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Chapter 24: Socks

Everything happened in an instant. Wen Renlin subconsciously raised her hand and grasped the weapon thrust towards her by Zhao Yan.

It turned out that she had just adjusted her sitting position on the bedding or tightened her sleeves, all to conceal this item.

“I thought Your Highness was going to use it to end me,” Wen Renlin remarked.

Briefly surprised, Wen Renlin pulled her towards him, his eyes tinted with a dark smile. “Were you planning to use it to take me out?”

If she had suicidal intentions, she should have done it when the medicine was most difficult to endure. Why endure until now?

Wen Renlin’s pressure was too strong. Zhao Yan had to free up her other hand to press against his chest, trying to create some breathing room. “The Grand Tutor saved me, there’s no need to end your own life.”

The title “Grand Tutor” stirred up memories of intimacy in Wen Renlin.

He had underestimated her. How could such a passionate and lively young girl be filled with self-pity and resentment?

“Since Your Highness provoked at such an inopportune time, I have to be cautious,” Wen Renlin remarked.

With a slight force in his fingers, Wen Renlin pressed down the golden hairpin in her hand. “Look into my eyes. Think carefully about what bargaining chips you have to negotiate with me.”

His eyes were pitch-black, seeming to possess a mesmerizing power, and his usual deep, smiling voice now carried a hint of coercion. Zhao Yan vaguely remembered seeing a pair of even more magnificent and crazy eyes, but couldn’t recall more details.

If one of them had to die to keep this secret…

She knew her actions were futile, but she couldn’t think of any other way. It was almost completely dark outside. If they continued to delay, even if Wen Renlin didn’t kill her, she would still be doomed.

The self-defense techniques she had learned that day suddenly came to mind, each move clear and distinct. When she came to her senses, she had already disarmed herself, twisting her body and catching the hairpin thrown by her right hand, once again aiming at Wen Renlin’s throat.

Wen Renlin single-handedly restrained her, frowning. “You…”

He clicked his tongue, forced to cross her hands and pressed down with his fingers. The golden hairpin finally lost its balance and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

With her wrists bound behind her back by him, Zhao Yan instinctively kicked towards him with her legs. Seeing that delicate dragon-patterned black boot about to hit between his legs, Wen Renlin quickly sidestepped, bending his leg to deflect her knee.

Zhao Yan’s knees weakened, and with a muffled groan, she fell forward onto the soft, disheveled brocade. The wind caused her black hair to rise like smoke, brushing past Wen Renlin’s jaw and arm before scattering.

Wen Renlin kneeled against the edge of the bed, one hand pressing down on her squirming body, the other supporting her face, leaning over her.

This was a dangerous position. Zhao Yan’s entire spine stiffened, and the sour pain became unbearable. Zhao Yan’s hair covered half of her face, but she could see the hand Wen Renlin had placed on the bed, slender and pale, with faint blue veins visible, less than two inches from her neck.

She could even smell the cold wood scent coming from behind her, feeling like a fish pinned on a chopping board, helpless to resist.

“I’ve been doing my best to assist Your Highness, yet you use the techniques I taught you to attack me,” Wen Renlin said with some displeasure finally appearing on his usually indifferent face. He lifted her chin. “Are you calm now?”

There was a slight pause in his voice. He looked at the little princess, whose eyes were still red and who was still breathing unevenly.

Without the pretense of being the “Crown Prince,” she appeared vibrant and bold. Her eyes, though as clear as spring water, seemed to burn with two flames, soft yet resilient.

Even on the bed, there were several times Wen Renlin thought she would burst into tears, but she would rather bite into his shoulder and choke back her sobs than shed a single tear. Now pinned to the bed, she still stared stubbornly at her legs, like a beautiful little beast trapped in a cage, baring its teeth and wanting to break free, fighting for a glimmer of hope.

Her slender wrist under his palm had a rapid and erratic pulse, exacerbated by the emotional fluctuations, showing signs of inner turmoil.

Wen Renlin no longer forced her to speak, furrowing his brow slightly and reaching to tuck her hair behind her ear.

Zhao Yan’s neck stiffened as she stared at his approaching fingers…

Her pupils trembled, and everything in front of her began to blur and dim. Her eyelashes trembled futilely, slowly closing. As Zhao Yan’s rapid breathing gradually calmed down, Wen Renlin withdrew his hand.

He released her other hand from his grip, sitting on the edge of the bed with his forearm casually resting on his knee. “You should be worried about your position. It was my secret, after all.”

As the influential ruler, the Prince had to be invincible, unstoppable. The cold bone poison in his body was his Achilles’ heel. If others found out, who knew what trouble it would cause. That’s why Wen Renlin had tried several times to probe, but Zhao Yan, rather than mentioning even a hint of the cold bone poison, had chosen to confront him with a hairpin, risking her life.

Zhao Yan was not foolish; on the contrary, she had some clever tricks up her sleeve, enabling her to escape his traps time and time again.

Could it be that she had truly forgotten about her condition during the poisoning incident? Judging from her expression of confusion and anger earlier, it didn’t seem like she was pretending.

Wen Renlin gazed at the girl on the bed for a while, then reached to brush away the dark hair covering her face, revealing her beautiful features. Even if she had seen through something earlier, he couldn’t bear to take further action.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Wen Renlin’s lips.

With interest piqued, he lightly brushed his fingertip over her eyelashes, then paused, covering the teardrop mole at the corner of her eye that didn’t belong to her.

Hmm, that looks much better.

There were still two scattered socks on the floor. Wen Renlin stepped forward into the warm glow of the candlelight, picked them up, then turned around, lifted Zhao Yan’s legs hanging off the edge of the bed, and gently removed her leather boots.

Her delicate and fair toes were exposed, gleaming like warm jade under the lamp. She hadn’t even bothered to put on her socks, in such a hurry to run away.

Wen Renlin chuckled as he pinched her pink-powdered toes and murmured, “If Your Highness had said a few soft words to coax me, would you have ended up in such a sorry state?”

Naturally, Zhao Yan couldn’t hear his seemingly sarcastic sigh.

She remained oblivious, letting him do as he pleased.

Wen Renlin held her slender ankle, comparing it to his own palm against the light. Surprised, he raised an eyebrow. “So small.”

After studying it for a moment, he pulled the socks over her toes, adjusted the cuffs of her trousers, and put her boots back on.

Wen Renlin then inspected the beauty on the bed for a moment before retrieving a pill prepared by Zhang Cang, lifting the corner of her loose robe, and placing the pill gently on her softly rising and falling belly.

Then, he covered the delicate pill with his palm, warming it with the temperature of his hand until the melted oil was completely absorbed by her smooth skin. Although he had controlled it quite well, there might still be some oversight in such matters.

This was meant for the palace ladies to prevent pregnancy, more effective than drinking that cold soup, but using it too often would also harm the body.

Next time, he needed to come up with a less harmful method…

As this thought emerged, Wen Renlin’s massaging movements faltered slightly, and shadows fell over his eyes.

One accident was already too much; how could there be a next time?

…

Zhao Yan felt like she was trapped in a black swamp, unable to find a way out.

“Xiao’er, Xiao’er…”

Someone was calling her, the voice ethereal as if from the heavens. Zhao Yan opened her eyes, and in the hazy sight, it seemed like she was back in the sleeping chamber of the Huayang Palace.

Outside the window, there was the pitter-patter of rain, and Zhao Yan, draped in a snowy-colored robe, sat in front of her, covered in a layer of silver rain, smiling gently at her.

Was she… dead?

Zhao Yan tentatively reached out as if to touch that face that was so similar to her own but even gentler. However, her slender fingertips stopped in mid-air, then slowly curled back. She pressed her lips tightly together, curling into a ball, hiding herself in the dark corner.

“Are you in a lot of pain, Xiao’er?”

She heard Zhao Yan’s gentle voice beside her, filled with undisguised concern.

“You must be very disappointed,” She closed her eyes, “I messed things up.”

“How could that be? Xiao’er has already done very well, braver and smarter than most women, even men.”

Zhao Yan placed his hand gently on her shoulder, speaking softly, “Don’t blame yourself anymore, it’s not your fault. My sister, Xiao’er, is not someone who gives up easily.”

Her eyelashes flickered, and she raised her eyes, but everything in front of her became blurry and dim, gradually fading away.

“Zhao Yan!”

Zhao Yan woke up with a low cry from her dream, one hand still reaching forward, grabbing the sleeve of Liu Ying.

…Yes, it was Liu Ying.

This wasn’t Hegui Pavilion.

Zhao Yan looked around, only to see herself lying on the large bed in the Eastern Palace’s sleeping chamber, the pale yellow sheer canopy swaying slightly in the lamplight. She rubbed her forehead in confusion for a moment, then suddenly remembered and immediately reached for her chest.

The chest binder was still there, her clothes were intact, even her hairpin was in place. She even felt like the events at the hairpin banquet were just a nightmare…

If she ignored the soreness all over her body.

Holding her breath, she pushed up her sleeve to look at the faint finger marks. Everything reminded her that what she had experienced was not a nightmare.

Zhao Yan quickly let go of her sleeve, bewildered for a moment, and asked in a hoarse voice, “How did I get back?”

Liu Ying moved the gauze lamp towards the bed and replied, “Your Highness fell asleep at Hegui Pavilion. Prince Su found Your Highness and sent word to us. That’s how Your Highness was brought back to the Eastern Palace.”

“Prince Su…”

Zhao Yan’s throat tightened, clutching the bedding, “Who came to get me? Did they see… anything unusual?”

“It was me and Li Fu who went personally. We only saw Your Highness sleeping alone on the bed, nothing else.”

After speaking, Liu Ying added softly, “Imperial physician Zhang Xu has already checked Your Highness’s pulse.”

Just as Zhao Yan’s slightly eased heart tightened again, she asked nervously, “What did he say?”

“He said Your Highness caught a chill from drinking, with a cold wind entering the body, causing drowsiness. Rest for two days, and Your Highness will be fine.”

Liu Ying carefully observed her fluctuating expressions, and a dreadful suspicion formed in her mind.

Biting her lip for a moment, she finally let go of the curtain and asked softly, “Was Your Highness harmed by someone? Was she… bullied by someone?”

Liu Ying’s words were veiled, but Zhao Yan seemed as if struck by lightning, all her secrets and embarrassments exposed in that pale, stunned expression.

“Your Highness, rest assured, physician Zhang didn’t say anything. He is a trustworthy person.”

Liu Ying clenched her fingers tightly and stepped back, kneeling to apologize, “It was my own decision to help Your Highness change clothes, only then did I find…”

Although Zhao Yan was dressed neatly, her chest was tightly bound, Liu Ying’s sharp eyes could easily discern that the wrapping technique was not done by herself. And seeing the faint marks on her slender waist…

Who in the palace, on duty, wouldn’t understand what this meant?

Liu Ying was nearly scared out of her wits at the time, feeling uneasy standing there.

At that time, Zhang Xu had already rushed over to check her pulse, writing a prescription for calming the mind and supplementing qi in the outer room. Seeing Liu Ying’s serious and hesitant expression, he said, “Your Highness is just suffering from wind entering her body and fainting due to qi deficiency. Rest assured, no matter who asks, I’ll say the same.”

Only then did Liu Ying understand that Zhang Xu’s thoughts were the same as hers—that they would risk their lives to keep this secret.

Because the young princess had been involved in this turmoil with her weak female body for half a year, living day by day as if walking on thin ice, which was already difficult enough. They keep silent, speaking lightly for the sake of affection, and speaking heavily for the sake of the nation.

Zhao Yan looked at the Liu Ying kneeling outside the tent, and her chaotic thoughts became somewhat clearer, bringing a sense of calmness as if the dust had settled.

“It’s my carelessness that led to this. How can I blame you?”

She struggled to lift her arm to hug her bent knees, and even managed to smile at the worried Liu Ying with furrowed eyebrows. “The more chaotic the situation, the more you must not lose your composure, right? Between us, someone has to stay clear-headed.”

The Liu Ying bit her lip and nodded forcefully. Although the young princess seemed lively and unconventional, she was, in fact, as gentle and loyal as the Crown Prince.

The Liu Ying didn’t ask who had “harassed” the mistress. If it were an ordinary man at the banquet, the Eastern Palace would naturally have means to silence him and cover up the matter.

But since the Crown Prince woke up, he never mentioned “dealing with” the matter, indicating that the man was someone even the Eastern Palace couldn’t touch.

How many men like that were there in and around the imperial city? And this incident happened at the Hegui Pavilion…

With a slight deduction, the Liu Ying came to a conclusion.

In this surging undercurrent of conflict, the princess was the most innocent. How could the Liu Ying bear to watch her fall from grace without doing anything?

“Let the Empress escort the Crown Prince away, far from the capital.”

The Liu Ying made up her mind and said firmly, “The Crown Prince cannot be implicated.”

Zhao Yan was taken aback and instinctively asked, “If I leave, what will you do?”

After pondering for a moment, the Liu Ying whispered, “Since the Crown Prince encountered trouble, this servant should have gone with her. Being able to survive until now under the protection of Your Highness is already a great blessing.”

Zhao Yan rested her chin on her knees, shaking her head lightly but resolutely. “I can’t leave.”

As Zhao Yan once said, she was always stubborn and rebellious, not one to give up easily. 

Since Wen Renlin had brought her back and made no other moves, there might be a chance.

However, the Liu Ying was genuinely worried for her mistress and wanted to persuade her further, but then a eunuch’s respectful voice came from outside the hall, “The Empress is here—”

Zhao Yan’s eyelashes trembled, and the Liu Ying hurriedly helped her lie down properly, covering her tightly with the quilt, then turned to kneel and greet, “Long live the Empress.”

The Empress, Wei, had accompanied the imperial carriage all day and came straight to the Eastern Palace as soon as she could. Upon hearing this, she replied with a simple “Rise” and walked straight to the inner chamber’s bed.

She looked at the slender figure lying sideways behind the veil of the bed curtain for a while before asking, “I heard the Crown Prince fell asleep at the Hegui Pavilion for the whole afternoon. Is there any discomfort?”

Zhao Yan kept her eyes open and suppressed her voice, saying, “Just a bit dizzy, fell asleep unconsciously.”

Even though she tried to conceal it, Empress Wei still noticed something subtly wrong with her daughter’s voice.

Feeling slightly heavy-hearted, she picked up the curtain and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her daughter for a while before asking softly, “Are you really okay?”

This time, her voice was much softer.

Zhao Yan replied with a quiet “Hmm,” feeling her nose inexplicably sour.

Since she could remember, she and her mother had often clashed, rarely having such peaceful conversations. She didn’t know if her mother was concerned about the Crown Prince Zhao Yan or her daughter Zhao Yan… But she suddenly wanted to pull on her mother’s sleeve for comfort, just like an ordinary child in an ordinary family.

But she didn’t dare. She was afraid to see the cold disappointment in her mother’s eyes.

Empress Wei’s lips twitched slightly, and after a long while, she said in a low voice, “You are my child. Remember, even if there are things that the Eastern Palace cannot handle, there is still the Imperial Palace.”

Her firm words made Zhao Yan feel a rush of tenderness in her heart. She bit her lip, hesitating whether to open up everything, when the eunuch’s respectful voice came again:

“The Crown Prince’s Tutor is here—”

Wen Renlin!

Zhao Yan’s momentary hesitation and coyness were gone without a trace. Her eyes widened in the darkness: What is he doing here now?!

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