After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Discerning the Scent

“Miss, something big has happened outside!” Songxia shouted as she burst into the room.

Yan Yunti didn’t even look back. She was staring at the silks, satins, and jewels bestowed by the Eldest Princess, and asked casually: “What big thing?”

“The Xiang family has been raided!” Songxia finished her tea in one gulp and added: “That Minister of Works’ household—the one who sent a marriage proposal to you before—their entire manor has been seized!”

Yan Yunti, who was picking up a string of emerald-colored jade, turned around upon hearing this: “When did this happen? Why were they raided?”

Seeing her mistress interested, Songxia poured out all the news she had gathered: “It happened just this morning. I heard that Minister Xiang was corrupt. During his tenure, he took bribes and used the pretext of repairing embankments to repeatedly amass wealth and embezzle public funds. The Capital Guard found a lot of hidden silver in the Xiang manor!”

“The Capital Guard?” Yan Yunti pressed: “Who led the raid?”

“It seems to be…” Songxia thought hard and clapped her hands. “I remember! It was General Ning, who was just granted a title and returned to the capital—Ning Ruolan!”

Yan Yunti’s brow twitched. Ning Ruolan, the second daughter of the Duke of Ning’s manor and the Eldest Princess’s maternal cousin.

“Not only that,” Songxia dropped an even bigger bombshell, “during the Eldest Princess’s Birthday Banquet yesterday, that Young Master Xiang tried to assassinate the Princess to cover up his family’s crimes! And!” Songxia lowered her voice, “I heard that Young Master Xiang refused to be captured in the palace. During the struggle with the Imperial Guards, he accidentally… lost his ‘roots’! His gland was also severely slashed! He’s likely ruined for life.”

Yan Yunti’s heart skipped a beat.

The gland is vital to a Qianyuan or a Kunze; an injury there can damage one’s health at best and be life-threatening at worst. How could that Young Master Xiang have the courage to resist arrest? The fact that such private news reached the public meant someone had intended it to.

The Eldest Princess’s methods were far more direct and ruthless than she had imagined. Yan Yunti didn’t pity the man, but thinking of her own “bullying” behavior yesterday, she felt a sudden sense of crisis.

“Is there any other news?” Yan Yunti continued to probe.

“Yes!” Songxia nodded. “People are saying that part of the silver Minister Xiang embezzled was sent to the Second Princess’s manor. Miss, they’re royalty—they’re so rich, why would they swallow dirty money like that?”

Qionglan, who had been listening from the side, frowned and reminded her: “Watch your words. How can we discuss matters of the Royal Family? This matter isn’t settled yet. If what you just said gets out, it will bring trouble to our mistress.”

Songxia immediately slapped her own mouth twice. “Right, right! I got carried away!”

“By the way, are these gifts from the Eldest Princess? This emerald jade bracelet is so beautiful; it would look lovely on you, Miss.”

Yan Yunti put the bracelet back, losing interest. “Put everything in the storehouse. I’m going to practice my swordplay for a while.”

“Huh? Again?” Songxia lamented. Her mistress had been practicing since before dawn for at least an hour, and it wasn’t even noon yet. Why again?

Qionglan sensed something and whispered: “Miss has seemed restless lately. Don’t ask too much.”

Accompanied by the scent of magnolia in the air, Yan Yunti practiced for another hour. Her mood didn’t improve, and she had no appetite. There was a dull ache in her forehead, and she anxiously touched her gland; it was getting hot.

Her condition was indeed wrong. She wondered how the Eldest Princess was doing.

Judging by today’s news, it was clear who had set the trap yesterday. Noble Consort Rong, in charge of the inner palace, intended to have the Eldest Princess lose her virtue to the Xiang family’s son to control her marriage. However, her plan collided with Yuan Yuxiu’s scheme, which inadvertently gave the Princess and Yan Yunti a chance to escape.

Now that the Xiang family was raided and the Second Princess was implicated, it was surely the Eldest Princess’s “repayment.” But what had happened could not be undone.

That night, Yan Yunti woke up from a dream again, alertly discovering that her pheromones were leaking.

The next day, she rode out of the capital toward Qingxuan Temple.

The vegetation outside the capital was lush. Qingxuan Temple sat atop a verdant peak with bustling incense smoke. At the foot of the mountain, there were people guarding horses and carriages. Yan Yunti tied her horse, paid the guard, and noticed a carriage parked nearby. It looked low-profile but couldn’t hide its luxurious materials.

She didn’t pay it much mind and hiked up the mountain. Upon reaching the temple, she asked a priestess and learned that Xu Su lived in the bamboo forest at the back.

Yan Yunti had a good sense of direction. She quickened her pace and reached the wooden house in fifteen minutes. The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves. She keenly sensed something but pretended not to notice and kept walking. It seemed she wasn’t the only visitor today.

She knocked on the door. After two raps, the door was pulled open from the inside, revealing a slightly irritable face. “What is it?”

Xu Su wore a plain robe, her expression a mix of annoyance and scrutiny.

Yan Yunti bowed. “I am Yan Yunti, a friend of Tan Ning. I have some troubling matters and came to seek Physician Xu’s advice.”

Hearing she was her disciple’s friend, Xu Su’s expression softened. She turned into the house. “Come in. Close the door.”

The house was filled with the scent of medicine. A large medicine cabinet stood against the wall, and various herbs were scattered on the table. A simple screen separated the main room from the inner quarters. Yan Yunti glanced at the screen, sat opposite Xu Su, and placed a heavy bag of silver on the table. “If Physician Xu can solve my problem, this is a gift of gratitude for you.”

“You are quite sensible,” Xu Su said, her expression softening further. “Give me your hand; I’ll check your pulse.”

Yan Yunti’s gaze drifted toward the screen. “Shouldn’t Physician Xu wait a bit?”

Xu Su frowned. “If you want an exam, it’s now. Otherwise, don’t bother.”

Tan Ning had warned her that her master was eccentric. Yan Yunti stopped speaking and extended her hand. “Thank you, Physician Xu.”

After a full examination of her pulse and gland, Xu Su reached a conclusion: “You have entered a dependency period.”

Yan Yunti had expected this, but her heart still sank. “Is there a cure?”

“A dependency period, as the name suggests, requires you and the Kunze to depend on and accompany each other. Releasing pheromones and providing temporary markings to soothe each other is the best solution.” Seeing Yan Yunti’s difficult expression, Xu Su shifted: “However, I have a method to alleviate it. It requires you and the Kunze to cooperate to help me blend a ‘Scent Pill’ that matches your pheromones to suppress the dependency.”

Yan Yunti immediately asked: “Can the Scent Pills be made separately—”

“They cannot,” Xu Su interrupted. “Different people perceive the same pheromone differently. For instance, two Kunzes or two Qianyuans will find each other’s scent repulsive. But a Qianyuan and a Kunze in a dependency period will have a deeper perception of each other’s scent. You cannot describe to me what the other person smells. You must come together and, following my method, distinguish the components of each other’s scent so I can blend the corresponding fragrance.”

Yan Yunti fell silent. She knew Xu Su was right. Initially, she thought the Kunze’s scent was like magnolia, but after the temporary marking, the scent became more intense and wasn’t exactly the same.

But to ask the Eldest Princess to cooperate?

Thinking of the man who had been “ruined,” Yan Yunti felt a chill at the back of her neck. Since she was in a dependency period, the Princess likely was too. Maybe she should wait for the other to take the initiative…

The screen moved slightly.

Yan Yunti turned her head, her expression cooling. “Does Your Excellency still not intend to show your face?” Since her condition was being overheard, she needed to know who was behind that screen.

A shadow shifted. A woman dressed in plain white and wearing a veil stepped out. Her long, beautiful phoenix eyes were indifferent as she looked at Yan Yunti.

Yan Yunti froze. Despite the veil, she recognized her instantly.

“The Eldest Princess?!”

Yuan Jingxue was dressed simply and wore a veil, clearly not wanting Xu Su to know her true identity.

Yan Yunti quickly reacted: “You… why are you here too?”

The question was asked awkwardly. Yuan Jingxue looked at the Qianyuan, her emotions difficult to voice. Yesterday, Xu Yuqing had diagnosed her but had no countermeasure, saying that her senior, Xu Su, might have a way. She and Yan Yunti had entered the house not far apart. Xu Su’s words were meant for both of them.

Xu Su looked between the two and understood. “Since you both are here, there’s no time like the present. Let’s begin.”

The first step was to smell each other’s pheromones. Xu Su brought out two medicinal patches. “These are ‘Scent-Shields.’ You will take turns covering your glands. Try not to let the scents mix, or it will affect your perception.”

There was too much medicinal smell in Xu Su’s house. Fortunately, there were empty guest rooms in the back of the temple.

Yuan Jingxue and Yan Yunti stepped into a room one after the other. Baiwei closed the door and stood guard outside.

The room was silent. Yan Yunti peeled her patch and quickly covered the gland on her nape.

“Your Highness, you go first. I’ll just sit here.” Yan Yunti moved a chair and sat opposite the low couch.

Yuan Jingxue looked at her, her expression quiet and cold.

A moment later, a very faint scent of magnolia drifted through the room. The moment Yan Yunti smelled it, her gland began to throb wildly. Almost instantly, her own pheromones tried to pour out, only to be blocked tight by the patch, making the agitation even worse.

Yan Yunti’s hands tightened on her knees. Her lowered gaze rose, landing on the beauty’s cold face. That snow-pure, jade-like appearance—aloof and unreachable.

Yet it stirred a desire to break her.

Yan Yunti pressed her tongue against her itching canines, trying to look away, but she couldn’t. Just as she was struggling, she heard a cold voice from the opposite side: “Come here.”

Her tense nerves were struck hard.

Yuan Jingxue reached out to move her long hair to her front and turned slightly. “Smell it from up close. Do not make a mistake.”

Yan Yunti’s logic warned her no, but her body honestly walked forward and sat behind Yuan Jingxue. The snow-white collar covered the flushed gland, blocking some of the scent.

Yan Yunti raised her hand, pressing down the woman’s collar. Her breath drew closer and closer to the Kunze’s gland.

Waves of warm breath brushed against her skin. A sensation of numbness spread through Yuan Jingxue’s spine; she clearly felt the restless thirst rising in her body. She frowned and endured, thinking the Qianyuan still had her reason, and did not stop her from drawing near.

Tempting “food” was right before her eyes. Yan Yunti desperately told herself she couldn’t bite… If she couldn’t bite, could she lick?

Yan Yunti’s lips moved. She drew closer and extended her tongue, lightly touching the Kunze’s gland.

The moment the moisture touched her neck, Yuan Jingxue’s body shuddered, and her hands on her knees suddenly gripped her hem tight.