Chapter 7: Negotiation

Meanwhile, after breakfast, Ren Jingzhi gazed outside. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering across the weathered bluestone pavement beneath the autumn breeze.

All of a sudden, he felt like going into the courtyard for some fresh air.

When Shen Yiran stepped out of her room, the first thing she saw was a man dressed in white sitting beneath the old locust tree in a wheelchair. Flecks of sunlight fell across his cold, handsome face. His eyes were closed, as though he were quietly enjoying the warmth of the sun.

It was a truly picturesque scene.

The previous two times she had seen him, the circumstances had been far too tense for her to notice. Now she realized that he was actually an incredibly handsome man. If she really became his Heir Apparent Consort, that didn’t sound so bad after all.

Just as Shen Yiran was indulging in her daydreams, a cool voice interrupted her.

“Heir Apparent Consort, have you seen enough?”

“…Ahem… ahem…”

Being caught staring was a little embarrassing. She rubbed her nose and coughed awkwardly.

This man’s vigilance was unbelievable. He had noticed her even like this.

Shen Yiran walked over with an ingratiating smile. Though her face was hidden behind a veil, the smile in the corners of her eyes was enough to serve as a polite gesture.

“What a coincidence. I happened to have something to discuss with my husband. And while we’re at it, I can soak up some sun and replenish my calcium.”

“Replenish… calcium?”

Ren Jingzhi frowned. He had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t ask.

Shen Yiran stepped behind him and slowly pushed his wheelchair through the courtyard.

Yun’er watched them from a distance.

“On the surface, we’re husband and wife. In reality, we’re business partners. If we want this partnership to go smoothly, we need to establish a few ground rules.”

“Mmm. Go on.”

“You have to guarantee my livelihood and my safety. You also can’t restrict my freedom. In other words, I can leave the residence whenever I want. In front of others, we have to act like a loving couple, and you must protect me whenever necessary. As for me, I’ll be responsible for detoxifying you and curing your legs.”

“Cure my legs?”

Ren Jingzhi was visibly shaken. Ever since his injury, his legs had completely lost all sensation. He had never even dared dream that one day he might stand again.

“Of course. As long as you cooperate with my treatment and keep your end of our agreement, standing again won’t be a problem.”

What a cunning woman. Everything she said revolved around her own interests.

“Very well. No problem. When do we begin the treatment?”

“This morning, I already forced most of the poison out of your body. As long as you take your medicine on schedule afterward, the remaining poison should be cleared within half a month. As for your legs, they’ll take longer. They’ll require medicine as well as acupuncture. Even with a fast recovery, it’ll take around two months.”

After hearing her confirmation, Ren Jingzhi was overwhelmed with excitement.

As long as he could stand again, he was willing to wait no matter how long it took.

His silence made Shen Yiran think he felt the treatment would take too long.

“If we add massage therapy, it’ll speed things up.”

She quickly reassured him.

Listening to the little woman anxiously explaining herself, he found himself growing somewhat interested in her. Thinking back on everything she had said and done over the past two days, he felt she was quite different from ordinary noble ladies. As for exactly how she was different, he couldn’t quite put it into words.

“I’ll give you acupuncture and massage every day. It’ll take about two hours. It’s best to do it at night, so we can avoid attracting attention.”

“That’s fine. I’ll leave everything to you.”

Being pushed around by this woman actually felt… rather pleasant.

“Oh, right. I need to go out and buy some clothes and daily necessities. Husband, could you spare me some silver?”

Once the negotiation was over, Shen Yiran went to find Yun’er.

Right now, the most important thing she had to do was figure out a way to get the Black-clothed Man out of her Dimensional Space.

Watching her departing figure, Ren Jingzhi’s emotions were indescribably complicated.

His entire life had begun to change simply because this woman had appeared.

As soon as Yun’er saw her Miss approaching, she hurried over and cautiously asked,

“Mistress, did everything go well?”

How could she not care? This concerned their future and whether they would be able to stay.

“Don’t worry. Once this Miss steps in, there’s nothing I can’t handle.”

She even tossed her head proudly after speaking, completely forgetting that the elaborate hairstyle of this era wasn’t exactly made for hair flips.

Not only did her hair refuse to cooperate, but the movement also pulled at the wound on her back.

She grimaced in pain.

“Mistress! Are you alright?”

Yun’er quickly supported her.

“I’m fine. Let’s leave the residence.”

After leaving the Prime Minister’s Residence, Shen Yiran found herself fascinated by the ancient-style buildings lining the streets. Unfortunately, she couldn’t identify the dynasty simply from the architecture.

“Yun’er, what dynasty are we in? And what country?”

She might as well ask directly.

“The Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Northern Tang Kingdom. Miss… what’s wrong with you?”

Yun’er looked utterly bewildered.

“The poison Consort Lan gave me affected part of my memory.”

Shen Yiran made up the excuse on the spot.

Actually, it wasn’t a bad reason. From now on, whenever she didn’t know something, she could simply blame it on memory loss.

Sigh… so she had transmigrated into an entirely fictional dynasty.

Without the guidance of real history, she’d have to rely solely on herself from now on.

Yun’er truly felt sorry for her Miss.

Fortunately, disaster had turned into a blessing. Ever since Shen Yiran woke up in the carriage yesterday, she had become a completely different person. She was no longer the timid young lady who only cried whenever something happened and silently endured being bullied.

Now things were completely different.

Just this morning, she had dealt with the Third Prince so thoroughly that he had been left speechless.

“Miss, where are we going?”

Shen Yiran looked around.

They were already about a li away from the Prime Minister’s Residence, and this area was fairly crowded. If she released the Black-clothed Man here, he’d easily attract attention. If his enemies found him, all her efforts would have been for nothing.

“Is there anywhere scenic on the outskirts? Preferably somewhere with flowers and trees. I’d like to relax a little.”

Without suspecting anything, Yun’er thought for a moment before saying,

“I remember now. There’s a place on the eastern outskirts about two li from here. My mother took me there when I was little.”

“Perfect. We’ll go there.”

After a brief pause, Shen Yiran added,

“Yun’er, let’s hire a carriage. I’m injured, so I shouldn’t overexert myself.”

Yun’er lowered her head awkwardly and whispered,

“We… don’t have any money…”

Shen Yiran grinned mischievously.

“I do.”

She even jingled the money pouch in her hand.

As expected, money made the world go round.

She had anticipated this situation. During her negotiation just now, she had asked her nominal husband for ten taels of silver as an advance payment for his treatment.

She had even specifically asked Lin Bei to exchange the large-denomination silver into smaller amounts because she figured it would be more convenient to use.

“Miss, where did you get so much money?”

“I got it from your future master.”

She burst into laughter.

Yun’er laughed as well.

“I’ll go hire a carriage right away.”

Not long afterward, Yun’er returned with a coachman.

He was a middle-aged man of average build. Years spent driving carriages outdoors had given him wheat-colored skin. At first glance, he looked like an honest fellow.

“Miss, let me help you into the carriage.”

The carriage reminded Shen Yiran of the horse-drawn sightseeing carriages found at tourist attractions in modern times.

Unfortunately, she had an important mission today and wasn’t in the mood to admire the scenery.

After about half the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the carriage arrived at their destination.

After getting down, Shen Yiran was quite satisfied with the place.

It resembled a modern landscaped park, with very few visitors.

Her military training had ingrained one habit into her.

Whenever she entered unfamiliar surroundings, the first thing she did was study the terrain, so she could retreat immediately if anything unexpected happened.

She scanned the area.

To her left stood a century-old tree.

About a hundred meters ahead, an elderly woman was selling sweet soup.

That ancient tree was the perfect place to move the Black-clothed Man out of her Dimensional Space.

At that moment, she wished she could see the outside world while inside the Dimensional Space.

That would make things much easier.

But it was only wishful thinking.

Just then, she overheard two Masked, Black-clothed Men talking on a bench about ten meters away.

Although they were speaking quietly, Shen Yiran’s ears, sharpened through years of special forces training, caught every word.

“Our Master has been missing for so long, and we still haven’t seen his distress signal. He was struck by a poisoned arrow too. Do you think he could have…”

“Don’t say that.”

The taller man interrupted him.

“Master will be fine.”

“But we’ve been searching since last night, and we haven’t found a single clue.”

“A poisoned arrow… last night?”

Could the Master they were looking for be the very Black-clothed Man she had rescued?

They were all Black-clothed Guards and wore masks. Although these two wore bronze masks, the timing of the injury and the poisoned arrow matched perfectly.

It was almost certainly him.

What a coincidence.

She had been worrying about how to safely return him to his people.

“Yun’er, I’m thirsty. Go buy us two bowls of sweet soup.”

As she spoke, she tossed the money pouch to Yun’er.

The moment Yun’er turned and walked away, Shen Yiran quickly circled behind the ancient tree and, with a flash, disappeared into her Dimensional Space.