Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 16

It might be too shameful.

Wen Zhuojin’s face was burning hot, and when she looked around, it was as if a layer of mist surrounded her, making everything blurry.

After taking a few deep breaths, Wen Zhuojin reached out to pull at Yan Qinglan’s loose inner clothes, her hand feeling as though something had tied it down, heavy and slow in motion.

When the inner clothes were pulled open, revealing her collarbones, the surrounding skin gently rose and fell with her breath, the two indentations at her collarbones trembling slightly.

Just seeing this made Wen Zhuojin’s heart race again, and her throat tightened.

Why did she feel that the lines of the collarbones were unusually beautiful, and the scent must be sweet?

Her fingertips and tongue both felt restless.

The exposed skin was a little cold, and Yan Qinglan shuddered slightly. Wen Zhuojin snapped back from her stray thoughts.

Ugh, she must be sick, how could she be like this?!

Wen Zhuojin quickly steadied herself, trying to quickly remove Yan Qinglan’s clothes and clean her up.

But what had been revealed just now was only the appetizer.

As she pulled a little lower, Wen Zhuojin’s mind seemed to explode; just a fleeting glance, and she immediately covered it.

“Sister, wait for me, I’ll be right back,” Wen Zhuojin whispered to Yan Qinglan, hurriedly pulling up the blanket and rushing out.

Yan Qinglan couldn’t see, only hearing Wen Zhuojin’s voice tense up, but she didn’t pay much attention, closing her eyes to rest.

Wen Zhuojin went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.

The icy water did not extinguish the images in her mind.

Wen Zhuojin had not yet seen a blushing face.

But she had seen the famous peony variety, Zhao Fen, the fairy of flowers.

Its petals were delicately colored, pink and dewy, thin like a gauze, layered in folds.

The image Wen Zhuojin had just seen was like a small Zhao Fen painted on the finest sweet white glaze.

She hadn’t noticed how large the sweet white glaze porcelain vase was, only seeing the color, and her bl00d began to surge.

That image, Wen Zhuojin didn’t want to forget.

But now it was swirling in her mind, making her feel an impulse, wanting to do something, wanting to move closer…

If Yan Qinglan was a delicacy, then Wen Zhuojin was a famished gourmand.

What was the difference between what she had done and the person who had poisoned Yan Qinglan with aphrodisiac?

Was she still human?

“Miss, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Jin Rui’s concerned voice reached her ears.

“Nothing.” Wen Zhuojin took a deep breath and replied.

At this moment, it would be best to have the maid continue helping Yan Qinglan wash up.

But Wen Zhuojin couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else seeing Yan Qinglan’s state.

“Jin Rui, bring me a piece of black gauze,” Wen Zhuojin said after a moment of thought.

“…Okay.” Jin Rui was puzzled about what Wen Zhuojin intended to do, but since it was an order, she quickly went to do it.

Soon, Jin Rui brought the black gauze to Wen Zhuojin.

Wen Zhuojin also brought in some hot water, and before helping Yan Qinglan wash up, she placed the black gauze over her eyes.

The scene before her became blurry, dim, but not completely invisible.

“Is sister asleep?” Wen Zhuojin called out softly to Yan Qinglan.

“Not yet,” Yan Qinglan replied.

“The water earlier was a bit cool. I brought in fresh hot water. I’ll try to finish quickly,” Wen Zhuojin said quietly.

Yan Qinglan nodded, thinking that the girl was indeed attentive.

The seductive allure, dampened by the blurriness of vision, was greatly suppressed.

Wen Zhuojin moved even faster, treating Yan Qinglan as she would the lion cat she once cared for—swiftly removing her clothes, wiping her down with a warm cloth, and then drying her with a clean towel. She quickly cleaned her upper body and changed her into fresh sleeping clothes.

When Wen Zhuojin bathed the lion cat, the cat, who disliked water, would always bare its teeth and growl at her.

She had to speak gently and stroke its back softly to finish the bath smoothly.

Only when she was sick did she lose her strength to be fierce, only making a few sounds of discomfort, rubbing her head against Wen Zhuojin’s palm, seeking comfort.

At this moment, Yan Qinglan was like a sick lion cat, lacking vitality.

She didn’t make a sound, obediently letting Wen Zhuojin do what she needed.

Even if the pressure was wrong and it hurt, she wouldn’t get angry—she only furrowed her brow, pressed her lips together, and at most let out a low hum.

Wen Zhuojin couldn’t see Yan Qinglan’s expression clearly, but she could imagine it.

“Sorry to trouble you, I’ll do it from here.” When it was time to change her lower garments, Yan Qinglan regained some strength, stopped Wen Zhuojin, and took the cloth from her hand.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t continue; she just averted her gaze and waited quietly at the side.

After Yan Qinglan finished cleaning and changed into fresh clothes, Wen Zhuojin finally removed the black gauze, called Jin Rui in to tidy the room, and replaced the bedding.

Once Yan Qinglan was settled back into bed, Wen Zhuojin looked at her in her light-colored nightclothes. She appeared obedient and pure, like a freshly cleaned little pet waiting for affection, to be petted and smelled.

She must be soft and sweet-smelling.

Wen Zhuojin licked her dry lips and just pulled the blanket over Yan Qinglan a little.

“Sister, sleep now. I’ll sleep on the couch in the outer room. If you feel uncomfortable, just call for me,” Wen Zhuojin said warmly as she saw Yan Qinglan close her eyes.

It had indeed been a late night.

Yan Qinglan, nestled in the warm blanket, now in soft, clean silk nightclothes, felt an unusual sense of freshness after so many days. But her body still ached, with pain continuously spreading.

When she heard Wen Zhuojin, Yan Qinglan hummed softly in acknowledgment.

The room fell silent, and the girl’s voice and scent disappeared.

Once the person left, Yan Qinglan’s feelings became sharper.

The pain, and the lingering craving from her addiction, grew as the girl’s presence faded.

It was like ants crawling over her, nibbling relentlessly.

She couldn’t sleep.

Yan Qinglan furrowed her brow, a strange feeling rising in her chest.

She wanted the girl to come back, to be closer.

But this thought stopped at her lips.

Though the girl seemed pure and upright, helping and encouraging her, Yan Qinglan would never place such trust in anyone so easily.

If that girl knew that the scent on her body was special and did it intentionally, then everything would be a lie, and she would fall into another trap.

She would become addicted to another kind of fragrance poison.

Wen Zhuojin was restless and spent a long time in the incense-making room. She prepared some incense to take to the flower-viewing banquet tomorrow and studied the notes on the fragrance poison for a while. She was very focused while doing these tasks, being “pure” for a period of time.

When the time was almost up, Wen Zhuojin went to the washroom to take a bath. When she returned and was drying her hair, she continued to look at the fragrance poison notes.

“Miss, are you preparing for the spring examination? You’re working so hard,” Jin Rui said while drying Wen Zhuojin’s hair, unaware of what she was reading.

“More difficult than the spring examination,” Wen Zhuojin sighed.

“What could be more difficult than the spring examination? What’s making you so troubled, Miss?” Jin Rui asked.

“Breaking the fragrance poison. There are too many combinations of fragrances, and even a slight change in the proportions, or the addition of one or a few, can create different effects. The antidote’s formulation also changes accordingly. The most important thing is that I don’t have the materials I need, so I can’t experiment. I need to buy more ingredients,” Wen Zhuojin explained.

It would cost money, and if the ingredients were banned for trade, it would be hard to find them and would require a high price to find someone to get them.

“I don’t really understand, but from what you said, Miss, it sounds like you’re amazing—more impressive than the female immortal from Heavenly Xuan Palace,” Jin Rui said.

“You’re always flattering me,” Wen Zhuojin smiled and said.

When her hair was dry, Wen Zhuojin put down the fragrance poison notes and went to check on Yan Qinglan in the inner room.

Yan Qinglan wasn’t asleep yet. Hearing Wen Zhuojin’s words, it seemed that Wen Zhuojin was genuinely trying to find a way to solve the fragrance poison.

Yan Qinglan felt the warm touch of fingertips on her cheek, and the hair near her face was gently brushed aside. There was a slight pressure on her brow, as though being massaged.

Even with her eyes closed, Yan Qinglan’s brow was still slightly furrowed. Wen Zhuojin’s fingertips massaged it twice, smoothing it out, but it soon furrowed again.

Wen Zhuojin guessed that Yan Qinglan might have been haunted by nightmares while asleep. She reached out and lightly patted her.

“Sister, don’t be afraid. I’m here, and everything will get better from now on.”

Wen Zhuojin whispered.

A lump formed in Yan Qinglan’s throat.

The girl’s voice was sincere, full of vibrant life, and her words carried a solemn promise.

“Qinglan, from now on, we will face everything together. What is there to fear in this world?”

“Qinglan, everything will be fine, as long as I am here, you will be too.”

Suddenly, sealed memories were unlocked. It seemed like someone had once said similar words, filled with vigor and sincerity.

In the end, it was all an illusion.

The girl continued to gently pat and softly comfort Yan Qinglan, and Yan Qinglan felt like a child again.

It seemed to have some effect, and gradually, Yan Qinglan began to drift into sleep.

Once Wen Zhuojin felt that Yan Qinglan was sleeping peacefully, she got up and left.

Wen Zhuojin lay down, but her mind was still unsettled. Fearing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep because of her wandering thoughts, she got up and lit some sleep-inducing incense, a stronger version. Once it was lit, she fell asleep quickly.

At the hour of the rabbit (5 a.m.), Wen Zhuojin was woken up.

She had to attend the flower-viewing banquet and needed to leave the Marquis’ residence.

Wen Zhuojin struggled to get up, didn’t wash her face, and went to check on Yan Qinglan. She seemed to still be asleep and hadn’t shown any signs of addiction.

“Jin Rui, if something like yesterday happens again, wrap her up in the blanket to prevent her from hurting herself, and then send someone to the Princess Yishu’s residence to inform me. If I don’t arrive in time after one incense stick’s worth of time, light this specific incense. Remember to cover her mouth and nose before lighting it, and only burn a finger-length portion.”

Before leaving, Wen Zhuojin gave Jin Rui a word of caution, just in case.

By the time Wen Zhuojin hurried back to the Marquis’ residence, the sky had already started to brighten.

She washed up, had a quick breakfast under the service of a few maidservants at the Qinfang Pavilion, and changed into new clothes and accessories.

The people in the front courtyard urged her to hurry, so Wen Zhuojin didn’t delay and took a sedan to the front courtyard.

Though attending the flower-viewing banquet wasn’t part of Wen Zhuojin’s own plans, there were still some benefits to it.

She had never been very social, preferring to stay indoors and focus on making incense.

Now, with the need to earn money, it was naturally important to meet more people and find legitimate ways to trade incense.

After being helped into the carriage by the old servant, Wen Zhuojin saw the Marquis’ wife and Wen Peishu.

Although it was a “viewing” banquet, it wasn’t as obvious as it seemed. Even though only unmarried young ladies were invited, others were also present.

Wen Zhuojin still wore a neck scarf, didn’t say much, and only greeted them briefly before remaining silent.

Wen Peishu, who was standing nearby, glared and became irritated when her greeting was ignored. She wanted to say something, but the Marquis’ wife restrained her.

The group arrived at the residence of Princess Yishu, where the flower-viewing banquet was being held, and got out of the carriage.

Wen Zhuojin followed behind the Marquis’ wife, walking slowly but steadily.

“I heard that today, Princess Yishu will be burning incense she got from Heavenly Xuan Palace. I’m really looking forward to it. I heard that if you smell it for long, you can communicate with the gods, and someone even saw the Goddess Xuan!”

“I’m so lucky to be able to smell this divine incense today.”

“If we could meet Goddess Xuan, that would be the greatest fortune.”

Before reaching the main hall of the banquet, Wen Zhuojin overheard some conversations.

Her expression froze. Incense from Heavenly Xuan Palace could communicate with gods?

Could this be the “incense poison”?!!