Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 115

Early that morning, Shen Xingyue had breakfast with Su Muyu and spent some time comforting her little kitten before asking someone to prepare a carriage to take her back to the palace. It had already been a day and a half since she last saw her little cousin. Shen Xingyue figured Shen Yining might be waking up soon and wanted to check on her.

Previously, the Empress had instructed the palace guards that anyone from the Prince of Ankang’s household could be allowed into the palace without delay. So when Shen Xingyue stepped down from the carriage and approached the palace gate, no one stopped her.

In fact, her arrival caused quite a stir among those waiting outside.

Wang Mingda, who had been pacing anxiously near the gate, pointed at her and shouted, “We serve the same court! Why is she allowed in and we are not?”

The guard commander responded with a respectful tone, though he made no move to let them in. “Master Wang, Her Majesty specifically ordered that members of the Ankang royal household be allowed direct entry. We’re only following orders. Please don’t make this difficult for us.”

Shen Xingyue shot Wang Mingda a cold glance but didn’t respond. She simply walked past and entered the palace.

Inside the Palace

In the side hall of the Hall of Diligent Governance, Zhou Zixuan sat on a round stool at the edge of the bed, gently wiping Shen Yining’s face with a damp handkerchief.

Still groggy, Shen Yining caught a faint scent of familiar orchid fragrance. Her body still ached terribly, but her eyelids no longer felt as heavy as before. Slowly, she began to open her eyes.

After being unconscious for nearly two days, the sunlight stung her the moment her eyes opened. Instinctively, she squinted and tried to adjust to the brightness.

Seeing her finally wake up, Zhou Zixuan’s eyes turned red with emotion. Her voice trembled as she leaned closer. “Your Highness… how do you feel? Are you still in pain? Does your shoulder still hurt?”

Shen Yining’s memory was hazy. Her last clear moment had been when two arrows pierced her body. In the days that followed, she’d drifted in and out of a fog. Though she had been somewhat conscious, she hadn’t truly awakened until now.

Ignoring the pain in her shoulders, she turned slightly toward Zhou Zixuan. For a moment, she thought she must be dreaming. After all, she had been gravely injured. She had already expected that her chances of surviving were slim.

Even her dreams had been unclear. Her thoughts had been muddled. She rarely saw Zhou Zixuan’s face clearly, until now.

“Sister Xuan… I missed you… so much…” Her voice came out hoarse and dry. Just saying those few words seemed to tug at her injuries, and the sharp pain in her shoulders made her wince.

Zhou Zixuan, overwhelmed with emotion, felt her face flush the moment her little piglet said she missed her. She hadn’t expected that, and it left her ears burning red.

But now that Yining had finally awakened, Zhou Zixuan dropped all formality. Her concern poured out as she asked, “How are you feeling? Is anything still hurting? These past few days I’ve been so worried about you…”

As she spoke, her tears finally spilled over.

The imperial physicians didn’t dare interrupt. They sat quietly to the side, pretending to be invisible, making sure not to disturb the emotional reunion between their young patient and her beloved.

Not long after, Shen Kaiyuan and Ye Yuran rushed in when they heard the commotion, both anxious to see how their daughter was doing.

“Ning’er, my dear child, how do you feel?” Shen Kaiyuan asked, her own eyes turning red.

“Tell us where it hurts,” Ye Yuran added quickly. “Let the physicians treat it right away.” She covered her face with a handkerchief, unable to stop her tears.

Shen Yining glanced at her imperial mother and her empress consort, then at Zhou Zixuan. The scene in front of her felt too unreal. How could Zhou Zixuan have been allowed into the palace to stay by her side? That clearly went against all rules of proper conduct. Her mother and the Empress would never approve of such a thing.

She came to a quiet conclusion: she was probably still unconscious, and this was just a dream.

Accepting that, Shen Yining decided to play along. In a soft, proper tone, she said, “Imperial Mother, Your Majesty, please don’t worry. I’m alright. With a few more days of rest, I should recover soon.”

Shen Yining shifted her gaze toward Zhou Zixuan. Since she believed this was all a dream, she thought that if she didn’t say what was in her heart now, she might never get the chance. If her injuries were truly serious and she didn’t survive, she wouldn’t even be able to speak these words, not even in a dream.

“Sister Xuan,” she said softly, “please don’t worry. I promised you that we would get married. I will be fine. I’ll get better soon. The little pig sachets you gave me, I’ve kept them safe. If you don’t believe me, I can show you.”

She tried to move, but as soon as she did, a sharp pain pierced both her shoulders.

“I know you kept them. Don’t move,” Zhou Zixuan said, gently stopping her. “Look, they’re right here.”

Zhou Zixuan no longer cared that the Empress and the Empress Consort were present. All she wanted was to speak a little longer with her little piglet.

Shen Yining glanced at the white pig sachet and managed a faint smile.

Zhou Zixuan then took out a few newly embroidered sachets and opened her hand for Shen Yining to see. “Look, I made these for you. I never had a chance to give them to you before, so I brought them all today. Each one has a different expression.”

“They’re really cute. I like them a lot,” Shen Yining said with a smile. She wanted to reach for them, but her arms hurt too much to lift. The pain was sharp, and she thought to herself that this dream felt far too real.

Her eyes slowly drifted from the sachets to Zhou Zixuan’s face and stayed there. She didn’t want to look away. Shen Yining thought about the storybooks she had borrowed from Shen Xingyue. In one of them, a general was badly injured, and the female general had jokingly asked her beloved for a kiss. Her partner, heartbroken by her suffering, leaned in and kissed her.

Shen Yining thought that since this was a dream, maybe asking Sister Xuan for a kiss would help her wake up. And if she never did, at least in the dream, she would have kissed the person she loved.

Still, she felt unsure. Was it right to think like that about Zhou Zixuan? Even in a dream, she felt it was not the behavior of a proper person. It felt selfish. Improper.

That thought made her eyes turn red again. Zhou Zixuan thought she was in pain and asked quickly, “What’s wrong? Are you still hurting?”

Shen Yining looked at her, torn between reason and longing. Eventually, her emotions tipped the balance. She quietly told herself that it was only a dream. Whether she woke up or not, Sister Xuan would never know she had asked.

She pressed her lips together, looked up at Zhou Zixuan, and with quiet determination asked, “Sister Xuan, can you kiss me? I hurt all over. I don’t even know if I’ll get to see you again.”

Her face was still pale, and her red-rimmed eyes made her look helpless and pitiful. No one could have the heart to turn her down.

Across the room, Shen Kaiyuan and Ye Yuran both froze in surprise. Neither of them expected their usually proper and restrained daughter to say something like that to her beloved.

Shen Kaiyuan felt a little awkward. After a moment, she realized this was something the younger generation needed to work through on their own. It was better not to interfere.

She said nothing and quietly stepped back, leaving them to it.

Shen Kaiyuan motioned for the silent imperial physicians to leave the room. Then she gently tugged at Empress Ye Yuran’s sleeve. The two exchanged a knowing glance, said nothing, and quietly stepped out of the resting chamber together. Before leaving, they thoughtfully closed the door behind them to give their daughter and her sweetheart a bit of privacy.

Zhou Zixuan quickly noticed they were alone. Her face burned with heat, and she used her handkerchief to fan herself, trying to cool down. After all, she and Shen Yining rarely had time alone. Even when she visited the Prince’s Residence, Shen Xingyue and Su Muyu were always around. Moments like this—just the two of them—were rare.

She stole a quick glance at Shen Yining and saw her little piglet still looking at her with those pitiful eyes. Zhou Zixuan felt her face grow even hotter.

Shen Yining immediately regretted what she had said earlier. Even if it was just a dream, it still felt too sudden and forward. Sister Xuan must be upset.

Eyes rimmed with red, Shen Yining softly apologized. “I’m sorry, Sister Xuan. I must have spoken without thinking because of the pain. It’s alright if you don’t want to. I was just… afraid I might not live to see our wedding.”

Zhou Zixuan’s eyes turned red again at those words. She looked straight at Shen Yining and said firmly, “Don’t say things like that. We will have our wedding.”

Afraid that her piglet might spiral into more worries, Zhou Zixuan, despite the heat in her cheeks and ears, leaned in and gently kissed Shen Yining’s right cheek. Then, flustered, she quickly pulled back.

Shen Yining’s chest rose with excitement, but the movement tugged at her injuries. She winced in pain and sucked in a breath.

“Did you hurt yourself again? Where does it hurt?” Zhou Zixuan, no longer embarrassed, leaned in immediately to check on her.

Shen Yining gave her a small smile. “It’s just my shoulder. It still hurts. But after that kiss, it doesn’t feel so bad anymore.”

Zhou Zixuan hadn’t expected her usually serious little piglet to say something so sweet. She coughed lightly, avoided her gaze, but still gently reminded, “You need to rest and recover properly. We’ve shared a kiss now, so you can’t back out of our wedding. You have to get better.”

“I won’t back out,” Shen Yining quickly promised. “I’ll get better soon.”

Seeing that she was sweating again, Zhou Zixuan dipped her handkerchief in water and gently wiped her forehead.

Shen Yining stared at her without blinking, as if afraid that if she looked away for even a second, this dream would end and she wouldn’t see Sister Xuan again.

Zhou Zixuan was still feeling shy about what just happened, but when she noticed the way Shen Yining was looking at her, she couldn’t help but smile softly. As she wiped her forehead, she asked in a teasing voice, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’re so beautiful,” Shen Yining said honestly. “I’m afraid that if I close my eyes, I won’t dream of you again. These past few days, I kept drifting in and out of sleep. I always thought of you, but the dreams were so short. Today is the longest I’ve dreamed of you. You’re really amazing, Sister Xuan. You even kissed me.”

The little crown princess was completely convinced she was dreaming, and so she spoke without holding anything back.

Zhou Zixuan bit back a laugh and said nothing. She didn’t correct her piglet either. So that was why the usually proper Crown Princess had dared to ask for a kiss. She thought none of it was real. Turns out her piglet wasn’t quite as serious as she liked to pretend.

“And where did you learn to say things like that?” Zhou Zixuan asked, still blushing slightly.

Shen Yining also turned red but decided to tell the truth, thinking it was all a dream anyway. “I borrowed a few storybooks from my cousin. That’s how I learned a bit. But don’t worry—they were mostly about the plot, not much kissing.”

She tried to downplay it, though it only made her more suspicious.

Zhou Zixuan laughed quietly and nodded. Her little piglet was too adorable. Ask her anything, and she would answer honestly. But not wanting her to get too tired, she said gently, “You should get some more sleep. Look at you, you’re sweating again.”

As she spoke, she continued wiping her forehead. Shen Yining breathed in the faint scent of orchids from the handkerchief and couldn’t help but say, “Sister Xuan, your handkerchief smells so good.”

Zhou Zixuan’s hand trembled, and the handkerchief landed squarely on Shen Yining’s face. It was something she always kept close, and while she didn’t like using heavy perfumes, the scent was from her own personal fragrance. Realizing that, even her neck turned red.

She quickly pulled the cloth off and clumsily wiped Shen Yining’s face, softly scolding, “Don’t say silly things. If you keep talking like that, I won’t speak to you anymore.”

“Please don’t be angry, Sister Xuan. I was wrong,” Shen Yining said quickly, sincerely apologetic. But in her heart, she was still secretly thinking that the scent really was lovely.

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