“Jiang Sui, I feel uncomfortable.”
Ji Kongqing said angrily, “I cannot make myself understood with an ancient person like you.”
Jiang Sui did not understand what the term “ancient person” used by Ji Kongqing meant, but judging by her tone, it was certainly nothing pleasant.
She turned her head and shouted, “Someone, come here!”
The door was pushed open as Cuizhu and Cuilan entered: “Your Highness.”
“Take her away and make her kneel at the entrance.” Jiang Sui’s tone was merciless.
Cuizhu and Cuilan exchanged glances, stepped forward, and asked Ji Kongqing to step outside.
Ji Kongqing had not expected Jiang Sui to be so heartless, casting her aside the moment she finished using her. She angrily ground her back teeth.
Jiang Sui cared not whether this human tool, Ji Kongqing, felt angry, casting an indifferent glance at Cuizhu and Cuilan.
Disregarding Ji Kongqing’s thoughts, they draped a thin outer garment over her, forcibly escorted her outside, and forced her to kneel at the entrance.
Inside the room, Jiang Sui called for water to wash and freshen herself up.
Not long after, the estate physician Ye Jing hurried over carrying a medical box, instructing her assistant to serve Jiang Sui a bowl of medicine. After Jiang Sui drank it, she lowered her head and crouched by the bedside, beginning to take Jiang Sui’s pulse.
“Your Highness’s estrual period has been temporarily suppressed.”
“How long can it be suppressed?” Jiang Sui knew that her estrual period typically lasted for three days.
Ye Jing asked Meixiang, “What is the grade of the Prince Consort as a Qianyuan?”
Meixiang replied, “It is said to be grade three, secondary level.”
Ye Jing pondered for a moment and estimated, “It can probably be suppressed for about half an hour.”
“So short?” Meixiang was somewhat worried.
Ye Jing nodded, “Her Highness is inherently a rare grade three, primary level Kunze. The disparity in grades between the Prince Consort and Her Highness is rather large, so this is the most ideal duration.”
“Then if I find a primary-grade Qianyuan, how long can it be suppressed?” Jiang Sui asked.
Ye Jing replied, “If it is a primary-grade three, it can be suppressed for half a day, which is 3 hours; grade two, 2 hours; and primary-grade one, 1 hour.”
“Estate Physician Ye, do you have medicine here?” Jiang Sui stopped speaking, and Meixiang inquired instead, “Medicine to reduce swelling and mend the bite mark.”
“Yes, I do,” Ye Jing took out two small white porcelain jars from the medical box. “Just apply the ointment inside to the bite mark; it will be absorbed and the swelling will go down within the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.”
“Very good,” Meixiang put the medicine away, and Ye Jing withdrew.
Half an hour later, the familiar sensation once again assailed Jiang Sui.
Ji Kongqing, who had been kneeling at the entrance, was thrown directly into the bath. After the maidservants scrubbed her clean, Jiang Sui entered as well, pulling her close to begin the temporary bonding process once more.
Throughout these three days, Ji Kongqing rarely had a moment of rest. She was frequently startled awake from her sleep, battered awake and utilized repeatedly like a fish on a cutting board.
Her self-respect was reduced to nothing before Jiang Sui, and the bite mark on the back of her neck was also sucked dry, no longer capable of emitting sandalwood fragrance.
Having finished serving Jiang Sui, Ji Kongqing was tossed back to her small courtyard.
While bathing, Ji Kongqing looked at the blue and purple bruises on her knees, and then at the dark circles under her eyes brought on by three days of sleep deprivation. She felt both aggrieved and deeply wronged.
This place was truly unbearable for even a moment longer. The moment an opportunity arose, she would definitely escape and stay far away from this crazy woman Jiang Sui!
Ping’an and Ruyi seemed to sense that Ji Kongqing’s mood was poor upon her return, so they simply reported the situation to her before reminding her to dine.
Ji Kongqing ate a full meal and went to bed early to rest, instructing Ping’an and Ruyi not to disturb her unless there was an emergency. Little did she expect that in the middle of the night, she would suddenly feel parched with a dry throat and fall into a feverish stupor.
A faint trace of sandalwood fragrance gradually drifted out into the courtyard.
The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Ruyi sensed that something was amiss. Ordinarily, the Prince Consort would not rise this late, yet even now there was no movement from the chambers. Disregarding Ji Kongqing’s injunction, she rushed inside to inspect.
To her immense shock upon entering, Ji Kongqing was running a high fever and was completely delirious.
Ruyi hurriedly sent Ping’an to report to the steward so he could summon the estate physician.
News of Ji Kongqing’s illness quickly reached Jiang Sui’s ears.
Her hand holding the book paused for a moment, a look of disdain flashing across her face. “How is her constitution so delicate? She merely accompanied this palace through a single estrual period and fell ill. She is utterly useless!”
Thinking of the pastries Ji Kongqing had given her previously, Cuizhu felt a twinge of pity. “Does Your Highness wish to go check on the Prince Consort?”
Jiang Sui shook her head. “Let Ye Jing go take a look first. I will go over later.”
“Very well, Your Highness. This maid will immediately have someone summon Estate Physician Ye.” Cuizhu hurried away.
Ye Jing quickly went to examine Ji Kongqing, taking her pulse and prescribing medicine before departing in haste.
When night fell and the princess’s estate grew quiet, Jiang Sui stealthily made her way to Ji Kongqing’s courtyard. The moment she stepped inside, Jiang Sui caught the scent of sandalwood.
The two had just spent three grueling days in utmost intimacy; no one was more familiar with Ji Kongqing’s scent than Jiang Sui.
Her footsteps faltered. After a moment of hesitation, she pushed open the door to Ji Kongqing’s room.
Ji Kongqing lay motionless on the bed.
As Jiang Sui approached, she found her drenched in sweat with a flushed face, her fever seemingly unabated.
“What is going on here? Was medicine not prescribed?” Seeing Ji Kongqing’s lips cracked from the high fever, Jiang Sui ultimately felt a pang of sympathy, propping her up and carefully feeding her a cup of water.
Ruyi, who had been keeping watch, hurried forward. “Your Highness, Estate Physician Ye already administered the medicine to the Prince Consort, but the fever refuses to break, and the Prince Consort remains unconscious.”
Jiang Sui felt Ji Kongqing’s sweat-soaked back and prepared to instruct Ruyi to change her clothes when a heavy wave of sandalwood fragrance suddenly assaulted the back of her own neck.
Ji Kongqing’s pheromones seemed to react to her master’s emotional state, swirling around the suppressing patch covering the bite mark on Jiang Sui’s neck.
Having just emerged from her estrual period, Jiang Sui’s body was extremely sensitive to this. Her legs instantly turned to jelly, and a considerable amount of her own pheromones was drawn out.
Reacting quickly, she grabbed the edge of the bedframe, barely managing to maintain her composure in front of the maidservants.
Fortunately, Cuizhu, Ping’an, and the others were Zhongyong and could not detect the intense scent of pheromones. Jiang Sui immediately ordered them to summon Ye Jing once more.
Waiting felt exceptionally prolonged. Ji Kongqing’s condition appeared to worsen, and she instinctively buried her face into Jiang Sui’s shoulder hollow, rubbing against it like a spoiled child as she mumbled, “I am so hot, it hurts so much.”
In her delirium, Ji Kongqing felt as though she were being roasted over a fire, a burning blaze within her body demanding release.
Jiang Sui’s body felt cool, so Ji Kongqing instinctively pressed close to her, seeking a measure of relief.
Before long, Jiang Sui herself was worked into a light sweat from dealing with her.
Fortunately, Ye Jing arrived promptly. After a swift examination of Ji Kongqing’s condition and learning that she could no longer control her pheromones, Ye Jing fell into deep thought. “Your Highness, I initially thought the Prince Consort had caught a chill last night, but looking now, it appears she is undergoing secondary differentiation.”
“Secondary differentiation?” This was the first time Jiang Sui had heard of such a phenomenon.
Ye Jing bowed her head. “Your Highness, please forgive my shallow learning; this condition in the Prince Consort is exceedingly rare and something I have only encountered in medical texts, lacking practical familiarity. I suggest summoning Imperial Physician Zhuo from the Imperial Medical Academy to examine her.”
After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Sui nodded and instructed the steward to enter the palace and invite him.
Zhuo Weiqian arrived at the estate shortly after. To prevent being triggered into another estrual cycle by Ji Kongqing’s pheromones, Jiang Sui had already left her chamber.
Taking Ji Kongqing’s pulse, Zhuo Weiqian confirmed that it was indeed secondary differentiation, exactly as Ye Jing had suggested.
He hastily prescribed a remedy for Ji Kongqing and instructed Cuizhu to retrieve ice blocks from the ice cellar, place them into a bathing tub, strip Ji Kongqing, and submerge her.
“Why would she suddenly undergo secondary differentiation?” Jiang Sui asked Zhuo Weiqian.
Zhuo Weiqian wore a hesitant expression.
Jiang Sui frowned. “Speak freely.”
“This official surmises it may be related to Your Highness. Your Highness is a grade three, primary level Kunze, whereas the Prince Consort is a grade three, secondary level Qianyuan.”
“According to a medical text this official read in my youth, if a Qianyuan and Kunze’s pheromones match too perfectly, but their grades differ significantly, the lower-grade party will strive to differentiate into the same grade to match the higher-grade partner.”
Jiang Sui instantly understood. Could it be that her pheromones and Ji Kongqing’s matched so exceptionally well?
“Then why use ice blocks?” Jiang Sui asked further.
Zhuo Weiqian wiped the sweat from his brow. “Ordinarily, when a Qianyuan undergoes differentiation, concubine maids are employed to soothe them. Given the Prince Consort’s unique circumstances, however, this method is the only recourse.”
Indeed. Her possessions, even if unvalued by her, could never be tainted by anyone else.
Jiang Sui curved her lips into a smile. “Very well, this method is sound. Then I must trouble Imperial Physician Zhuo to stay the night and return to the palace only after the Prince Consort is out of danger.”
“This official understands.” Zhuo Weiqian bowed and saw Jiang Sui off.
Ji Kongqing’s high fever only broke in the middle of the night, by which point the ice water had been replaced three times over.
After a night of turmoil, Ji Kongqing successfully differentiated into a grade three, primary level Qianyuan, but trapped between the extremes of ice and heat, she caught a bad cold.
“Achoo! Stinking Jiang Sui, this is all her fault. Despicable!” Upon waking, Ji Kongqing pushed away the bitter concoction prescribed by Zhuo Weiqian and instead purchased cold medicine from her system to take.
Seeing that Ji Kongqing had woken up only to curse Jiang Sui, Ruyi hurriedly cautioned, “Prince Consort, please mind your words.”
“Indeed, My Lord, Her Highness still cares for you a great deal. The moment you fell ill, she immediately summoned Imperial Physician Zhuo to treat you, and now you have even undergone secondary differentiation. This is a wonderful blessing.” Ping’an smiled to comfort her.
Ji Kongqing rolled her eyes. A wonderful blessing? What good did differentiation do for her?
It merely meant a stronger constitution and less frailty in bed, only to end up serving Jiang Sui all the same! She was nothing more than a tool!
Recalling Jiang Sui’s torment, Ji Kongqing felt like weeping.
In her two lives combined, she had never truly loved anyone, let alone slept with someone. Although she was no longer young in her previous life, she still held anticipation and romantic longing for love.
In this life, romance had evaded her, yet she had been deflowered first, and forced into it by an overbearing woman who lacked basic respect. She truly had grievances too deep to voice.
“What is the Prince Consort doing after waking?” During lunch, Jiang Sui could not help inquiring of Dark Five.
“Replying to Your Highness, cursing you.” A hint of a smile flashed across Dark Five’s eyes.
“Oh? And what is she cursing this palace about?” Jiang Sui paused her utensil and continued asking.
Dark Five glanced at Cuizhu and the others nearby, withdrew a slip of paper from her sleeve, and handed it to Jiang Sui.
Jiang Sui took it. As she read the insults Ji Kongqing directed at her, her complexion shifted from pale to dark and finally flushed red.
She swiftly crumpled the paper into a ball and glared fiercely at Dark Five. “Next time, do not record things that should not be written down.”
“As you command, Your Highness.” Suppressing a smile, Dark Five quickly retreated.
Narrowing her eyes dangerously, Jiang Sui set the paper ablaze and tossed it into the brazier.
After finishing lunch, Jiang Sui made her way to Ji Kongqing’s courtyard.
Ruyi and Ping’an were the first to spot her. As they opened their mouths to address her, Jiang Sui raised a hand, signaling them to withdraw first.
Ji Kongqing was currently reading the medical book Zhuo Weiqian had given her, though her mind was clearly elsewhere, failing to turn a single page for a long while.
She was still muttering curses against Jiang Sui under her breath: “Jiang Sui, stinking woman, tigress, I will never speak to her again!”
“Who are you calling a tigress?” Jiang Sui’s voice rang out flatly from behind her.
“Of course you.” Ji Kongqing realized who it was mid-sentence, leaped up in a fright, and violently jumped out of her chair.
Jiang Sui, standing too close behind to dodge, took a blow to her chin from Ji Kongqing’s head and instinctively hissed in pain.
Ji Kongqing’s heart skipped a beat. Clutching her own head, she rushed forward to feel Jiang Sui’s face. “Are you alright? Are you alright?”
“What do you think?” Jiang Sui pushed her hand away, glaring fiercely at Ji Kongqing with a gaze that practically signaled intent to murder.
Knowing full well that this woman was entirely capable of murder when displeased, Ji Kongqing trembled with fright and aggrievedly puckered her lips. “Who told you to suddenly appear behind me and scare me?”
“The Princess’s Estate belongs to this palace. This palace goes wherever she pleases; does she need to report it to you?” Jiang Sui’s expression grew icy.
Instantly recalling her aching knees from the prior punishment, Ji Kongqing folded immediately and capitulated. “I am sorry, I was wrong. Let me examine it for you.”
She hastily pulled Jiang Sui down to sit and lowered her head to inspect her chin.
Jiang Sui’s skin was fair, making the injury starkly visible. A large red patch now marred her chin, filling Ji Kongqing with sudden guilt as she placatingly leaned in to blow on it.
From Jiang Sui’s vantage point, she could see that Ji Kongqing’s clear amber eyes were filled with absolute sincerity, while her pursed lips possessed a lovely peachy red hue, soft and moist, looking entirely kissable.
It was the first time Jiang Sui realized that Ji Kongqing was actually quite attractive. Recognizing that her thoughts were straying into forbidden territory, Jiang Sui swiftly shoved her away. “It is nothing.”
“Oh.” Ji Kongqing stepped back a few paces and sat down submissive with her head lowered.
“What brings Your Highness to my quarters?” Ji Kongqing proactively asked.
“Regarding your secondary differentiation, do not speak of it to outsiders. I have already instructed and settled matters with Imperial Physician Zhuo and the household staff.”
“Why?” Ji Kongqing asked, somewhat perplexed.
Jiang Sui swept an indifferent glance over her. “Do you know where a Qianyuan without power or influence, yet of high grade and attractive appearance, ultimately ends up?”
“Where?” Ji Kongqing asked with curiosity.
“The Qingling Pavilion.” Dropping these calm words, Jiang Sui turned and walked away.
Still half-in-the-dark, Ji Kongqing turned to question Ping’an and Ruyi.
Though her face flushed red with embarrassment, Ping’an explained to her, “A Kunze’s estrual period is extremely difficult to endure. The Qingling Pavilion is a place that specifically serves Kunze with special needs. The Prince Consort would do well to avoid it. I have heard that…”
“Heard what?”
“I heard that there are always Qianyuan in the Qingling Pavilion who serve nobles to their deaths in bed. The high-grade Qianyuan there meet a miserable fate, having to serve different people every day until they die.”
Ji Kongqing froze in absolute shock. Surviving Jiang Sui alone was already enough; she had no desire to end up in a place like that!