Chapter 5 The Fragrance That Passes Through the Lungs

Upon exiting the dark prison, guard Cheng Huai reported: "I returned to Chengxian Street but did not find the princess's earring."

Yan Xuecui chuckled: "Someone picked it up?"

Cheng Huai guessed, "Perhaps it was found by the princess's maid and picked up, or perhaps it was a passerby."

Yan Xuecui: "Perhaps?"

Cheng Huai felt a cold sweat break out on his back, knowing that his lord disliked such ambiguous statements, and immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "This subordinate will investigate immediately!"

...

Chi Ying quickly washed the brocade handkerchief of King Zhao and pondered when to send it to him.

Bao Shan volunteered to run the errand for her, but was stopped by the guards of Yan Gui Lou.

The armored guard with sharp eyebrows and hawk-like eyes showed no mercy, waving his hand to dismiss the guest: "His Highness is not at home today, young lady, please return."

Even if Bao Shan were just a maidservant accompanying the princess, the guards would still say the same thing.

Judging from His Highness's absence on his wedding day, it's clear that the Princess Consort is not favored by him, and it's hard to say whether she's a spy sent from outside. The guards of the Prince's residence must not let their guard down.

Over the years, many women have tried to get close to His Highness, but without His Highness's permission, they will not accept or convey any sachets, handkerchiefs, or other gifts from women.

Bao Shan wanted to ask more questions, but was frightened away by the guard's sharp gaze.

Upon returning, Baoshan told the truth, and Chi Ying took back the handkerchief without showing any disappointment.

If she hadn't used King Zhao's handkerchief and promised to wash it and return it to him, she would never have willingly provoked him.

Xiangqin also said, "It's just a brocade handkerchief. I suppose His Highness Prince Zhao has plenty of it and may have already forgotten about it."

She was Madam Yin's trusted maid, and when she came, she was instructed not to let the Third Miss's marriage in place of hers be exposed, and to help her in every way. Now, not only was Prince Zhao not seriously injured and unconscious, but he had also become involved with the Third Miss. Given his ruthless nature, how could Xiangqin not be afraid? Just thinking of the scene of corpses lying and blood flowing like a river on Chengxian Street that night made her shudder.

Chi Ying remained silent for a moment, just as she was about to put the handkerchief away, Aunt Fangchun came in from outside and happened to see this scene.

"Is this His Highness's handkerchief?"

Chi Ying paused, realizing she couldn't hide it any longer, and had no choice but to tell the truth about the handkerchief's origin. She thought it would be better to ask Aunt Fangchun to deliver it; she was an elder in the household, and Yan Gui Lou wouldn't stop her...

Before she could even speak, Aunt Fangchun said, "Why doesn't Your Highness go and deliver it herself?"

Chi Ying hurriedly said, "Your Highness is busy with affairs and is also injured. How could I go and disturb you rashly?"

“How could it be a disturbance?” Fangchun stared at the handkerchief, her surprise still evident in her eyes. “You are new here and do not know that His Highness’s personal clothing is taken care of by special people and he never allows outsiders to touch his personal belongings. The fact that he is willing to let you use his own handkerchief means that he considers you a close friend.”

Chi Ying felt that she might have misunderstood Prince Zhao, but she didn't want to show her embarrassment on her face, so she could only make an excuse: "I'll go to see Your Highness in person another day... after Your Highness returns to your residence."

She deliberately delayed, but Aunt Fangchun took it to heart. The next day at noon, she learned that Prince Zhao had returned to the mansion and immediately went into the house to deliver the message.

The implication was that she could return the handkerchief and take the opportunity to check on His Highness's injuries and get closer to him.

Chi Ying had no choice but to agree.

After all, what ordinary couple would have a wife who coldly watches her husband get seriously injured and then makes excuses not to visit him?

After tidying up a bit, the master and servants headed to Yan Gui Lou.

The Yan Gui Lou (Wild Goose Returns Pavilion) features flying eaves and bracket sets, standing five stories high with seven bays across its facade. The beams and rafters are covered with colorful paintings, and the golden glazed tiles on the hip roof are as beautiful as rosy clouds. Golden bells under the eaves tinkle in the wind.

Aunt Fangchun explained, "The mansion's library and His Highness's study are all located here, and there is also a quiet place for meditation. His Highness often stays here for a while."

Chi Ying nodded in agreement.

Upon seeing that it was Aunt Fangchun, the guard became much more polite. He glanced at the princess and Baoshan, whom he had seen that morning, and without saying anything, turned around and went inside to report.

Chi Ying stood quietly on the steps, recalling the man's gentle yet dangerous words in the carriage that day. In particular, she felt a chill run down her spine and was still shaken when he discovered her peeking at him several times.

Before long, the guard came out and reported: "His Highness invites the Princess and Aunt Fangchun to come in."

Chi Ying took a deep breath and slowly stepped onto the white marble steps.

Baoshan and Xiangqin were about to go in when they were stopped by the guards: "His Highness only said that the Princess Consort and Aunt Fangchun are allowed to enter. No one else is allowed to enter."

The two maids had no choice but to step aside.

Yuan De, the personal eunuch of King Zhao, greeted the princess with a smile at the door and bowed, saying, "May Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace."

Seeing that he was fair-skinned and beardless, and had a soft voice, Chi Ying guessed that he was a eunuch brought out of the palace by His Highness Prince Zhao, and hurriedly told him to get up.

Aunt Fangchun was acquainted with Yuande, and as she entered, she asked, "I heard that Imperial Physician Lin also came to the mansion today. How is Your Highness's injury?"

Yuan De said, "Your Highness is recovering quite well. The previous wounds have shown signs of improvement, and the medicine for your eyes has been reapplied, but..."

His gaze swept over the silent princess, and out of caution, he ultimately did not tell her the truth about the prince's eye condition.

Chi Ying didn't care and climbed the stairs. Slowly, a faint fragrance of medicine and kalanchoe permeated her nostrils.

Upon reaching the top-floor bedroom, one enters the room and sees a person sitting on a couch, dressed in a frosty white nightgown, with a snow-white gauze covering his eyes. The front of the robe is half-open, revealing a section of white gauze. His arm is casually resting on a rosewood table, and a servant is bandaging and changing his dressing.

Yuan De: "Your Highness, the Princess Consort has arrived."

Chi Ying lowered her eyes, not daring to look any longer, bowed respectfully, and carefully returned the handkerchief.

Yan Xue Cui gently curled the corners of her lips: "It's just a handkerchief, yet the Princess has gone to such trouble... Did you wash it yourself?"

Chi Ying didn't know why he asked that question, but she guessed that he was naturally clean and didn't want those rough-handed old women to touch his handkerchief.

Thinking of this, she answered truthfully, "Yes."

When the handkerchief was delivered, she didn't want to stay any longer and was thinking of finding an excuse to take her leave when she suddenly heard King Zhao hiss softly.

Everyone in the room tensed instantly. Qingze, the servant who was changing his bandages, trembled and immediately knelt down to apologize, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I was ignorant of the gravity of my actions..."

Yan Xue frowned slightly, but simply said, "It's alright, you can go now."

Qingze was sweating profusely and trembling all over.

He was always meticulous in his work; otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed to serve His Highness. He was used to applying medicine, and just now he was applying it as usual, using very light pressure. I don't know where he went wrong, but he actually hurt His Highness...

You should know that His Highness was a man who never uttered a sound when he was stabbed multiple times and arrows were pulled from his wounds.

Could it be that he was momentarily distracted and lost his composure?

Just as Yuan De was about to step forward to apply the medicine to Prince Zhao, Aunt Fang Chun gave him a wink, "Since the Princess Consort is here, why don't you let her apply the medicine for His Highness?"

Chi Ying was caught completely off guard. Her first instinct was to use her lack of skill as an excuse, but unexpectedly, King Zhao parted his thin lips and uttered a single word: "Perfect."

She was now in a difficult position, saying, "I have never done such a thing..."

Fangchun smiled and said, "Everything has a first time. The princess is gentle, considerate, and meticulous. Why should you worry about not being able to do it?"

Yuan De glanced at King Zhao and saw that his master was silent with a slight smile. He understood what was going on and handed the medicine over, saying, "Princess, please try it."

Helpless, Chi Ying had no choice but to accept the wound medicine, clench her fingers tightly around the porcelain bottle, and slowly step forward, bowing before King Zhao.

The sweet scent of orange blossoms gently wafted past his nose, and the warm breath, sometimes near, sometimes far, brushed against the wound on his forearm, stirring up the itch that arose during the healing process. Yan Xue clenched his palms without making a sound.

At this moment, Chi Ying even thought, should she pretend to be clumsy and hurt him? In the future, Aunt Fangchun would be mindful of this and would give up the idea of ​​pushing her forward to serve him.

But when she thought of King Zhao's sinister and bloodthirsty nature, and how she might suffer retribution if she offended him, she abandoned the idea.

The moment her gaze fell upon the gruesome wound on the man's arm, Chi Ying's pupils dilated slightly, and she snapped back to her senses.

The wound was not smooth; there were traces of fine stitches, and the edges of the flesh were rolled up, scarlet and twisted, gruesome and terrifying. It was hard to imagine how dangerous it must have been at the time.

Chi Ying recalled what Aunt Fangchun had said: that King Zhao was injured by Consort Zhuang, and the wound was not as smooth and clean as that cut by a sword or knife. Instead, it was as if something sharp had pierced into him and then torn away, leaving this ugly centipede-like scar.

King Zhao lowered his head slightly, looking towards the source of the warm breath, and could almost clearly feel that she seemed to be holding her breath.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Is my wound very unsightly?"

Chi Ying's fingers trembled slightly as she hurriedly pulled herself back to reality, "No, it's not ugly..."

Her mind was a jumbled mess, as if every time he opened his mouth, he would catch her off guard.

Yan Xuecui: "Not ugly?"

Chi Ying said softly, "As long as Your Highness persists in applying the medicine, the wound will heal quickly, and the scar will gradually fade."

Yan Xuecui seemed to smile slightly, "Is that so?"

Chi Ying nodded, the tassels in her hair swaying slightly, but then King Zhao laughed and said, "Sorry, I can't see you. Are you nodding or shaking your head?"

Chi Ying could only say, "Yes, Your Highness, please rest assured."

She lowered her head and focused intently on applying the wound medicine to him.

Fortunately, she had applied medicine to her mother before, and later, when her mother was bedridden, she was the one who took care of her every day. Her hands were steady and gentle, barely touching the man's skin, and she quickly reapplied the medicine and bandaged the wound.

After tying the gauze into a knot, Chi Ying let out a soft sigh, unaware that the man's knuckles trembled almost imperceptibly.

Seeing that she handled the situation well, Judge Lin couldn't help but praise her, "Your Highness's technique is gentle yet skillful, with just the right amount of pressure. It is no less than that of my worthless disciples."

Yan Xuecui laughed and said, "I thought that since the princess came from a noble family, she would not be good at this. I did not expect that the princess was so good at it. It is my good fortune."

Chi Ying hadn't initially noticed anything amiss with what Judge Lin had said until she heard Prince Zhao's words. Her mind went blank, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

Yes, Chi Yingyue has never done any manual labor since childhood. Although she is not top-notch in the arts, she usually engages in elegant pursuits such as burning incense, tasting tea, arranging flowers, and hanging paintings. She has never done anything like bandaging or applying medicine for others.

She was afraid that her hand movements would be unsteady and displease King Zhao, but she acted too skillfully.

Chi Ying's heart raced, and she clenched her fingers to calm herself down.

Perhaps it was just a casual, polite remark; would an ordinary person doubt her identity because of that? It was because she was guilty and lost her composure.

“It was…it was my mother who asked a female physician to teach me,” Chi Ying pondered for a moment before explaining, “Before I got married, my mother heard that Your Highness was seriously injured, so she specially invited a female physician to the manor to teach me some simple medical principles and techniques for bandaging and applying medicine. I am dull-witted and have only learned a little bit, so please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Yan Xuecui, however, accurately caught the loophole in her words, "But didn't the princess just say that she had never done it? Anyone who didn't know better would think that the princess was unwilling to be close to me."

Chi Ying felt a chill run down her spine.

Hearing her disordered breathing, Yan Xuecui couldn't help but laugh and said, "It was just a joke. Did I scare you?"

Chi Ying swallowed hard: "N-no."

Yan Xuecui said, "Madam Bo is very kind, and Princess Consort, you don't need to be modest. You did very well just now."

He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively raised his hand forward. Chi Ying, not understanding why, turned pale and instinctively dodged backward.

Yan Xue's fingers touched empty air, paused, and after a long while slowly withdrew, seemingly smiling silently.

"The princess didn't wear the earrings she wore on her homecoming night?"

Chi Ying was slightly taken aback and subconsciously touched her earlobe. Could he possibly tell that her earrings were different?

"That earring... is lost."

She didn't say it was broken by his shot, but losing half of it counts as losing it.

Yan Xuecui was not surprised, and asked again, "Was it lost that night?"

Chi Ying nodded and added an "Mm".

Yan Xuecui: "It is my fault that you suffered such an undeserved calamity and lost your earrings. I will find you a better pair to compensate you in the future."

Chi Ying did not want to get too involved with him, "It's just a pair of earrings, Your Highness need not worry about it."

Yan Xuecui replied, "The Princess's affairs are my affairs; how can I be perfunctory? By the way, how is your injury?"

Chi Ying replied, "It's just a superficial injury, nothing serious."

She has already had the bandages removed today.

Yan Xuecui raised her hand and instructed, "I would trouble Imperial Physician Lin to take a look at the Princess."

Judge Lin bowed in agreement, and seeing Chi Ying standing there stiffly, he gestured for her to sit, "Your Highness, please sit down."

Helpless, Chi Ying had no choice but to walk over to the table and sit down.

There was only a thin scab on her neck. After examining it closely for a moment, Lin Yuanpan said, "The princess is fine now. Keep applying the ointment to the wound, and she will be fully recovered in less than two months."

Yan Xuecui: "I have heard that the Imperial Hospital has a skin-whitening cream that is most favored by the concubines in the harem. It has a miraculous effect on fading scars."

Judge Lin immediately nodded: "Yes, I will send someone over as soon as I return..."

Yan Xuecui waved her hand: "There's no need for such trouble. Just bring it with you when you come tomorrow, and I'll personally tell the Princess Consort the dosage."

Before Chi Ying could react to what was happening, she saw Zhao Chao looking in her direction. "Will the Princess come tomorrow?"

Caught off guard by these words, she nearly stammered, "I...this humble servant..."

Yan Xuecui readily agreed, "Since the Princess Consort has specially taught me medical principles and her application of medicine is so skillful and efficient, how about starting tomorrow, the Princess Consort will bandage and apply medicine for me?"

Chi Ying: "..."

Suddenly, I felt a sense of helplessness, as if I had shot myself in the foot.

She absolutely did not believe that Prince Zhao had any interest in her. If he had even a shred of respect for the Changyuan Marquisate or for her, he would not have used the excuse of being seriously injured to avoid even showing up for the wedding ceremony.

If he doesn't care about this marriage, why does he always say ambiguous things and make her personally bandage and apply medicine?

Teasing, or testing?

Everything was not quite as she had imagined when she arrived. Perhaps the rumors were untrue, or perhaps her father and Madam Yin had deceived her. But now, there was little room for maneuver.

King Zhao's injuries have improved, and he is in good health. He is even asking the royal physician to treat his eye disease, which means that there is still a possibility that his eyes can be cured.

If he continues to live a good life, will she still have any hope of leaving?

Chi Ying sighed inwardly.

All she can do right now is to carefully play the role of the eldest daughter of the Earl's family, deceive everyone, and survive.

Then, we wait for a turning point.

...

late at night.

Yan Xue dismissed everyone and stayed alone in her bedroom.

He held the handkerchief in his hand, slowly brought it close to his nose, and finally smelled that familiar fragrance.

This time, however, it doesn't contain those strong powdery scents; instead, it has that feminine, cleansed, warm, and sweet orange blossom fragrance.

The fragrance was extremely faint, yet it forcefully burrowed into his skin like a venomous insect, seeping into his bloodstream inch by inch along his meridians, penetrating his lungs, and filling his long-dormant senses.

Yan Xue clenched his fist, letting the soft brocade twist and deform in his palm, but it still wasn't enough. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he pressed the brocade handkerchief tightly against his face, greedily capturing all the scent she left on it, from the tip of his nose to his lips.

A note from the author:

----------------------