After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 24.1

Chapter 24.1: Accepting the Initiative

The “Rain and Dew” period is the heat period for a Kunze. For an unmarked Kunze, it can usually be endured by staying indoors for three to five days; however, for a Kunze who has been marked, their pheromones will release completely out of control. The body becomes desperately hungry for the soothing scent of a Qianyuan, making it naturally much harder to endure than for an average person.

Yan Yunti had read the books and understood these basics.

Currently, she and Yuan Jingxue were sharing a Dependency Period. If Yuan Jingxue were to fall into her heat now, she would likely lose her composure far more than she had today.

“So, Your Highness’s headache and body chills today were because the Rain and Dew period is approaching?” Yan Yunti had already been suspicious and took the opportunity to ask.

Yuan Jingxue had expected this question. She had already thought things through; further concealment was useless. “When I was twelve, during my differentiation, I suffered a high fever for several days, which resulted in damage to my gland. Since then, whenever the Rain and Dew period approaches, my body temperature drops much lower than a normal person’s. In severe cases, like earlier, I experience a violent headache combined with an icy body, leading to a loss of consciousness. In the past, neither floor heating nor charcoal stoves could alleviate it even slightly; it would take at least half an hour of suffering to pass.”

As Yuan Jingxue spoke, the scrutiny in her gaze was undisguised: “Yet this time, within at most fifteen minutes, my body returned to a normal temperature. I wish to know, Miss Yan, where did you learn that massage technique?”

Yuan Jingxue asked directly, and Yan Yunti had no intention of hiding it. She went back to the East Side Hall to fetch the book on massage and handed it to Yuan Jingxue. “This is a book I got from my aunt. Today was my first time reading it. I didn’t expect to stumble into helping Your Highness relieve the chills.”

The cover of the book was blank. Yuan Jingxue assumed it was some kind of medical text, but as she flipped through the pages, she closed the book halfway. She looked up, her expression difficult to describe: “Miss Yan normally reads this kind of book?”

Inexplicably, Yuan Jingxue recalled the way the Qianyuan had blushed while reading across from her today. Was she reading this exact book?

Thinking of this, Yuan Jingxue’s gaze caught the corner of another book pressed under a soft pillow. She reached out directly to grab it.

Yan Yunti quickly yanked back half of the book, smiling: “It’s just a storybook, Your Highness. You definitely wouldn’t enjoy it.”

This display of guilt was suspicious at a glance. Yuan Jingxue gripped the other end of the book, her expression cooling: “Let go.”

Yuan Jingxue was not as strong as her; if Yan Yunti truly wanted to keep it, she could have. But seeing the woman’s cold face, she realized keeping secrets might lead to trouble. She decided to throw caution to the wind, let go, and offered a warning: “Your Highness is the one who wanted to see it. You can’t blame me later.”

A noble lady of the Imperial family had likely never even touched such a volume.

Sure enough, Yuan Jingxue only read two or three pages before slamming the book shut with a “thwack,” visibly displeased: “Yan. Yun. Ti. You!”

She actually read such a book right in front of her?!

Yan Yunti had long since prepared her defense. She pulled both books back, looking aggrieved yet self-righteous: “How can Your Highness not consider that this is my first time too? I never would have touched these books before. But given our current situation, if I remain completely ignorant, how can I better serve Your Highness? Even the most naturally gifted person needs to study.”

“Is that so?” Yuan Jingxue’s voice was icy. “Then tell me, what exactly are you trying to learn from this?”

Always so skilled at sophistry! With such explicit illustrations in that book, what could she possibly be “learning”?

Yan Yunti coughed lightly and said seriously: “Does Your Highness truly want to hear it? There is actually a lot to learn in this book. For example, which positions are comfortable, which are difficult, or how to provide a Kunze with double the pleasure…”

“Shut up,” Yuan Jingxue abruptly interrupted her.

“Oh.” Yan Yunti stopped, lowering her head to hide the smile in her eyes. When she looked up again, her expression was much more solemn: “Rest assured, Your Highness, today really was my first time seeing these books. As for why the massage written in the book can relieve your chills, I’m not entirely sure either. Perhaps Your Highness should ask an Imperial Physician tomorrow; maybe a proper treatment can be found.”

Yan Yunti pushed the book about gland massage back toward her. The conversation had finally circled back to the proper path.

Having been through so much during the day, Yuan Jingxue was now exhausted. She couldn’t be bothered to argue further with the Qianyuan, offering only a warning: “I do not care what you do in private, but next time, do not read such books in my presence.”

“Alright,” Yan Yunti agreed readily, glad the books weren’t confiscated. Then, she changed the subject: “Physician Xu mentioned before that Your Highness’s Rain and Dew period is harder to endure than most. What does that mean?”

Yuan Jingxue spoke plainly: “During the Rain and Dew period, my body chills become even more severe, while my gland becomes the opposite—extremely scorching. The conflict between heat and cold, combined with the headache, makes it impossible to sleep day or night.”

Yan Yunti noticed something was wrong. Logically, a Kunze’s body should heat up during their period; why was Yuan Jingxue the opposite, with intensified chills?

A Kunze begins having their Rain and Dew period at sixteen; Yuan Jingxue had endured this for seven years. No wonder she tried to drive her away the moment it started yesterday; she clearly felt there was no possibility of relief and that she could only suffer through it.

The gland heating up while the body loses heat—a clash of fire and ice—was more than just a lack of sleep. The entire period must be a constant torment.

Thinking of how miserable Yuan Jingxue had looked earlier, Yan Yunti felt a pang of discomfort. She made a solemn promise: “Rest assured, Your Highness. As long as you are willing, I will definitely help you pass the Rain and Dew period peacefully.”

Yan Yunti’s words sounded very sincere.

However, could a Rain and Dew period spent in the company of a Qianyuan truly be associated with the word “peaceful”?

Yuan Jingxue didn’t look too deeply into it. She stood up and said, “In two days, you will travel with me to the hot spring villa outside the capital.”

“Alright,” Yan Yunti agreed immediately.

Yuan Jingxue took two steps, then turned back to look at her: “Regarding the injury on your shoulder, I will have the Imperial Physician send you a bottle of scar-removing ointment tomorrow.”

“No need!” Yan Yunti refused flatly. Meeting Yuan Jingxue’s puzzled gaze, she smiled radiantly. “This is a mark Your Highness left on me. How could I possibly remove it?”

The Next Day.

“Lady He, this is a bottle of high-quality scar-removing medicine that Her Highness specifically asked Imperial Physician Xu to find. Apply it for a month, and any scar will be completely erased.” Jinsi handed over the white porcelain jar.

Yan Yunti’s brow twitched. Now that the medicine was delivered, whether she used it was up to her.

She took it with a smile: “Give the Eldest Princess my thanks. By the way, how is that Imperial Physician Xu’s medical skill? Could I ask her to take a look at me?”

“One moment, Lady He. This servant will go ask Her Highness.”

Jinsi returned to the main hall, where Xu Yuqing had just finished checking the Princess’s pulse. She was saying in a low voice: “Your Highness’s Rain and Dew period should arrive in the next two or three days. The hot springs at the villa should help alleviate the body chills to some extent. As for the massage technique in that book, it is also the first time I have seen it. The principle should be using internal heat to counteract internal cold, which happens to resolve Your Highness’s condition. If Your Highness is willing, you might try it during the Rain and Dew period; it could simultaneously soothe the high temperature of the gland and the chills of the body, making things easier for you.”

They were both well aware of what else that massage did besides soothing the gland. Ultimately, it wasn’t exactly a “proper” massage technique, yet it happened to be the perfect remedy.

After Xu Yuqing finished, Jinsi stepped forward: “Your Highness, Lady He says she is feeling unwell and wishes for Physician Xu to take a look at her.”

Yuan Jingxue: “Unwell?”

“Lady He says she has difficulty sleeping at night,” Jinsi replied.

The Qianyuan had indeed tossed and turned last night. Yuan Jingxue nodded in permission. “Go.”

Yan Yunti stood by the lattice window, watching Physician Xu approach along the corridor. Yesterday, she had deliberately mentioned the physician to test whether there was indeed a Physician Xu by Yuan Jingxue’s side.

To her surprise, there was.

This meant the dream from last night had some credibility. The dream was fragmented—flashes of scenes that were hard to place in time or location. The sequence she pieced together was: Yuan Jingxue falling into a river, her saving the woman by following a scent of cedar… perhaps due to the cold of the water, Yuan Jingxue developed a high fever that wouldn’t break, leading the physician to say those words.

“If the fever doesn’t break tonight, Her Highness may…”

May what? May truly burn out her gland and lose her life?

Yan Yunti frowned at the thought. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned, her expression returning to normal, and offered her hand to Xu Yuqing. “I trouble Physician Xu.”

Xu Yuqing performed a pulse diagnosis and asked a few detailed questions. “The lady’s body has no major issues. Difficulty sleeping at night is likely caused by excessive ‘heart fire.’ You should focus on calming your mind and thinking less of… matters of the heart.”

The words were quite blunt.

Yan Yunti wasn’t embarrassed; she knew exactly why she had insomnia. Using it as an excuse to bring the physician here, she steered the conversation toward her real question: “I have one more thing to ask Physician Xu. Can a high fever burn out the glands of a Kunze or a Qianyuan?”

Xu Yuqing’s expression shifted slightly at the question, but her tone remained steady: “According to common logic, a high fever generally does not burn out a gland. Although the gland is the most fragile part of a Kunze or Qianyuan, it is also the part with the best restorative power. Unless there is physical trauma, it is not easily damaged. Of course, there are special cases—for example, if the heat is too heavy, or during the moment of differentiation. At those times, the gland is at its most fragile and easily influenced by the body. A persistent, unbroken fever could affect it. Whether it ‘burns out’ depends on the individual’s constitution.”

“Then, looking at me, does Physician Xu think it could reach that point?” Yan Yunti followed up.

Xu Yuqing shook her head: “Your constitution is excellent. Even with a high fever, it shouldn’t reach that stage.”

Yan Yunti wanted to ask: What if it were Yuan Jingxue?

After a moment of thought, she didn’t ask. Inevitably, whatever she asked here would likely be reported to Yuan Jingxue soon. If the dream were to come true, asking too many questions might make people suspect the calamity was related to her.

“Thank you, Physician Xu.” Yan Yunti rose to see her out.

Sitting back down, she replayed the dream repeatedly, closing her eyes to visualize the scene and try to identify the location. The interior decor in the dream didn’t look like the Princess’s Manor. The river was pitch black, suggesting it was night. When would the Eldest Princess go out at night?

And that cedar scent… it was very likely the smell of the Scent Pills.

In other words, the events of the dream would only happen after they received the Scent Pills.

Yan Yunti felt a slight sense of relief; at the very least, the person was safe for now. After sitting for a while, she couldn’t stay still. If this event was destined to happen, it was better to be prepared.