After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by the Paranoid Eldest Princess - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“Your Highness.” Fuqu presented the legal complaint with both hands.

Si Jinghua took it, and familiar handwriting met her eyes. She scanned the letter of representation, reading ten lines at a single glance.

“Your Highness, is there something wrong with this letter?”

Si Jinghua looked at the document with appreciation: “Not at all. Not only is there nothing wrong, but it is actually exceptionally well-executed.”

The problem wasn’t the object, but the person who created it.

Although she often saw Wen Chenqing studying the dynasty’s statutes, she hadn’t expected her to have already achieved such respectable proficiency.

Fuqu was somewhat startled: “Was the Second Miss Wen always this kind of person?”

She was puzzled; while a person’s nature is hard to change, the Second Miss Wen truly seemed to have thoroughly turned over a new leaf.

Si Jinghua curled her lips: “Naturally, you wouldn’t understand.”

The current Wen Chenqing was no longer the Second Miss Wen of the past.

Yet, besides her, not a single person had noticed anything amiss.

She put the document away, a hint of self-satisfaction coloring her brow.

Fuqu blinked in confusion; she certainly didn’t understand, but she had no intention of prying.

Just as she had nearly lost her composure this morning upon discovering that Her Highness had actually slept under the same quilt as the Second Miss Wen—since Her Highness didn’t mention it, she naturally wouldn’t overstep her bounds to ask.

Fuqu shifted the conversation elsewhere: “Your Highness, Handan says that Physician Gongsun will arrive in a few days.”

“In a few days, then…” Si Jinghua’s eyes showed deep thought. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the desk, and her mind drifted momentarily toward the palace walls.

As Wen Chenqing walked out of the academy’s side gate, a woman dressed in a plain-colored gown, accompanied by an attendant, came forward to meet her.

“Elder sister, please wait.” The woman, who had delicate features, gave her a polite bow and said shyly, “Forgive the intrusion, elder sister, but may I ask if this is Jinyun Academy?”

Seeing the books held by the maid at her side, Wen Chenqing guessed she was here to seek an education and nodded: “It is.”

The woman let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this, revealing a grateful smile: “Thank goodness I didn’t find the wrong place. Thank you for telling me, elder sister.”

Wen Chenqing looked at the carriage not far behind her, then at her wind-blown, travel-worn appearance. After a thought, she said: “The day is growing late. Seeing as this is your first time coming to the academy to study, if you need lodging tonight, you should go in quickly to find Master Wang to arrange a dormitory for you. If you’re any later, Master Wang might have already left for the day.”

During the day, Wen Chenqing had overheard Master Wang chatting, saying that a relative would be visiting her home today and she needed to head back.

The woman was startled and said immediately: “Thank you for the reminder, elder sister. My name is Yun Qingqing—the ‘Qingqing’ from ‘Qingqing Zijin’. Might I know your name? I would like to thank you properly another day.”

“It was just a small effort,” Wen Chenqing said. “My surname is Wen—the ‘Wen’ from ‘Wen Ji Qi Wu’ (rising at the cock’s crow to practice).”

Yun Qingqing showed a toothy grin: “Thank you today, Sister Wen!”

Once the group had walked away, Wen Chenqing withdrew her gaze from Yun Qingqing and suddenly turned to ask Yinxing: “Did you notice the flower hairpin on her head?”

Yinxing recalled: “I seem to have a slight impression of it. A silk flower, very plain.”

Wen Chenqing furrowed her brows: “That silk flower was pure white.”

People of this era had taboos; they wouldn’t place white hair accessories on their heads for no reason.

White clothing and plain silk were for mourning the dead.

She dressed elegantly but plainly and wore a white silk flower; clearly, a relative had passed away, and she was in mourning.

Yinxing: “Oh! She said her surname was Yun just now!”

Wen Chenqing nodded, her eyes reflecting deep thought.

Could it really be such a coincidence?

She decided to go back and find the information she had asked someone to investigate at the Yun Family Manor last time; she couldn’t remember what the Second Miss of the Yun family was named.

On the way back, Wen Chenqing suddenly saw something and called for the carriage to stop, telling Yinxing to wait inside.

She rolled up her sleeves and got out. In less than fifteen minutes, she returned cradling a large bouquet of flowers.

“What is Miss doing? If you like these flowers, you could just have ordered me to go down and pick them,” Yinxing looked at her curiously.

Wen Chenqing looked at the flowers in her arms and pursed her lips into a smile: “You wouldn’t understand.”

Yinxing looked blankly at her mistress, who was smiling to herself.

By the time they returned to the villa, it was already dark.

Throughout the journey, Wen Chenqing had meticulously selected the flowers she picked, wrapped them in a sheet of clean Xuan paper, and finally tied them with a silk ribbon into an ingenious flower knot.

Because Wen Chenqing now left early and returned late, two lanterns were always left lit at the villa’s main gate for illumination.

As the carriage stopped, A-Jin’s voice reached Wen Chenqing’s ears.

“Why does it seem a bit late today?”

Wen Chenqing lifted the curtain and jumped down, holding out the bouquet in front of A-Jin.

A-Jin was caught off guard by the flowers, her face going blank for a moment.

“This is?”

The flowers made her lotus-like face appear even more ethereal. Wen Chenqing restrained her shyness, took A-Jin’s hand, and revealed a smile: “I saw the flowers were blooming beautifully on the way back, so I thought I’d let you see them too.”

The number of times she had thought of A-Jin at the academy today was truly too many.

Whenever her mind went idle, she would wonder what A-Jin was doing at that moment, no matter what she saw.

Seeing the beautiful flowers on the road, she couldn’t wait to share them with A-Jin.

Scenting the fragrance at the tip of her nose, A-Jin scratched Wen Chenqing’s palm, her eyes shimmering like water: “So you were late returning because you were picking flowers.”

Wen Chenqing looked at her: “Are the flowers not pretty?”

She simply wanted to share the beauty she had seen with her. There were no cameras in ancient times, so she could only hand-pick a bouquet for her.

“They are extremely pretty.” The corners of A-Jin’s lips curved. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around Wen Chenqing’s waist, pressing her cheek against hers. When she spoke, the hot air brushed directly against the base of Wen Chenqing’s ear: “But more than seeing pretty flowers, I wanted to see A-Qing sooner.”

Before Wen Chenqing could even feel a tiny bit of disappointment at A-Jin’s words, her attention was pulled away by the intimate contact.

She supported A-Jin’s waist, her palms burning hot.

Suddenly, her gaze met that of Yinxing, whose mouth was hanging wide open.

Yinxing stared in horror at the two people embracing.

Only then did Wen Chenqing remember she hadn’t told Yinxing about her current relationship with A-Jin.

With her attention shifting only slightly, Wen Chenqing’s hand suddenly twitched, squeezing the soft waist of the person in her arms.

“…It hurts.” The person in her arms whimpered slightly, releasing her.

Wen Chenqing hurried to loosen her grip, gently rubbing the spot: “Who told you to suddenly do something so strange?”

The base of her ears was still burning red, especially the left earlobe, which seemed to still hold a warm, damp sensation.

Si Jinghua found Wen Chenqing’s rubbing quite comfortable and leaned even closer. “A-Qing’s earlobes are pink; they’re very pretty.”

How could she possibly see clearly in the middle of the night?

“Even if they’re pretty, you can’t—”

A-Jin’s phoenix eyes blinked slightly, asking with a smile: “Can’t what?”

Can’t lick them!

Wen Chenqing screamed in her head, but the moment she met A-Jin’s eyes, she felt as if she were being bewitched. She couldn’t help but give her a quick peck on the cheek.

Just as she finished the kiss and was about to pull away, A-Jin suddenly cupped her head with both hands.

Si Jinghua’s thumb pressed against Wen Chenqing’s lips; the soft flesh of her lips indented slightly. She rubbed them twice, her eyes deepening.

Wen Chenqing was forced to stay at a distance where her nose was touching A-Jin’s. Their breaths began to tangle and exchange.

At this distance, she could clearly see the change in A-Jin’s gaze.

Wen Chenqing swallowed nervously.

Yinxing had just left in a daze, and now, in front of the quiet gate, only she and A-Jin remained.

The silent air became somewhat heavy.

A-Jin kissed her.

A gentle kiss where their lips just pressed together.

It felt as if an electric current suddenly surged through Wen Chenqing’s entire body—numbing, tingling, and a bit pleasant.

After the light kiss, the two separated.

Wen Chenqing moved back two inches and felt her foot step on something.

She looked down and found the bouquet of flowers she had personally and meticulously prepared.

Wen Chenqing bent down to pick it up, only to find that her solid step just now had left the flowers messy and soiled. The wilted flowers were crushed together, and some petals had even been stepped off.

Her good mood was instantly affected.

The first bouquet of flowers sent after starting their relationship hadn’t even been in A-Jin’s hands for fifteen minutes before turning into this.

Wen Chenqing knit her brows slightly. Looking at the pathetic state of the flowers, she inexplicably felt a sense of ill omen.

She lifted her head to look at A-Jin’s back as she walked ahead. Her pounding heartbeat slowly subsided, returning to a normal rhythm.

Once inside, A-Jin noticed Wen Chenqing was still holding something.

“These flowers?”

Wen Chenqing pursed her lips: “I accidentally stepped on them just now.”

She gently flicked the miserable-looking flowers with her hand.

Si Jinghua had only noticed that Wen Chenqing’s lips looked delicious just now and had forgotten she was holding something.

It was just a bouquet of flowers—wildflowers, not some precious species. If they were ruined, they were ruined.

However, seeing Wen Chenqing holding the flowers looking a bit pathetic, Si Jinghua touched her face and said affectionately: “It’s nothing. The flowers aren’t important.”

Her fingertip brushed across Wen Chenqing’s soft lips. Si Jinghua thought with satisfaction that if she liked flowers, she could order the conservatory to transplant some precious species another day.

…Not important?

Wen Chenqing stared into A-Jin’s phoenix eyes and found that they reflected nothing but herself. The sense of unease that had come from nowhere slowly faded away.

She relaxed her brow and said easily: “I’ll pick some more for you another day.”

Si Jinghua gave a casual hum of agreement.

The Imperial Garden in the palace had precious flowers competing for beauty, and flower-viewing banquets were frequently held in the capital; she had long since grown tired of such things.

While A-Jin went to wash up, Wen Chenqing still found a vase, picked out the remaining intact flowers, and placed them inside.

Then, she found the items she had put away a while ago, opened the envelope, and scanned the lines. Finally, at the end of the page, she found the information she wanted.

…Second Miss of the Yun family, Yun Qingqing…

Yun Qingqing.

Yun Zijin.

Qingqing Zijin.

A-Jin’s full name was actually Yun Zijin.

So this Yun Qingqing she met at the academy was actually A-Jin’s half-sister.

Wen Chenqing hesitated about whether to tell A-Jin.

But A-Jin had been traumatized into amnesia. Since she had already decided to discard her past, Wen Chenqing didn’t want her to be troubled by it again.

She thought about it and decided to just mention it in passing; if A-Jin had no impression of it, then so be it. The past was just the past, and she and A-Jin would have a new future.

Before sleep, as the two huddled close, Wen Chenqing let her toy with her fingers and asked with lowered eyes: “A-Jin, do you have any impression of the name ‘Qingqing’?”

“Qingqing?” Si Jinghua looked at her teasingly. “‘Qingqing Zijin, you are always in my heart’—doesn’t this poem perfectly describe us? Does A-Qing want me to call you that?”