Chapter 118: Have you ever been kissed by someone? (Second update, seeking monthly votes)

"This young person!"

Having successfully "delivered" Imperial Concubine Ran's hairpin into the hands of the Second Prince, the little white fox, who did good deeds without leaving a name, circled back to the front of the pavilion.

Watching Li Qiushui, who was still pouring and drinking by herself, he counted the wine jars on the ground, smacked his lips, and couldn't help but feel admiration.

"One, two, three... seven, eight, nine!"

Ox!

"Does she not need to use the restroom at all?"

What a strong body the heroine has!

An iron-forged bladder...

Seeing a palace maid walking toward her, Li Qiushui set down her wine cup and raised her hands to tap both sides of her ears.

Hm?

Seeing this action, Ren Yidao blinked his eyes.

"... Sealing her hearing? No, it's unsealing."

"Could it be that she didn't hear a single word of what Li Fengyao said earlier?"

I was wondering why Li Qiushui was so calm; how could she have no reaction at all while listening to such mushy words?

It turns out she had muted the other person!

Although I have no way to make you shut up, I can make myself deaf.

As long as my world cannot hear any sound, you cannot bewitch me in the slightest.

"Learned something, I have truly learned something!"

When I bewitch others next time, I must pay attention to this point.

Speaking of which...

"Did Senior Brother Jian do this before too?"

Recalling many previous times, anger rose from Ren Yidao's heart, and malice grew from his guts.

You, Jian Xinxin!

You actually dare to ignore me, right!?

Is this how you treat your junior brother who is full of sincerity and enthusiasm?

Fine.

So that's how you want to play!

You just wait for me to go back.

I'm going to explode at you!

"I won't open my mouth in the future either, I'll just use divine sense transmission! Heh heh, let's see how you defend against that?"

Just ask yourself if you're afraid!

And while Ren Yidao was formulating a grand plan to persecute Jian Xinxin in a dark corner, the palace maid also placed the wine jars beside the pavilion.

Just as Ren Yidao was struggling with whether he should "take out Mei Yongdi's spirit tablet first? Or use it as a trump card," Li Qiushui spoke.

She looked expressionlessly at the palace maid, who was bowing and preparing to take her leave, and asked out of the blue:

"Have you... ever been kissed by someone?"

Ren Yidao: Pfft!

Palace maid:???

"Ah?!"

Startled by this sentence, the frightened palace maid hurriedly knelt down and spoke in a panic:

"Your Highness! This servant has never had a 'secret romantic' relationship with a eunuch!?"

This palace maid had been in the palace for many years and had never imagined she would hear these words from the Ninth Princess.

And compared to confusion, she cared more about her own safety at this moment.

What exactly did the Ninth Princess mean by this?

Does she think I had a 'secret romantic' relationship with a eunuch?

Although no one admits to the matter of palace maids and eunuchs having 'secret romantic' relationships openly, isn't it something everyone knows in private?

Even His Majesty has never bothered with it, is the Ninth Princess about to take action?

Besides, I don't even have a eunuch sweetheart!

Thud!

The palace maid kowtowed heavily, and without getting up, she pleaded:

"I beg Your Highness to investigate clearly! This servant really has not..."

"Uh, wait a moment, that's not what I meant."

Li Qiushui's mouth twitched, and she waved her hand, using Dharma Power to lift the kneeling palace maid up.

Her gaze wandered to the side, and Li Qiushui remained silent for a long time, until the palace maid became increasingly uneasy, before she finally spoke:

"Don't be afraid, I'm just asking... I really am just asking."

Pausing, she turned her head, looked at the palace maid seriously, and raised her hand, saying:

"Don't worry, I swear in the name of the ancestors of the Li Family, I won't tell anyone."

Ren Yidao:?

This little sister, you are quite filial!

Is that what ancestors are for?

If your ancestors heard this, they would cry, you know.

The palace maid was clearly bewildered after hearing this, not understanding the Ninth Princess's train of thought.

But she eventually realized that the Ninth Princess was not trying to settle scores with her, but seemed to be doing so out of curiosity?

That was it; Her Highness had reached the age where she was interested in such matters.

Swallowing hard, the palace maid hesitated for a long time before whispering:

"This servant... before entering the palace, I once kissed someone."

Blinking her eyes, Li Qiushui was clearly interested; she changed her posture, cleared a space beside her, and signaled for the palace maid to sit down.

After a moment of hesitation, but with things having reached this point, there was nothing left to waver over; the palace maid bowed and sat down beside her.

"And who was it with?"

Since she had already spoken, the palace maid, having cast caution to the wind, calmed down and said candidly while sitting in the pavilion:

"It was with my childhood sweetheart."

"He was my neighbor; we had known each other since we were young and had harbored feelings for one another since we were children."

"Before I had even reached the age of capping, our two families had arranged a marriage, waiting only for him to return after completing his studies to wed."

"On the day of our betrothal, he kissed me in my boudoir."

Speaking of the past, the panic on the palace maid's face dissipated, replaced by a tenderness for beautiful memories.

Looking at the palace maid's happy profile, Li Qiushui curiously asked a follow-up:

"Then what happened to him later?"

"Later..."

The smile on the palace maid's face gradually faded, returning to a faint melancholy; she whispered:

"The year before I entered the palace, he was killed by a demon while gathering herbs on the mountain; only half of his remains were found."

Tears welled up in the corners of the palace maid's eyes; she raised her sleeve to wipe them and choked out:

"After that, I entered the palace."

Li Qiushui: "..."

From Ren Yidao's perspective, although Li Qiushui still looked serious on the surface, she was clearly flustered.

What should I do?

I only wanted to ask, how did I make her cry?

She raised her hand several times wanting to comfort her, but in the end, it never landed on the palace maid's shoulder.

Fortunately, after only a short while, the palace maid adjusted her mood on her own, wiped away her tears, and rose to bow.

"I have let Your Highness see a joke."

Li Qiushui turned slightly to avoid it and whispered:

"No, don't take it to heart... I am very sorry."

Looking at the Ninth Princess with surprise, the palace maid broke into a smile through her tears and bowed:

"This is my own issue, Your Highness must not apologize."

Without waiting for Li Qiushui to speak, the palace maid continued to ask:

"Your Highness asked about this, is there something weighing on your heart?"

Weighing on my heart?

Can that matter really be considered something weighing on my heart?

"I don't have... no, I might indeed have something, weighing on my heart."

Saying the words "weighing on my heart" very softly, Li Qiushui shook her head and sighed silently.

Weighing on my heart?

Don't lie to yourself, Li Qiushui.

That kiss is more than just something weighing on my heart; it has almost become my own Heart Demon.

Coupled with that person's subsequent behavior, Li Qiushui's brows would lock tight every time she thought of it.

Watching the shame and annoyance on the Ninth Princess's face, the palace maid clearly misinterpreted her state of mind.

Her Highness isn't pining for love... but already has a sweetheart? And they have already done intimate things?

Having been in the palace for over ten years, she had seen many palace affairs and understood the hearts of these princesses.

After a moment of hesitation, the palace maid took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and whispered:

"This servant does not know what Your Highness has encountered, nor am I clear on the pressure Your Highness is facing."

"But as someone who has been through it, I still want to give you one piece of advice..."

The palace maid knew this was overstepping; if others found out, it would be a capital offense punishable by death.

But she said it anyway.

"Never let yourself have regrets."