Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 132

The child had sustained quite a few injuries, most of which were minor scrapes, with several wounds on her cheeks. The most serious injury was the recently scabbed wound on her ankle.

The direction where the archers had been was filled with thorns. Even if there were no archers, running through that area at high speed would have caused injuries, let alone with her ankle still healing. The scab had torn off, leaving the wound raw and bleeding again.

Despite such injuries, the child didn’t shed a tear. When she returned, her big eyes were fixed solely on Yan Qinglan and Wen Zhuojin.

Seeing this, Yan Qinglan felt a slight tug at her heart and instructed someone to fetch some medicine to treat the child’s wounds.

“Sister, your hands are red too. Sit down and rest for a bit.” Wen Zhuojin said, guiding Yan Qinglan to a cushion that had been laid out temporarily. She took the medicine and first applied some bruise-relieving ointment to Yan Qinglan’s hands before tending to the child’s wounds.

The carriage was no longer usable. The assassins needed to be interrogated, the injured needed treatment, and everyone had to regroup.

Before long, the hidden team Yan Qinglan had arranged arrived.

Even before the horses reached them, the child, who was being treated, became alert and tried to gesture to Yan Qinglan and Wen Zhuojin.

“What should we do if bad people come?” Wen Zhuojin, knowing who was arriving, decided to play along instead of directly addressing the child. She asked the child first, winking at Yan Qinglan as she did.

“Hide…” The child struggled to say the word.

“You want us to hide? What about you?” Wen Zhuojin roughly understood and asked.

The child pulled out the remaining two Nine-Poison Incense Cannons and gestured that she planned to blow up the bad guys.

“Can you even run with your leg like that? If you run again, your foot might not be able to walk anymore.” Wen Zhuojin continued.

The child shook her head, indicating she wasn’t afraid.

The child didn’t know how to lie; her words and actions came from the heart.

“Whether they’re good or bad, we need to verify first. We can’t just act recklessly. What if they’re our reinforcements? I’ll have someone check first. Sit still and let me finish treating your wounds.” Yan Qinglan said, glancing at Wen Zhuojin as she spoke to the child.

The child obediently sat down and allowed her wounds to be treated and bandaged.

The verification results naturally confirmed that “reinforcements had arrived.”

However, the child still didn’t relax. When the reinforcements arrived, she specifically pointed out to Wen Zhuojin and Yan Qinglan that some of them were carrying poisonous items.

Wen Zhuojin took the opportunity to test her, asking what kind of poison it was and what materials it was made from.

The child struggled to express herself but managed to answer the multiple-choice questions Wen Zhuojin gave her, all of which were correct.

“Alright, here’s a candy as a reward. Rest for a bit.” Yan Qinglan said, patting the child’s head after Wen Zhuojin had finished questioning her.

“Her temperament isn’t bad, and her nose is even sharper than mine was at her age.” Wen Zhuojin whispered to Yan Qinglan after finishing treating the child’s wounds.

“She’s just like my little dog nose.” Yan Qinglan teased, also handing Wen Zhuojin a piece of candy.

Wen Zhuojin saw a bit of Yan Qinglan in the child, and Yan Qinglan saw a bit of Wen Zhuojin in her as well.

Both had the same sharp sense of smell and the same pure, untainted gaze.

It seemed that, like Wen Zhuojin, if you gave her affection, she would return it many times over.

It was a strange feeling, one that brought a sense of warmth and comfort, much like Wen Zhuojin.

On the official side, after arranging trustworthy officials, Yan Qinglan’s control over the region strengthened a bit, and both of them felt a sense of satisfaction and joy.

During this time, the child’s wounds healed, and the injury on her ankle improved significantly. Some of the scabs naturally fell off, revealing fresh pink skin.

Sometimes, when Wen Zhuojin had to be apart from Yan Qinglan, she would leave the child with Yan Qinglan to help identify poisons and people through scent, earning her some merit.

When Wen Zhuojin had free time, she would teach the child more about incense materials and the process of making incense, allowing her to learn a lot.

On the way back, in the carriage, Wen Zhuojin remained vigilant to prevent any further incidents. She accompanied Yan Qinglan in her work and continued to teach the child, not letting her get too close to Yan Qinglan.

By the time they reached Yunjing City, the child’s wounds had mostly healed.

“Sister, it’s not appropriate to bring her into the palace. As we discussed earlier, let’s send her to the orphanage and arrange for someone to take care of her. Is that alright?” Wen Zhuojin discussed the child’s future with Yan Qinglan.

Wen Zhuojin had initially wanted to take the child as her disciple, but since Yan Qinglan wasn’t keen on the idea, she suggested sending the child to the orphanage.

The orphanage was established by Yan Qinglan after she ascended the throne, located near Tianxuan Palace. It was a place to take in orphans, most of whom were homeless children. There was a dedicated school where they could learn to read and write.

Hearing Wen Zhuojin’s words, Yan Qinglan paused.

“Didn’t you want to take her as your disciple? You’ve been teaching her these past few days, and she’s learned quite a bit. Why not take her in?” Yan Qinglan asked.

“Are you jealous, sister?” Wen Zhuojin teased.

“When have I ever been jealous? I think you’re the jealous one.” Yan Qinglan pinched Wen Zhuojin’s cheek.

“If you’re willing, then I’m willing too.” Wen Zhuojin said with a smile.

After spending so much time with the child, Wen Zhuojin could sense that Yan Qinglan had softened a bit, no longer as closed off as before.

They had saved the child, and the child had returned their kindness with the same kind of affection.

“If you’re taking her as your disciple, let her study in the Wenhua Hall. She shouldn’t just learn about making incense; she should learn other things too.” Yan Qinglan added.

“Alright. With her abilities, she shouldn’t have any trouble.” Wen Zhuojin said with a smile.

Previously, Yan Qinglan had given Wen Zhuojin two spots for children to study in the Wenhua Hall, but Wen Zhuojin hadn’t used them.

Now, sending one more wouldn’t be a problem.

After deciding, they took the child directly back to the palace.

When investigating the child’s background, they found that she coincidentally shared the same surname as Wen Zhuojin, but no one knew her name.

Wen Zhuojin and Yan Qinglan chose a name for her: Yan Bi.

Although memorials were delivered to Yan Qinglan daily by fast horse, many matters had piled up in Yunjing City. The first few days after their return were extremely busy.

It wasn’t until the fifth day, a rest day, that they finally had some free time.

“Didn’t you say you were going to make a new incense today? Why aren’t you making it?” Yan Qinglan had just finished handling a few memorials when she saw Wen Zhuojin arrive.

“Yan Bi is also on break today. She saw my incense recipe and decided to make some herself. What she made is almost as good as mine. She’s in the incense-making room, working hard, so I came to find you.” Wen Zhuojin said, walking over to hug Yan Qinglan and burying her face in Yan Qinglan’s neck, taking a deep breath.

“You’re such a demanding teacher, squeezing your disciple like this.” Yan Qinglan teased.

“Sister, you only care about Yan Bi and not me… Do you know how much I’ve missed you… Today’s a rest day, so don’t work anymore. Just take pity on me, alright?” Wen Zhuojin said in a pitiful tone, nuzzling Yan Qinglan’s neck.

Yan Qinglan’s neck tingled, and her body trembled slightly. She knew exactly what Wen Zhuojin meant.

These past few days had indeed been too busy. Every day, she would fall asleep as soon as she lay down.

When she opened her eyes, there was a pile of work waiting, and Wen Zhuojin had been busy alongside her.

It had been exhausting and pitiful…

Yan Qinglan couldn’t help but reach out and hug Wen Zhuojin.

“You’ve worked hard, A Zhuo.” Yan Qinglan whispered, kissing Wen Zhuojin.

Wen Zhuojin’s eyes curved into a smile as she leaned in to kiss Yan Qinglan deeply.

With a clatter, the neatly stacked memorials scattered across the floor.

Yan Qinglan wanted to say something, but Wen Zhuojin’s kiss left her mind foggy and confused.

“What’s this?” Yan Qinglan asked hazily, noticing a small wooden box Wen Zhuojin had placed down.

“It’s our treasure box.” Wen Zhuojin whispered.

Treasure box?

As Yan Qinglan tried to figure out what it was, her thoughts were shattered, pulled into a strange sensation, and she gave up thinking altogether.

Outside the hall, Qing Chenning hurried over but was stopped by the palace maid at the door.

“Her Majesty and the Empress are discussing important matters. If you have urgent business, please wait in the side hall for a moment.” the maid said respectfully to Qing Chenning.

Qing Chenning, who had since resumed her identity as a woman, held a third-rank official position and was highly trusted by Yan Qinglan.

Qing Chenning glanced at the closed door of the hall and turned to wait in the side hall.

This wait lasted half an hour.

When she was finally summoned into the hall, a screen had been set up, and Yan Qinglan spoke from behind it.

“Qing Daoren, I’ve caught a cold today, so I won’t be able to meet you in person. The matter you’ve reported…” Yan Qinglan’s voice came from behind the screen, still cold and authoritative, though slightly hoarse, as if she really had caught a cold.

Behind the screen, memorials and clothes were scattered across the floor. Yan Qinglan’s long hair was loose, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glistening, and her lips a deep red. She lay bonelessly in Wen Zhuojin’s arms, her clothes long since removed, the two of them wrapped in a single robe.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to wear clothes, but the rest had been soiled.

Wen Zhuojin was clingy and unwilling to let Yan Qinglan go.

But before Wen Zhuojin had arrived, Yan Qinglan had summoned Qing Chenning to discuss an important matter. Distracted by Wen Zhuojin, she had forgotten about it, and by the time she remembered, it was already a bit late.

If she sent Qing Chenning away now, it would delay many matters.

But summoning her in her current state was hardly appropriate.

So, she had to come up with a quick solution, handle the matter swiftly, and let Qing Chenning leave.

Qing Chenning, listening to Yan Qinglan’s words, couldn’t help but twitch her lips.

Others might not know, but she did.

When Wen Zhuojin first entered the palace as Empress, those who didn’t know the truth thought Yan Qinglan had made a compromise for the sake of silver.

Wen Zhuojin, as Empress, sought fame, but in reality, she had also made many “sacrifices.”

Two women together, like sisters, living as widows was truly a pity.

After all, before this, Yan Qinglan and Wen Zhuojin had had very little interaction.

If it weren’t for the silver, how could they have had any relationship?

Only Qing Chenning knew that this had been a long-planned scheme, finally realized, and she didn’t know how carefree and unrestrained they were now.

At this moment, the important matter they were discussing was likely their own.

Qing Chenning didn’t dare delay and quickly settled the matter with Yan Qinglan, taking the approved documents and hastily excusing herself.

As soon as Qing Chenning left, Wen Zhuojin picked up Yan Qinglan and laid her down again.

“A Zhuo, no more…” Yan Qinglan whispered, feeling overwhelmed and deeply embarrassed. Doing such things in the place where she usually conducted official business and received ministers was truly shameful.

“Sister, you’re thinking about her even when we’re together. My heart aches so much!” Wen Zhuojin pretended to cry.

Even though she knew Wen Zhuojin was faking it, Yan Qinglan’s heart still trembled. She realized that thinking about official matters in such a situation was indeed inappropriate and closed her eyes, hugging Wen Zhuojin.

Fine, she’ll indulge her this time.