Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 96

“Your Highness, the Black Armored Army is outside, and they won’t let anyone leave. They said no one is allowed to go out without a summons, and everyone in the palace is restricted from moving freely.” the palace maid reported to Yan Qinglan upon her return.

Yan Qinglan frowned. Had Yan Qi already deemed her useless after she merely cooperated with him in listing Jiangxiao’s crimes during the court session, rallying the former followers of Tianxuan Palace to see Jiangxiao’s true nature? Was he now trying to restrict her movements?

Was he planning to monopolize the power of Tianxuan Palace without giving her any chance?

Unable to leave openly, Yan Qinglan had no choice but to send a palace maid disguised as an embroidered envoy to gather information.

“Your Highness, the Noble Consort and the Virtuous Consort have been demoted to the cold palace. In Yunjing City, most of Jiangxiao’s disciples have been arrested, and Tianxuan Palace is now surrounded by the Black Armored Army. Jiangxiao has private soldiers and hasn’t surrendered. Tianxuan Palace is like a besieged city, and it’s unclear how long they can hold out. His Majesty is trying to win over those who once sided with Jiangxiao and is looking to appoint a successor to Jiangxiao.” the maid disguised as an embroidered envoy reported to Yan Qinglan.

The situation was developing largely as Yan Qinglan had anticipated. Jiangxiao and Yan Qi had completely fallen out, but Yan Qi was reluctant to let go of the Tianxuan Palace’s influence. He wanted to find someone he could control and who would also be accepted by the followers to replace Jiangxiao. It remained to be seen whether Yan Qi had such a person by his side.

While these developments were favorable, Yan Qinglan’s mood remained unperturbed. She was more concerned about Wen Zhuojin’s situation.

Could Empress Dowager Li protect Wen Zhuojin? Did Yan Qi still intend to take Wen Zhuojin as his consort?

“How is Wen Zhuojin?” Yan Qinglan asked.

“Miss Wen is staying with Empress Dowager Li and cannot leave freely. She has been making incense. However, I heard from people there that His Majesty summoned Miss Wen to the Taihe Palace for a conversation. As for what was discussed, it’s still unknown. I will continue to investigate.” the maid replied.

Yan Qinglan’s lips trembled slightly, and a flash of anger crossed her eyes.

The reason she had entered the palace to stir up conflict between Tianxuan Palace and Yan Qi before the northern army arrived was to prevent Wen Zhuojin from being chosen by Yan Qi. Yet, instead of focusing on capturing Jiangxiao and reorganizing Tianxuan Palace, Yan Qi still found time to summon Wen Zhuojin?!

The person she hadn’t dared to meet for so long was now being summoned by Yan Qi!

“Has Xuanzhen been captured?” Yan Qinglan asked after a moment of thought.

“Xuanzhen was among the first to be captured while trying to protect Jiangxiao.” the maid replied.

“Find out where she’s being held and see if there’s an opportunity to release her. Keep her under surveillance. Also, send a message to Yan Zisang outside the city, telling him to bring a few hundred elite troops and create the appearance of attempting to rescue Jiangxiao.” Yan Qinglan instructed.

Tianxuan Palace had originally been supported by both Yan Qinglan and Jiangxiao. Now that Yan Qinglan and Yan Qi were jointly targeting Tianxuan Palace, Jiangxiao’s influence had weakened significantly.

However, if Tianxuan Palace became too weak and Yan Qi gained absolute dominance, it would also be unfavorable for Yan Qinglan.

Before the army arrived, she could only try to balance the situation.

While Yan Qinglan was agitated by Wen Zhuojin’s summons, Wen Zhuojin had already arrived at the Taihe Palace.

Before entering the palace, Wen Zhuojin caught a familiar scent and immediately felt that something was amiss.

But it was too late to leave now. The eunuch led her straight inside.

“Your Majesty, is that Lady Ye? Is it you, Lady Ye?”

Hearing this voice, Wen Zhuojin’s expression stiffened. She realized that her identity as Lady Ye had been exposed.

She had forgotten to prepare the scent-masking incense while making incense earlier. She hadn’t expected Yan Qinyu, who was treating the incense poison outside the city, to come and recognize her scent.

Wen Zhuojin felt a pang of nervousness but then remembered that the reason she had hidden her identity and used the pseudonym Lady Ye was to avoid being discovered by Jiangxiao. Now that Jiangxiao’s true nature had been exposed, revealing her identity to the emperor might not be so bad.

“Your subject, Wen Zhuojin, pays her respects to Your Majesty.” Wen Zhuojin said, temporarily ignoring Yan Qinyu’s voice and bowing to Yan Qi.

“Wen Zhuojin, are you the Lady Ye that Qinyu mentioned?” Yan Qi’s eyes lit up as he looked at Wen Zhuojin.

He had gathered the noble families of Yunjing City who had been poisoned by the incense to explain the situation, hoping to rally them against Tianxuan Palace.

Yan Qinyu’s use of the divine incense was well-known, so he had summoned her and learned from her that she was being treated for the incense poison by a mysterious female physician.

This physician was someone Yan Qi was determined to find, as she could help him win over a large number of people!

The biggest problem now was that while they knew the divine incense was poisonous, those addicted to it couldn’t live without it. If they ran out of the incense, they might succumb to Jiangxiao’s influence just to obtain more.

This Lady Ye, who was said to be able to cure the incense poison, was the key to solving this problem.

But despite searching for days, she seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

The reason he had summoned Wen Zhuojin was because she was renowned for her incense-making skills and had previously been close to Jiangxiao. He wanted her to join the campaign against Jiangxiao and see if she could provide the formula for the divine incense or any method to cure the poison.

“It is I, Your Majesty.” Wen Zhuojin admitted after a brief hesitation.

“Heaven has truly blessed me! I noticed that you showed no signs of addiction during your stay in the palace, so I suspected you were no ordinary person. It turns out you already knew and had been researching a cure for the incense poison!” Yan Qi clapped his hands and laughed, clearly in high spirits.

He had already gathered many people to prove that Jiangxiao’s divine incense was indeed poisonous. Now that he had someone who could cure the poison, those who had once followed Jiangxiao or were controlled by her through the incense would now be his allies!

“Your Majesty, the reason I joined Tianxuan Palace was that I once caught a whiff of the so-called divine incense at a banquet and saw how those who inhaled it developed various illnesses without realizing it. It pained me greatly, so I decided to infiltrate Tianxuan Palace to analyze the divine incense and find a cure. Fortunately, I succeeded. However, at the time, Tianxuan Palace was too powerful, and I feared being discovered by them, so I used the pseudonym Lady Ye. I did not mean to deceive.” Wen Zhuojin explained, seizing the opportunity to perhaps use this achievement to escape being forced into the palace as a consort.

“Excellent! Wen Zhuojin, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Write down the method to cure the incense poison, and I will reward you greatly. What would you like as a reward?” Yan Qi asked with a smile.

“Your Majesty, the treatment varies from person to person, and the incense formula needs to be adjusted according to the stage of poisoning. I need to see the patients to determine the appropriate formula. I would like to establish an incense medicine clinic in Yunjing City and continue treating those poisoned by the incense under the identity of Lady Ye.” Wen Zhuojin proposed.

Wen Zhuojin did not provide the formula directly, hoping to leave the palace as soon as possible.

As for the identity of Lady Ye, she wanted to maintain it for now. Jiangxiao had not yet been captured, and if she revealed herself too soon, she might be targeted by Jiangxiao’s remaining followers.

“Very well, you make a good point. For now, you will have to endure this inconvenience. Once Jiangxiao and her followers are dealt with, we will reveal your true identity.” Yan Qi said.

Regardless of Wen Zhuojin’s identity, she would be acting on his behalf to cure the incense poison, and those who benefited would be grateful to him.

Wen Zhuojin quietly exhaled in relief.

She hadn’t been selected to stay in the palace during the recent selection process, and now she could leave. That was good enough.

“All of you, listen carefully! Wen Zhuojin’s identity as Lady Ye must not be revealed! There are still remnants of Jiangxiao’s faction in the court, and some are deeply hidden. We must continue to investigate.” Yan Qi warned the others present.

Everyone immediately complied.

“Wen Zhuojin, come closer.” Yan Qi said, dismissing the others and beckoning her.

Wen Zhuojin obeyed and slowly approached, catching a whiff of Yan Qi’s scent. Despite being the emperor, his scent was not pleasant—a mix of strange medicinal odors and his natural body scent.

“Look up.” Yan Qi commanded.

Reluctantly, Wen Zhuojin raised her head and saw the young emperor.

Despite his unpleasant scent, he had a rather handsome face.

Why did he look so familiar?

Wen Zhuojin had seen Yan Qi before, but always from a distance and with her head bowed, so she had never paid much attention to his appearance.

Now, seeing him up close, she couldn’t help but feel that he looked somewhat familiar.

He reminded her a bit of her beloved sister.

The thought startled her, and she quickly pinched herself.

Was she going mad with longing for her sister?

“I will have the Imperial Medical Bureau assist you in setting up the incense medicine clinic. An existing medical hall can be modified for this purpose. You can set the fees for treating the incense poison, but only charge for the medicine.” Yan Qi said with a smile.

“…” Wen Zhuojin simply nodded in agreement.

She had originally hoped to make some money by treating the incense poison, but it seemed the emperor intended to use this to gain favor and consolidate his power.

The consultation fees were supposed to be expensive!

“Jiangxiao is still resisting, and there are remnants of her faction in Yunjing City. I will root them out one by one. You do your part well, and I will remember your contributions. You are an extraordinary woman, and I greatly admire you. Currently, two of the four consorts in the palace have been bewitched by Jiangxiao and have been demoted to the cold palace. If you are willing, you could become one of the four consorts.” Yan Qi said, looking at Wen Zhuojin with a smile.

Wen Zhuojin, who had been listening calmly, nearly choked on her breath at the last sentence.

“What, are you so excited? Promoting you directly to one of the four consorts is indeed a big leap, but with your achievements in curing the poison, you deserve it.” Yan Qi said with a laugh.

“Your Majesty, I dare not aspire to such a position. I only wish to serve Your Majesty to the best of my ability. Establishing an incense medicine clinic outside the palace to treat the poison and enhance Your Majesty’s reputation, opening shops to earn silver for Your Majesty, and researching incense formulas for horses—all these require me to move about outside the palace. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to serve you outside the palace.” Wen Zhuojin said, bowing.

If the person before her weren’t the emperor, Wen Zhuojin would have wanted to knock some sense into him. Using a consort position as a reward?!

Wen Zhuojin wanted to say that she already had someone she loved, but she feared implicating her beloved sister.

If the emperor insisted on making her a consort, she would have no choice but to pack up and flee.

Yan Qi paused, considering Wen Zhuojin’s words. It seemed that she could indeed be more useful outside the palace.

“Wen Zhuojin, you truly are an extraordinary woman. Very well, I grant your request!” Yan Qi said after a moment of thought.

He would let her handle these tasks first and see how things progressed.