“Not at all,” Ji Kongqing gritted her teeth. “How could I possibly be unhappy because Her Royal Highness came to my courtyard? I am more than happy.”
Ping’an had a simple and honest personality, her voice growing softer and softer as she spoke. “But, but the Consort does not look happy at all.”
Ji Kongqing forced a stiff, unnatural smile at Ping’an, then said, “Ping’an, when you look for a partner in the future, you must never judge solely by someone’s appearance.”
“Why not?” Ping’an asked, looking puzzled.
“Because pretty women are very bad,” Ji Kongqing said with a serious expression. “And you must never spend money on men. Spending money on men brings three lifetimes of bad luck.”
“But Her Royal Highness is exceptionally pretty?” Ping’an had a flood of questions. “Is Her Royal Highness not the Consort’s partner?”
“We do not have much of a relationship,” Ji Kongqing rolled her eyes. “She does not like me, and I do not like her. I am just saying, Ping’an, if you have someone you like in the future, you must keep your eyes wide open.”
“Her Royal Highness is so pretty, and you actually do not like her, Consort?” Ping’an frowned, completely ignoring the second half of the sentence as if finding it utterly unbelievable.
Ji Kongqing was left speechless, certain that Ping’an indeed lacked a few brain cells. She retorted, “She is pretty, but am I not pretty?”
“That is not it,” Ping’an shook her head earnestly. “The Consort is also very pretty. You are prettier than any female Alpha I have ever seen, and even more, um, I cannot remember that word.”
Ruyi chimed in, “More unique. The Consort has very pretty eyes.”
“Right,” Ping’an nodded. “In any case, the Consort looks completely different from the people of our Jiaming Kingdom.”
Ji Kongqing naturally knew that her facial features in this lifetime carried a slight exotic flair. She let out a gentle sigh. “I am not trying to compare beauty with Her Royal Highness. I am just saying that looking for a partner should not be based solely on physical appearance.”
Ping’an pondered this earnestly. It seemed as though she understood Ji Kongqing’s words, and she nodded. “This servant understands. Then, this servant may spend money on women, right?”
Ji Kongqing suddenly thought of the gender dynamics in this world. She pondered for a moment before saying, “Do not spend money on Alphas and male Betas. Spending money on them will bring three lifetimes of bad luck.”
“I understand,” Ping’an answered loudly. “Then this servant will never spend money on you either, Consort!”
“Mhm, that is how it should be,” Ji Kongqing nodded approvingly. “Ruyi, you must remember this too.”
“Pfft.” Jiang Sui had practiced martial arts for years and possessed exceptional hearing, catching every word of the three people’s conversation and failing to suppress a chuckle.
Cuizhu and Cuilan rarely saw Jiang Sui smile. Seeing her radiant expression, they were momentarily dazed and utterly captivated.
As soon as she finished laughing, Jiang Sui noticed her own lapse and immediately withdrew the smile. “Go urge the Consort. She is too slow.”
“This servant obeys,” Cuilan went to the kitchen to urge Ji Kongqing.
Before long, Jiang Sui caught the sounds coming from the kitchen again.
“Understood, right away,” Ji Kongqing replied to Cuilan.
After Cuilan left, Ji Kongqing muttered softly, “This woman is truly so difficult to serve. Indeed, when one is under someone else’s roof, one must learn to lower one’s head. I will endure this!”
A glimmer of amusement surfaced in Jiang Sui’s eyes once more. She suppressed the corners of her lips, which wanted to lift upward, and picked up her teacup to take a sip.
This consort of hers was far more interesting and unique than she had imagined. Suddenly, she felt as though her days were not quite so boring anymore.
“Alright, dinner is served!” Ji Kongqing called out, instructing Ping’an and Ruyi to bring the dishes to the table.
To properly serve Jiang Sui and avoid being disciplined by this woman again, she had prepared sweet and sour spare ribs, tofu and cabbage soup, braised pig trotters, pan-fried tofu, and crispy chicken wings.
“There are only these few dishes, so eat,” Ji Kongqing dished a bowl of rice for Jiang Sui and placed it in front of her.
Jiang Sui looked at the thoroughly ordinary dishes before her and instinctively furrowed her brow.
Pig trotters were the most unremarkable part of a pig; virtually none of the nobles in the palace would deign to eat them. Yet judging by their appearance, they seemed rather decent.
Cuilan, standing to the side, produced a silver needle from her garments, preparing to test the food for poison before eating.
Seeing her hesitation, Ji Kongqing paid her no mind. Without waiting for Cuilan to complete the poison test, she buried her head and dug straight in. Taking a bite of every single dish, she single-handedly assumed the role of food taster.
Seeing that Ji Kongqing had already tasted every dish, Cuilan had no choice but to put the silver needle away.
“How are there so many of these chicken wings?” Jiang Sui asked with a hint of curiosity. “This princess remembers that a chicken only has two wings.”
“Indeed,” Ji Kongqing bit back a smile. “I chopped off the wings of all the chickens the kitchen prepared for Your Highness tomorrow, so Your Highness’s chicken soup tomorrow should be entirely wingless.”
Jiang Sui had not expected this outcome and fell silent for a brief second. A moment later, she continued to probe, “You chopped up three chickens? But it is impossible for this princess to finish three chickens tomorrow.”
“I also took one back, planning to make a roasted chicken tomorrow, so Your Highness only needs to eat two chickens tomorrow.”
“I even brought a jar of honey over from the main kitchen today. Roasting it with honey will definitely taste delicious.”
Ji Kongqing had already figured out what dishes to make tomorrow.
Jiang Sui understood. “Then this princess shall come over tomorrow to have a taste.”
“You are coming again tomorrow?” Ji Kongqing’s voice rose, sounding as though she could hardly believe it.
Her words just now had certainly not been an invitation!
Jiang Sui lifted her gaze to look at her, a flicker of playful mockery dancing in her eyes. “What? Does the Consort not welcome this princess?”
“No, how could that be?”
Ji Kongqing forced an unconvincing, stiff smile and said dryly, “Welcome. Extremely welcome. It is just that my place is humble, and I am afraid it will wrong Your Highness.”
“It is fine. This princess does not feel wronged.” Jiang Sui spoke as if she completely failed to catch Ji Kongqing’s subtext. “This princess will come over tomorrow at noon.”
With that, Jiang Sui picked up a sweet and sour spare rib and popped it into her mouth.
To give credit where it was due, Ji Kongqing’s culinary skills were not bad. While she could not compare to the imperial chefs, her dishes excelled in freshness and lightness, especially that cabbage and tofu soup, which was remarkably refreshing.
After finishing the meal and seeing Jiang Sui off, Ji Kongqing felt entirely drained. She collapsed onto the bed, wearing an expression of complete existential defeat.
“The Consort does not seem happy,” Ping’an turned to ask Ruyi. “Why is that?”
Ruyi did not understand either, so she shook her head.
The hour was still early. After finishing her washing up, Ji Kongqing lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and unlocked the master lecture course on glands within the system. The very first lesson cost a thousand system coins.
Opening the course, she was greeted by a stern-looking middle-aged female instructor dressed in a business suit, looking just like the ones Ji Kongqing frequently saw in modern times.
However, the curriculum was clearly tailored to a world with different gender dynamics. After watching two lessons, Ji Kongqing gradually managed to map the concepts onto the knowledge of this world.
Unlike her current ancient setting, this curriculum referred to chengkou as glands, bonding as marking, pheromones as xin yin, Alphas as Qian yuan, Omega as Kun ze, and Betas as Zhong yong.
These terms closely resembled concepts she had studied in modern times, making them not too difficult to accept.
Most importantly, the course included a section on how to wash away a permanent mark.
Upon seeing this, Ji Kongqing could not help but straighten her back. The medical texts on Kun zes that she had obtained lacked this information entirely. According to the medical book given by Yu Qingtian, once a Kun ze was permanently bonded by an Alpha, they could only belong to that single Alpha for the rest of their life.
If the Alpha happened to die unexpectedly, the Kun ze would suffer because their rut phase lacked pheromone soothing, resulting in a shortened lifespan. The death of a permanently bonded Alpha meant the Kun ze would not live much longer either, and the medical text noted that no solution had yet been found.
It was only upon reading this section that she had finally understood why Jiang Sui was so cautious, resorting to threats and forcing her to kneel during her rut phase.
In this world, Jiang Sui could be said to be the most precious Kun ze of all. With a status like hers, how could she possibly be willing to remain permanently subjugated to a single person for life?
Once permanently bonded, anyone wishing to harm her could simply target her Alpha. The moment her Alpha died, she would not live much longer either.
Such physiological limitations were truly far too unfair to her.
Furthermore, it was not just Jiang Sui; the lives of Kun zes in this era were universally difficult. After all, an Alpha could bond with multiple Kun zes, whereas a Kun ze could only bond with one Alpha.
In an era where wealthy households could take many wives, those unfavored Kun zes locked within deep imperial compounds would inevitably die young due to a lack of an Alpha’s favor.
Rather than that, it would be far better to live as an ordinary Zhong yong, unplagued by pheromones and unhindered by bonding restrictions, living a much freer and more comfortable life.
The next day, just as the Chen hour arrived, the workers hired the day before returned. Ji Kongqing offered generous wages, acted with great liberality, and provided meals as well, making them very glad to take on such an employer.
Upon arrival, the workers immediately set to work, using blue bricks and sticky rice mortar to construct the outer walls of the new outhouse according to the blueprint Ji Kongqing had provided.
When Ji Kongqing woke up, the workers had already finished building one wall, moving at an impressive speed.
Satisfied with the speed and quality of their work, Ji Kongqing nodded in approval. She went to check whether the paint on the iron pipes had dried, and upon confirming that it had, she assembled the iron pipes according to her design blueprint.
Soon noon arrived, and the workers had completed three walls. Ruyi led them off to partake in their meal.
Meanwhile, Ji Kongqing set up a rack in the courtyard to roast a chicken. She brushed it with honey continuously as it roasted, and a rich aroma soon drifted through the air.
By the time Jiang Sui arrived, the chicken was nearly done. Its skin was roasted to a thin, golden crisp, looking exceptionally appetizing.
Jiang Sui glanced at the half-built outhouse and asked Ji Kongqing, “You are building an outhouse out of blue bricks?”
“Mhm, mhm.” Ji Kongqing brushed her homemade spices onto the chicken. “The silver the Emperor rewarded me with was neither stolen nor robbed.”
“Then what are those bricks with holes in the middle used for?” Jiang Sui pursued.
“It is a secret.” Ji Kongqing raised an eyebrow, a playful expression playing across her face. When she lifted her head, the sunlight poured directly into her amber-colored pupils, resembling ripples glistening across a lake.
Jiang Sui was momentarily dazed, quickly looking away a second later.
She had to admit that this good-for-nothing actually possessed rather striking looks.
Her mind recalled how Ping’an and Ruyi had described Ji Kongqing yesterday, and the description fit her to a T, truly a very unique face and pair of eyes.
“It is ready to eat.” Ji Kongqing poked the chicken meat with a knife, and upon confirming it was fully cooked, she immediately stood up.
She rose a bit too quickly, resulting in a brief rush of cerebral hypoxia that caused her vision to darken instantly. As she swayed and fell, she faintly heard Ping’an’s startled gasp.
The next second, she felt as though she had fallen into someone’s embrace. The body supporting her was very soft and exuded a wonderful fragrance, a scent so lovely it felt like standing right in the middle of a field of gardenias.
As her vision gradually cleared, Ji Kongqing turned her head, her lips accidentally brushing lightly across Jiang Sui’s earlobe. The next instant, Jiang Sui’s ears turned red at a visible speed.
“Impudent!” Jiang Sui pushed her away. Her face bore no expression, but her eyes clearly revealed a hint of panic.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Ji Kongqing took a few steps back and offered an awkward smile. “I am sorry, I did not mean to. Thank you for catching me just now, Your Highness.”
Jiang Sui swiftly regained her composure, gazing coldly at Ji Kongqing. “The roasted chicken.”
“Oh, here,” Ji Kongqing handed the roasted chicken she was still tightly gripping over to Jiang Sui. Jiang Sui accepted it and shoved it straight into Cuizhu’s hands.
This time, she did not stay to eat with Ji Kongqing. The moment she obtained the roasted chicken, she turned and left with Cuizhu.
Ji Kongqing looked down at the fire still burning on the ground and fell silent. The chicken she had roasted, yet she did not even get a share?
Ah well. Given how impudent she had been just now, it was already a mercy that this royal ancestor had not beaten her; she could not ask for too much.
With lingering fear, Ji Kongqing patted her chest, instructed Ping’an to fetch another chicken from the kitchen, and resumed her previous steps to roast a fresh one.
As she roasted it, Ji Kongqing could not help recalling Jiang Sui’s reddened ears, prompting her to break into a grin.
So this person was not quite as unflappable as she appeared on the surface, haha. Come to think of it, she was still rather cute, even if she still maintained that fierce and menacing demeanor.
Over the next few days, Jiang Sui did not come looking for Ji Kongqing again.
In the meantime, her outhouse and bathroom were completed. Finished alongside them was the heated kang bed she had specifically prepared for the winter.
To build this kang, Ji Kongqing had moved both her own bed and the maids’ beds out of the rooms, specifically reserving space for it.
Once the kang was built and dried, Ji Kongqing had someone light a fire in it to test the rising temperature and ventilation, and the results were exceptional.
Not only that, she also had a fireplace built at the connection point between the bathroom and her room, sharing a single ventilation flue to make bathing convenient during the winter.
After sorting all of this out, Ji Kongqing turned her attention to researching soap, toothpaste, mosquito-repellent floral water, and mosquito coils. It was already April when she crossed over, and summer was fast approaching, bringing increasingly hotter weather.
Using soap bean pods every single time she took a bath was truly troublesome, and tooth powder was genuinely far too salty.
This time, she bought plenty of materials and spent over half a month making them. During this period, she even made another trip to the Huimin Pharmacy to remove the stitches for the man who had fallen from the mountain.
Once the items were completed, she had people deliver a set to Zhuo Weiqian and Yu Qingtian, one set to Jiang Sui, and one set to Ping’an and Ruyi, keeping the rest for her own use.
“What is this?” Jiang Sui asked upon seeing the milky-white soap in Cuizhu’s hands.
Cuizhu replied, “It is something sent over by the Consort. She says it is for bathing, and serves the same function as soap bean pods.”
“And what about this?” Jiang Sui pointed to a bowl containing a white-yellow paste.
Cuizhu answered, “She says it is toothpaste, used to replace tooth powder.”
“This is mosquito-repellent floral water, and these are mosquito coils. The Consort said that entering summer, there is no need to burn wormwood leaves to fumigate the rooms anymore, simply lighting a mosquito coil will suffice.”
“Would Your Highness like to try them?” Cuizhu asked Jiang Sui.
“Let us try them,” Jiang Sui nodded.
Upon using the soap, Jiang Sui discovered that it was indeed much easier to use than soap bean pods. However, why was this scent so familiar?
“Cuizhu, take a whiff of this.” Jiang Sui, soaking in the water, had Cuizhu lean closer to sniff. “What does it smell like?”
After taking a sniff, Cuizhu answered with certainty, “It has the fragrance of gardenias.”
Jiang Sui’s expression sank instantly. Cuizhu was a Beta and could not smell her pheromones, but Ji Kongqing could. What did this mean?
Was she intentionally teasing her?
She must really have a death wish!
The more Jiang Sui thought about it, the angrier she grew. After finishing her bath, she retrieved her sword and immediately set off to settle accounts with Ji Kongqing.
Ji Kongqing had not expected Jiang Sui to overthink things to this extent.
When Jiang Sui arrived, Ji Kongqing was intently watching her vegetables. The scallions and chives she had planted were already ready to be harvested and eaten, the chili seedlings were sprouting nicely, and the tomatoes had germinated; everything was progressing in a wonderful direction.
“Ji Kongqing, prepare to meet your maker!”
The moment Ji Kongqing raised her head, she felt a flash of cold light right before her face. She instinctively stepped backward, and upon reacting, realized it was the blade of Jiang Sui’s sword. A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out across her back.