Chapter 82

Xiao Jin spoke these words with great naturalness.

The young ladies standing nearby watching, however, stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Everyone in the Qi Kingdom, from children to the elderly, knew that after returning from the campaign, His Highness Prince Yan had been left with a leg ailment.

In daily life, he used a wheelchair, making movement inherently inconvenient. Compared to before, he did not go about causing trouble and his outings had decreased significantly.

Yet now, His Highness Prince Yan, leading a contingent of guards, had driven his carriage to Jade Splendor Tower solely to fetch the Princess Consort.

This was just too…

Too wonderful?

Even the well-read daughters of wealthy families, who had spent years in private academies, were shocked speechless by the scene before them, struggling to find the right words to describe it.

Their eyes, however, sparkled with a hint of envy.

While envying, they strained on tiptoe, wanting to see if the rumored greatest beauty of Great Yao was truly as peerlessly elegant as others claimed.

And the Princess Consort Yan, the object of everyone’s attention, seemed frozen in place, standing there rooted for a long time.

No one knew what Chu Shao was thinking.

They only knew that after a long while, Princess Consort Yan suddenly pursed her lips into a smile.

Under the sunlight, her sleeves floated in the wind. The woman in white, facing numerous gazes, walked forward. Who knew whose eyes she dazzled?

By the time they came back to their senses, they found that Princess Consort Yan had already drawn near. She extended her own hand and gently placed it upon the hand adorned with the white jade thumb ring.

Although throughout the entire process, Princess Consort Yan did not utter a single word,

that simple action spoke louder than a thousand words.

…

To the onlooking crowd, this scene was exquisitely beautiful.

In reality, however, Xiao Jin’s hand was trembling. And this trembling was in the literal, physical sense.

When her gaze had met Chu Shao’s just now, for a moment, Xiao Jin hadn’t known how to react.

And yet, perhaps because posturing had become a habit,

she had completely forgotten that her arm was still, at present, in an injured state.

Xiao Jin, who checked three out of the four boxes for being old, weak, sick, and crippled, had somehow, as if possessed, flung open the curtain and extended her hand.

By the time she realized it, it was too late.

A tearing, muscle-wrenching pain had already shot through her arm.

But since she had already extended it,

there was no reason to retreat halfway.

So Xiao Jin maintained the most indifferent expression while enduring the most unjust agony, forcefully seeing this act of posturing through to the end.

Fortunately, Chu Shao seemed to notice something amiss, so her movements were very gentle, preventing Xiao Jin’s hand from being injured a second time.

Now, Chu Shao had already climbed into the carriage holding a black box and was sitting beside her.

Xiao Jin stared at Chu Shao, still feeling a sense of unreality.

It was as if the child she had seen just a few days ago had suddenly grown into a young woman overnight. And this woman, with her smiling brows and eyes, was as beautiful as a figure in a painting.

What’s more, she was her nominal wife.

It was like buffs were being stacked here, a whole nurturing game playing out.

The carriage slowly moved forward.

Leaning against a soft cushion, Xiao Jin fixed her gaze on Chu Shao, feeling that compared to before, something about Chu Shao seemed different.

But before she could figure out what was amiss,

the adult version of Princess Shao turned her head and looked at her.

Her dark lashes fluttered as she smiled and asked: “Your Highness, why do you keep staring at This Humble Wife?”

The single word “Your Highness” made Xiao Jin dazed for another moment.

Chu Shao truly lived up to being the female lead of a melodramatic novel. When it came to flirting, her moves came one after another.

Falling into Chu Shao’s chain of moves, Xiao Jin wanted to speak but hesitated, feeling a strong urge to force out a retort: What, can’t I look?

Just one look, is that not allowed?

Yet, such words were ultimately too embarrassing for Xiao Jin to utter.

She simply shut her mouth, said nothing, and just stared faintly at Chu Shao, waiting for the other to be unable to bear it any longer and speak first.

After a moment, Chu Shao indeed spoke.

She smiled, her brows unfurling, and asked softly: “Why does Your Highness remain silent?”

As she spoke, her body leaned slightly closer.

At such proximity, Xiao Jin caught the faint, clear scent of pine on Chu Shao, and her whole body involuntarily stiffened for an instant.

It was as if, at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, before the myriad things had revived, she saw no tender pale green, nor any dazzling colors.

Before her eyes, there was only a expanse of pure, bright white.

Pale gold sunlight illuminated the snowy plain. A forest of pine and cypress, accompanied by the cold wind, exuded a clear, chill fragrance.

Xiao Jin, standing within it, could not help but catch her breath.

Even though she lowered her eyes in time and steadied her mind,

smelling this scent, she still couldn’t resist the urge to lean just a little closer, a few inches more, to draw near the person whose sleeves held such fragrance.

Seeing Xiao Jin avert her gaze and no longer meet her eyes,

Chu Shao instead became persistent, reaching out a hand to clasp the jade belt cinched tightly at Xiao Jin’s waist, moving upwards.

Her five slender fingers gently covered the garment edged with silver thread.

As luck would have it, her hand stopped right over Xiao Jin’s heart.

Xiao Jin stiffened again.

The smile on Chu Shao’s lips deepened: “And why, Your Highness, do you wear such a rigid expression?”

Xiao Jin drew in a deep breath.

It was a long while before she calmed down enough to utter a few words: “Because the Princess Consort is too close.”

Hearing this, Chu Shao smiled slightly: “So that’s it. You cannot tolerate my closeness?”

Xiao Jin replied: “Absolutely not.”

Chu Shao seemed to understand something: “That explains it, then.”

Xiao Jin didn’t follow: “Explains what?”

Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin, her smile tender: “This Humble Wife was just wondering why Your Highness’s heart was beating so fast.”

“It turns out, it’s because you can’t tolerate my nearness.”

For a long time, Xiao Jin didn’t answer Chu Shao.

She tried to calm herself, to steady her heartbeat. But that traitor of a heart kept betraying her at the worst moments.

Xiao Jin was a little annoyed. She took a deep breath, wanting it to behave.

But today, it clearly had ideas of its own.

Forget it, let it be.

Then, as if testing the waters, Xiao Jin reached out her hand and paused it in front of Chu Shao.

Under Chu Shao’s watchful gaze, she paused for a very long time.

Then, she gently lowered her hand and touched the warmth of the other’s fingertips.

Soft as silk, and warm.

In all her years of living, Xiao Jin had never had such a strange thought, one so unlike herself.

She wanted to place her hand upon another person’s hand.

Because that temperature was very warm, even giving her an illusion.

As if, just by holding the other’s hand, she could walk forward with unwavering certainty.

Staying in this unfamiliar world, she would then no longer be like any lonely bird, without a cage strong enough to imprison her heart.

If she were to be held tightly by someone,

even if she were to fall into a snare, it wouldn’t seem like such a big deal.

This thought lasted only an instant. Because in the next moment, Xiao Jin snapped back to her senses.

What did she mean, being held tightly by someone?

Xiao Jin thought to herself, how could she ever be firmly controlled by another person?

That was absolutely impossible.

It could only be her who did the holding.

Chu Shao, for her part, had no idea that within a few short moments, so many thoughts had raced through the mind of the person before her.

She only smiled, watching the emotions in Xiao Jin’s eyes shift and change.

Until they could shift no more, and Xiao Jin looked up at her again.

After looking for a while, Xiao Jin gently placed her own hand upon Chu Shao’s fingers.

And likewise, upon her heart.

Chu Shao was slightly startled.

Seizing the moment while Chu Shao was taken aback, Xiao Jin decided to take the initiative and speak.

Perhaps because there was now a trace of warmth in her palm, even the words she spoke unconsciously became very soft: “Princess Consort, you are right. I am indeed somewhat unable to tolerate such proximity.”

“Because it makes me feel that the fragrance in your sleeves is very pleasant, and the warmth you place over my heart is very comforting.”

Chu Shao paused for a moment, then regained her composure and smiled, asking: “Your Highness, and then?”

Xiao Jin looked at the tear mole beneath the corner of Chu Shao’s eye and said: “And then, people are always endlessly greedy. Once they have grasped something, when it comes time to let go, it becomes very difficult to release.”

Inside the carriage, there was a moment of silence.

Though it was only an instant, it was enough for Xiao Jin to regain her senses.

Truly, she had been unconscious twice, watched two segments of memories in her sleep, and experienced a dream spanning years.

In that dream, she had drifted, watching the young princess of the Yao Kingdom for many, many years.

But in the outside world, ultimately only two days had passed.

At the root of it, only she had been immersed in those memories.

Chu Shao had not.

Xiao Jin rarely felt embarrassed for herself. Yet in the short time since waking, she had already felt embarrassment multiple times.

Looking at it this way, the words she had just spoken seemed very unreasonable.

Quite sudden, quite out of place.

At the same time, Xiao Jin also noticed.

Besides the fragrance on her person, the box at Chu Shao’s side also faintly emitted the smell of blood.

This could indicate a few things.

It could mean that Chu Shao’s visit to Jade Splendor Tower might not have been because of her own coma, intentionally looking to pick a fight with Blood Rain Pavilion.

Another possibility was that Chu Shao herself knew people from Blood Rain Pavilion and had simply gone to conduct a transaction.

And the box contained something Blood Rain Pavilion had given to Chu Shao.

That would be even more embarrassing.

Now, Xiao Jin was mortified beyond measure and was already somewhat inclined to just give up entirely.

She even wanted to shrug it off and say something like: Princess Consort, don’t take it to heart. This Prince was merely possessed momentarily by the Taoist Ye Suyu called in. That’s why I spoke and acted so unbecomingly, spouting madness here.

Just crazy talk, Princess Consort, please don’t mind it.

But unexpectedly, Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin.

Yet there was a smile on her lips as she said gently: “Although This Humble Wife does not know why, in your delirium, you called out the names of some strangers…”

“Nor do I quite understand why, after you called out those names, you then held This Humble Wife’s hand and spoke some very pleasing words.”

Now, it was Xiao Jin’s turn to be dumbfounded.

Calling out the names of strangers, and speaking pleasing words?

What… did that mean?

Chu Shao did not know that Xiao Jin’s heart was filled with shock. She continued, still smiling: “Although This Humble Wife cannot actually be certain whether those words you spoke were meant for this humble one…”

“However, since I faintly heard my own name, even if it was all just a misunderstanding, this humble one is more than happy to continue misunderstanding it so.”

Reaching this point, Chu Shao extended her hand and took hold of the fingers Xiao Jin had placed on hers.

Then, curving her brows and eyes, she smiled and said: “Therefore, you have already taken hold. There is no need to let go.”