Ye Nanyuan cried for a full quarter of an hour.While crying, many versions of how she should cry flashed through her mind—should she wail heart-wrenchingly, or should she sob delicately and movingly? Then she thought back carefully to the letters her elder sister had written.Over a dozen exchanges, how many times had she read them? A hundred at least? She could probably recite them by heart.Although her sister preferred to report only the good news, her words still couldn't help but reveal a hint of a young girl's jealousy. She said the Fourth Prince doted on Side Consort Li and often visited Lady Guo, who had entered the household alongside her.She said she envied Side Consort Li, who was as gorgeous as a peony, and whose favor sometimes even surpassed that of the Consort herself.She also said that Lady Guo, who lived next door to her, was exceedingly beautiful—the kind of delicate, pitiable beauty that made one want to cherish her.When Jiang Zhiwei wrote those letters, Ye Nanyuan had been heartbroken. Her sister was such a wonderful person—in the inner chambers, she spoke only of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and had once yearned for the distant mountains and waters.But once she entered the Fourth Prince's household, her heart held only the Fourth Prince. Even in those scattered words, one could see the caution and humility revealed between the lines.All of it was for the man before her now.Ye Nanyuan raised her head, weeping silently. She made no sound, no whimper—only her tears fell like beads from a broken string, pattering down until the veil on her face was soaked through.But this time, the Fourth Prince did not reach out again.He had momentarily lost himself and crossed the line earlier; now he simply let her cry, making no move to stop her.In the end, though, he couldn't hold back.Her skin was too fair, too delicate—by the time she finished crying, the corners of her eyes were flushed crimson.He finally relented and begged for mercy: "If you keep crying, the bedding will be soaked through." His lowered fingers silently rubbed together twice, and he said helplessly, "If you truly feel sorry, why not come help me apply the medicine instead?"The young girl couldn't stop crying, and let out a milky hiccup: "Okay."
Since the wound was on his thigh, Ye Nanyuan took scissors and cut open the surrounding fabric, exposing only the injury.This scar was caused by a sharpened iron rod—a full palm's length long. Because it had healed and torn open repeatedly throughout the morning, the flesh at the wound was turned upward, bloody and mangled—truly a shocking sight."It must hurt a lot."Ye Nanyuan kept her head lowered, staring at the wound as she murmured the question.But in her heart, she was sneering. Does it hurt? Good—let it hurt. Jiang Zhiwei had entered his prince's household and died within a year.When she learned of it, the pain she felt was a thousand times, ten thousand times worse than this!"I already told you, it doesn't hurt."Yinzhen said calmly. The most painful part—the bone—had already been set, and the injury looked to be of no great concern. No matter how large or deep the gash on his leg, to him it was merely a flesh wound. Painful, yes, but given how dangerous today had been, this outcome was already a stroke of luck."Really?"Ye Nanyuan concealed the hatred in her eyes and lifted her lashes to look at him.Two of the candles in the room had gone out, leaving only faint moonlight filtering through the window. She knelt half-beside him, appearing utterly petite, obedient, and submissive.She carefully applied the medicine to his wound.Yinzhen leaned back against the bed behind him, one leg bent. She knelt beside his injured leg, her slender waist bending low.Her head was lowered, and she was extremely close.Because the wet nurse had come earlier and they'd feared being discovered, all the hairpins in her hair had been removed—only her jet-black, silk-like hair hung down her back.His hand resting on his knee moved—within easy reach.At the thought, Yinzhen reached out and curled his fingers around a strand of that hair. The person who had been diligently applying medicine suddenly tilted her head, revealing a fair, delicate face.Snow-white skin, raven-black hair—even with most of her face veiled, it couldn't hide the brightness in her eyes."Did I hurt you?" she asked cautiously, her eyes rimmed red as a soft nasal sound escaped her."No." He naturally released the hair wrapped around his fingers and casually changed the subject: "You smell too sweet." She did smell sweet—a fresh, clear pear blossom fragrance.Gentle and lingering, yet utterly alluring."Too sweet?" The young girl was still innocent after all. Upon hearing his words, she deliberately lifted her sleeve and sniffed it. Her earnest expression made him laugh."Did you smell anything?" he teased."I…" The young girl raised her face, instinctively about to retort, but when her eyes met his, she swallowed the words for some reason and muttered quietly, "Then… then I'll have my wet nurse stop using this incense next time."To be honest, Yinzhen regretted his words the moment he said them. He rubbed his nose: "Actually… actually, this incense smells quite nice."The young girl looked up at him, and upon hearing this, her face suddenly flushed for no apparent reason. She silently lowered her head and continued applying the medicine.Only the tip of her ear, turned toward him, was already red enough to drip blood.Yinzhen had seen many sides of her today, but he had never met a woman more vibrant than her. In just a single day—her righteous indignation at their first meeting, her sharp tongue when arguing, and her tearful, rain-soaked willow appearance when crying—all of it stirred one's heart.But now, she had shed her outer garments and knelt at his side, her ear tips flushed crimson, red-eyed as she applied medicine to his wounds.Fragile and obedient.Yinzhen closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the emotion within had already been suppressed: "That will do, many thanks, miss." His voice came out slightly hoarse, yet his tone had grown considerably more indifferent.As if that hint of familiarity from moments ago had never existed.Ye Nanyuan's hand holding the medicine stiffened, but only for a moment before she quickly regained her composure. She had already anticipated this when she made her decision—this man before her was by no means easy to seduce.But then again… slow and steady wins the race. If she could leave a small impression in his heart today, then her performance would not have been in vain.With that thought, she loosened her grip, deliberately stammering for a long while without lifting her head."What's the matter?" Yinzhen adjusted his robes, looking at her with puzzlement.Ye Nanyuan set down the medicine in her hands, neatly arranging the bloodstained gauze into the tray as well. Her hands worked in a fluster, but her mouth stammered without producing a single coherent word."What is it, exactly?"Seeing her like this, Yinzhen asked once more.Her fingers tightened around the tray, slender digits pressed white from the grip. The words seemed nearly impossible to voice, mumbled under her breath without forming a complete sentence.Yinzhen had completely lost his patience. Frowning, he bent down to lean closer to her: "What did you say? Speak up—I can't hear you.""I said, with only one bed, how are we to sleep?"The young girl, seemingly flustered to the point of frustration, suddenly lifted her head and snapped at him in a coquettish cry. But her voice was too soft, her tone too delicate. It didn't sound like she was losing her temper—it sounded like she was being coy!Yinzhen rubbed his ear tips, which had flushed red from her outburst.He covered his mouth and gave a light cough: "This is your boudoir, miss. Naturally, you should sleep in the bed." As he spoke, he quickly rose and stepped off the bed, but before he could take two steps, the sleeve behind him was caught.Slender, delicate fingers clutched at his robe. Yinzhen turned around.There she sat, obediently perched on the bed, her pale yellow dress making the stretch of her neck appear three shades whiter than snow.She gave his sleeve a gentle tug, swaying it back and forth. Drawing a deep breath, she gathered her courage and said: "But… but you're injured!"