Chapter 36 If you like something, you like it.
As the hammering above the dark chamber grew louder, the sky gradually darkened. The Yan residence was brightly lit, as bright as day, while the dark chamber was pitch black, almost impossible to see one's own hand in front of one's face.
Even though Wei Qin had wrapped her in his clothes, Jiang Yinyue still felt cold.
The coffin parked not far away was especially eerie in the darkness. Not to mention Jiang Yinyue, even Lin Yu, who had been through it all, felt a chill run down his spine.
Hunger and thirst are also testing the four trapped people.
"If Your Highness is thirsty, I am willing to offer my blood!"
Lin Yu was in agitated, wanting to make amends for his well-intentioned but misguided mistake, lest the Crown Prince hold him accountable later.
Wei Xichen drooped his eyes and ignored him. His body, which was not yet fully recovered, was facing a severe test, so he was too lazy to waste a word.
The little tabby cat in his arms meowed, begging the crown prince for goat milk, but he was trapped in a dangerous situation, and no amount of money could help him. Even a single grain of rice had become a luxury.
A dampness swept over them, and the thin brocade robe couldn't keep out the chill, but Wei Xichen still took off his outer garment and threw it to the person opposite him, saying, "Put this on her."
The light brocade unfurled in mid-air, covering Jiang Yinyue's face and carrying a scent of ambergris. She immediately tore it off and threw it on the ground.
They show no weakness, are ungrateful, and lack tact.
This offended the crown prince.
Wei Qin glanced at the blurry outline of the clothes, but did not blame his wife for her recklessness. Instead, he rubbed her arms and back to warm her up.
The warm, soft jade was about to freeze into ice.
Lin Yu coughed a few times while shivering. He sighed heavily. The dark room that Yan Hongchang had someone build was as cold as a cellar.
At forty years old, he can't endure this kind of suffering.
Suddenly, a woman's mocking laughter came from across the room, "Prefect Lin should donate blood."
Lin Yu glared at the girl opposite him. He was trying to be nice to her to avoid being held accountable later, but she was still holding a grudge.
"If Your Highness requires..."
"unnecessary."
Lin Yu was secretly delighted, curling up in anticipation of being rescued soon.
Two more hours passed, and the four silent people fell asleep one after another.
Wei Qin woke up to a murmur and felt the unbearable discomfort of the person in his arms.
The scorching sun dims in winter, delicate flowers wither in the cold, and Jiang Yinyue feels the chill in the dampness, her body burning hot.
The sound of fabric rustling came from across the way, not from Lin Yu who was dozing off, but from Wei Xichen who got up and approached the young couple.
How is she?
"You have a fever."
Wei Xichen picked up the Song brocade outer garment from the ground and, without allowing Wei Qin to refuse, draped it over Jiang Yinyue's shoulders. He then took out a heat-clearing pill prepared for him by the imperial physician from the gilded sachet at his waist, which had the effect of reducing fever.
"Give it to her."
Even though they were rivals in love, Wei Qin wouldn't risk Jiang Yinyue's safety. He took the pill and brought it to Jiang Yinyue's lips, "Yinyue, open your mouth."
Jiang Yinyue refused Wei Xichen's kindness, turned her head away, and buried her face in Wei Qin's chest, saying, "Take it away."
Wei Xichen advised, "This is not the time to be angry. Your health is the most important thing. Niannian, I will not harm you."
With a single meow, he summoned the little tabby cat crouching opposite him, but no matter how much it meowed, it failed to attract Wei Xichen's attention.
The sound of her voice made Wei Qin hold the woman in his arms even tighter. He whispered a few words of advice in her ear, mentioning his father-in-law Jiang Song and Jiang Taolue, who was far away on the border, "If I fall ill, my father-in-law and elder brother will blame me."
Jiang Yinyue's eyes welled up with tears when Wei Qin mentioned his family.
When a person is physically weak, they are inevitably vulnerable.
Awakened, Lin Yu whispered a reminder: "You have a fever and are weak, so you probably won't be able to swallow. These pills are so big, you need to drink water to take them."
Driven by a desire for revenge, he stepped forward and suggested, "Let Wei Yunpan administer the medicine with his blood."
Unexpectedly, Wei Qin and Wei Xichen both bit their wrists.
Lin Yu, who was still feeling smug, suddenly shuddered.
"Your Highness..."
Why must you harm yourself like this for the sake of a subject's wife?
Lin Yu, a middle-aged man with three wives and four concubines, couldn't see through him.
But after Wei Xichen bit her wrist, she did not rush forward.
If Wei Qin hadn't bitten his wrist, he wouldn't have needed to hesitate. But Wei Qin did bite it, without any hesitation.
She had no reason to take the place of someone else's husband in showing him affection.
Wei Xichen sat quietly to the side, pressing his wound with his other hand.
**
People were in a great hurry to rescue the prince, and recruitment notices were posted all over the streets. Although the details of the rescue were not revealed, the generous reward attracted people to stop and watch.
"What is mechanical art?"
"Those skilled in mechanical arts are all extraordinary individuals."
"What happened? Why would they suddenly recruit someone skilled in this craft?"
"Who knows! Let's just watch the show."
Having received word of the situation, the Wei family was stopped outside the Yan residence, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the rescue.
The frail Wei Ying stood outside the mansion for several hours, her legs weak, yet she stubbornly refused to leave, her heart filled with concern for her brother and sister-in-law's safety.
The prefect's adjutant walked outside the prefectural government office with a mournful face. Looking at the group of soldiers and yamen runners waiting for their turn, he loudly asked, "Whoever is the strongest, volunteer! There will be a generous reward!"
Soldiers and yamen runners rushed forward, but no one could budge the secret door an inch.
As dawn broke, the officials and their accompanying guards were extremely anxious.
The old man of the Wei family, who was blocked outside, rushed forward and started arguing with the gatekeeper, "My grandson and granddaughter-in-law are trapped inside, why can't I go in?"
"What help can you be if you go in? Don't make things worse!"
The old man was quite old, and after arguing for a few minutes, he saw stars. He was then helped away by the eldest son of the Wei family.
Second Master Wei Zhongchun limped forward. The usually honest man braced himself and began to negotiate, introducing himself as the deputy commissioner of the salt field and a colleague of many of the officials inside. "Could you make an exception and let me in?"
The adjutant at the gate lost his patience with Old Master Wei's nagging and ordered the yamen runners to chase him away.
"Come on, come on! We've been crowding around the entrance for ages! We'll let you know as soon as we have any news!"
Seeing her father almost being pushed to the ground, Wei Ying rushed forward to help him up, but a hunched figure beat her to it and grabbed Wei Zhongchun's back from behind.
"It's you..."
Thank you, shopkeeper.
Xie Jincheng helped Wei Zhongchun step aside, smiled and nodded to Wei Ying, then stepped forward with a notice tucked under his arm.
"I am not very talented, but I can give it a try."
The adjutant recognized the hunched man as the renowned jeweler. "Manager Xie, it's understandable that you want to make money, but this kind of money isn't easy to earn. Don't cause trouble! If you delay things, they'll hold you accountable!"
"Let me give it a try."
"really?"
"really!"
Unable to find any capable individuals, the adjutant was at his wit's end and, as a last resort, led his men into the mansion.
Wei Ying suddenly spoke up: "Thank you, Manager!"
Thank you for your help.
The fact that the Crown Prince and his brother and sister-in-law were trapped could not be revealed casually, Wei Ying thought to herself, filled with anticipation and gratitude.
Xie Jincheng turned his head to look at the stone steps, then smiled and nodded again.
Like a gentle spring breeze.
Entering the woodshed, Xie Jincheng paced back and forth on the crisscrossing grooves, poking around with his cane, causing onlookers to frown or roll their eyes.
Could a cunning merchant be so skilled in mechanical arts?
After a while, Xie Jincheng faced everyone, his hands clasped together on the armrests of his cane, and said, "Everyone, step back."
Some people stepped back, while a small group remained standing still.
To make things mysterious.
Xie Jincheng didn't try to persuade him any further. He clicked his tongue twice and jabbed the stick at a certain intersection of the grooves, opening both hidden doors simultaneously.
Those who didn't retreat fell into the "pot" like dumplings.
This drew gasps of surprise.
Xie Jincheng shrugged and looked down at the scene below. "How are you all?"
A series of moans and groans came from below.
As Wei Qin wrapped Jiang Yinyue in his clothes and left, he glanced at the hunched middle-aged man.
The man shrugged and extended his hand to the prince, who was climbing the ladder afterward.
Wei Xichen stretched out his unblemished hand and slowly walked up, his other hand still clutching his outer garment.
Ignoring the crowd who were offering their concern, he turned his gaze away from the young couple and onto Xie Jincheng's face.
"Manager Xie?"
"Just call me by my name."
“Excellent skills, truly rare. I intend to recommend you for a position in the Ministry of Works.”
Xie Jincheng didn't care about the shifting gazes from doubt to admiration from others. He chuckled nonchalantly, "Talented people spring up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. As long as they are given the opportunity to grow, they will flourish. I am not lacking in a commoner. I am used to being rough and uncouth and am not used to being bound by rules. Your Highness is mistaken."
Before entering the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel would conduct a rigorous review of officials' backgrounds and experiences, and Xie Jincheng had no intention of seeking wealth and power through risk.
**
When Wei Qin brought Jiang Yinyue back to the house, Du Juan hurriedly brought hot water.
"Would you like me to serve the Second Young Mistress?"
"No need."
Wei Qin placed Jiang Yinyue on the embroidered stool in front of the dressing table, took off her outer garment, removed her red skirt, leaving her with only her trousers and bodice.
There was no romance or tenderness, I just wanted her to soak in warm water as soon as possible.
Stepping over the pile of clothes, Wei Qin scooped up Jiang Yinyue and carried her toward the bathtub.
The woman's skin was unusually cold, lower than Wei Qin's already abnormal body temperature.
"Miss."
As he immersed Jiang Yinyue in the water, Wei Qin leaned over the edge of the tub, touched her cheek, and softly called her name.
"Miss, wake up."
The pills prescribed by the imperial physician had a sleep-inducing effect, causing the woman to fall into a deep sleep. Her delicate face gradually regained its color in the steam, and her shoulders and neck, exposed above the water, also regained their pinkish-white hue.
Seeing that she was showing signs of waking up, Wei Qin breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand to hold the back of her neck, and pressed his forehead against hers.
“Wei Qin…”
Before she even woke up, the woman, who had been relying on Wei Qin in her dazed state, slowly opened her eyes. Startled by the magnified handsome face before her, she shrank back into the water.
Her face, dripping with water, showed a look of bewilderment before she moved closer to the man.
With each step back and forward, the body stirred the water, creating a gentle murmur.
Her wet, long hair clung to her smooth back, the ends tangling around the ties of her bodice before quickly rippling away with the water.
"Let me see your hands."
"fine."
"Something's up."
Jiang Yinyue grabbed Wei Qin's left hand and looked at his bloodied and mangled wrist.
It must have hurt a lot.
Fearing she might catch a cold again, Wei Qin pulled a long cloth from the rack, draped it over her shoulders, and then used both ends of the cloth to twist her hair.
"Rinse your mouth."
Jiang Yinyue, who had drunk Wei Qin's blood, did not rush to rinse her mouth, but urged Wei Qin to treat the wound on his wrist first.
Because the incident was caused by the accidental triggering of the mechanism, Wei Qin took a day off. After Jiang Yinyue took her medicine and fell asleep, he sat alone on the couch, pondering the mystery of the hidden chamber's structure.
Around noon, a square wooden frame structure appeared in the courtyard, piquing Qi Bao's curiosity.
Dressed in a cloth shirt with rolled-up sleeves, Wei Qin straddled a ladder, adjusting his carpentry work.
After repeated failures and adjustments, at dusk when the city lights began to twinkle, they finally created a miniature hidden chamber that could trigger mechanical spells.
Although the crisscrossing grooves on it are somewhat rough and far less exquisite than those in the Yan family's secret chamber, they are still enough to test a person's ability to crack the code.
On the other side, Wei Xichen, who had also set up a miniature hidden chamber, stood beside the green plum tree in the courtyard of the post station. He dismissed the sycophantic crowd and left only the little tabby cat perched on his shoulder.
The injury to his wrist wasn't deep and didn't need bandaging. He looked down at it, then flipped his wrist over to look at the small teeth marks around the back of his hand.
A scab formed.
The last time he injured the back of his hand was when he was three years old, the year before he was named crown prince.
At that time, there were only two officials in the palace who were proficient in mechanical arts: the Minister of Works and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review.
In order to please the emperor, the Minister of Works would often create some clever little gadgets and send them to the palace.
At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet that year, the Minister of Works displayed an iron cage torture device used for forced confessions. All it took was to send a prisoner into it, and even the most stubborn prisoner could not withstand the torture of having his skin torn open.
The Emperor was greatly pleased.
That very night, the iron cage was dismantled.
The emperor was furious and, after a thorough investigation, discovered that it was the work of his two princes.
The government and the public were shocked.
Wei Xichen and the eldest prince Wei Yihe were summoned to the imperial study.
The Emperor, holding a ruler, struck his eldest son's arm while demanding, "Did you instigate your younger brother?"
The second son is well-behaved and sensible; he must have been instigated by the eldest son.
Three-year-old Wei Yihe remained silent with a stiff face, as stubborn as a calf.
Wei Xichen, standing to the side, lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "It was I who asked my elder brother for help."
The Emperor was taken aback. "Why?"
“Those instruments of torture are too cruel; I cannot bear to use them.”
The emperor struck his second son's hand with a ruler, leaving bright red bloodstains.
Those who aspire to great things cannot be swayed by womanly compassion!
The Emperor's angry shouts echoed in his ears, and his elder brother's stubbornness came to mind. Wei Xichen suddenly realized that some of his childhood acquaintances were now separated by death.
The eldest prince, Wei Yihe, detonated his carriage when he was four years old and died alongside Empress Yide.
Xie Chengyan, the youngest son of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the tutor of the eldest prince, passed away due to illness.
The adopted son of the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs went mad after being castrated and jumped into a well.
The third son of the General of the Palace Guard drowned.
In his childhood memories, every few years a childhood friend would pass away, and Wei Xichen would sigh with regret when he looked back.
He rubbed the wound on the back of his hand, recalling his elder brother who would dismantle the torture instruments with him. If there had been no struggle for the throne, they would have grown up together like brothers in an ordinary family.
The past is heavy and leads to wild thoughts. As he thought about it, Wei Xichen thought of Jiang Yinyue, the childhood acquaintance who caused him the most heartache.
The rubbing motion slowed down; he slowly raised his hand and rubbed the ring of teeth marks with the tip of his nose.
In the stillness of the night, in the serene courtyard of a humble residence, Wei Qin dismantled the miniature hidden compartment, piled it in the corner, dusted off his hands, and returned to the east wing.
Jiang Yinyue, who had been sleeping intermittently, was wrapped in a quilt and leaned against the bed. Her complexion had mostly recovered, and she looked much more lively.
"Have you figured out the research?"
"almost."
Wei Qin washed his hands, changed into clean clothes, sat down on the edge of the bed, and touched her forehead.
Jiang Yinyue no longer had a fever, but her face was still flushed.
The embarrassment of being carried into the bathtub while barely clothed was nothing compared to the intense shame of being carried out to be dried off and changed. Although Wei Qin's eyes were closed, he still felt something...
Thinking of the appointment in January, Jiang Yinyue blushed even more.
"When...did you start liking me?"
Wei Qin replied truthfully, "I don't remember."
"When did you realize you liked me?"
Wei Qin was slightly taken aback, perhaps because the lingering excitement after his initial heartbeat was still going strong.
An irrepressible surge of emotion shattered his naiveté, clearly reminding him what it meant to be moved.
Jiang Yinyue rose from her knees and curiously moved closer to him. "Why aren't you answering?"
To break the awkward silence, the woman smiled and said, "I know!"
"Is that so?" Wei Qin asked casually.
Jiang Yinyue suddenly leaned her ear close to his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and said with a smile, "Your heart tells me that you are on your way to Yangzhou."
Spending every day together, feelings naturally develop over time.
This was also the result Jiang Song had been hoping for the most.
Wei Qin frankly stated, "Much earlier than that."
It was an ordinary late night after their marriage. On the floor of her boudoir, he smelled a faint, warm fragrance emanating from beside her bed and couldn't sleep all night.
Jiang Yinyue jokingly poked his chest, "Then your heart doesn't understand you, which is why it gives the wrong answer."
Wei Qin looked at her, then suddenly pressed his hand to her chest, his large hand filled with the woman's heartbeat.
Severe abnormality.
"Then you need to understand your own heart. Give me a clear answer after one month. You can reject me, but if you like me, you like me. No forcing or being perfunctory."
Jiang Yinyue blushed deeply as her chest was pressed against her hand.
That large hand was pressing down on more than just her pounding heart.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Kiss][Heart]
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