Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 38

When Wen Zhuojin re-entered the inner room, she brought a maid who carried a meal and placed it on the small table.

This time, Yan Qinglan did not refuse to be fed, and Wen Zhuojin’s mood improved significantly again, her appetite greatly increasing.

Yan Qinglan didn’t want to admit it, but being fed by Wen Zhuojin indeed made her eat much more than she would have on her own.

“Sister, just one more bite, just one. This spoonful has lotus seeds, cooked until they’re soft and tender, sweet and delicious…”

“Sister, you’ve already had seven bites, let’s make it a lucky number, how about one more?”

Yan Qinglan didn’t know why Wen Zhuojin had so much to say, even while feeding her, her words were incessant, always with a reason for everything.

Yet, with her saying so, Yan Qinglan couldn’t help but open her mouth for another bite.

After the meal, it was time for medicine.

The bitterness of the medicine was subdued by the sweet preserved fruits.

While burning the medicinal incense, Wen Zhuojin changed Yan Qinglan’s dressing, then held her, comforting her as they both experienced the effects of the incense. She occasionally asked Yan Qinglan how she felt, ready to adjust the formula.

“Sister, just focus on recovering, don’t think about anything else. No matter what’s on your mind, you can discuss it with me, and I’ll find a way to handle it. Auntie Zheng says a good mood also helps the body heal. Once you’re better, we can think about other things.”

Wen Zhuojin’s voice seemed to lessen Yan Qinglan’s pain as her attention was diverted.

From being able to sense light with her eyes and see blurry silhouettes, Yan Qinglan truly felt Wen Zhuojin’s commitment to detoxifying her.

The little brat’s past promises were not made lightly.

She was really putting in the effort.

Yan Qinglan felt a momentary relief that she hadn’t left with Qing Chenning.

As Wen Zhuojin whispered, Yan Qinglan’s mood lightened.

She no longer wanted to dwell on other matters.

Having not slept well the previous night and having a tough day, Yan Qinglan’s spirit relaxed, and soon she was drowsy.

After the medicinal incense burned out, Wen Zhuojin helped Yan Qinglan wash up and let her sleep first.

“Sister, your fragrant pillow is here.” After Wen Zhuojin finished her own washing up, she returned to the inner room’s bed and softly spoke into Yan Qinglan’s ear.

Half-asleep, Yan Qinglan heard Wen Zhuojin’s voice and couldn’t help but let out a soft hum.

She was climbing the pole again.

Oh well.

Yan Qinglan continued to sleep on her own, while Wen Zhuojin moved a little closer to her and closed her eyes to sleep as well.

Both of them, having not rested well, quickly fell asleep.

The next day, when Wen Zhuojin was woken up, she found Yan Qinglan nestled in her arms again, curled up like a little cat.

Wen Zhuojin’s morning grumpiness instantly vanished as she held the fragrant and soft beauty in her arms, savoring the moment for a while.

Soon, she got up full of energy.

As much as she didn’t want to leave, she still had to earn money.

The income from the past two days had been almost entirely spent, and she needed to hurry and make more silver.

She had switched to first-grade bird’s nest and the ginseng and deer antler pills made by Zheng Qianqin. Yan Qinglan’s daily expenses on medicine and food had increased several times compared to before, and if she wasn’t careful, they might run out of funds.

“Miss, the embroiderers from Yunyi Workshop are coming today. Didn’t you want to choose some patterns earlier?” After Wen Zhuojin finished washing up and eating, Jin Rui reminded her.

“Yes, send someone to fetch me from the shop when they arrive,” Wen Zhuojin said.

After giving instructions to Jin Rui, Wen Zhuojin noticed that Qin Yuerou and Odesse, who were staying in the side rooms, were also up.

Odesse was quite enthusiastic and handed over the completed drawings to Wen Zhuojin. Qin Yuerou had added notes on what materials to use and what substitutes could be found in Yunjing City, providing detailed guidance.

Wen Zhuojin felt a sense of anticipation about what kind of incense this could produce.

However, the entire set would likely be expensive, and she needed to earn more silver. Apart from Yan Qinglan’s expenses, any extra funds would have to be used for this.

For now, she would seize any opportunity to look around and see where she could purchase the necessary items.

After giving the two some tasks, Wen Zhuojin headed to the incense shop first.

At around 9:45 in the morning, Jin Rui sent someone to call Wen Zhuojin back.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t want outsiders to see Yan Qinglan, nor did she want anyone else to touch her. So, when it came to taking measurements, the embroiderer first measured Wen Zhuojin, then taught her where and how to measure. After that, Wen Zhuojin went into the inner room to measure Yan Qinglan herself.

As Wen Zhuojin lifted the door curtain, she pulled out a string of bells from her sleeve and shook them.

She had bought these bells on her way back.

Since Yan Qinglan couldn’t see, Wen Zhuojin had startled her a few times by suddenly speaking when entering the room. To avoid this, she decided to buy the bells so Yan Qinglan would know when someone was coming.

“Sister, I’m back!”

Yan Qinglan heard the crisp sound of the bells, followed by Wen Zhuojin’s voice.

Immediately after, a shadow fell over her.

Since waking up that morning, Yan Qinglan had noticed that her eyesight had maintained the same state as the previous day. She could sense the daylight, but everything remained blurry.

Seeing the shadow, Yan Qinglan knew Wen Zhuojin was right in front of her.

However, the distance seemed too close, as the shadow completely covered her vision.

Had this little brat always been speaking so close to her face?

This close?

Yan Qinglan reached out and indeed touched Wen Zhuojin’s face, only for her hand to be caught by Wen Zhuojin.

“Sister, today I bought a string of bells. From now on, when you hear the bells, it means I’m back,” Wen Zhuojin explained.

“……” Yan Qinglan felt as if she were looking at a little dog with a bell around its neck.

For some reason, she found it amusing.

Did she really think of herself as a little dog?

“I didn’t want to startle you by suddenly speaking when I come in. How are you feeling today, sister?” Wen Zhuojin continued.

“……I’m fine,” Yan Qinglan replied slowly after a pause.

She hadn’t expected the little brat to buy the bells just to avoid startling her.

Her nerves weren’t that fragile.

“That’s good. I came back earlier today because I called for an embroiderer to take measurements. It’s not convenient to have them come into the inner room, so I learned how to measure and will take your measurements myself,” Wen Zhuojin said, holding a soft measuring tape in her hand.

Yan Qinglan knew Wen Zhuojin wanted to make clothes for her and wasn’t surprised. She agreed and let Wen Zhuojin begin.

A few days ago, Wen Zhuojin hadn’t paid much attention, but now she noticed that Yan Qinglan’s sleeping robe easily came loose, and her thoughts suddenly took a turn.

At this moment, Yan Qinglan sat up, and her sleeping robe loosened again.

Wen Zhuojin, with slightly better self-control this time, reached out to adjust Yan Qinglan’s robe and realized that the robe didn’t fit properly, which was why it kept coming loose.

The robe originally belonged to Wen Zhuojin. It was longer, with broader shoulders and longer sleeves, but the chest area was a bit too tight. Even though it was a loose sleeping robe, after Yan Qinglan tied the sash, it still tended to open up.

Wen Zhuojin licked her lips as she looked at Yan Qinglan, then picked up the soft measuring tape and began taking measurements.

However, after measuring a few times, her mind began to wander. Normally, she had an excellent memory for numbers, such as when balancing account books, but now she quickly forgot the measurements she had just taken.

“Is there something wrong?” Yan Qinglan noticed Wen Zhuojin measuring again and asked.

“I think I might have made a mistake earlier,” Wen Zhuojin replied guiltily, inwardly scolding herself.

Learning from her earlier mistake, Wen Zhuojin decided to record each measurement with a charcoal pencil as she went, ensuring she didn’t have to repeat any steps.

After finishing the measurements, Wen Zhuojin helped Yan Qinglan lie back down and went out to find the embroiderer.

She handed the recorded measurements to the embroiderer and began selecting styles from the sample book the embroiderer had brought.

Wen Zhuojin had never paid much attention to the styles of her own clothes; they were usually chosen by her nanny, Nanny Jiang, and others.

Especially when it came to sleeping robes and undergarments, they were mostly simple, basic designs without much embellishment.

When she opened the sample book, her eyes widened.

She realized that these clothing shops had many clever and intricate designs, with various styles and patterns.

Particularly the undergarment designs—just looking at them made Wen Zhuojin’s face flush.

Imagining these clothes on her beautiful sister, she thought they would all look stunning!

However, with limited funds, she couldn’t afford to buy all the styles. Reluctantly, she chose a few that she felt were the best.

After Wen Zhuojin made her selections, Jin Rui saw the embroiderer off, and Wen Zhuojin returned to chat with Yan Qinglan for a few moments before hurrying out again.

The days leading up to the opening of the bookstore were packed with tasks. At the incense shop, there were new customers requesting custom fragrances, which Wen Zhuojin had to personally handle. Additionally, Odesse’s new incense-making methods and her knowledge of incense materials and techniques were things Wen Zhuojin wanted to learn as well.

This left Wen Zhuojin’s schedule completely full.

In the evenings, she would return to have dinner with Yan Qinglan, feed her medicine, burn medicinal incense, help her wash up, and so on. By the time she lay down to sleep beside Yan Qinglan, any improper thoughts in her mind were quickly replaced by exhaustion.

Two days later, the bookstore opened, and the displayed goods were sold out in less than half a day.

Although the bookstore’s profit margin wasn’t as high as the incense shop’s, the volume of goods prepared was greater, and the number of buyers was even larger. The income from a single day was comparable to that of the incense shop.

Those who didn’t manage to buy anything placed orders for brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. The bookstore’s affairs were no less demanding than those of the incense shop.

There were raw materials to purchase, additional staff to arrange, and production spaces to organize. Wen Zhuojin became increasingly busy.

Originally, Wen Zhuojin had been eagerly anticipating how Yan Qinglan would look in the newly tailored sleeping robes and undergarments from Yunyi Workshop. However, those days were so hectic that she barely had time to think.

When the clothes arrived, Wen Zhuojin returned late, and Yan Qinglan had already put them on herself, wearing a loose sleeping robe over them.

Moreover, the wounds on Yan Qinglan’s hands had scabbed over and improved significantly, so she handled most of her washing and dressing on her own.

Wen Zhuojin temporarily missed the chance to see the effect of the clothes she had chosen on Yan Qinglan.

Perhaps it was due to the daily burning of medicinal incense, or perhaps it was because Wen Zhuojin acted as a large, comforting “fragrant pillow” every night, but Yan Qinglan didn’t experience any withdrawal symptoms in the following days.

According to the notes on incense poisoning, as long as one persisted in avoiding the poisonous incense, the intervals between withdrawal episodes would grow longer. Once the episodes ceased, the dependency on the incense poison could be considered broken. What remained was to address the other symptoms caused by the poison, such as blindness and physical damage, and to focus on recovering her health.

Wen Zhuojin used only the best medicines for Yan Qinglan—tonics for qi and bl00d, remedies to replenish vitality, and treatments to promote muscle regeneration and wound healing. After some time, Yan Qinglan’s complexion gained a hint of color, and her overall health visibly improved. The wounds on her body had mostly scabbed over, and even the most severe injury on her ankle had begun to heal, with new flesh forming and a thick scab covering it.

During this period, Zheng Qianqin came to check Yan Qinglan’s pulse and was quite surprised.

Previously, Yan Qinglan’s pulse had shown signs of decline, indicating that her life was hanging by a thread. But now, there was a resurgence of vitality, standing in opposition to the decline. Her recovery and resistance had also improved significantly.

It was unclear whether this was due to the excellent care she had received or the sheer resilience of her life force. In any case, things were moving in a positive direction.

In the following days, Yan Qinglan experienced two episodes of withdrawal, but the intervals between them grew longer.

By the first day of March, Wen Zhuojin, as usual, went to Tianxuan Palace to offer incense and pay her respects to her master.

Since becoming a disciple of Jiangxiao, Wen Zhuojin had visited Tianxuan Palace several times but had never actually met Jiangxiao. She was usually received by her senior sisters, Xuanzhen and Xuanmiao.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t mind this.

Tianxuan Palace was, after all, a place she had borrowed as a support. Whether she met Jiangxiao or not was of little consequence.

Early in the morning, when Wen Zhuojin woke up, Yan Qinglan was still asleep.

Wen Zhuojin buried her face in Yan Qinglan’s neck for a while, only lifting her head when Yan Qinglan frowned and stirred.

“Sister, today I have to go to Tianxuan Palace, and I might be back late. When I return, I’ll bring you some honey date cakes, and…” Although she had already mentioned this the night before, Wen Zhuojin whispered softly into Yan Qinglan’s ear again.

Yan Qinglan, still half-asleep, felt Wen Zhuojin’s sticky tone and the way her arms seemed to have grown onto her body. She didn’t know what to say.

This little brat always did this every morning.

Ever since Yan Qinglan’s spirits had improved, she would wake up to this every day.

Hearing it again today, Yan Qinglan couldn’t help but pat Wen Zhuojin on the back.

Feeling the pat, Wen Zhuojin lingered for a while longer before finally getting up.

By the time Wen Zhuojin finished washing up and left, Yan Qinglan was fully awake.

After Yan Qinglan had breakfast, it wasn’t long before Qing Chenning climbed in through the window.

Knowing Wen Zhuojin’s routine, Qing Chenning had been visiting more frequently during the day, especially in recent days.

“Your Highness, I’ve received a secret report from Lord Yan. He will be arriving soon. I’ve already arranged a place for you to stay. Once Lord Yan arrives, we can take you away,” Qing Chenning reported to Yan Qinglan as soon as he entered.

Yan Qinglan leaned against the pillow, covered with a soft quilt. Upon hearing this news, her expression remained largely unchanged.

“What about the situation with Duke Yu from last time?” Yan Qinglan asked.

“Your Highness, after I deliberately led the imperial guards to see the person resembling you at Duke Yu’s residence, the Duke’s estate was investigated under some pretext. Duke Yu is now idle at home, and Consort Shu in the palace has been placed under house arrest, likely related to this matter. There’s another thing I need to report to you. It seems that Duke Yu’s family, in an attempt to save themselves or perhaps to curry favor with Tianxuan Palace, has arranged for the heir to propose marriage to Wen Zhuojin. It’s unclear how Tianxuan Palace will handle this. Wen Zhuojin is a registered disciple of Jiangxiao and is currently the only unmarried one. Moreover, the several shops she has opened are doing exceptionally well, which has already drawn the attention of others. Additionally, the heir of Prince Anqing has also proposed marriage to Wen Zhuojin through Tianxuan Palace… With Your Highness absent, Wen Zhuojin’s marriage arrangements are likely being decided by Jiangxiao.”

Qing Chenning continued.

Yan Qinglan, who had shown no reaction upon hearing about her trusted aide’s arrival, now visibly changed her expression.