6 – Chop off your head
The next day, Feng Shan went into the city before dawn. Before leaving, he made sure Gu Pingtíng was well-fed.
Gu Pingtíng waited all day. As evening approached, she heard movement in the courtyard.
Gu Pingtíng called out, “Feng Shan, is that you back?”
“Mhm, I’m back.” A deep voice replied, and soon Feng Shan, tall and imposing, entered, holding a brown paper package.
“Hungry? I brought you something good to eat.”
Feng Shan handed the package to Gu Pingtíng. She opened it to find pastries inside.
Gu Pingtíng took one and bit into it. The crispy crust was filled with soft, glutinous sesame sugar paste—fragrant and delicious.
Gu Pingtíng’s eyes curved into a smile. “So tasty, much better than the meals you cook.”
Seeing how adorable she looked while eating, Feng Shan reached out and pinched her cheek. “As long as you like it.”
Gu Pingtíng slapped his big hand away and scolded softly, “How dare you! This princess’s cheek is not for you to pinch. You pinch it every day, getting used to it.”
She was delicate, her voice soft. When she got angry and scolded someone, it was like a little puppy with no teeth trying to bite—soft yet fierce.
Feng Shan wasn’t scared at all; in fact, he found it quite satisfying. He used both hands to pinch her cheeks, squishing and kneading them, and laughed, “Don’t make that expression. It makes me want to pinch you even more.”
Gu Pingtíng: …
While Gu Pingtíng was eating the pastries, Feng Shan brought in everything he had bought that day. Gu Pingtíng had asked for a lot, and Feng Shan had filled an entire ox cart. He arranged everything neatly in the room.
He added a dressing table, a wardrobe, and many other furnishings and decorations. Even the earthen window was hung with the soft, lace-trimmed curtains Gu Pingtíng had requested.
Once everything was arranged, the once bare tile-roofed earthen house, which had only a few pieces of furniture, now looked quite refined and lovely—almost like a bridal chamber.
Feng Shan was very pleased. Yes, he was indeed setting up a bridal chamber. He was going to marry a wife!
And once he married a wife, they would have a whole bunch of kids!
Feng Shan looked around and finally settled his gaze on Gu Pingtíng. Her bedding had been replaced with new silk-soft quilts in a deep red color—a shade Feng Shan had deliberately chosen.
Red, the color of a wedding quilt.
Gu Pingtíng sat among the embroidered quilts, her cloud-like hair and snow-white skin looking absolutely beautiful, as if it were their wedding night.
Seeing Feng Shan grinning widely and staring at her foolishly, Gu Pingtíng pouted, “What are you staring at? I’m tired. Go fetch water. I want to wash up and go to sleep.”
“Don’t sleep yet. I went into the city today to get medicine for you. I’ll go brew it now. Drink it before you sleep.”
With that, Feng Shan went out to brew the medicine.
Gu Pingtíng waited inside. The new quilt was soft, and as she waited, she drifted off to sleep. Hazily, she heard Feng Shan calling her.
Gu Pingtíng opened her eyes to see Feng Shan standing by the bed, holding a bowl of medicine.
“Drink the medicine.”
The medicine smelled terribly bitter even before she drank it. The pampered Gu Pingtíng didn’t want to drink it.
But she was sick, and her leg was broken. She wanted to recover quickly and return to the palace sooner. So, Gu Pingtíng rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed.
She was drowsy-eyed, looking dazed and adorable.
Feng Shan’s heart swelled with affection. He pinched her cheek and fed her the medicine.
After she drank the medicine, Feng Shan went to fetch water for her to wash up. When he returned, he found Gu Pingtíng sitting on the bed, pouting angrily.
Her little mouth was tightly pursed, her small fists clenched, and her face was full of displeasure. Feng Shan laughed. This little woman really loved to get angry…
Feng Shan set the water down and took a piece of candy from the drawer of the cabinet. “Here, eat this.”
Gu Pingting quickly popped the candy into her mouth and let it melt. As the sweetness spread and the bitterness faded, she felt much better.
Even after eating the candy, she still wasn’t very happy. Feng Shan then brought out the toy he had bought for her that day—a seven-piece wooden puzzle.
Gu Pingting took it and complained, “Such an old-fashioned toy, it’s not fun at all.”
Even as she spoke, her small hands were already fiddling with the puzzle pieces. Feng Shan sat by the bed, watching her play intently, and smiled without saying a word.
In no time, Gu Pingting completed the puzzle. She proudly held it up for Feng Shan to see. “Look how clever I am, finishing it so quickly.”
Seeing her smile, Feng Shan asked, “Feeling better now?”
Gu Pingting nodded. After eating the candy and playing with the toy, her mood had improved significantly.
She then scrambled the puzzle pieces and handed them back to Feng Shan. “You try it too.”
Feng Shan deliberately took longer than Gu Pingting to complete it, making her even prouder. She grinned, her eyes crinkling and her dimples showing faintly.
Once he saw she was completely happy, Feng Shan urged her to wash up and go to bed.
Gu Pingting loosened her hair bun and lay down. Before long, she yawned and mumbled, “Feng Shan, mosquitoes keep biting me at night. Could you light some incense for me?”
It was summer and hot, yet she was still covered with a quilt. Feng Shan fetched a large palm-leaf fan and began fanning her. “Alright, I’ll light some for you in a bit. But we don’t have incense, only mugwort sticks. I’ll buy some for you when I go into town in a couple of days.”
His strength was considerable, and the breeze from the fan felt a bit too strong. Gu Pingting shrank further under the quilt.
“When I went to get the medicine today, I asked the doctor. He said your leg needs to start moving soon, or it’ll become crippled. Tomorrow, I’ll help you walk around the courtyard, alright?”
Gu Pingting frowned. “I don’t want to move… My leg hurts so much, and I’m terrified of pain.”
She was quite delicate, and Feng Shan knew it. He said softly, “Just bear with it a little.”
If she didn’t endure it, her leg would become crippled—Gu Pingting knew this too. She closed her eyes and nodded.
Outside the tiled house, insects chirped and frogs croaked. Inside, Feng Shan kept her company. The new quilt was soft and comfortable, filling Gu Pingting with a deep sense of security. Before long, she drifted into dreamland.
Feng Shan waited until she was fully asleep before going to the earthen kang in the adjacent room to rest.
They had agreed, but the next day, Gu Pingting went back on her word. She was simply too afraid of the pain and refused to get out of bed no matter what.
Feng Shan pulled the quilt aside, picked her up, and carried her into the small courtyard before setting her down.
Feng Shan tried to help her walk, but Gu Pingting absolutely refused to move.
She clung to Feng Shan like a koala, wrapping herself around him. “Feng Shan, I’m not ready yet. Can we try tomorrow? I’m scared…”
“No, you’ll just find another excuse tomorrow,” Feng Shan disagreed. No matter how much he coaxed or reasoned, Gu Pingting refused to let her feet touch the ground.
Seeing no other way, Feng Shan peeled her off himself, took a few steps away, and stood at a distance. “Gu Pingting, walk over here by yourself.”
Without Feng Shan’s support, Gu Pingting had to use her own legs to maintain balance. As soon as she exerted force, a searing, bone-deep pain shot through her left leg.
Gu Pingting immediately burst into tears. Large, transparent teardrops fell, glistening with a crystalline shimmer under the sunlight.
Seeing her cry, Feng Shan’s stern face softened with concern. His rough voice gentled slightly. “Hurry and walk over. The longer you stand, the more it’ll hurt.”
It hurt so much…
Gu Pingting had never experienced such pain before…
She was the apple of her Royal Father and Royal Mother’s eyes. Since childhood, not even a single strand of her hair had ever been pulled out by the palace maids who combed it.
The current pain of broken bones was simply unbearable for her!
Tears streaming down her little face, Gu Pingtíng cried, “It hurts so much, I don’t want to walk anymore… You come and carry me.”
She was in extreme pain, her small face deathly pale. Feng Shan’s gaze darkened slightly. “You must walk over here yourself.”
Gu Pingtíng cried until she was a tearful mess, stretching out her arms pitifully, begging for a hug. “Feng Shan, it hurts so much, I don’t want to walk… You come and carry me… Hurry up and carry me.”
She was utterly aggrieved, crying until she was hiccupping, her voice whimpering like a pitiful little thing trembling in the corner.
Feng Shan’s heart was gripped by her sobs, tense and aching, yet he still clenched his fists and insisted, “Gu Pingtíng, if you don’t walk over here yourself, just stand there. I won’t go and carry you.”
Gu Pingtíng looked at him through tear-blurred eyes. His tall, sturdy figure showed not a hint of wavering. Gu Pingtíng knew he was determined.
Crying and hiccupping, she took a step toward him. With each step, the pain intensified. In total, she had only taken five or six steps, yet she was already drenched in cold sweat!
Her legs were unsteady, and just as she was about to fall, Feng Shan caught her in his arms. Gu Pingtíng buried her little face in his chest and wept bitterly, her tears soaking the front of Feng Shan’s robe.
Between sobs, she scolded, “You brute! When I return to the palace, I’ll definitely have Royal Father and Royal Mother behead you.”
She trembled all over from the pain, and Feng Shan’s heart ached terribly. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms, saying gruffly, “I’m not afraid of being beheaded. I’m only afraid you won’t have the heart to do it when the time comes.”
Gu Pingtíng shed tears, ignoring him.
She would never! She hated Feng Shan to death!
Feng Shan carried her to a rattan chair in the courtyard and set her down, saying, “You’ve been cooped up inside all day. Sit outside for a while today. Looking at the scenery and basking in the sun will do you good.”
Gu Pingtíng’s little face was still covered in tears. Feng Shan reached out to wipe them away, but she dodged, refusing to let him touch her.
Feng Shan knew she was being stubborn and willful. Having forced her to walk today, she would surely sulk for half the day.
Feng Shan sighed. “I never thought that someone as formidable as me would be completely tamed by a little girl like you.”
Gu Pingtíng ignored him, and no matter how Feng Shan tried to coax her, she refused to speak.
Feng Shan fell silent for a long moment before turning and leaving the small courtyard.
Seeing him leave, Gu Pingtíng snorted, sitting in the rattan chair and rubbing her legs as she muttered, “He only coaxed me a few times before leaving. So impatient! If he had just coaxed me a little longer, this princess would have forgiven him!”
The pain gradually subsided. Gu Pingtíng wiped away her tears, rubbing her legs as she looked around at her surroundings.
Ever since she woke up, she had been confined to the small room and had no idea where she actually was.
Feng Shan’s home consisted of three tiled houses, a fenced courtyard, surrounded by mountains on all sides.
Gu Pingtíng’s gaze passed through the fence, allowing her to see the earthen houses of other families in the village.
Located deep in the mountains, the small village was quiet and peaceful, with only the occasional sound of a dog barking.
Leaning back in the rattan chair, Gu Pingtíng looked at the tranquil little village. Since childhood, she had been accustomed to living in palaces and pavilions, eating delicacies from land and sea, wearing fine silks and satins, and using gold and silver utensils.
Now, in this small village with its tiled houses, Gu Pingtíng truly felt not the slightest bit accustomed…
She wanted to go home.