Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 19

Yan Qinglan was in a room with a floor heating, her skin still cold, and her lips felt like two ice petals.

This was the sensation transmitted to Wen Zhuojin’s lips after she pressed against them.

For the past few days, Wen Zhuojin had been warning herself to maintain self-control, to control herself, not to let the dark and shameful thoughts in her heart manifest into actions that might frighten her.

But then, seeing Yan Qinglan’s large, wet eyes, so fragile and broken, eliciting pity, yet hearing her speak such terrifying words…

She knew the truth but still wanted to protect him!

She still wanted to go back?!

Even after being so tortured, covered in scars, she still wanted to go back!

Looking at her delicate lips parting and closing, Wen Zhuojin’s heart pounded fiercely, a mix of grievance and anger. After days of holding back, she finally couldn’t control herself.

Perhaps her initial intention was just to block Yan Qinglan’s lips, to stop her from saying such hurtful things.

Now, it no longer mattered.

When her lips met hers, Wen Zhuojin’s mind went completely blank.

It was like a gourmand encountering a delicacy.

The ice crystal flower on the icy plain was enveloped by a rising hot spring, drowning in the steaming waters.

Heat spilled out from between their lips.

The ice crystal flower melted at an astonishing speed due to the intense heat, like boiled, soft, mushy silver fungus soup, sweet and fragrant, tempting more appetite.

Her inexperienced lips didn’t know how to avoid the hard teeth, clashing straight forward, almost tearing and biting.

The tip of her tongue had long been plotting, wanting to act like a spoon.

But just as she leaned forward, the previously melted ice crystal flower suddenly extended sharp thorns.

Wen Zhuojin only felt a sharp pain in her lips and on her tongue, and the taste of bl00d spread.

As reason slowly returned, Wen Zhuojin felt the struggle of the person in her arms, like a frightened little animal using its only means of protection—its teeth—to bite.

Wen Zhuojin loosened her grip on Yan Qinglan, licking her lips. The taste of bl00d was even stronger now, attempting to cover the faint cold scent of the woman she had just tasted.

The woman before her had tears rolling down her cheeks, the area around her peach blossom eyes surrounded by a red halo, and her lips were more crimson than usual. They were swollen from the earlier collision, looking as though she had been ruthlessly hurt, making her appear pitiful.

Her small, delicate mouth still revealed her fine white teeth, as though she wanted to bite something.

She resembled that lioness cat, on alert, using her teeth to threaten her enemy.

Wen Zhuojin exhaled, extending her hand to comfort her, but as soon as her hand touched the other’s back, it was evaded by the struggles.

Wen Zhuojin smiled bitterly.

It was hard to calm her down, and now that she was starting to trust her, it seemed like everything was going back to square one. Everything was reset.

“Sister, you can’t go back. You’re mine,” Wen Zhuojin said softly, pressing down on the struggling woman.

Kissing her made any explanation useless. Her hidden and shameful thoughts were already exposed. Wen Zhuojin gave up, no longer trying to conceal anything.

Yan Qinglan’s eyes widened a little more. Even though she was blind, one could still feel the shock in her gaze.

Yan Qinglan couldn’t see and had never experienced this kind of contact. She hadn’t even had time to think about what had just happened when their lips met.

Her mind was a mess, pushing away the foreign sensation instinctively.

At that moment, her breath quickened, and her consciousness slowly returned.

Upon hearing the girl’s voice again and feeling the tight grip around her waist, Yan Qinglan finally understood what had just happened.

After experiencing so many betrayals, in this situation, it was hard for her to trust anyone again. Doubts arose in her heart—could the girl really be as pure and good as she seemed? Her resolve was shaken, leaning towards skepticism.

But what she hadn’t expected was that this girl was one of those rare kinds she had seen before, one in a million.

Women in the palace often became lonely to such an extent, but what was this girl’s reason?

Was she truly the legitimate daughter of a marquis?

Or perhaps everything was fake—the purity, the gentleness, the sweetness, all just illusions. Was this girl only trying to make her submit, to humiliate her thoroughly?

Yan Qinglan couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

After pretending for days, did she think she would be conquered by her, that she would willingly submit?

Now, the mask had finally slipped.

Yan Qinglan remained silent, her heart cold as ice.

“Sister, you feel deep affection and loyalty towards that person, bound by the relationship between you. But have you ever thought about what that person really thinks of you? Your addiction to the fragrance poison is severe, and your organs are already showing signs of decay because of it. Your blindness is also a result of the fragrance poison. There are years of accumulated illness, all of which can be diagnosed by an ordinary doctor. I’ve asked the people at the Fragrance House—they never used any fragrance on you. The iron ring on your ankle is expensive, and it’s not something they would handle. Don’t you realize that it was all done by that person? You are you—you are no one’s subordinate! Anyone who treats you badly is not worth holding onto in your heart. Sister, can you see this now?”

Wen Zhuojin calmed herself down, suppressing the anger and grievance in her heart, trying to persuade Yan Qinglan again, urging her not to cling to her obsession. The words she spoke were heartfelt, sincere, and full of emotion.

The woman before her appeared so fragile, but her nature was unyielding, with strong character. As long as she spoke slowly, explaining things clearly, Yan Qinglan would understand.

But as soon as her words fell, Wen Zhuojin heard the woman in her arms let out a hum through her nose, her eyes closing, clearly disagreeing completely with what Wen Zhuojin had just said!

In an instant, Wen Zhuojin’s anger flared up again, causing her chest to ache.

Yan Qinglan’s heart grew colder and more indifferent.

Hearing Wen Zhuojin’s voice so sincere, still full of vitality, firm, and persistent, Yan Qinglan was momentarily shaken but quickly regained her clarity.

Wasn’t this all an attempt to sow discord?

The more she said that, the less Yan Qinglan believed it.

From the moment she was born, it was her younger brother, raised in the cold palace by her, who was so obedient and good to her.

How could he do something so malicious?

If there was anyone in this world she trusted the most, it was him.

Everything she had done was for him.

She knew in her heart who was truly behind all this.

Yan Qinglan felt the pressure around her waist tighten once more. As her breathing grew heavier, she remembered the suffocating “biting” from earlier and instinctively turned her head, trying to avoid the coming “oppression.”

This time, the girl didn’t come to “bite.”

“I bought your freedom from the Fragrance House. Your contract is in my hands. You belong to me now. You can’t go anywhere without my permission! You want to go back to him? It’s impossible!”

The sweet voice of the girl had turned into something more menacing, full of an aggressive aura, her words seeming to be squeezed out through her teeth.

After speaking, Wen Zhuojin’s teeth were still chattering, the wound from her bite being tugged at. The taste of bl00d in her mouth grew stronger.

Yan Qinglan opened her eyes, giving Wen Zhuojin an intentional yet casual roll of the eyes.

“Good, finally stopped pretending.”

How could there possibly be a contract?

Even though she was blind, her expression was still very vivid.

Wen Zhuojin was momentarily choked up.

She almost wanted to bite those still-bleeding lips again.

But she had at least become a little more aware, realizing that her emotions were off.

She had lost her usual patience, feeling too agitated and irritable.

After inhaling so much fragrance poison today, it was likely affecting her.

If she kept talking, things could get worse.

Wen Zhuojin’s breath caught in her chest for a moment.

Even though her emotions were so intense, the thought of holding the woman still made her mind wander.

A fragile piece of porcelain, one touch could shatter it—she feared it wouldn’t withstand the force of her hands.

In the end, Wen Zhuojin loosened her grip.

After being freed, Yan Qinglan didn’t make any move to protect herself. She simply shrank into the corner of the bed, putting more distance between herself and Wen Zhuojin.

Wen Zhuojin looked at the woman, her bare, wounded feet and thin clothing. Before leaving, she knelt beside the bed and covered her with a blanket.

As she reached for the corner of the blanket to pull it over, before she could withdraw her hand, she felt a sharp pain at her fingertip.

Hmm, the little cat had bitten her again.

Her index finger was surrounded by soft lips, the sharp teeth sinking into it, the sting coursing through her.

The other person had used all her strength.

The pain made Wen Zhuojin hiss, and she pulled her finger back sharply.

“Sister, you’re really heartless,” Wen Zhuojin said, looking at the bite mark on her finger, her voice carrying a grievance she hadn’t even realized herself.

Hearing the movement, Yan Qinglan thought the other person was about to do something again. She was already on guard, sensing someone getting closer and biting out of instinct.

Since the other person had stopped pretending, she no longer cared to act obediently either.

However, she hadn’t expected that as she bit down, something soft and warm pressed against her body—it was a blanket.

Yan Qinglan paused for a moment, then heard Wen Zhuojin’s aggrieved voice.

Heartless?

If I had a knife in hand right now, I’d show you what real heartlessness feels like.

Yan Qinglan reached out to pull the blanket tighter around herself, staying still without responding further.

Wen Zhuojin glanced at her again before turning and leaving, closing the door behind her.

“Keep an eye on her inside. The floor heating isn’t hot enough. Make the fire stronger,” Wen Zhuojin said, pausing at the door as she saw Jin Rui, giving her the instruction.

Jin Rui, waiting outside for orders, had overheard the voices from inside.

Earlier, she had been thinking that the kind-hearted young lady, like a bodhisattva, was so kind to a stranger—her heart really was good.

Now, she had some doubts.

“I understand, Miss. Your lips are bleeding. I’ll get some medicine for you,” Jin Rui said, not daring to think too much. When she looked up at Wen Zhuojin, she was startled to see Wen Zhuojin’s lips.

Wen Zhuojin licked her lips and then used the handkerchief Jin Rui had handed her to wipe them. When she saw the bloodstains on the handkerchief, an uncomfortable feeling settled in her heart.

“No need. I’ll go to the incense room first. You stay here and take care of things,” Wen Zhuojin waved her hand and left.

In the incense room, Wen Zhuojin’s mood had not yet calmed, and she didn’t bother to treat the wounds on her lips or fingers.

Apart from the taste of bl00d in her mouth, there was still a trace of the woman’s scent lingering.

The brief contact from earlier turned into countless details that her taste buds now savored.

The pain in the injury snapped her back to her senses.

Wen Zhuojin let out a bitter smile, still in the mood to reminisce?

She had ruined everything with her impulsiveness.

But so what if it was exposed?

Before, she had only thought about the joy of raising a lion cat. It was so beautiful, obedient, casually sniffing and being petted, making those soft “meow” sounds, rubbing its head against her and acting spoiled, always sticking close to her.

But she had forgotten, after raising it for a while, the cat ran away.

She treated it so well, and it still ran away!

Nanny Jiang had said that cats couldn’t be tamed.

But humans were emotional.

But…

She liked her beautiful face, and wanted to share intimate moments with her, but that wasn’t exactly a respectable feeling.

Even though she had seen her scoundrel husband for what he was and no longer thought about him, it didn’t mean she could turn around and rely on or trust this woman.

She didn’t like women, which was normal.

It was all just one-sided on her part.

Wen Zhuojin suddenly felt like she was stranded on a lonely island.

No matter what she did, it felt as if there were no response, no result.

There was something stuck in her heart, making her feel uneasy.

After a moment, with a slap, Wen Zhuojin’s hand hit the table.

Her confused gaze gradually cleared, and the gloom was suppressed.

Perhaps everything had a seed from the beginning, but the trigger might have been that incense poison.

The woman was now under the influence of the incense poison; why bother to argue or differentiate with the current version of herself?

She still needed to detoxify from the incense poison as soon as possible.

Wen Zhuojin pulled out a chair and sat at the table, taking out her notebook to start recording the divine scent she had smelled today, including the reactions of those around her, and noting the emotional changes that were different from usual.

She also listed all the ingredients she could analyze, carefully writing down the unknown incense materials and their scents over time.

She then took out the divine incense that Jing He had sent and analyzed it, making detailed records.

Incense medicine has its monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy; so does incense poison.

Only by thoroughly understanding it could she find the corresponding antidote ingredients.

Wen Zhuojin’s thoughts became focused, and the emotional problems that seemed unsolvable and had no answers were pushed aside. Compared to that, the incense poison with a traceable path was relatively easier to solve.

It required time, more incense materials, and the experiments to create a new incense blend…

When Wen Zhuojin immersed herself in her work, time passed quickly.

After the midnight hour, Wen Zhuojin finally stood up to stretch her body.

She wasn’t sleepy yet, but her stomach was growling loudly, a hunger gnawing at her.

During the day, Wen Zhuojin had been busy socializing at the banquet and hadn’t eaten much. When she returned, she was eager to see Yan Qinglan and didn’t stop to eat but rushed over instead.

As Wen Zhuojin was preparing to find something to eat, she saw Jin Rui when she went outside.

“Jin Rui, why haven’t you gone to bed yet?” Wen Zhuojin asked as she walked over.

“Miss hasn’t gone to sleep yet, so how can I?” Jin Rui replied, looking at Wen Zhuojin with concern. “Why haven’t you applied the medicine yet?”

“It’s fine. I’ll eat something first, then I’ll apply the medicine,” Wen Zhuojin said gently, glancing at the tray Jin Rui was holding, noticing it was full of broken porcelain pieces.

“That lady said she was hungry and wanted to have some snow fungus soup. I brought it to her, but she didn’t eat it. Instead, she broke the bowl,” Jin Rui explained.

Wen Zhuojin furrowed her brows and glanced at the broken pieces, her mind racing. She quickly thought of something and hurried toward the room where Yan Qinglan was.