Seducing the Heart - Chapter 27

Yun Jin avoided the main point and glossed over the topic. She felt, for no clear reason, that calling the other party by her childhood name while in her current identity was still a bit too intimate. The relationship between them had already become exceptionally subtle; they should not take another step further.

During the time for rest, Yun Jin lay down in the spot she had silently demarcated. Qin Zhanluo removed her hairpin, letting her ink-black hair fall naturally over her shoulders. When the other woman inadvertently leaned closer, that nameless cold fragrance quietly and faintly swirled around Yun Jin’s nose.

Once Qin Zhanluo had settled down, Yun Jin finally could not help but ask, “Princess Consort, are you wearing some kind of sachet on your person?” To avoid appearing abrupt, she instinctively added, “It smells very pleasant.”

Qin Zhanluo was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly realized the reason and gave a casual smile. She intentionally extended her arm toward Yun Jin, stopping at an appropriate distance.

“Is the scent the Prince speaks of this one?”

Within a few breaths, Yun Jin realized the truth. There was no sachet; the source of this cold fragrance was clearly the other woman’s body. It was, in fact, Qin Zhanluo’s natural scent, which explained why it was usually so elusive. It could only be detected when they were close.

Yun Jin felt a wave of embarrassment. She had asked so frankly just now, only to realize her question was no different from that of a lecher. Meanwhile, Qin Zhanluo was intentionally fanning the flames, her tone feigning solemnity. “Does the Prince find that he likes it?”

This was not an easy question to answer. If she said she liked it, it would seem slightly frivolous and rude; but if she said she did not, it would sound as if she were repulsed by her. It was a dilemma, but unfortunately, it was a pit Yun Jin had dug for herself.

“…” Yun Jin’s face showed nothing, but she secretly began to regret her words. She should not have asked.

Qin Zhanluo continued to watch her from the side, waiting patiently for Yun Jin’s answer. Her plain sleeping robes were somewhat thin. Yun Jin’s eyes flickered, and she regained her usual composure. She reached out and pulled the thin quilt up slightly for Qin Zhanluo.

She offered a thoughtful reminder: “The night is deep and the dew is heavy. The Princess Consort should be careful not to catch a cold.”

“…” A few sparks of interest flashed in Qin Zhanluo’s eyes. She knew it; this person always thought of ways to placate her. She was trying to divert the topic so easily again. Qin Zhanluo wondered from whom A-Jin had learned this tactic.

Thinking this, Qin Zhanluo relaxed her posture, a trace of languor appearing between her brows. The gaze she directed at Yun Jin, however, was filled with clear mockery. Yun Jin pretended not to see the other’s emotions, determined to carry the fine quality of “playing dumb” to the very end. “I am feeling somewhat weary. This journey by carriage is exhausting; the Princess Consort should also remember to rest early.”

After speaking, she turned over in a proper manner, looking for all the world as if she were ready to sleep. Qin Zhanluo glanced at the light, soft quilt the other had wrapped around her and sighed almost imperceptibly.

Fine, I shall let you off this time.

She looked at Yun Jin’s back, a faint smile flashing in her eyes. You had better be careful; it won’t be so easy to gloss things over next time.

The journey was tedious and uninteresting, and supplies were scarce. Ying Xi squatted on the ground, idly drawing with a wooden stick. She had never studied painting, so her duck didn’t look like a duck and her chicken didn’t look like a chicken; they were just a mess of lines. It vaguely resembled a small animal with two feet.

Ying Xi curled her lip and used her foot to scuff the dirt, burying her latest creation. If they were still at the manor, she could be playing chess or kicking shuttlecocks with Cui’er and the others. At the very least, they could gather to chat and exchange stories about the newly written scripts they had sneaked a look at.

She truly didn’t know how the Prince and the Princess could stand staying in the carriage. Then Ying Xi reflected that neither of them had a lively personality, so it was normal. After all, her Princess was someone who could sit quietly in a study for a whole day without eating or drinking just to paint.

However, it seemed Miss Xie was also enjoying herself. Last time she went to check, the other woman was reading a dry medical text with great relish. Ying Xi couldn’t help but sigh. Fine, fine. Looking at it this way, I am the only one who feels bored.

“Hey! This little grey thing is quite stubborn! It dares to kick me!” A traveling guard stood with one hand on his hip, holding up a small creature he had caught. He threatened it happily, “If you scratch me again, believe it or not, I’ll roast you right now?”

Ying Xi was drawn by the commotion and glanced over. Her eyes instantly lit up. “A Moon Spirit!”

“Miss Ying Xi, we caught a little thing. We’ll trouble you to deliver it to the Prince and Princess Consort.”

When Ying Xi held the rabbit by its ears, her joy was plain to see. She wasn’t bored anymore! She held and teased it for a while before eagerly bringing it to the carriage where the Princess was.

“This Moon Spirit is quite adorable.” Yun Jin looked at the grey rabbit in Qin Zhanluo’s arms, which wasn’t particularly handsome, but her eyes held a bit of interest. The Moon Spirit was entirely grey, soft and warm to the touch, with a very nice feel. She discovered a small crescent moon mark on its leg, though she couldn’t tell if it was natural or man-made. It was quirky and looked quite special.

Qin Zhanluo rhythmically stroked the soft fur of the little creature in her arms, echoing Yun Jin’s view. “It is so cute. I imagine it won’t taste bad either.”

As if sensing something, the grey rabbit shivered in Qin Zhanluo’s arms, looking piteously back and forth between her and Yun Jin.

“…” The smile on Yun Jin’s face stiffened, and her tone became hesitant. “The Princess Consort… wants to eat it?”

“Naturally.” Qin Zhanluo held the grey rabbit up to inspect it, a smile flashing quickly through her eyes followed by a solemn expression. “This Moon Spirit looks quite active, so it must love to move. Once the fur is plucked and it is parboiled, supplemented with a few seasonings, the flavor should be top-grade.”

As if it understood human speech, the grey rabbit was so terrified by Qin Zhanluo’s words that its eyes rolled back and it fainted. Seeing this, Yun Jin took the Moon Spirit by its ears and negotiated with Qin Zhanluo. “I see that it is quite light. How about we keep it for a few days first?”

“Since the Prince has spoken, we shall keep it for a while.”

So this person actually likes rabbits, Qin Zhanluo thought privately.

The grey rabbit was actually very intelligent. Sensing Yun Jin’s affection, it took a great liking to clinging to her side, acting spoiled and rolling around. As for Qin Zhanluo, whenever she looked over, it would shrink into Yun Jin’s arms and peek at her, avoiding her whenever possible. That aggrieved appearance almost made Qin Zhanluo laugh in spite of herself.

Things were peaceful during the day, but when it came time to sleep at night, this little thing became a major obstacle. Its will to live was extremely strong; it was always afraid Qin Zhanluo would catch and roast it while Yun Jin wasn’t looking, especially while she was asleep. Therefore, it took a particular liking to huddling right against Yun Jin’s side.

This inadvertently made the gaze Qin Zhanluo directed at it even less friendly. A tiny Moon Spirit was actually trying to play tricks in front of her.

The grey rabbit had been asleep, but its alertness remained. Feeling a subtle movement, it opened its round eyes. From its perspective, it could see the cold woman’s hand attempting to rest on Yun Jin’s waist. The woman was currently looking at it coldly, the warning in her eyes unmistakable.

The grey rabbit quietly shrunk its round body, gathering strength and preparing to flee at any moment. At worst, it would kick the other human who pampered it until she woke up! Let’s see if the woman still dared to bully a rabbit!

But before it could kick its legs, the cold woman reached out an arm and scooped it up in advance. It didn’t even get to touch the ends of Yun Jin’s ink-black hair. Knowing the rabbit hadn’t done it on purpose, Qin Zhanluo still looked at it with unfriendly eyes since it clung to Yun Jin every day. Held by its ears, the grey rabbit didn’t even dare to struggle or kick its legs. It even wanted to perform a “playing dead” act. The meat of a dead rabbit isn’t fresh; it definitely won’t taste good.

Qin Zhanluo let out a scoff and casually tossed it off the soft couch where the two were lying. She then turned to look at Yun Jin, who was entirely unaware of the incident. She leaned in slightly and sniffed gently; Yun Jin carried a faint medicinal fragrance that was very pleasant and reassuring.

The grey rabbit tumbled to the side. Since Qin Zhanluo hadn’t used much force, it was naturally uninjured. It silently moved further away, realizing it had escaped danger.

When Yun Jin woke up, she found the grey rabbit sleeping soundly by the table, which confused her. It had clearly been huddled beside her last night; why had the little fellow moved there by the time she woke up? She couldn’t help but look toward Qin Zhanluo with suspicion. Seeing the other woman acting perfectly composed, she easily dismissed her doubts. She simply stroked the rabbit’s ears and whispered a warning, “Do not run around next time. I won’t care if someone roasts you.”

The grey rabbit seemed to have a nightmare at that exact moment and gave an instinctive shiver.

Overall, the grey rabbit lived a very leisurely life. Not only did it have enough carrots and greens to eat every day, but it could also huddle in Yun Jin’s arms to act spoiled and doze off, feeling very majestic.

When Qin Zhanluo stepped out of the carriage, the grey rabbit would idly gnaw on a carrot inside the compartment, its two large front teeth proving very useful. Yun Jin would be holding a new volume of political essays, occasionally lifting a teacup from the small table.

The carriage curtain moved slightly, and Qin Zhanluo gave the grey puffball on the floor a cool glance. Sensing danger, the grey rabbit kicked its hind legs and charged into Yun Jin’s arms like a small cannonball. Yun Jin was knocked back onto the soft couch by the significantly heavier grey fluff. She was stunned for a moment, clearly not having regained her senses.

The grey rabbit kicked frantically in Yun Jin’s arms in its nervousness, until its ears were ruthlessly lifted by a hand and it was tossed aside.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” Qin Zhanluo reached out to help Yun Jin up, glancing at the grey rabbit lying there playing dead. When she looked back, her gaze toward Yun Jin’s chest became deep.

Yun Jin’s clothes had been ruffled by the fat rabbit’s kicking, and her collar had pulled open. Her snowy skin was slightly exposed, and her delicate collarbone was half-visible.

“…Princess Consort?” Yun Jin sensed something was wrong. Following Qin Zhanluo’s gaze, she looked down at herself and immediately reached up to tidy her robes. The tips of her ears burned slightly.

Qin Zhanluo was the first to turn her head away, though a slight smile played on her lips. Her voice was clear and cold, perfectly composed: “Rest assured, Your Highness. Zhanluo saw nothing.”

But the trace of casual amusement in her tone was clearly an attempt to cover something up. Qin Zhanluo fixed her gaze on the grey rabbit still pretending to be a corpse. Based on its performance just now, perhaps she really could leave this little fool a way to live.

Consequently, for the next half a day, what made the grey rabbit’s skin crawl was that the cold woman actually began to feed it! Did this mean it would be roasted and eaten after a couple more days of pampering? While the grey rabbit carefully gnawed on a vegetable with its front teeth, it looked piteously toward Yun Jin with its red eyes.

Yun Jin felt she had unexpectedly interpreted the cry for help in its eyes. She thought idly: Why is this rabbit so afraid of my Princess Consort? It is very strange.

Noticing the exchange between the human and the rabbit, Qin Zhanluo raised an eyebrow. “At the rate it is eating, it should be ready for the roasting fire very soon.”

The grey rabbit seemed to understand her words and immediately dared not eat anymore. But frightened by Qin Zhanluo’s cold gaze, it could only continue to take small, tasteless bites of the vegetable.

“…” Yun Jin caught the flash of amusement in Qin Zhanluo’s eyes and knew she was intentionally scaring the rabbit. She felt somewhat helpless. However, the previously slim Moon Spirit had indeed grown into a little ball of meat; it was becoming a bit tiring to hold for long. Yun Jin was truly worried it would eventually be roasted on a whim by Qin Zhanluo. She decided to find an opportunity to secretly release it.

Xie Lianjing poked the grey rabbit in Yun Jin’s arms with her finger, looking quite disgusted. “Tsk. It’s so much fatter than when I first saw it. It can really eat.”

The grey rabbit showed its cunning round eyes, secretly observing her.

“Are you sure you want to release it?” Xie Lianjing stroked the rabbit’s ears with great reluctance, her tone quite regretful. “If I were to simmer it with some herbs and spices, it would nourish the body and taste good. Wouldn’t that be better?” Since the rabbit was so fat, if she simmered it over a slow fire in her medicinal pot, she could certainly make it fragrant.

Yun Jin gave a dry cough. “Senior Sister, it has accompanied me for these few days after all. Let it go.”

“Fine, fine.” Xie Lianjing took the rabbit. It was indeed heavy, so she whispered to it with even more disdain, “You got off easy.”

Yun Jin secretly had Xie Lianjing walk far away to release the rabbit, keeping it a total secret.

“Where is that grey rabbit?” Qin Zhanluo asked, finding it strange that Yun Jin wasn’t holding the rabbit and feeding it carrots as usual, and there was no sign of it in the carriage.

“I don’t know. It can’t be found.” Yun Jin drank her tea, pretending nothing was wrong.

Qin Zhanluo raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t in a hurry to find it, but instead looked at Yun Jin with a searching gaze. “Why is there a tuft of rabbit fur left on the Prince’s person?”

Yun Jin instinctively looked down to check, and instantly knew she had been tricked.

Qin Zhanluo watched Yun Jin with composure, her tone uncharacteristically resentful. “The Prince released my wild game. What should Zhanluo eat now?”

Yun Jin set down her teacup and awkwardly rubbed her thumb against her index finger. She thought carefully and asked, “Speaking of wild game, does the Princess Consort like to eat fish?”

Not knowing the other’s intent, Qin Zhanluo followed her heart and replied, “I do.”

They were in luck, for the group discovered a stream the next day. Yun Jin had several bamboo tubes filled with stream water and caught over a dozen fat fish, selecting one to roast personally for Qin Zhanluo.

The bonfire crackled at night, the leaping flames making everyone’s faces look softer. Yun Jin placed the prepared fish on a simple wooden rack built by the guards to roast, rotating it from time to time to ensure even heat while keeping track of the timing in her heart.

“The Prince… also knows how to roast fish?” Qin Zhanluo waited beside Yun Jin, watching her skillfully sprinkle a handful of seasoning, like herb salt, over the fish.

“When I participated in imperial hunts in the past, I practiced in the wild.” Yun Jin watched the fish begin to take on color on the rack, her eyes flickering. Gradually, a fragrance drifted out. The surrounding guards quietly sniffed the air and worked harder to add wood to the fires for the fish they were roasting for themselves.

“It is done.” Yun Jin took the steaming roasted fish off the rack and handed it to Qin Zhanluo, who was waiting beside her. “Princess Consort, try it.”

Qin Zhanluo took it, blew on it, and took a bite. “The flavor is excellent. Would the Prince also like a taste?”

“No.” Yun Jin turned her head slightly, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat lonely. “I do not like to eat fish.”

Qin Zhanluo noticed Yun Jin’s strange behavior but ultimately said nothing. She had observed before that at every banquet or meal, Yun Jin never touched fish, and there was no sign of fish within the Prince’s manor. It was like a secret, unspoken taboo.

Xie Lianjing stood slightly away from the crowd, calculating the timing of her fish in the pot. By habit, she could not do without medicinal ingredients; even when eating fish, she had to use her prepared medicinal pot to cook it over a slow fire. A fresh fragrance could already be smelled in the air. Xie Lianjing narrowed her eyes and added another piece of dry wood, then glanced to the side as Ying Xi approached with a fish she had roasted.

“Miss Xie, why aren’t you with everyone else?”

Xie Lianjing returned her focus to the simmering fish and replied casually, “Too many people, I find it hot.”

When Ying Xi first arrived at the manor, her personality was quite steady and she spoke very little. She had likely been influenced by the free spirit of the manor, for she had now become very talkative. It had reached the point where she felt uncomfortable if she didn’t find someone to talk to. Since none of the chatty little maids from the manor had come on this trip, Ying Xi felt truly bored and simply tried to find Xie Lianjing for a chat.

As they talked about various things, she mentioned the Prince personally roasting fish for Qin Zhanluo. Xie Lianjing suspected she had misheard and confirmed it once more. “You said Yun Jin roasted a fish for your Princess?”

Ying Xi nodded, not knowing why the other woman had reacted only to this topic. A strange look flashed through Xie Lianjing’s eyes.

She now felt somewhat unable to see through the relationship between those two.

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