Die Landschaft ist wie ein Gemälde

Kapitel 14

"Really? Ce here, let me see." Consort Li stretched out her hand and gently waved it at Zi Jin, her smile becoming even more amiable.

Zi Jin walked over without realizing it and extended her injured hand.

"Go and get the Blood-Activating Lotus Ointment. Look how swollen her little hands are. Grand Tutor Zhou is so heartless." Consort Li looked distressed.

Consort Li personally applied the medicine to Zi Jin, her dignified face displaying the gentlest smile. She applied the medicine with utmost care, as if afraid of hurting Zi Jin. This treatment truly overwhelmed Zi Jin, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words, only able to stare blankly at Consort Li's smile.

"If you don't have anything to do in the future, come and sit here for a while. Those two maids, Zi Feng and Zi Feng, are here and miss you very much. We are all family, so you shouldn't be too formal. Otherwise, when your father comes back, he will think that we didn't take good care of you in the palace, and that would be a crime." Consort Li smiled just right, and her appearance was very similar to Jun An's.

When Zi Jin was about to leave the Southern Garden, Consort Li bestowed upon her many precious medicinal herbs, jade, and agate.

happy Bao happily hugged the reward and followed her master.

Zi Jin looked at the pile of things with a sense of sullenness, secretly thinking: "Giving these broken stones and rotten jars is pointless; I can't sell them anyway. It would be much better to give them some real gold and silver." She walked out of the South Garden and headed towards the Inner Kitchen Pavilion. The Inner Kitchen Pavilion was a place where food was specially prepared for the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Empress. Only particularly favored princes, concubines, or princesses were entitled to eat food from the Inner Kitchen Pavilion with the Emperor's grace.

Fearing that happy Bao, who was following behind her, might ruin her plans, Zi Jin signaled for Xi Bao to go back first.

happy Bao understood Zi Jin's gesture and naturally refused to go back first.

Zi Jin glared at happy Bao, indicating that she wanted to take a walk and asked him to return the things first before coming back to find him.

happy Bao's delicate little face was all wrinkled up, making her look like a little old man, and she just wouldn't agree.

Zi Jin shook her head and sighed, pretending to examine the things Consort Li had given her in Xi Bao's arms. She held the bottle of Blood-Activating Lotus Ointment and looked at it again and again. Suddenly, she tugged at the box in happy Bao's arms, scattering the contents all over the ground.

happy Bao glanced at Zi Jin with a mournful look, then quickly went to pick it up.

Zi Jin took off running. By the time happy Bao had gathered her things and went to look for Zi Jin, she had already disappeared.

Fearing someone would chase after her, Zi Jin kept looking back as she ran, when she suddenly bumped into someone and fell face-first into the mud.

"I...I didn't...I didn't mean to," a small figure huddled against the wall and called out timidly.

Just as Zi Jin was about to lose her temper after being knocked down, she saw the Third Prince Jun Chi curled up in a corner, clutching his head, his arms covered in bruises.

Zi Jin suppressed her anger and stepped forward to rudely pat Jun Chi on the shoulder: Why aren't you watching where you're going!

Jun Chi trembled even more violently: "I...I...I will never do it again...Mother...please don't be angry..."

Upon hearing this, Zi Jin immediately guessed where Jun Chi's numerous wounds came from. Looking at Jun Chi curled up in a ball, trembling incessantly, her anger vanished instantly. She gently pulled Jun Chi up and patted his back softly.

Jun Chi timidly raised his head: "How...how could it be you?"

Zi Jin only then realized that the Third Prince, Jun Chiyuan, was a stutterer. No wonder she had never heard him utter a single word; it seemed this wasn't the first time she had been beaten like this.

Zi Jin helped Jun Chi up and smiled, indicating: Did you fall?

Jun stood there timidly, neither moving nor speaking, his large, tear-streaked eyes looking timidly at Zi Jin.

This was the first time Zi Jin had seriously examined the Third Prince, who was two years younger than her and seemed to have no presence at all.

With fair skin, almond-shaped eyes, long eyelashes like feathers, and a delicate nose, she is simply an oriental version of Barbie.

Zi Jin was secretly delighted: How come I never noticed such an exquisite doll before? When I first held him, his little body was so soft and sweet, and he had a lovely milky scent.

Jun Chi tried to break free from Zi Jin's support, and Zi Jin released her hand as he wished. Before Zi Jin let go, Jun Chi swayed and was about to fall.

Zi Jin, with her wicked thoughts, only then noticed Jun Chi's strange behavior; his right leg was trembling as he stood.

Zi Jin quickly squatted down to check, and found that her sprained right foot was swollen with a bump the size of a steamed bun.

Zi Jin didn't give him a chance to argue, and carried Jun Chi on her back towards Taiping Pavilion.

Jun Chi was unwilling to let Zi Jin carry him, but he couldn't break free from Zi Jin's grip, and his feet were hurting terribly, so he had no choice but to let Zi Jin carry him.

Before even reaching Taiping Pavilion, two people resembling geese stood outside, peering out.

Upon seeing Zi Jin, happy Bao and Yu Luo rushed to greet her, but when they saw Jun Chi on Zi Jin's back, they immediately retreated and followed behind Zi Jin.

Back in the study/bedroom, Zi Jin realized there were no chairs in the room, so she simply placed Jun Chi on her bed.

"This servant greets Your Highness the Third Prince." Yu Luo and happy Bao had already lost their anxious expressions and greeted him respectfully.

"Get up...get up." Jun Chi tried to sit up, but Zi Jin pressed him back down.

When Yu Luo saw the wounds on Jun Chi's hands, she instructed happy Bao to get some medicine. She then prepared a basin of warm water and gently washed Zi Jin's dusty hands and face.

After everything was sorted out, Zi Jin pulled Yu Luo aside and showed her Jun Chi's injured foot.

"It's just a common sprain. I'll give the Third Prince some liniment and massage for a while, three times a day, and he'll be fine in a few days."

At this moment, happy Bao was holding the medicine and standing behind Yu Luo. Zi Jin snatched the medicine from happy Bao's hand and pressed Jun Chi down to strip him of his clothes.

"No...don't..." Jun Chi struggled weakly for a few moments, but couldn't break free from Zi Jin. He could only look at Yu Luo with a troubled expression.

Zi Jin thought that Jun Chi cared about Yu Luo's gender, so she kicked Yu Luo out. Because Jun Chi was present, Yu Luo had no choice but to obey.

Although Zi Jin was impulsive, she was also afraid of touching Jun Chi's wounds. She carefully removed Jun Chi's clothes, and seeing the porcelain-like skin beneath his autumn-dressed garments covered in grotesque, bluish-purple whip marks, she couldn't understand how Jun Chi's mother could be so cruel. Zi Jin, who initially harbored ulterior motives, saw Jun Chi's new and old wounds and her original intentions vanished; she carefully applied medicine to Jun Chi's wounds.

happy Bao's large, clear eyes stared at the wounds on Jun Chi's body. After a while, she finally couldn't bear it and turned her face away.

Every time the medicine was applied to a new wound, Jun Chi's small body would tremble. Later, he was already covered in sweat from the pain, but he still gritted his teeth to keep himself from crying out.

After the medicine was applied, Zi Jin carefully covered Jun Chi with a quilt. Looking at Jun Chi's arms, which were covered in scars and exposed outside the quilt, her eyes stung and swelled.

Jun Chi raised his head and smiled: "No...no, it doesn't hurt at all, not at all..."

Zi Jin was so sad that tears wanted to fall, but she didn't want Jun Chi to see them, so she turned her head to the side.