Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 7

Yan Qinglan’s hand was cold, devoid of warmth, and when Wen Zhuojin’s warm hand touched hers, it felt like being burned.

Yan Qinglan tried to break free, but with her current strength, she didn’t budge.

She strongly resisted Wen Zhuojin’s touch, and with her other hand, she tried to push Wen Zhuojin away. However, she only grasped air, reaching forward until her hand met Wen Zhuojin’s arm, where she exerted force.

Wen Zhuojin’s breath hitched. She carefully waved her hand in front of Yan Qinglan’s eyes.

The woman’s eyes, as clear and bright as jewels, were wet with unshed tears, yet she didn’t react to the movement of Wen Zhuojin’s hand, staring blankly at nothing.

Wen Zhuojin’s hand inched closer again, but still, there was no response.

It was then that Wen Zhuojin realized—this woman could not see!

Such beautiful eyes, yet they could not see!

Wen Zhuojin felt a pang in her heart, the feeling tightening in her chest.

Seeing Yan Qinglan struggle to pull her hand away made Wen Zhuojin feel as if she were bullying her.

Unable to bear it for a moment, she let go.

Now, knowing the woman couldn’t see, there was even less of a sense of security.

She could only hear her voice, and perhaps couldn’t even tell if she was a man or a woman.

“I’m a woman. For convenience when traveling outside, I dressed as a man, which is why I’m called ‘Young Master,’” Wen Zhuojin paused, then spoke in a low voice, hoping the person in front of her would let down their guard. However, this explanation made Wen Zhuojin feel guilty herself.

“I’ve brought you to my residence. We’ve already left the Xianxiang Pavilion. You are safe now. You’ve been injured and need treatment immediately. You want to survive, don’t you? Give me the hairpin. Your hand is bleeding, the wound is open. You can’t keep holding it.”

Wen Zhuojin continued.

Yan Qinglan listened to Wen Zhuojin’s voice, and her body stopped trembling somewhat.

The voice in her ears was sweet, like summer fruit, full of vibrant life, naturally making one feel drawn to it.

However, for Yan Qinglan, this was not enough to make her lower her guard.

She still had what those people wanted.

They could devise countless schemes, trying all kinds of tricks to deal with her.

As long as she didn’t hand over that thing, she still had a slim chance of survival.

Yan Qinglan remained in a defensive posture, still gripping the broken hairpin tightly.

“Don’t come near me. I can’t kill you, but I can kill myself. You’ll get nothing,” Yan Qinglan said, her voice hoarse, weak, and increasingly soft.

Wen Zhuojin sighed softly.

When dealing with cats, one must have enough patience.

That lion cat had also taken a long time, releasing goodwill, feeding it, touching it, gradually getting closer, spending a lot of time together before slowly gaining its trust, until it no longer extended its claws toward her.

However, the person in front of her was injured, and she feared there was no time to wait for the moment when she would gain her trust.

Wen Zhuojin took a few steps back and turned to leave.

She still had some incense, which she used for self-defense. The proportion of sandalwood and agarwood in it was higher, and she had also added mandrake. This type of incense, referred to as “bewitching incense,” was a stronger version of a calming incense, capable of putting someone into a deep sleep in a short time.

This type of incense was something even the government stores couldn’t sell.

She had learned how to make it herself from a recipe she found.

The required incense materials were hard to find in the market, so she had bought some at a high price from a female doctor she knew.

Wen Zhuojin had only made a small batch.

The bewitching incense was a bit too potent and could harm the body.

She had used it herself before, and it caused strange hallucinations. When she woke up, she had a splitting headache.

However, right now, the woman’s wounds were bleeding, especially the injury on her ankle, which was severe and had started to burn with fever. If the female doctor arrived and she was still so agitated, she wouldn’t be able to receive proper treatment.

After thinking it over, Wen Zhuojin still decided to use the bewitching incense.

Wen Zhuojin entered the room again, covered her mouth and nose, lit the incense, and placed it in the incense burner.

Yan Qinglan was engulfed in darkness, only hearing faint sounds, not knowing what the other person was about to do.

Soon, a bitter scent reached her nose, and Yan Qinglan instinctively covered her mouth and nose. Her head was already feeling a bit dizzy.

This incense was suspicious.

It smelled very much like the incense used by that person.

The young girl’s words were sweet, and her voice was pleasant. She pretended to be so obedient, but in reality, she was just that person’s pawn!

Even though she covered her mouth and nose, Yan Qinglan couldn’t completely stop breathing.

Already at her limit, relying on sheer willpower to stay conscious, the scent now felt like a hand pushing her off a cliff.

Her clarity, which had been wavering, soon plummeted further, and she lost all consciousness.

Wen Zhuojin waited outside for a while before entering again, bringing in hot water.

By now, Yan Qinglan had collapsed onto the bed, completely still.

Wen Zhuojin tidied up, extinguished the incense, and opened the door curtain to let the room air out, dissipating the bewitching fragrance.

The floor heating was on, and the temperature in the room rose slightly.

Wen Zhuojin sat by the bed, gently lifting Yan Qinglan and arranging her comfortably, making sure she lay flat.

Now, the woman had finally become docile, her eyes closed, and her tear-streaked face looked pitiful.

There was still bl00d on her face, along with some stains.

Wen Zhuojin took a cloth, dipped it in the hot water, and began to gently wipe her face.

The hair covering her face was pushed aside, and as her cheeks were cleaned, Wen Zhuojin paused, staring at Yan Qinglan.

She had already thought Yan Qinglan was pale enough.

But she hadn’t expected there was a layer of dirt covering her natural skin tone.

After cleaning, her skin was fair and translucent, as if it had been made from fine white porcelain. Despite enduring so much torment, her skin still remained in excellent condition, like the finest sweet white glaze.

With the contours of her brows and eyes now clearer, her beauty was even more striking.

Wen Zhuojin was momentarily dazed, not daring to look any longer.

While cleaning Yan Qinglan’s hands, Wen Zhuojin gently pried apart each of her fingers and removed the broken hairpin from her grasp.

She wasn’t sure what had happened, but several of Yan Qinglan’s fingernails were damaged. Some of them were nearly half torn off, which looked painful just to see.

Wen Zhuojin carefully cleaned the wounds and then applied medicine and bandages.

Once her fingers were properly wrapped, Wen Zhuojin looked at the numerous tears in Yan Qinglan’s outer robe and reached out to undo and remove it.

The fabric of the robe was obviously of good quality, with fine lining, just as Luan Niang had said—this woman had once been a pampered “noblewoman.”

Without the outer robe, the woman appeared even more delicate.

There were no obvious wounds elsewhere on her body, but the color of her inner clothes made it clear where the injuries were.

The main injuries were on her arms and ankles.

Yan Qinglan had an iron ring around her ankle, with several broken links of a chain. The original size of the ring seemed to fit perfectly, but because her foot and ankle were swollen, with large frostbite patches, the ring had embedded into her flesh. Both the top and bottom of the ring showed marks from the struggle, bl00d and flesh were mangled, and there was a large area of bruising.

Wen Zhuojin sucked in a breath, her hands trembling involuntarily.

Was this how the “newcomers” were treated at the Xiangxiang Pavilion?

Did they aim to break these poor souls mentally, and then torture their bodies until they were too weak to resist or escape?

The iron ring around the ankle had no lock but was twisted together, requiring a tool to open it.

Wen Zhuojin could only clean the wound and apply medicine for now.

As for how to remove it, she would need to study it more and perhaps consult a blacksmith.

Just as she finished tending to the injury on her foot, Jin Rui came in from outside and said that the female doctor, Zheng, had arrived.

Wen Zhuojin covered Yan Qinglan with the blanket, then paused for a moment before lowering the bed curtain, allowing Dr. Zheng to enter.

Dr. Zheng, named Zheng Qianqin, was one of the few women in Wen Zhuojin’s life whom she was most familiar with and close to, aside from Nanny Jiang and her aunt.

Wen Zhuojin had been frail as a child, and her family had hired Zheng Qianqin as a doctor.

Her interest in aromatherapy also stemmed from Zheng Qianqin, as she had learned a few things from her. Some of the books on aromatherapy and initial fragrance formulas had come from her as well.

In a way, Zheng Qianqin could be considered Wen Zhuojin’s half-teacher.

“Miss Wen, staying up so late, keeping me awake, and even requiring a consultation. What have you been up to now? Last time you fell off a horse, it hasn’t been long. You really know how to worry others,” came the grumbling voice as a woman in her fifties walked in.

She had a round face and round eyes, which gave her a friendly appearance, though her face was now drawn, as if she were angry.

The woman was indeed Zheng Qianqin.

“Aunt Zheng, it’s not me who’s injured. Thank you for coming. I’ll pay you double the consultation fee,” Wen Zhuojin said, stepping forward to take the medical box from Zheng Qianqin’s hands.

“You haven’t come to find me these past few days, yet today you show up. You’re not injured, so what do you need me for?” Zheng Qianqin observed Wen Zhuojin, noting that she didn’t appear to be hurt.

“It’s… I saved someone. She’s injured. Could you take a look, Aunt Zheng?” Wen Zhuojin explained.

Zheng Qianqin glanced at Wen Zhuojin, but didn’t ask further.

Given the recent turmoil in the capital, anything could happen.

Zheng Qianqin took Yan Qinglan’s pulse and examined her further. Unable to ask Yan Qinglan directly, Wen Zhuojin cooperated and explained her condition.

“Her vital energy is exhausted, her stomach’s Qi is depleted, and she’s on the verge of collapse. Moreover, there’s a trace of dark energy in her body, which suggests she may not survive much longer,” Zheng Qianqin remarked with a furrowed brow.

“How is that possible?! Are you sure?” Wen Zhuojin exclaimed in surprise.

Just a moment ago, she had seen Yan Qinglan struggling fiercely. Although weak, she still seemed alive, full of vitality, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Luan Niang had lowered the redemption price multiple times, and Wen Zhuojin had been skeptical, but now, seeing the blindness and the state of the ankle, she feared walking would be difficult. The situation had already worsened.

Yet, Wen Zhuojin still held a glimmer of hope.

“Why are you here if you don’t believe me? A poor state of health can be slowly nurtured back, but… she’s been poisoned. I can’t identify what poison it is. From the looks of it, it’s a fragrance poison. Her blindness was caused by this poison. If there’s no antidote, the poison will continue to ravage her, and eventually, her body will collapse completely,” Zheng Qianqin explained.

Wen Zhuojin took a deep breath and came to terms with the harsh reality.

“Is there no way to help?” Wen Zhuojin asked.

“There is a way. We can stall the effects of the poison with medicine, while we search for an antidote. Once we find the antidote, we can detoxify her and then focus on strengthening her body. Otherwise, it’s just treating the symptoms, not the root cause,” Zheng Qianqin explained.

“Please, Aunt Zheng, write a prescription. Once she wakes up, I’ll ask her what kind of poison it is, and see if I can get any information from her,” Wen Zhuojin said after thinking for a moment.

Since she had already brought the person back, it made no sense to give up now.

“…Saving her won’t be easy. Her body is severely weakened, and we need to fight off the poison. The medicine won’t be cheap. One prescription will cost at least a hundred taels of silver. You, an unmarried young lady, can’t afford it. Moreover, if the poison can’t be detoxified, it will all be in vain. Who is she? If she’s not from her family, you might as well send her back to them,” Zheng Qianqin remarked.

Zheng Qianqin had always been straightforward with Wen Zhuojin, treating her like a junior.

“Aunt Zheng, please write the prescription,” Wen Zhuojin said after a brief pause.

She had been sent to the Jiaofangsi and then to the Xiaoxianguan; what family could she possibly have left?

Wen Zhuojin suddenly remembered that Luan Niang had given her a body contract, which should contain the woman’s name and some information.

Did she still have family?

“Alright, get me pen and ink, I’ll write the prescription,” Zheng Qianqin said, giving Wen Zhuojin a few more looks.

Wen Zhuojin snapped out of her thoughts, quickly leading Zheng Qianqin to the outer room where she prepared the writing tools, helping Zheng Qianqin grind the ink so she could write the prescription.

“Aunt Zheng, as for the fragrance poison, you’re unsure how to detoxify it, but do you know of any female physicians or doctors skilled in this area?” Wen Zhuojin asked after Zheng Qianqin had finished writing the prescription.

“You’ve already surpassed me in fragrance studies, but since you haven’t studied fragrance poisons much, I haven’t learned how to neutralize them either. Among the people I know, you’re the most likely to have a solution,” Zheng Qianqin replied, blowing lightly on the paper.

“Me?” Wen Zhuojin was surprised.

“Of course, it’s you. I only have a simple note on fragrance poison. Take it and have a look. If you can’t solve it, or if you can afford to invite someone from Heavenly Xuan Palace, they have experts in fragrance studies. But their fees are steep, you know—those people demand a lot of silver. The prescription for strengthening the body is here, but the medicinal materials must be of a certain age,” Zheng Qianqin said, taking out a small booklet from her medicine chest and handing it to Wen Zhuojin, along with the written prescription.