Chapter 21 The Blood Pact is Formed.
She bit her lip, a blush rising to her cheeks, and said to him, "Your Highness, you really don't need to be so resistant. The pleasures of marital relations are endless; you'll know once you've tried it..."
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, turned to look at her, a mocking smile appearing on his face. "Oh?" he said. "What, you've tried it?"
Ji Le was taken aback, never expecting him to ask such a question: "I...I naturally didn't..." As if afraid he would misunderstand something, she hurriedly added: "Your Highness, I am still a virgin!"
Xiao Che was clearly uninterested in this, merely glancing at her casually and saying indifferently, "Then how do you know so much?"
"I..." Ji Le bit her lip, lowered her head and closed her eyes, feeling extremely embarrassed.
Xiao Che turned around and loosened his belt by himself: "Alright, go down. My private matters are none of Sister Ji Le's concern. I don't need any palace maids."
His fingers rested on the jade plaque on his belt, then he suddenly paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, and he said, "I only do that kind of thing with women I like."
Ji Le was stunned, her face turned pale, and she slowly clenched her hands. Wasn't the implication of his words that she wasn't the person he liked?
Suppressing her resentment, she gave him a slight curtsy and said, "This servant takes her leave." She then fled towards the door as if escaping, but just as she was about to step out of the palace, she suddenly heard a voice from behind her: "Wait."
Ji Le stopped in her tracks, her fingers gripping the doorframe, her heart suddenly pounding wildly.
Xiao Che suddenly called out to her; could it be that he had changed his mind and wanted to...
She was filled with both anticipation and nervousness. Her fingernails dug into the cracks in the door frame. Holding onto the door, she slowly turned around, looked up at him shyly, and met his indifferent eyes: "Help me call Xue Zhi over."
Ji Le choked, her face flushing red and then pale, and said softly, "Yes."
When she looked up at him again, she found that his gaze was fixed on a long sandalwood table by the window, and there was something in his eyes that she had never seen before and that he longed for.
Her beautiful face instantly contorted, her eyes twitched, and following his gaze, she saw a delicate little porcelain jar on a long sandalwood table, which looked like it was used to store some kind of medicine powder or ointment.
The porcelain jar is covered with a bluish-white glaze on the outside, and two small rabbits are carved on the body. One is lying on the ground, and the other is about to pounce. The eyes are dotted with red glaze, making them lifelike and extremely cute.
It's clearly a little trinket for a girl.
——
The next day, just as Xue Zhi was about to leave, he bumped into Ji Le as soon as he opened the door. It seemed as if she had been waiting for him at the door: "Miss Ji Le?"
Ji Le glanced at the porcelain jar in his hand. Sure enough, it was the one she had seen at Xiao Che's place last night. She took a deep breath, suppressed the resentment in her eyes, turned her head, and asked with a smile, "Are you going to deliver this porcelain jar to His Highness so early in the morning?"
Xue Zhi said, "Yes, I was just about to go to Chenghuan Palace to deliver medicine to His Highness."
Chenghuan Palace, so it was that little girl Yan Jiarou...
His ten fingers clenched tightly beneath his sleeves, his brightly painted nails digging deeply into his palms, but he showed no sign of it on his face, only asking, "Is Princess Qinghe injured?"
"Yes, Your Highness said that you were bitten by a wild fox while hunting at Mount Li. It's strange that so many days have passed and the wound has not healed. Even seeing the imperial physician didn't help."
"His Highness then specially asked General Yan for medicine. He had traveled to many places and was very knowledgeable. He had quite a few rare medicines on hand. His Highness said that he would give it a try, and perhaps it would have a miraculous effect. Otherwise, if the wound does not heal, it may leave a scar, and then Princess Qinghe will cry again."
“I see,” Ji Le said casually, “Your Highness and the Princess have always been at odds, so why are you suddenly so concerned about the Princess?”
Xue Zhi, being a talkative person, secretly said to Ji Le when no one was around, "Miss Ji Le, you don't know this, but the discord may not be real. The concern is genuine. Have you ever seen His Highness go to such lengths for any woman he truly dislikes, preparing birthday gifts for her every year?"
He smiled mysteriously: "It's just that those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly."
He had discovered His Highness's secret long ago and had been keeping it a secret for him. Now that the matter had come to this point, he couldn't help but say a few more words. When he looked up, he noticed that Ji Le's expression was displeased and was taken aback: "Miss Ji Le, what's wrong?"
“It’s nothing,” Ji Le said again, her face returning to a gentle and calm expression. She smiled and said, “Xue Zhi, give me that medicine.”
"Give it to you? But His Highness instructed me to deliver it to Chenghuan Palace..."
"That's because I hadn't come before. Now that I'm here, having served the Imperial Concubine for so many years, I'm naturally more meticulous and reliable than you lowly eunuchs. What's so strange about His Highness changing his mind at the last minute and entrusting this matter to me?"
"If Your Highness hadn't ordered me, how would I have known you were going to deliver the medicine?" She held out her hand to him, palm up, with an attitude that brooked no argument: "Alright, give it to me. You go about your business. I'll make sure the medicine is delivered."
Xue Zhi scratched his head, thinking that what she said made sense, and handed the porcelain jar to her: "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Ji Le."
Ji Le held the porcelain jar in her hand, her palm slowly closing. The patterns on the jar pressed against her palm, causing a slight pain.
Why should Yan Jiarou, a mere Wei person, be allowed to find such a trinket after Xiao Che's painstaking efforts?
She doesn't deserve it.
We're delivering medicine, so what's the difference between using any kind of container to hold it?
The carved rabbit-patterned porcelain jar that Xiao Che used to win the favor of girls was naturally only worthy of her, his childhood sweetheart.
——
Ji Le was happily carrying the porcelain jar back to her room when, as she walked along the corridor, a voice suddenly called out "Ji Le" from the side.
Completely calm, yet possessing a natural, imposing presence, it was Xiao Che's voice!
Ji Le, feeling guilty, was startled and her hand trembled, causing the porcelain jar in her hand to fall to the ground with a clatter.
With a bang, the porcelain jar shattered, and the milky white ointment inside slowly dripped onto the ground along with the broken pieces.
Ji Le's face turned pale, and she quickly squatted down as if to pick it up.
But then a pair of cloud-patterned black boots stopped in front of them.
She swallowed hard, her gaze traveling up the black boots before slowly raising her head to meet Xiao Che's indifferent face, a chill settling between his brows.
The pupils appear lighter in color under sunlight, with a clear, amber-like quality that is absolutely beautiful.
A golden glint appeared in her eyes. Being gazed at by such eyes should have felt gentle and warm, but Ji Le felt a chill run down her spine.
"Your Highness...I...I didn't mean to..."
Xiao Che glanced at her expressionlessly: "The medicine I had Xue Zhi deliver, how did it end up in your hands?"
"I... I'm new to Hanguang Palace and always wanted to do something for Your Highness. Besides, I'm acquainted with Yingxue from Chenghuan Palace, and I happened to have something I wanted to ask her. Since Xue Zhi is going to Chenghuan Palace, I thought I might as well take on this task for him..."
Xiao Che crouched down, his slender fingers picking up a shard of porcelain, his voice icy: "Who gave you permission to act on your own?"
"I..." Ji Le bit her lip and whispered, "Xiao Che, I was wrong..."
Xiao Che paused.
This way of addressing her was meant to evoke the affection he had for her in his childhood.
Since they are addressed in this way, they are not master and servant, but siblings.
“Sister Ji Le,” Xiao Che raised his head, his gaze cold and flat, “There will be no next time.”
Ji Le's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly realized that Xiao Che had really grown up. His features were gradually showing some resemblance to Xiao Yuangan from back then, and even when he wasn't angry, he had a dignified and oppressive aura.
Although she didn't seem to have a tantrum or say anything harsh, it was still terrifying. She was no longer the child she used to be, whom she could manipulate at will.
Xiao Che lowered his head again. Although the porcelain jar was broken, fortunately the medicinal paste was sticky and did not spill everywhere.
He recalled what Yan Xiao had said when he handed him the jar of medicine: "This is a medicinal paste made according to a secret recipe from the Western Regions. It has a miraculous effect on wound healing. However, some of the ingredients are very rare. We have only made this one jar so far. Once it's used up, there won't be any left for a while. So don't waste it."
He frowned slightly as he picked up the broken pieces of porcelain, each one stained with clean medicinal grease. When he picked up the last piece, he perhaps let his guard down and accidentally cut himself on the broken porcelain.
Bright red blood instantly seeped from the wound. Xiao Che withdrew his hand, and in just a few breaths, the blood at the wound had congealed into bead-sized blood droplets. Finally, unable to bear the weight, it dripped onto the broken porcelain shards.
Ji Le exclaimed in surprise, quickly taking his injured hand to examine it carefully: "Your Highness, you are injured..."
Xiao Che simply said coldly, "Let go."
He glanced at her expressionlessly: "Go and find that bastard Xue Zhi for me."
“…Yes.” Ji Le stiffly withdrew her hand and quickly got up and ran back.
Xiao Che withdrew his gaze, glanced casually at the already congealed wound, and didn't take it to heart.
No one noticed that the original snow-white medicinal paste on the porcelain shard had been soaked in blood and turned a pale pink, gleaming with an eerie and alluring luster in the sunlight.
——
Xue Zhi carried a few broken pieces of porcelain on a lacquer tray, walking down the corridor with his head drooping. He had just been scolded by his master, so his mood was naturally not good.
Although he wasn't particularly clever, he had followed his master since childhood and grown up with him, so he rarely made mistakes. His master had hardly ever scolded him. Who would have thought that he would be caught off guard today? But then again, he didn't think he was to blame. After all, who could have imagined that Ji Le would falsely convey His Highness's intentions?
Fortunately, His Highness gave him a chance to redeem himself, so he absolutely cannot mess up this time.
Speaking of this task, Xue Zhi looked down at the few broken pieces of porcelain on the lacquer tray. His Highness had instructed him to scrape off the remaining medicinal paste and put it into another porcelain container. Although this would only leave half the amount, it should be enough for Princess Jiarou's small wound.
Strangely enough, he had never seen pink medicinal paste before. However, General Yan had traveled to so many places and was very knowledgeable. Since it was medicine given by him, it must be extraordinary. So he didn't think much of it.
——
Inside Chenghuan Palace, Yan Jiarou was lying on a chaise lounge, flipping through a storybook that Yingxue had recently brought from outside the palace.
She listlessly waved her fan as she turned another page.
Summer is almost here, and the air is thick with an indescribable heat, stuffiness, and stickiness.
She wondered if it was just her imagination, but this summer seemed hotter than usual.
She also became increasingly lethargic, always lacking energy, and extremely sleepy.
After a while, the Imperial Kitchen must prepare more frozen food. Also, the ice chest needs to be replaced with a larger one to hold more ice...
As she turned the page, drowsiness washed over her, and she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.
Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Then the beaded curtain was lifted, and Yingxue walked in. She was slightly taken aback by the scene inside, and then smiled and said, "Princess, why did you fall asleep again?"
Yan Jiarou was jolted awake by the sound. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and saw Yingxue standing in front of her, watching her cover her mouth and giggle. She seemed a little embarrassed and subconsciously retorted, "What? It's just that the storybook you gave me was too boring... I felt sleepy after reading for a while..."
"Boring? How could it be? This is the most popular storybook right now, and it's very popular among the young ladies in the capital."
"Really?" Yan Jiarou rested her chin on her hand, looking uninterested. "I think it's just so-so. The male protagonist isn't drawn very well either."
Yingxue's eyes darted around, as if she had suddenly thought of something. She looked at Yan Jiarou with a sly smile: "Is the princess's favorite character Pei Feng from 'The Secret History of Yichun'?"
"Compared to him, the protagonists of other stories are indeed nothing special. As for finding the stories boring..." Yingxue stroked her chin: "Then next time, how about I specially pick out a few more exciting ones for you?"
Pei Feng... is the character based on Xiao Che!
Yan Jiarou's fair face instantly flushed red, and she quickly sat up, looking rather embarrassed and angry. "No way! I don't like him at all! He's the kind of person I hate the most!"
Yingxue was a few years older than Yan Jiarou and had grown up with her since childhood. Although they were mistress and servant, they were more like sisters, so they didn't hold back when they got along.
If there were no outsiders present, she would be even more unruly. Yan Jiarou had been beautiful and adorable since childhood, and Yingxue always liked to tease her: "Is that so? But how come I remember that before I knew that Pei Feng's prototype was the Third Prince, the princess's favorite was that Pei Feng, and she even called him Pei Lang."
"...That's because I was fooled! I don't like him at all! I only like my Crown Prince brother! Besides, the characters in stories are just fiction. Only a silly girl like you would take it so seriously. How boring! Utterly boring!"
She turned away angrily, only turning her face slightly to say to her, "If you mention it again, I'll really get angry. Be careful, or I'll demote you to the laundry department to wash clothes for the eunuchs every day. Don't come crying back to me then!"
Yingxue suppressed a laugh, finding her mistress incredibly adorable, even her angry expressions were endearing. She knew, of course, that her mistress would never do such a thing, and simply coaxed her, saying, "Alright, alright, this servant is truly frightened and will never dare to mention it again. I only beg that my mistress will not demote this servant to the laundry department."
Yan Jiarou's face then lost its embarrassment and anger, replaced by a smug look. One corner of her lips curled up high as she swung her legs, which were dangling over the edge of the bed, and said, "Alright, I'll think about it some more and see how you perform."
She was only wearing a thin gauze dress, her snow-white calves were faintly visible under the skirt, and her ten toenails were a pale pink.
Yingxue smiled and said, "Then this servant thanks you, mistress."
After playing with the child, she remembered her business and quickly composed herself, saying, "By the way, Princess, I just ran into Xue Zhi outside. He has something for me to present to you."
"Xue Zhi? What's he doing here..." Yan Jiarou lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers, naturally knowing who sent Xue Zhi.
—He is Xiao Che's man. Who else could it be but Xiao Che?
She thought for a moment, then asked vaguely, "What...is he going to give me this time?"
Yingxue said, "I'm here to deliver some medicinal oil to you. I said it will help your ankle wound heal quickly."
"Medicated oil? How did he know my wound hadn't healed yet..."
Then it dawned on him that she seemed to have mentioned it to him once during their last meeting; he hadn't expected him to remember it...
Recalling what happened during their last meeting, color gradually returned to her face and behind her ears. She also remembered the determination she had made last time—that she would never have any contact with Xiao Che again, to prevent... to prevent that unspeakable illness from flaring up again.
Besides, Xiao Che also said that he would treat her like those young ladies from noble families in the future, which means being cold and aloof. The two of them were actually on the same page.
That was how things were originally supposed to be. If nothing unexpected happened, the two of them would live in peace from then on and never cross paths again.
But now he's sending her some medicine, which is inexplicably upsetting her.
However, it was just delivering medicine, not some other trinket. His words from that day should still stand. After delivering the medicine, they had no further contact.
But now she feels that since she has made the decision, there should be no more entanglements, and she doesn't even need to accept the medicine anymore.
So she said, "No, just tell him that his master said he would treat me the same way he treats other young ladies from noble families, and that he has never seen him give medicine to any of them..."
"Also, the Crown Prince has already consulted several imperial physicians for my wound and used many precious medicinal herbs, but none of them have been effective. His medicine may not be better than that of the imperial physicians, and it will most likely be in vain. So, there is no need to try."
Yingxue said, "Are we really not going to try it? I heard that it was given by General Yan, and it uses a secret recipe from the Western Regions. It's very effective."
"...No need, I said no need, and that means no need."
"Then... what if I told you that the porcelain jar containing the medicine was engraved with your favorite little rabbit, so cute and lifelike? You've certainly never seen such a beautiful porcelain jar before."
Yan Jiarou's eyes lit up, and she immediately looked up, clearly intrigued: "Really?"
"Whether it's true or not, you'll know once you take a look. Besides, what if the medicine has miraculous effects? It's not a loss to give it a try."
Yan Jiarou hesitated for a while, but in the end she couldn't resist her curiosity. She wanted to see just how exquisite the small porcelain jar containing the medicinal oil could be: "Then... bring it over."
Yingxue suppressed a laugh, thinking to herself that the Third Prince really understood her master best.
She simply couldn't refuse to have the medicinal oil stored in such a small porcelain jar.
Upon receiving the porcelain jar, it was indeed exquisitely crafted. Yan Jiarou loved these little trinkets the most, especially the lifelike rabbit pattern carved on it, and she couldn't put it down for a moment.
Having accepted the porcelain jar, taking the medicinal oil from inside became a perfectly natural thing to do.
I took a small spoonful with a silver spoon and found that the medicated paste was actually a light pink color. When the sunlight shone in from the window, the medicated paste shone with a lustrous sheen.
Yan Jiarou couldn't help but exclaim, "So beautiful!"
Yingxue said, "Yes, this color of medicinal ointment is quite rare. Princess, you should try it. It might really have a miraculous effect."
Yan Jiarou nodded, then swallowed hard.
For some reason, the moment she saw the medicinal paste in front of her, she suddenly felt extremely thirsty, and even her breathing became a little rapid.
A faint scent of medicinal oil lingered around my nose, yet within this fragrance, there seemed to be a faint, almost imperceptible, pungent smell of blood.
Even this wisp of breath was enough to send a strange shiver down her spine.
It looked exactly like her when she had an attack.
She had a bad feeling and was about to call out to Yingxue when she suddenly felt a chill on her ankle. Looking down, she saw that Yingxue was already applying medicine to her.
Even though she wanted to speak up and stop them, it was too late.
The cool, sticky ointment was applied to the wound on her ankle. Something slowly seeped into the wound along with the ointment, flowing through her limbs and bones with her blood, mingling with her blood and bone.
She vaguely sensed that something had changed, as if a brand had been branded deep within her soul, one that she could never break free from.
A strange yet familiar feeling quickly spread, but this time it was a little different.
After the unbearable torment, a feeling of extreme pleasure, where an addiction was completely satisfied, quickly filled my entire body.
A series of white lights flashed before her eyes, her mind was like a firework exploding, and every bone and meridian in her body was screaming and urging her to succumb to it.
I felt dizzy, as if I were floating on soft clouds, and I had a light, floating feeling.
All I could hear were Yingxue's anxious calls.
She tried to respond, but when she opened her mouth, she could no longer make a sound and soon lost consciousness completely.
In the chaotic darkness, she seemed to be bound by an airtight net, gradually being swept into a bizarre dream.
She dreamt of the white fox that bit her at Mount Li, the crimson flame mark on its forehead still so vividly red it was almost eerie, burning fiercely.
When she saw the white fox again in her dream, she could still clearly remember how it had inexplicably pounced on her and bitten her in Lishan. Not only was it painful, but the wound also took a long time to heal, causing her a lot of suffering.
She was naturally angry, but in her dream, her mind wasn't very clear, so she couldn't care less about anything else and only wanted to vent her anger. She stepped forward to grab the white fox.
But she had only taken one step forward when she suddenly stopped in her tracks, as if by magic.
She was so shocked by what she saw that she was speechless.
Suddenly, the white fox gave her a mysterious smile, and then, surprisingly, it spoke!
A fox that can actually talk!
She was so shocked that she didn't even notice what the white fox had said.
It says: "A blood pact is formed."
"Then you will fulfill my wish for me."
"Such a good thing, but you got it for free..."
"I'm so envious."
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