Chapter 6 "Steady your hand, it doesn't hurt me."...

The night is long, and the water clock drips slowly.

Yan Xuecui's forehead was beaded with sweat, her breathing rapid, the blood beneath her skin boiling, her body almost pathologically intoxicated by this gentle, warm breath, unwilling to let go. It had been a long time since she had lost control like this.

Despite her extreme aversion to being touched by strangers and her never having been infatuated with beauty, she has been living in darkness for the past year and is extremely disgusted with the people and things around her. She has never been so fond of someone's scent.

Like an addiction, he could lose control of himself with just a silk handkerchief.

His subconscious told him that this was wrong.

Perhaps it was a grand gift from one of his royal brothers, or perhaps he had ulterior motives for approaching her; otherwise, how could her voice, her breath, or even the fleeting touch of her skin evoke such a strong physical reaction?

Giving him a blind man to use his beauty to seduce him, that's really going to great lengths.

As Yan Xuecui gradually regained consciousness, she tore off the brocade handkerchief covering her face, revealing bulging veins on her clenched hands. With her eyes closed, she breathed heavily.

After a long while, he took off the jade thumb ring, got up from the bed, and followed the crackling sound of the burning candle to the bronze lamp. He felt the temperature of the candle flame with his palm and slowly hung the handkerchief, which was already imbued with his scent, above the candle flame.

The brocade handkerchief was gradually consumed by the flames, the scorching heat quickly approaching his fingertips. The blazing flames licked his long, pale knuckles, but he seemed completely unaware.

Only after the handkerchief had burned to ashes did Yan Xuecui slowly withdraw her hand.

His palms were now covered in blisters, the scalded skin a gruesome red, the intense burning pain relentlessly stimulating his deprived senses. It took a long time before the pleasure the handkerchief had brought him was completely banished.

...

The next morning, the secret guards reported the information they had gathered from their investigation.

For more than a year, Yan Xuecui had been blind, and all the intelligence was inscribed on bamboo slips and handed over to him. He would run his fingers over each word.

"Chi Yingyue, aged seventeen, is the second daughter of Changyuan Earl Chi Mingxiang and his wife Yin. She is beautiful and radiant, like spring flowers."

He was arrogant and domineering, and his servants respected and feared him.

She has some knowledge of calligraphy, painting, and embroidery, and is especially skilled at playing the zither;

Fine pearls and jade, brocade robes and gorgeous garments;

He was fond of associating with noble ladies and had frequented the residences of Princess Huizhen, Marquis Anping, Earl Chengen, and the Minister of Revenue, among others.

After the imperial decree of marriage was delivered to the palace, the princess seemed unwilling, crying and making a scene for many days, and once said, "I would rather die than marry."

For the past six months, she has remained secluded at home, waiting to be married.

"My grandfather was Marquis Weining, Chi Yuancheng; my maternal grandfather was once the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; my father was Earl Changyuan, Chi Mingxiang, who is now the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, a fifth-rank official. He had two sons and three daughters."

"The eldest son, Chi Xingwu, is twenty-three years old. He was born to his aunt, Liu. He is currently training in Tongzhou Guard and is of mediocre talent."

The second son, Chi Xingye, was ten years old. His aunt had passed away early, so he was raised by Madam Yin and studied at the private school of Chen Mingyi, a Hanlin lecturer.

The eldest daughter, Chi Xinyue, is twenty years old. She was born to her aunt, Zhou, and married into the Song family in Cangzhou. She gave birth to a son last year.

The third daughter, Chi Ying, is sixteen years old. She was born to her aunt, Xue. When she was nine, she caused Yin to miscarry due to her playing. She and her mother were then sent to a farm in the suburbs of the capital. Last year, she returned to the mansion to seek medicine…

Yan Xuecui's fingertips swept across the bamboo slips word by word, finally stopping at the sentence "I would rather die than marry".

He chuckled softly, "What a fine 'I'd rather die than marry' statement."

Yuan De, who was standing to the side, noticed those four words and was terrified. He carefully observed his prince's expression and said, "The princess is still young and has been pampered since childhood. It is inevitable that she will be arrogant and speak without restraint. Your Highness need not take it to heart."

Yan Xuecui: "You think she's spoiled?"

Yuan De was slightly taken aback. Recalling the princess's respectful and well-mannered demeanor, he felt that she had nothing to do with the word "spoiled".

He guessed, "Perhaps she received some lessons during her marriage preparations and corrected her mistakes. After all, she is going to be a princess, and her virtue, speech, appearance, and work should all be impeccable."

Yan Xuecui casually put down the bamboo scroll. "Can a person be completely transformed in just a few months?"

“Or perhaps,” Yuan De pondered for a moment, “the Princess Consort had heard of His Highness…His Highness’s reputation and was therefore intimidated, so she restrained herself at home, acting cautiously and daring not to act recklessly…”

Yan Xue smiled and asked, "Afraid of me?"

Yuan De sighed. Over the years, His Highness's reputation had been almost ruined by those princes. Rumors were rampant, as sharp as blades, gradually destroying His Highness's standing in the hearts of His Majesty and the people.

However, he dared not say that although His Highness appeared to be a paragon of virtue in public, some of his private actions were indeed... well, true to his reputation.

For example, His Highness's burned hand. With his alertness and sensitivity, he doesn't need anyone to serve him in his daily life. How could he be so easily burned by candlelight? And so severely at that.

For example, the times when Your Highness was stabbed by Consort Zhuang, Your Highness used to be able to charge into battle and no one could stop you. How could you not dodge the scissors that Consort Zhuang threw randomly?

Thinking of the various tortures in the dungeon, the flesh splattered like mud, and the thick stench of blood, Yuan De couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine whenever he saw his prince's smile.

If he is like this, imagine what a seventeen-year-old girl would be like.

Are you shaking?

Yan Xuecui suddenly asked a question, and Yuan De immediately shuddered. He couldn't help but marvel at the prince's amazing hearing after losing his sight, as he could even detect something was wrong with his subconscious physical reactions.

Yuan De wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, pondering how to explain, when a guard came to report that Judge Lin had arrived. He was overjoyed and hurriedly invited the man in.

When Judge Lin learned that Prince Zhao's palm had been burned by the candle flame, he was shocked and was about to go forward to check on him when Yan Xue urged him, "It's nothing serious. It was treated and bandaged last night. Let's check his eyes first."

Judge Lin bowed and agreed, putting down his medicine box and going to examine King Zhao's eyes first.

As the snow-white veil was removed, Yan Xuecui slowly opened her eyes. Beneath her thin eyelids remained a cold and silent gray, like a deep pool without waves.

As usual, Judge Lin administered acupuncture and medication.

Yuan De stared at the silver needle and asked cautiously, "Physician Lin, in your opinion, when will His Highness's condition improve?"

Lin Yuanpan dared not make a guarantee, only saying, "The meridians around the eyes are fragile, and Your Highness is deeply poisoned. A strong dose of medicine will not only fail to completely detoxify, but will also easily damage the marrow. I can only try my best to slowly detoxify with medicine, and supplement it with acupuncture to clear the meridians. I can only say that with time, there will definitely be some improvement."

Back then, Yan Xuecui was hunted down by Rong Wang Yan Yunfan's men while investigating the truth behind the death of Prince Ding. They were lured into the miasma forest, where, after several battles, Yan Yunfan's assassins were no match for him. While escaping, they used the Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers Poison to destroy his eyes. In addition, the miasma was thick that day, which aggravated the poison, and he was deeply poisoned. All the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital and the folk healers recruited by Emperor Yongcheng were helpless.

Lin Yuanpan, a former military doctor, was well-versed in miasma and various poisonous flowers and herbs. He had also received favors from Prince Ding and had secretly studied for a long time. Finally, he developed an antidote for the Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flower Poison. He entered and left Prince Zhao's residence under the guise of routinely examining Prince Zhao's pulse and treating his injuries, and no one suspected him to this day.

Rumors circulated that Prince Zhao had died from his injuries, partly due to the frequent visits of Judge Lin to Prince Zhao's residence.

After the acupuncture was finished, Lin Yuanpan was about to re-treat the burns on Prince Zhao's palm when Qingze came in to deliver a message that the princess was requesting an audience.

Yan Xuecui recalled the secret report on the bamboo slip and smiled lightly: "Please invite her in."

Outside the Goose Returns Tower, Chi Ying took a deep breath.

She had thought it through. Since she was already deeply involved and couldn't escape, she might as well make the best of it. Chi Yingyue was currently hiding in the villa. As long as Prince Zhao was alive, she wouldn't dare to return to the mansion rashly. As long as she was careful in everything she did, she could always get away with it.

At present, although King Zhao's temperament is unpredictable, he is not the kind of tyrant who would abuse his wife to death. In the future, when he loses interest in her, he can find an opportunity to switch back with Chi Yingyue, so as not to delay any longer.

Chi Ying tiptoed upstairs to the inner chamber, where a man in a wide-sleeved white robe with crane patterns came into view.

With a snow-white veil covering her eyes and her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, she sits quietly amidst the rising incense smoke of the temple, like autumn water and a cold moon, pure and clear as snow.

Chi Ying dared not look too long and slowly bowed.

Judge Lin presented the skin-whitening cream he had brought. Chi Ying thanked him and handed the white porcelain bottle to Aunt Fangchun. She then went to wash her hands before changing the dressing for Prince Zhao.

Yuan De handed her the burn medicine and sighed, "His Highness's hand was burned by candlelight last night. Please help me apply the medicine and bandage it, Your Highness."

Chi Ying was slightly startled, only then noticing that King Zhao's palm was wrapped with a bandage that was slightly bleeding.

She leaned down and looked up at him. "Your Highness, I'm here to change your dressing."

Yan Xuecui's slightly drooping fingers did not move, and she smiled and said, "Yes, thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

Chi Ying tried to calm her breathing, hesitated for a moment, and carefully placed her finger on the man's bandaged fingers. The moment her fingertips touched, the man's knuckles trembled uncontrollably.

Thinking she had hurt him, she said in a flustered manner, "Your Highness, please forgive me... please bear with it, I'll be gentler."

Yan Xuecui smiled calmly: "It's alright, even if you are a little heavy, I will not blame you."

Chi Ying dared not be careless. She gently supported his hand and unwrapped the gauze layer by layer. The blood spread out layer by layer. The innermost layer of gauze was stuck to the flesh. The bright red tender flesh and the burned skin were shocking. Even each finger had burn marks. Chi Ying felt a sense of shock and pain when she gently tore the gauze.

Yan Xuecui gently touched the girl's soft fingertips with the back of his hand and reminded her in a soft voice, "Hold your hand steady, it won't hurt me."

He smiled slightly, his expression unchanged, as if he were not the one who was hurt.

Chi Ying didn't understand. She had been injured before, and under her mother's protection, she only suffered a few lashes. But even after many years, the excruciating pain was still fresh in her memory.

King Zhao seemed to lack the ability to feel pain, especially this injury. If it were an ordinary person, they would immediately pull away when their finger touched the flame, at most burning their fingertip. How could it be injured like this? It was as if he had let the candle flame burn for a long time.

Chi Ying said from the bottom of her heart, "Your Highness is blind and needs someone to serve you at night. Otherwise, you will always get injured, and Consort Zhuang will worry about you."

With him constantly inflicting new injuries, she also needs to come to Yan Gui Lou every day for medicine. Living under the same roof is not a good thing.

Yuan De, standing to the side, felt a chill run down his spine and cautiously glanced at King Zhao.

Ever since His Highness injured his eye, every time he tried to serve him, he was turned away without exception.

At first, His Highness was perhaps unhappy to see others in his disheveled state. Now, although he can move freely, Yuan De never wants to see burns like those from last night again.

He hadn't expected the princess to dare to offer advice to his face, and couldn't help but look forward to his prince's reaction.

Unexpectedly, His Highness asked, "So, does the Princess Consort believe that my injury was due to the negligence of my subordinates?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan De's legs went weak, and he and all the servants in the room knelt down, prostrating themselves on the ground, trembling as they awaited their fate.

Chi Ying was speechless for a moment.

He always had that smiling face, but his words were sharp and piercing, catching people off guard.

"What I mean is..."

"According to the Princess Consort, how should I deal with them?"

Chi Ying's whole body stiffened, and her clenched palms were soaked with sweat.

Seeing that she remained silent, Yan Xuecui pressed on, "The mistress of a household should be fair in rewarding and punishing, didn't your mother ever teach you how to manage your subordinates?"

Although he was blind, when his gray eyes looked at her, they seemed to be scrutinizing her relentlessly, leaving her nowhere to hide.

Chi Ying clenched her fingers, wrinkling the hem of her snow-blue skirt and turning her knuckles white.

In her world, there is no concept of "ruling subordinates".

Although she was the third daughter of the Chi family, her situation since childhood was not much better than that of a servant.

My mother was originally a maid of the Yin family. She was taken by my father after he was drunk and became his concubine. After giving birth, my mother personally named her "Ying" instead of "Yue" like the daughter of the Chi family. This was to show my mother that the light of the firefly would never compete with the bright moon.

When she returned to the manor last year, she also tried to observe Chi Yingyue's words and actions, hoping to be more like her. However, the legitimate daughter, who had been pampered since childhood, was never docile or timid. She would scold and beat her at the slightest provocation, even if the water was too hot or too cold.

Given Chi Yingyue's personality, if she were to suffer a serious accident like burns or scalds, the servants in the house would probably beat her to death or sell her off directly.

Chi Ying also wanted to make herself look decent and hold her subordinates accountable and severely punish them. But why did King Zhao have to ask for her opinion when he was burned?

Could it be that they discovered something was wrong with her?

Indeed, if King Zhao were to investigate Chi Yingyue's character, he would surely be able to find out.

It's her own fault; she shouldn't have said so much.

Chi Ying swallowed hard, and after a long pause, she spoke softly, "I have been taught. I used to be very willful, and my mother spent a lot of time and effort teaching me. Before I got married, she repeatedly reminded me that I needed to learn to be tolerant of others and not to be willful anymore, lest I displease Your Highness. I am new here and am not yet familiar with the rules of the manor, but Your Highness can rest assured that in the future I will follow Aunt Fangchun and Aunt Qionglin to learn how to use kindness and strictness together..."

By the end, Yan Xuecui found her voice excessively soft, and her trembling, struggling explanation was quite amusing.

He couldn't help but chuckle: "Your Highness is too kind. I was just asking casually. As the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Changyuan, you are naturally impeccable in every way."

Chi Ying lowered her head and said softly, "Your Highness is too kind."

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, calmed herself down, and continued what she was doing, applying the medicine while unconsciously blowing air into the wound.

In the past, whenever she bumped or bruised herself, her mother would apply medicine to the wound like this, blowing on it to relieve the pain.

But where she couldn't see, the man tilted his head back slightly, his breathing unsteady, his Adam's apple bobbing several times.

A note from the author:

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Ah Ying, stop bragging! You're making him ecstatic! [Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand]