An Jin carried Yuanxiao in one arm and me with the other, silent on our way home. Upon arriving, he pulled me into our room and instructed servants to fetch a doctor. I sat on the bed, with Yuanxiao on a soft cushion at my feet, our heads hanging in apparent remorse. Que’er brought medicine and water, standing nearby looking dejected.
When the father-in-law heard I was injured, he rushed in but was persuaded out by An Jin.
“Speak,” he said coldly, standing by the window without looking at me.
“Brother Jin,” I decided to use a soft approach and acted coquettish.
An Jin’s expression remained unchanged, though Que’er seemed to tremble.
I shamelessly approached him, grabbing his arm and shaking it. “Brother Jin, I didn’t want things to happen this way, but Yuanxiao was so badly hurt…”
An Jin ignored me. Que’er gestured at me, seemingly anxious.
I figured she wanted me to try harder, so I made a pained expression. “Brother Jin, my face hurts. Am I disfigured?”
He finally moved, pulling me back to the bed and using a handkerchief to wipe my face. Though his movements were initially aggressive, they became gentle on my skin. I kept inhaling sharply.
“Get to the point,” he said, applying medicine with an expression suggesting he was grinding his teeth.
The point?
Didn’t he want to hear about my fight with the princess? I glanced at Que’er, who was silently lamenting.
“I was wrong,” I said suddenly.
“Wrong about what?” An Jin asked.
“I shouldn’t have beaten the princess impulsively.”
Que’er coughed pointedly. An Jin looked at her, and she fell silent.
An Jin turned back to me, somewhat helpless. “How did you end up at White Crane Plain?”
The painting for the Eastern Palace’s dancer had been kicked into a puddle by the Seventh Princess during the scuffle. I stammered, “I-I went there to paint.”
“Why were you with the Crown Prince?”
I swallowed. “We-we coincidentally met.”
An Jin’s expression turned cold, and he stood up and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
I was stunned. Que’er hurried over. “Madam, the master is angry.”
“I noticed,” I replied.
“Don’t you understand? The master has long known you were that ‘young master’ and has been waiting for you to admit it!”
