Chapter 5

The Eldest Princess’s carriage was just as unbearably bumpy as any other.

Yan Qingzhuo had delicate skin and a frail constitution. No matter how carefully the coachman drove, by the time they reached the residence, her bottom had been jolted completely numb.

She climbed out of the carriage with a hand supporting her aching waist. It was already afternoon. Wei Qi came out to greet her and asked whether she wanted lunch prepared.

Yan Qingzhuo had absolutely no appetite. All she wanted to do was throw up. She retched twice, waved her hand, and asked, “Has the physician arrived?”

“Yes, she’s here. She’s examining her right now,” Wei Qi replied.

“Then why aren’t you keeping an eye on them?” Yan Qingzhuo frowned and headed toward the inner courtyard.

“Mistress, she’s nothing but a cripple now. Aren’t you being a little too cautious?” Wei Qi caught up with her in a few quick strides. “Besides, you and Lady Jiang are so compatible now…”

“Compatible?” Yan Qingzhuo stopped in her tracks.

A faint blush actually appeared on Wei Qi’s face. “Mistress, when you came out today, you had dark circles under your eyes and were unsteady on your feet. You must not have slept a wink all night. Even though Wei Qi is a Beta, I know that only two people who are exceptionally compatible would end up like that…”

After speaking, she covered her mouth and lowered her voice. “Besides, Mistress even summoned a physician to treat [bailiantales.com]Lady Jiang’s injuries. You used to hate dealing with troublesome matters like this.”

Hearing this, Yan Qingzhuo felt like some lecher whose vital essence had been completely drained by a seductive fox spirit. She drew in a sharp breath and interrupted Wei Qi. “Jiang Ji is, after all, an enemy of Great Liang. It’s better to be cautious.”

“Yes, Mistress. But why are you going this way?” Wei Qi asked in confusion as she followed beside her.

“Isn’t Jiang Ji in the bedchamber?”

“L-Lady Jiang has already been moved to Windrest Pavilion…” Wei Qi was somewhat shocked.

Could it be… the princess had intended to keep Lady Jiang in her own courtyard? Her princess had never shown any “extra” affection toward other women before. Even her principal consort, Lady Xin, who was the sole exception and came from a distinguished family of generations of officials, had never been allowed to stay in the princess’s courtyard.

Now that the princess was treating Lady Jiang so differently, even Wei Qi, who prided herself on knowing her mistress’s every thought, was having trouble understanding her.

Could this Kunze from Chiyan, even with her hands and feet crippled, really have captivated the princess so completely?

What impressive methods!

Wei Qi clenched both fists, unable to help worrying about her princess, and asked, “According to the rules, secondary consorts are supposed to move to a separate courtyard after their wedding night. Wasn’t… wasn’t that how things were done before?”

Yan Qingzhuo froze. “Before… were there a lot of them?”

“Not particularly. But Your Highness either killed them or drove them away. There’s no one left now.”

…What terrible sins she’d committed.

“Then where is this Windrest Pavilion?”

Wei Qi pointed back the way they’d come. “It’s along the path Mistress just took. Walk back another thousand meters, and you’ll be there. Your Highness even said a few days ago that the scenery there was beautiful. Have you forgotten?”

“…”

Why didn’t you say so earlier?

Yan Qingzhuo stared at the road she’d have to retrace, her vision nearly going black. Trying to conceal her dismay, she rubbed her thighs and said, “There have been so many matters to attend to. We… We forgot.”

·

Windrest Pavilion was quite a distance from the princess’s bedchamber, situated in the northwestern corner of the residence. It was said that because the place was so peaceful, the former “Yan Qingzhuo” had often come here to take afternoon naps.

Wei Qi had probably misunderstood her preferences, assuming that Jiang Ji had won her mistress’s favor, and had deliberately chosen this courtyard for her.

The original “Yan Qingzhuo” loved bamboo, and the courtyards were filled with it, with Windrest Pavilion boasting the most luxuriant growth. A large pond had been excavated here, and a stone-paved path laid beside it. The pavilions, terraces, and towers were intricately arranged, and even the stone steps were built in rough, undulating tiers. On an overcast day, one could sit beneath the long corridor and listen to the rain rustling through the leaves, an ideal setting for a peaceful sleep.

Yet beneath the tranquility of this place, dangerous undercurrents were stirring.

The moment Physician Zhang entered, a finger pressed against her carotid artery. She had practiced medicine in the princess’s residence for over a decade, yet she’d never felt this frightened, not even in the presence of the Eldest Princess herself.

She’d heard that Lady Jiang’s hands and feet had been crippled, but the woman seemed remarkably lively and vigorous now!

Physician Zhang stood trembling, clutching her medicine chest. Jiang Ji was behind her, hidden from view, but her voice was clear and chilling. “Who sent you?”

“R-Reporting to Your Ladyship…” Physician Zhang shakily wiped her forehead with her sleeve. “I-It was Her Highness who ordered this servant to examine you…”

“Examine me?” Jiang Ji let out a sinister, cold laugh. “Would she really be so kindhearted?”

“I really am here to treat your injuries!” Physician Zhang broke out in goosebumps at that soft laugh. “Her Highness specifically instructed this servant that Your Ladyship’s hands and feet were injured and that I must do everything in my power to treat them. I wouldn’t dare neglect my duties!”

She felt the finger against her neck loosen slightly.

Suddenly, a gust of air brushed past her neck, and the hand disappeared.

When Physician Zhang turned around, Jiang Ji had already returned to her wheelchair. Her expression was gentle, like a jade Bodhisattva seated upon a golden lotus. Yet beneath that serene face, there always seemed to be a violent torrent surging.

Jiang Ji’s pitch-black eyes lingered on Physician Zhang for a moment. Then she chuckled softly, picked up a cup of tea beside her, and offered it to the physician. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Physician Zhang thought nothing of it. She accepted the tea and drank it in one gulp, then sighed appreciatively. “Such a sweet, mellow aftertaste. Truly a tea of the finest quality. Thank you for the tea, Your Ladyship.”

Jiang Ji rested her head on one hand against the wheelchair, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. She said casually, “I put poison in it.”

“…” Physician Zhang’s expression froze. As though struck by lightning, she dropped to her knees with a thud. “Your Ladyship, what is the meaning of this?!”

“You’d better tell me exactly what Yan Qingzhuo sent you here to do, without leaving out a single detail.” Jiang Ji leaned forward to look at the kneeling woman, lifting her chin slightly like a divine being. “If you offend her, the worst that can happen is death. But if you offend me, I’ll make your intestines rot inside your body until you’re begging to die. Think carefully about your answer.”

Physician Zhang jerked her head up in shock. The jade-faced Bodhisattva before her had transformed into a bloodthirsty specter in the blink of an eye.

·

Upon hearing that “Lady Jiang will have difficulty even getting out of bed and walking for the next six months, let alone recovering her martial arts,” Yan Qingzhuo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Even so, Yan Qingzhuo hadn’t expected the injuries unauthorized copycovering Jiang Ji’s body to be so horrific.

After her clothes were cut open, Jiang Ji’s snow-white skin was revealed to be covered in wounds. Knife cuts, punctures left by hooks, even wounds where sharp weapons had pierced straight through her body, mingled with old scars. Some had festered and rotted, while others were still dripping with fresh blood.

Even Physician Zhang drew in a sharp breath.

Yet Jiang Ji sat in her wheelchair without the slightest change in expression, allowing the physician to cut away the rotting flesh from her body, sprinkle medicinal powder over the wounds, and wrap them in cloth bandages.

Her ink-black pupils remained fixed on Yan Qingzhuo, her expression serene. She resembled a statue incapable of feeling pain, casually observing a dull and uninteresting mortal world. Only the slender muscles of her long legs occasionally tightened.

Yet the pain, as though bones were being scraped and a heart carved out, seemed to be branded onto Yan Qingzhuo herself. Merely looking at those densely packed wounds made a shiver of horror run through her.

With a single swift stroke of a blade, a life could silently sink into the endless river of the feudal dynasties without causing so much as a ripple. Even someone of Jiang Ji’s exalted status, or Yan Qingzhuo’s own, could not escape such a fate. They were all nothing more than foundation stones embedded in the surging tides of power.

With a sharp, grating sound, flesh was sliced open, and blood gushed out. Yan Qingzhuo suddenly felt nauseated. Her fingertips trembled, and she turned away.

She heard the person behind her chuckle. Her voice was gentle, yet carried a bone-piercing chill. “Is Your Highness afraid of blood?”

Yan Qingzhuo pressed her lips together and replied coldly, “We find it disgusting.”

The person behind her chuckled again but said nothing more.

After a while, Yan Qingzhuo heard Physician Zhang ask, “Your Ladyship, you didn’t lose the sight in this eye recently, did you?”

“Is there a problem?” Jiang Ji asked calmly.

“There doesn’t appear to be any disease or signs of poisoning. I’m afraid the cause may be psychological.” Thinking of Jiang Ji’s past experiences, Physician Zhang sighed deeply. “Your Ladyship’s emotional distress isn’t conducive to healing either. You really ought to try to ease your mind.”

Jiang Ji gave a casual hum, sounding entirely unconcerned.

By the time the treatment was finished, it was already evening. After the two of them had eaten, Yan Qingzhuo considered the matter. Who knew what kind of trouble Jiang Ji might stir up if she were left in a separate courtyard? It would be safer to keep her somewhere Yan Qingzhuo could watch her. So she instructed Wei Qi to move Jiang Ji back.

She took a stroll around the courtyard to aid her digestion, then enjoyed a soak in the hot spring. When she returned to her courtyard and saw the brightly lit main hall, she felt thoroughly refreshed. At last, she thought, she’d be able to get a good night’s sleep.

With that, she waved the servants in the courtyard away, entered her bedchamber alone, and began undressing.

A charcoal fire burned in the inner chamber, crackling softly. As she removed several layers of outer clothing, Yan Qingzhuo suddenly heard the sound of wheels rolling.

Without warning, someone pulled aside the folding screen behind her. Yan Qingzhuo whipped around and saw Jiang Ji sitting in her wheelchair, casually sweeping her gaze over Yan Qingzhuo’s half-naked body before raising an eyebrow.

Yan Qingzhuo hurriedly pulled her clothes back up. “Why are you here?!”

“Wasn’t it that stupid dog Your Highness keeps who brought me here?” Jiang Ji tilted her head. “Oh, so you didn’t mean for her to bring me into the main hall?”

For some reason, Jiang Ji seemed to be taking considerable pleasure in Yan Qingzhuo’s misfortune. She even deliberately emphasized the words “main hall.”

Yan Qingzhuo immediately understood. Wei Qi must have imagined something else entirely and misunderstood her instructions again.

She’d clearly told Wei Qi to bring Jiang Ji back to her courtyard. There were so many side chambers to choose from, yet she’d insisted on bringing Jiang Ji straight into her bedchamber.

What an excellent job she’d done!

But now that things had come to this, moving Jiang Ji out again… Who knew how she’d secretly laugh at Yan Qingzhuo? Jiang Ji was already such a calculating person. She might even think Yan Qingzhuo was afraid of her and become increasingly brazen in the future.

Yan Qingzhuo gritted her teeth. “You’re Our wife. If you don’t stay here, where else do you expect to go?”

“And here I thought Your Highness was afraid to share a room with me.” Jiang Ji chuckled softly.

“Physician Zhang said that keeping a peaceful mind is essential for recovery.” Yan Qingzhuo picked up her clothes and put them back on. “For my wife to be so suspicious of Our intentions truly chills Our heart.”

Jiang Ji wheeled herself to the bedside, then looked unauthorized copyback at Yan Qingzhuo with an affectionate gaze. “In that case, why doesn’t Your Highness retire early and let this concubine help warm your heart?”

There always seemed to be hidden blades in those eyes. Yan Qingzhuo shuddered, feeling as though Jiang Ji might reach over and carve her heart out of her chest at any moment.

She retreated two steps and said coldly, “There’s no need. We… We still have some government affairs to attend to. You should rest early.”

With that, she pulled the folding screen shut, separating herself from Jiang Ji.

Only a few seconds passed before Jiang Ji’s hearty laughter rang out from inside. As Yan Qingzhuo headed toward the outer room, she heard Jiang Ji’s gentle voice drifting from the inner chamber. “Your Highness has quite a lovely figure.”

When had Yan Qingzhuo ever suffered this kind of humiliation? She gritted her teeth in fury but couldn’t very well lash out. Considering that her life was in Jiang Ji’s hands, she merely tugged at her clothes and swallowed her anger with vicious reluctance.

Soon, soft, even breathing could be heard from beyond the screen.

Jiang Ji knew Yan Qingzhuo would be sleeping outside again tonight. Whenever she recalled how Yan Qingzhuo’s fingers had trembled at the sight of blood that afternoon, she couldn’t help finding this little white rabbit utterly adorable. She was obviously terrified, yet she insisted on putting up a fierce front. Jiang Ji wondered how much longer she could keep up the act.

It had been many years since she’d been so interested in another person. This strange feeling excited her so much that she trembled.

Jiang Ji suppressed the delight rising inside her and stood up from her wheelchair, trembling. A wave of excruciating pain tore through her bandaged wounds, but her brow merely twitched, and she paid it no mind.

She was just about to go to read the original at bailiantales.com sleep when she heard a few murmured words mixed with the breathing coming from beyond the screen.

She really shouldn’t have cared about such things.

But an irresistible, gnawing curiosity overcame her reason. Somehow, Jiang Ji found herself inexplicably walking out and stopping in front of Yan Qingzhuo.

Some of the wounds on her body had split open again, but Jiang Ji was intensely curious about what this little white rabbit was saying. She leaned forward, ignoring the blood steadily seeping from the reopened wounds, lowering her head, then lowering it even farther.

Until a gust of scorching breath struck her ear.

Only then did Jiang Ji raise her head, looking faintly surprised. Her fingertips slowly reached toward Yan Qingzhuo.

This woman was so fragile that after sleeping in the outer room for just two nights, she’d actually developed a fever.