Chapter 10
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He said it’s not working!
Steward Gao wasn’t surprised at all; he silently cursed Jiang Juan for his unreliability. Now they were all doomed.
“Isn’t it?” Jiang Juan felt no sense of urgency, only confusion. “But it was this sachet this morning.”
He picked it up, dusted it off, and sniffed it. Jiang Juan wasn’t sensitive to scents; to him, it just smelled medicinal, no different from other herbal remedies.
Jiang Juan asked, puzzled, “If it’s not this scent, then what other scent could it be?”
Xue Fangli didn’t respond immediately. After a long pause, he slowly said, “Come here.”
Jiang Juan complied, stepping closer.
In truth, he was not only insensitive to scents but also particularly slow in perceiving atmospheres. While Steward Gao had already begun to mourn for him, Jiang Juan approached without any sense of caution.
Xue Fangli glanced at him before placing his hand on Jiang Juan’s right shoulder. Beneath his wide sleeves, lay a pale and sinewy wrist. With a slight exertion, Xue Fangli caused Jiang Juan to bend forward.
His gaze settled on the youth’s neck—a slender and fair expanse of skin.
A few strands of dark hair loosely hung, grazing the nape. In the same vicinity, a prominent mole adorned the area, exuding a captivating allure.
At the same time, the closer he got, the more apparent was the scent belonging to the youth.
—It was an indiscernible herbal fragrance. Perhaps it was from some rare medicinal herb, or perhaps it was the result of a combination of several herbs. In any case, it wasn’t chaotic; they harmonized perfectly, emitting a gentle and soothing aroma.
In the depths of Xue Fangli’s soul, his madness and volatility were quelled by this scent, granting even his profoundly unstable emotions a moment of tranquility.
“Your Highness?”
Jiang Juan, unaware of what he intended to do, lifted his head in confusion.
Diagonal shafts of light seeped through the cracks in the bamboo curtains, casting a perfect illumination on his fair face. The dangling glass beads shimmered incessantly, blurring the line between him and the beads, uncertain which was more translucent. The youth’s eyelashes fluttered softly, tender and pure, resembling a little Bodhisattva on a lotus pedestal.
He was right here, within arm’s reach, yet seemed as elusive as clouds and mist, always dissipating into nothingness, leaving no trace behind.
As he continued to gaze, Xue Fangli suddenly entertained a thought.
Getting him dirty.
Dragging him into the mundane world.
But he’s so clean, soiling him seems a bit of a waste.
Xue Fangli lowered his eyelids. After a moment, he plucked something from Jiang Juan’s shoulder and calmly remarked, “It’s wolf fur.”
His entire gesture seemed to be merely about picking up the wolf fur. Jiang Juan blinked, not thinking much of it. “I was with the wolf cub just now, might have rubbed against it.”
Xue Fangli nodded. “Hmm.”
Thus, the conversation ended calmly.
Steward Gao: “?”
Just like that? That’s it?
His Highness didn’t get angry, nor did he punish them.
What’s going on?
Steward Gao was stunned, but the next moment, he realized something— from the visit to the hall, to saving the wolf cub, and now the offering of the sachet, this wasn’t the first time His Highness had made an exception.
Once, twice, but not a third time. The first two instances could be attributed to His Highness’s interest in the Third Young Master, but this time…
That was valuable aromatic material!
His Highness didn’t get angry about it?
They were spared!?
Steward Gao was greatly shocked, but amidst his shock, he also vaguely understood something.
The Third Young Master must not be offended under any circumstances!
Regardless of His Highness’s plans, based on the preferential treatment His Highness shows towards the Third Young Master, from now on, he must redouble his efforts to serve him!
With the aromatic material unusable and the sachet unusable as well, Jiang Juan felt a bit uneasy. He couldn’t help but ask Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, what will you do later?”
Xue Fangli glanced at Steward Gao, indicating that he would handle it. Jiang Juan then said, “Well… will you continue resting?”
“Yes.”
Xue Fangli responded calmly. Jiang Juan knew he should leave, but he returned after a few steps, still wanting to leave the sachet behind. He insisted, “What if it comes in handy?”
Xue Fangli glanced at it, remaining noncommittal.
Jiang Juan handed him the sachet and left contentedly.
Xue Fangli didn’t look at the sachet, just held it in his hand and played with it. After a moment, he spoke calmly.
“What happened?”
“The servant was on his way to deliver the fragrance when the maidservant of the Third Young Master bumped into me carelessly. I lost his grip on the box…”
That was indeed the sequence of events, but even if the maidservant was careless, if he had avoided her in time, this wouldn’t have happened. Blaming the entire incident solely on her was an attempt by Steward Gao to shift the blame entirely onto her.
Xue Fangli stared at him with a smirk.
Steward Gao felt a chill running down his spine as he was being scrutinized. In front of His Highness, it seemed like his thoughts, intentions, and actions were all laid bare, leaving him with nowhere to hide.
With a strong sense of oppression, Steward Gao continued, his voice slightly trembling, “Oh, and Your Highness, the maidservant mentioned something about the Third Young Master needing a medicinal bath. I suppose she was inquiring whether there were any medicinal herbs available in the estate.”
A medicinal bath?
So that’s it.
After years of nurturing, the young man had cultivated a scent of medicinal herbs.
“Whatever he needs, get it for him.”
“Your Highness, it seems there are no such herbs available in the country manor…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Steward Gao realized his folly and wished he could slap himself. He forced a smile and said, “If there aren’t any here, I can easily go down the mountain to purchase some, or return to the residence to retrieve them.”
Xue Fangli’s expression turned icy, his impatience reaching its peak. He coldly commanded, “Get lost.”
Steward Gao promptly left, but before closing the door, he couldn’t help but ask one more question: “Your Highness, should I also retrieve another box of your fragrance from the residence?”
Xue Fangli lightly closed his eyes, feeling displeased with the mixed scent of the fragrance sachet, but still detecting a faint scent belonging to the young man. He responded expressionlessly, “No need for that.”
He came to the country manor intending to rest for one night. Now that his emotions had calmed down, there was no need to use any more fragrance.
.
After the incident, Steward Gao’s attitude became even more respectful when he visited the courtyard again.
“Your Royal Consort, do you require a medicinal bath?” Steward Gao asked. “Do you have a specific prescription?”
Jiang Juan almost forgot about this matter. Uncertainly, he replied, “There should be one, right?”
Of course, there was a prescription. Jiang Juan didn’t know about it, but Lan Ting was extremely familiar with it. She hesitated before asking, “Steward, why are you asking about the prescription…?”
Steward Gao replied with a smile, “His Highness instructed me. Whatever the Royal Consort lacks, feel free to mention it, and I will prepare it for her.”
Jiang Juan blinked, sincerely saying, “His Highness is truly kind.”
But he died too soon.
Steward Gao: ”…..”
Steward Gao awkwardly attempted a polite smile. He couldn’t really respond to Jiang Juan’s sentiment.
Lan Ting, originally burdened with guilt, thinking that the Young Master couldn’t have his medicinal bath anymore, was relieved upon hearing Steward Gao’s words. She proceeded to report the prescription to Steward Gao, “One ounce of Blood Fungus, three ounces of Mulberry Leaves, one ounce of Angelica,…”
Steward Gao listened with a start; those were all quite precious medicinal herbs.
As far as he knew, the Third Young Master and his maternal grandfather had lived in the countryside for many years. Did he also use these precious medicinal herbs in the past?
No, wait. Didn’t the Third Young Master seek medical treatment in the capital? Perhaps it was a new prescription from the physician.
Steward Gao didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, His Highness had said to provide whatever was needed. So, after jotting down the prescription, he promptly descended the mountain.
After a few hours, the medicinal herbs were finally delivered. Lan Ting busied herself with the preparations for the medicinal bath. Once everything was ready, she approached to help Jiang Juan undress, but he shook his head and said, “I’ll do it myself.”
Lan Ting hesitated for a moment before retreating outside. After Jiang Juan had settled into the tub, she returned to help him tie up his hair.
In the flickering firelight, the young man’s eyelashes gently drooped, his face smooth as jade. Lan Ting gazed at him for a moment and softly remarked, “Young Master has changed a lot, right?”
Upon hearing her words, Jiang Juan was startled. He realized that he hadn’t concealed his true nature, and Lan Ting had been serving the Jiang Juan of the past for quite some time.
Jiang Juan: “…”
He had been careless.
“Master E’nan’s predictions were quite accurate.” Lan Ting continued. “He said that when Young Master turned eighteen, he would face difficulties. If he could overcome them, his fortunes would multiply, but his temperament might change. If he couldn’t… Well, luckily, Young Master is fine.”
After a pause, Lan Ting smiled and added, “Young Master is fine just the way you are.”
He’s not as gloomy anymore, no longer dwelling on trivial matters, his heart softened a lot, and he became much more cheerful than before.
Jiang Juan was startled by her words, but fortunately, Lan Ting managed to smooth things over herself, which relieved him.
However, Jiang Juan was quite curious about this Master E’nan. He wanted to ask Lan Ting, but was afraid of giving himself away, so he had to lie in the bathtub and recall whether this character was mentioned in the original plot.
Master E’nan.
E’nan.
As night fell, the atmosphere around the courtyard grew quiet. The rustling of the wind and the faint whisper of leaves blended together. Jiang Juan pondered over his thoughts but couldn’t come to any conclusions. Just as he was about to ask Lan Ting, he suddenly heard a commotion.
“Bang——!”
“Bang, bang, bang——!”
Jiang Juan was taken aback, and Lan Ting handed him the clean clothes she had been holding and went to investigate the source of the noise herself.
It sounded like the young wolf was banging against its cage. Jiang Juan listened for a while before putting on his outer garment. Unable to find his shoes, he walked barefoot over to investigate.
It was indeed the young wolf.
It was agitatedly banging against the cage, and the wound that had barely stopped bleeding during the day was now oozing blood again, staining the bandages red.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Juan asked.
Lan Ting shook her head, also at a loss. She made space for Jiang Juan, and the young wolf whimpered urgently at him.
This young wolf was quite clever. It would seek help when in danger and even act affectionate when in pain. Jiang Juan hesitated for a moment before opening the cage for it and asked, “What do you want to do?”
The young wolf limped out of the cage and swiftly darted through the partially closed door.
Jiang Juan dared not let the young wolf run amok and hurriedly chased after it.
Lan Ting was about to say something when she suddenly saw Jiang Juan’s bare feet and the moisture all over his body. She was so shocked that she bit her tongue and couldn’t speak for a while. By the time she regained her composure, the young wolf and Jiang Juan were nowhere to be seen.
Lan Ting immediately became anxious and hurriedly followed them outside.
Where could the Young Master, disheveled as he was, be going?
Jiang Juan also didn’t know where he was going. The young wolf ran clumsily, and Jiang Juan followed behind, paying no attention to the direction. It wasn’t until he saw a pavilion that he realized where they were.
“Who goes there?”
The guards stationed outside the pavilion became alert, gripping their swords as they approached. However, when they saw who it was, they were all taken aback.
The young man was shrouded in mist, his loosely tied hair damp, and beneath his loose outer garment were bare feet, fair and beautiful.
“Y-Your Royal Consort…”
They recognized Jiang Juan immediately but dared not look directly at him, stuttering as they tried to block his path. “His Majesty is resting, no one is allowed to enter.”
Ignoring their protests, Jiang Juan hurried forward, the wolf cub already slipping past them. The guards hesitated to stop him.
——If they intervened, it would inevitably lead to a struggle, and His Highness might not be pleased.
But when His Highness was resting, no one was allowed inside, including them!
Amidst this dilemma, Jiang Juan had already entered the pavilion, leaving the guards exchanging looks before gritting their teeth and following suit.
Inside the building, the young wolf sniffed around as Jiang Juan inadvertently lost track of it. By now, he stood outside Xue Fangli’s door.
He looked around to ensure the young wolf wasn’t nearby before hesitantly knocking on the door.
Earlier, it was Lan Ting who knocked over the spices, and now, this late, it was him who couldn’t find the young wolf.
“Your Highness?”
“Your Highness?”
No response.
Had he fallen asleep?
Jiang Juan furrowed his brow, suddenly recalling the plot.
“——That night, Xue Fangli stayed at the country manor. In the middle of the night, he fell seriously ill, coughing up blood incessantly…”
It wasn’t early anymore, could His Highness have fallen ill already? With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Juan knocked on the door a few more times, but still received no response. Feeling increasingly worried, he couldn’t help but push the door open.
The next moment, his heart nearly stopped.
The pavilion was eerily empty, the curtains fluttering in the wind. A man in intricate robes stood there, his sword in hand, his posture relaxed yet imposing, as he faced off against seven or eight wolves.
Upon hearing a creak, Xue Fangli didn’t turn around. His robes billowed in the wind, and his crimson lips curled, as if mocking or sighing. “I’ve not paid attention to your mistakes yet you still create more troubles for me.”
“You truly are a little Bodhisattva, unable to bear seeing others suffer.”
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