Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 37

Wen Zhuojin leaned closer to Yan Qinglan, she could clearly see the delicate blush around Yan Qinglan’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes, like the pink hues of March peach blossoms. Tears clung to her long, thick lashes, trembling slightly with each shiver of her body.

In Wen Zhuojin’s mind, the image of a water-fearing, rain-soaked lion cat overlapped with Yan Qinglan’s fragile appearance.

Her heart softened into a puddle, she desperately wanted to pull Yan Qinglan into her arms and kiss away the tears on her face and lashes.

But she wasn’t sure yet, so she held herself back with great effort.

“If Sister doesn’t say anything, then it must mean you want me to go. It was Sister who abandoned me first… I…” Wen Zhuojin murmured words of leaving, yet she moved even closer to Yan Qinglan, her hand hovering as if to support her, almost holding her in a half-embrace.

Yan Qinglan’s condition had worsened at this point. Her body was uncomfortable, her mind restless and anxious, and her consciousness grew increasingly faint.

On one hand, she thought Wen Zhuojin was truly detestable. If she had already set her sights on someone new, then she should go far away. Even if Yan Qinglan lost consciousness or fell into a delirious state, she wouldn’t reach out to her or beg her to stay.

On the other hand, another part of her consciousness leaned toward trusting Wen Zhuojin, believing she had been misunderstood and was now being pushed away by her own actions.

She should be her exclusive fragrant pillow, her exclusive antidote. She would not allow her to entangle herself with anyone else!

Wen Zhuojin watched as Yan Qinglan’s sleeve moved slightly. When her hand brushed against Yan Qinglan’s, the sleeve was suddenly grasped tightly.

Wen Zhuojin tugged lightly, but the other party held on with a firm, yet gentle grip. Wen Zhuojin’s eyes flickered with emotion, a surge of excitement rising within her.

“Don’t…” Yan Qinglan’s voice trembled as she uttered the word.

“Don’t what?” Wen Zhuojin leaned in closer, her lips now just a hair’s breadth away from Yan Qinglan’s.

Yan Qinglan felt the familiar scent so close, her breathing growing rapid. As her lips parted to speak, they brushed against the warm lips of the other.

Those lips, however, remained calm and patient, as if waiting—whether to hunt or to be hunted.

The answer to that question soon became clear.

The sleeve she had been clutching was tugged again, slipping from Yan Qinglan’s grasp. The absence of the other’s breath caused the struggle in Yan Qinglan’s mind to vanish instantly. She reached out again to grab Wen Zhuojin’s sleeve, her body leaning forward.

Their lips met, breaths intertwining.

Yan Qinglan’s cool lips parted, and her teeth gently bit down.

Wen Zhuojin felt as though she had been pricked by a crystal flower.

A sharp pain spread from her lips, causing her to inhale sharply.

Though it hurt, her heart raced, and she couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips.

Her hands, which had been hovering, now firmly embraced Yan Qinglan, adjusting her into a more comfortable position to continue “biting” her.

Somehow, their positions shifted, and Yan Qinglan found herself lying atop Wen Zhuojin. Unaware of the change, the sensations brought on by her condition and the chaotic emotions were soothed as she bit into Wen Zhuojin.

Wen Zhuojin realized that Yan Qinglan’s initiative felt even sweeter than her own. Instead of rushing to kiss back, she supported the back of Yan Qinglan’s head, drawing her closer. Her lips parted slightly, her tongue tentatively probing, allowing Yan Qinglan to “harvest” as she pleased.

Under the influence of her condition, Yan Qinglan sought only the comforting taste, but in her clumsiness, her tongue ventured into Wen Zhuojin’s mouth, drawing in more of the flavor she craved…

As Yan Qinglan gradually regained clarity, her lips, now warmed by Wen Zhuojin’s touch, felt soft and pliant, like freshly steamed glutinous rice balls. Her body lay limp in Wen Zhuojin’s arms, devoid of strength, though her mouth still savored the lingering taste.

Though she had regained her senses, her desire for Wen Zhuojin’s closeness hadn’t waned. A simple kiss no longer seemed enough.

Further ahead was a line of taboo that even Yan Qinglan feared. Just getting slightly close to it made her shiver, prompting her to hastily retreat. This was manifested in her pulling away from Wen Zhuojin’s lips and pushing her away with both her hands and feet.

However, her strength was weak, like a kitten scratching an itch.

“Sister, are you done using me so quickly?” Wen Zhuojin whispered.

“Wen Zhuojin!” Yan Qinglan nearly gritted her teeth as she called her name. Having just kissed her, her breathing was unsteady, and her voice came out trembling, soft and delicate, failing to achieve the effect she intended.

Now fully awake, Yan Qinglan’s irritation surged.

She still remembered Wen Zhuojin’s words—how she had said she would listen to her and go find someone else, only to then coax her into getting close.

This little brat had deceived her!

The allure of the fragrance was intoxicating, and the addiction was clouding her mind!

Seeing Yan Qinglan frown and struggle, Wen Zhuojin quickly held her properly, gently stroking her back to soothe her.

“Sister, will you listen to my explanation now? My heart has always been devoted to you, and I’ve never had thoughts of anyone else. After opening the fragrance shop, I thought of starting a bookstore to sell…” Wen Zhuojin spoke softly, explaining everything from start to finish in one breath.

Yan Qinglan closed her eyes, not wanting to listen, but she still heard every word.

Wen Zhuojin had planned to open the bookstore first, and only then went to redeem people because of it.

Moreover, her bribing of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Music Bureau also had a purpose.

Yan Qinglan knew that the eunuch had a fondness for fragrances.

So, Wen Zhuojin’s use of fragrance as a bribe was reasonable.

Opening a bookstore and incorporating fragrances into the “Four Treasures of the Study” (brush, ink, paper, and inkstone) was a brilliant idea and could potentially be a lucrative business.

With the order of events rearranged, the underlying purpose changed, and the meaning behind it all shifted as well.

She had originally thought Qing Chenning was talented, but how could he be so careless in gathering information?!

“Sister, buying a capable maid from the labor market costs at least five or six taels of silver. If she has some skills—like accounting, embroidery, or baking—it’s even more expensive. The people abandoned by the Imperial Music Bureau were a bit unruly there, and buying them might be troublesome, but they’re very cheap, and each has their own strengths. They cherish their new identities after being redeemed and work diligently in the fragrance shop and bookstore. Sister, please don’t be angry about this anymore, okay?”

Wen Zhuojin murmured toward the end.

“I was never angry,” Yan Qinglan said after a pause.

Wen Zhuojin had been watching Yan Qinglan’s face closely, and upon hearing her words, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

The cat, which had been drenched in the rain earlier, had been “dried” by her. Now, with its eyes closed, its eyelashes fluttered slightly, its lips pursed, and its face—though expressionless—still looked so beautiful that Wen Zhuojin found it utterly adorable.

“Mhm, Sister isn’t angry. But what did you mean by pushing me to redeem Qin Yuerou and sending me to her? Do you know how hurt and angry I felt? Sister, I didn’t sleep a wink last night, worked all day today, the wound on the back of my head hasn’t healed yet and still hurts, and my knees are scraped from falling…”

As Wen Zhuojin spoke, her tone took on a whining, pitiful quality, clearly trying to play the victim.

“…” Although Yan Qinglan was still annoyed, hearing Wen Zhuojin’s words softened her irritation somewhat.

This matter…

Come to think of it, hadn’t she asked Qing Chenning to redeem more female family members of disgraced officials?

Now, this little brat had already done it for her, so why had she been so upset for days?!

How absurd.

“Didn’t you say you were going to find Qin Yuerou?” Yan Qinglan interjected while Wen Zhuojin was still playing the victim.

If Wen Zhuojin had explained properly earlier, Yan Qinglan might have felt a bit guilty for misunderstanding her. But now? Hah…

“That… that was all because Sister made me angry! It was Sister who told me to go, so I listened and said I would. As for Miss Qin, since Sister asked, I didn’t even ask what she was good at and spent three hundred taels of silver to redeem her. On top of that, I promised the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Music Bureau a monthly supply of fragrances. The shop has only been open for a few days, and I’ve already spent so much money. Sister, I’ve really taken a big loss here…” Wen Zhuojin explained.

Yan Qinglan had intended to tease her back, but she hadn’t expected her to say this.

“Thank you. I’ll pay you back,” Yan Qinglan murmured softly.

With Qin Yuerou successfully redeemed, Yan Qinglan felt a slight sense of relief.

Although Qin Yuerou came from a family of upright scholars, she was actually an undercover agent planted by the Embroidered Envoys within the scholarly circles. She had helped Yan Qinglan on several occasions.

Her father was a Grand Academician with many students, and her husband’s family also held considerable prestige. If anything were to happen to her, it might provoke a strong reaction from many.

However, now that she had been sent to the Imperial Music Bureau, it was unclear whether the scholarly elites already considered her as good as dead.

For now, the priority was to rescue her first and deal with the rest later.

“Sister, if you want to make it up to me, it’s very simple…” Wen Zhuojin murmured, pulling her closer until her nose was almost touching her face.

“Wen Zhuojin, what happened earlier was only because of the effects of the fragrance poison… You said before that we’d talk about other things after the poison was resolved. You also promised that if I wanted to leave, you wouldn’t stop me. Don’t go too far…” Yan Qinglan felt Wen Zhuojin’s breath brushing against her again, and her voice tightened.

Now that she was sober and no longer under the influence of the poison, Yan Qinglan couldn’t bring herself to kiss Wen Zhuojin again. The thought alone filled her with shame.

Wen Zhuojin paused. Yan Qinglan’s words were soft, almost pleading.

Although there was still resistance in her tone, Wen Zhuojin felt a lightness in her heart after what had just happened.

“What’s wrong, Sister? I was just asking you to apply medicine for me and massage my forehead. Are you really so unwilling? Do you hate me that much? I’ve been feeling terrible today, my heart aches, I barely ate anything, and now I feel even worse…”

Wen Zhuojin’s voice turned pitiful, even carrying a hint of a sob.

Yan Qinglan was momentarily speechless, her face flushing even more.

She suspected Wen Zhuojin was deliberately manipulating her, but…

She couldn’t help but soften a little.

“Where do you want me to massage? And applying medicine—I can’t see,” Yan Qinglan said, her tone stiff.

Fine, she had redeemed so many people, which counted as a merit, and she had genuinely suffered some grievances. Massaging her and applying medicine wasn’t a big deal. She wouldn’t argue with her over this.

“I’ll guide you,” Wen Zhuojin immediately said with a smile, taking Yan Qinglan’s hand.

“…” Yan Qinglan was forced to massage Wen Zhuojin for a while, then applied ointment to the wounds on the back of her head and her knees, guided by her hand.

Yan Qinglan noticed that Wen Zhuojin’s tone had become noticeably lighter, with no trace of the earlier pitifulness.

For a moment, she thought Wen Zhuojin was being cunning, but at the same time, she also felt she was surprisingly easy to appease.

After all, yesterday, she had truly been heartbroken.

If Wen Zhuojin had felt her future was bleak and hopeless when she arrived at the poetry gathering yesterday, her mood somber, now she was full of energy and vitality, her spirits soaring.

“Sister, I’ve brought Qin Yuerou here. Would you like to see her? When I’m not around, she can keep you company and chat with you,” Wen Zhuojin said softly, resting her head on Yan Qinglan’s shoulder after the medicine had been applied.

If Qin Yuerou and Yan Qinglan were friends, they could keep each other company, which wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Not for now. I’ll see her after I’ve recovered a bit more,” Yan Qinglan hesitated before replying.

The fewer people who knew she was staying with Wen Zhuojin, the better.

After all, Yan Qinglan wasn’t sure how Qin Yuerou had been affected by the recent upheavals. It would be better to let Qing Chenning make contact with her first.

“Alright, I’ll have her stay in the side room for now. I’ll make sure no one enters your room without permission. Sister, there’s one more thing I need to tell you. Besides Qin Yuerou, I also redeemed a woman from a foreign land. She said she’s passionate about the art of fragrance and begged me to redeem her. I plan to have her work at the fragrance shop. Please don’t misunderstand. From now on, if you have any questions, you can ask me directly instead of guessing on your own. And if I have any matters to attend to, I’ll inform you promptly,” Wen Zhuojin explained.

Yan Qinglan gave a soft “Mhm,” not wanting to say more.

She had lost her composure today and needed some time to calm down.

Wen Zhuojin held her for a while longer before finally letting her go and heading out.

It was getting late, and Wen Zhuojin needed to make arrangements for the others.

The house on Wu Jiu Lane was too small. With over ten servants already living there, plus the new arrivals, it felt even more cramped.

As she stepped outside and looked around, Wen Zhuojin couldn’t help but feel that the house was indeed too small. Yan Qinglan, confined to such a tiny inner room, seemed pitiful.

The residence of Lady Mingshu, who had hosted the poetry gathering, was not only surrounded by beautiful gardens but also had an internal lotus pond, spacious and elegant.

Once she saved up a bit more money, it would be time to buy a larger house. When the weather warmed up, Yan Qinglan could come out to bask in the sun and enjoy the scent of flowers.

With these thoughts in mind, Wen Zhuojin walked over to the side room.

Inside the side room, Min Xiwen was quietly sipping tea, Qin Yuerou seemed lost in thought, and the woman from the Dashi Kingdom was gesturing and saying something.

“Your skin is very dry, you can also use floral water… and red rose paste, it’s delicious to eat, fragrant and…” The Dashi woman was trying to communicate with the two, but her strange accent made it hard to understand.

“Sister Xiwen, thank you for your hard work today. I’ll have someone escort you back to the bookstore. There’s still work to be done there, and I’ll give you the list of orders we received today. Please check how long it will take to fulfill them and plan accordingly. I’ll come by tomorrow to check on things,” Wen Zhuojin said, handing Min Xiwen the list of requests from the noblewomen and young ladies at the poetry gathering.

“Alright,” Min Xiwen replied, accepting the list and giving a slight bow.

Wen Zhuojin called for Jin Rui to arrange for maids and servants to escort Min Xiwen back to the bookstore.

“Wenwen, what about me? Can I stay? Wenwen, the scent on you reminds me of home… Sob, sob, Wenwen, can you not send me away? I can help you make fragrances!” The woman from the Dashi Kingdom approached Wen Zhuojin, reaching out to grab her.

“…Calm down first. I am your master now. You listen to me, not the other way around,” Wen Zhuojin said sternly, feeling that this woman was being overly familiar.

The woman immediately fell silent upon hearing Wen Zhuojin’s words.

“Miss Qin, I was entrusted by someone to redeem you. You’ll stay here for the next couple of days,” Wen Zhuojin finally turned to Qin Yuerou and said.

“By whom?” Qin Yuerou asked.

“By Madam Liu Suniang. She’s been ill these past few days and will meet you once she’s feeling better. You can rest here for now. If you have any particular skills, like Sister Xiwen, please let me know. I’ll assign you tasks and provide appropriate compensation,” Wen Zhuojin explained.

Qin Yuerou frowned. She didn’t know Madam Liu Suniang, but since she was already here, she figured she’d find out more when they met.

“I can speak the Dashi language and can help translate what she says, as well as the two books she has on Dashi fragrances. Additionally, I can write stories, though I’ll need writing materials,” Qin Yuerou said after a moment of thought. Since the other party had spent a considerable amount of silver to redeem her, Qin Yuerou didn’t want to freeload.

“That’s excellent. Could you ask her what her name is and what she meant by floral water and rose paste? How are they made?” Wen Zhuojin asked.

As for the woman from Dashi, Wen Zhuojin could only understand about half of what she said. Redeeming her had been a bit of a gamble.

People from Dashi were known for their expertise in fragrances, and many exotic scents from there had made their way here, fetching high prices.

If this woman could share even a little about Dashi’s fragrance recipes, the redemption money wouldn’t have been wasted.

Most of the fragrance formulas Wen Zhuojin currently used were ones she had found in ancient texts, which she then experimented with and improved.

Innovating new techniques was difficult, so she mainly focused on refining the production process to make it more precise.

Compared to official stores and other shops qualified to sell fragrances, her products weren’t far behind.

However, to maintain long-term success, she needed to continuously update her fragrance formulas.

Moreover, Yan Qinglan’s condition required Wen Zhuojin to accumulate more knowledge about fragrant herbs and medicinal ingredients.

Qin Yuerou turned to the woman from Dashi and spoke a few sentences in a language Wen Zhuojin couldn’t understand at all. The woman, overjoyed, tried to hug Qin Yuerou but was calmly stopped by her. Qin Yuerou continued speaking.

Wen Zhuojin waited for a while, and Qin Yuerou translated what the woman had said.

“Her name is Odesse. She’s twenty years old and originally came here on a merchant ship. She wasn’t aware of the customs of the Northern Jin Dynasty and was arrested for privately selling fragrances, which led to her being sent to the Imperial Music Bureau. The floral water she mentioned is a type of liquid fragrance from her homeland. They use a method similar to steam distillation…”

Qin Yuero slowly explained, and Wen Zhuojin became increasingly interested. she asked more detailed questions, finding the information quite enlightening.

After speaking with the two for a while, Wen Zhuojin had them settle in the side room. she provided Qin Yuerou with writing materials so she could start working on her tasks. As for Odesse, Wen Zhuojin asked her to try drawing detailed diagrams of how the floral water was made and the tools required. Once she could acquire the necessary equipment, they would experiment with the new fragrance-making method.

By the time Wen Zhuojin left the side room, it was already dark. she hurried to the main bedroom to find Yan Qinglan.

“Miss, it’s too dark. Should I light the lamps?” Jin Rui followed closely behind Wen Zhuojin and asked.

When they reached the door of the inner chamber, Jin Rui hesitated to follow further and handed the lamp to Wen Zhuojin.

“Thank you, Sister Jin Rui!” Wen Zhuojin said with a smile, taking the lamp and entering the room.

Jin Rui watched as Wen Zhuojin walked in, noticeably more cheerful. Her gaze lingered for a moment before she turned and left.

Yan Qinglan, unable to see, was sitting in the dark.

When Wen Zhuojin entered with the lamp, Yan Qinglan sensed the light and was momentarily stunned.

Previously, her eyes had started to become sensitive to light, and after losing her sight, she could only perceive faint glimmers. Most of the time, her world was shrouded in darkness.

At this moment, within the darkness of her vision, Yan Qinglan could clearly sense the presence of a glowing light. The light formed a central point, with its brightness gradually fading into the surrounding darkness.

As the light moved, Yan Qinglan saw a shadow appear within it—a vague silhouette of a chin and neck.

“Sister!” Wen Zhuojin’s voice rang out, and Yan Qinglan realized it was her. The faint silhouette belonged to Wen Zhuojin.

Could it be that the little brat’s fragrant medicine was actually effective?!

Or was it the closeness between them that had caused this?

Wen Zhuojin lit a few candles and placed the lantern to the side before moving closer to Yan Qinglan.

“Sister, are you hungry? Let’s eat together,” Wen Zhuojin said to her.

Yan Qinglan nodded.

Wen Zhuojin immediately called for someone to prepare the meal.

Several candles were lit, making the room even brighter.

The sense of light in Yan Qinglan’s eyes grew stronger, but she could no longer see the silhouettes.

This left her feeling slightly disappointed.