Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 64

When Wen Zhuojin returned, she noticed that Yan Qinglan looked listless, her eyes moist, as if she had been wronged.

The two clean white kittens and the puppy nestled beside Yan Qinglan also seemed affected, staying quiet and obediently leaning against her.

Wen Zhuojin jingled the bell on her wrist and approached Yan Qinglan.

“Sister, I’m back. Are you feeling down?” Wen Zhuojin asked softly.

Yan Qinglan didn’t respond, her face turned to the side.

Wen Zhuojin moved closer to hug her, but Yan Qinglan resisted slightly.

“Sister, today I went to many places to pick up the custom-made clothes and jewelry for you. I also bought some fresh fruits for you to try… On the way back, my injured shoulder started to ache, and I could barely lift it.” Wen Zhuojin continued, seeing that Yan Qinglan was indeed in a low mood.

Wen Zhuojin knew that Yan Qinglan had a soft heart. As long as she showed vulnerability, Yan Qinglan would grow closer to her.

She wasn’t sure why Yan Qinglan was upset, but as long as Yan Qinglan still had a soft spot for her, she could continue to get closer and figure it out.

“If you’re injured, you shouldn’t move around too much. You need to keep applying the medicine.” Yan Qinglan said after a pause.

Her own scratches were minor, but her tolerance for pain was low. Even such a small injury had hindered her movements today, let alone Wen Zhuojin’s much larger wound.

“If I stay close to you, it won’t hurt as much.” Wen Zhuojin said, moving closer again. This time, Yan Qinglan didn’t resist.

Wen Zhuojin smiled and hugged her, nuzzling her cheek.

“Sister, are you feeling down because you’re bored, or because of what happened yesterday? I promise I’ll be more careful next time, I won’t…” Wen Zhuojin asked.

“Ah Zhuo, let’s not talk about yesterday.” Yan Qinglan quickly interrupted.

This little rascal really had no sense of shame.

Yan Qinglan’s refusal to discuss the matter made Wen Zhuojin feel that yesterday’s events had indeed left a shadow on her, and she seemed very resistant to the idea of a next time.

Wen Zhuojin’s smile faded, and she felt a bit regretful for being too impulsive at the time.

Thinking about it, her hands were still rough with calluses. If they were to get close again, she might end up hurting Yan Qinglan.

Wen Zhuojin temporarily set aside her thoughts and offered Yan Qinglan some of the food she had brought back.

Fresh mulberries and spring apricots, with their sweet and sour taste, made Yan Qinglan’s mouth water.

Yan Qinglan remembered that last time in the palace, Yan Qi had also sent some fruits, but she hadn’t had the chance to eat them then.

Her appetite had already improved compared to before, and after eating some fruit, she felt even hungrier.

At dinner, Yan Qinglan ate a bit more than usual.

After dinner, to aid digestion, Wen Zhuojin took Yan Qinglan for a walk outside.

Wen Zhuojin told Yan Qinglan about the day’s events.

“Sister, today I met Xuan Zhen. Guess what strange story I heard?” Wen Zhuojin said, bringing up Xuan Zhen.

“What happened?” Yan Qinglan asked.

Seeing that Yan Qinglan was interested, Wen Zhuojin vividly described the complicated love triangle.

“I suspect that Jiangxiao tried to force herself on someone, but they refused and ran away. So she sent her disciple, Xuan Zhen, to find them. But who would have thought that Xuan Zhen is actually in love with Jiangxiao…”

As Yan Qinglan listened, her expression stiffened.

If she wasn’t mistaken, the person Xuan Zhen was talking about was probably her.

How had it turned into such a melodramatic story of three people loving each other in a tangled mess?

Did Jiangxiao have feelings for her?

Yan Qinglan thought about the fake “princess” in the palace. It seemed Yan Qi didn’t know about the switch, and both sides might have their own hidden agendas.

If Tianxuan Palace had acted alone in replacing her, what were they trying to achieve by keeping her captive?

The thought made Yan Qinglan’s scalp tingle.

“People from Tianxuan Palace are so hypocritical, it’s not surprising. Oh, by the way, Xuan Zhen also mentioned something today. She said they bought some excellent horses from the Northern Qiang, hoping to breed them. But those horses are so fierce that they refuse to cooperate. They even asked me to try and create an incense to help with the breeding, It’s quite an odd request.” Wen Zhuojin continued, diverting Yan Qinglan’s attention.

The horses the court had bought were likely the ones she had ordered last year. Each of those horses cost thousands of taels of silver, and it seemed they still hadn’t been put to good use.

If Wen Zhuojin succeeded, it might end up helping the other side.

However, if Wen Zhuojin could create the incense formula and give it to the northern army, that would be a different story.

“Tianxuan Palace is no good. I don’t want you to help them…” Yan Qinglan said softly.

“If you say so, I won’t help them. But I’ll still take on this task. It’s a good opportunity to learn more about Northern Qiang’s incense materials and create composite incense using their ingredients. As for whether I can actually create the incense, that’s another matter. It might take a long time. In the meantime, I can use this chance to ask for more resources.” Wen Zhuojin said, holding Yan Qinglan.

Yan Qinglan hadn’t expected Wen Zhuojin to agree so readily, and to even dare to deceive Tianxuan Palace.

“Ah Zhuo, you need to be careful. Take more bodyguards with you when you go out. I’ve heard that the Northern Qiang are vengeful. Since you were the one who foiled their plans, they might seek revenge.” Yan Qinglan couldn’t help but remind her.

“I will. Sister, You’re so kind.” Wen Zhuojin said, her eyes curving into a smile as she leaned in to hug Yan Qinglan, lifting her feet off the ground for a moment before setting her down.

“…” Yan Qinglan didn’t respond. She felt that even without her, Wen Zhuojin was steadily becoming more involved in these schemes.

If Tianxuan Palace could think of this, the Northern Qiang weren’t stupid either—they would likely come to the same conclusion.

Especially since Wen Zhuojin had just offended the Northern Qiang.

She would have to ask Yan Zisang to send more people to protect Wen Zhuojin.

Yan Qinglan intentionally encouraged Wen Zhuojin to talk more about what was happening outside, responding more to her.

Wen Zhuojin, seeing that Yan Qinglan was interested, became even more enthusiastic. The two of them chatted for a long time before using incense, washing up, and going to bed.

After Yan Qinglan fell asleep, Wen Zhuojin spent more time than usual on skincare. She soaked her hands in a medicinal bath, massaged them, and applied floral lotion. After the whole routine, her hands became much smoother.

Wen Zhuojin flexed her slender fingers, remembering what Xuan Zhen had said earlier in the day, and her face flushed slightly.

She quickly stopped herself from thinking further.

It would take a long time for her hands to fully recover. The more she thought about it, the more torment she felt.

By the time Wen Zhuojin returned to the bedroom, Yan Qinglan was struggling to keep her eyes open.

But remembering that Wen Zhuojin hadn’t applied her medicine yet, she forced herself to stay awake.

When Wen Zhuojin came in, carrying the scent of bathwater and incense, and moved to hug her, Yan Qinglan stopped her.

“Bring the medicinal oil.” Yan Qinglan said.

“Sister, you still remember? You’re so good to me.” Wen Zhuojin said with a smile, immediately getting up to fetch the medicinal oil.

Yan Qinglan applied the oil to Wen Zhuojin’s wounds. By the time Wen Zhuojin put the bottle away and turned back, she saw that Yan Qinglan had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

Wen Zhuojin leaned in to kiss her, feeling happy.

However, after a busy day, Wen Zhuojin was quite tired. She hugged Yan Qinglan and soon fell asleep as well.

In the following days, Wen Zhuojin behaved very properly, treating Yan Qinglan with “respectful distance.”

A few days later, it was time for the wedding of the second daughter of the Jing’an Marquis’s household, Wen Peishu. Wen Zhuojin returned to the marquis’s residence for the occasion.

The marquis’s residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, filled with a festive atmosphere.

Wen Zhuojin first went back to Qinfang Pavilion.

After discovering the scent of divine incense on Yan Qinglan’s clothes, Wen Zhuojin had replaced many of the servants who attended to her, transferring several people from the marquis’s residence to Lanyuan. However, a few people, including Nanny Jiang, remained at Qinfang Pavilion.

Nanny Jiang was the closest to Wen Zhuojin. Since her mother’s death, Nanny Jiang had taken care of her, treating her with genuine affection, and Wen Zhuojin felt deeply attached to her.

However, Wen Zhuojin still didn’t know how to explain Yan Qinglan’s situation to Nanny Jiang.

For now, she had left the old lady at the marquis’s residence.

But as soon as she returned to Qinfang Pavilion, Nanny Jiang began to nag.

“Miss, if people find out about your current situation, what will happen? How will you ever marry?”

“If you were a man, people might think you’ve set up a mistress outside and refuse to come home.”

“Miss, look, the second young lady is getting married. That was supposed to be your marriage, and now it’s gone…”

Nanny Jiang’s words were filled with emotion, and Wen Zhuojin felt it would be difficult to persuade her otherwise. She decided to listen quietly for now.

When Nanny Jiang mentioned a “mistress.” Wen Zhuojin felt slightly uncomfortable.

It was true that she had essentially set up a mistress—someone who couldn’t be known to others.

After a while, Nanny Jiang changed Wen Zhuojin’s male-style hair bun into an elegant morning cloud near-incense bun, with a floral ornament on her forehead.

“Miss, I’ve finished sewing your wedding dress. It’s the style you chose two years ago. I know you don’t like needlework, so you just need to add a few stitches to it. I don’t know when this wedding dress will ever be used.” Nanny Jiang said, looking at the beautifully dressed girl before her. She then went to fetch a red wedding dress.

Wen Zhuojin’s eyes fixed on the wedding dress.

She had almost forgotten about it.

Although it wasn’t possible for two women to have a formal wedding ceremony like this, they could still wear wedding dresses, host a banquet, and go through the rituals at home.

“Thank you, Nanny.” Wen Zhuojin said, taking the wedding dress and examining it closely. The dress would suit her beautiful sister perfectly.

She still needed another dress, which she could buy from the tailor shop.

Then she could have her beautiful sister add a few stitches to it, making it seem as though she had made the dress herself.

By the way, what else was needed for a wedding? She would have to ask for more details.