Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 68

Yan Qinglan let out a light hum as she saw Wen Zhuojin’s shocked expression.

Wen Zhuojin had spoken with such sadness and anger, but Yan Qinglan was no less upset.

Wen Zhuojin had vented her frustrations on her in the carriage, and now she was acting all pitiful and scolding her.

Her tone, as if she had been blind and mistaken Yan Qinglan for someone else, truly infuriated Yan Qinglan.

“Caught red-handed, aren’t you? I admit I’ve kept things from you, but since you’re about to get married, why put on such a deeply affectionate act in front of me? It’s not honest. If you had just been upfront, I would have understood. You can’t have it both ways. Wanting to have your cake and eat it too is just greedy.”

Yan Qinglan spoke coldly, knowing her words were emotional, but once spoken, they couldn’t be taken back. The block in her heart eased slightly, but another part of her felt extremely uncomfortable, as if a blunt knife were grinding against her.

Let’s just treat everything since the little rascal picked me up as a dream.

Now, it’s time to wake up.

Each of us should return to our respective lives.

I can’t manage Wen Zhuojin’s household, but there’s still the partnership with Princess Le’an, from which I can receive a share.

If there’s ever a chance to rise again, I’ll repay the debt I owe Wen Zhuojin many times over.

Wen Zhuojin listened to Yan Qinglan’s words, staring straight at her expression.

She seemed even angrier than Wen Zhuojin. If she truly liked Qing Chenning, why was she so upset about Wen Zhuojin getting married?

Wen Zhuojin felt like she understood something, but she wasn’t entirely sure.

“You don’t need to worry about it. It’s only natural for a woman to marry when she comes of age. I won’t hold it against you. Let’s part ways here.” Yan Qinglan said, seeing Wen Zhuojin’s clear eyes trembling and her cheeks flushed. Her heart softened. Since she was about to leave, she didn’t want to provoke her further. No matter what, Wen Zhuojin had been kind to her.

Yan Qinglan spoke nonchalantly, but her hands under her sleeves were clenched tightly.

“Wait!”

Yan Qinglan had only taken a few steps when Wen Zhuojin called out.

When Yan Qinglan spoke, her soft voice even carried a hint of sharpness, clearly very angry.

Wen Zhuojin had never seen her like this before.

“What else is there?” Yan Qinglan didn’t turn around, only paused her steps to ask.

“Come with me. I want to show you something.” Wen Zhuojin said, walking up to Yan Qinglan, her face tense, her eyes red from crying.

“…” Yan Qinglan didn’t know what Wen Zhuojin wanted to show her. Right now, she didn’t want to see anything; she just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. But Wen Zhuojin grabbed her wrist and pulled her out, leading her through the covered walkway to a side room.

The rain was still falling outside.

The clothes Yan Qinglan wore were a bit too big, and the cool wind, mixed with rain, seeped through her skin.

The door to the side room was pushed open, and Yan Qinglan saw two chests inside.

Each chest contained a bright red wedding dress. The carved wooden box next to them was opened by Wen Zhuojin, revealing exquisite gold and jade hair ornaments, a phoenix crown, and a bridal robe.

Two sets, both extremely beautiful, intricately crafted, clearly the work of a master craftsman with years of experience, and both were for women.

“I did sew a wedding dress, but it was for myself. I also prepared another wedding dress, this one, for you. The bridal robe isn’t completely finished yet, and some things aren’t ready, so I haven’t told you. My cousin and I have never been engaged, and there’s no possibility of us getting married now or in the future. These things were prepared for you and me.”

Wen Zhuojin spoke, her voice oddly calm.

To Yan Qinglan, it felt like a thunderclap.

So, she had misunderstood Wen Zhuojin?!

This wedding dress was meant for her?!

How could two women have a wedding?

“From the beginning to the end, I only wanted to be with you, to marry you, to tie our hair together, to be united in heart, to grow old together…”

“You said I was pretending to be deeply affectionate, just because you saw me sewing a wedding dress? These past few months, have I been pretending? Did you ever believe me, did you ever have even a little affection for me?”

“The rumors about me marrying my cousin, did you hear them from Qing Chenning? You like him, so everything he says is right, and everything I do is wrong.”

Wen Zhuojin spoke, her voice even colder and lonelier than the wind and rain outside.

Yan Qinglan looked at Wen Zhuojin’s slender figure standing there, her shoulders slumped, her head bowed, tears falling drop by drop to the ground. She felt as if Wen Zhuojin were about to shatter.

Yan Qinglan’s clenched hands trembled, her heart aching.

What had she just said to Wen Zhuojin!

The real scoundrel was herself.

She couldn’t bear to think about it. Wen Zhuojin, who had been一wholeheartedly preparing things for their wedding, sewing the wedding dress and pricking her fingers several times, eagerly looking forward to telling her once everything was ready, had suddenly discovered that the person she loved was secretly meeting someone else, “in love with someone else” and only using her. All her meticulous preparations had been misunderstood, slandered…

“The wedding dresses were bought but never worn. They’re useless now. Might as well burn them, so I don’t have to see them and feel sad again.” Just as Yan Qinglan was about to say something, Wen Zhuojin spoke, even pulling out a fire starter from her sleeve to burn the wedding dresses.

“Don’t!” Before Yan Qinglan could think, her body reacted first, blocking Wen Zhuojin and the chest containing the wedding dresses.

“Don’t what?” Wen Zhuojin asked, holding the fire starter, her arm tense, her body rigid.

“Don’t burn them.” Yan Qinglan said with difficulty.

“If no one’s going to wear them, why not burn them? Unless… you want to wear them?” Wen Zhuojin asked quietly.

“…I’ll wear them.” Yan Qinglan said, her voice barely audible, squeezing out the words.

Yan Qinglan felt like she must be going mad.

Looking at Wen Zhuojin’s expression, she had actually said such a thing, agreeing to this madness with Wen Zhuojin.

She had thought it through clearly, she was going to leave, this was their last meeting.

But how could she bear to leave this heartbroken person alone?

Wen Zhuojin let out a light hum, as if disdainful.

“Do you think you deserve it? You’ve been secretly meeting with Qing Chenning, so fond of her. How can you wear the wedding dress I prepared? My wedding dress is only for the woman I love, who also loves me.” Wen Zhuojin said, her fingers pinching Yan Qinglan’s chin, staring at her expression, her eyes trembling, a hidden emotion swirling in their depths.

Yan Qinglan’s eyes were already filled with tears.

The little rascal she had just felt pity and heartache for now made her feel angry again with her words.

But in the end, it was her own fault.

“Qing Chenning is a woman, not a man. She disguised herself as a man to take the imperial exams and enter officialdom.” Yan Qinglan said, closing her eyes, revealing Qing Chenning’s biggest secret.

It was because she knew this secret that Yan Qinglan had dared to contact her in the first place.

Earlier, she had been about to leave, so she didn’t want to explain further. But now, knowing she had misunderstood Wen Zhuojin, her feelings had changed. She had to explain, otherwise, with Wen Zhuojin still misunderstanding, how could they resolve this?

“She’s a woman? Then so am I. You meeting her in private is still a secret rendezvous. Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean it’s innocent.” Wen Zhuojin paused and then added.

Qing Chenning’s appearance did suggest she might be a woman, and every time they met, Wen Zhuojin could smell the scent of perfume and a feminine fragrance. If she were a woman, it would explain a lot.

This cleared up many of Wen Zhuojin’s doubts, but there were still plenty left.

Yan Qinglan frowned and let out a breath, feeling a headache coming on.

How to explain this?

How to talk about this?

Should she tell Wen Zhuojin her true identity?

That would probably be worse than the current situation.

Wen Zhuojin would probably call the imperial guards to arrest her on the spot!

“Ah Zhuo, I swear my relationship with Qing Chenning is pure. Earlier, I thought you were going to marry your cousin, so I misunderstood and didn’t refute what you said. I admit, I did keep some things from you, but I never did anything to betray you, and there’s absolutely no illicit affair with Qing Chenning.”

Yan Qinglan thought for a moment and spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

“All based on your word alone, how do I know you’re telling the truth?” Wen Zhuojin asked again, leaning even closer to Yan Qinglan.

Yan Qinglan’s lips trembled, as if she were at her wit’s end, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.

“If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing more I can say. In the end, it’s my fault, I admit it. If you can’t forgive me, I’ll just leave…” Yan Qinglan said, stepping back, but Wen Zhuojin grabbed her arm.

Yan Qinglan turned to look at Wen Zhuojin, but before she could say anything, she sneezed.

She had caught a cold.

After sneezing, Yan Qinglan felt a force pull her, and then she was embraced.

“Sister, say it again, how could you give up so easily, just like that?” Wen Zhuojin’s voice came, right by Yan Qinglan’s ear.

“…” Yan Qinglan’s temple twitched.

She knew Wen Zhuojin had already understood her feelings. From some point earlier, everything had been deliberate.

What a little rascal!

“If you don’t believe me, what can I do?” Yan Qinglan closed her eyes, trying to struggle, but Wen Zhuojin picked her up.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t speak for the moment, only carried Yan Qinglan quickly to the inner room.

“Prepare hot water.”

“Prepare hot soup and food.”

“Prepare ginger tea.”

As they walked to the inner room, Wen Zhuojin instructed the maids to prepare these things.

Jinrui was waiting outside when she saw Wen Zhuojin carrying someone out.

Wen Zhuojin’s expression was clearly much more relaxed.

Had they made up?

How could they make up so easily?

Was her young lady too easy to placate?

What sweet words had that woman said?!

Jinrui twisted her handkerchief, unable to understand, but she quickly went to prepare what Wen Zhuojin had asked for.

In the inner room, Wen Zhuojin set Yan Qinglan down and wrapped her in a blanket.

“You don’t know how to convince me? Let me teach you. Say that the person you love is me, that you like me, that you want to wear the wedding dress and marry me.” Wen Zhuojin said beside Yan Qinglan.

Yan Qinglan, hearing Wen Zhuojin’s coaxing voice, felt her face heat up.

Earlier, she had just wanted to stop Wen Zhuojin from burning the meticulously prepared wedding dress.

She had just…

“Sister, why did you meet with Qing Chenning, what did you do each time you met, what important matters required so many meetings? You haven’t told me any of this. I feel very uncomfortable, there’s a big knot in my heart, it’s very painful…” Wen Zhuojin said softly, seeing Yan Qinglan hesitate.

Yan Qinglan, wrapped in the soft blanket, looked at Wen Zhuojin, feeling her pitiful and wronged state.

Yan Qinglan didn’t want to pile on more lies.

But the truth was hard to speak.

Looking at Wen Zhuojin, she moved forward, reached out to hug Wen Zhuojin’s neck, and leaned in to kiss her lips.

This was what she owed Wen Zhuojin.

Perhaps she had been indebted since their past life.

Both of them were a bit cold, their lips icy.

As they touched, they gradually warmed up.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t move at first, enjoying Yan Qinglan’s initiative, but soon couldn’t resist, pressing Yan Qinglan down and kissing her deeply.

Earlier, when they had misunderstood and doubted each other, both had been in great pain. Now, embracing and kissing, that pain gradually melted away.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, but inside the room, it grew warmer and warmer.

Soon, the maids brought the hot soup and food to the door, and the two finally stopped.

Translator:

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