Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 102

Wen Zhuojin felt a complex mix of emotions as she gazed at Yan Qinglan’s delicate features, unable to resist being captivated by her beauty.

Unable to hold back, she leaned down and kissed her, shivering slightly before quickly pulling away.

The person before her was her family, the one with whom she had shared vows under the heavens, the one to whom she had devoted her entire heart and soul. All these wild thoughts were only damaging their relationship!

Think about it—your behavior in front of Xuan Zhen made her believe you were willing to help her. Isn’t that proof enough?

The way a person appears on the outside can be completely opposite to their true inner thoughts.

Perhaps her beautiful sister really does have a soft, innocent side?

Perhaps her beautiful sister is just that pitiful stand-in?

Wen Zhuojin’s mind was once again in turmoil.

Remembering that she still hadn’t finished moving the gold, Wen Zhuojin decided to stop overthinking and get to work.

She went out under the cover of night, but when she opened the fake mountain hiding the gold, she realized her hands were trembling.

She was truly afraid.

But she couldn’t help herself.

It was like being sentenced to death and not caring about adding another crime to the list.

After the passion came the harsh reality.

Besides fear, Wen Zhuojin also felt a deep sadness.

After all, this was someone she had genuinely cared for.

She had poured her heart and soul into this relationship, only to be met with deceit and exploitation.

She couldn’t bear to lose this person, nor could she accept that she had been wronged.

As for what to do next, Wen Zhuojin hadn’t figured it out yet.

Shaking her head, she focused on moving the gold.

By the time the sky began to lighten at dawn, Wen Zhuojin returned home.

Her arms were sore, her legs and back exhausted. After washing up, she collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

She only slept for an hour before the sun rose.

With a full day of tasks ahead, Wen Zhuojin got up and didn’t go back to sleep.

After washing and dressing, she glanced at the still-sleeping figure on the bed. She was about to leave when the curtain shifted slightly, and the person inside turned over, revealing a beautiful face.

As if thirsty, the person stuck out their tongue to moisten their lips, their delicate brows furrowing.

Wen Zhuojin’s body moved before her mind could catch up. She fetched a cup of warm water from the table, knelt by the bed, and gently lifted Yan Qinglan’s head, bringing the cup to her lips.

Yan Qinglan, still with her eyes closed, drank a few sips until she had enough, then closed her mouth. Wen Zhuojin set her down and placed the cup back on the table.

The entire sequence of actions flowed smoothly.

Wen Zhuojin rubbed her face and looked back at Yan Qinglan. Her lips, now moistened by the water, looked fuller and more luscious, her pink tongue peeking out as if inviting a taste.

Wen Zhuojin gritted her teeth, leaned down, and kissed her lips, capturing that tender tongue.

She didn’t stop until Yan Qinglan let out a soft moan, then reached under the thin blanket to caress her.

Yan Qinglan let out a delicate, pitiful whimper.

Wen Zhuojin’s heart raced—enthralled, yet terrified.

The brief contact left Wen Zhuojin’s face flushed.

She felt like she was dancing on the edge of a precipice, unable to resist the temptation even though she knew it was poison.

It was as if this delicacy would be gone tomorrow.

“Ouch…” When Wen Zhuojin finally let go, Yan Qinglan squeezed out a word, her eyes still closed, a tear sliding down her cheek.

Wen Zhuojin took a deep breath.

Bullying her like this only brought her closer to her own demise.

Remembering how she had lost control the night before, Wen Zhuojin fetched some ointment and applied it to Yan Qinglan.

The areas she had roughly handled were slightly swollen, looking pitiful.

After applying the ointment and covering Yan Qinglan with the blanket, Wen Zhuojin didn’t dare stay any longer.

Once outside, she headed to the incense shop to busy herself for a while.

Gradually, she began to regain some clarity.

When it came to danger, Wen Zhuojin trusted her instincts.

Of the two possibilities, she knew there was a 90% chance that her beautiful sister and the Princess were the same person.

However, perhaps out of stubbornness, Wen Zhuojin still held onto a sliver of hope—that everything was just a scheme by the Princess, and her beautiful sister was merely a pawn.

Wen Zhuojin wanted 100% confirmation, to know for sure whether the Princess in the palace and the beautiful sister in her home were the same person.

The Princess in the palace—Wen Zhuojin had only seen her once and couldn’t be entirely sure.

If her beautiful sister was indeed the Princess, and she was still staying with her, it was likely because she still had some use for her. Jiangxiao had fallen, but she hadn’t been captured yet, and the Princess hadn’t fully regained control. So, there was still some time before the reckoning.

Until she had 100% confirmation, she still had some time to prepare her escape.

If not, then all the better. She could take her beautiful sister with her, travel for a while, and leave all these troubles behind.

She had to see it with her own eyes, to be absolutely certain!

With this in mind, Wen Zhuojin finished her tasks at the incense shop and headed to the horse market.

She entered through a shop, disguised herself, and slipped out the back door, avoiding the guards she had hired.

Wen Zhuojin decided to buy a fast horse—the fastest in all of Yunjing City.

No matter the cost, as long as the horse was good, she would buy it.

That horse wasn’t just a horse—it was her lifeline.

Having previously visited the Taipu Temple and befriended the horse officials there, Wen Zhuojin brought one along to help her choose a horse.

With money and connections, it took her an hour to select a swift Northern Qiang steed, said to be capable of traveling a thousand miles in a day.

It cost her ten thousand taels of silver, making it the most expensive horse in Yunjing City.

After testing the horse at the stable and finding it satisfactory, Wen Zhuojin paid on the spot and took the horse with her.

She left the horse at the Taipu Temple’s stables for a few days, planning to return daily to continue her incense experiments and practice riding. A good horse paired with skilled riding would make her even faster.

As long as she could escape and shake off her pursuers, finding her again would be difficult.

Leaving the Taipu Temple, Wen Zhuojin felt slightly more at ease. She then arranged for a carriage to be sent to a manor outside the city.

She didn’t dare trust the guards she had hired from outside, so she entrusted the task to Manager Lin.

Wu Yuanheng had mentioned that her uncle would be returning soon, which was another problem. She needed to coordinate with Wu Yuanheng to ensure he could adapt and find a way out.

Wen Zhuojin decided to give Wu Yuanheng the incense formulas she had developed. If she were implicated, he could use them to mitigate the consequences.

If that didn’t work, she could use the gold to buy her safety.

With a head full of worries, Wen Zhuojin worked until noon. Just as she was considering sneaking back home, someone from the Marquis’s residence came to find her. It turned out that Lady Li, the Dowager Consort, had sent someone to summon Wen Zhuojin to the palace. She claimed that the incense Wen Zhuojin had previously made was running low and asked her to come to the palace to make more, using the ingredients Lady Li provided.

With the decree issued, Wen Zhuojin hurriedly prepared and entered the palace.

If she couldn’t return to Wujiu Alley to verify, being summoned to the palace might also provide an opportunity, right?

With this thought, Wen Zhuojin entered the palace and asked a eunuch for information. However, the eunuch told her that the Emperor and the Princess were not in the palace today—they had left Yunjing City for Tianxuan Palace.

“…” Hearing this, Wen Zhuojin felt a sense of foreboding.

Could Lady Li have been instructed by the Princess?

To prevent her from returning home and discovering her absence?!

As this thought crossed her mind, Wen Zhuojin recalled Xuan Zhen’s words.

Jiangxiao had stored gunpowder and a large amount of divine incense in Tianxuan Palace. If the Princess and the Emperor were going there now, weren’t they afraid Jiangxiao would take the opportunity to attack them?

Wen Zhuojin couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern.

But then she shook her head—this wasn’t her problem.

Now, she couldn’t go anywhere.

After entering Lady Li’s palace, Wen Zhuojin listened to her request for a specific type of incense and was then led to the incense-making room by a palace maid.

While making the incense, Yan Qinglan and Yan Qi had already arrived at the temporary palace outside Yunjing City.

Meeting Jiangxiao required some preparation.

Moreover, Yan Qi’s entourage was large, and the procedures were cumbersome, making the journey slow. A round trip would take a lot of time.

To prevent Jiangxiao from delaying further, Yan Qinglan had Lady Li summon Wen Zhuojin to the palace. If they couldn’t return in time, Lady Li would keep Wen Zhuojin in the palace overnight.

“Jiangxiao requested to meet on the Lecture Platform, which is on the edge of Tianxuan Palace. Only you and she will be allowed on the platform—no one else can be present. What does the Princess think?” Yan Qi asked after making all the arrangements.

“I leave it to Your Majesty’s discretion.” Yan Qinglan replied, not objecting to the meeting arrangement.

Whether Jiangxiao truly wanted to meet only her didn’t matter—Yan Qinglan had her own plans.

“Jiangxiao has placed gunpowder and divine incense around Tianxuan Palace’s walls. We can only bide our time for now. The national treasury is empty, and several regions have suffered floods this year. We don’t even have the funds for relief efforts. I hope the Princess can extract the location of those funds from her. On behalf of the people of Northern Jin, I thank you.” Yan Qi said, looking at Yan Qinglan.

“If I can find out, I will certainly tell you.” Yan Qinglan replied indifferently.

Yan Qi’s mention of the people of Northern Jin at this moment struck Yan Qinglan as somewhat ironic.

At noon, under the blazing sun, Yan Qinglan was helped up the Lecture Platform by a palace maid.

Every step was uncomfortable.

That little rascal last night had been particularly clingy and forceful.

Now, her clothes rubbed against the sore spots from last night’s rough handling, and even the finest fabric felt abrasive.

The Lecture Platform stood over ten meters high, the tallest point on the mountain where Tianxuan Palace was located.

The platform was furnished with a table and chairs, with tea and snacks laid out. On one of the chairs sat a woman in Taoist robes.

The woman was slender, with delicate features and calm, almost detached eyes. Yet, when she saw Yan Qinglan, a flicker of emotion passed through them.

Yan Qinglan sat down and met the woman’s gaze. The woman was slightly taken aback, then smiled bitterly.

This woman was Jiangxiao.

“I should have guessed. The person rumored to cure the divine incense’s poison is one of yours.” Jiangxiao said.

“You know that much. The situation is beyond your control now. Stop struggling in vain. Tell me where you’ve hidden the silver, and I’ll spare your life.” Yan Qinglan said coolly, her expression stern.

“Your Highness, I didn’t ask Yan Qi to bring you here to discuss this. I just wanted to see you.” Jiangxiao said, her gaze fixed on Yan Qinglan’s face, her eyes filled with affection.

Yan Qinglan turned her face away, uncomfortable.

“Your Highness, you’ve done so much for Yan Qi. Do you know what he’s done to you? He wants you dead, while I want you alive. I only want you. Why can’t you understand?” Jiangxiao continued, undeterred.

Yan Qinglan frowned. If Jiangxiao had said this to her before she met Wen Zhuojin, it might have shaken her.

But now, hearing such truths, her heart remained calm.

“Is it because of that bloodline? Even if he wants you dead, you’ll still help him?” Jiangxiao’s voice carried a hint of anger.

“I’m not helping him. What I do is none of your concern. What do you want in exchange for telling me where the silver is? I promise to spare your life. That silver could save many people.” Yan Qinglan said.

“Save people? Do you know why your dear brother is surrounding this place but not attacking? It’s because he still wants to use the divine incense to make money. Did you think of that?” Jiangxiao suddenly laughed.

Yan Qinglan’s expression shifted slightly.

The wind howled across the platform, causing Jiangxiao to cough a few times.

Suppressing her cough, Jiangxiao’s expression grew sorrowful.

“My condition is simple. I just want you to come with me into Tianxuan Palace. Even if it’s just to be trapped there with me for a few days. I’ll tell you where the silver is—only you.” Jiangxiao said, looking at Yan Qinglan.

“…” Yan Qinglan hadn’t expected Jiangxiao’s obsession with her to run so deep.

“You don’t have to answer right away. Take a day to think about it. You can give me your decision tomorrow at this time.” Jiangxiao added.