Sympathizing with the Chancellor's Chess Piece - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Everyone in the capital knew that Princess Mingjia and Chancellor Ji Yuan could not stand each other.

When the Chancellor frequented brothels, the princess submitted a memorial denouncing him in court and got him docked a year’s salary.

When the princess harassed a young general in the middle of the night, the Chancellor dragged her out by the collar and shut her up in the Princess’s Residence for three days to reflect on her conduct.

Everyone in the capital treated the way the two of them got along as a source of entertainment.

And I was the rumored Princess Mingjia. At this very moment, I was standing furiously at the gates of the Chancellor’s Residence, and with one kick, I sent the front doors flying open.

“Have I been drinking your water or eating your grain? What right do you have to refuse approval on my petition to keep one hundred and eight male favorites?”

That was when the floating comments appeared before my eyes:

[You silly baby girl, all one hundred and eight of them wouldn’t compare to Lord Chancellor’s one!]

[Babe, talk nicely to Lord Chancellor. Otherwise, if he so much as squeezes the chess piece in his hand, you’ll learn what it means to have waves of *pleasure* crashing over you!]

[Her Highness still doesn’t know she shares sensations with that chess piece, does she?]

I stared at the glowing words moving before me.

What were these things?

And what did they mean, shares sensations?

What did Ji Yuan’s habit of playing with chess pieces while playing chess have to do with me?

My arrival made Ji Yuan’s hand pause over the board. Then his fingers tightened, grinding down on the chess piece.

A soft whimper escaped me. My knees went weak, and I collapsed straight to the ground.

Ji Yuan looked at me, a hint of a smile that was not quite a smile in his eyes. “There is no need for such a grand salute, Your Highness. This subject cannot accept it.

“And even if you kneel and beg me, it will be useless. Keeping male favorites? Don’t even think about it!”

I did my best to ignore the discomfort in my body and rose with the help of the maid beside me.

But Ji Yuan’s long, pale fingers were still rubbing slow circles over the chess piece.

The corners of my eyes reddened. My lower back felt sore and numb, and I bit down hard on my lower lip, refusing to let any strange sounds spill from my mouth.

“Never mind the emperors of every dynasty with three thousand beauties in their harems. Aunt Liyang alone keeps one hundred male favorites in her residence. I am also a princess, and I am in excellent health. Why can’t I have one hundred and eight male favorites?”

I sat down in the chair opposite him, forced my trembling voice to steady, and pressed both hands to my knees in an attempt to hold down my legs, which were shaking like sieves from the overwhelming stimulation.

Aunt Liyang never married, yet she kept one hundred male favorites in her residence, living a life of every indulgence between men and women, surrounded by brocade and luxury.

Her one hundred male favorites had been bestowed on her by imperial decree from Father.

But when it came to me, Father had passed away far too early, leaving behind only my younger brother and me.

Moreover, before Father’s death, in order to ensure stability at court, he had left behind an edict stating that before the new emperor took personal control of the government, all memorials had to be reviewed and approved by the then Grand Tutor, Ji Anxing.

In the end, less than two years later, Grand Tutor Ji passed away. The new emperor had only just turned ten and spent all day thinking about cricket fights, so the duty of reviewing memorials was passed on to Grand Tutor Ji’s son, Ji Yuan.

Before Ji Yuan could speak, those strange words appeared again:

[Excellent health? When Lord Chancellor crushes you in one hundred and eight positions, I hope your mouth is still this stubborn.]

[Does Lord Chancellor know that many?]

[You know nothing about the abilities of a smut-novel male lead. This is a dark confinement romance!]

[What did you think he kept going to brothels for? Their little booklets get updated the fastest. He goes there to buy books and study!]

I glared at those words. What was a smut novel?

With Ji Yuan’s build, what was he supposed to use to crush me?

And in over a hundred positions, no less!

Faced with my question, Ji Yuan’s expression turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He clenched the chess piece tightly in his palm and squeezed hard.

“Ngh-!”

A blinding white light flashed before my eyes, and my entire body went limp in the chair.

I stared at the chess piece in his hand.

It seemed I really did share sensations with that chess piece!

Ji Yuan seemed to notice something was wrong with me as well. His expression eased slightly, and his voice was no longer as forceful as before. Only, his palm was still wrapped around that chess piece.

“Do not look at me like that. The matter of male favorites is absolutely impossible!

“Are you unwell?

“Should I summon the imperial physician for you?”

Ji Yuan rose and, with some urgency, took hold of my hand.

“Why are you burning up like this?”

Physiological tears spilled from my eyes. Before I could answer, I fainted.

Before I lost consciousness, I saw those strange words still gloating over my misfortune.

[Hehe, she’s already crying? If Lord Chancellor uses everything he’s learned on Her Highness, won’t her tears soak the entire bed?]

[She fainted just from him touching her hand? Later on, as her subject, the Chancellor ends up “opposing” Her Highness many, many times!]

[Did our baby girl forget that she was the one who gave Ji Yuan that chess piece?]