Seducing the Heart - Chapter 9

“Jin’er is indeed clever; she memorized that volume of policy essays so quickly.”

“Little Prince! Little Prince, please slow down, be careful not to fall.”

“The deer the Prince hunted looks so beautiful, how impressive!”

The images continued to shift incessantly.

Yun Jin lay on the couch, eyes closed, clutching the brocade quilt with an uneasy expression.

“You were the one who shattered that vase sent as tribute from Dongling? Men, bring the Prince’s page here! Give him fifty lashes and make the Prince watch closely!” After a furious rebuke, the man brushed his sleeves and left heartlessly.

“Father! I didn’t break that vase.”

“Let me go! Prince, Prince, save me.”

The sound of whipping and a child’s screams echoed in her ears. Each strike seemed to lash against Yun Jin’s own heart; her breathing grew ragged, and her chest heaved violently.

“In this Imperial Palace, just because you don’t provoke others doesn’t mean they won’t frame you. Jin’er, you must always remember to be careful.” A gentle female voice seemed to possess a strange magic, gradually calming Yun Jin’s emotions and easing her furrowed brow.

“Fire! Fire! Someone, help!”

The images vanished, leaving only a world of crimson and the rhythmic cries for help in her ears.

Yun Jin snapped her eyes open and sat bolt upright. Through the haze of sleep, a blood-like phantom flicker seemed to linger before her eyes.

After a long moment, Yun Jin regained her composure. She lifted the quilt, stood up, and poured herself a cup of tea.

These nightmares had persisted for years. Everything in the dreams was fragmented, making it impossible to grasp the full truth. Yet, without fail, they always brought Yun Jin pain.

“Prince, wake up. It’s time for breakfast.” It was A’Ning’s voice.

Yun Jin hummed an acknowledgment with her eyes closed, but then she sensed something wrong with the atmosphere; the scent of cold fragrance nearby did not belong to her.

She opened her eyes and realized she was indeed lying on Qin Zhanluo’s couch.

In her dazed state after the nightmare last night, she had forgotten that she was married and had long ago yielded the couch she had slept on for years to Qin Zhanluo. Driven by instinct, she had walked to the familiar bedside and lain down.

Only now did she realize she had been sleeping on the same couch as the other woman.

“When the Princess Consort woke up early this morning, what was the expression on her face?”

Nangong Ning actually took a moment to recall carefully for Yun Jin, then replied with certainty: “The Princess Consort was just like usual: expressionless.”

Xie Lianjing placed her hand on Yun Jin’s wrist. “The pulse is relatively steady, though it shows a slight deficiency and physical weakness.”

Yun Jin withdrew her wrist and lowered her eyes. “But I have started having nightmares again recently. Senior Sister, could I trouble you to prepare a few doses of medicine to calm the nerves?”

“Jin’er.” Xie Lianjing’s brow furrowed, her worry evident. “Mental illness requires medicine for the heart. Although I can dispense medicine for you, it is only a temporary fix. You should know better than anyone that all medicine carries a degree of toxicity.”

Yun Jin gave a bitter smile. “I know, but some things simply cannot be controlled by my will.” Finally, she could only add futilely, “I shall trouble you then, Senior Sister.”

Facing Yun Jin like this, Xie Lianjing could only sigh. She had always felt a deep heartache for her junior sister. Though she knew why Yun Jin had been plagued by nightmares all these years, she was powerless to stop them.

Xie Lianjing was an orphan, raised by her Master in the Valley of Forgotten Sorrows to study medicine. She first met Yun Jin when she was fourteen. Her Master had brought her to the Imperial City, pointing to the youth standing tall beside a beautifully dressed, noble lady and saying, “Jing’er, this is your Junior Sister.”

“Ah? A girl?” Xie Lianjing had looked at the sickly-looking Yun Jin, momentarily surprised.

Only later did she learn that her junior sister was not only a woman disguised as a man but also a high-ranking “Little Prince.”

Due to Yun Jin’s unique status, she had to remain constantly vigilant to ensure she wasn’t discovered. Whenever she was injured or ill, it was difficult to seek help from the Imperial Physicians. Thus, her Master asked Xie Lianjing if she was willing to stay and care for her.

At first, Xie Lianjing remained silent and did not answer immediately. Her Master did not force her, saying he would give her time to think clearly before giving an answer. He always respected his disciples’ choices.

At that time, Yun Jin’s body was much weaker than it was now; one often worried that a gust of wind might blow her away, never to be found again.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Yun Jin took the dark, thick medicinal broth from Xie Lianjing, gently blowing on it to cool it down before drinking it in small sips.

Xie Lianjing stood beside Yun Jin, watching her take the medicine. Aside from an initial frown when the liquid first touched her tongue, Yun Jin finished the entire bowl with a calm expression, as if she were merely drinking soup.

“Senior Sister,” Yun Jin placed the empty bowl aside, a faint smile in her clear eyes. “Would you like to try this? Master said you liked them.”

As if performing a magic trick, Yun Jin produced a square-folded piece of oil-paper, from which an inviting aroma wafted out.

Xie Lianjing didn’t even need to open it to know what was inside. Her eyes flickered. “That medicine you just drank; didn’t you find it bitter?”

“Senior Sister, I”

Without waiting for Yun Jin’s answer, Xie Lianjing turned and fled.

How could it not be bitter? Out of a small, hidden resentment, Xie Lianjing had selfishly added a significant amount of coptis (bitter root) to the brew. Yun Jin must have smelled it from the start, yet she had drunk it as if nothing were wrong, allowing herself to be the target of the prank.

She had even specially saved a favorite snack for her. Facing such a gentle person, no one could maintain a temper.

When the Master finally asked Xie Lianjing if she was willing to stay by her junior sister’s side, Xie Lianjing looked over at Yun Jin, who was reading under a tree. Her face was pale and sickly, yet the calmness and composure in her eyes, so uncharacteristic of her age, were inexplicably drawing.

“This disciple is willing to stay.”

Later, Xie Lianjing remained by Yun Jin’s side. As the years passed, she came to regard Yun Jin as her own sister. Yun Jin’s health had originally improved quite a bit, but a subsequent upheaval caused a relapse of her old illness, nearly costing her life. Xie Lianjing had exhausted all her efforts to pull Yun Jin back from the gates of hell, only to watch her remain bound by the knots in her heart.

“Prince, this is the nerve-calming medicine sent by Miss Jing. She asked that you drink it while it’s hot.”

“Set it on the table for now, thank you.”

Yun Jin scanned the text in the book in her hand once more before closing it and standing up to take the bowl.

Qin Zhanluo stopped her movement. Yun Jin looked at her with some confusion.

“Does the Prince find it difficult to sleep every day?” Qin Zhanluo looked at the porcelain bowl, knowing it was not her usual tonic.

“Mm, I’ve grown used to it.” Yun Jin smiled calmly, letting Qin Zhanluo take the bowl and place it back on the table.

“Do you know the cause?” Qin Zhanluo turned to meet Yun Jin’s gaze. “Prince, do you have something on your mind?”

“Nothing.”

Even though it lasted only an instant, Qin Zhanluo caught the flicker in Yun Jin’s eyes as she answered: she was lying.

But what kind of worry could keep her awake night after night? Qin Zhanluo had even noticed Yun Jin waking up in a panic several times in the middle of the night. On many occasions, she had to struggle to restrain the urge to get up and comfort her.

But the time wasn’t right yet.

Yun Jin’s physical weakness despite years of tonics was likely closely related to this. Qin Zhanluo wanted to help Yun Jin untie the knot in her heart, but Yun Jin always avoided the subject, leaving her with no way to start.

Because Yun Jin took medicine year-round, her body carried a faint, pleasant herbal scent.

Qin Zhanluo thought for a moment, then went to retrieve the remaining incense pills from a previous batch. She skillfully broke the charcoal into small pieces, lit them until they were glowing, and placed them in the incense burner. Then, she scooped some of the burnt ash from the side and buried the new charcoal.

She performed these actions with such elegance and ease that Yun Jin stared blankly, following her movements for a long time.

Once Qin Zhanluo finished, a cold fragrance drifted slowly from the burner, lingering in the room in delicate threads. The scent was not unpleasant.

“Incense is made to be used. Whether the preparation is simple or complex, as long as it is effective, it fulfills its value,” Qin Zhanluo said calmly, her tone brooks no argument. “From tomorrow on, we shall continue to burn calming incense in the bedroom. I will personally prepare it for the Prince.”

The incense Qin Zhanluo had prepared previously had worked well for Yun Jin’s sleep. However, after Yun Jin learned how tedious the preparation process was, she refused to use it again. Though the incense was troublesome to make, it was effective at keeping nightmares at bay.

Every medicine contains some poison. Weighing the options, Qin Zhanluo naturally did not want Yun Jin to suffer.

With Qin Zhanluo’s decisive attitude, Yun Jin found it difficult to argue. She could only respond with a faint smile. “I trouble the Princess Consort then. It is late; you should rest early.”

Qin Zhanluo folded her arms and looked at Yun Jin. She remained silent at first, then smiled for no apparent reason, a glint of mischief appearing in her eyes. Seeing that expression, Yun Jin instantly became alert.

“Tonight, will the Prince still go to the wrong bed and sleep on mine?” Qin Zhanluo spoke with intentional ambiguity, her gaze lingering pointedly on Yun Jin’s sash. “The night is long; in truth, I do not mind having another person sleeping on the couch.”

“Last night, I did not intend to”

“But I wonder if the Prince remembers: you once hugged me?”

Yun Jin pretended not to hear, explaining with a composed face: “I was simply too exhausted at the time and went to the wrong couch without realizing”

“But the Prince hugged me.” Qin Zhanluo’s voice was calm as she said this, making it impossible to guess her true feelings. She simply repeated it with a touch of persistence.

“…” Yun Jin froze on the spot, suspecting her ears were beginning to burn. “I”

Qin Zhanluo let out a light laugh. “I am only teasing the Prince.”

As she passed Yun Jin, she dropped a final, airy sentence: “The Prince really is quite cute.”

Yun Jin nearly lost her composure and could only inwardly quirk an eyebrow.

The Princess Consort, why did she feel like she was being flirted with?

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