Chapter 28: Jade

“Next time, I will personally come to inspect Your Highness’s injuries.”

Remembering his meaningful words in the Chongwen Palace this afternoon, Zhao Yan nervously pinched the hem of her sleeve. She hadn’t expected Wen Renlin to keep his word and actually come.

As the door behind her closed, Zhao Yan caught a whiff of the clean woody scent from Wen Renlin’s clothes.

She took a half step back and whispered against the door, “I have already followed the instructions of the Grand Tutor, there’s no need for an inspection, and… it’s not convenient.”

“Let’s finish today’s task today. It’s just a check on the work done this noon. What’s inconvenient about that?”

With that, Wen Renlin’s voice subtly paused.

As if understanding something, he lowered his gaze and withdrew his hand, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “… What does Your Highness think the inspection is for?”

His tone was casual, deliberately drawn out to be deep and slow.

Unable to conceal her embarrassment, Zhao Yan moved away from Wen Renlin before her cheeks flushed, and she walked to the desk and sat down properly. With a slight exaggeration in her movement, she subtly furrowed her brows, then quickly pretended to focus on writing an unfinished article, forgetting even to dip her pen in ink.

A shadow fell before her as Wen Renlin approached, taking away her unsteady purple-hued pen.

Leaning over from behind, Wen Renlin twirled the pen between his perfectly proportioned fingers and placed it back on the rack. “Have you applied the medicine properly?”

With her hand empty, Zhao Yan uncomfortably curled her fingertips and murmured softly, “Yes, I have.”

Zhao Yan hesitated, averting her gaze. “It’s already healed.”

The fleeting avoidance of her gaze didn’t escape Wen Renlin’s eyes.

Looking at her slightly stiff posture, he understood.

Wen Renlin slowly withdrew his hand and lowered his voice. “Go to the bed.”

Thanks to the detoxification from yesterday, whenever Zhao Yan heard words like “bed,” she instinctively felt nervous.

She blinked hesitantly, still sitting motionless, fully employing a strategy of feigned indifference.

Wen Renlin took a square of cotton cloth and casually wiped his hands, “Tomorrow, when you attend the imperial court, the Emperor may inquire about the lady I favored at the hairpin banquet.”

He glanced up, implying something. “Your Highness, do you think I should answer truthfully?”

Zhao Yan immediately stood up, walked briskly to the bed in three steps, and sat down neatly without any hesitation.

She clasped her fingers together, looking obedient and gentle on the surface, but her eyes were ablaze with hidden fury as she inwardly cursed, “Alright, I know you have a handle on me! You don’t need to bring it up every time!”

Listening to the movements on the bed, Wen Renlin’s smile deepened, and he calmly wiped his hands before opening a small ornate box he had brought along.

The box was lined with soft silk cloth, emitting a faint warm glow.

Before Zhao Yan could examine it closely, Wen Renlin had already walked around the intricately carved moon gate and approached, pulling aside the curtain, “Is the medicine still there?”

Zhao Yan hesitated for a moment, then took out a small white jade medicine box hidden in her sleeve, holding it delicately between her slender fingers.

Wen Renlin smiled and casually pulled over a round chair beside the small table, sitting in front of Zhao Yan. He gently placed the ornate box in his hand on the bedside table. In the warm light of the gauze lamp, Zhao Yan could clearly see several smooth jade rods in the box, about the length of a finger and as thick as a pinky, pure in color without any impurities.

“At noon, when I saw Your Highness leaving, your steps were still slightly stiff. I guessed you couldn’t bear to apply the medicine properly. There happened to be a piece of top-grade soft jade in the royal treasury, extremely moist and delicate. I thought Your Highness could use it for recovery, so I personally acquired it and brought it over.”

Zhao Yan was puzzled about how jade rods could aid in recovery, but she watched as Wen Renlin calmly took one out from the box and, with one hand, took the medicine box from Zhao Yan’s hand and placed it on the table, then with his other hand, he opened it…

Zhao Yan suddenly widened her eyes. Could this jade rod… be what she was thinking?!

He was clearly prepared when he mentioned checking the work!

Wen Renlin turned his face and glanced at the neatly dressed Zhao Yan.

With her knees tightly pressed together, Zhao Yan attempted to struggle, “I can handle it myself.”

“If Your Highness were willing to let others see you in this state, why would it have taken until now?” Wen Renlin’s voice was both light and heavy, hitting the nail on the head. “Even if the palace maids are considerate, they are still Kun Ning Palace’s people.”

Zhao Yan felt her facade of composure instantly seen through, revealing her inner turmoil and embarrassment.

As the legitimate princess of Xuan, she had her own pride. The deep-seated pain felt like a mockery of her incompetence, something she couldn’t face and was reluctant to admit. She was accustomed to dealing with her emotions alone, never thinking of relying on anyone, even if that person was Liu Ying.

Zhao Yan’s eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, gripping the fabric of her clothes tighter. Even though she had been intimate with Wen Renlin before, she couldn’t overcome the psychological barrier.

Yesterday, in a state of confusion, she naturally had no sense of decency. And now, what did this honesty between them mean?

Seeing her hesitate for a long time, Wen Renlin’s gaze moved from her restrained pale cheeks down to her tightly clenched, whitened knuckles.

It seemed like one more word from him, and she would burst into tears.

She had just finished bathing, wearing only a thin loose spring garment, with no formal belt around her waist, just a loosely tied four-finger-wide moon-white silk ribbon.

Wen Renlin lifted a finger and gently tugged at the knot of the ribbon.

Zhao Yan was stunned, feeling the garment around her waist instantly loosen. She thought Wen Renlin was impatient and about to take action. But to her surprise, he simply laid the untied belt lightly on the back of her hand.

“I have medicine in my hand, which is not convenient. I ask Your Highness to kindly cover my eyes.”

Seeing Zhao Yan’s surprise, he leaned back in the chair, unusually explaining for a moment, “I am not a licentious person. It was an accident that I got involved with Your Highness. Your Highness need not guard against me like a thief. I have seen what I should see, and what Your Highness does not want me to see, I… have no interest.”

He spoke so frankly and calmly, as if Zhao Yan’s recent confusion and loss were just her own unnecessary worries.

Finally, Zhao Yan raised her stiff arm and picked up the untied belt, kneeling on the bed.

Wen Renlin leaned forward in cooperation, gently covering his eyes with it. Although it was a compliant gesture, there was a sense of inviolable nobility about him.

Zhao Yan pursed her lips, covering his deep-set eyes with the moon-white silk ribbon, tying it behind his head.

Afraid that there might be gaps in the ribbon, she deliberately tied a tight knot, only to hear Wen Renlin softly grunt and raise an eyebrow, “Your Highness seems to want revenge, strangling me to death.”

I do want to.

Zhao Yan sighed inwardly, regretting: But I can’t win. I’m afraid he’ll strangle me before I even get to strangle him.

After a slight rustling sound, Wen Renlin, blindfolded, tilted his head slightly. “Is it done?”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zhao Yan nodded and, realizing that Wen Renlin couldn’t see, softly murmured, “Mmm.”

With one hand holding the jade covered in ointment, Wen Renlin reached forward and touched Zhao Yan’s ankle, then traced up her calf.

His palm was slightly large, his fingers exceptionally slender, not as elegant as a scholar’s hand, but the slightly protruding veins on the back of his hand gave it a strong sense of power, as if he could effortlessly control everything.

Unconsciously, Zhao Yan leaned back, quickly bending her elbow to support herself.

Wen Renlin suddenly paused, as if encountering some obstacle.

He furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, “Relax a bit.”

Zhao Yan remained silent.

Although Wen Renlin couldn’t see, his vision was clear. The gentle touch made it difficult for her to distinguish between the soft jade with ointment and Wen Renlin’s fingertips. In this situation, she couldn’t think of any way to relax, and the more she felt at a loss, the more nervous she became.

Wen Renlin also noticed that there was no way he could successfully apply the ointment like this.

“If Your Highness is so tense, isn’t it painful?” he said. After a moment of silence, Zhao Yan couldn’t help but retort, “The pain is caused by the Grand Tutor.”

Wen Renlin chuckled. Even though his eyes were covered, he accurately looked towards Zhao Yan’s direction, as if his gaze penetrated the silk ribbon.

“I’m innocent,” he deliberately slowed down his tone. “At that time, Your Highness was deeply poisoned and only cared about wobbling around. If it weren’t for my support, Your Highness might not be able to get out of bed now due to the pain.”

Hearing the teasing in his words, Zhao Yan became angry and couldn’t care less about restraining herself. Subconsciously, she kicked out.

Wen Renlin raised his hand and accurately grasped her slender ankle, taking advantage of her distraction to push…

Zhao Yan only felt a slight coolness, followed by the warmth brought by the warm oil, without the discomfort she had imagined.

“Young and proud, Your Highness always feels reluctant to depend on others… especially someone like me, who has a notorious reputation, it’s difficult to face,” Wen Renlin said, basking in the warm light of the candle, his face half-covered by the ribbon, appearing more and more noble with his straight nose and thin lips. “When one is starving, they have to eat. If there’s no food, they will chew on grass and bark. If even the bark is gone…”

He paused, his voice becoming distant and empty. “Even if it’s maggots and snakes, they will desperately stuff themselves. Similarly, when Your Highness’s life was in danger due to poisoning, you had to find a way to detoxify. The will to survive is inherent in everyone. You’ve done what you could, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Wen Renlin spoke calmly, using shocking metaphors. But Zhao Yan keenly sensed the faint sarcasm in his words, as if he was recounting something he had personally experienced.

She quieted down, trying to glean something from Wen Renlin’s face.

But under the warm light, his face covered by the ribbon remained flawless, without a hint of emotion.

Wen Renlin withdrew his hand and felt around on the table. There was still some conspicuous redness on his two fingers.

Zhao Yan’s eyelids twitched. She guessed he was going to clean his hands, so she quickly tidied up and moved the cotton cloth from the corner of the table closer to his fingertip. This time, Wen Renlin did touch it, and he took it over and slowly wiped his fingers clean before removing the ribbon from his eyes.

As soon as he felt the warmth, he squinted uncomfortably for a moment before opening his eyes and looking at her sitting on the bed with blankets wrapped around her.

There were still faint blushes on her cheeks, her eyes seemed watery due to restraint, as if all the moist spring feelings were in her eyes, especially moving.

Wen Renlin couldn’t help but reach out and gently cover the mole at the corner of her eye that was bothering him. Just as Zhao Yan blinked, wondering what the sudden gesture meant, Wen Renlin suddenly leaned closer.

“This jade should be left on for the whole night, until all the medicinal properties are absorbed. But given Your Highness’s special circumstances, an hour will suffice,” he whispered. “Do you want me to stay to help?”

“No need!” Zhao Yan’s tone was decisive, and she shook her head forcefully.

Wen Renlin was in a good mood, showing his usual enigmatic smile. He stood up, stuffed the used cloth into Zhao Yan’s hand, and his fingertip touched hers.

“Well then, Your Highness, remember to apply the medicine yourself.”

With that, he straightened his robe, opened the curtain, and left, leaving a line of vigorous cursive on her unfinished article:

【Apply once in the morning and once at night. Stop when the ointment in the box is used up.】

“… “

Zhao Yan’s breath hitched as she threw the “tainted” article and the cotton cloth into the copper basin, stirring it angrily until all traces were completely gone.

Despite her anger, Zhao Yan had to admit that the treated injuries no longer hurt.

Having a peaceful night’s sleep without dreams, she woke up refreshed the next day. Even Liu Ying praised her, “Your Highness looks much better today.”

In the bright morning with spring rain, petals covered the ground. When she arrived at the Chongwen Hall on time, the rain had stopped, and the accumulated rainwater on the eaves sparkled in the sunlight.

Zhao Yan keenly noticed that an extra layer of thick velvet blanket had been added to her seat. Kneeling on it felt like sitting on a cloud, very comfortable. It was probably Liu Ying who saw that she was unwell and ordered Li Fu to add an extra blanket. Zhao Yan didn’t investigate further and focused on her studies.

Zhou Ji was still engrossed in studying Confucianism and political theory, while Wen Renlin taught chess and military strategy. Except for occasional glances that made Zhao Yan feel uneasy, everything seemed normal.

After the class ended, Wen Renlin called Zhao Yan aside.

Zhao Yan’s heart skipped a beat, already sensing something was amiss. She turned around calmly and asked, “Is there anything else, Grand Tutor?”

Wen Renlin leaned back in his chair, casually flipping through the essays she had written in Zhao Yan’s style and presented. He asked casually, “Was the jade from last time satisfactory to Your Highness?”

His tone was light, but Zhao Yan still felt it was too loud.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she subconsciously glanced at Pei Sa, who was tidying up the table behind her.

“It’s been used up,” Zhao Yan said quietly, her voice almost inaudible.

Wen Renlin nodded slightly and used his fingertip to flip open another page of paper. “When it’s used up, remember to return it to me.”

What?

Return it? 

Zhao Yan couldn’t help but stare blankly. She didn’t know how to refuse this awkward topic. Then she saw a hint of amusement in Wen Renlin’s eyes.

She realized he was doing this on purpose. It was as if he had grabbed hold of Zhao Yan’s weakness and had to tug at it every now and then. Just as he had said, with such a big handle in his hands, Zhao Yan would have to live under Wen Renlin’s shadow in the future, obeying his every command.

But Zhao Yan, with her fiery temperament, was not one to just accept things as they were.

“People have weaknesses and shortcomings in life,” she said, suppressing her anger and speaking with a stubborn calmness. “I only pray that the Grand Tutor will always be strong and ruthless, never experiencing illness, decay, or being at the mercy of others.”

Zhao Yan had been controlled for too long and felt resentful. She said this impulsively, not knowing what she had said wrong, but she could feel the atmosphere stiffen, as if even the air had solidified.

She didn’t know how she had touched a nerve with Wen Renlin, but she instinctively took a step back under his scrutinizing gaze.

“Your Royal Highness.”

A eunuch from the Taiji Hall hurriedly entered the hall, breaking the silence. He wiped his sweat and said, “Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to the Taiji Hall immediately.”

Zhao Yan seized the opportunity, bowed to the men in the hall like a student, and hurriedly took her leave.

Wen Renlin raised his hand, gesturing for the eunuch to leave first.

Watching Zhao Yan’s slender figure leave, Wen Renlin’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

After a while, he sneered softly: He endured the pain of poisoning to act as her antidote, but what about her? She was thinking about how to expose his shortcomings.

Huh, heartless little thing.

If she really caught him in a trap, would she still be able to survive?

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