After Transmigrating as the White Lotus Crown Princess - Chapter 10

The next day, Mu Jinyu had to attend the early morning court session, so he naturally rose before dawn. Even before the roosters crowed, Ning Huan heard the rustling of clothes beside him. A-xi also slipped in stealthily to serve his master.

The room was light and warm. Ning Huan was covered with a brocade quilt—no longer the festive red from the wedding, but a misty cyan color. One of his arms emerged from the quilt, the snow-white silk wrapping around his slender forearm. Faint traces of dried blood could still be seen—it was the blood Mu Jinyu had coughed up earlier.

Mu Jinyu cast a passing glance at it.

Ning Huan suddenly covered his ears with his hands: “Your Highness, please leave quickly. I haven’t slept well all night.”

A-xi, who was kneeling to serve the “Great Lord” with his boots, couldn’t help but look up. The Crown Princess hasn’t slept well all night…

Mu Jinyu maintained a stoic face and said nothing. As he left, he draped his fox-fur cloak over his shoulders. Outside, a waning moon still hung in the sky, and the ground was cold enough to turn dripping water into ice. A layer of white frost had settled in the courtyard; the bricks were white, the leafless branches were white, and A-xi’s breath turned into white mist as he spoke: “It’s so cold. I’ll go get the Crown Princess’s hand-warmer; it’ll be warmer if you tuck it in your robes.”

Mu Jinyu said: “He has a bad temper. If you go in, he’ll surely flare up at you.”

A-xi tiptoed inside without making a sound. Ning Huan actually heard him, but knowing it was that little mouse-like eunuch by Mu Jinyu’s side, he didn’t bother and continued to lean against his pillow, falling back into a deep sleep.

When A-xi came back out, he handed the hand-warmer to Mu Jinyu: “Your Highness, smell this—it’s exceptionally fragrant. Everything belonging to the Crown Princess carries a wonderful scent.” He didn’t know how to describe it; the fragrance was different from the usual rouge used by ladies—it wasn’t as seductive or as sweet, making it quite suitable for a man’s use as well.

Mu Jinyu didn’t bother smelling it, stuffing it directly into his sleeve. The chill air hit his face, and he coughed a few more times. As he coughed, he felt a surge of indignation. Other men’s wives rose early to serve their husbands, helping with shoes and clothes. Ning Huan was the opposite; he remained asleep even after his husband rose, and even complained about his husband being too loud.

A-xi cautiously offered a reminder at his side: “Your Highness didn’t sleep well tonight either, did you? Your health is poor; it’s best not to overindulge in… carnal pleasures.”

Mu Jinyu knew A-xi had misunderstood, but he was too lazy to explain to this talkative little eunuch. Since A-xi was serving him, he had the duty to remind him. Seeing the Prince’s dark expression, A-xi’s voice grew smaller until he stopped talking altogether. The Prince has only visited twice since the wedding; as newlyweds, it’s not exactly excessive, right?

Mu Jinyu flipped onto his horse and rode to the court session.

Before the Hour of the Rabbit (5 AM), all officials were in their positions. The bell at the Meridian Gate hadn’t yet rung, and many officials heard the Crown Prince coughing. They knew his health was failing and had already begun to harbor other thoughts. A sickly Crown Prince didn’t seem likely to inherit the throne.

When the palace gates opened and everyone entered, the Censors were watching for anyone showing improper behavior. The Crown Prince’s repeated coughing was, of course, recorded.

Ning Huan slept until the sun was high in the sky. Having slept poorly in the middle of the night, he finally woke up and pulled the bell by his side. Dieqing nimbly entered: “Miss.”

Ning Huan lay on the pillow, eyes still closed, and gave a cold, indifferent command: “Prepare water. I wish to bathe.”

He rarely bathed first thing in the morning. Dieqing knew this wasn’t his habit. But on second thought, the Prince had stayed the night; perhaps Ning Huan felt “dirty” and wanted to clean up. She hurried to have the water heated.

Ning Huan rinsed his mouth with salt water, cleaned his teeth with a soaked willow branch, and took a handkerchief to wipe his face and hands. Dieqing noticed the bloodstains on his clothes and was startled: “This is—”

Ning Huan said nonchalantly: “The Prince’s blood.”

Dieqing breathed a sigh of relief: “Breakfast is ready.”

After eating, Ning Huan wrote out a prescription and said to Dieqing: “Go and fetch these herbs.” Since Dieqing had arrived late, she hadn’t had the chance to see Ning Huan’s handwriting before. Now, looking at the paper, she barely recognized a few simple characters, but the rest were unclear. She only felt that Ning Huan’s handwriting was slender, with a sense of “backbone”—every stroke was exceptionally beautiful.

Ning Huan assumed Dieqing was literate, as the servants who used to serve him had all attended a year of school. Seeing Dieqing holding the paper upside down, he found it awkward to point out, so he said: “I also need a medicine-slicing knife, an iron grinding trough, a frying pan for herbs, and a mortar and pestle…”

He listed many items, and Dieqing grew even more surprised: “Miss, what do you want these for?”

Ning Huan replied: “I remember a few prescriptions and want to try making them.”

Dieqing nodded: “Very well.” With so many concubines in the estate, Dieqing originally thought Ning Huan would find a use for his status and suppress them until they couldn’t even raise their heads. She didn’t expect that after arriving, Ning Huan’s mind was entirely on what the meals would be, what was elegant to put in the vases, and what color clothes to wear. And now, he wanted to make medicine. Regardless, Ning Huan not taking his anger out on the servants was a good thing for Dieqing. Furthermore, since Ning Huan was a gourmet, those serving him got to taste the leftovers of his fine dining.

She took the silver Ning Huan gave her and went to fulfill the tasks.

After breakfast and the water was heated, Ning Huan took another bath. He always felt the bathwater here was a bit “astringent” and couldn’t help but miss the spring water channeled from the mountains at his home.

Before even divorcing Mu Jinyu, Ning Huan was already thinking about where to live after the separation.

Yesterday, the blood had seeped through his clothes, leaving dried blood on his thigh. After wiping it clean and restoring his jade-white skin, Ning Huan threw on a robe and sat by the window, playing with the short sword he had won from Mu Jinyu. A chill emanated from the blade. Ning Huan blew a strand of hair onto it; it instantly snapped in two.

Dieqing was away, so another nanny brought from the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, Nanny Li, served him tea. Ning Huan glanced at her. Nanny Li was skilled with her hands, honest, and duty-bound; she was a woman of few words and didn’t use her seniority to bully younger maids.

He tapped the table: “Nanny, come here.”

Nanny Li hurried over: “What are your instructions, Miss?”

“According to my frame, make two sets of men’s clothing. Have them finished this month.” Ning Huan explained further: “This month I’ll be visiting the shops; it’s more convenient to travel in men’s attire.”

“Yes.”

Ning Huan waved her away.

Mu Jinyu had returned, his heart full of anger from the court session. Some ministers had actually memorialized against him for “overindulgence leading to a weakened constitution.” Regardless of the reason, a frail Crown Prince was not a good thing. His every move was magnified; his coughing was already being linked to a “dissolute lifestyle.”

Though he had been recuperating for a while, he couldn’t truly abandon his influence in the court. Furthermore, now that he had married a Crown Princess who was cold and arrogant, Mu Jinyu hadn’t seen him try to seduce him once during these days of marriage. This was a far cry from Ning Huan’s usual reputation.

Others didn’t know, but Mu Jinyu knew well—the rumors said Ning Huan would target any man with even a bit of power and subtly try to attract their attention. He now suspected Ning Huan believed he was about to be deposed.

Entering the room, he saw Ning Huan playing with that short sword again. He seemed interested in weapons, his finger even approaching the edge. This was dangerous, so Mu Jinyu let out a cough.

Ning Huan suddenly looked up without retracting his hand; his fingertip was instantly sliced by the blade. He asked: “Why has Your Highness suddenly come over?”

His finger was dripping blood, but Ning Huan seemed unable to feel the pain, only using a handkerchief to wipe it. Wiping was useless; the cut was deep, and the blood continued to flow.

Mu Jinyu said to A-xi: “Bring the Golden Wound Medicine.”

A-xi asked: “The one gifted by the Empress?” Mu Jinyu nodded. A-xi hurried away.

Ning Huan simply sucked on his finger, blood spreading across his lips. He hadn’t used rouge lately, so the blood added a touch of color to his lips. Mu Jinyu didn’t look at him directly, pouring himself a cup of tea. It was plum blossom tea; the liquid was green as jade, with a few fragrant petals floating on top.

Sucking his finger, Ning Huan felt homesick. If he were home, he would likely be hosting a “Plum Feast” with friends, serving plum tea, plum wine, plum cakes, and even roasting a sika deer. He drifted off slightly in thought, not even noticing that Mu Jinyu’s gaze had moved entirely to his face.

Lixue Hall was very close to Mu Jinyu’s quarters. A-xi came running back, panting, and presented a bottle of ointment to Ning Huan: “Crown Princess, for you.”

Ning Huan wiped his finger and took the bottle, removing the stopper. A faint herbal fragrance emerged. Ning Huan had smelled herbal scents often; having played at the side of imperial physicians for so many years, he could make a living as a doctor even if the Ning family were executed. He could smell exactly what was in this bottle.

He took a bit of the ointment but didn’t apply it to the wound; instead, he smeared it on the back of his hand.

A-xi said with some heartache: “Crown Princess, this ointment is very precious.”

Ning Huan suddenly said: “Was this truly a gift from the Empress? Where did she get it? There is an ingredient inside called Snake Ginseng; it is toxic and will cause a wound to fester again after it has healed.”

A-xi was shocked: “This is what the Prince uses… the Prince’s wounds…” He suddenly remembered that the Prince’s wounds had indeed been frequently reopening and bleeding during treatment.

Mu Jinyu’s expression changed slightly: “This medicine was given to the Empress by my Imperial Father—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

Though Ning Huan had read the novel, it didn’t detail every minor event. He hadn’t known about this. It turned out the Emperor had already begun to move against Mu Jinyu at this time.