Unyielding Spring Mountains - Chapter 54: Queen

Jin King turned his head and happened to meet Wei Zhen’s gaze. Seeing that she had yet to start, his brows furrowed.

Wei Zhen said, “I will begin now.”

She lifted the cinnabar brush with her right hand, concentrating on the bamboo slips in front of her, appearing completely focused on her calculations. However, beneath the cover of the desk, in a place where Jin King could not see, her fingertips were lightly hooked with Qi Yan’s.

The hand within his sleeve playfully curled around her fingers, again and again, making her wrist tingle.

It was only after much difficulty that he finally let go of her hand, and Wei Zhen let out a long sigh of relief.

Their relationship, one that danced on the edge of taboo, stimulated her nerves, making her tremble. At times, she was afraid, yet she couldn’t help but fall deeper and deeper.

Qi Yan set his brush down and began conversing with Jin King.

He sat casually, one hand resting at his side. Jin King, leaning against the armrest, was absorbed in the bamboo slip in his hand and paid them no mind.

And in the next moment, Qi Yan reached over to hook her dangling fingers again.

The light touch sent a tingling sensation up her arm, as though tiny insects were crawling along her bones, swiftly spreading through her entire body. She could hardly hold her brush steady.

She tugged at her captured hand, but he refused to let go, tightening his grip instead. Their fingers intertwined in the struggle, and a thin layer of sweat formed on Wei Zhen’s forehead.

Glancing at Jin King from the corner of her eye, Wei Zhen finally stopped resisting and, instead, firmly grasped Qi Yan’s hand in return.

This time, his body stiffened, and he became the one trying to withdraw.

Jin King, still reading the bamboo slips, asked him a question. Wei Zhen felt the warmth of his palm and lightly traced his wrist, pressing down on the veins beneath his skin.

Her hand was soft and smooth, well cared for with fragrant oils, like the finest white jade. In contrast, his was rough, shaped by years of wielding a sword, with clearly defined knuckles.

Qi Yan’s voice faltered for a moment. Jin King lifted his gaze, eyeing him suspiciously, before he resumed speaking.

A moment later, he felt Wei Zhen’s fingers slide between his, interlacing their hands. As if in revenge, she pinched the soft skin between his thumb and index finger.

Qi Yan clenched his jaw.

Jin King frowned. “Qi Yan.”

Qi Yan lowered his voice, “Your Majesty, I was caught in the rain last night and feel slightly unwell. My momentary lapse was a discourtesy—please forgive me.”

Then, he continued as if nothing had happened, “I was saying, Your Majesty should immediately send a battalion into Chu to assist the Seventh Prince…”

Wei Zhen took advantage of the brief distraction to withdraw her hand from his sleeve. She couldn’t tell whether her fingers were trembling more or if it was her heart. Her mind felt dizzy and light.

Resting her hand against her forehead, she finally managed to compose herself and focus on the task at hand.

The incense burner released a curling trail of smoke, carrying a delicate fragrance through the air.

Time passed. Jin King’s footsteps echoed in the hall, followed by his voice. “I will be resting in the inner chamber. Wei Zhen, continue reviewing the records here.”

Wei Zhen turned around and bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The curtain fell, obscuring Jin King’s figure. The moment he disappeared behind it, Qi Yan turned to her, but Wei Zhen spoke first. “Do not disturb me.”

She glanced outside. The hall doors remained open, and someone could enter at any moment. She gently pushed him away and whispered, “You do your work, and I will do mine. Let’s not interfere with each other. Jin King is right behind us.”

She tilted her head up and added, “If you’re wondering why I pinched you, it’s because you were the one provoking me first.”

Qi Yan watched her irritation with a faint smile and said nothing. He simply turned back and picked up a scroll.

Wei Zhen calmed her mind and resumed reviewing the records. She noticed that Jin King’s accounts were meticulously recorded, detailing nearly all of the palace’s financial matters. While the overall expenses were listed, the real challenge lay in sorting out the tangled web of credit, transactions, and expenditures.

A lantern was placed on the table’s edge. Wei Zhen looked up and realized that the sky outside had darkened from pale blue to deep black. Qi Yan was still there.

Qi Yan asked, “How far have you gotten?”

Wei Zhen showed him the bamboo slip filled with dense cinnabar markings. “Only half a month’s worth. Fortunately, the records are well-kept, saving me some effort, but they are still incredibly complex.”

A small mountain of bamboo slips remained on the table, and the thought alone made her head ache.

Qi Yan, however, wasn’t really paying attention to her words—he was watching the subtle shifts in her expression.

She was dressed in a soft peach-red robe, the fabric draping smoothly over her form and pooling onto the stone floor. There was a certain quiet elegance to her, but when she concentrated on the records before her, she looked entirely different—poised, composed, and dignified.

Wei Zhen asked, “Are you not leaving?”

Qi Yan shook his head. Jin King had assigned him military affairs earlier, but he had already completed them. There was no reason to return yet. He reached out his hand and said softly, “Did you bring the music score His Majesty gave you?”

Wei Zhen picked up the scroll from the floor and handed it to him.

Qi Yan unrolled it, studied it for a moment, and then picked up a brush.

He marked the key passages for her, circling important sections and noting points of emphasis. Once he was done, he set the scroll aside and reached for something nearby. It was an unconscious motion, yet his hand brushed against hers.

Wei Zhen froze.

For a long time, neither of them moved their hands away.

The hall was silent, filled only with the faint scent of incense. The flickering candlelight cast a golden veil over them. The only sound was the soft rustling of cinnabar strokes gliding across bamboo slips.

Then, footsteps echoed from behind the curtain. At the same moment, both of them withdrew their hands.

Jin King emerged, draped in an outer robe. Seeing Wei Zhen still seated at the desk, while Qi Yan perused a military text nearby, he asked, “You’re still here?”

Qi Yan nodded. “I have finished reviewing the military affairs, awaiting Your Majesty’s approval.”

Jin King approached the desk and glanced at Wei Zhen. “How are the calculations progressing?”

Wei Zhen set down her brush and presented the bamboo slip with both hands.

Jin King took it and gave her a measuring look before calling for the eunuch outside. Tossing the bamboo slip to him, he said, “Hong Shuo, verify this.”

Since the passing of the late king, Hong Shuo had been responsible for overseeing the palace finances.

Hong Shuo carefully examined the accounts and respectfully placed the bamboo slip back on the table. “Your Majesty, the princess’s calculations match the ones previously submitted by the treasurers.”

Wei Zhen slowly released the fist she had unknowingly clenched.

Jin King gave a brief nod. Looking at the remaining stack of bamboo slips, he said, “You have only checked one month’s records today. Take the rest with you and present a full report in the coming days.”

Hearing the satisfaction in his tone, Wei Zhen softly acknowledged the command.

Jin King instructed Qi Yan to help her carry the bamboo slips. The two of them rose, and as Wei Zhen reached for her zither, she heard Jin King behind her say, “Tomorrow morning, before you depart for Chu, do not forget to deliver my secret letter to the King of Chu.”

Qi Yan replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

As they left the palace hall, Wei Zhen walked beside Qi Yan, palace attendants trailing behind at a distance.

Wei Zhen asked, “You’re going to Chu?”

Qi Yan nodded. “There is turmoil in Chu. His Majesty has ordered me to the border to negotiate with the new king’s confidants.”

Wei Zhen asked, “When will you return?”

Qi Yan said, “Not too long—around twenty days, counting the journey.”

Wei Zhen frowned slightly. Twenty days didn’t seem short at all.

At the palace doors, Wei Zhen turned back with her zither in hand. “When you return, I have a gift for you.”

Qi Yan raised an eyebrow. “What gift?”

Wei Zhen shook her head with a smile. “You’ll find out then.”

A breeze lifted a few strands of her hair, her eyes shining. She said, “Be careful on the road. Stick to the main routes and don’t take shortcuts just to save time.”

A strand of her hair fell onto his wrist. She pursed her lips and leaned in close to his ear.

After a long pause, she whispered, “I will wait for you to come back.”

Then, she turned and stepped inside, closing the palace doors.

Through the translucent screen, a slender shadow remained. She didn’t leave right away but leaned against the doorframe for a long time.

Qi Yan stepped up to the threshold, resting his hand against the door. In a quiet voice, he said, “Alright.”

Inside, Wei Zhen turned her palm upward, pressing her fingers against the shadow of his hand on the screen. In that moment, it felt as if they were holding hands through the door.

Summer was nearing its end, yet the cicadas still cried loudly in the trees.

Wei Zhen murmured, “It’s getting late. You should go.”

Qi Yan replied, “Alright.”

He was full of anticipation, wondering what gift she would prepare for him when he returned a month later.

Although he had held her hand, embraced her, and kissed her, it was always him taking the initiative. She had never spoken aloud about what she truly felt for him.

Some things, when left unspoken, simply mean that the right moment has yet to arrive.

Qi Yan was in no hurry—winning her over required patience. He would wait for her to gradually overcome her shyness.

The next morning, Qi Yan left the capital, bringing Zuo Ying along with him. Wei Zhen, who had seen the two of them daily before, now found their sudden absence somewhat difficult to adjust to.

However, she had no time to dwell on this matter. The task assigned to her by the Jin King was rather heavy. At first, it was to audit the expenditures of the Jin Palace for the past three months. She spent six to seven days carefully verifying the accounts twice before submitting them.

Afterward, the Jin King gave her numerous scrolls and documents concerning two fiefdoms in the northern region of Jin, instructing her to calculate the tax revenue for both areas.

The laws of Jin and Chu were different, and so were their taxation systems. These fiefdoms contained numerous counties and towns, all intricately connected.

Wei Zhen had to learn everything from scratch. Despite the sheer volume of work, she never felt fatigued.

She was the only woman in the academy summoned to the royal palace and fortunate enough to gain access to such matters.

From the moment she entered the academy and learned that female students were required to take arithmetic lessons, she had already guessed the Jin King’s intentions.

The Jin King was grooming a suitable future queen for Jin.

Every course taught in the academy was something the queen must master. Even if she did not become queen, if she married a vassal prince, she would be able to help manage his fief.

But what good was it to be the wife of a vassal prince? Wei Zhen understood clearly that if they ever offended the Jin King, they would still be cast aside and discarded.

Only by proving her usefulness and becoming irreplaceable could she truly establish herself in the Jin Palace.

The word “usefulness” carried too many implications, but Wei Zhen never felt there was anything wrong with applying it to herself.

The former King of Chu and the Queen sent her to Jin for a political marriage, unaware that she had learned much from her grandfather in her early years and had access to many confidential records of Chu.

From the fiefdom they held in Chu, she could deduce the overall territorial distribution of the entire Chu Kingdom, including details about its land, population, and the potential size of its military forces.

Chu did not want her, but Jin would certainly have a use for her.

A cool breeze blew as Wei Zhen sat in a pavilion that afternoon, comparing Jin’s legal codes against the tax records in her hands.

The end of summer and the beginning of autumn—though the heat had not completely dissipated, this pavilion sat beside a lake. The breeze skimmed across the water’s surface, bringing a refreshing coolness to the place.

In a few days, Qi Yan should return to the capital. But by then, it would also be time for her to submit the completed tax records to the Jin King.

As Wei Zhen fanned herself with a silk fan, she suddenly sensed something and looked up, spotting a tall figure.

Ji Yuan stopped at the steps, his eunuch behind him carrying a stack of official documents, his arms filled with bamboo scrolls.

Wei Zhen rose and gracefully curtsied. “Greetings, Seventh Highness.”

Ji Yuan glanced at the pavilion, then at Wei Zhen.

The eunuch behind him spoke up. “Is the princess reading documents here?”

Wei Zhen caught the subtle implication in his words. When she first arrived at this spot, she had noticed the pavilion was well-maintained—an incense burner was set up, fine carpets were laid on the floor, and the table was spotlessly clean. She had been surprised that such a beautiful and serene spot was unoccupied.

Now, seeing Ji Yuan, she instantly realized that she had likely taken over his usual place.

Hurriedly, she gathered up her bamboo scrolls and said, “I was careless in taking over Seventh Highness’s working space. I will leave at once.”

She called for Liang Chan to help her pack up.

“No need,” Ji Yuan said as he stepped into the pavilion, signaling the eunuch to place the scrolls down. “There is another table in the pavilion. I will use that one. You may finish your work before leaving—it is no trouble.”

He glanced at the stack of scrolls before her and remarked, “Carrying all these books back and forth in search of another place would be troublesome, wouldn’t it?”

Although his words were kind, his expression remained indifferent, his demeanor aloof.

Since he had already taken his seat and begun working, Wei Zhen looked at her pile of documents. As he said, moving everything at once would be difficult.

She curtsied to Ji Yuan. “Then I shall trouble Your Highness for a little longer.”

She was almost finished with her work anyway. Once she completed the last few calculations, she would leave.

Ji Yuan sat behind his desk, flipping through official documents without lifting his head.

Wei Zhen returned to her seat and quickly refocused on her task.

A gentle breeze rippled across the lake, sending small fish leaping above the water’s surface before splashing back down, blending harmoniously with the murmuring waves.

A cup of tea was placed before her, and the eunuch’s voice sounded softly. “Princess, please have some tea.”

Wei Zhen looked up and saw Ji Yuan seated at his tea table. This tea must have been freshly brewed by him.

She smiled slightly. “Many thanks, Your Highness.”

She picked up the celadon tea cup, feeling the smooth glaze beneath her fingers, as cool and polished as the finest jade. Upon closer inspection, the bottom of the cup was carved with a delicate jade fish. As sunlight filtered through, the fish’s shadow reflected onto the tea’s surface, swaying gently with the movement of the breeze—an exquisite touch that spoke of its owner’s refined taste, even in the matter of tea.

Wei Zhen drank the tea and excused herself.

From the moment she rose to leave until she was gone, Ji Yuan never once looked up.

After her footsteps faded, the pavilion fell into complete silence. Only the steam from Ji Yuan’s teapot continued to rise, making the tea lid rattle faintly.

The eunuch approached Wei Zhen’s desk to wipe it clean but was drawn to something that caught his eye. He bent down, picked it up, and said, “Your Highness, the princess has left behind a scroll.”

He placed it on the desk, and Ji Yuan glanced at it. Immediately recognizing its contents, he remarked calmly, “Return it to where it was. She will come back for it shortly.”

The eunuch complied.

A while later, as he tidied the tea set, the eunuch remarked, “The King has frequently summoned the Chu princess to the royal palace. Lately, Your Highness has also been paying close attention to her—perhaps because His Majesty values her so highly?”

Ji Yuan continued reviewing his documents and replied, “She is the wife the Jin King has chosen for the future crown prince.”

His gaze drifted to the tea cup Wei Zhen had used. A faint imprint of rouge lingered on the rim, carrying a subtle, lingering fragrance.

He did not care who he would marry. What mattered was choosing the person who would be most useful to him.

And without a doubt, Wei Zhen was the most valuable choice.

“The envoys who went to Chu previously brought back records of the princess’s background, did they not?” Ji Yuan asked.

“Yes,” the eunuch replied. “Because her birthday coincides with that of our Eleventh Princess, Your Highness happened to remember it.”

“In five days, prepare a birthday gift for her,” Ji Yuan instructed in a low voice.

The eunuch was momentarily stunned. He had never seen his master take such an interest in any woman before. Nonetheless, he bowed and obeyed.

The position of crown prince remained vacant for a long time. Among all the royal sons, it was clear that the King favored the Seventh Prince.

The King had hinted before that since the marriage agreement with the Wei Kingdom’s princess had been annulled, the Seventh Prince could freely choose a bride from among the many noblewomen in the academy.

If His Highness requested to marry the Chu princess, which of the other princes could possibly compete?

The eunuch bowed again. “I shall go and prepare a gift for the princess immediately.”