After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by the Paranoid Eldest Princess - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When she felt that physical, lingering gaze for the n-th time today, Wen Chenqing’s hand trembled while writing, and a perfect sheet of calligraphy was instantly ruined by a blot of ink.

She helplessly set down her brush and said, “Ajin, you’ve been looking at me repeatedly today. Is something the matter?”

Si Jinghua spoke up immediately: “My heart is uneasy.”

Having just learned the truth yesterday, it was only natural to be uneasy today.

Wen Chenqing said, “There are two miscellaneous journals in the stack of books by your hand; they are quite well-written. If you’re bored, you can read them to pass the time.”

In truth, what she wanted to say was that if she was bored, she should study, but that felt a bit like “showing one’s cards” too soon. Ajin was currently in a period of insecurity, and Wen Chenqing felt there was no need to force her to strive so early on.

Ajin did as she was told.

But after a short while, that shadow-like gaze fell upon her once more.

Wen Chenqing looked up: “Are the journals uninteresting to read?”

The person being questioned shook her head.

“It’s just that I have things on my mind; I can’t get into them.”

Wen Chenqing sighed inwardly and set aside her work.

“What’s wrong? Can you tell me about it?”

Ajin had likely been troubled since yesterday, wearing a miserable expression as she said, “I know how to do nothing; I am simply a burden.”

Wen Chenqing remained silent upon hearing these self-deprecating words.

Ajin began to count in detail every trouble she had caused since arriving here; she remembered every single instance clearly.

There seemed to be a subtext to her words. Wen Chenqing listened patiently to the end and asked, “Then, what are your thoughts?”

She had promised Ajin she could stay with peace of mind, but Ajin didn’t seem to have taken it to heart.

She had also suggested that Ajin start studying, but Ajin seemed unwilling.

Wen Chenqing felt she should give her some time, so she didn’t rush her, only letting her adapt to the present. But it appeared Ajin already had some ideas of her own.

Ajin began to hesitate.

After a long moment of back-and-forth, Wen Chenqing saw Ajin touch her own face. Lowering her gaze to avoid her eyes, her voice asked with a subtle, enticing hook: “A-Qing, how is my appearance?”

Wen Chenqing didn’t know how the topic had suddenly jumped to looks, but she answered honestly: “Very beautiful.”

Not just beautiful, her temperament was also unique.

Sometimes Wen Chenqing would even be dazed. Her taking Ajin in was an act of kindness, but for Ajin, someone like her naturally held a sort of initiative. If she revealed that she appreciated the other’s looks, the underlying message would be problematic, so she always exercised restraint.

“Then… do you like it?”

The warm, soft words entered her ears, bringing a shock to Wen Chenqing no less than a sudden thunderclap overhead. It was terrifying.

Her eyes widened: “Ajin, what do you mean?”

Good heavens, surely it wasn’t what she thought it meant?

But Ajin’s words confirmed her unlucky suspicion.

“I… I thought about it and realized I have nothing else to repay you with. I’ve lost my memory, yet I can see that you, A-Qing, are a lady of a great family. Although I don’t know why you live here, I see there is no intimate person by your side to care for you. I have no way to repay you… A-Qing, can I stay by your side? That way, we can be together forever.”

“…”

Was this the real-life version of “having nothing to repay, so I offer myself in marriage”?

But she didn’t need that!

Wen Chenqing rejected her decisively and began to reflect on what part of her behavior had given Ajin such an idea.

“I don’t need you to do this. Helping you comes from my own heart; I don’t need anything in return,” Wen Chenqing said seriously. “Did I give you any bad hints before? If I did, I am deeply sorry.”

Otherwise, why would a woman who could flee a marriage for freedom say something today that completely contradicted her previous actions?

Could it be yesterday’s hug? Wen Chenqing thought suspiciously, but she truly had no other intentions—it was pure comfort!

Well, perhaps in ancient times, that action really was somewhat scandalous?

Wen Chenqing felt she needed to be more mindful of boundaries in the future.

“You did not,” Ajin said, biting her lip.

Wen Chenqing said firmly, “Then do not say such things again in the future.”

She didn’t believe Ajin truly wanted something to happen between them; how long had they even known each other?

It was likely that Ajin was momentarily panicked and mindlessly thought of doing something to seek peace of mind.

Wen Chenqing left Ajin alone in the room to process her emotions.

When she went out, she happened to see Yinxing talking to Madame Chen, looking indignant.

“What are you two chatting about?”

Madame Chen offered a greeting.

Seeing her lady was curious, Yinxing immediately said, “Does Lady remember the child who was hit that day when we were at the restaurant?”

Wen Chenqing nodded; she certainly remembered. She also recalled the aged faces and hunched backs of the couple.

Yinxing said sympathetically, “That child died. I heard that when he was sent to the clinic, there weren’t many external injuries, but he breathed his last in just one night.”

Madame Chen sighed, “Truth be told, I knew that child. Their family finally saw their days getting better with great difficulty, and now the parents are seeing their child go before them. Sigh.”

Seeing that the master and Yinxing were both curious, she told them what she knew.

“That family’s surname is Hu. In the early years, their family had plenty of land and some money; they hired a teacher to start the child’s schooling early. But a few years ago, the harvest was bad, there were natural disasters, and the elders in the house fell ill. They had no choice but to sell some property. Despite spending a lot of money, the elders still passed away. Although the family isn’t what it used to be, the child was bright and there was hope for the future, so they gritted their teeth to provide for his studies. Who would have thought such a calamity would occur that day.”

“How pitiful.” Yinxing asked, “Do they have other children?”

Madame Chen said, “The most pitiful part is right here. I heard the couple has some physical issues, and this child was conceived with great difficulty. They raised him with meticulous care, and now the child is gone. What will they do in the future?”

Yinxing was furious: “The person who rode the horse through the streets that day should be thrown into the great prison!”

She turned to the silent Wen Chenqing and said, “Lady, those bailiffs are too hateful. They actually let the person who rode the horse go! He rode through the streets that day; he is clearly the murderer!”

Madame Chen said, “That person is the nephew of the County Magistrate. How would the bailiffs dare to offend him? I heard people say the officials even claimed the child shouldn’t have been standing there—being so big already, how could he not know to run away?”

Yinxing was stunned. Lately, she had been reading wuxia novels about “avenging wrongs,” and her face turned red with excitement at these words: “Utterly shameless!”

“Shameless indeed,” Wen Chenqing said. “Was there any compensation?”

Madame Chen sighed: “There was at first. But the Hu couple wanted the government to seek justice for them with the autopsy report, so they refused it. Those people saw that the Hus were being ‘difficult’ and simply threw some silver scraps and rode away.”

“Bah! How much are silver scraps even worth!” Yinxing said angrily.

Wen Chenqing pressed, “So the matter just ended like that?”

Madame Chen smiled bitterly: “How can commoners fight with officials?”

The Hu couple was naturally unwilling, but they had no way to report upward. If they went too often, they would be driven away, and in the shoving, they would even get injured.

Wen Chenqing wanted to say that if the Hu couple wanted justice, they could hire a legal counselor or file an appeal.

But she fell silent again.

In modern society, even with the high prevalence of the internet where the public can use the power of public opinion to denounce lawbreakers, it is still difficult—let alone in ancient times.

One misstep, and one’s life would be forfeit.

The word “law” in ancient times was merely used to restrain the common people; once it faced the powerful and wealthy, it became as flexible as if it didn’t exist.

Wen Chenqing felt heavy-hearted. She pulled herself together and asked Madame Chen to tell her about the County Magistrate of Yaoding.

The County Magistrate’s surname was Bai, a successful candidate of the 3rd year of Yankang. Since passing the exams, he had been stationed away from the capital. Over the years, his political achievements had been mediocre, which was why he remained a seventh-rank County Magistrate.

Seeing Wen Chenqing’s serious expression, Madame Chen hesitated for a moment and then revealed that the County Secretary beside the Magistrate had an old grudge. The Hu family’s matter wasn’t originally so well-known; it seemed someone was pushing it from behind.

Wen Chenqing suddenly remembered something: “Since he came to Yaoding the year before last, would this year happen to be the three-year evaluation?”

She knew from her memories that not long ago, the daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel had mentioned this.

Yinxing often followed her in and out of the academy and remembered this: “Lady, half a month ago, when you had a conflict with Miss Ji from the Vice Minister’s family, she mentioned it.”

“…” Wen Chenqing chose to ignore the word “conflict” and said, “Since it happens to coincide with the evaluation…”

She grew thoughtful.

In the evening, Wen Chenqing did not go out as usual. Instead, she locked herself in her room. By the candlelight, she spread out a sheet of Xuan paper and recalled what she had seen and heard at the restaurant that day.

On her first day at the villa, she had studied the laws of the current dynasty. The Yuanyong Statutes stated: those who gallop carriages or horses through streets and alleys shall be flogged fifty times; those who intentionally kill or injure people shall have their sentence reduced by one degree from intentional homicide.

The perpetrator’s actions were clearly negligent homicide.

That day, the street was bustling with people. The time and location of the accident were very clear, and there were plenty of witnesses. Since the Hu couple had an autopsy report, that added physical evidence.

As for those thrown silver scraps, they could be called evidence rather than compensation.

Wen Chenqing took up her brush and calmly drafted a petition that was simple in language but clearly organized.

There was a knock on the door. Without looking up, she said, “Enter.”

Yinxing entered with a solemn face: “Lady, the Hu couple said they are willing to do anything as long as they can get justice for their child.”

She handed over something else: “This is the autopsy report you asked me to copy.”

Wen Chenqing took it: “Thank you for your hard work.”

Yinxing looked at her expectantly: “Lady, with these, if we appeal to the higher-ups, can we really put that bad man in the great prison?”

“I don’t know.” Wen Chenqing sighed and said frankly: “The capital has sent people to evaluate the local magistrates. Since the County Secretary pushed this matter from behind, it should be feasible to have him leak the evaluation officer’s arrival time to the Hu couple.”

At that time, if the Hu couple beats the drum to cry for justice at the county yamen during the evaluation, the matter will surely explode and alarm the evaluation officer.

“But whether it succeeds or not, we still have to see the result.”

Wen Chenqing packed the drafted petition and handed it to Yinxing.

“For now, this is all we can do. Yinxing, you must deliver the letter to them, and don’t forget what I instructed you.”

Yinxing nodded with conviction and tucked the letter away.

Before leaving, she hesitated but finally spoke, her eyes sparkling: “Lady, you are so different now compared to before. I really like the current you!”

After shouting this, her face turned red, and she ran out, nearly bumping into someone.

“…”

Wen Chenqing was stunned.

In truth, she had simply encountered this matter and couldn’t act as if it didn’t exist; she had to do something to give herself peace of mind.

She saw Ajin standing at the door, supporting her left shoulder.

“Why are you here?”

“I saw you didn’t exercise tonight, so I came to check.” Si Jinghua’s eyes shifted slightly as she asked tentatively: “I heard Miss Yinxing say you are very different from before. Is it true?”

Wen Chenqing lied smoothly: “It is indeed different. I used to act a bit recklessly, but people grow up. After experiencing something at a certain moment, perhaps they start to mature. It’s likely because of this that Yinxing said so.”

Seeing Ajin’s thoughtful look, she didn’t panic. Even Yinxing, who was with her day and night, didn’t think much of it; after all, the idea of ghosts and gods was truly far-fetched.

Moreover, this person had never appeared in her memories.

She saw Ajin relax her beautiful eyebrows, revealing a look of sorrow: “You usually have a set routine for your time. Today is different from before. Is it because my words during the day bothered you?”

Wen Chenqing looked directly at her face, which appeared even more extraordinary under the dim candlelight.

A little, but not much.

But she still had to consider other people’s feelings. She said, “Not at all; I just heard some other upsetting things.”

Ajin asked what it was.

Wen Chenqing briefly explained the events of the day.

Ajin remained silent for a long time, pity appearing on her face: “Poor child.”

Wen Chenqing looked at her reaction with some curiosity.

Seeing this, Si Jinghua’s eyes shifted, and she asked in a soft, warm tone: “Why does A-Qing look at me like that?”

Wen Chenqing didn’t know if she was overthinking. She chose her words carefully: “You don’t seem… angry?”

Si Jinghua thought she had seen through the fact that there wasn’t much pity in her heart. She was stunned for a moment: “Angry?”

Wen Chenqing hummed in affirmation, finding it more and more peculiar the more she thought about it.

During the day, whether it was Yinxing’s anger or Madame Chen’s sighing sympathy, those two vivid, living faces flashed alternately before her eyes.

But Ajin—Ajin pitied the child, yet if she truly pitied him, why did she have no reaction when hearing of the unjust judgment?

Si Jinghua realized her slip and said with a sorrowful look: “I am naturally angry. How could the bailiffs let the person go so easily? But even if I am angry, what can I do? I myself need to rely on you.”

The subtle feeling Wen Chenqing just had was immediately dispelled. She spoke with some chagrin: “I’m sorry, I didn’t consider things from your perspective.”

Ajin gave her a resentful look.

Wen Chenqing immediately felt things were going south: “It’s late; you should go back and rest early. Only with enough sleep can you replenish your Qi and blood.”

She hurriedly saw the guest off, fearing Ajin would stay and say more things she couldn’t handle.

After seeing her off and waiting for Yinxing to return, Wen Chenqing also put out the lamp to rest.

Outside, a fine rain began to fall with a rustling sound. Wen Chenqing wrapped her quilt tighter, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night.

Knock, knock, knock—

Awakened by the urgent sound, Wen Chenqing got out of bed and opened the door. Along with the moist scent of rain, what met her eyes was Ajin’s panic-stricken face.

Seeing her open the door, Ajin threw herself into her arms like a swallow returning to its nest, her voice trembling.

“A-Qing, I dreamed of that child. She was covered in blood. I’m so scared!”