Chapter 12: The Paddock is Cold, and I Met an Old Friend

The autumn atmosphere in the enclosure was far more pronounced than at the palace. Withered, yellow grass was whirled across the ground by the wind, and the distant mountains and forests were stained in varying shades of red, like a splashed-ink painting. Several bonfires burned in the center of the camp, and the sizzling sound of barbecue fat dripping onto the flames mingled with the aroma of wine and the sounds of laughter, creating a lively atmosphere.

Yun Zhi, however, felt that the bustle had nothing to do with her. She stood by the stable at the edge of the camp, holding a handful of hay, feeding Xiao Jin's black horse. The horse's mane was smooth, and its nose exhaled hot air, rubbing against her palm, giving it a little more warmth than the people in the mansion.

Her dark riding uniform was indeed a perfect fit, allowing her to move more swiftly than in coarse cloth, but it also made her the subject of considerable scrutiny. A "criminal slave" wearing fine brocade riding uniform, accompanying the prince on the autumn hunt, looked odd in every way. Lin Wanru and Su Yurou had deliberately found excuses that morning, sending her to tend the horses and pack the tents, pushing the most strenuous tasks onto her, simply to embarrass her in front of everyone.

She didn't mind; feeding the horses was easier than rubbing them in cold water in the laundry room. But the whip wound on her back hadn't fully healed yet; it still ached from bending over to pack up the tent. She raised her hand to rub her back, her fingertips touching the scar beneath the fabric, and a chill washed over her heart again—that was the "lesson" Xiao Jin had taught her, one she would never forget.

"Miss Yun."

A gentle voice suddenly came from behind her, carrying a familiar warmth. Yun Zhi turned around and saw Xie Heng, wearing a green imperial physician's robe and holding a medicine box, standing not far away, his eyes full of concern.

It's him!

Yun Zhi felt an unexpected warmth in her heart. She quickly put down the hay in her hand and bowed, "Thank you, Imperial Physician."

Xie Heng walked over quickly, his eyes first sweeping over her riding clothes, then landing on the slightly red corners of her eyes, and finally stopping at her hand rubbing her back. His brows knitted together imperceptibly. "Miss, your injury hasn't healed yet? Is the medicine I gave you last time enough?"

He remembered her injury! Yun Zhi felt warm in her heart and shook her head: "Thank you for your concern, doctor. I still have the medicine. I just accidentally touched it when I was packing up. It's nothing serious."

"How can it not be a problem?" Xie Heng took out a small porcelain bottle from the medicine box and handed it to her. "This is a newly made ointment, more effective than the last one. Remember to apply it several times when you go back to prevent the wound from getting infected. It's cold in the enclosure at night, so don't wear too thin clothes or you might catch a cold again."

The porcelain bottle felt cool to the touch, with a faint medicinal aroma, just like the medicine he'd given her last time, revealing his attentive care. Yun Zhi pinched the porcelain bottle, her fingertips trembling slightly, her eyes warming slightly. In this enclosure where everyone treated her like a burden and a joke, only Xie Heng remembered her injuries and cared if she was cold.

"Thank you so much, Doctor," she said in a hoarse voice, "You always help me like this, I..."

"It's just a small favor." Xie Heng interrupted her, a gentle smile on his face. "Back in the Taifu Mansion, you helped me pick up the kite. This is just a small thing, it's nothing. But you have to be more careful in this enclosure, especially..."

He stopped talking suddenly before he finished speaking. He looked over Yun Zhi's shoulder and looked behind her. The gentleness in his eyes faded a little in an instant, and became more vigilant.

Yun Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and she turned to follow his gaze. She saw Xiao Jin standing by a nearby bonfire, a glass of wine in hand. His dark uniform, illuminated by the firelight, looked particularly solemn. His gaze fell not on the surrounding officials, nor on the laughing concubines, but directly on her and Xie Heng. His eyes were as cold as ice, and the air around him was so low it was suffocating.

When Xie Heng came over just now, she was so focused on talking that she didn't notice when Xiao Jin came over.

Yun Zhi subconsciously took a step back, tightened her grip on the porcelain bottle, and felt a little uneasy - Xiao Jin's eyes were too scary, as if they wanted to freeze both her and Xie Heng.

Xie Heng also noticed Xiao Jin's gaze. He calmly stepped aside, standing between Yun Zhi and Xiao Jin, and bowed to Xiao Jin: "Greetings, Your Highness."

Xiao Jin didn't respond, but slowly approached. His steps weren't fast, but they carried an invisible sense of oppression. The sounds of laughter and chatter gradually faded, and even the crackling of the campfire seemed particularly harsh. He walked up to Yun Zhi, his eyes sweeping across the porcelain bottle in her hand, then landing on Xie Heng. His tone was flat, devoid of any warmth: "Doctor Xie, you're quite free. Instead of tending to the health of the gentlemen, you've got time to chat with my people here."

"Your Highness, you're joking," Xie Heng said, still maintaining a gentle tone. "I just finished inspecting the tents of the lords and passed by here. I saw that Miss Yun seemed a little unwell, so I gave her a few more words of advice. After all, Miss Yun is your servant. If she gets hurt even more, it will be troublesome."

"Oh?" Xiao Jin raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, "When did my people need Doctor Xie to worry about them?"

The hostility in these words was too obvious. Xie Heng's expression changed slightly, but he remained calm. "I am only fulfilling my duty as the imperial physician. Your Highness is worrying too much. If Your Highness has no other instructions, I will take my leave."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Yun Zhi again with a hint of worry in his eyes, but he didn't say anything else. He turned around and left quickly.

Looking at Xie Heng's back, Yun Zhi felt a little nervous - she knew that Xiao Jin was targeting Xie Heng just because Xie Heng said a few more words to her.

"Come here." Xiao Jin's voice sounded above his head, carrying an unquestionable order.

Yun Zhi did not dare to be negligent and hurried to his side, lowering her head and not daring to look into his eyes.

Xiao Jin didn't look at her. Instead, he held the wine glass, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains and forests. His tone was as cold as the wind: "Didn't I tell you not to get too close to outsiders?"

"I...I just said a few words to Doctor Xie, I didn't mean anything else." Yun Zhi explained in a low voice.

"A few words?" Xiao Jin sneered, suddenly turning around and pinching her chin, forcing her to look up. His fingers were cold and strong, pinching her chin painfully. "Have you forgotten your identity? You belong to me, Qingyue's substitute. Even if you're a fake, it's not someone else's turn to covet you!"

Covet? Yun Zhi was stunned. Xie Heng was just concerned about her, so how could that be considered coveting? What did Xiao Jin mean by this?

She looked into Xiao Jin's eyes. In those bottomless pupils, besides coldness, there was also a hint of emotion that she couldn't understand, like suppressed anger, or like... jealousy?

As soon as this thought came to her mind, she forced it down. Impossible. Xiao Jin hated her so much, how could he be jealous? He must have felt that Xie Heng's concern had embarrassed him.

"Your Highness, I'm only thanking the Imperial Physician out of kindness, I have no other intentions, please don't misunderstand." She wanted to explain.

"Misunderstanding?" Xiao Jin interrupted her, his eyes growing even colder. "What I saw was you flirting with another man. You've completely disgraced me!"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly let go of his hand and pointed to the wine table not far away: "Go, pour wine for the gentlemen. Remember your duties, and don't let me see you getting too close to irrelevant people again."

Yun Zhi bit her lip, her heart full of grievance and confusion, but she didn't dare to refute. She could only respond "yes", picked up the wine pot, and walked towards the wine table.

The officials around her all lowered their heads, and no one dared to look at her - Xiao Jin's attitude just now was too obvious, and everyone could see that the prince was setting rules for this "slave substitute", warning Doctor Xie, and announcing to everyone that this woman was his, even if she was just a substitute, and no one else had the chance to touch her.

Yun Zhi held the wine jug and poured wine for the guests. Her hands were shaking, not because of fear, but because of anger. Xiao Jin knew that there was nothing between her and Xie Heng, but he deliberately said this, deliberately embarrassing her in front of everyone, just for his ridiculous possessiveness.

When she reached Xiao Jin, he suddenly reached out and grasped her wrist. His hand was very cold, and through the thin fabric, it touched her skin, causing her to shiver.

"Be careful," he said, his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. "Don't spill it. You won't be able to bear the consequences if it burns the gentlemen."

There was a warning in his tone, but his fingers gently stroked her wrist with an imperceptible tenderness, completely different from the coldness and hardness just now.

Yun Zhi's body froze, her heart beating rapidly as if struck by something. She didn't understand why Xiao Jin was acting like this—one second he was being cold and mean to her, the next second he was being so affectionate. What on earth was he trying to do?

She tried to break free, but his grip tightened. He looked at her panicked eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips. Then he let go of her hand, picked up the wine glass, and raised it to the officials around him: "My Lords, continue drinking. Don't let this little thing affect your mood."

The officials quickly joined in raising their glasses, and the atmosphere became lively again. However, everyone looked at Yun Zhi with a strange look - curiosity, sympathy, and a bit of gloating.

Yun Zhi, carrying the wine jug, quickly left the table. She reached a tree at the edge of the camp, then stopped, gasping for air. Xiao Jin's touch still lingered on her wrist, the cool sensation like a brand, burning her heart and sending her into a state of panic.

She looked up in the direction Xie Heng had left, only to see him standing by a tent not far away, glancing back. The moment their eyes met, Xie Heng's expression was filled with sadness. He nodded slightly at her, then turned and walked into the tent, never to return.

Looking at Xie Heng's back, Yun Zhi felt a little uncomfortable - it was all because of her that Xie Heng was targeted by Xiao Jin and was so depressed.

And Xiao Jin, why did he do this? Was it really because she was "his" and he didn't allow anyone else to get close to her? Or was it because... he had a different feeling towards her?

The thought had barely formed in her mind when Yun Zhi extinguished it. She recalled the sterilizing soup they'd given her on their wedding night, the punishment of kneeling in the snow, the whipping on her back—Xiao Jin had only ever hated her, had only ever used her. How could he possibly feel differently? His previous intimacy had been merely a whim, a manifestation of his possessiveness, like treating something that belonged to him, something he wouldn't allow anyone else to touch.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the confusion and panic in her heart. No matter what Xiao Jin thought, she could no longer have any expectations of him, and she could not forget the hurt he had caused her before because of his slightly abnormal behavior.

She held the porcelain bottle Xie Heng had given her, feeling a slight coolness on her fingertips. This was true concern, no exploitation, no calculation, only pure kindness. She had to live well, not let those who cared about her worry, and certainly not let Xiao Jin laugh at her.

The bonfire in the distance was still lively. Xiao Jin was talking to a few officials, and occasionally glanced at her. His eyes were still cold, but there was a hint of subtle complexity hidden in them.

Yun Zhi didn't look at him again, instead turning and heading towards her tent. It was small, with only a simple bed and a small box inside, but it made her feel more at ease than the bustling scene outside. She took out the ointment Xie Heng had given her and carefully applied it to the wound on her back. The cool ointment soothed the pain and gradually calmed her troubled heart.

She knew that the days in the enclosure would not be peaceful. Xiao Jin's abnormal behavior, Lin Wanru and Su Yurou's calculations, and unknown dangers all awaited her. But she was no longer the Yun Zhi who could only endure silently. She had something she wanted to protect and a truth she wanted to find out. She would become stronger and braver.

As the night deepened, the wind in the enclosure grew colder. Yun Zhi lay on her simple bed, listening to the wind outside, her heart resolute. No matter how many difficulties lay ahead, she would keep going, step by step, until she cleared the Taifu Mansion of its grievances and sought justice for herself.

What she didn't know was that outside her tent, Xiao Jin was standing in the darkness, staring at the dim light inside, a glass of cold wine in his hand. He himself didn't understand why he got so angry when he saw Xie Heng talking to Yun Zhi; why he wanted to hold Yun Zhi's hand when he saw her panic; why he couldn't help but pay attention to her even though he clearly hated her.

He could only blame all this on the fact that Yun Zhi looked like Qingyue. He couldn't let this face be tarnished by others, and he couldn't let his "substitute" get too close to others.

But only he himself knows that this excuse cannot even deceive himself.