Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 760 (2): Baoqin Gets into Trouble

Just moments ago, Zhao Changhe had no improper thoughts, yet now, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and his mouth felt dry.

When did Baoqin grow up so much? And when did she become so... beautiful?

Thinking about it carefully, she was Wanzhuang’s acknowledged personal maid, a chamber maid. That meant she was already his in a way. Taking her would be normal, and not taking her would be what might make her resentful... How had he completely ignored her all this time?[1]

Those eyes, filled with a mix of shyness and grievance... Were they truly just because of the conversation earlier? What was there to be upset about? What exactly was she resenting?

Why had she chosen Romance of the Western Chamber to have Wanzhuang read? Was she hinting at something?

A sudden thought struck Zhao Changhe. Given the norms of this society and the way young women like her see themselves, what will happen if she continues to be ignored? If her master doesn’t want her, what will be the consequence for her? How will others perceive her? It... could turn into a real problem.

She likely did not even dare to say it outright. Instead, she could only drop hints through stories like Romance of the Western Chamber, expressing her feelings through veiled grievance. Because if she said it plainly, she would have no retreat. If he refused her...

His chest tightened at the realization. No wonder Wanzhuang left us alone on purpose. Even she doesn’t dare bring it up directly. She probably fears that if I reject Baoqin outright, she might throw herself into a river.

The hall fell into silence.

Zhao Changhe stared at Baoqin, lost in thought, while Baoqin’s gaze began to waver, her heartbeat pounding so hard she could hear it in her own ears. She felt as if she were beating a drum in the empty hall, her breath coming faster.

She stammered again. “Wh-what are you looking at? If you’re going to hit me, then just do it...”

Zhao Changhe raised an eyebrow and teased her, “So, I can just hit you whenever I want?”

Baoqin turned her head to the side in defiance. “I’m just a lowly maid. If King Zhao wants to punish me, what choice do I have? I can only take it.”

Zhao Changhe reached out, gently tilting her chin back to face him, his eyes still fixed on her.

Baoqin’s heart almost leaped into her throat. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to snap back at him, but the words got caught somewhere in her chest.

Zhao Changhe leaned in, his voice a hushed murmur in her ear. “Why did you have Wanzhuang read Romance of the Western Chamber?”

Baoqin instinctively pushed against his chest, her eyes darting left and right in a panic. Their posture was too intimate... His breath brushed against her ear, ticklish and warm, sending a strange sensation coursing through her, something that made her breath turn uneven.

Hm... No one’s around...

She stammered, “What’s wrong with reading Romance of the Western Chamber? My lady has read all sorts of books...”

Something warm brushed against her cheek. It was burning hot.

Baoqin suddenly had the urge to run, but the moment she took a step, an arm wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly in place.

She put on a fierce glare, trying to intimidate him into letting go. Unfortunately, Zhao Changhe was not famous for his propriety. He just chuckled. “I haven’t even punished you yet. Where are you running?”

“Then just hit me, you big, smelly—mmph!” Baoqin’s eyes widened in shock.

Her lips were already sealed by his.

A sharp tongue and quick wit—was this not the best punishment? All he had to do was silence her.

Yet, despite her usual sharpness, the kiss was nothing like her words; it was soft, warm, fragrant, with a faint touch of sweetness.

The feisty little maid melted in an instant. Her glare faded, her struggles ceased, and she stood there, completely dazed, as if the “punishment” had stunned her into a stupor.

In reality, a shiver ran through her entire body, and her mind went utterly blank.

He kissed me...

How could he kiss me just like that? He hasn’t even told me I’m beautiful, or that he likes me, and he hasn’t even played a single “A Phoenix Seeks His Mate...” He just pounced like a stinky bear snatching at berries! He’s a big, brutish, barbaric bear!

Yet, even as these thoughts flashed through her mind, her lips instinctively parted slightly, allowing him to claim the lingering sweetness.

And then, slowly, her eyes closed.

That feeling of grievance, of drifting like a rootless leaf, all those unspoken anxieties settled one by one. They all settled into his embrace.

Somewhere in the depths of her memory, she recalled how much she had hated it when he snapped the strings of a guqin, ruining her ideal of a refined and elegant gentleman. But at some point, she no longer knew why but this scar-faced brute had become the one who seemed most pleasing to her eyes. Now, when she looked at those so-called graceful gentlemen, all she saw were pathetic, useless fools.

Because he was a true, peerless hero...

You should have taken me long ago... I never needed you to play the guqin for me or flatter me with words. Who else in this world suffered my fate? Which other chamber maid had her task of refilling a wine cup stolen by the reigning empress? Who would understand the bitterness of that?

After a long moment, their lips parted.

Baoqin slumped against Zhao Changhe’s chest, her breath unsteady, her body still weak from the lingering sensations. It took her a long time to whisper, “Master, you mustn’t... toy with Baoqin.”

“Since when was I your master?”

“...If you marry my young miss, wouldn’t that make you my master?”

This poor girl... With no one around, even when she dares to seduce her own household’s master, she doesn’t even dare to call me husband.

Zhao Changhe could not help but chuckle. “No, you don’t have to call me master. Pick another title.”

“...What else is there?”

“The one you really want to say.”

“...Stinky bear.”

Zhao Changhe: “???”

Baoqin’s eyes darted around frantically. She finally found something to distract herself with and seized the opportunity, shoving against his chest and leaping backward. She rushed to the table, grabbing for the teapot. “I’ll pour you some tea, Master!”

But before she could even lift it, the scruff of her neck was seized, spinning her halfway around.

“Why bother with tea? You taste better.”

Then her lips were captured once more.

The little maid sighed in resignation, pushing against his chest. “This is the main hall of the Demon Suppression Bureau... And you still say you’re not a stinky bear?”

She said that, yet she could not bear to let go, and she kissed him back with a playful smacking sound, her gaze gradually turning as soft as water.

Zhao Changhe finally settled her onto his lap, sitting by the table as he chuckled and said, “For someone with such a sharp tongue, why do your lips taste so sweet?”

“I only regret they’re not bitter enough to make you suffer.”

“That won’t do. If I die from the bitterness, who will cherish Little Baoqin?”

“There are plenty of men in this world. Who needs a stinky bear? If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve got my young miss trapped, leaving a mere maid like me no choice, who would ever want you?” freewёbnoνel.com

“Alright, alright,” Zhao Changhe said with a grin. “Move the guqin over a bit. I’ll play for you. How about that?”

Baoqin’s heart swelled with delight. She leaned forward and carefully brought the guqin over. At that moment, the arrangement looked almost philosophical—Baoqin cradling the guqin, Zhao Changhe cradling Baoqin, an amusingly layered scene.

She set the guqin down, intending to slip out of his embrace so he could play properly. But Zhao Changhe tightened his hold, preventing her from moving. He smirked and said, “I’ll play just like this.”

“You can’t play well like this. You’re just being lazy.”

“My arms are long.” Zhao Changhe grinned and rested his chin on her shoulder, reaching around to adjust the strings. Within moments, a clear, melodious tune rang out. It was “A Phoenix Seeks His Mate,” the very song Baoqin had longed to hear. A piece meant purely for courtship.

Ordinarily, Zhao Changhe never played the guqin. He had not studied the four arts of a scholar—guqin, Go, calligraphy, and painting—seriously. When he learned these things with Wanzhuang, it was never for the sake of mastering them but rather to slow his mind and refine his presence. Wanzhuang also hoped to instill in him some of the noble bearing befitting a crown prince, but she never expected him to pursue these arts with any real depth.

Now, Zhao Changhe’s demeanor was vastly different from his early days, and those lessons had played a significant role. But with the life he led, always being on the battlefield and always being on the move, he rarely had the time to practice.

Yet, despite that, Baoqin was astonished to find that his playing had improved tremendously. In terms of sheer technical skill, he was even better than her now... His musical expression was still lacking, as there was no profound soul in his notes, but even so, it was already enough to surpass nine out of ten guqin masters in the world.

It was simple, really. Having reached the Profound Control Realm in martial arts, how could mere finger techniques of the guqin be more difficult than the countless minute shifts of one’s body in life-or-death combat? Naturally, mastery came effortlessly. Tang Wanzhuang herself did not practice the zither often, yet her skill was exceptional. The primary reason lay in the same principle. Of course, her musical sophistication was on an entirely different level from the stinky bear that was Zhao Changhe.

Regardless, Zhao Changhe’s rendition of “A Phoenix Seeks His Mate” was truly mesmerizing. To Baoqin, it was the most beautiful version she had ever heard. She turned her head slightly, watching his focused expression as he played. A strange mix of emotions swirled in her heart.

Is he trying to prove he isn’t just a brutish warrior? Or is he proving that... he likes me? But I’m just a chamber maid...

The melody gradually softened, fading into silence. Zhao Changhe rested his fingers on the strings, his voice gentle, “What else do you want to hear?”

Baoqin quickly averted her gaze, lowering her head. “How many more do you even know?”

“You want to hear them all?”

“All of them.”

“Then kiss me first.”

Her cheeks flushed red. She turned her head swiftly and planted a quick peck on his face before burying her head again.

Who would’ve thought... This little maid is actually the one who loves the guqin the most.

Far away, in the imperial palace, Xia Chichi sat in the imperial study, her expression looking as if she had just swallowed a few dozen rotten duck eggs. “The Empress is in the palace, ready to indulge him together with the Empress Dowager, and yet he’s out there playing the guqin to seduce a little maid?!”

Outside, firecrackers continued to crackle in celebration.

Listening to the festive sounds, Xia Chichi’s expression gradually softened. After a moment, she murmured, “Whatever. He rarely gets a moment of peace.”

Then she gave her orders, “Send someone to tell him that tonight, he should return to the palace for the New Year’s banquet. We’ll celebrate as a family... Tang Wanzhuang and Yue Hongling will be there too. Let him bring that little maid along as well... On the condition that she doesn’t babble on like a string of firecrackers.”

1. The term “chamber maid” isn’t exactly a perfect translation of the Chinese 通房丫鬟. In ancient China, this term referred to women who occupied a unique and often precarious social position, as they were both personal attendants and concubine-like figures, though with a lower status than official concubines. So what Zhao Changhe is saying here is in fact consistent with societal norms in ancient/medieval China. ☜