Chapter 41 "Is it good?"
Chi Ying was stunned for a moment before she realized that he was probably applying ointment to the whip marks below her navel.
He could always touch that spot, so he probably remembered it. Besides that, there were only the red marks he had sucked out, but those marks would fade quickly on their own. She had never mentioned it to him, and he couldn't see them.
But she still vaguely sensed that King Zhao's mood was not quite right today.
He wouldn't normally give such orders; when they were in bed together, taking off her clothes was usually a natural process, rather than using such a commanding tone to order her to undress and get into bed.
Even when I was applying medicine to her, she felt a subtle unease.
Especially when she lay down on the bed and unbuttoned her clothes, a faint bitterness spread from her heart, as if she wasn't waiting for him to apply the medicine, but rather waiting for some kind of humiliating punishment.
The moment the cool ointment touched her skin, Chi Ying's body began to tremble involuntarily.
His pressure wasn't light; his fingertips pressed against the raised scars, rubbing back and forth. Even in places that had long since healed, a subtle, dull pain welled up inside her, and her fingertips unconsciously gripped the sheets tightly.
“Your Highness…” she said somewhat impatiently, “Actually, you don’t need to go to so much trouble. This injury has been there for many years, and no one can see it if it’s hidden here.”
Yan Xuecui: "Nobody can see it?"
Chi Ying bit her lower lip, not quite understanding why he kept repeating that sentence.
This location is too secluded; even the personal attendants, Xiangqin and Baoshan, would hardly notice it, let alone outsiders.
Yan Xuecui asked with a smile, "You mean, no one but me knows about this scar?"
Chi Ying pursed her lips and said, "Yes, even my mother doesn't know."
Yan Xue didn't dwell on whether she was referring to Madam Yin or Aunt Xue; the key point was that no one else knew, except for him.
He suddenly felt happy.
But this pleasure quickly vanished.
He realized that besides knowing the existence of the scar, his perception of her was limited to tracing it with his fingertips.
Everyone in the world has seen her face, but he alone cannot see what his queen looks like.
After losing his sight, he spent a long time reconciling with his disability. He kept telling himself that he could still hear and locate objects and move normally. The loss of vision made him more alert and able to dodge attacks from all sides with ease. Most of the time, he appeared calm and composed to hide the anxiety and unease brought about by his blindness.
But in the end, he was still blind.
I can't even bring myself to glance at her.
Seeing a hint of gloom creep into his somber eyes, Chi Ying's breath caught in her throat, and she asked cautiously, "What's wrong with Your Highness today?"
Yan Xuecui snapped out of her daze, a barely perceptible self-deprecating smile playing on her lips.
No matter how much she pretends nothing happened, she will still be punished.
Yan Xuecui hadn't decided how to punish her yet—whether to make her kneel or to bind her hands and feet and prevent her from struggling.
After applying the medicine, Yan Xuecui went to take a bath first. When she returned, Chi Ying heard a clear, rustling bell sound.
Yan Xuecui sat on the edge of the bed, leaned slightly forward, and tied a thin gold and gemstone bell chain to her ankle.
"Let's try it out."
Chi Ying slowly retracted her feet, and the golden bell jingled with her movements, the sound of which was not noisy but clear and pleasant.
Yan Xue Cui lowered her head and asked her, "Does it look good?"
Chi Ying pursed her lips: "Mmm."
It's hard not to admit that it's really beautiful. The gold chain is adorned with tiny rubies, and the delicate tassels wrap around the ankles, shimmering like gold in the candlelight, making the ankles appear fair and slender.
Yan Xue was blind and could not see. His perception of beauty came only from the delicate and smooth touch under his fingertips and the clear and pleasant sound when it was shaken. He guessed that it must be extremely beautiful.
Chi Ying was unaware of his intention in giving her the anklet. Just as she was about to thank him, he picked her up and lifted her into the air. She gasped in surprise, and the next moment, she was sitting upright on his lap.
Chi Ying grabbed his hand tightly, her face still showing shock: "Your Highness..."
Yan Xue pushed her forward and down until they were pressed tightly together.
A surge of warmth instantly coursed through my limbs and bones.
Yan Xuechui's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as she said in a deep voice, "Haven't you been studying all along? Then do your best to make this bell ring for a full hour."
Chi Ying was stunned as he was slowly lifted up, causing the bell to ring out with a soft, rhythmic sound.
She trembled all over, every nerve taut to the limit, her legs gripped tightly by his fierce grip, her body shaking violently with the rhythmic tinkling of the bells.
She lost track of time until she was completely exhausted. She collapsed into his arms, her mind blank, her consciousness filled and assaulted by the sound of the golden bell until it shattered.
At that moment, Yan Xuecui turned her face around, forcing her to look at him directly.
"Ah Ying, who am I?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Chi Ying's pupils had long since lost their clarity, her mind a chaotic blur, and she murmured, "Your Highness..."
Yan Xue lifted her chin, tightening her grip: "Speak clearly, which prince?"
Chi Ying felt a slight pain, and tears blurred her vision. "You... Your Highness Prince Zhao..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt weak and powerless all over. She closed her eyes and slumped against his chest.
The soft body in his arms was too supple, her breath brushing against his chest. She held him, depended on him, and her tears soaked his chest.
Yan Xuecui's usually indifferent and cold heart softened inch by inch.
He knew his own nature better than anyone else; no matter how gentle and refined he appeared on the surface, he was cold and ruthless at heart.
No one had ever made him let down his guard in bed, to be so infatuated, and to be so soft-hearted.
He gently ruffled the disheveled hair of the woman in his arms and lightly kissed her forehead.
...
Bao Shan sensed something was amiss.
These past few days, she has taken the initiative to add fragrance, mixing a small amount of musk into the kalanchoe incense she usually uses.
The two spices are often used together in incense shops, and their scents do not clash. In addition, the amount used is very small, so it is difficult for people to detect. Even she herself can only smell the subtle difference when her nose is close to the incense burner.
But today she discovered that the incense in the burner seemed to have been tampered with.
When the incense had burned halfway through, she used a brass incense spoon to stir the ash, but when she got close, she couldn't smell any musk at all.
However, she was not skilled in the art of incense appreciation, and it was difficult to determine from the incense ash whether the musk had been switched. But her instinctive caution kept her quiet for two days, and she did not dare to tamper with the incense again.
However, King Zhao and his queen slept together every night, and the golden bell would still ring late into the night. If this continued, the queen would probably become pregnant soon.
Bao Shan secretly sought another opportunity. On this day, she kneaded the musk pills into the shape of clay pebbles and secretly scattered a few under the two pots of peonies that the princess often tended. The scent of musk was masked by the fragrance of the flowers, so even if someone smelled a faint scent of musk while tending to the flowers, they would not guess that the fragrance was coming from the clay pebbles hidden under the soil.
The next morning, she pretended to prune the flower branches and passed by the two peony trees, but she only smelled the fragrance of flowers mixed with the smell of soil. She searched through the clay pebbles several times, but could not find the musk pill buried in the soil!
Bao Shan immediately realized the seriousness of the situation, and almost instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Has she been discovered?
First, the musk in the incense burner was secretly replaced, and now even the musk pills she buried in the flower soil have disappeared. What a coincidence!
She was unsure whether she was discovered when she secretly placed the musk, or whether her every move had been under surveillance by the guards of Prince Zhao's mansion from the very beginning.
Bao Shan was filled with unease, but she couldn't understand who had discovered her tampering with things in secret. If they had discovered it, why didn't they capture and punish her on the spot?
Throughout the day, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. With no other option, she found a pretext to slip out of the palace and meet with the contact person from Prince Xuan's residence, pleading to see Prince Xuan.
King Xuan was extremely worried about the affairs of the Ministry of Works.
Yan Xuecui had only been in charge of the Northern Garrison for a few days when someone claiming to be a craftsman who built the Shangyang Palace secretly reported that the newly completed palace had been built with substandard materials. Regardless of the truth of the matter, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had now brazenly extended its reach into the Ministry of Works, where he worked. If anything was found to be wrong, he would probably have a hard time explaining it to his father, the Emperor.
Upon hearing that Bao Shan was requesting an audience, King Xuan pressed his temples to suppress his irritation and summoned someone in to speak.
Bao Shan carefully reported the recent events to the emperor.
King Xuan's brow furrowed even more. "You mean, the musk in the incense burner was removed, and the incense balls in the flowerpot have also disappeared?"
The precious fan trembled as it answered, "Yes."
King Xuan twitched his lips.
At present, Bao Shan is in the open, while King Zhao is in the shadows. The reason why he has not captured her on the spot is probably because he is holding back and watching her next move.
King Xuan could not think of any other possibility.
Bao Shan asked worriedly, "Then... what should I do next?"
King Xuan sneered, "What else can I do?"
The "Fan" piece is essentially useless.
However, before she becomes completely useless, she can still play a final role.
After a moment's thought, King Xuan asked, "Last time you said that Consort Zhuang's hysteria seemed to have improved?"
Bao Shan nodded hurriedly. Although she didn't know the inside story, she had followed the Princess to Shouchun Hall a few times, and Consort Zhuang's mental state had indeed improved a lot compared to before.
King Xuan whispered an instruction to her.
Bao Shan immediately widened her eyes in astonishment: "Your Highness, you want me to... But if I offend Consort Zhuang, His Highness Prince Zhao will never forgive me..."
King Xuan said calmly, "You gave Princess Zhao musk as a contraceptive, but he didn't punish you. Because you were part of the princess's dowry, out of respect for the princess, King Zhao only ordered someone to secretly remove the musk and didn't punish you or embarrass the princess."
Bao Shan hesitated, "But..."
King Xuan said, “Consort Zhuang will be fine; she will simply be the same as before. Even if King Zhao is angry, you should just go and beg the Queen. You have done so much for her; she is kind-hearted and will surely plead for you and ensure that nothing happens to you.”
Seeing that Bao Shan was still hesitant, King Xuan smiled and asked, "Do you still want your brother to continue working in the Ministry of Works?"
Upon hearing this, Bao Shan trembled all over, her face turning ashen.
She worked for King Xuan because he promoted her brother to a minor position in the Ministry of Works' Construction Department. As the saying goes, "A rooster with a piece of meat on its head can become an official, no matter how small." Her brother was not good at studying and could not lift a finger. He had been idle at home for many years. The family had no money or connections and barely survived on her two taels of silver a month.
When Prince Xuan found her and asked her to work for him, to keep an eye on the movements of Prince Zhao’s mansion, and promised her silver and the position of head of the construction department, her brother would have a respectable job and could also make money, so that the family could live a life of luxury, how could Baoshan not be tempted?
Everything had gone smoothly so far; she was just doing errands for the princess, which Baoshan was happy to do. But Prince Xuan's demands were becoming increasingly difficult. First, he wanted her to give the princess a contraceptive, and now he wanted her to harm Consort Zhuang...
Seeing her like this, King Xuan knew she had come to her senses and said with delight, "Go back now and do what I asked you to do as soon as possible. If you do it well, I will reward you handsomely. Also, you must keep the secret of the Queen's identity and not arouse King Zhao's suspicion."
“Otherwise,” he said, his tone turning cold, “I will take back everything your brother owns now. The money he embezzled in the last two months for bricks, tiles and timber is enough to kill him ten times over.”
Bao Shan knew that King Xuan was right. Her brother was greedy. Once he became a minor official, he would be like a rat entering a granary. He would not be satisfied until he was full and round!
Knowing she had no other choice, she could only kowtow and agree.
King Xuan watched her retreat, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
Yan Xue had caused his mother to be demoted and confined to her quarters. Now she had investigated the Ministry of Works and dug up those old grievances, determined to bring him down. Since they had already broken off relations and things had come to this point, he decided to stop holding back!
Bao Shan returned to Prince Zhao's residence in a dejected and anxious mood. Looking at the bright yellow lights inside the room and listening to the delicate sound of bells, she thought to herself that she still had to go to Shouchun Hall with the Princess tomorrow.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Don't worry, everyone. Even if King Zhao misunderstands A-Ying, without her knowing, he'll forgive her eight hundred times in his heart [milk tea emoji] and then hypnotize himself eight hundred times. After all, she's his beloved wife! [shy emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
