Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 36

In the house in Wujiao Alley, Jin Rui replaced the charcoal in the brazier with golden silk charcoal.

Outside, the spring chill was biting, but inside, Yan Qinglan, wearing only a single layer of clothes, leaned against the pillow without feeling too cold.

“Madam, this golden silk charcoal doesn’t produce any smoke, and when it burns in the room, it smells like incense with a faint woody scent. It costs several ounces of silver per pound. Even Miss hasn’t been willing to use it herself.”

“The bird’s nest is the finest product sold at an official store. It’s the best for nourishing the body. After Miss got the money, she immediately bought it from the store and instructed me to carefully cook it for you, Madam.”

Jin Rui continued with her work as she spoke.

During the day, when the maidservants served, Yan Qinglan would always eat her meals and take her medicine by herself.

With the bowl in her hand and a spoon to use, though she couldn’t see, it wasn’t impossible to eat.

Listening to Jin Rui’s words, Yan Qinglan’s expression grew weary.

She hadn’t slept well the previous night and had woken up early again, unable to fall back asleep. Throughout the day, she felt uncomfortable, physically and mentally.

Yan Qinglan felt that perhaps it was because she hadn’t been close to Wen Zhuojin since yesterday. Her long-delayed addiction seemed to sprout like a seed, pushing through barriers, and resurfaced.

Her mood worsened, and her mind was filled with voices of small people speaking.

That little brat wasn’t here at the moment, surely off enjoying herself with the beauty she had just bought back?

She didn’t know what kind of expression it was—she couldn’t imagine it—but the voice was definitely sweet and coquettish.

The little brat had been playing outside and didn’t even come back!

Mmm, why was she thinking about her?

What she does has nothing to do with her.

“The little maidservants always speak highly of their own Miss. I’ve been keeping track of the money she spent, and of course, I’ll pay her back,” Yan Qinglan replied after hearing a few words from Jin Rui.

Over the past few days, Yan Qinglan had noticed that the food she ate was more refined, increasingly to her taste, and the preparation of meals had become more meticulous.

Not to mention other things, in daily life, the little brat did treat her quite well.

If she went back, she would double the amount of silver spent on her.

But that was all.

Yan Qinglan felt unwell, only managing to eat half of her usual portion. She couldn’t eat any more, and after forcing herself to take a few more bites, she couldn’t help but feel nauseous and had to stop.

“Is it really that simple, Madam?”

“Madam’s food is precious, but Miss said not to throw away the leftovers; she’ll eat them. The leftovers from Madam’s meals are always eaten by Miss.”

“Recently, she’s been making spring clothes. Miss’s own fabric costs less than ten taels of silver for ordinary silk, but for Madam, she uses the finest fabric from the official store—floating light brocade that costs more than a hundred taels per bolt.”

“Not to mention the cost of the medicine for Madam, each dose costs nearly a hundred taels of silver. The fragrance shop has only been open for a few days, and all the silver earned has been spent on Madam. If others didn’t know, they might think Madam was the mistress.”

“Our Miss cares for Madam this much, something most men wouldn’t do for their wives. How could silver be enough to repay this? What’s more, Madam’s current situation… she might not even be able to repay…”

Hearing Yan Qinglan speak, Jin Rui couldn’t help but comment as she tidied up.

This morning, Wen Zhuojin had clearly been in a low mood, which made Jin Rui feel even more sympathetic.

While serving Yan Qinglan, she took the chance to speak a bit more.

Yan Qinglan listened to Jin Rui’s chatter for a while.

Even though her head felt a little dizzy, she still sensed something was off.

Wen Zhuojin had only opened the shop a few days ago—how much silver could she have earned?

Jin Rui said all the silver had been spent on her.

But what about Min Xiwang and the others?

If Min Xiwang’s redeem was over five hundred taels, and if floating light brocade was used for clothing, how much silver could the little brat really be throwing around?

“Jin Rui, what kind of fabric did your young mistress use to make clothes for the newly redeemed madams?” Yan Qinglan paused and asked.

“The newly redeemed madams’ clothes were all bought from a ready-made clothing shop—an identical set, even with cotton padding. A whole set only costs three taels of silver,” Jin Rui replied when she heard Yan Qinglan’s question.

“Miss Min Xiwen too?” Yan Qinglan asked.

“Of course. For all of them, the young lady first asked what they were skilled at, and once she redeemed them, she arranged work for each of them. If they couldn’t do anything, she wouldn’t take them. If they were injured, she called a physician, but she never personally fed or served them. No one else is as carefree as Madam, able to lie around all day doing nothing and still have the young lady tending to them. The young lady treats Madam the most specially.” Jin Rui spoke, her tone slightly aggrieved, but the look in her eyes carried a hint of envy as she gazed at Yan Qinglan.

“…What does Min Xiwen do?” Yan Qinglan pursed her lips and asked again.

“That madam? The young lady assigned her plenty of tasks—naming the incense, writing poetry, hand-copying invitations, and inscribing delicate calligraphy on scented paper. Ever since she arrived, she hasn’t had a moment of leisure.” Jin Rui replied.

Yan Qinglan frowned—had she misunderstood again?

With all this new information, she recalled Wen Zhuojin’s aggrieved voice from yesterday, along with the moment she took a fall. Her emotions shifted once more.

But if Wen Zhuojin redeemed Min Xiwen, why did she also buy the Min family’s bookshop, then place Min Xiwen there to work? Was it just for appearances?

Intimate matters wouldn’t be displayed so openly, would they?

As Yan Qinglan pondered, her thoughts fluctuated.

Jin Rui was about to say more when she heard footsteps outside. Guessing that Wen Zhuojin had returned, she quickly went out to greet her.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t return alone—there were a few people with her.

“Jin Rui, take care of these guests first and lead them to the private rooms. I’ll check inside.” Wen Zhuojin instructed.

Jin Rui acknowledged and noticed that Wen Zhuojin’s expression was completely different from when she left in the morning. She seemed to have regained her energy, bustling about as usual.

Was there good news?

Jin Rui didn’t have time to dwell on it and turned to look at the people Wen Zhuojin had brought.

The moment she saw them, her expression froze slightly.

Besides Min Xiwen, there were two more madams—one with a charming allure, her features carrying an exotic beauty with captivating eyes, while the other had a gentle and refined temperament, though her demeanor was somewhat distant. Both were strikingly beautiful.

Had the young lady redeemed more people?!

And each one was so stunning!

Could it be that the young lady was heartbroken and disappointed with the one inside… and wanted to have more…?

Jin Rui suppressed her doubts and led the newcomers to the private rooms first.

Min Xiwen glanced at the inner chamber where Wen Zhuojin had gone, hesitated for a moment, and then followed Jin Rui.

On the way back, Wen Zhuojin’s initial excitement had somewhat calmed.

While passing by the Imperial Music Bureau, she made a stop, sought out the Imperial Music official, and redeemed a woman named Qin Yuerou, whom Yan Qinglan had specifically mentioned.

Since Yan Qinglan had pointed her out, this Qin Yuerou must be someone related to her.

Wen Zhuojin decided to redeem her first and figure out the details later.

She thought it would be a quick process, but Qin Yuerou—despite having been married before and being a bit older—was exceptionally beautiful. The Imperial Music Bureau official wanted to gain some benefits from Wen Zhuojin and initially refused to let her go.

In the end, Wen Zhuojin had to offer a set of high-quality writing materials from the bookshop, add a few more conditions, and spend three hundred taels of silver to secure her release—an expense that made her heart ache.

As for the other woman Jin Rui saw, Wen Zhuojin had taken her in on a whim. She was of Dasiguo descent and claimed to be highly skilled in the art of fragrance-making.

This woman hadn’t been brought into the Imperial Music Bureau due to the recent political turmoil—no one knew how long she had been there. But when she saw the incense Wen Zhuojin carried, she immediately knelt and pleaded to follow her, speaking in a strange, broken manner with unusual phrasing.

Wen Zhuojin tested her with a few fragrance-related questions, and she answered them all correctly—even mentioning some incense-making techniques that Wen Zhuojin wasn’t familiar with. Her face and features indeed marked her as foreign, so after some thought, Wen Zhuojin decided to redeem her as well.

She had originally planned to place them in the incense shop, but since she was pressed for time, she brought them to the residence first.

As Wen Zhuojin walked toward the inner chamber, a feeling of unease settled in her heart.

When she redeemed Min Xiwen and the others, Wen Zhuojin hadn’t thought about anything else—like gaining a reputation for being lustful or anything of the sort.

To her, Min Xiwen and the others never evoked the same feelings as Yan Qinglan did, nor had she ever considered that they might “serve her with their beauty.”

All she had in mind was how to make use of them—how to earn back the silver she had spent on their redeem as quickly as possible, and ideally, have them help her earn even more.

It was only after hearing those people talk that she started looking at the situation from another perspective.

But in the end, those were just her own assumptions.

She felt that Yan Qinglan was throwing a tantrum—”jealous” because of her redeeming those women. That’s why she had spoken with barbs and refused to be close to her.

But deep down, Wen Zhuojin wasn’t completely sure. She lacked confidence.

If that were true, if Yan Qinglan was truly jealous, then that meant—she had some feelings for her.

After all, how could someone who felt nothing get upset over something like this?

But if it wasn’t that… then it simply meant Yan Qinglan disliked her.

One possibility filled Wen Zhuojin with joy.

The other crushed her with sorrow.

She had to confirm it with Yan Qinglan—she needed to know.

When Wen Zhuojin entered the inner chamber, she saw Yan Qinglan.

Her expression was not good.

She was curled up in the corner, arms wrapped around herself, her eyes damp, looking utterly helpless.

“Sister, are you feeling unwell?” Wen Zhuojin took a step forward, wanting to touch Yan Qinglan, but Yan Qinglan dodged her.

Wen Zhuojin’s expression darkened slightly.

“Sister, are you angry because I redeemed people from the Imperial Music Bureau? I’m different with them than I am with you,” Wen Zhuojin said in a low voice.

“What you do has nothing to do with me!” Yan Qinglan said firmly.

She tried to make herself believe in Wen Zhuojin, but the worst outcomes, the most terrible possibilities, surfaced uncontrollably in her mind.

She didn’t want to go through it again.

Her delayed addiction broke through the surface, pulling her emotions deeper into darkness.

The once-blurry figure in her memories, who had always seemed pure and sweet in her mind because of her voice and scent, was now tainted with a creeping blackness.

“Sister, I redeemed people from the Imperial Music Bureau—over a dozen at once—but it was all by chance. I originally just wanted to open a bookshop…” Wen Zhuojin explained, but Yan Qinglan cut her off.

“No need to explain. I can’t see, I can’t know the truth. Everything is just your words. What’s real and what’s false—it all has nothing to do with me,” Yan Qinglan said.

Her body was shaking. Even her voice was trembling.

Wen Zhuojin’s breath hitched.

This woman… it was as if she was born to be her nemesis—just one sentence could make her sad, angry, so furious that her chest ached.

Wen Zhuojin took a deep breath, then looked at Yan Qinglan again.

“Sister, if you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.” Her voice grew colder. “Then I’ll just do as you say. That Qin Yuerou—I’ve seen her. She really is a beauty. She’s in better health than you, very gentle, has a lovely voice, and—she can see. She surpasses you in every way.”

“Since you don’t want me, I won’t force you.”

“Sister Yuerou is already in the residence now. From now on, I’ll be keeping her company. I won’t have time for you anymore.”

“If your addiction acts up, you’ll have to endure it alone.”

“Alright then, sister, I won’t bother you anymore. I’m going to find Sister Yuerou.”

Wen Zhuojin leaned in close as she spoke, her tone sharp, almost baring her teeth.

Yan Qinglan’s expression froze. Her breathing grew hurried.

Her once tear-filled eyes turned red. Large teardrops fell.

But—hadn’t she promised to be her oversized scent pillow?

Hadn’t she sworn that she would only love her?

“Wen Zhuojin, you dare!” Yan Qinglan choked out, her voice quivering, utterly lacking in strength.

Wen Zhuojin’s lips curved slightly as she whispered near her face.

“Sister, tell me—do you want me to have other women, or do you want me to only stay with you?”