After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by the Paranoid Eldest Princess - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Having stayed up for more than half the night, Wen Chenqing nearly overslept in the morning, only waking when she heard Yinxing’s low, calling voice.

Even though she kept her movements as light as possible while getting up, sitting up still allowed the outside air to slip into the warm cocoon of the quilt.

Sensing that A-Jin was about to wake, Wen Chenqing carefully tucked in the corners of the quilt for her, covering the exposed skin that was dotted with faint red marks.

“Sleep a little longer, I’m heading to the academy first,” Wen Chenqing whispered, seeing her eyes flutter open anyway.

“Mm…”

A-Jin’s response was soft and languid, her face still flushed with the glow of deep sleep.

Wen Chenqing’s heart melted completely; unable to resist, she gave her another gentle kiss before leaving.

At the academy, while the teacher explained the classics at the front, Wen Chenqing whose concentration was usually iron-clad was uncharacteristically absent-minded.

Fortunately, because the sunlight was extremely fierce today, the teacher decided to cancel the afternoon lessons. Instead, she organized the students to “sun the books and clothes.”

The group went to the library to systematically carry out armfuls of books and lay them out under the blazing sun.

After the books were set, several long ropes for hanging bedding had already been strung across the open space in front of the dormitories.

Wen Chenqing saw some people using rattan beaters to gently pat the hanging quilts, while others moved various items out of their rooms to air them out.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yun Qingqing slowly unrolling a scroll, her expression filled with a sorrowful yearning.

Probably a portrait of A-Jin from the past, Wen Chenqing thought.

Under normal circumstances, she might have been curious enough to walk over and look, but today she was desperate to get home. She wanted to take advantage of the canceled classes to ask the teacher for leave.

The two of them had just been intimate last night, and she had rushed off to class this morning. Since there was this impromptu activity and she didn’t live on campus anyway, she figured she should go back early to accompany A-Jin.

After all, yesterday was her first time too—though based on the performance at the time, A-Jin seemed to enjoy it.

But what if there was some discomfort afterward?

At the thought of this, she became even more impatient to take her leave from the teacher.

By the time Si Jinghua fully woke up, the sun was already hanging high in the azure sky.

She was feeling quite hungry. Mother Chen, sensing she was awake, asked for permission and immediately served the food that had been prepared long ago.

Upon hearing that Wen Chenqing had specifically ordered these preparations, the displeasure Si Jinghua felt at waking up to an empty pillow dissipated by half.

However, she was still somewhat dissatisfied.

Wen Chenqing’s goal in seeking academic honors was merely to enter officialdom. But since she—the Princess—was right here, why should Wen Chenqing go the long way around, bitterly studying every day and unable to stay by her side?

But if that were the case, her identity could no longer be hidden.

Would Wen Chenqing’s attitude change after learning who she really was?

For a rare moment, Si Jinghua felt hesitant.

This hesitation did not last long; her brow smoothed out, and she reached a decision.

Just then, there was a movement at the window.

Fuqu nimbly flipped through the window and knelt. “Your Highness, Handan and Physician Gongsun have returned. Shall I bring them in now?”

Si Jinghua sat up straight. “Bring them in immediately.”

Fuqu: “Yes.”

Outside.

Even though she had already heard of the Princess’s recent “lifestyle” from Fuqu, Handan was still stunned when she saw the window Fuqu was flipping through.

Handan was not as lively as Fuqu, but her martial skills were far superior.

Seeing her hesitate, Fuqu nudged her arm and whispered: “Hurry up. You’re supposed to be faster at flipping windows. If you stand there any longer and get caught, or delay Her Highness’s business, you’ll be in for it.”

Handan didn’t understand—did Her Highness really have to act this way?

But regardless of her confusion, the Princess’s orders had to be obeyed.

She gestured to Physician Gongsun, who was also looking dazed: “Physician Gongsun, you first. I will support you from behind.”

“…” Gongsun Ying, who considered herself no longer young, let out a sigh. She hung her medical chest on Handan’s shoulder, lifted her robes, and flipped inside.

Flipping a window—does one really need support for that?

The three of them entered through the window one after another like dumplings dropping into a pot.

After they performed their greetings, Si Jinghua looked at the middle-aged woman with the upright face and calm eyes. With a faint smile, she asked: “Physician Gongsun, you have traveled a long way. Is your health well?”

“Very well, very well,” Gongsun Ying said with a chuckle. “Since I am a healer, I wouldn’t fail to look after myself.”

When she smiled, deep wrinkles etched the corners of her eyes and forehead; they didn’t make her look old, but rather kind and trustworthy.

Si Jinghua nodded. “In that case, I can be at ease.”

She briefly mentioned the events of the past few days and then said no more, gesturing for Gongsun Ying to step forward and take her pulse.

Fuqu and Handan stood on either side of the Princess, watching the physician with burning gazes as she concentrated. When they saw her brow furrow slightly, both their hearts leaped in unison.

After a long time, Gongsun Ying withdrew her hand.

“Your Highness’s pulse is quite strange. It is rapid yet forceful, then rapid yet weak.” Gongsun Ying frowned deeply. “But upon closer inspection, the pulse pattern changes entirely again…”

As she spoke, she drifted into deep thought.

Si Jinghua’s expression remained unchanged, but the frowns on Fuqu and Handan’s faces were deep enough to crush a mosquito.

Physician Gongsun had studied under the late Divine Physician Zhang. Her medical skills were superb. If even she looked troubled, what was wrong with Her Highness’s body?

Seemingly finding a lead in her thoughts, Gongsun Ying asked: “Has Your Highness’s diet changed recently?”

Fuqu, who had been serving by the Princess’s side, said quickly: “Yes.”

She hurriedly reported what the Princess had been eating lately. If she missed anything, Si Jinghua calmly supplemented the details.

Gongsun Ying’s nose twitched as she sniffed the air intently. Then she asked: “What incense does Your Highness usually use?”

Si Jinghua turned to look at Fuqu.

Since she had been staying with Wen Chenqing, she had not used her previous incense in the house.

Fuqu frowned and said: “The Princess’s clothes are all newly made. Before they were sent to the villa, they were scented with the ‘Soul-Soothing Incense’ Your Highness habitually uses.”

She walked to the window and gave a secret signal, ordering someone to bring the items immediately.

While waiting, Si Jinghua asked Gongsun Ying: “Physician Gongsun, do you have a theory?”

Gongsun Ying replied: “I can only reach a conclusion after seeing the items Your Highness uses.”

Si Jinghua offered no opinion, her brow cold as if frosted with ice.

Fuqu murmured from the side: “Your Highness’s clothing, food, and daily necessities are managed by the Palace Bureaus of Clothing, Food, and Bedding. Could someone in the palace be secretly plotting against Your Highness?”

Handan’s expression turned grim.

Once the secret guards delivered the items, Gongsun Ying tasted and sniffed each one.

“Please allow me to take your pulse once more, Your Highness.”

Si Jinghua extended her arm.

This time, the pulse-taking lasted for a shorter duration. Gongsun Ying released her hand, her furrowed brows relaxing slightly as she said slowly: “Your Highness’s pulse is strange because there are toxins wreaking havoc in your body.”

Si Jinghua had expected this. With a darkened face, she asked: “What poison is it?”

Gongsun Ying took on a recollecting look and said: “This poison is very treacherous. It is called The Fading of the Pearl Face. I read about it in my master’s hidden books. It says this poison ‘appears as nourishment but acts as conflict; changes occur over time, and incense triggers the killing intent.’ Someone has placed this poison in Your Highness’s food and incense. If the food and incense appear separately, they are both excellent tonics. But once both are used over a long period, they work from the inside and outside to quietly drain one’s essence.”

Si Jinghua thought for a moment. “Is this poison difficult for ordinary people to detect?”

Gongsun Ying nodded: “Exactly. The genius of this poison is that it causes a person to transition naturally from ‘physical weakness’ to ’emotional instability,’ eventually leading to total loss of essence and a sudden death. Even if a doctor takes the pulse, the interference of the toxin would cause them to diagnose ‘deficiency of Qi and blood.’ This poison has been lost for a long time; I didn’t expect someone could still find it to harm others.”

She also mentioned that if the victim’s blood surged in a short period, it might trigger a fainting spell.

“Your Highness’s meals recently do not contain this poisonous powder. Even if there is incense on your clothes, since only one of the two components is present, the toxins have been suppressed lately,” Gongsun Ying said. “However, it still needs to be thoroughly purged, otherwise it will continue to drain Your Highness’s health.”

Si Jinghua gripped the corner of the table, the veins on her hand bulging.

In that case, the sudden fainting after leaving the hunting grounds and the rural doctor’s diagnosis of “Qi and blood deficiency” all made sense. The change in her diet was because she had been eating with Wen Chenqing lately—using ingredients that weren’t sent from the palace and thus didn’t contain the toxin.

She asked: “Physician Gongsun, do you have a way to treat it?”

Gongsun Ying said: “When my master was alive, he encountered this poison and recorded both its properties and the cure. I merely need Your Highness’s permission to spend two days reading through the medical texts.”

Si Jinghua nodded. “Handan, take Physician Gongsun back to rest.”

Handan obeyed: “Yes, Your Highness.”

Once they had left, Si Jinghua’s face remained grim as she hissed a name through her teeth: “Si Jingyu—”

Fuqu gasped: “Your Highness means… this poison was planted by the Fourth Prince?!”

Si Jinghua’s face was like ice. “To be able to simultaneously mobilize people within three of the six Palace Bureaus, who else could it be but my dear younger brother?”

Fuqu’s face flushed red with rage. “The Fourth Prince is so cruel! Your Highness is his own elder sister from the same mother!”

While Fuqu was beyond furious, Si Jinghua merely tapped her fingers on the table, gradually suppressing her rising anger. Her expression returned to calm, as if the terrifying, ghost-like appearance from a moment ago was merely an illusion.

She relaxed her body, reclining on the couch thoughtfully. “Looking at it this way, meeting Wen Chenqing wasn’t a bad thing…” At the very least, she had realized something was wrong with her body.

According to Gongsun Ying, the poison hadn’t yet reached her core, and it had been suppressed recently. Once the prescription was found, complete eradication wouldn’t be extremely difficult.

Hearing the Princess’s mutterings and noticing the red marks on the side of the Princess’s neck that she had accidentally glimpsed, Fuqu couldn’t help but ask: “Your Highness, do you truly love Second Miss Wen? How much longer must we continue this act here?”

Observing the Princess’s attitude lately, she felt a faint sense of alarm.

The Princess had not only endured this simple dwelling but was also exceptionally different toward Second Miss Wen. Fuqu wondered: Could it be that the Princess’s backyard, which has been empty for so many years, is finally going to have someone?

But what exactly were Second Miss Wen’s strengths? Fuqu was completely baffled.

Outside the courtyard.

Wen Chenqing stepped off the carriage. Seeing the perfect sunlight, she wondered what A-Jin was doing.

Recalling A-Jin’s cute, sleeping appearance before she left this morning, a sweet smile spread across her face.

Walking into the courtyard, she found it quiet. Wen Chenqing couldn’t help but speculate: Is A-Jin taking an afternoon nap to catch up on sleep?

Well, they had been a bit late last night.

Thinking this, Wen Chenqing lightened her steps and walked into the main house. Noticing the door to the eastern study was ajar, she instinctively turned and crept closer.

Just as she moved, she heard an unfamiliar voice coming from inside—

“Your Highness, do you truly love Second Miss Wen? How much longer must we continue this act here?”