfortune.

"Our Crown Princess is always so magnanimous, embracing all things like the sea, so virtuous. But isn't it agonizing for a woman to have a husband and yet live as if she has none?"

Gu Tan spoke slowly, lifting her arm from the water. Rose petals clung to her skin, and droplets of water slid down, making her complexion appear even more delicate.

The atmosphere in Chunya Courtyard was filled with joy.

News that the Crown Prince had stayed in Chunya Courtyard the previous night had arrived early. Yulan stood with bated breath, while inside the hall, Zuo Li knelt in simple robes, her hands clasped, bowing before the Guanyin statue above.

Yulan watched Zuo Li’s movements in silence, unable to discern her mistress's joy or anger. Only when the prayers were finished and Zuo Li stood up did Yulan step forward to support her.

"Why the long face?"

Zuo Li picked up the Diamond Sutra from the table and placed it alongside the transcribed scrolls into the small pear-wood cabinet by the *kang*.

Only then did she look up to see Yulan still bowing her head. "What is there to worry about? I only fear that they will not compete. I am the wife and the mistress of the house; I am the master, and they are the servants. It is their duty as concubines to vie for favor, and it is their means of survival."

Zuo Li paused, as if remembering something else. "How is Concubine Shen?"

"They say she still needs to recuperate," Xingye reported. Yulan understood that to mean she was still unable to perform her duties.

Zuo Li nodded, her expression calm, though it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.