Sweetly Pampered After Marrying the Frail Prince to Ward Off Bad Luck - Chapter 4

Autumn sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled spots of light onto the walls. The courtyard of the mansion was planted with sweet osmanthus, and its sweet fragrance meandered all the way along the winding corridors.

“This is an exquisite stone bestowed by His Majesty, transported specially from Taihu Lake by a dedicated courier.” Huayi reached out and pointed toward the cyan-hued exotic rock beneath the rockery, her eyes filled with pride. “Placing it outside this pavilion is simply the most fitting choice for cooling off and enjoying the scenery during summer.”

“And these are the Eighteen Scholars camellias specially cultivated by the Prince.” Huayi stood on tiptoes to push aside the drooping branches of the weeping begonia, revealing a cluster of camellias beneath the white wall. “When they bloom in winter, they look especially bright and vibrant against the snow.”

“However, if we speak of the flowers the Prince loves most, jasmine takes the crown. But jasmine is extremely difficult to raise here in our capital; through the Prince’s meticulous care, there are only two pots—one placed in the study, and the other…”

“And the other is placed right beside the bed in the bedroom,” Meng Qing smoothly chimed in with a gentle voice. He recalled entering the room last night and spotting that pot of jasmine blooming brilliantly, its pristine white petals unfurling in layers while a rich floral fragrance permeated the entire space. At a glance, anyone could tell it was tenderly cared for by someone.

Meng Qing lowered his head slightly, his slender fingers gently brushing against the dark green leaves, his fingertips catching a layer of morning mist that resembled fine frost. The corners of his lips curved upward, his brows forming gentle crescents. With a serious and appreciative expression as he admired the garden scenery, he blended harmoniously with the gorgeous view, resembling a breathtaking masterpiece.

What a stunning painting of a beauty admiring flowers.

Huayi couldn’t help but gaze in a daze, even unconsciously slowing her breathing for fear of disturbing the beautiful scene before her. Initially, she had assumed Meng Qing was merely a country bumpkin from the south who, despite possessing a few features of good looks, lacked the refinement for high society. Yet seeing him with her own eyes now, she realized Meng Qing possessed not only extraordinary looks, but also an exceptionally precious aura of Go-with-the-flow optimism and gentle warmth that naturally drew admiring glances.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of flowing water drifted from behind the rockery. Passing through a moon gate, they unexpectedly saw a stream of living water guided past the hall, carrying falling blossoms along its current. Huayi hurriedly explained, “This is live spring water diverted from Jade Spring Mountain; it has the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and bathing in it over a long period can further strengthen bones and muscles.”

Meng Qing inwardly clicked his tongue in amazement: Ah, as expected of supreme nobility—talk about being ridiculously wealthy.

Right at that moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from atop the wall, and golden osmanthus blossoms drifted down like a shower of rain.

Meng Qing instinctively looked up, only to catch sight of an apricot-yellow hem fluttering in the breeze, the jade pendant at the waist flashing a dazzling string of light spots under the sunlight. A youth of about seventeen or eighteen was hanging upside down from the wall, winking playfully at him.

Who on earth is so bold as to dare climb the walls of the Prince of Ning’s mansion!

“So you’re the little Consort who married my Third Brother to ward off bad luck? You look not bad eh? Ah, ah, ah, ah…” Before the youth could finish speaking, he lost his footing and plunged straight down.

“Your Fifth Highness!” Huayi stamped her foot in anxiety, crying out in exasperation and helplessness, “Why are you climbing the western wall again?!”

“Quick, hurry, hurry… Sister Huayi, come pull me up, my neck seems to have twisted…”

Meng Qing and Huayi rushed forward together to “dig” His Fifth Highness out from the dirt.

“Are you alright? Quick, wipe yourself off.” Seeing that the fall was by no means light—leaving the youth grimacing in pain and scraping a patch of skin raw on his face from the pebbles—Meng Qing felt somewhat concerned.

Since Huayi had just addressed him as the Fifth Highness, Meng Qing figured he must be the Fifth Prince, Ji Lingfeng. Rumor had it that the Fifth Prince possessed a lively and unrestrained personality; seeing him today, that turned out to be entirely true.

With one hand supporting the youth’s arm and the other holding out a handkerchief, Meng Qing noticed that Ji Lingfeng kept his neck crooked, staring fixedly at him without blinking, which made Meng Qing feel somewhat apprehensive.

This kid couldn’t have fallen and knocked his brains silly, could he? QAQ.

In truth, nothing of the sort had happened; Ji Lingfeng was simply completely dumbfounded by what he saw.

Wait, what was he rambling on about earlier? He’s so pretty. He had thought he looked gorgeous from afar, but why was he even more breathtaking up close…

His skin was so fair and delicate, his eyes so large, bright, and watery, and even his lips were a pink, plump pout.

And moreover he smelled so good.

“Your Highness?” Meng Qing waved his hand in front of the youth’s eyes. Seeing no reaction whatsoever, he had no choice but to turn to Huayi and say, “The child’s gone silly; go fetch a physician quickly.”

“Ah, I’m fine, I’m doing great!” Ji Lingfeng snapped back to his senses abruptly. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the handkerchief, stood up briskly, patted the dust off his clothes, straightened his hair, and put on a smile he considered dashing. “What’s a little scrape like this? This Prince is highly skilled in martial arts; I don’t care about this at all.”

Haha, if not for the fact that he was speaking with his neck twisted sideways, I might have actually believed his tall tales.

“Go invite the physician.”

Meng Qing helped him over to rest in the garden pavilion. Imperial Physician Zhou arrived swiftly; after a thorough examination, it turned out fortunately to be just a sprain with no serious complications. After prescribing some liniment for bruises and contusions, the physician hurried away.

“Hiss—” Meng Qing watched as Ji Lingfeng sucked in a cold breath while putting on a brave, smiling front. “Haha, Third Brother’s wall is getting flimsier by the day; someone really ought to get it fixed…”

Huayi brought over a warm towel to apply a compress for the Fifth Prince. “Your Highness, do please spare us a few words. Don’t you have classes at the Imperial Academy today? Did you ditch school again?”

“What do you mean by ditching school? Sister Huayi, your words are quite unfair,” Ji Lingfeng protested with rapidly waning confidence. “I heard the news about Third Brother waking up as early as last night, and in my joy and anxiety, I couldn’t sit still in the classroom, constantly worrying about Third Brother’s health, so I asked leave from the tutor to come over…” His voice trailed off until it was barely a whisper, lacking all conviction.

Meng Qing could tell he was feeling guilty.

“If His Highness had truly asked for leave, he wouldn’t have had to climb over the wall to get in,” Huayi mercilessly exposed him.

“Pfft…” Hearing their exchange, Meng Qing couldn’t help laughing out loud.

Hearing him laugh like that, Ji Lingfeng instead felt rather embarrassed. “So, how is Third Brother’s health right now?” he asked, craning his neck in a rather comical posture.

Yet Meng Qing could tell that the care in his eyes was genuine. Meng Qing desperately wanted to answer, but he wasn’t entirely clear on the specific details of the Prince’s condition either, so he turned to cast a seeking-help gaze at Huayi.

“Although His Highness’s health has shown some improvement, the residual poison in his body has not been fully cleared, so it’s still too early to draw any conclusions.”

Meng Qing blinked his eyes. Actually, he had merely wanted Huayi to find an excuse to brush the question aside, or for the two of them to discuss the Prince’s condition when he wasn’t around. He hadn’t expected her to state it so directly.

So he was actually able to hear those words back then… So yesterday Ji Yanche really only wanted me to go bathe…

“Great! As long as there’s improvement, that’s wonderful!” Ji Lingfeng sprang up excitedly to clap his hands, only to be promptly pressed back down by a slap from Huayi.

“Your Highness, please don’t thrash about; this servant’s medicinal ointment is getting smeared out of place.” Huayi frowned as she applied the medicine for him.

Once the treatment was finished, Ji Lingfeng rose to take his leave, claiming he still had coursework to attend to and couldn’t neglect his studies. Huayi, however, muttered under her breath that he was actually just afraid of facing harsher punishments from the Grand Preceptor if his truancy dragged on too long.

Before departing, Ji Lingfeng leaned in close to Meng Qing’s ear and whispered: Do you want to go out of the mansion to play?

Meng Qing’s eyes lit up. Although this mansion was wonderful, remaining cooped up inside all the time was bound to get dull. Hearing the Fifth Prince’s proposal, Meng Qing realized he hadn’t yet properly explored the capital since arriving, and a wave of anticipation couldn’t help welling up.

When he returned to the bedchamber, Ji Yanche was still fast asleep.

The gilded intertwined-branch incense burner exhaled the subtle fragrance of traditional medicine, and a few strands of sunlight streamed indoors. Having been through the morning’s commotion with the Fifth Prince, Meng Qing also began feeling a touch drowsy, so he gently lay down on the bed, intending to take a short nap.

However, Meng Qing firmly kept his “ward-off-bad-luck” mission in mind: he softly grasped one of Ji Yanche’s hands and snuggled his body closely against the man, ensuring that under safe premises, he maintained intimate contact with the Prince before drifting off to sleep with complete peace of mind.

Ji Yanche’s sleep had been anything but restful; waves of alternating freezing cold and burning heat swept through his body, while an agonizing ache in his bones tormented him to the verge of madness.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand clasp his own, followed immediately by an even softer body pressing against him. In an instant, the chaos and pain within his body miraculously subsided, akin to someone parched with thirst and burning with fever plunging headfirst into cool, refreshing spring waters the delight and intoxication were so intense that he couldn’t help sinking deep into the sensation.

I want more.

Resisting the aching soreness in his bones, Ji Yanche pulled that trace of softness tightly into his embrace.