Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 135

Today was the day of the women’s examination. Wen Zhuojin, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jing’an, had listed out the materials she brought and used them to prepare a refreshing and brain-stimulating product.

After finishing the series of tasks, Wen Zhuojin’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

This was almost tailor-made for her dreams.

After years of research, she could finally use her knowledge to take the women’s official examination!

She couldn’t guarantee anything else, but she was confident in her research.

After handing in her written exam and the corresponding product, Wen Zhuojin walked out of the examination hall and let out a long sigh of relief.

The smell inside wasn’t very pleasant, but it was better outside.

As Wen Zhuojin walked out, she caught a whiff of a refreshing cold scent, like winter ice crystals.

This scent made Wen Zhuojin feel very close, and she wanted to take a deeper breath to savor it.

But the direction of the scent seemed to be coming from inside the government office. She wasn’t sure if it was from someone who had brought it for the exam or from an official inside.

“A Zhuo, are you done with the exam too? That’s great.” A familiar voice rang out, accompanied by a stronger floral scent that masked the faint cold scent.

Wen Zhuojin looked up and saw a familiar face.

It was the aunt of her fiancé, the heir of the Duke of Rong.

She had been widowed for many years and was also knowledgeable about incense. They had exchanged a few words during previous meetings.

Being in the same field, Wen Zhuojin had a good impression of her.

“Greetings, Madam Ming. What a coincidence. With your expertise in incense, you must have done well in the exam, right?” Wen Zhuojin smiled. Having someone to chat with about incense made her feel quite at ease.

Madam Ming walked up and chatted with Wen Zhuojin as they walked out together.

Meanwhile, inside the government office, a cold and elegant woman in a dark green robe embroidered with gold, her hair styled in a loose bun, accidentally tipped over a teacup on the table. Her aura was icy, startling the woman in a crimson official robe standing beside her.

“Your Majesty, are you burned? Did something happen?” the woman in the crimson robe asked anxiously.

The woman addressed as “Your Majesty” was the newly ascended empress of the dynasty, Yan Qinglan.

Yan Qinglan stared at Wen Zhuojin’s retreating figure, feeling an unfamiliar emotion surging within her.

What was going on?

Yan Qinglan wasn’t quite sure.

For the past six months, Yan Qinglan had been having intermittent dreams.

In these dreams, she saw many things.

She saw a trusted younger brother who had poisoned her, an elder like Lady Li who was a spy from the Chu Kingdom, and even the loyal palace maid she had appointed as the head of the Tianxuan Palace betraying her, and so on.

At first, Yan Qinglan didn’t believe these dreams, but as evidence piled up, one by one, the dreams were proven true.

With preparation, the loyal people around her were still there. Yan Qinglan decisively took preemptive action, eliminating the hidden dangers one by one.

She ascended the throne as empress.

However, during this time, Yan Qinglan felt like something was missing.

In the prophetic dreams, there was still one scene left. In that scene, she couldn’t see anything, but she heard a voice—sweet and pleasant.

The voice was beautiful, but the person was quite audacious.

Not long after, Wen Zhuojin was called to stop.

“Lady Wen, Madam Ming, how are you? You both look radiant. Did the exam go well?” Qing Chenning stepped forward and greeted them with a bow.

“Greetings, Lady Qing. I think the exam went well. Thank you for your recommendation.” Wen Zhuojin said with a smile, looking at Qing Chenning.

The person before her was Qing Chenning, a high-ranking official in the Hanlin Academy and the person in charge of this year’s women’s examination.

In Wen Zhuojin’s eyes, this person was quite remarkable. Having passed the imperial examination as a man and becoming the top scholar two years ago, Qing Chenning revealed her true identity as a woman after the empress ascended the throne and was specially allowed to continue serving as an official.

Wen Zhuojin wasn’t very familiar with her before, but since Qing Chenning was in charge of the women’s examination and had visited many women in the capital, they had met. Knowing Wen Zhuojin’s expertise in incense, Qing Chenning recommended her for the women’s examination.

Wen Zhuojin thus held some goodwill toward her.

“Madam Ming, I have something to discuss with Lady Wen. Would you mind giving us some privacy?” Qing Chenning bowed slightly to Madam Ming.

Madam Ming smiled and excused herself.

“What is it, Lady Qing?” Wen Zhuojin turned to Qing Chenning after Madam Ming left.

“I know of your expertise in incense, so I have some matters I’d like to consult you on. Would you mind accompanying me to a teahouse for a chat? I know of a quiet one.” Qing Chenning said.

Wen Zhuojin agreed, and since they were both women, Qing Chenning didn’t keep much distance. They walked side by side.

At that moment, a carriage emerged from the government office. The person inside was Yan Qinglan, who happened to see Qing Chenning and Wen Zhuojin walking away together.

Qing Chenning had been sent by Yan Qinglan to invite Wen Zhuojin for a conversation.

However, when Yan Qinglan saw Wen Zhuojin and Qing Chenning walking so closely together, the same emotion from earlier surged within her again.

No, this won’t do!

A voice seemed to echo in Yan Qinglan’s head.

No one should get close to her!

She is mine!

As this thought arose, Yan Qinglan’s eyes widened in shock.

How could this be?

This is impossible!

It felt like there was another person in her mind.

“Return to the palace!” Yan Qinglan urged the coachman to head back to the palace.

Perhaps she needed to light a calming incense to clear her mind of these strange thoughts.

As Yan Qinglan’s carriage headed back to the palace, Qing Chenning and Wen Zhuojin arrived at a private room in the teahouse.

After the fragrant tea was served, Qing Chenning chatted with Wen Zhuojin for a while before steering the conversation toward incense.

“Lady Wen, have you ever encountered this kind of scent?” Qing Chenning took out a wax-sealed scent pill and showed it to Wen Zhuojin.

The wax seal prevented Wen Zhuojin from smelling it, but after Qing Chenning broke the seal, Wen Zhuojin caught a whiff of the scent inside.

“This scent isn’t quite right. Some of the ingredients are familiar to me, but there are two that I don’t recognize. They don’t smell pleasant… Lady Qing, based on my experience, it’s best not to use this kind of incense. Incense can be divided into medicinal and poisonous. Some incense, if used improperly, can be toxic and harmful to the body.” Wen Zhuojin said seriously after carefully smelling the scent.

“To be honest, Lady Wen, this is indeed a poisonous scent. Someone has already been poisoned by it. If you could help me find an antidote, I would be deeply grateful.” Qing Chenning said.

Wen Zhuojin frowned. “This is a serious matter. I’ll do my best to help, but I’ll need more information about the poison and the person who was poisoned.”

Qing Chenning nodded. “I understand. I’ll provide you with all the details I have.”

As they continued their conversation, Yan Qinglan returned to the palace, her mind still unsettled.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something important was missing from her life. The dreams had shown her many things, but they had also left her with a sense of longing.

Perhaps the answer lay with Wen Zhuojin.

Yan Qinglan decided to keep a close eye on her, hoping to uncover the truth behind the strange emotions she felt.

“Engaging in intimate relations with me is your duty. Don’t think about anyone else! Listen to me, okay?”

“Drink the medicine obediently. If you refuse, I’ll bite you like I did just now!”

The same sweet voice spoke in a fierce tone, and then, Yan Qinglan felt her lips being sucked by warm lips, making it hard to breathe.

How infuriating! She wanted to wake up immediately and have this woman arrested and subjected to severe punishment!

Yan Qinglan thought angrily, but her emotions continued to shift along with the dream.

The fierce woman only spoke fiercely and bit her lips, doing nothing more. Yet, she had actually tested the poison on herself to prepare an antidote for Yan Qinglan.

She stayed by Yan Qinglan’s side at all times, accompanying her through the withdrawal symptoms, taking meticulous care of her when she was sick, and protecting her at the cost of her own body, covered in scars…

Yan Qinglan’s vision in the dream gradually became clearer, and just as she was about to see the woman’s face, she woke up.

Yan Qinglan lay on her bed, feeling something surging in her chest.

So this prophetic dream was different from the ones before.

It didn’t tell her who would harm her.

Instead, it told her in advance that there was someone in this world who would wholeheartedly care for her in the future.

Was this real?

Was she really this lucky?

Just like when she first dreamed of her younger brother poisoning her, Yan Qinglan hadn’t believed it at the time.

She needed to verify it herself, to determine whether it was true or false.

It was time for the morning court session.

Yan Qinglan didn’t have time to dwell on it further. She got up, dressed, and went to hold the court assembly.

After the court session ended, Qing Chenning came to report to Yan Qinglan.

“Your Majesty, Wen Zhuojin doesn’t seem to have an easy solution for this poison. She hasn’t yet agreed to help us prepare an antidote. It seems this matter is unrelated to the Tianxuan Palace.” Qing Chenning reported.

Yan Qinglan’s heart skipped a beat.

From the latest dream, Yan Qinglan already knew that the woman was indeed Wen Zhuojin.

Hadn’t Wen Zhuojin prepared the antidote as she had in the dream?

“Your Majesty, if we give Wen Zhuojin the formula and have someone who has been poisoned cooperate with her, perhaps she can prepare the antidote more quickly. Aside from Your Majesty, is there anyone else who has been poisoned? Should we send someone for Wen Zhuojin to test the medicine on?” Qing Chenning continued.

“…Give her the formula. As for the person who has been poisoned, it will be me. Inform her that she will have one hour each day to test the antidote formula she prepares. The time will be at Hai hour (9-11 PM) each night, and she can decide the location. As for my identity, do not reveal it to her for now.” Yan Qinglan said after some thought.

Yan Qinglan remembered that in the dream, Wen Zhuojin didn’t seem to know her identity and was quite dissatisfied with the princess.

Although Yan Qinglan had changed many things, and Wen Zhuojin didn’t appear to be an enemy at the moment, she still didn’t want to rashly reveal her identity to Wen Zhuojin out of caution.

Qing Chenning was shocked by Yan Qinglan’s words. She hadn’t expected Yan Qinglan to personally take on this role!

Qing Chenning didn’t dare say more and left to carry out the order.

After Qing Chenning left, Yan Qinglan pressed a hand to her chest, trying to suppress her agitated emotions.

This dream had left her feeling somewhat out of control.

Unlike Yan Qinglan’s fluctuating emotions, Wen Zhuojin remained calm.

“Prolonged exposure to this poison can harm the eyes. Have your eyes been affected?” Wen Zhuojin first asked Yan Qinglan several questions, collecting symptoms related to the poison. Yan Qinglan answered each one, and Wen Zhuojin carefully recorded them.

“Try my medicine first. If you feel anything unusual, let me know directly.” Wen Zhuojin said after asking the necessary questions. She then selected the corresponding medicinal formula and gave it to Yan Qinglan.

Even though it was their first meeting, and she hadn’t dreamed of it before, Yan Qinglan felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Wen Zhuojin’s image became increasingly vivid in Yan Qinglan’s mind.

She was a beautiful, serious, and talented young woman.

But if it were just that, without the events from the dream, how could Yan Qinglan have developed such strange feelings for her?

Yan Qinglan felt like a calm observer, suppressing her emotions and continuing to watch.

When the treatment session ended that night, Yan Qinglan left.

After she was gone, Wen Zhuojin lit a calming incense for herself.

Although she had appeared very professional and serious in front of Yan Qinglan, only she knew the truth.

She kept wanting to look into Yan Qinglan’s eyes, finding them incredibly beautiful. She also wanted to get closer to Yan Qinglan to smell her scent and see what she looked like under the veil!

How strange.

Wen Zhuojin inhaled the calming incense and rubbed her cheeks, trying to clear her mind.

Stay calm. This is the key to breaking off the engagement. How could she do something strange and scare her away?