Over the past few days, Li Wanran’s courtyard had been exceptionally lively.
From time to time, one could see the eunuchs serving the Fourth Prince lining up at her gate to deliver all sorts of novelties. Sometimes it was tea leaves, hairpins, or various types of silk and spices; other times, it was fine inkstones, paper, brushes, treasures, and decorative ornaments.
There were even various pigments for painting.
The gifts were delivered without any particular pattern.
Yinzhen simply claimed, “I just happened to think of them and felt they were good, so I sent someone to bring them to you.”
The real reason, however, was that he felt the decorations and furnishings in Li Wanran’s room were far too shabby. Since he intended to spend a significant amount of time there in the future, he naturally wouldn’t let himself be inconvenienced. Thus, he simply replaced everything that didn’t meet his standards.
The entire room underwent a complete transformation, shifting from its original minimalist style to one that was low-key, elegant, and opulent.
Even Li Wanran, who originally hadn’t felt much about her surroundings, now found the room much more pleasing to the eye than before. It occurred to her that perhaps most women trapped in the struggles of the inner court fought for favor primarily because of the various benefits that came with it.
Once the room was settled, Li Wanran went to the small study she had specifically carved out of the eastern side room. She sat at the desk, spread out her paper, and began practicing from the simplest techniques Yinzhen had taught her.
Perhaps because she was older now and not as quick-witted as she had been in her childhood, her progress in learning to paint was painfully slow. Looking at the “indescribable” painting she had spent two hours toiling over, Li Wanran felt an immediate blow to her confidence.
She set down her brush and let out a long sigh, slumped dejectedly against the table. She looked completely withered.
Banxia, who came in to deliver tea, took one look at the doodles on the paper and understood everything. She walked behind Li Wanran, massaging her shoulders and neck while offering encouragement. “This is only the beginning, Mistress. Why are you feeling so discouraged already?”
Li Wanran understood the logic, but she couldn’t help the sense of frustration in her heart.
“It’s so ugly! I’m probably worse than a three-year-old…” she replied listlessly, her eyes vacant.
Determined to cheer her mistress up, Banxia picked up the painting and forced a compliment: “How could that be? No matter how you look at it, Mistress, this painting is definitely better than what a three-year-old could do!”
Li Wanran: “…”
Thank you for the affirmation.
Having rested enough, Li Wanran straightened her back and pumped her fists to encourage herself. “That’s right, I’ve only just started. It’s normal to paint poorly! Li Wanran, keep going, you can do this!”
With that, she crumpled the original painting into a ball and handed it to Banxia for “destruction of evidence” before starting anew.
Fortunately, diligence makes up for a lack of natural talent. After several days of hard practice, her work finally graduated from the “three-year-old” category—though it still wasn’t particularly good. Nevertheless, Li Wanran was very happy; every small bit of progress was worth celebrating. She gave herself a mental thumbs-up.
What made her happiest was that she had somehow self-taught herself how to use a brush to draw modern chibi-style characters. Moreover, she drew them much better than the traditional style Yinzhen was teaching her. She even secretly drew several adorable, “Q-version” little Yinzhens, planning to show them to him when he visited.
His expression would surely be magnificent.
Li Wanran thought happily as she looked at the chibi Yinzhen in her hand.
As the bright light outside gradually turned to a dark gold, Li Wanran stretched her limbs to relieve the fatigue of sitting for so long. Banxia came in to ask what she wanted for dinner.
Li Wanran thought for a moment and shook her head. “Let’s just go with whatever the kitchen has on the menu today.”
“Yes,” Banxia replied and went to the kitchen to fetch the meal.
Knowing she would be eating soon, Li Wanran went to the dressing table in the inner room, intending to remove her hair ornaments and loosen her coiffure to give her scalp some relief. Just then, an announcement came from outside: the Fourth Prince had arrived.
She turned her head to see Yinzhen appearing before her.
“Greetings to the Fourth Prince.”
Li Wanran rose to perform her salutations with a look of pleasant surprise. Just as she began to curtsy, Yinzhen reached out to support her and led her back to the chair. Seeing that she could now stand without a change in expression, he asked with a smile of concern, “Is your ankle feeling better?”
Li Wanran nodded cutely. “It’s much better these past few days. After applying the medicinal wine, the swelling has gone down a lot, though it still hurts a bit when I walk. I estimate it will be fully healed after a few more days of application.”
After saying this, her eyes darted toward the jar of medicinal wine sitting next to the mirror. Come to think of it… she hadn’t applied the medicine yet today.
Banxia had originally placed the wine on the dressing table intending to help her apply it after dinner. Since Banxia wasn’t here right now…
Unaware of her inner thoughts, Yinzhen nodded with a look of relief. He remarked that once she was a bit better in a few days, he would call the imperial physician back for a follow-up.
Suddenly, he saw Li Wanran reach out and pick up the medicinal wine. She bit her lip with a look of annoyance. “Oh dear, look at my memory. I only remembered because I saw the bottle—I haven’t applied the medicine yet today.”
Seeing her like this, Yinzhen patted her head and said jokingly, “It’s no matter. Applying it now won’t delay anything.”
With that, he turned toward the door, intending to call someone in to apply the medicine for her. Seeing this, Li Wanran naturally couldn’t let him speak. She grabbed Yinzhen’s hand, gently placed the bottle in his palm, and said shyly, “Banxia isn’t here right now, and it’s inconvenient for me to do it myself. I wonder if I might trouble you, Fourth Prince?”
By the end, her voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s hum, yet Yinzhen heard every word clearly.
“You… you are simply unruly!”
Yinzhen looked down at Li Wanran with a look of disbelief, his eyes full of shock. That phrase “unruly” that he hadn’t been able to say in the garden finally burst from his lips today. This woman was simply audacious, daring to order him to apply her medicine.
He was the Fourth Prince of the Great Qing! People only ever served him; who would have the courage to make him serve them?
His sudden outburst of startled anger frightened both Banxia, who had just returned with the meal, and Su Peisheng. The two exchanged a terrified glance and rushed inside to check the situation.
“Fourth Prince, is there something—”
“Get out!”
Before they could finish or even see what was happening inside, they were driven out by Yinzhen. Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng immediately signaled his compliance and retreated with his head bowed. Banxia, worried about Li Wanran, hesitated and didn’t want to leave.
In his mind, Su Peisheng screamed, You little ancestor! He reached out and physically pulled Banxia away. This girl really didn’t know how to read the atmosphere—didn’t she see how dark the Fourth Prince’s face was? If they didn’t leave now, her mistress might be fine, but she herself certainly wouldn’t be.
Inside the room.
While Li Wanran mentally complained that Yinzhen changed his mood faster than one flips a page in a book, she also quickly devised a strategy. The shyness on her face receded like a tide, replaced by a pale complexion as her eyes quickly reddened.
She placed her hands on her lap, clutching her sleeves tightly, and choked out, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so bold as to ask you to help me because I wanted to be closer to you.”
By the end, she even moved to stand up and beg for forgiveness, regardless of the fact that her foot hadn’t fully healed.
Yinzhen, who had been watching her closely and had already stopped being truly angry after hearing her explanation, hurriedly reached out to press her back into the chair. He continued to feign dissatisfaction. “You still dare to get up? Do you not want your foot to heal? Don’t waste the medicine the physician gave you.”
Li Wanran sat in the chair, bowing her head piteously and sobbing, “Yes, I know my mistake.”
Yinzhen took a moment to calm his thoughts, his face returning to its usual inscrutable expression. He looked down at the still-sobbing Li Wanran and suddenly hooked her chin with his finger. Her piteous little face was instantly exposed to his gaze.
Her eyes were brimming with tears, and at that moment, a single clear tear slid from her eye like a pearl. Looking at her, Yinzhen felt a sudden flutter in his heart. He couldn’t help but use his thumb to wipe the tear from her cheek.
Seeing Li Wanran’s eyes widen at his touch, Yinzhen found her absolutely adorable. The thought of wanting to coax her and stop her from crying popped into his head. However, in the next second, he felt such a thought was improper.
He quickly withdrew his hand and turned away, not daring to look at her further. He said with feigned sternness, “If you want to be closer to me, you can do other things. How can you ask me to apply your medicine!”
For instance, she could serve him tea or embroider a pouch like everyone else. The more Yinzhen thought about it, the more he felt he needed to properly educate this young Lady. He had to make her understand the hierarchy of status, lest she act improperly in the future and offend someone without even knowing it.
Seeing Yinzhen’s back turned to her, Li Wanran quickly rubbed her cheeks to let them relax; she had been tensing them so hard her face was about to go stiff.
After a long pause, she murmured, “At home, I was very close to my mother. Every time I was accidentally hurt, she would personally apply medicine for me. She said that in the future, my husband would treat me the same way. Fourth Prince, aren’t you my husband?”
These words instantly softened Yinzhen’s heart. He turned back to look at Li Wanran, who was watching him with a look of trepidation. The lecture he had planned about status and hierarchy vanished completely from his mind.
Forget it, she was just a young girl who had just left her family and understood nothing. Furthermore… what she said was not wrong. He was indeed her husband.
With this thought, the awkwardness in Yinzhen’s heart vanished completely. As for teaching her about status, that could wait for another day. He assumed she would learn over time.
He cleared his throat to regain his serious composure. “Of course. Besides me, who else is worthy of being your husband?”
Seeing Li Wanran break into a smile through her tears, a hint of a smile also touched his eyes.
“Then, can the Fourth Prince let Banxia come in and help me with the medicine?” Li Wanran asked tentatively, seeing that his anger had subsided.
Yinzhen nodded casually. Why not?
However, when Banxia came in and prepared to take the medicinal wine from him, he subconsciously gripped it tighter, unwilling to hand it over.
“Fourth Prince?”
Banxia looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he wouldn’t give her the wine. This time, Yinzhen’s mouth moved faster than his brain.
“Forget it, I’ll do it personally. You’re a clumsy girl; don’t go hurting your mistress again.”
“Huh?”
Banxia’s response was three parts shock, three parts confusion, and four parts the grievance of being falsely accused. Had the Fourth Prince misunderstood something? She wasn’t clumsy at all! The person who would hurt the mistress definitely wouldn’t be her! Moreover, did she hear correctly—the Fourth Prince was going to personally apply medicine to her mistress?!
Li Wanran was equally shocked and amused. He had been so resistant moments ago, yet now he was calling her Banxia clumsy just to do it himself. Heh, men.
Banxia wanted to defend herself, but under Yinzhen’s intimidating gaze, she could only retreat to the side.
Once the words were out, there was no turning back.
Li Wanran appeared shocked on the surface, but inwardly she was ready to enjoy the show of Yinzhen applying the wine. To save his pride, she specifically told Banxia to wait outside.
I really am such a considerate person, Li Wanran thought with a smile as she noticed Yinzhen’s expression improve once Banxia left.
With only the two of them left, Yinzhen no longer hesitated. Doing as he said, he carried Li Wanran to the edge of the bed and sat her down. From the moment he removed her silk socks, Li Wanran watched his movements intently. She watched him apply the medicine step-by-step, with a clear lack of experience.
Judging by his strength and posture, it was obvious this was his first time doing such a thing.
Hmph, practice makes perfect. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to practice your technique in the future, Li Wanran thought smugly.
A flash of mischief and cunning crossed her bright eyes. Her fair and delicate foot rested quietly in his hand, allowing him to rub it with gentle, slow strokes. It felt as though she was completely at his mercy.
Perhaps because the medicinal wine was being rubbed in, Yinzhen felt the hand he was using to apply the medicine grow startlingly hot. There was also that burning gaze from across from him, fixed so firmly on him that he couldn’t pretend not to notice.
Yinzhen applied the medicine with a blank expression, trying his best to act as if nothing were out of the ordinary. He didn’t realize that his earlobes had already turned a subtle shade of crimson.
At the end of the day, Yinzhen was still a young man in the prime of his youth, just experiencing the first stirrings of love.
He wanted to say something to ease his discomfort when Li Wanran’s enchanting voice reached his ears, seemingly lost in memory.
“The way you caught me in the garden that day was truly mesmerizing. Especially when you carried me back—the scenery, the fragrance of the flowers, and the breeze on my skin… whenever I think of it, it feels like it was just yesterday.”
This bold and direct confession of affection was like a magic spell that froze Yinzhen in place. Following her memory, scenes of their first meeting inevitably floated through his mind.
Yinzhen paused for a moment before calmly finishing putting on her shoes and socks. He then called for Su Peisheng to bring water to serve him as he washed his hands.
When everything was finished, Yinzhen stroked Li Wanran’s cheek, his dark pupils clearly reflecting her beautiful face.
“I am aware of your heart. I will be good to you in the future.”
Yinzhen didn’t doubt her feelings in the slightest. He was so outstanding; it was only natural that she would have feelings for him. However, he couldn’t reciprocate those feelings. The only thing he could do for her was to treat her a bit better.
Li Wanran hadn’t expected such an unintended gain. Beyond her surprise, she knew she had given him enough “sweet talk” for now. Therefore, she didn’t push further but chose to conclude the moment.
She looked up at him with a shy expression, her eyes openly transmitting her affection as she whispered, “The most profound gaze holds infinite meaning, as if we have known each other in a previous life.”
Hearing this, Yinzhen sighed inwardly and directly pulled Li Wanran into his arms, stroking her shoulder as he said, “I understand.”
Su Peisheng, standing nearby, stared at the scene in shock, blinking several times. After confirming there was nothing wrong with his eyes, he withdrew his shocked gaze before the Prince could notice.
He could only marvel in his heart—he had only been gone for a moment, and Lady Li had already coaxed the Prince into this state? It seemed her future days would be nothing but prosperity.
Thinking this, he shot a glance at the nearby Banxia, who was still smiling sillily. Your mistress is truly capable.
Unfortunately, Banxia didn’t catch his meaning. She continued to look at her mistress with a joyful grin, looking as happy as if she had just found money on the ground.